Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Small quirky towns are one of my favorite things (as evidenced in my love for Athens)--I love the cracked sidewalks and odd looking storefronts, the coffee shops full of people reading and chatting, and of course, the restaurants that define the local food culture. When you pair any of those things with the coast, however, it all becomes exponentially better.

I swooned over Portsmouth--it is literally my city soul mate. The colorful houses and proximity to the ocean would be enough, but with the most adorable specialty shops and seafood restaurants lining its streets, I couldn't stop gushing over it. I even spotted a few legal offices in town (and a courthouse!) which is enough to convince me that it needs to be added to my list of future employment destinations after graduation. And as if I needed more reasons to love Portsmouth, I was also informed that Samantha Brown resides there. Be still my heart.

We went to Breaking New Grounds Bakery & Cafe a few times for gelato, cake, and coffee. Between us all we sampled the Creme Brulee Cheesecake, the Turtle Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake (holy heavens was this one good), and a Marbled Raspberry cake. My sister and I also tried their gelato--chocolate chip and donatella. The donatella was essentially nutella gelato and it was amazing. We only saw it there once which was tragic. As if I didn't eat enough dessert though.

Although I could eat seafood all day every day, my sister isn't too fond of it, so we had to compromise on some restaurants that everyone could be happy with. We settled on BG's Boathouse which was a little kitschy, but it was on the water and gave us a lovely sunset view.

I feasted on oysters and lobster bisque and we left stuffed, sunburned, and completely blissed out.

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.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: grown-up style

To say that I have loved chocolate all of my life would be an understatement. I adore chocolate. Growing up overseas, Kinder chocolates were my main source of sustenance, especially Kinder Eggs. I still consider myself a connoisseur of all things Kinder, but as I've gotten older, my chocolate tastes have expanded. Nowadays, nothing makes me quite as happy as dark dark chocolate--especially with a touch of sea salt or some almonds if I'm feeling fancy. I consider it my chocolate maturation--adulthood has taught me about the beauty of 60%+ cacao chocolates, and it definitely ranks up there as one of the best parts of growing up so far.

As such, my baking projects have also expanded to include more of the dark stuff. There isn't really anything about these chocolate chip cookies that makes them "grown up" per se, but to me, the addition of big dark chocolate hunks and sea salt makes them feel more elevated than the break and bakes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Grown Up Style

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cup dark chocolate hunks (I like mine around 70% cacao, but anything above 60% will do)

a few teaspoons of sea salt

* *

Begin by preheating your oven to 350.

In a bowl, whisk together your flour and baking soda and set it aside.

In a separate bowl (or an electric mixer with the paddle attachment), beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and fluffy. I like to beat this together for a few minutes--I haven't experimented enough to know if this is really the case, but I believe that taking the time to get a really light and fluffy base for my cookies is what keeps them so moist post-baking. I might be inferring a relationship here that doesn't exist....but for now I'm convinced that the butter and sugar must be beaten into submission.

Add your salt, vanilla, and the eggs (one at a time) to your butter and sugar pillow, and beat until everything is well mixed.

Add your flour and baking soda mixture into the wet ingredients in three parts, beat until it just comes together.

Fold in both the dark and semi-sweet chocolate. If you're like me and need a taste of dough to make your soul happy, dig right in and prepare to be blown away. Its divine.

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and drop tablespoon size cookies onto them, about 2 inches apart.

Take you sea salt and sprinkle a baby pinch onto each dough mound. If your dough balls are too round, just push the salt into them with your fingers. The amount varies on your taste buds, but I promise the salt & dark chocolate combo just works.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes--the edges should be brown, but the tops should still feel mushy when you push down on them. Take them out and let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so that they can cool completely.

Eat at least one while they're warm, because there are few things as heavenly as warm cookies, but the rest will last a week in a tupperware at room temp.

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.

Petite Lasagnas

I am of the school of thought that believes all good things are made better when they are miniature. We are the people who worship ramekins, who look for recipes that can easily be subdivided, and who are constantly putting entree dishes into muffin tins. We tend to create more work for ourselves with this habit, but all of that is easily forgotten when the end result is your favorite dish in its adorable miniature form.

