Four summers ago, I visited a college friend in her suburban Maryland home. It was there that I had my first zucchini. I know zucchini isn’t an uncommon vegetable but it’s not super popular in my household. My friend’s mother prepared an egg batter, threw in the zucchini, and 10 minutes later, a giant zucchini omelette sat on my plate. It was delicious.

Two summers later, I was at Shop-Rite when I saw a manager’s special- FOUR ZUCCHINI FOR ONE DOLLA! I glanced around to make sure nobody was looking and snatched the package. You’d think I was committing a crime. Well, it was too good to be true. They weren’t zucchini. They were damn cucumbers! I HATE cucumbers.

So now, whenever I buy zucchini I make sure I examine the skin. Cucumbers are cold and waxy. Zucchini are rough and dry. They even sound different. If you tap them hard enough, a cucumber sounds… more hollow?

And so it is with great pride that I tell you I’ve never made the same mistake again. Issue is, since I don’t have a grill and I don’t want to fry, a zucchini omelette gets a bit tiring after awhile. As I rummaged through the pantry last weekend, I realized that I had a box of quinoa sitting on the shelf. Native to South America, most people mistake quinoa as a grain when in fact, it’s technically a seed with high protein content. Thus, it should be no surprise that this ingredient is quickly making its way into American households that are looking for ways to cut down on carbs. While most recipes call for cooking the quinoa for 10-15 minutes, I’ve found that when lightly toasted, it tastes almost like sesame seeds!

Lately, I’ve been looking for an easy breakfast solution that’s protein heavy to bring to work for my post-lifting workouts. This seemed to do the trick. I would have used milk, but I recalled that my aunt used to make savory pancakes with just water and they always came out deliciously. This was no exception. They also taste great the day after. Just nuke them for 20 seconds.

But like most foods, these pancakes are best eaten right out of the skillet when they’re still piping hot. Double the recipe if you’re making these in a regular-sized skillet. You can find quinoa in most grocery stores, but if you can’t, just double the flour.

Zucchini Quinoa Pancakes
Makes four pancakes in a 5 inch skillet

Ingredients:

• Half a zucchini, sliced into quarter inches and then into strips
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of quinoa, thoroughly washed and dried
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt/pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Method:

Tip: When washing the quinoa, you should rinse them until the water is no longer cloudy and then rinse several times more. By the time you’re done, the water should be crystal clear.

In a baking tray, spread out the quinoa in a thin layer. Toast the quinoa for 10 minutes on 300 degrees F. The quinoa should be slightly darker although some may not brown. Let the quinoa cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Incorporate and make a well in the center. Add the egg and begin to lightly fold in the flour. Then, add in the water in a slow, steady stream. You will not need the full 1/2 cup of water. Basically you want a consistency that’s a tiny bit more runny than pancake batter. If it becomes too runny, just add in extra flour. Then, toss in the quinoa and zucchini, and mix until everything is incorporated. Make sure there are no lumps.

In a skillet, add some oil to grease and when the pan is ready, scoop a generous portion of the batter. When bubbles start forming on the perimeter of the pancake, give it a few more seconds before flipping. The pancake should rise. Cook until each side browns.

When the first one is done, you should taste it to see if the seasoning is off. If it needs more salt, the best time to add it is when it comes right out of the skillet. I like to eat these with ketchup

You should also check out:

• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice

Many thanks to Cat, who snagged Sabrina and me a pair of GoogaMooga tickets. This was my excuse to enjoy some awesome weather yesterday.

If you haven’t heard of GoogaMooga by now, think  Coachella or EDC and then scale that down by like 1,000,000x. Supposedly 40k people filled the park this weekend, and despite that massive figure, there was still plenty of sitting room under the shade. Plus, unlike music festivals where you can go on all night, the human stomach at one point will reach its capacity, limiting the potential of infinite enjoyment at a food festival. That being said, it was a blast.

Layout: Dozens of restaurants have a “store front,” clustered by burgers, pizza, dessert, etc… Each restaurant features a specific dish and that’s the only item you can buy. Beverages are purchased at a separate stand.

