Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

slice of Havarti cheese

Slice of turkey

1/4 chopped onion

Jalapeños to your heart’s content

butter/oil

Directions:

This dish is simple.  Butter a non-stick pan over medium heat and toss in your onions when the pan warms.  Sautee them.  When those soften, tear your turkey into smaller pieces and precook them with the onions before adding the egg.  Crack your egg in a dish and beat with milk. Then, pour the beaten eggs in your skillet, over your onions and turkey.  Let the eggs spread evenly throughout the pan and set.  After a few minutes of cooking, your eggs should harden and appear decently cooked through.  Using a spatula, flip your omelette over and let the other side cook for roughly 45 sec- 1 minute.  Then, flip your omelette back over.  Add your cheese and jalapeños to one side.  Fold the other side over to complete your omelette.  On your plate sprinkle however many more jalapeños you would like!

Ingredients:

Banana (if you’d like banana crepes)

Brown sugar (if you would like brown sugar crepes)

Cheese of your choice (if you’d like cheese crepes)

2 eggs

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup of flour

Butter

Directions:

Crepes are a “go-to” breakfast option when you are short on ingredients for pretty much anything else.  All you need is flour (which most people always have), eggs (which you should always have), clean water (which you should definitely always have unless you live in a 3rd world country), milk (which you might not have, but should) and butter/oil (which if you don’t have, you shouldn’t be cooking anyway). Start off by cracking two eggs in a decent sized bowl.  Mix in your flour first then gradually add your milk and water.  Whip until you have a creamy consistency.  Set a griddle/frying pan over medium heat and coat with either butter or oil.  I usually use butter for breakfast, but this morning I used oil and I Can’t Believe its Not Butter because we were out of normal butter. It worked out, although I would still use butter. When your griddle has heated, pour 1/4 a cup of your crepe mix in the middle of the pan.  Move your griddle in a circular motion to help the mix spread evenly throughout the pan and let cook for about 1 minute or more on this side.  Flip over and let the other side cook .  There should be touch of brown on your crepes when they are finished.  Now, depending on what kind of crepes you want add your third ingredient to the ready crepes.  Either slice your bananas, spread butter with some brown sugar, or lay a slice of you favorite cheese.  Then roll those bad boys up.  Bon Appetit!

Crooked Tree Coffeehouse:

I was exceptionally full this morning after last night’s meal, so I decided to reacquaint myself with this jewel.  Located right off of Mckinney Avenue, on Routh, this cozy little coffeehouse is a perfect place to study or crack open a book over coffee.  The staff is friendly, the environment is warm and the rooms are spotted with comfy couches, wooden tables and unique lamps. It feels just like home!

http://www.crookedtreecoffeehouse.com/ 

Ingredients:

4 diced strawberries

3/4 of an apple (diced)

3/4 of a ripe banana

1 tablespoon warm water

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons diced walnuts

Directions:

I have finally earned enough money, with a stable enough job, to take up my cooking habits again.  The other day my brother jokingly told me that I should move out of his house and into the arts district to be a struggling artist.  I told him that I am already half of that- and not the artist part.  

On that note, my parents supported both of my brothers until they were out of law school.  I am taking a practical and more respectable route of actually finding out what I want to do with my life before diving into 3 years of post-graduate studies and hefty tuitions.  In exchange, I humble myself with a waitressing job and no extra cash to spend while my friends and family live in what seems like the lap of luxury.  This is the life of a struggling waitress.  

So here we have the Peanut Butter Creation wraps.  You start be scooping your peanut butter into a decent sized bowl.  Then add your honey, cinnamon and warm water.  Mix all of these together until your paste has a creamy consistency.  Add your strawberries, walnuts, banana and apple, and mix until they are covered with the peanut butter paste.  Add extra ingredients to taste.  Then, grab two or more slices of bread and role them out with a rolling pin until they resemble tortillas.  Spoon your paste and fruit into the center of the “tortillas” and wrap.  Eat or refrigerate for later!