One of my favorite miniature dishes to recreate are petite lasagnas. Not only are they precious, but they are the ideal single-lady dinner dish to make. It gives me the yummy comfort food fix of lasagna without a giant casserole dish of leftovers that I am forced to eat repeatedly throughout the week. These babies are also easy to freeze if you find yourself with too many servings and not enough mouths.



Butternut Squash & Spinach Petite Lasagnas

(the lovechild of this lasagna recipe and this lasagna concept)

1 packet of refrigerated wonton wrappers

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cloves of garlic, minced

a few cups of spinach, depending on how green you want your lasagnas to be

1/4 small onion

2 teaspoons italian seasonings

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 small to medium butternut squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

For your squash mixture:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Peel your butternut squash and chop it all up into small pieces. (You can also buy pre-peeled and chopped squash and save yourself time if your grocery store has it.) Throw the squash into a bowl and coat with the olive oil, 1 of your minced garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Spread everything out onto a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until your squash is easily pierced.

When its done baking, throw it all into your food processor and pulse until you get a heavenly orange puree--then set it aside.

For your spinach and cheese mixture:

Heat a smidge of oil in a skillet and throw your spinach in, cooking it until it wilts. Drain it in a colander and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. At this point, I like to chop the spinach into small pieces--remember its going into a mini cup, so you don't want huge pieces of spinach in there!

Slice your onion into thin pieces. Heat another smide of oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan) and sauté your onions until they are golden. Toss in the other minced garlic clove and your spinach and cook for another couple of minutes, until everything is combined.

Meanwhile, pour your ricotta into a bowl and toss in 2 tsp italian seasonings, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. When your spinach is ready, pour the spinach-garlic-onion mixture into the ricotta and stir everything together to combine it.

Assembling your lasagnas:

Reduce your oven temperature to 375.

Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray and lay 1 wonton wrapper into each cup, gently pushing down into the bottom of the cup and up the sides, creating a little wonton well.

Divide half of the spinach and ricotta mixture amongst the cups. Then, take your butternut squash mixture and add some to each cup. Add a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella to the top.

Cover with another wonton wrapper, gently pushing down on the previous toppings. Repeat the filling process, adding layers of spinach-ricotta, squash, and cheese. Finish with a final (and generous) sprinkling of cheese.

Note: I was able to make two layers on each of my lasagna cups, but you could just as easily do one layer  if you want lots of filling per cup. Just use your best judgment and see how much you can reasonably fit and how much filling you have made!

Put the muffin tin in the over and bake for 10 or 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and your wontons are golden.

 

----

This recipe can be easily amended to include any veggies you like, meat if you so desire, and different seasonings and sauces--whatever you think will taste good/you like in your lasagna will work beautifully. My one suggestion, however, is to not put a runny sauce (like tomato sauce) as your first layer if you are using it. The wontons will most likely end up soggy on the bottom, so I would cushion runny sauces with a ricotta mixture or something like it.

Athens Eats

My number one mission over the last month or so has been to finish eating my way through Athens. For a small town, the Athens food scene is pretty spectacular: there are countless local businesses that use fresh and local ingredients, restaurants with tons of imagination and character, and unbelievably delicious food. We've had many favorites over the years and I wanted to make sure I was a well rounded Athens foodie before I move away in two short weeks (welp).

The first stop was Marti's At Midday for a mid-work lunch. I'd heard rumors of the deliciousness but never made it in time (they're only open from 11:30-3:30), so as soon as I saw an opening in my schedule, I jumped on in.

I noshed on The Maggie which was delicious. I got a little salad to go along with it and I'm so glad I did--the dressing was heaven. Sadly, I didn't document my pretty plate--I'm usually too hungry to be a conscientious food blogger!

