Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

Last night, I couldn't fall asleep and it was too late to eat out of boredom but too early to wake up and make breakfast so I just laid there thinking about how Leonardo DiCaprio and I are meant to be together which led me to planning our first date. We're going to brunch, because bacon, mimosas, and Leo basically equate to heaven. I have issues, I know. Anyways, those issues managed to manifest this morning as this perfect combo of sweet and salty:

Instagram

To make it more manageable, I discarded half of the muffin stump, leaving the bottom half and the muffin top (ha!) for the sandwich. I toasted both so the cheddar cheese would melt on the bottom half. What else you see is sausage and scrambled eggs. The McGriddle has nothing on this baby, to the point I'm genuinely surprised Dunkin' Donuts or someone else hasn't gotten on this yet. 

Ode to Doughnuts

It makes no sense that I am a carb counter. The rationale is that if I am cautious day to day, then when I do decide to take a day off, I can go as crazy as I like. That brings us to my favorite guilty pleasure, doughnuts. I have come to the conclusion that doughnuts are the chicken of the pastry world and the ultimate comfort food. Remember doughnut bread pudding? Not too long ago I couldn't decide on ice cream or a doughnut for dessert/midnight snack and this monstrosity happened: 

Don't be too impressed. All I did was cut a doughnut in half and make it into an ice cream sandwich. The drizzle is store bought caramel sauce. I will say, however, that this was a genius idea and absolutely delicious. I recreated multiple times since the original and it even works brownie sundae style if you warm up the doughnut, put the ice cream on top, and then drizzle with your sauce of choice. 

For those who followed me before, it's nothing new that I love making breakfast. I find breakfast staples such as omelets, pancakes, and french toast to be so versatile and easy to play with. So when I have a box of a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts at home and the straight up doughnut craving has been curbed, interesting things are bound to happen.  

Krispy Kreme French Toast with Nutella

Super simple yet somehow, fancy looking. I swear, sometimes, a couple strawberries on the side is all it takes to class up a plate. Again, I cut a doughnut in half, then poked the glazed side of each half a few times to better absorb the french toast batter then fried as per usual french toast. Spread a little Nutella on there and viola. 

Staging a Comeback

To say it's been a while would be an understatement.

I originally posted this on my Instagram account: @vartamelon 

I'll spare everyone details, but my ongoing journey to a career in medicine has not been an easy one. I know, I know, no one ever says becoming a doctor is easy, but no one ever says it's going to be this hard. I finished a pre-med program and basic sciences in Antigua, completed my preclinical rotation in New York and am now in limbo, studying for Step 1 so that I can begin my clinical rotations.

That being said, now that I am officially stateside (actually have been back a while, but life) again, I am hoping to start this baby up again and post regularly. Despite med school teaching me all the complications of deep frying and smothering things with cheese or chocolate, my passion for the decadent and unhealthy has not waned.

Deep Frying Adventures

Look at these hands.

Who, you may ask, could convince me to get them so goopy and gross?

The roomie! Ever since break I've heard about how amazing deep fried (I totally just typo'd fried as friend) pickles are and how we had to try them and make them and join the rest of the world in their deliciousness. So I made beer batter using Carib, since I am in the Carib after all, although technically, I'm in Wadadli country (let's see how many people understood that, haha). Dredged the pickle spears in flour then dipped in beer batter (which I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little sugar). I then fried them, but also dipped a few in Italian bread crumbs too just to see how those would turn out, and I loved them like that. Layla like the regular ones, the bread crumb ones were a tad peppery for her liking, so fry accordingly.

Enjoy!