Gameplan: Split everything with Sabster. General admission was free, unless if you were willing to shell out $250 for VIP tickets (those who did complained over Twitter that it was a giant rip-off as they ran out of food early in the day [update: tickets have been refunded! props to Superfly for biting the bullet and committing to a quality experience!]), and each vendor sold food in the range of $5-$12. We got here early because vendors were told to prepare for 2k portions despite the event expecting 40k people.

No DSLRs were allowed, so it was back to the regular point-and-shoot.

Stop 1: Craft (Tom Colicchio)

Dirty Duck Dog: $7.00

Taste: Like duck. Surprising? It wasn’t like eating a roasted duck, but in a blind test I would have known it was duck. There’s a hoisin like sauce in place of your usual ketchup/mustard and there’s some pickled cabbage to act as your sauerkraut. Interesting aftertaste, which wasn’t necessarily bad. Bun was perfectly soft (guess it was a regular hot dog bun, notin’ wrong with that). Texture of duck dog was like a sausage. Not too chewy or grainy.

Rating: 7/10

Line: Practically none at 11:15am

Stop 2: Vinegar Hill House

VHH Juice: $5

Taste: WTF did they put in this?! Worst juice I’ve had in my life. Tasted like a tomato met an egg white and didn’t know what to do but explode into a bitter tangy mess. I have no idea what was on the rim, but it was spicy and if I had to venture a guess, Paprika?

Rating: -1/10

I can’t believe Sabrina drank the whole thing. The stuff she does when you tell her it’s healthy for you…

Soft Shell Crab Sandwich: $11

Taste: Impeccably delicious. Would have used a bun without sesame seeds, but this crabwich is nearly perfect. Soft shell crab was perfectly done- it was crunchy and perfectly seasoned. The spicy mayo was the cherry on top. Could have done without as much cabbage, but like I said, nearly perfect.

Rating: 8/10

Line: Pretty darn long by the time the afternoon rolled around, but only a <10 minute wait around 11:30am

Stop 3: Sausage demo with Adam Kaye of BLUE HILL FARM!!!

(Adam: “Yes, I realize that the sausage maker is named ‘dick.’ The full name of the company is actually named F. Dick.” [Adam snickers] “It appears that we all become 8 year olds when we make sausage.”)

Here’s some interesting stuff that you probably never want to know about sausage from a guy that brings in FOUR pigs into his restaurant a week! That’s alot of pig!!

• The encasing for sausage is made out of natural ingredients. What part of an animal’s body do you think provides for natural encasing? That’s right! You guessed it! The intestines! I’m not sure why this grosses people out because the stuff that’s in the lining when you’re eating sausage is probably much worse.
• Ever eat a grainy sausage? It’s because instead of pre-freezing the meat/fat prior to grinding, the meat/fat was at room temperature, causing the fat to ooze through the grinder rather than getting that clean slice. Yum.
• Some sausages aren’t cooked- ie salami.

Stop 4: Brindle Room 

Steakhouse Cheeseburger: $10 (“the best $10 you’ll ever spend in your life”)

Taste: This rather inglorious looking burger appears desperately pathetic. Don’t blame Brindle for this; blame Sabrina. Since she wouldn’t eat cheese and they were afraid that the cheese would melt all over the patty if they only melted half a slice, I decided to just slap on that americano [cheese] after it came out. Don’t let this picture deceive you. This is the best damn burger I’ve probably ever had. That’s right. ever had. Holy smokes!

This burger was so outstanding, I think it deserves another paragraph. First, this thing did not need any cheese and as I read the description on the Brindle Room’s brunch menu, it sure as heck does not need any caramelized onions for that matter. Well, what could make a burger so great you ask? First the juice. ohmygosh, each bite practically drooled with the juices. The interior was slightly pink with the meat soaking in all that juice. Then the flavor hits you. Not once, not twice, but throughout the bite. I have no idea what they did to make it so flavorful. You could tell that there was a good amount of salt added- perhaps it was aged because I don’t think you can achieve that saltiness by just tossing in some salt. Either way, this burger beats the Spotted Pig and Minetta Tavern burgers and you only have to pay $12 for it!! What a steal!

