Category: Breakfast

Breakfast Farro: Dried Fruit & Apple Infused Farro w/ Sweet Greek Yogurt

I love me some carbs.
It’s not my fault. I was exposed to carbs at an early age.
Heck, my father would hide cookies in his nightstand, doling them out for tasks well done. 
I carried over this “carbs-as-a-reward” idea well into college.
I was a GREAT student…
and hundreds of “rewards” later, I was also 20lbs heavier.
Thanks, dad.
 First, I tried the whole no carb Atkins diet thing…
 
Turns out that Die-Hard-Atkins-Carb-free me = Homicidal-Rage-filled me.
No bueno.

It wasn’t until I started doing some real research on this Atkins thing, that I found out that 
NOT ALL CARBS ARE BAD!
I couldn’t believe it.
You mean I could eat a carb & not feel like I was doing the devil’s work?!
Yeah, you can totally sign me up for that.
However, with knowledge comes great responsibility.
I could eat a carb sure, but now I had to pay attention to the type of carb I was ingesting.
If I was going to eat rice, brown was better than white.
If I was going to eat bread, multigrain high-fiber was better than potato.
If I was going to eat a breakfast porridge, farro was better than oatmeal.
Um…what the heck is FARRO & how is this supposed to substitute my delicious microwavable apple cinnamon oatmeal with the dehydrated fruit??
So once again, I turned to the internet & here’s what I learned:
Farro (also known as emmer) is a type of whole grain that had once been widely cultivated in the ancient world but up until recently was mostly grown & consumed in Italy.  Like many other obscure & delicious things, the United States has begun to take notice & now you can find this nutrient-rich grain in most specialty stores.
Farro (also known as “emmer”) is a type of whole grain that had once been widely cultivated in the ancient world but up until recently was mostly grown & consumed in Italy.  Like many other obscure & delicious things, the United States has begun to take notice & now you can find this nutrient-rich grain in most specialty stores.
It is a complex carb containing twice the fiber & protein than modern wheat, low in gluten & rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, lignans & betaine (click on the links for more info than I care to type).

I found mine at Whole Foods…(shocking, right?)  They have some pre-packaged boxes which are about $8.99/lb or you can head over to the bulk bins & get it for about $3.54/lb. I have to say, I didn’t notice a difference between the fancy boxed kind & the kind I took home in a bag. I treated the grain like I would quinoa or barley, boiled it in a 50/50 mix of apple juice & water, added some spices, honey, yogurt, sautéed dried fruit & voila!  Healthy breakfast carbs!

Enjoy!!

(more…)

Buttery Homemade Soft Pretzels

Babysitting hasn’t always been my strong suit.
I don’t know what to do with kids.
They blink at me…
They blink back…
I say, “Hey, do you like vampires?”.
They say, “Yeah”.
I put on the movie ‘Blade’.
They have nightmares.
Best. Babysitter. Ever.So when my sister left my nephew with me for the week, I decided to go another route.
“Hey, do you like pretzels?”.
“Yeah”.
“Cool.  Let’s make some, ok?”.
“Whatever”.
Pfffftt, pre-teens…
But once we were in the kitchen & baking, all that Justin-Beiber-too-cool-hipster-kid attitude flew right out the window & my sweet little nephew was covered in flour & dough, smiling ear-to-ear.
Like I said:
Best. Babysitter. Ever.So grab a kid (preferably one from your own family otherwise that’s just weird…or a felony…)
& bake some memories & delicious pretzels!
Enjoy!
Before we get to the recipe, let me share a couple of things we learned about pretzels…
(Because you totally care, right? I thought so.)
  1. You must BOIL pretzels in water & baking soda!  This step should NOT be skipped.  It is this step that makes the inside of the pretzel “puff” giving it its signature chewiness.  The baking soda makes the boiling water an alkali (aka basic) solution which also helps to develop a soft pretzel’s signature brown crust & distinctive aroma.  Skip this step & you are going to end up with a pale, hard breadstick.  Ew.
  2. Put an egg yolk wash on your pretzel before you put it in the oven to bake.  It helps make it look extra golden brown & almost too pretty to eat…almost….
  3. Left over pretzels make the BEST breakfast sandwiches.  I am now a firm believer that all things should be served on soft pretzels.  EVERYTHING.

Enough of that…Let’s bake! (more…)

Polenta Huevos Rancheros

Sooo…I got a new full length mirror.
I just thought I’d share.
You see, I’m not only telling you this because it’s pretty & makes my room look bigger
but that little so-and-so shows me the TRUTH.
The ugly truth.
For instance: it showed me the new fine lines that have developed around my eyes that remind me yes, you ARE in your 30’s, that I religiously forget to zip up my zipper & most importantly it revealed to me that my once lovable muffin top (whom I have affectionately named “Pancha”) had turned into quite the jelly roll.
Stupid truthful mirror…

So faced with all this new found truth, I decided to make some changes:

First: I bought a huge tub of Retinol off Amazon that kiiiinda burns my face…I’m no dermatologist but I don’t think it’s supposed to do that but hey, my eyes look great. 
Second: I check my zipper every 5 minutes (it may or may not look like I’m compulsively touching my no-no’s in public but meh, whatever).
 Third: I decided to get in shape & get healthy!


