Austin eats: Pamela Jane's lobster rolls

Talk about winning the pregnant lady's lottery!  I recently won a lobster roll box from Pamela Jane's New England lobster rolls.  Delicious!  I've been wanting to try this lunch box and it is definitely worth the hype!  Lots of fresh chunks of North Atlantic lobster in a crusty bun and yes, I poured all that roasted shallot butter on top!  The box came with bottled water, crunchy kettle chips and 2 delicious homemade whoopie pies (one for me, one for baby).  I highly recommend treating yo-self sometime with one of these lunch boxes.  These certainly rival the lobster rolls I've had in Boston and NYC.   And much better than the Perla's and Dock n Roll versions here in Austin as well.  What a great way to start the week!  Thanks Pamela!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Marinated tomatoes

A great way to use up the last of this year's fresh tomatoes.  These are delicious with fresh bread to soak up all the goodness!

Marinated Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
• 1/3 cup Chopped Parsley
• 10 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced Finely
• 1 pound Tomatoes, cut 

Directions:

•  Combine all ingredients except tomatoes and whisk
•  Add tomatoes
• Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible 
• Serve with fresh hot crusty bread!

Day 3: Cannery Row and Carmel by the Sea

Our final full day in CA and the sun finally came out!  The view that greeted us in the morning:

We spent the morning poking around local yard sales and then driving back down to Monterey to the Cannery Row Antique Mall.  It was huge and well organized and was super fun to look through.

Then we went back to Carmel for lunch at Basil--probably one of my favorite meals on this trip.  Love the seasonal dining concept and the delicious warm crusty bread and specialty "basil" dip.

BK had the Thai shortribs which melted right in your mouth

And I hoarded the freshly made spinach tortellini in an amazing truffle cream sauce with prosciutto and asparagus

Seriously--if you are anywhere near this place, you MUST GO!

Carmel-by-the-Sea was super charming to walk around--great for window shopping, enjoying the cool weather, and admiring the gorgeous flowers and plants.

Next up: Big Sur!

Day 2: Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey

We packed in a lot on day 2 but had a great time!  Started off our foggy morning at the Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey

We quickly found our breakfast spot: Crepes of Brittany, which I highly highly recommend

We had the ham and egg buckwheat crepe (delicious) and the nutella and strawberries (oh California strawberries, how I love you!) dessert crepe.  I'm pretty sure these were the best crepes I've ever had. (and you know I've had a lot of crepes)

We walked around the wharf a bit--it's filled with seafood restaurants, gift shops and candy stores.

There was a car show in town and we walked up and down the streets checking out all the amazing restored cars on show.

Found this adorable vintage shop

Back to the wharf for some lunch at the Old Fisherman's Grotto

Delicious clam chowder, coconut shrimp and crabcakes

On next to the aquarium--this day isn't half over yet!  To be continued...

Day 1: Monterey/Carmel

We landed in Monterey and headed straight to Compango's for lunch.  These were the half sandwiches and they were huge--highly recommend the "Marines" special and the Reeses peanut butter chocolate cake (our slice was as big as our sandwiches!)

Then it was on to Trader Joe's for our regular favorites and some new items since we have a kitchen in our hotel suite.

Love California produce--have you ever seen raspberries this perfect??

Checked in to our awesome hotel off Hwy 1

And finally enjoying the foggy but still beautiful view of the Pacific out on our deck with some birthday champagne

Favorite Friday Recipe: Ham and corn salad

We're hopefully headed into our last 100 degree weather day but meanwhile, we're keeping cool and taking advantage of summer produce to make simple and easy salads for dinner.  This is a particular favorite b/c we cut the corn fresh from the cob and also, did I mention croutons?  Yum.

Weekend eats

Since discovering Pho Van, a little Vietnamese place in town, we've eaten there every weekend for the past month.  Our favorites:

Grilled pork bahn mi 

No. 29 (delicious)

Iced coffee--this stuff will keep you up for days!

How was your weekend?

Food in Singapore

If you are in or near Singapore, here are some of my favorite food recommendations:

Milo (a hot chocolate drink) and kaya (coconut jam) toast

Nasi lemak (coconut rice and various sides like peanuts, a fried egg and chicken wing)

Carrot cake--fried eggs with daikon/radish (no carrots involved!)

Char Kuay Teow--fried flat rice noodles with bean sprouts, eggs, etc in a dark sweet soy sauce

Satay--skewers of grilled chicken and beef with cucumbers and rice patties to dip in the peanut sauce

Wanton mee--thin egg noodles with bbq pork and wanton dumpling soup

Beef pepper rice--cooked on a sizzling hot plate (BK's favorite)

Laksa--noodles and side dishes like bean sprouts, tofu and quails eggs in a rich curry-like broth

Cereal prawns--large prawns covered in a cereal batter

 

Famous chilli crab

 

 A traditional dessert: steamed rice cakes with coconut and orange sugar to dip them in

 

Muah chee--glutinous rice flour dumplings with crushed peanuts and sugar

Singapore curry puffs--these from 1A are my favorite with a flaky crust 

and delicious curry filling (with a quarter hard boiled egg inside)

and of course, not native to Singapore, but just as delicious--Garrett's popcorn!

Whew!  That was a lot of food pictures--wait till you guys see our Australia/New Zealand food pics! :)

Wishlist Wednesday: food food food!

In just one week I will be in food heaven.  Until then, there's this list to keep me going...

Favorite Friday Recipe: mini ham, egg and cheese quinoa cups

Our first time eating quinoa and I can't imagine a better introduction than this recipe!  A nice healthy breakfast packed with lots of flavor and I love how portable they are as well.  It's a really versatile recipe as you can switch out different meats, vegetables and seasonings.  Bacon?  Is that you calling me?

Mini ham, egg and cheese quinoa cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
• 3 eggs
• 1 shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 green sliced onions
• salt & pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and mix well
• Spray mini muffin tins with olive oil 
• Spoon mixture in (you can fill them in all the way as these won't rise)
• Bake for 15-20 min (I broiled them for about 2-3 min at the end)
• Let cool a little before removing from tin and stuffing them in your mouth
• Delicious!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Nutella Challah Bread

Bread is usually a very tricky thing for me to make but using the Pioneer Woman's recipes, I've had great success with pizza crust and cinnamon rolls.  Most recently, I've discovered Jade at Steamy Kitchen and decided to try her No Knead Nutella and Hazelnut Challah.   She had me at "no knead"...and "nutella".

The most life changing thing I've learned about bread making is yeast and the temperature of your water.  Most recipes say "lukewarm" or "warm" and my fingers are apparently not that intuitive.  Well now I know that yeast activates best in 90-110F water so I frequently poach B's grilling thermometer to make sure my water temp is just right.

This bread was fun to make and I've got some leftover dough in the fridge waiting to be used.  Maybe Caramel Sticky Buns next?

Favorite Friday Food: Vadeboncoeur nougat

I have a particular weakness for nougats and these pistachio ones by Vadeboncoeur were a favorite Christmas gift on my wishlist

Made from 99% organic ingredients, the nougat is soft, chewy and has a delicious taste of honey.  And check out all the almonds and pistachios!

These are addictive and it's difficult to keep myself from consuming my entire stash.  Good thing you can order them online!