Rating: 11/10

Line: Too short (nobody sadly at around noon)

Stop 5: Roberta’s (their website looks like someone hosted a unicorn party and forgot to clean up)

Bee Sting: Tomato, mozz, soppresata, honey, chili oil $12

Taste: Interestingly painful is all I can say. Painful for the overdose of chili oil, which not even a shirley temple could remedy. If it weren’t for the intensity of the spice, I think I would have fully enjoyed this. Everything else was done well though- the crust was paper thin, the cheese melted just the way you’d expect fresh mozz to melt, and the tomato sauce was just sweet enough. The honey was a thoughtful touch and worked quite well with the flavors.

Rating: 6/10

Line: 15-20 minutes. I mean, they hand cranked these out and they were made to order. Someone had to haul a portable oven to the park to make this pizza happen. An applause for that.

Stop 5: Collichio & Sons 

Yes, that is pork belly. You’ve probably had it in the form of BACON

Pork Belly Tacos: 1 for $7, 2 for $12 (not on the menu at the restaurant)

Taste: Very gluttonous. In my book, it’s very difficult to screw up when a thick form of bacon is your star ingredient. These weren’t exactly tacos as they were made out of corn tortillas (reminded me of arepas, actually), and what looks like shredded cheese is actually just picked cabbage, onions and the works. The toppings provided a refreshing balance to the heaviness of the pork. Some bits of bacon had a welcoming crunch and luckily they weren’t stingy when it came to doling out that bacon.

Rating: 7/10

Line: 10 minutes. Surprisingly short given that the line looked massive. They had two stands- one to order and one for pickup. That’s how many people there were! Word has it that they ran out of propane on Saturday by evening.

Stop 6: Wooly’s

Wooly Mammoth with strawberries, mango and condensed milk: $7.00

Taste: I expected this to be like the shaved ice you get on the streets of Shanghai, but the Wooly’s shredded ice was very interesting. It was like floating on pillows of long shredded down feather that magically melted in your mouth with a silky finish. The condensed milk was a good call. Think froyo but with ice, flavored by the strawberry syrup and condensed milk. A very welcome icy finish to a warm day. Totally recommend trying this if you’re in Chinatown.

Rating: 8/10

Line: 20-30 minutes. As you can expect, by the time 2:30pm rolled around, people were hot, sweaty, and looking for something cool. This was really the only alternative, unless if you wanted generic popsicle sticks and ice cream sandwiches.

Like most festivals nowadays, they encourage composting.

Overall, an awesome day. I think I’m done for the rest of the week in terms of food. I’m glad we hit the park early because by the time we starting leaving, alot of the beer at the pavilion was sold out and one restaurant that sold fried cheesecake balls was all sold out too. There have been massive complains floating around that this was a poorly planned event, but seeing as how we got to the festival bright and early, we had none of these issues. Plus, we didn’t get that VIP ticket, as we probably would have rather used that $250 towards a dinner at Per Se.

You should also check out:

• San Francisco | Swensen’s, Kara’s Cupcakes, Gott’s Roadside
• An interview with Terry Chen of “Filled with Sweets”
• Co. Pizza
• Day 4 in Switzerland | Montreux, Confiserie Zurcher
• Crif Dogs (take 2)- best hot dogs ever

This post is overly due, mainly because I was too lazy to hit the publish button…

Many, many weeks ago, I made an impromptu trip to San Francisco. Nearly everyone who you talk to who’s visited will gush about how awesome San Francisco is- the temperate weather, all the awesome food, the unique characteristics of each part of the city and the vibrant culture.  The bar was set pretty high; despite gusty winds and a downpour for the first day, I fell in love with the city.

Transamerica Pyramid- I need a wider lens!

Chinatown

Day 1- This was a very hands-off-the-camera trip. Most of the wandering was done on foot, helped by a couple of friends who were gracious enough to take me around to their favorite sights and restaurants. But there were some moments when I just couldn’t resist taking out that camera. The first was when we arrived at Swensen’s. It was an unexpected visit, but we happened upon this popular ice-creamery as we were walking to the cable car.

