Long time favorite: Eggs over easy

When I was a kid, mornings on the weekend meant Dad was making breakfast! He’d whip out the electric frying pan and start making eggs made to order. Of the hundreds of time he made breakfast it was always the same for me. Two eggs over easy! What eventually came to be known as “Ali eggs” in my family. Ali eggs were best served with bacon and toast (for smearing in the broken yolk.

This is a food favorite of mine that has stayed with me to this day. Especially lately where I quite often find myself thinking “What can I put a fried egg on top?” A couple months ago it was “saddle bags” (Disclaimer: This may gross some of you out.) Buttermilk whole wheat pancakes with ground sausage in them. The egg goes on top followed by a drizzle of maple syrup. Delicious.

I did this after having it at the beach with friends. That particular day I did not do what the person cooking at the beach did which was “braise” the egg. Now (I think) I have have figured this out. I heat up the non-stick pan (medium heat) and spray with cooking spray. I crack the egg into the pan and let it cook until i can slide the egg across the pan with a spatula with out the egg white running around. I then pour about four tablespoons of water into the pan (away from the egg) and quickly cover it. After a minute or two I have what I think is a braised egg! The steams causes the white to cover the yolk lightly which I think is neat. I also really love the soft texture of the top of the egg it’s light and isn’t oily like an egg that you flip over.

What have I put a braised egg on top of lately?

A toasted “extra crisp” english muffin with extra sharp cheddar cheese and avocado.

And tonight…

Home fries seasoned with celery salt, smoke paprika, and pepper with shredded cheddar cheese, onions, and green pepper. Recipe coming soon!

Whether it’s over easy, braised, or sunny side up, it doesn’t matter to me as long as the yolk is nice and runny!

back in the kitchen…

It feels like such a long time since I did any significant cooking or baking so this evening I decided to do some of both! For dinner (and other meals this week because of the oodles of leftovers) I made my friend Bridget’s variation of a spicy malaysian noodle dish from Cooking Light. This is probably the most stellar homemade asian dish I have ever made.

Next came baking! I seem to be drowning in overly ripe bananas lately so I made Peanut Butter Banana Bread (also from Cooking light). This recipe comes out moist and delicious every time. As you can see I couldn’t wait to have a taste.

I can’t wait until this semester ends in a couple weeks when there will be frequent cooking and baking. Holiday and otherwise!

Oh you fancy, huh? - ARW Part II

I was lucky enough to find two friends interested in taking advantage of Austin Restaurant Week at one of the nicer places on the list. Combing through all the different restaurants and menus took place over several days. There were many cuts but being the wonderful, flexible friends that they are we were able to reach an agreement pretty easily. The winner? The Driskill Grill at the historic Driskill Hotel.

This place was textbook fancy. It was very dim and very small. I thought the atmosphere was very downtown Chicago with a western twist. The walls were a dark wood and the tables were all set up with beautiful white and gold place settings. It was easy to pick out those who were taking advantage of restaurant week.

There were three or four options for each course and we each managed to get something different each time. This was advantageous because we all got to try a bit of everything! First up was our appetizers:

Rachel had the Texas Braised Rabbit.

Confit Thigh, Grilled Figs, Butter Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Wild Fennel Pollen

Todd had the Sous Vide Tomato Salad Compressed Cucumber, Texas Sweet Onion Relish, Butter-Friend Brioche, “Pure Luck” Feta

And I had the Caramelized Pear and Parsnip Soup “Pure Luck” Hopelessly Bleu, Crispy House Pancetta, 18-Year Balsamic

Mine was quite delicious. I love a thick hearty soup. My only complaint was that I wish there was more pancetta because the best bites were those with it. Rachel’s edged mine out by a bit. I even proposed a trade when she said she liked mine better but she turned me down. This is a habit of Rachel’s I can’t quite figure out but it amuses me nonetheless. Todd’s was interesting. Perhaps a little over my head. There were lots of components and I never really came across anything that wowed me.

Next up, the main course!