One Big Can of Pureed Pumpkin

I may be alone in doing this, but when seasons change, I start convincing myself I need things I don't really need. Fuzzy boots, intensive care lotion, two pairs of rain boots, a plaid jacket, hats with matching scarves and gloves, you get the idea. This list totally spread its way into my pantry and kitchen in the form of one super huge can of pureed pumpkin. I had been hoping to make pumpkin cookies, because a super awesome patient brought in pumpkin cookies to our office, but they were so good that I knew if mine didn't come out as amazing, I'd be kind of bummed. I totally need to get the recipe. Those cookie, you don't understand, they were heaven in bite size form. Anywhozers. I made pumpkin bread. I read several recipes and the general gist, most had a lot of white sugar, so mine is a little different than what you're probably used to seeing. I also think I used more pumpkin than most recipes. Either way, it came out super delicious and moist and I came home from work tonight and I made it yesterday and only about a quarter of it is left. I only got one good picture of it though, and it's not even a good picture, and that's because I totally pulled a Varta and found a way to deep fry pumpkin pie filling after I baked the bread. I'll go in order:

Pumpkin Bread, Cake, Whatever

20 ounces canned pumpkin 

4 eggs

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

sprinkling of salt 

teaspoon-ish cinnamon

1 teaspoon-ish nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon-ish cloves

*I say -ish, because honestly, whatever crinkles your socks

- Mix all the wet ingredients together

- Stir in the sugars until everything is smooth

- Add the spices 

- Add the flour and mix until all even, stick your finger in a lick regularly to make sure it tastes as awesome as you want it to

- Pour in a cake pan, should be fairly big, it's a lot of batter

- bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until you can poke it with a knife and it doesn't come out with goop

If you bought a really big can of pumpkin like I did (which is like 30 ounces or so) you're going to have a very awkward amount of leftover pumpkin in the can. 

Don't take it out, instead crack an egg into it, add some sugar, spices, and flour. Mix all that goodness until even. 

Then, as per usual, take a won ton wrapper and plop and nice size helping of pumpkin pie filling on there. Only don't fold it into a won ton like usual, make a ravioli by just laying another won ton wrapper on top, sealing with water, deep fry like you (or I) would normally do. 

Yea, these babies didn't last very long at allllll. 

East Coast vs. West Coast

I went to California this past weekend and got to see dear friends that I love and watch one get married. I've been to California a few times, but never paid too much attention to the food there, but I figured I better start. Since when it comes to big parties I don't believe in eating or breathing in my dresses before and during the festivities, I ordered a salad at Habit, which I found out was pretty much sacrilegious, and I apologize for that. I also ate salad at the wedding which I really got some heat for. They were chugging on the haterade, I swear. Anyways. After the wedding, my dear friend Payman and his amazing wife, Farah, were so sweet and took me to In-N-Out. 

The Strawberry Shake. Not going to lie. That was amazing. 

The burger (don't I look awesome?), while good, don't get me wrong, I'd eat it again, was not, in my opinion, as good as Five Guys. Let me explain. I ordered a double double animal style with animal fries, just to make sure I got the full In-N-Out experience. I was told that the fries weren't supposed to be as crunchy as they were, and I'll factor in the fact that it was around 1:30a.m. or so when we got the food. So ignore the fries, back to the burger. 

Generally speaking, I like my burgers with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and bacon. No random sauces. And the bread is super important. As big as my burger was, I thought it was a little too bread-y, and the sauce, I was expecting more than Thousand Island dressing. 

As I said, being as that it was about to close, I'm taking that into consideration and I'll hold off on my final verdict for In-N-Out, but as it stands now. Five Guys is whopping its butt. 

Dessert Nachos

As many of you are aware, I've been going though a massive brain fart recently. Last night, I finally had a stroke of genius come to me and I feel reenergized to keep on going (in the little free time I have!) with the greasy concoctions. 

First off, I cut some won ton wrappers diagonally, fried them, and laid them flat on wax paper to cool. 

Then drizzled with melted milk chocolate. 

Then I sprinkled them toasted coconut. I used regular grocery store sweetened coconut and just put them in the oven for 10-ish minutes on 350. 

Then drizzled with melted white chocolate. 

I then threw some more toasted coconut and some sliced almonds on. It looks like a super huge blob, I know. I let it cool overnight, but that's an overkill, I only gave it that much time because I started making kind of late and wanted to be in bed by midnight. I also hid them in the microwave since no one uses it. HA! I'm smart cookie. 

In the morning I separated the "chips" and plated it to look like nachos which I learned, is very hard to photograph. 

But super yummy!