There were enough intriguing flavors to make you stop and seriously think- I mean, bordeaux cherry? turkish coffee?! almond chocolate malt?! I ended up sampling the turkish coffee, which reminded me of Starbuck’s Java Chip ice cream but less sweet and slightly more bitter, as well as the swiss orange chip.

Holy cow.

Swiss orange chip. Talk about a perfect harmony of rich and velvety chocolate cut through by the acidic orange.

It was to die for.

Swiss Chocolate Orange Chip- 1 scoop for $2.95

This is a must try for any chocolate/orange lover!

About a ten minute walk from Swensen’s was the cable car stop by Lombard St (home to the most crooked and windiest street in the world). Shielded by a barrier of trees is actually a public tennis court that offers majestic views of the bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Ghirardelli Square.

Day 2- After brunch with a friend at Samovar Teahouse, I was determined to explore the city on foot. By the time I reached the wharf, I was exhausted but I knew the real prize was ahead- Ghirardelli Square. I mean, I could sacrifice my feet for some chocolate, yeah? Of course, I had no idea what was in the Square- I figured there had to be some chocolate.

I get there and I realize that there’s a GIANT line for the cafe. That’s out of the question. Then I see a little cafe with no line. Why? Cause it sold ice cream.

Low 50 degree weather with whipping wind. Do I get ice cream?

Then I look up and the heavens smiled at me. CUPCAKE SHOP!!!

I practically glided to the entrance with glee. Inside there was an assortment of red velvet, chocolate velvet, passion fruit, banana caramel, passion fruit, meyer lemony lemon and fleur de sel. It was such a tough choice, choosing between the last two. I finally opted for the lemon, given that I had just consumed a giant loaf of sourdough bread at Boudin’s and was craving for something fruity.

Meyer Lemony Lemon Cupcake ($3.25)

To be honest- it was the filling that saved the day. The frosting was very light (which is good as it wasn’t terribly sweet) but the cake itself was on the drier side. I think that Sprinkles triumphs Kara’s with the cake but Kara’s wins frosting and filling.

HOWEVER, Howard had been raving about Blue Bottle Co., and lucky me, Kara’s carried it! The lady at Kara’s spent a bit of time explaining to me that the coffee is made through a drip process and Blue Bottle offers classes to its distributors to teach how to properly brew the coffee. She also offered me decadent heavy cream, which I graciously took. That cup of coffee is by far the best filtered coffee I’ve ever had!

A 12oz coffee is $2.00

Overlooking Ghirardelli Square and the Bay

As I marveled at just how rich and creamy that cup of coffee was, the weather started to change and tiny drops began to rain. In the process, the wind picked up, and with my inability to multitask, balance a camera, and carry my shopping bags, I spilled a good chunk of the coffee. Sadness.

Interestingly, just as fast as the drizzle came, the sun peeked out again. The sky went from blue to blinding yellow, just like that.

On the first day, I went to GOTTs, which serves a MEAN burger. I didn’t get a chance to go back until the morning of my last day. In my attempt to get one last burger before I left, I neglected to consider that few people eat burgers for breakfast. Luckily, Gott’s had a breakfast menu, which although sparse, has items to fill that grease pit in your stomach.

Southern: Buttermilk fried chicken tenders, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese & charred jalapeno mayo ($5.99)

Really, if you’re going to put buttermilk fried chicken on the breakfast menu, why can’t you put down a juicy burger too while you’re at it?! In any case, this thing was fulfilling and left me with guilty conscious.  There was nothing particularly glorious about this sandwich- it tasted the way you’d expect chicken tenders to taste. The chicken isn’t particularly crispy but is a definite upgrade from Wendy’s chicken nuggets. The egg is fluffy and the cheese overflowed, dripping beyond the borders of the crust. The sandwich could have used a bit more of that jalapeno mayo, but I’m sure my blood vessels beg to differ.