How am I going about this “getting healthy” business, you ask? (I know you totally did)
Well, I started doing the Insanity workout videos
(It’s day 23 & I still feel like Shaun T. took a bag of nickels to my ass & legs) 
& I’ve changed my old eating habits to new healthier ones!

Only there’s one little problem…
The old me & the new me don’t always agree over our meal choices. 

The new “Insane” me says: 
“Hey, you totally love celery, protein shakes, & grapes with a side of air!”
The old me is like: 
“Who the hell invited this granola-muncher? Girrrrl, you like nachos. Keep it real.”

So we compromise.
And out of that give-&-take relationship the following recipe was born 🙂 
Enjoy!
 
POLENTA HUEVOS RANCHEROS!
 

Chorizo con Huevo Bolillos

Yeah, I know the name of my blog is PattiCakes.
But sometimes I like to eat real food.
Really greasy, spicy, heartburn-inducing food…for breakfast.
And by breakfast, I mean like, no earlier than noon.
And by greasy I mean like, Chorizo & egg stuffed bolillos.
Don’t judge me.
Now listen.
I know this is L.A. & I should be working out or eating a piece of lettuce with a deep look of emaciation in my eyes, but forget that.
I’M HUNGRY.
I think Bart Simpson put it best when he said, “You don’t win friends with salad“.
So here it is.
My dirty little breakfast secret.
But honestly, aren’t those really the best kind of secrets to have??
Let me give you the low down on this meal. It’s forgiving and the perfect thing for poor students on a budget. You can add or delete any ingredients that you want.
For instance, I would usually use white onion but since I hadn’t gone to the market in weeks, I used green onion because, well, frankly, it was all I had.
I also like jalapenos.
In everything.
Y’know, I’m no doctor, but that is probably the reason why my esophagus is on fire & I pop Tums like candy.
I’m SO not an egg person but mix it with other foods, like (surprise) jalapenos & spicy meat & BAM!
I’m a fan of huevos
Um…I won’t go there, but yeah….
Now THIS is where I draw the line at substitutions.
There is nothing like a good Mexican cheese when making this meal.
This is queso fresco.
I got it at the 99 cent store, so no excuses people.
Life is too short to eat crap cheese.
The sizzle chorizo makes in the pan is like angels singing…big fatty angels with high cholesterol.
Ahhh….music to my ears.
I had to put this picture on here because I’ve never seen an avocado with such a monster pit in it.
What kind of genetic mutation had to happen for this monster to develop?
You may be asking, “Should you be eating this”?
Um, did I mention I’m poor?
I ate the hell out of this monster…and that little mutant was GOOD.
Tear a hole in the bolillo just big enough to make a “pocket” and you are ready to fill it!
Line the inside of the bolillo with avocado and cheese. It’s not a pretty sight…but who cares?
We all know you aren’t going to turn down goodness because it’s messy.
Now stuff that ugly little sucker with your egg/chorizo mixture, pour some salsa on it, & plan on attending church on Sunday because you about to eat sin in a bun.
Where’s the recipe you may ask?
Well, I don’t know.
It lives somewhere in my head between the recipe for fudge and the combination to my middle school locker.
Random.
So I’m going to give you the recipe the way it was given to me.
Latino style.
We don’t use cups and teaspoons.
We measure things in relation to the package it comes in, cook it until it smells done, and taste it to know how much more salt to add.
It’s how we roll.
I’ll try my best to provide measurements where possible, but really, you can’t mess this up.
 
Chorizo con Huevo Bolillos

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4 servings

Chorizo con Huevo Bolillos

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • pinch of paprika
  • 1/2 a 12 oz tube of pork chorizo
  • 2 large scallions, chopped (you can use any kind of onion here, about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 large jalapeno, chopped
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 package (4 oz) of queso fresco, cotija cheese, or any salty, crumbly Mexican cheese.
  • 3 bolillos

Instructions

  1. Beat 3 large eggs in a bowl using a whisk or fork. Add salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chorizo and cook about 5 minutes.
  3. Add jalapeno and onions and continue cooking until vegetables are softened.
  4. Lower heat to medium and add eggs. Quickly mix eggs into chorizo mixture & continue cooking until eggs are cooked through.
  5. Using your hands or a serrated knife, cut a opening in the center of the side of the bolillo. Using your hands make a "pocket" inside the roll so you can "stuff" the bolillo. (see photo above)
  6. Line the inside of the bolillo with avocado and cheese, pressing them into the sides of the pocket leaving room for the filling.
  7. Spoon in the chorizo/egg mixture and don't be stingy! Fill 'er up!
  8. Add salsa, more cheese, or any topping of your choice.
  9. Eat it already!!
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