Olivia's Austin

This afternoon we went to Olivia's for brunch which was sooooo good! We have been there for dinner before and it was amazing. The brunch was definitely one of the best brunch's I have ever had. We love this restaurant, the atmosphere is great, not too noisy, and great service. The team at Olivia's definitely knows what they're doing. We ordered a cinnamon roll to split which was covered in a cream cheese icing glaze, which I didn't know about until it came to the table, so I picked out the center part! But it was so buttery and rich, I don't think it really needs the glaze. But I guess it wouldn't really be a true cinnamon roll if it didn't have that. Needless to say it was amazing! Then I ordered the Lox plate, which was fantastic. They house smoke the salmon and it was served with 2 pieces of thick sliced home made bread. I could eat this every day if I could. My husband got their version of a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. He said it was amazing, and I munched on his fries which are the perfect consistency of crispy goodness. My mom ordered the Olivia Benedict which she said was great. It had 2 perfectly poached eggs sitting on a bed of braised beef and home made biscuit, topped with perfect hollandaise sauce. She said it was very rich, but definitely one of the best things on the menu.
So once again, a great meal at Olivia's. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone who loves to eat!

Parkside Austin

Last night we went to dinner at Parkside on 6th street. The restaurant reminded me a lot of Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn,NY. The atmosphere of the restaurant was young and hip. It was a bit noisy so it was very difficult to hear the person sitting across from you at the table. I wouldn't recommend bringing and older person who has hearing problems here. But the food was good, its known for its raw bar and oyster selection. Which is not my cup of tea, so I opted for the steak, which was good, but not fantastic. My husband got the braised pork cheeks which were very tasty. The standout of the whole meal were the desserts! We got the chocolate sticky toffee pudding which was out of this world! Sorry to say I didn't get a picture of this because we got a little too excited and ate the whole thing before I remembered to snap a photo. And we also got the cream filled donuts, which I didn't eat since there was cream in them but the presentation was gorgeous and from what everyone said they didn't taste too bad either.
So, I would definitely go back for dinner but maybe would go a little earlier than 8pm, since it was so loud and 6th street gets pretty crazy on a Saturday night.

Breakfast for dinner

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and nothing beats having breakfast for dinner! So last night we made pancakes and bacon for dinner. I have to say pancakes are just about the best thing on the planet, when they are made right. They have to be moist, not too big, with just the right amount of sweetness. And you have to use real Maple Syrup, none of that imitation syrup, please!
I used to make this pancake recipe that had yogurt in it, but ever since I became a lactard, I can't make that recipe anymore. So, I have found that the basic pancake recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook is great, and I just substitute whole milk with lactose free milk, and they are just as good.
Here is the recipe:
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Whisk together in another bowl:
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. If you wish you can fold in any type of fruit, nut, or chocolate chip.
Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto the preheated griddle or non stick pan. Make sure to butter your pan first and it should be on medium low heat. Cook each pancake until the top of them is speckled with bubbles and some bubbles have popped open, then flip and cook until underside is lightly brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

About a year ago we decided that we needed to start cutting back on our grocery spending. We felt like we would spend all this money on buying vegetables and fruit and it would end up going bad in our refrigerator because we would forget to use it or we just couldn't eat it fast enough. So we came up with a plan to start making a menu at the beginning of each week, that way we would know exactly what we needed to buy from the grocery store and not waist anything. This has been such a great way for us to save money and we suggest it to anyone who is trying to stay on a budget. It also eliminates the question of "what are we eating tonight?" and saves us time during the week since we know exactly what we are eating everyday. Its also a great way to remember to use things for more than one meal, for instance we make a whole chicken and we can use it for at least 2 more meals. So your getting more bang for your buck!
One of our go to meals is spaghetti and meatballs, its so easy and scrumptious. We save money by not buying a jarred sauce, we make our own which is so easy. Here's how:

Marinara Sauce:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 28oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon of dry basil

In a large saucepan on medium heat, cook the onion and carrot in the olive oil, until soft, about 10 minutes. Then you add the tomatoes, break them up as they go in the pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and basil. Take off the heat and pulse with a hand blender until smooth or if you don't have a hand blender then you can use a regular stand blender. Taste to make sure the seasoning is to you liking, adjust if need be. This is it, its so easy and quick and you can make a lot of it and store in the freezer and take out when you need sauce.

