Warm It Up

With more than a foot of snow on the ground the last thing I wanted to do was whip up some breakfast before rushing off to the restaurant. My groggy morning mind was trying to persuade me to whip together some of the same old for breakfast, but sheer will power—not to mention lack of bread and peanut butter, my morning staples—prevented me from doing so. Thus, in honor of the winter wonderland outside, I attempted to conjure up a toasty, SE Asian archipelago in my kitchen with some sweet coconut and ginger oatmeal.


P.S. It was delicious, but I still stepped into 12-inch mound of snow once I walked out of the door this morning.

Breakfast of Champions

Japanese Sencha.

Sometimes you just aren't that hungry in the morning.

...or sometimes you are still hurting from yesterday's hangover. Go figure.

Clean Up, Aisle 3

I’ve you’ve ever heard this SNL digital short then you know how I felt today about finding a bottle of Brooklyn Local 2 in Boston this afternoon. I stopped by the Publick House Provisions and spotted 3 bottles of the stuff sitting comfortably next to Local 1. The gentleman at the register informed me that 72 cases made their way to Boston yesterday and no one knows when they’ll receive more.

I was ecstatic, happily babbling as I paid for my bottle.

If you want to try the brew and, like me, live in NY where it is impossible to find, head over to Brooklyn Brewery this Friday for the official Local 2 Launch party. Brewmaster—and my culinary man crush—Garret Oliver will be there to talk beer for a bit.

Antisocial Eggs No More

After prepping up some Crème Brûlée last night in hopes to impress some friends for dinner tonight, I found myself with a bunch of eggs whites sitting solo in the fridge. Luckily, a bit of onion and garlic, chili, mushrooms and parsley came to their rescue. Some lemon squeezed on top and the lonely-no-more eggs happily made their way into my stomach.

Old Faithful: Peanut Butter and Bananas

This is my I’d rather spend time eating than cooking breakfast.


Toast, peanut butter, bananas, raisins, honey and some cinnamon-sugar to top it all off.

Nutty, sweet and delicious.

Fatcakes

Since today is National Pancake Day—the day before the intense fasting season for devout Christians, or just for whoever wants to celebrate Mardi Gras—I’ve decided to make…pancakes!

The recipe was created my Craig Claiborne in the mid-sixties for the New York Times. It consists of eggs, flour, milk and some butter, all of the things you shouldn’t eat on a fast. Whip everything together, toss in a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon and bake it for fifteen minutes. It's fluffy, crispy, dessert sweet and isn’t a bad way to end the day either. Topped with a dollop of strawberry jam I made over the summer, I’ll definitely be able to skip a few upcoming meals.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

For years I have been chanting the same mantra to various nonbelievers: “Eat your breakfast!” I preached the necessity of the morning meal to co-workers, friends, fellow-musicians, students, bosses and just about anyone I happened to pass in the early hours of the day. I know that the advice of some satiated do-gooder is the last thing a cranky sleepwalker wants to hear but I can never resist spreading the good news. It’s been proven multiple times that breakfast is good for you, so I am always baffled when people neglect to take advantage of this nutritious day starting habit.

Last week—while enjoying a hearty breakfast myself—I was reading a New York Times article about an alternative, savory look at breakfast. I’ve never had a problem experimenting with breakfast foods, but lately the time constraints of work have prevented me from changing things up as much as I like. As if a wise hand of culinary authority reached out of the paper and smacked the oatmeal out of my mouth, I knew I had to mix things up. I decided to take an early morning journey and document the trip, creating and sampling various breakfast ideas inspired from different cultures. If for nothing more than my own curiosity, I’ll keep a digital journal of my meals to see just how varied breakfast can be. Let’s see how this one goes.