Avocado & Egg on Toast

Now I know that avocado and eggs on toast is the new in thing to be eating for breakfast, but I swear that I discovered this simple, but delicious recipe back in 2012. After a swanky NYC brunch at Whitehall where I was served a similar dish, I was inspired to whip up my own version.

As I’ve said in the past, I consider myself more of an “assembler” than a cook so this breakfast recipe is right up my alley. There are several ways you can do this, but all you really need is some delicious fresh bread, avocado, eggs and olive oil.

Cook up your egg however you’d like (this recipe also tastes great with a poached egg).

Mash up at least ½ an avocado and drizzle it with some olive oil.

Cut a nice thick piece of your bread and toast it.

Spread your avocado mash onto the bread and place your egg on top and serve!

You can also try putting chili flakes on your avocado mash to give it a little kick. I personally like to use a good amount of ground black pepper and some sea salt.

Cheese Platter Essentials

Any display that includes bread and cheese is delicious, but when a cheese plate is done well, oh my is it good! Here are my essentials for the perfect cheese plate.

1. Cheese: Depending on the size of your party always provide 3-4 cheeses for your guests to assure that there is something that everyone will like. You’ll have your bases covered if you go with a smooth cheese (a goat or mozzarella), a buttery cheese (brie) and a hard cheese (manchego,  gruyere or parmesan) . I know not everyone enjoys blue cheese, but I happen to love a crumbly cheese with a nice bite so I think it’s nice to throw a gorgonzola or stilton into the mix.

2. Carbs are obviously an essential so I typically go with some french bread toasted that I toast in the oven with  some olive oil and an assortment of crackers.

3. Fruits like grapes, apples and dried apricots are perfect pairings for your cheese. I love a big chunk of brie spread on top of a green apple slice. Berries are also a great choice. Check out my blackberry brie crostinis here.

4. Nowadays you can’t go into a supermarket without seeing some sort of fig jam and it’s the perfect condiment for a cheese plate. A  savory jam, like a roasted garlic and onion is also delicious.

5. I always put some sort of trail mix or assortment of nuts out in order to provide my guests with some protein and some crunch.

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I’ve been a fan of the banh mi since I took my first bite of one at NYC’s Co Ba. I knew an upscaled hot dog would be the perfect dish for my doggie style party and the banh mi became my inspiration. I don’t necessarily consider myself a cook as much as I do an “assembler” who can put together tasty ingredients in a simple way and this recipe is the perfect example. Using Rachel Ray’s recipe as my base, I simplified it a bit and came up with this unique and oh so tasty banh mi dog.

What You’ll Need:

• Pork hot dogs
• Baguette
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro

For the sriracha mayo:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons white rice vinegar

1. If you’d like to pickle your carrots, be sure to prep those ingredients at least one hour ahead of time. All you have to do is combine 1 cup hot water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sea salt in a mixing bowl. Pour over your shredded carrots and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

2. Whisk the sriracha mayo ingredients together in a small bowl.

3. Boil your hot dogs then cut in half and crisp them on a skillet.

4. Warm up you baguette and add your mayo, meat, veggies and top it all of with some delicious cilantro!

Banana Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I’ve been doing a lot of baking lately, but this recipe is extra special because I made these treats for Chip’s 1st birthday. Although Chip couldn’t tell me just how much he enjoyed them the evidence was all over his face…and my floor.

Ingredients:

1 banana, 2 carrots, 2 tbsp. peanut butter, 7 oz. all-purpose flour, 3 1/2 oz. rolled oats, 2 oz. of olive oil.

 1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Grate carrots and mash banana with a fork and mix in flour, oats and olive oil to form dough. Add water if necessary.

3. On a floured surface, roll out dough about 1/2 inch thick and use cookie cutter or cut into small squares.

4. Bake treats for 25 minutes. Turn off oven and let cool in overnight in oven.

The recipe will make between 6-8 large dog treats. 

Buttermilk Scones

Nothing goes better with a garden party than a batch of warm scones. Having never made scones before I decided to start simple with a delicious buttermilk scone. Not to mention I had left over buttermilk in my refrigerator from baking my baked cake doughnuts. What You’ll Need:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk

I followed the Food network’s recipe here.

Serve warm with some butter and strawberry preserve and you’ll have some happy guests on your hands. 

Baked Cake Doughnuts

Being a Bostonian at heart I’ve always had an affinity for Dunkin’ Donuts. After indulging in a delicious strawberry frosted dunkin’ donut this past Saturday  I walked to Sur la Table and purchased a doughnut pan of my very own.