Rachel had Chorizo Cornbread Stuffed Bandera Quail Honeyed “Goat’s Eye” Beans, Ancho-Bacon Powder, “Lucky Layla” Maple Butter Drizzle

Todd had Olive Poached Halibut Pan roasted Chanterelles, Fingerling Potatoes, Pearl Onions, Leek “Fondue”, Whipped Black Olive Oil

and finally, I had the Grilled “Strube Ranche” Wagyu Flatiron Potato Sweetbread Hash, Smoked Caramelized Texas Onions, Bourbon Rabbit Jus

This piece of meat was not kidding around. It was tender, delicious and melted in my mouth. This totally made the meal for me. It also had a sort of berry glaze on it that went smashingly with the caramlized onions. Rachel’s was also quite tasty. The flavors went together very well and you could really taste the maple in a good way. Todd’s was good although it was hard to get all the components together on your fork. A fine piece of fish.

Next is my favorite part of ARW. Every meal includes dessert. Swoon.

Rachel had the Texas Honeycomb Pecan Tart topped with Horchata mexican chocolate ice cream

Todd had what I can only refer to as Heaven Chocolate and raspberry mousse covered in chocolate ganache with slamming raspberry sorbet on the side.

I had the French Baked Apple Tart

If you couldn’t already tell Todd’s dessert stole the show. It was (I can’t believe I’m about to use this word and feel okay about it) decadent and the raspberry and chocolate was (as always) a great combination. Both mine and Rachel’s were pretty and tasty but could not stand up against Todd’s.

I can’t say enough nice things about the Driskill Grill. The wait staff was extremely cordial and knowledgeable about the food they were serving. The food was delicious. I’d definitely keep it on my list of places to go next year for Restaurant Week or somewhere to go once in awhile if I ever come in to a substantial amount of wealth. I look forward to next year’s restaurant week. I’m evening considering setting aside a special restaurant week fund!

lorenareyna asked: What about they fried margarita? What is that???

I didn’t actually see one while I was at the fair but I found this photo on flickr:

I’m not quite sure what is going on in the plastic margarita glass but it doesn’t look half bad. I’m sure it would take quite a few to get a buzz going.

A Day at the Fair

As much as I try to eat right and limit my intake of blatantly unhealthy foods, I still love the occasional greasy food (i.e. poutine from Frank’s). And once in a great while, an entire day FULL of greasy food. Where else can make this happen but a state fair?

Over the past few years, the State Fair of Texas has cranked up the creativity when it comes to greasy fried food. Some of the favorites this year were fried beer (shaped like ravioli), fried margarita, fried Texas caviar (black eyed peas), fried S’mores Poptart *loud screeching record noise* I didn’t need to hear anymore after hearing about this last one.

So late Saturday morning myself, my dad, and two of my sisters set off for the state fair in Dallas. We each had an agenda. My dad? Hot buttered corn. NOT to be confused with grilled corn. They are very different as it turns out.

Look at that face! Classic. The man loves his hot buttered corn. I had one as well and it definitely was delicious. There’s no fighting with the corn like when it’s grilled. It practically falls off the cobb. I would have fancied some pepper on mine but it was no where to be found. Make sure to hold the corn level in it’s paper upon receiving it unless you want a hot buttered shoe.

Moving on, I started with dessert. This was not my intention but when I saw the sign for Deep Fried Moon Pie I was a goner. I’m a big fan of Moon Pies. The Moon Pie Sundae at Freddie’s in Austin, TX is a favorite of mine. Check this out:


You have no idea. Next came the fried okra. My sister Wendy’s purchase. She was mildly excited about it. This isn’t an insult to the fried okra. Wendy only get’s really excited about three things: ice cream, ice cream, and ice cream.


After much more wandering, we finally found the Fried S’mores Poptart.


It edged out the Fried Moon Pie by a hair. Mostly because it was easier to each. The gooey filling of the Moon Pie put up a fight while eating it. So much greasy goodness.
Meanwhile, Grace ate this with some french fries.


Only 10 tickets ($5) which is a lot of bang for your buck relative to other foods at the fair.

And of course, you can’t leave the fair without having a corny dog! Which I did on the way out. Unfortunately, the speed of my shutter could not keep up with how fast I ate it!

