Living right next to San Francisco has many perks; one of my favorites is the large amount of visitors passing through. Whenever someone visits, I show them the popular tourist spots, and then I show them my San Francisco! My San Francisco includes many parks, restaurants, and one dive bar with great music called Tempest! The Tempest has an attached kitchen that serves all sorts of fun concoctions. I am especially partial to their Pork Belly Potato Skins with Quail Eggs. Every bite is rich, cheesy perfection.
Today I was looking for a similar bite, so I created these peppery potato skins with sunny-side up quail eggs on top. They offer the same rich, cheesy flavor as the Tempest’s skins, but are made with a crispy pepper bacon creating a slightly lighter bite. I hope you enjoy them! And, I would love to hear what makes your city yours!
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There is nothing like sporting events to bring people together. As a Penn State alum, I believe that I gain 110,000 friends whenever I go and watch a football game at Beaver Stadium. Sporting events allow everyone to speak a universal language, one of pride, competition, and teamwork. Right now, in the midst of the Fifa World Cup, this sentiment is so strong.. Walking through the streets of San Francisco, I see so much USA pride and at game time, the city transforms itself to only teammates and friends.
Getting in the spirit of the World Cup, I made these Plantain Guacamole Bites to enjoy with my friends, as we watched the US play! The fresh flavors transport you to Brazil. Each bite offers a fruity sweetness from the plantain, a tart kick from the lime, and a little spice from the jalapeño. I would recommend making extras, because I know I could eat them all by myself!
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Summer has always been my favorite season. As a child, I would spend all day in the pool or playing outside with friends. Soaking in the sun and fun I stayed outside until sunset at which point I would come inside and eat everything in sight. I do not know if it was from all the energy I used playing, but my appetite was three times larger in the summer. Now as an adult (still a little bit of a scary phrase at 25), not much has changed. Of course I have to go to work on weekdays, but I rise extra early and stay out a little later to enjoy the outdoors. I feel very blessed to live in the San Francisco Area, as the sun shines bright and I am surrounded by the beautiful bay!
This weekend, to celebrate Memorial Day, some of my friends and I made a special trip to a local beach town, Pacifica. I was astounded by the beauty surrounding me – soft sandy beaches, rolling hills, magnificent houses, surfers galore, and gorgeous people everywhere you looked. The day was magical. After the beach, we all headed over to my house for dinner and judging from my summer appetite, I knew we would be hungry. This Caramelized Onion Crostini Recipe fit the bill. It has lightly toasted French bread with a little olive oil, goat brie cheese, and delicately caramelized onions. The mix of textures comes together perfectly, creating a savory delight with a tinge of sweetness from the onions. It was a pleasure to share this with such good friends on a special holiday weekend and boy did it start the evening right.
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The great debate – cinnamon rolls or sticky buns. My choice had always been cinnamon rolls. Especially, my friend Barb’s recipe that creates cinnamon rolls with soft, rich melt in your mouth goodness. She always said the mixer practically made them for you.
In my late twenties I started traveling to Pennsylvania to visit family, which continued over the years especially when Stefanie decided to attend Penn State. On one of my first trips, I tasted and fell in love with sticky buns, particularly grilled stickies. Instead of toast or pancakes with your eggs, diners and Mom and Pop restaurants in PA give you sticky buns. And the best ones of all come from Ye Olde College Diner in State College. After football, they are Penn State’s claim to fame. Some nights you dream of them, grilled till the edges caramelize.
The diner ships them but I realized my cinnamon rolls recipe (actually Barb’s cinnamon roll recipe) translates into stickies that when grilled are almost as good. The best part of all, cook up a batch, split them up and wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them. Defrost, grill them in a cast iron pan and you have heaven on a dish.
This recipe has egg and milk in it but I have also developed an eggless, milk-less recipe that uses vegetable shortening, if you want it please email us and we’ll send you that one.
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We have had an exciting week. Stefanie’s cilantro garlic chicken wings were chosen as the recipe of the day at the Toronto Wing Festival. What a great feeling! Onto our mini caprese bites…
I had armloads of basil this week. My brother in law has the best garden and has been keeping me stocked with fresh herbs. I’ve made pesto twice this week, the first time in a food processor and the second time by hand. There is a big difference in taste but depending on time constraints either way works. I’ve poached the garlic so it doesn’t overpower the delicate tomatoes and mozzarella. These bites are easy to put together and any leftover pesto can be used in sandwiches or on pasta. [click to continue…]
Years ago my friend Carol Flynn introduced me to her homemade English Muffins. Filled with nooks and crannies, it’s hard to stop eating them. Not only are they great for breakfast, but they also make the best cheeseburger buns and delicious garlic bread. The dough comes together very quickly. Cooked on a griddle over low heat they need minimal attention. They are so easy to make they may become a weekly habit. [click to continue…]
Bacon is one of those wonderful foods that make everything taste a little bit better. This hors d’oeuvre is fast and easy and it isn’t greasy because the bacon is par cooked before you put it together. You’ll love this recipe because when your guests arrive you can put it in the oven and it will be ready in twelve minutes and it is delicious.
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These baked beans are so good we ended up snaking on them all night. There is definitely heat and the whiskey cooks off but imparts just that extra flavor. I never realized how much I loved them until I started making them from scratch.
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