The next lunch stop was the recently opened Heirloom Cafe, in Normaltown. Their focus is on community, which means their menu taps into Athens' rich farm and garden culture for produce and ingredients. Their menu is amazing-it took me forever to decide what I wanted to get because everything looked so delicious. In the end I rolled with the French Country Lunch and I was not disappointed--figs and prosciutto were kind of made to live together on a crusty loaf of french bread.

The highlight however, was the chocolate mousse I got for dessert. It was s'mores inspired with a graham cracker star and marshmallow fluff on top. I savored every. single. bite. It was heavenly.

Finally, I ventured even deeper into Normaltown to White Tiger Gourmet, which is tucked into a little side street and, quite frankly, looks a little sketchy from the outside. As it usually goes with these sorts of things though, it was absolutely adorable and delicious.

I went with a Vegetarian Ciabatta which was pretty good, but I think that next time, I might have to get a little more serious with my menu choice (Like the BBQ Sandwich or their Fried Green Tomato Sandwich). And even though I didn't sample it myself, their mac & cheese got rave reviews from my dining buddies. Of course, lunch had to followed by dessert (I can't really think of any meal that shouldn't be. As a side note, I used to never eat dessert. Ever. This is a recent development, one that I am pretty happy with these days.) and I went with some strawberry ice cream, one of my favorites. I need to go back to try their homemade goat-milk ice cream--I was a wimpy orderer this time!

I'm still plowing through my list, but I'm so glad I made time for these three. All are excellent lunch spots, adorable and delicious,  and most importantly, they're all so quintessentially Athens.

Snapshots

Snapshots of recent weeks:

{early mornings on my parent's sun porch with a big cup of coffee and deep, heavy, complex literature}

{attempting to re-create a Ben's cookie with a recipe from The Londoner--while they were gigantic and delicious, they didn't quite live up to a legendary Ben's. Could anything ever live up to Ben's though? Next time I make it back to England, a visit to Ben's will be necessary within an hour of my arrival.}

I love opening up library books and finding them marked up and dog-eared. It makes me feel like I'm part of a secret book club, especially when I come across an underlined passage that really draws me in too.}

{over-fatigued muscles and aching bodies = being creative at work. moving goals like bosses.}

{A few years ago, my dad planted a bunch of fruit trees in our yard. He's tended to them with so much care and now they're finally bearing fruit. Even though these peaches and pears were juuust shy of being ready for picking, I couldn't help myself.}

{words. From Geneen Roth's "When Food is Love". The psychology major (our should I say, psychology degree holder!) in me is enthralled with her.}

{its everything you expect red velvet ice cream to be and more. heaven.}

Summer Treats

I've spent a fair amount of time in the kitchen this summer whipping up delicious things--the relentless heat makes turning the oven on a bit painful, but I'll gladly suffer through the heat if it means I get treats in the end.

When I discovered a jug of buttermilk in my parent's refrigerator that was on the verge of expiration I decided to whip up love + cupcake's recipe for roasted strawberry buttermilk muffins.

The recipe calls for roasting strawberries with olive oil and maple syrup and then letting them hang out with balsamic vinegar--the end result makes you wonder why you ever doubted that strawberries could have such a blissful relationship with savory ingredients. I did struggle a bit with the batter--it wasn't quite a muffin but it wasn't sweet enough to be a cupcake. I think that could easily be fixed by adding more strawberries throughout the batter instead of just on top--these strawberries just beg to be the center of attention, and I think its a worthy call to heed.

My other recent project was inspired by CCK's homemade fudge babies, which are essentially miniature LaraBars. You just zap all of the ingredients in the food processor and then make little balls or bars out of them--the flavor possibilities are endless and they are an amazingly versatile snack.

I went off of Katie's basic recipe but had to improvise slightly. My babies included:

2/3 cup of cashews

1 1/3 cup of pitted dates

3 teaspoons shredded and unsweetened coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 packet dutch hot cocoa mix

This made about 15 little fudge babies, and I have been snacking on them before the gym and crumbling them into my oatmeal for breakfast. They're sweet and dense and taste far more sinful than the ingredient list suggests. CCK never disappoints, and I'm already dreaming up other fudge baby creations--I think some carrot cake inspired ones might be next on my list!