Meatballs:
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry basil
1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano

In a small saute pan, on medium heat, heat olive oil and add onions, cook until soft and a little browned. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat egg. Add breadcrumbs into egg and stir until combined. Add meats and cooked onion and all spices. Mix with hands until well combined.
Put foil down onto a large baking sheet and start to form your meatballs. Place on the baking sheet as you form them, this is just a holding station until you are ready to cook the meatballs.
Then in a large cast iron skillet or large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat, then place meatballs in the pan. Cook until browned on all sides, they don't have to be cooked all the way through. As soon as they are browned on all sides place in your Marinara sauce. Have your marinara sauce on the stove on low. The meatballs will finish cooking in the sauce on low for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Salt your water and add the spaghetti or linguine. Follow cooking instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and add your meatballs and sauce to your pasta.

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini

One of the best things about living in Austin is that you can grill in February! When we moved from Brooklyn, NY to Austin one of the most exciting things was that we could own a grill and that we could use it pretty much all year round! Grilling just gives food such amazing flavor that you just can't achieve inside on a stove top or in an oven.
So, last night we made grilled chicken and fresh grilled zucchini and served it over creamy polenta.
We always grill on hardwood lump charcoal, we feel it is a much better flavor than regular charcoal.
To prepare the chicken:

1 whole roasting chicken, quartered
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of dry oregano
1 teaspoon of dry parsley
1 teaspoon of dry rosemary
1 teaspoon of dry thyme
1 teaspoon of dry basil
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Clean and quarter a whole chicken. In a bowl combine all spices. Coat the chicken with olive oil and rub spice mixture into skin very liberally. Put on grill and turn chicken after 12 minutes, cook until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Takes around total of 25 minutes on a very hot grill surface.

For the zucchini: Slice 2 zucchini's lengthwise into 1/4" thick strips. Brush with extra virgin olive oil and place on hot grill. Cook on one side for 5 minutes and turn and cook for another 3 minutes or until both sides are caramelized. Immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile to prepare the Polenta:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to boiling water. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of cornmeal. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter until desired creaminess. Season with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Cupcakes for Rae's Birthday!

So my cousin Rachel turned 18 today! She is the biggest chocoholic in the world, so I decided why not make her the most chocolaty cupcakes she's ever had. The cupcake recipe comes from the "at home with Magnolia" cook book. But the icing recipe is from Ghirardelli Chocolate. This was my first time making these cupcakes and I thought the flavor was good but they are more dense than a regular cupcake. Just an FYI, so if you don't mind a non traditional cupcake these are great! Here is the recipe:

Cupcakes:
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp.
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/3 cups whole milk (I use lactose free low fat milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with 18 cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended, and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Butter cream Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk (I used lactose free low fat milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix confectioner's sugar with cocoa. Blend sugar mixture with butter alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Blend in vanilla.
FYI in the picture I topped them with crushed up chocolate heath bar. Which gives them a nice crunch.

Valentine's Dinner

My sweet husband made the most delicious and healthy Valentine's dinner last night. It was flank steak that he marinaded in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and Crystal hot sauce. And a beautiful chopped Mediterranean salad, that had green bell pepper, chopped red topped lettuce, flat leaf parsley, scallions, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and English cucumber. It was perfectly dressed in a vinaigrette that had shallots, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. He served it with warm garlic bread to sop up all the yummy juices from the salad and the steak.
Sorry I don't have exact measurements for this one, since my hubby prepared it all.
Oh and he surprised me with the most amazing chocolate covered strawberries! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of them since I gobbled them up so fast. LOL!