Ingredients:

7 eggs

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 tblsp sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tblsp. butter

3 slices of Canadian Bacon

1 1/2 cups of milk

sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese

sprinkle of paprika

Directions:

Okay. I know its been a while since I have updated, but spending on ingredients can really put a dent in your savings.  This is especially true if those savings are that of someone who is unemployed and were meager to begin with.  Ill confess, I needed some new clothes the other day, so I went shopping.  But to give you an idea of just how broke I am, my debit card got denied with only 3 articles of clothing in my shopping bag.  I had to take one out, and now I am plus 2 more articles of clothing and minus about 30 more dollars that I could have used for ingredients.  A girl needs to go shopping sometimes.  

I’m also getting a bit discouraged.  Job-hunting has been fruitless thus far and to make matters worse,  I’m back at square-one after four months of searching.  

As for the crepe.  My friend Britney Jo forwarded this delicious looking recipe to me.  Of course I changed it, so I could call it my own.  First, combine your flour, sugar, salt, 4 eggs, milk and melted butter in a bowl.  BEAT. Beat until the mixture’s texture is consistent.  Let it stand for about 10 minutes and preheat your oven to 350.  Grease a cookie sheet and set it aside.  When ten minutes is up, grease a skillet and set it over medium heat.  With a 1/3 of a cup cooking gadget, scoop some of your crepe mixture in the bowl and carefully pour it into the center of your skillet. Let it cook until the crepe is set, browned, and slides over the pan if you tilt it. Then, flip it over. Let the other side cook for about 1 minute then put on the baking sheet.  Repeat.

When the crepes are on the cookie sheet, place a slice of Canadian bacon in the center of each.  Then crack one egg in the center of the ham, cradling it with the corners of the crepe (so the egg doesn’t ooze off).  The egg should hold the sides of the crepe in place.  When each crepe has a slice of bacon and an egg, place your baking sheet sheet in oven for about 10-12 minutes.  When they are done, sprinkle sharp cheddar cheese over top with a sprinkle of paprika for some color.  Salt and pepper to taste!

Ingredients:

Pack of Eggo Waffles

Package of chicken breasts (no bone)

Aunt Jamimas Syrup

4 Eggs

3 Cups of Bread crumbs

tablespoon of salt

lots of oil

Directions:

For this dish, frying the chicken is the hardest part.  There are just a few steps, but it can take a while.  First, grab two bowls and fill one with the bread crumbs and salt, and the other with all of your eggs.  Beat the eggs and set the bowls aside.  Unwrap your chicken and trim the parts you don’t want to eat.  Then cut the pieces into pieces about 2 or three inches long or so.  Grease a skillet with about 1/4 inch of oil and set over low-medium heat.  Wait for the oil to heat.  Prepare your chicken strips by dipping them first in the egg yolk, second in the bread crumbs, third back in the egg yoke and fourth into the hot oil.  Be careful that the oil does not spit on you.  It hurts.  Repeat until you can no longer fit more chicken on the skillet.  Then, just focus on the cooking chicken.  Let the chicken sit on one side for about 5 minutes.  Then flip and let the other side cook for about 5 minutes.  When they are finished the chicken should be a golden/dark gold brownish color.  Set the pieces on a napkin over a plate so the oil drains.  Repeat this whole process until you have fried all of your chicken!  As for the eggo..thats the easy part.  When you have finished with y our chicken pop those suckers in a toaster.  Place two pieces of chicken atop each eggo waffle then douse with Aunt Jamimas!  DELISH!

Ingredients:

1 Egg

3 leaves of Spinach

1 English Muffin

2 slices of fresh tomato

2 slices of ham

1 portobello mushroom

salt and pepper to taste

Oil (for pan)

Directions:

 I was feeling up to the challenge this morning, so I decided to head to the supermarket and tackle the infamous benedict once again.  It was sort of fun actually, and surprisingly low stress.  You start by filling a pot with water, adding a touch of salt and vinegar.  This helps the egg set.  Turn up the heat so this baby starts softly boilin (SIMMERING really or calm  boil).  Place your english muffin in a toaster, but don’t start toasting until you have cracked the egg in the water.  On another burner, dab some oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Slice a tomato.  Slice a portobello mushroom.  And ready your spinach leaves.  Place your mushrooms on the skillet while your water over the other burner is heating.  Mushrooms take the longest to prepare, so thats why we start cooking them first.  When the water in the pot is at a light boil/simmer, add two slices of tomato and spinach to the skillet with the mushroom and turn the heat down a bit.  In your water filled pot, grab a spoon and stir.  When you are done stirring, immediately add your egg to the water.  The stirring helps to shape the egg.  Start toasting your english muffin.  Your egg should cook for about 2 minutes depending on how high your heat is.  When the English muffin pops, take it out, and place on a plate.  Take spinach from skillet and put on one half of the English muffin, then your tomato, then your mushrooms.  Check your egg.  When it is done place it on top of your mushrooms and add salt and pepper to taste. VUALA!