You can’t see it, but I also got some Hash Browns (crispy, golden potato triangles, $1.99), which were unfortunately, short of anything exciting. In fact, they were quite disappointing. Not that I expect hash browns to taste spectacular, but Micky D’s has better hash browns.

Within the Ferry building (which is where Gott’s was), there’s a bunch of small one-off vendors. It’s here that I got some awesome Weck Jars. People have been contacting me to ask where I got them- there’s a Heath Ceramics in the Ferry Building. If I recall correctly, the jars were under $2.00

There are also a few other places worth mentioning in terms of good eats.

• RN740- this is an urban wine bar and it’s a beauty. A bit on the pricier side, but I had my first bone marrow here. The Herb Roasted Marrow Bones, served with Fattoria Bread and Bacon Marmalade was $12.00.  As the great Cat Chao would like to say, bone marrow is essentially human butter. My gracious hosts let me choose two appetizers and while the thought of eating bone marrow sorta freaked me out, I figured it was then or never. Luckily, I got over the thought and actually enjoyed it. The second app was the Maitake Mushroom Tempura, served with Scallion Mousseline and Yuzu salt for $11.00.  What a hit! A must for those who are less adventurous. The restaurant also serves a very good Artic Char (think salmon-like color and taste) for $27, served over gnocchi, which was actually the best prepared gnocchi I’ve ever had. (website, menu)
• Samovar Teahouse- a real gem of a place, en-capsuled in tall glass windows  in the Yerba Buena Gardens. Reeks of Zen. Anyhow, the Ginger Quinoa Waffle, served with fresh fruit and housemade vanilla infused palm nectar (Available until 3 p.m.) for $12 is a definite must.  Doesn’t taste that much different from regular waffles but it’s the after-feeling. You don’t feel bloated or guilty.   (website, menu)

Kara’s Cupcakes
MAP IT
900 North Point
San Francisco, California 94109
P 415 563-2223

Swensen’s
1999 Hyde St
(between Union St & Warner Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Russian Hill
(415) 775-6818

Gott’s Roadside
1 Ferry Bldg
Marketplace Shop 6
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
(415) 318-3423

You should also check out:

• The Great GoogaMooga | Prospect Park, Brooklyn
• Day 4 in Switzerland | Montreux, Confiserie Zurcher
• Day 3 in Switzerland | Davos, Sheraton Davos Hotel Walduus
• Day 2 in Switzerland | Zurich, Café Weggen & Henrici Coffee
• Day 1 in Switzerland | Genève, Cafe du Soleil

The pull and tug between winter and spring has finally marked its toll on me. After my daily morning run on Monday, I stepped out of the shower with a seemingly endless leaky nose. I thought I had outsmarted my symptoms with plenty of rest, but alas, on Thursday, the throat began to itch and the bones started to ache. Luckily, the onset of Friday brought an opportunity of uninterrupted sleep. On this lazy Saturday, nothing  gives me more pleasure than the excuse of curling up in bed with my laptop, next to a cup of tea for some seriously overdue blogging.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Rachel invited me to a Thai New Years party, hosted by Phensri of “Fantastic Thai Cuisine.” If you know Rachel, you know that she loves all things Asian. Combine that with cooking, and you have a perfect match made in heaven. Needless to say, Rachel raved about the Thai class at our weekly Friday gatherings.

A little background on Phensri’s classes- She offers them in various locations in New Jersey (including Old Bridge and Princeton) as well as in NYC (Greenwich Village). Her regular classes range from $60-$100 depending on the location and all ingredient fees are included. Classes are structured so that every individual gets to prep, cook, and of course, eat!

We arrived at around 3:30pm to help prep for the official 6:30pm feasting. No hands were spared. While I dawdled a bit, snapping shots here and there, Phensri eventually entrusted me with the Chicken Satay. It was my job to put them on skewers. In general, we were able to get two pieces of chicken breast onto the skewers, as you want to leave at least 1.5-2 inches on the bottom for handling purposes. The top of the skewer should be buried in the chicken (we don’t want anything burning on the coals).

Chicken Satay: grilled aromatic chicken marinated with Thai herbs, served with Thai peanut sauce

We let Justin handle the grilling. No comments there…

Just kidding. Look at how wonderfully that batch came out!