Baked Cake Doughnut recipe found on the Wilton Doughnut Pan

(makes 12 regular-sized doughnuts)

2 cups cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Prep:

1.  Preheat oven to 425°F.  Spray the 6-cavity donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk in buttermilk, eggs, and butter and beat until just combined.  Fill each donut cup until about 2/3 full.

3.  Bake 7-9 minutes, or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched.  Cool in pan for about 4-5 minutes before removing from pan.  Complete donuts with either a dusting of powdered sugar, glaze, or cinnamon-sugar topping.  Best served fresh on the same day.

Sally’s Baking Addiction inspired my homemade strawberry glaze.

Cinnamon Sugar: 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp. melted butter. In a shallow bowl or plate, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the baked doughnut in melted butter and roll in the mixture to coat.

Confectioners’ Sugar: Put 2/3 cup of confectioners’ Sugar in a resealable plastic bag.  Add a doughnut, close the bag, and shake to coat.  Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Roasted Garlic & Onion Jam Flatbread

I consider this flatbread a staple for any gathering. Seeing as I serve it at every party you think my friends would be sick of it, but it’s always the number one requested snack at my apartment.

Ingredients:

1. Dough: I typically use Boboli pizza crust, but this time I used whole wheat Naan bread. When choosing your dough, try thick, thin, or whole wheat (Having severed all three- a thicker crust always seems to go first).

2. Stonewall Kitchen’s Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam: (The Stonewall Company is based in Maine, which makes me even more proud of my New England roots!). This is by far the best jam I’ve found, but there are other name brand onion jams on the shelf.

3. Cheese: You can use whatever cheese you’d like: blue, feta, goat. Since I could live on an all goat cheese diet, I go for the goat every time.

• Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
• Spread your jam, about 2-3 tablespoons, evenly over the crust. (A little bit goes a long way. Be careful  not to use too much because the jam tends to spread and get messy when heated).
• Sprinkle your cheese of choice over the top of your flatbread.
• Bake about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and your jam begins to bubble.

Nectarine & Goat Cheese Crostini

This unexpected warm weather has hit Manhattan and New Yorkers are sporting sandals and picnicking in the park. Fruit vendors on the street are bustling with customers and I was one of them. Although it’s not quite nectarine season, I was able to find some juicy ones that would work perfectly for this light and citrusy appetizer.

Toasted french bread, creamy goat cheese, sliced nectarine (or peach) and mint are all that’s needed to whip up this quick and easy crostini appetizer. If you’re in the mood for something sweet drizzle these bad boys with honey and you’re good to go.  This recipe is perfect for entertaining and even more perfect for this gorgeous warm weather. Pack up a tray of these crostinis, head to the park and enjoy!

3 C’s Popcorn Recipe

I put my new Cuisinart EasyPop Hot Air popcorn Maker to good use and came up with The 3 C-Popcorn recipe: chocolate chip, coconut and cinnamon.

Steps:

1. Pop 1/3 cup popcorn kernels (about 10 cups of popcorn)

2. While popcorn is popping melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a pan over medium heat.

3. Once the butter is melted add in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt  Feel free to add more cinnamon if you’re a cinnamon lover like me.

4. Lay your popcorn out on a baking pan and drizzle your sugar mixture so it’s distributed evenly over your popcorn.

5. Add in regular and white chocolate chips and sprinkle some shredded coconut over your popcorn.

6. Mix it all up in a big bowl and enjoy!

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After learning that another family member was taking care of the carrot cake for this Sunday’s dinner, I wanted to bring a different sweet to our Easter table. This recipe is the perfect Spring treat. These cookies are light, fluffy, citrusy and delicious.

I based the cookies off of this recipe by Miss Karli Brae, but added a twist of my own by incorporating coconut.

Step 1: 

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs

Begin by mixing your butter and sugar in an electric mixer. I did a little arm workout and mixed mine by  hand and it worked just fine. Add in your eggs one at a time and continue to beat mixture together.

Step 2:

In a second bowl begin mixing the following:

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 1/4 cups cake flour

Step 3:

Add your second mixture of dry ingredients to your electric mixer (or bowl) with your mixed butter, sugar and eggs. Now for the best part: carefully add in your extra mix-ins.

• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup of shredded coconut

Step 4:

Let your dough sit in your refrigerator for at least one hour and pre-heat your over to 350 degrees. Once both your dough and oven are ready, put about 1 tablespoon of your dough onto your cookie sheet and let your cookies cook for 11-14 mins or until the bottoms are golden brown. You want the dough to retain that white, fluffy Spring  look so be careful not to let the tops and sides of your cookies get too brown.