A great day at the fair! Which I’ll be working off all week. Worth it!

Let me be Frank with you - ARW Part I

It’s that time of year again! No, I don’t mean fall. (Even though it really and truly did feel like fall today in Austin, TX. I found myself contemplating needing a jacket after I finished dinner. The high tomorrow is 80 degrees. Bliss.) It’s Austin Restaurant Week! Split between two weeks (September 19 - 22 & 26 - 29) it’s a chance to go to some of the best restaurants in town for a very affordable price (A three course dinner for between $25 and $35).

My graduate researcher paycheck only allows me to take advantage of restaurant week a couple times this year so my choices had to be well thought out. And of course, restaurant week is best savored in the company of friends! I’m a big fan of Frank and so is my friend Lindsey so when I saw it was on the list I figured it’d be a good opportunity to get a group together.

Frank prides themselves on being “purveyors of artisan sausage”. I’ve been twice before restaurant week and had tried one of their hot dogs and bratwurst, immensely enjoying both. Frank’s RW special includes one appetizer, two entrees, and two desserts for $25. Here’s how the meal with three of my friends went…

First Course: Waffle Fry Nachos (Eleni & John) & Canadian Waffle Poutine (Lindsey and Me)

I’ve been intrigued by poutine for awhile now. Gravy, cheese, and fries? What is not to like? Frank hits it out of the park with their version of poutine. Deliciously seasoned waffle fries with cheese curds and brown gravy on top. The waffle fry nachos were incredibly tasty as well. Loaded with beans, jalapenos, cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Second Course: Jackalope (Me) & Texalina (Lindsey, Eleni, and John)

RW got me feeling very adventurous so I went for the Jackalope (Antelope and Rabbit sausage, huckleberry compote, sriracha aioli, and smoked cheddar)! It was a thing of beauty. The flavors went together really well and I loved the spiciness of it.


The rest of the gang had the Texalina (Pork and Beef sausage, grilled cole slaw, Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, and white cheddar). Also quite delicious (I was able to scrounge up a bite). The tangy bbq sauce went well with the mild sausage and crispy cole slaw.

Third Course: Banana’s Foster (Everyone)

Quite delicious! I only needed half the amount I was served. The rum, cinnamon, and brown sugar created a tasty syrup that coated your throat. I know it’s not customary for banana’s foster but I would have enjoyed a layer of puffed pasty in there and to have gotten it before the ice cream got so melty. Ah well. A nice end to the meal.


Later this week I’ll be going back downtown for restaurant week but getting a little fancy this time… Can’t wait!

A few weeks ago Dear Food wondered allowed “What’s all the fuss about french macaroons?”

Well today I finally made it down to La Boite here in Austin, TX! The place is really eclectic looking (made out of an old freight container which is enough to get a transportation engineer like me excited) and sits up on hill. Inside the freight container there isn’t much standing room so I waited outside for a few minutes while the group in front of me ordered their coffee drinks.

They had several variates of macaroons at $1.75 per macaroon or 3 for about $5. I asked the girl at the counter to recommend a few and she enthusiastically did so. I got them to go and walked out with three beautiful macaroons.

From left to right we have salted caramel, passion fruit, and green tea. I was on my way to take a boat ride on Town Lake with a few friends so I decided to ask for their assistance in the taste testing.

First we tried the salted caramel and all agreed that it was amazing! The cookies (I guess you could call them?) were light and delicious with a crisp outside and a soft inside. The gooey caramel center was the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Next came the green tea and let me tell you if you are a green tea lover this is right up your alley. I like green tea but it was pretty strong and not quite sweet enough for me. The passion fruit made for a great end to the taste test with it’s yummy fruity flavor.

So in conclusion, no surprise these things are a big deal. They are (I can’t believe I’m about to use this word) decadent and delicious and you just can’t help but feel fancy while eating them. Not mention beautiful and fun to photograph!

What’s all the fuss…

about french macaroons?

I see these everywhere on Flickr and Tumblr! I feel like it’s time for me to find out what the fuss is all about. This week i’m going to venture to Austin’s La Boite. They are rumored to have a delicious selection.