Meanwhile, as I was skewering, Rachel shared the task of making these curry puffs filled with beef. They’re similar to samosas and empanadas, but to be honest, they’re the most bangin’ version I’ve ever had. The spice from the curry is an awesome explosion in the mouth. I think I overdosed on these, which led me to become incredibly full before dinner even started. It also didn’t help that I was sitting next to the fryer. Oops.

 Curry Puff: Pastry dough stuffed with grounded beef, curry powder

Pre-frying. Because they were so good, I forgot to take pictures post-frying. Silly me.

Following the curry puff making, we started on vegetarian spring rolls. Despite how they look, they’re super easy and quick to make. You can buy a pack of spring roll wrappers at your local Asian mart for under $2, and fill them with whatever you want. Scoop the filling onto a bottom corner and fold up to cover the filling. Then, sweep in the left and right fold so that only one corner is left and roll upwards. Eventually, you’ll end up with a spring roll!

Vegetable Spring Roll: Deep fried with stir fried vegetable and glass noodles wrapped with spring roll skin, served with sweet chili sauce

The lady of the night who made everything possible- Phensri!

The last of the appetizers was the most anticipated and took the longest- Shrimp in a Blanket! Phensri literally bought a giant box of shrimp. They come frozen and you defrost them by running through cold water. You have to shell and devein them and in this case, pare them in half so that they can lie flat on the spring roll wrappers. Phensri then scooped a chicken mixture that she premade before rolling. To seal the “blanket,” mix a bit of cornstarch and water, and dunk your fingers and apply on the tip of the wrapper.

Shrimp in Blanket: Deep fried pastry stuffed with jumbo shrimp & ground chicken with Thai spices, served with sweet chili sauce.

Despite being super critical of himself, Justin turned out some pretty fantastic looking Shrimp in a Blanket.

The night was a blast and many thanks to Rachel for the invitation. Like many of these events that I attend, the night was marked by serendipity. First, after some methodical but painful deducing, a woman and I figured out that her son and I graduated from the same college. While I didn’t recognize his name at the time, upon some stalking (via Facebook), I realized that I have actually met her son through friends. Even more random was how I realized that a lady who I had been talking to for a good while was standing next to a very familiar looking man- that man taught at my middle school and was one of the most feared science teachers in the 7th grade. I ended the night by drinking wine that he now makes in his retired life.

Anyhow, if you’re interested in Thai cooking and you’re in the area, be sure to check out Phensri’s website. Everyone who she invited to the party was a student, and needless to say, they were all extremely friendly and inviting. They all had great things to say about the class and some have been long-time students. I’m adding the class onto my post June 2 bucket list.

You should also check out:

• Zucchini quinoa pancakes
• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Calima Bakery
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers

Sometimes as we’re struggling, we tend to overthink. When things are smooth sailing, we forget why things are so easy.

I love the spring and fall seasons. They’re my favorite. This year, spring arrived particularly early, which has confused the trees. Following an out-pour of blossoms, trees line throughout the Garden State have retained hues of red and orange. I thought it was fall again.

This afternoon, Clare and I took advantage of the lovely 63 degree F weather by biking along the Jersey shore. We started at Sandy hook, where we saw kite-surfers zig-zagging through the water at dizzying speeds and the occasional tanner enjoying the sun. Clare and I were among the many who biked along the shore.

We started out on a leisurely pace. Ten minutes went by, then thirty minutes, then fifty minutes- we had barely even broke a sweat and arrived in Long Branch, which is roughly 10 miles south of Sandy Hook. “Wow,” we marveled at each other. “That was pretty easy. We didn’t even go that fast and we’re already at Long Branch. Maybe we can ride down further to Asbury Park.”  Luckily, I had to arrive home at a certain time so we turned around and decided to pick up the pace. Thirty seconds into it, I realized something was different.

Why was the wind smacking me in the face, and why is it so much harder to pedal?

Both of us were ready to collapse by the time we made it back.

