Grilled Cheese Dippers!

It has been rainy and stormy lately here in South Florida (hello hurricane season!) so I was craving some comfort food. I wanted to make a grilled cheese sandwich to accompany some tomato bisque I picked up at a local deli, but wanted to make it more "kid-friendly" for my toddler. I sliced the sandwich up to make little "dippers" for the soup and it was a hit! The key is definitely to use sourdough for the bread, it tastes so much better that way!

Cooper's Hawk 1.0!

My parents and I took my toddler to a new baby gym up in Palm Beach Gardens, just a bit north of where we live. We stopped by the mall next door for lunch and discovered an awesome new restaurant - Cooper's Hawk Winery! This chain has locations in various states, and their main bottling location is based out of Illinois. The space itself is conceptually lovely - you walk into a huge Napa-style tasting room and gift shop, with a separate dining area for the restaurant. A tasting is $7 and you try 8 different wines, a mix of reds and whites bottled by the brand. Lunch was fantastic - I had a short rib grilled cheese and it was so tasty!

Black Bean Burgers ... take 3!

As usual, in my perusing of my Facebook newsfeed, interesting recipes and food videos abound due to all the foodie pages I've 'liked' over the years. Last week I came across a recipe for veggie burgers, with a base made from baby portabella mushrooms, black beans, and spinach. I love making interesting kind of meals like this, even though we are not vegetarian or vegan in my household, because it's fun to mix it up!

This recipe was a huge hit and you can find it here. Below are my modifications to it.

• No onion
• Used whole eggs instead of just the whites
• Used store bought chipotle mayo
• Added more spices (cayenne, smoked paprika, white pepper)
• Baked the patties for 5 min extra on each side

This recipe made a pretty decent amount of patties. I made 6 patties and baked them, and I put the leftover "mix" in the fridge, I may use it to make a frittata for lunch tomorrow.

In the veggie burgers, I used multigrain sandwich thins and toasted them before assembling with the baked patties, romaine lettuce and chipotle mayo. My husband ate 4! I made sweet potato wedges to serve alongside the burgers, and it was the perfect tasty side dish.

Yardhouse!

Yardhouse is a local draft beer / gastropub type chain and there is one close to us. We went for dinner with some friends over the weekend and had a mixed experience. I had been several times previously for happy hour, and found the cocktails and appetizers to be perfectly fine. Entrees for dinner on the other hand, not so much! I would recommend this as a perfect happy hour spot (particularly on the terrace/patio, if not too muggy).

Update 2/15/19:

We came here on a lazy Sunday lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday and were very underwhelmed with the food (drinks were great though!)

Iced Coffee Guide!

I know what you're thinking - who needs a guide to make iced coffee?! Well trust me, because I have found the very best way to make delicious iced coffee at home. I made a pot of regular black coffee, and once cooled, poured it into an ice cube mold. I then took 2% milk, and poured it into my trusted Yeti cup, along with several coffee ice cubes. A dash of Bailey's for sweetness (this is clearly not a morning drink before work!), and you're good to go! The Yeti tumbler is key here - I still had ice in my cup 5 hours later after a playdate and several errands run last Saturday afternoon.

Lemon Mousse!

I had purchased a jar of lemon curd from Trader Joe's a few months back, and wanted to use it up before the expiration date. I found a simple recipe for light and fluffy lemon mousse which was right up my alley. With some heavy whipping cream and a touch of powdered sugar, the mixer did all of the work and I was left with four perfectly portioned lemon mousse cups. Yum!

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps!

I love ordering chicken lettuce wraps at PF Changs, and when I saw one of my favorite food blogs, Cupcakes and Kale Chips post a video with a similar recipe on their Facebook page, I was instantly intrigued.

I made a few modifications to the recipe (link here). First, I baked organic chicken tenderloins in the oven with sesame oil, salt and pepper, and then shredded them. I prepared the sauce as dictated in the recipe, but I added half a teaspoon of ground ginger spice. I put the cashews in the food processor with a bit of heavy cream, to make a kind of chunky paste. I then simmered the shredded chicken, cashews and sauce together over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. I used romaine lettuce leaves as the cups, and garnished with some sesame seeds. Delicious!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!

As you can see from my recent posts, I love "hiding" vegetables in everything from dessert to the main course. I think it's a fun and tasty way to add more servings of vegetables and also have a healthier meal overall. My fellow mamas will understand this as well and I have a very active toddler at home to keep me on my toes!

This recipe is heavenly - there is an entire large zucchini in this batch of muffins, and I got about 14 muffins out of it.

I am not sure why the author does not specify to wring excess water from the grated zucchini, but I did, and I highly recommend that anyone following the recipe does so as well. My muffins came out very moist, with the perfect "melt in your mouth" consistency, so I have no doubt that excess water would have made them a mess.

So after you grate the zucchini on your box grater (using a microplane would be a pain here), use a thin kitchen towel to get out all that extra water (avoid using paper towels, they crumble too easily).

I used chocolate milk for the liquid component, but you could use any kind of milk you'd like to. A smidge of espresso powder (or instant coffee granules) is always a good addition to any chocolate baked good.

Recipe link here!

Summer 2020:

Cauliflower Tots!

I have been using cauliflower in everything recently, from fried rice to nuggets, and when I saw a recipe to make them in the form of "tots", I knew I had to try them!

The most important step here is to wring excess water out of the cauliflower once you've put the florets through the food processor. You'll be surprised at how much water comes out, and it's crucial to NOT skip this step - the key to crispy tots is dry cauliflower! I advise using a thin kitchen towel versus paper towels which easily come apart.

In addition to cauliflower, the only other ingredients are cornmeal, egg, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a handful of spices. Easy peasy!

I recommend two simple dipping sauces. The first one, I just mixed ketchup and mayo together with a touch of sour cream. The second one, I added some sriracha and soy sauce to ketchup. Both delicious!

This is an easy and delicious recipe to make, particularly if you have kids. I am a big fan of "hiding" vegetables in food, and this is a good way to do it.

Recipe link here!

Park Tavern Review!

Park Tavern has been one of my Delray happy hour staples for years, but I hadn't been to dinner recently, until last Saturday night. They've definitely revamped their menu for the better, including their cocktail list! I am in a big Moscow mule phase right now, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a Grapefruit Mule on the menu, and immediately ordered one.

For dinner, I tried the mahi taco and pulled pork mac and cheese skillet with funyuns on top. Both were incredibly delicious!

Restaurant link here!

Summer 2020:

Chicken Fried Rice!

I LOVE fun local organic stores like Aldi's and Trader Joe's. I feel like their produce is so fresh, and there's always an interesting new wine to try!

I've been seeing alot of blogs try cauliflower lately, as pizza crust, tater tots, even rice, and I was curious to try.

One of my favorite blogs, Pinch of Yum, posted a recipe for fried rice, using cauliflower in place of rice. I made it recently and it was so delicious! The cauliflower really did taste like rice, and even my toddler liked it!

Recipe link here!