To preface this entry, Ill have everyone know that this is the second morning in a row that I have made Eggs Benedict (and I wish it was because it was so good).

 Yesterday morning, I planned on making the same dish for my friend Britney Jo and I.  Little did I know how poorly my first attempt would turn out. If you have never made Eggs Benedict, you can’t appreciate how many steps go into preparing it. First, theres the hollandaise sauce, which you have to stir constantly.  Then, there’s the sliced tomato and Canadian Bacon which should go in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  There’s the English Muffin which has to be toasted.  And finally the poached egg, which if you have ever tried to achieve, you’ll know is close to impossible as a first timer.   Yesterday morning, nearly everything went wrong. Not only did the hollandaise sauce congeal, but the tomatoes stuck to the pan and the ham burned.  The English muffin got cold and I spilled an entire pot full of boiling water all over my right leg - “poached” egg and all (yes I do have a blister).  Needless to say, I decided not to take picture of yesterday’s meal. 

Ingredients (for 1):

3 eggs

6 tblsp. butter

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

1 tomato

1 slice of Canadian Bacon

1/2 cup boiling water

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Dash of salt

Directions:

Although yesterday’s breakfast was a bit chaotic, it was delicious.  So, if your nervous about making this dish, you should know that it turns out tasting good even if its not pretty at first.  

First, try to arrange all of your ingredients in a manageable order.  It really helps when things get chaotic, that everything is organized and easily accessible.  Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Slice a tomato and grab a slice of Canadian Bacon (or regular ham if thats all you have).  Place tomato and ham on sheet and place in oven for 20 min or they brown.  Melt about 3 tblsp. of butter in pan.  When this is melted, fill another pot with water and bring to a simmer/soft boil of stove.  Mix 2 Egg yolks, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar (I used lemon juice the first day) and dash of Cayenne pepper in a separate, bowl.  Place this bowl over the simmering pot of water and let cook while slowly adding melted (3 tblsp) butter, stirring continuously.  Add remaining butter to mixture while stirring.  Take a half of a cup measuring tool and fill with boiling water from the bottom pot.  Place metal bowl back on top, and pour boiling water into mixture while stirring.  Aside from salt and pepper to taste, this is finished for now.  But, remember to keep stirring.  

Place English muffin in toaster.  Check tomatoes and ham.

On a separate surface, bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer in either a deep skillet or pot.  This is for the poached egg, so in order for the egg to set correctly you should add about 1/4 cup vinegar and salt to the water.  When the water is ready, crack an egg into the water, very close to the surface to avoid splash and damage to the egg.  Let it cook for about 1 minute 30 seconds. When this time is up, spoon the egg to flip on its other side to let cook for about 15 more seconds.  Retrieve your English muffin from the toaster, and tomato slices and ham from the oven.  Stack tomato and ham on one side of your English muffin.  Finally, spoon your poached egg and drain the water against the side of the pot. Place egg atop ham and tomato.  With a large spoon, scoop your warm hollandaise sauce from the other bowl and pour over your egg.  Sprinkle cayenne pepper to top it off.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  MY FAVORITE.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3/4 cup chopped Portobello mushrooms

1 cup part skim Ricotta Cheese

1 (10 Oz.) package of frozen chopped spinach

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Directions:

I’m settled in Dallas again and until I get my hands on a real camera, skype will have to do the trick.  My brother, pregnant Emma and I just returned from North Carolina late last night; so things are still in a bit of disarray.  This weekend, my other brother (David) was married!  (yay!)  So, the confusion was all worth it and the morning scramble should be back on schedule as of today. 

The Frittata is easy.  Simply preheat your oven to 375 degree.  Then, mix all of your ingredients together in bowl, grease a pie pan (about 9 in in diameter), and pour your mixture in.  Bake for 30 minutes are until it browns.  Then, let cool for about 15 minutes.  Serves about 8.