Peach Breakfast Melts

I love breakfast--I went through all of high school never eating before lunch, but once I started college, breakfast became of the utmost importance. Now the idea of starting a day without at least some form of breakfast is beyond me. I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to my meals and most of my breakfasts consist of greek yogurt and fruit or oatmeal, but sometimes a change up can be so refreshing.

Since I just moved out of my apartment, I avoided buying groceries and instead forced myself to be creative with what I had in my fridge. Through some guidance from the breakfast gods, I happened upon a creation that was actually really delicious and that will definitely become a regular part of rotation.

Breakfast Melts

2 thin slices of bread, preferably dark crusty whole grain.

2 tsp dijon mustard

a few spinach leaves

small fresh peach, sliced into thin-ish pieces

1 or 2 slices of cheese--I used muenster cheese because it melts so beautifully and it tastes good with the peaches. Use what you have on hand, but keep in mind some cheese might not complement peaches!

salt and peper to taste

* *

Begin by preheating your broiler

Spread a teaspoon of mustard onto each of your bread slices

Lay down a little bed of spinach onto each slice. I just did a couple leaves per slice so that it wouldn't be too high.

Take your peach slices and lay them down on your toast.

Finally, take your cheese and put it on top of the peaches. I split one slice onto the two pieces because my slices were big, but you could add as much cheese as your hear desires.

Sprinkle each slice with some salt and pepper, put them on a baking sheet (sprayed with cooking spray, just in case) and stick them under your broiler. Once the cheese is melted and the bread looks crispy, they're done.

Its a really easy recipe, but it tastes so good. The dijon gives it a little kick and cuts through the peaches, which get warm and soft in the oven. The cheese just rounds the whole thing out, and the crusty bread gives it all a crunchy base to rest on. Its a really savory breakfast dish and could definitely be part of a lunch or dinner too. I enjoyed mine with a soft-boiled egg and the rest of my peach: it was a breakfast fit for a queen.

Athens Eats, Part 2

While my sister was visiting we spent a big chunk of time eating out. Sadly, I didn't get to finish my bucket list of restaurants to try, but we did make sure to visit some old standbys that you just can't go wrong with.

My sister's favorite restaurant in town and one of my all time favorites is The Grit. Its an all-vegetarian restaurant, its absolutely delicious, and its pretty much an Athens institution. We stop there without fail whenever she is town, and other than an unfortunate incident involving seitan a few years ago, The Grit has never failed me.

Our old go-to is the grilled cheese smelt--homemade crusty bread smothered with honey mustard, white cheddar, and a big tomato slice. We always get the sweet potato fries as a side and this time, we got the hummus appetizer too. Things were nicely rounded out with a shared slice of coconut cake and I think we were both pretty happy we wore loose clothing! We walked off our dinner with a stroll through the Founder's Garden on campus and then capped off the night with a screening of Moonrise Kingdom, which we both adored. It was the perfect sister date night.

We started off our Sunday with brunch at Mama's Boy, which is my favorite brunch spot. I love long leisurely breakfasts and the atmosphere (as well as the amount of food they give you) makes you want to take your time with your meal and chat the morning away.

The place was busy as ever, but we took our time over bottomless coffee cups (for me) and strawberry lemonade (for my sister) while we waited for breakfast to arrive.

I went with the breakfast taco plate which is spicy and smoky and beyond filling. Top it off with a warm biscuit and raspberry jam, and I was in breakfast heaven. My sister had the Georgia Peach French Toast which is amazing. I very rarely choose a sweet breakfast over a savory breakfast, but this plate makes me think twice before ordering.

Now that dinner & brunch had been covered, we decided to make our next restaurant stop at lunchtime on Monday at Five Star Day Cafe.

(missing the noon lunch rush means you get the whole place to yourself. for a little while, at least.)

While I'd had great brunches there before, it was my first time looking over their lunch menu--sadly for us, we had mixed reviews. My sister's pasta special of shells with heirloom tomatos was good, but not great. I had the fried green tomato sandwich (I figured I might as well top off a weekend of indulgence with a heart attack in a sandwich) which was delicious. It had a million flavors going on in it but it all came together in an epic way.

One thing was agreed on though--the corn muffins were fantastic. Sweet and moist and dense and hearty all at once--we're itching to try our hand at some recreations so that we can eat them all the time.

Finally, we ended my sister's trip with a dessert date at Speakeasy, a tapas cafe/bar that I always recommend for dates. Its dark and quiet, perfect for long conversations about anything and everything, and their menu is full of delicious little plates and even better desserts. Throw in a bottle of red wine to share and you've got all the makings of a great night.

After heavy deliberation, we went with the molten chocolate cake and the white chocolate fondue. I drifted towards the gooey chocolate cake while my sister swooned over the white chocolate, but both were winners. We left on a cloud of chocolate bliss, full and happy: It was a great way to end the goodbye weekend.

Banana Bread Pancakes

These pancakes are a recently added rotation to my weekly breakfast menu. With a whole egg and cottage cheese in the mix, its a great way to get some protein in while enjoying sweet and delicious pancakes.

Banana Bread Pancakes

(adapted every so slightly from Peanut Butter Fingers)

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/2 mashed banana

1 egg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Put all of the ingredients in your food processor and zap together until everything is combined.

Pour small scoops onto a griddle or skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray over medium-low heat. I usually get 3 or 4 pancakes from the batch, depending on how big I make them.

Once the edges are golden, flip and cook for another couple of minutes.

Smother with syrup, fresh fruit, and some powdered sugar if you're in the mood to feast like a king, which, lets face it, I usually am.

{this recipe can be easily doubled, as seen above, or even tripled if you've got lots of hungry mouths to feed!}