Our first leg of the ride wasn’t easy because months of spin class had made us fit. It was because we had giant tailwinds that pushed us along. And we paid for those tailwinds on the way back… Too bad we didn’t think about why that first leg was so easy.

Long Branch, NJ in the summer
I can’t wait for summer where the beach is only a quick car-ride away. Jersey is just so beautiful.

Before our trip, Clare said something interesting and worth noting. Whether or not we’re in a season of our lives that we’d like to be in, we should still enjoy our time because once we transition into a new season, that old season is never coming back. Eventually, we’ll start missing parts of that season, no matter how joyful the new season may be. Sometimes, I think about those college years when I traded leisure time for extra cramming time. There are times when I regret not taking advantage of my time as a college student living in the city. I never dreamed I’d be moving back to the suburbs. Yet, here I am. And while I love Jersey and the suburb way of life, I envy those who have the world at their fingertips in the form of multicultural restaurants, street festivals, and crummy subway systems. I wished I had taken the time to enjoy some of that stuff more.

I decided a few weeks ago that I’m going to make this year count. It’s not that I didn’t make the past few years count. In fact, those were some of my happiest years. But I don’t know where I’ll be going in the years ahead. Maybe it’ll be just a bus ride away to New York City or maybe it’ll be to the West Coast. But whatever happens, I’m sure my next season will have me too busy to have this much leisure time. This year, I’m going to make my time in Jersey count. I’m going to cook and improve my photography as much as I can. I’m going to go on 20 mile bike rides along the Jersey Shore on Saturday mornings because I can. I’m going to play more beach volleyball because I can. I’m going to enjoy this season in my life, rather than fret about the coming seasons. Because when will there ever be time to enjoy any season if that’s the mentality?

And so, it was with great determination that I finally hunted down a MINIATURE CAST IRON SKILLET! I’ve been looking everywhere for one of these. I did find one wherever I looked, but I couldn’t justify shelling out $20 for a skillet that could barely make enough to feed one. $5 was better. Of all places, I found it all Marshalls. I snagged it and ran to the checkout counter. I was so happy.

This morning, my stomach woke up eagerly because it knew what was coming- baked eggs. It would be an understatement to say that I have literally been DREAMING OF BAKED EGGS for the longest time. I was a damn shame I didn’t have chorizo because it would have been super epic. Oh wells, there’s always next time.

These baked eggs came out FABULOUSLY and were better than I imagined. There’s no bacon or sausage, which is why even I was surprised how wonderfully delicious these turned out. This is a must for anyone who enjoys a savory breakfast.

Baked eggs with coarse dijon
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 onion, sliced into rings.
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of coarse dijon mustard
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley
• Salt & Petter
• Olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, boil water and season the water with a generous handful of salt. Let the potatoes boil in the water for about four minutes or until slightly tender. You don’t want the potatoes to still have that hard crunch, but you don’t want it to be overly soft either. The potatoes will also continue cooking once you drain the water. After the potatoes are drained, add olive oil (~1 -2 tbp) into a skillet on low-medium heat. You’ll want to taste the potatoes to make sure they’re properly seasoned. If not, this is your chance to season them with some salt.  Cook the potatoes until they crisp on the edges and turn brown. After, move the potatoes into another bowl.

Add more olive oil (~1 tbp) to the skillet and add the onion. Cook until they start caramelizing, which should take about 10 minutes. You want to keep an eye on the fire. The onions shouldn’t burn or char. Instead, they should gradually turn limp and brown as they release their sugar. When the onions are done, add back the potatoes. Then, add in your 2 teaspoons of coarse dijon mustard and mix until the dijon is incorporated into the onions and potatoes. Make a well between the potatoes and onions and crack an egg. Season the egg with salt & pepper. Transfer the skillet into your preheated oven and leave it in there for about 5 minutes. The time is dependent on how you like your yolk. Like it runny? Make sure you check it after 3 minutes. Like it less runny and more solid? Leave it in longer and so forth.

When serving, garnish with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And do be cautious. The skillet will be HOT upon arrival from the oven.

You should also check out:

• Zucchini quinoa pancakes
• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice