breakfast blogger

I only call this “The Girlie Brunch” as I was lucky enough to have shared a Sunday brunch date with my girlfriend Megan and 3 of her ladyfriends. It was truly exquisite.

The menu featured an asparagus/basil/parmesan frittata, accompanied by coffee, fresh fruit, baked sweet-potato homefries, assorted cheeses, avocado wedges, hummus, baguette, and a nut bread. The nice thing was that we didn’t go to a restaurant; we made the brunch ourselves - which made it cheaper AND allowed us to spend time together preparing the meal.

Note that the potatoes and frittata are baked in the oven, which means nobody has to stand over anything and stir it constantly - ideal for a social gathering.

Here is a shot of our groceries before cooking and eating them - all of it was purchased at Jean-Talon market:

The frittata recipe was courtesy of Marcella Hazan, whose cookbook I use on a regular basis. Anyone who cooks any Italian food should own this book - it is an amalgamation of her 2 well-known books from the 1970s, and I cannot live without it.

Basically, begin with some fresh, nice looking asparagus.

Crack and beat some eggs - I think I used a dozen - add a little cream, butter, chopped asparagus (which I had steamed for a few minutes), and plenty of parmigiano reggiano. Pour the mixture into a pan that be used in the oven and bake it at about 35 degrees - I am using a Creuset enameled cast iron classic. The recipe is straight from the book, with the exception of the basil leaves, which I added partway through cooking - strictly as an afterthought.

The girls did most of the work by chopping various items and setting the table. . .

We snacked on bread, jam, and coffee - and of course chatted and gossiped - while prepping the meal, as it was a pretty long process. Everyone pitched in, and it was nice to spend time with each other -especially since I wanted to get to know my girlfriend’s pals.

For the potatoes:

This is a dish that I make often as of late - for many reasons: it’s easy to make, it avoids frying, and it encourages creativity. We diced up a few yams and mixed them in a large bowl with olive oil and a variety of spices. This time around I used salt, pepper, turmeric, black sesame seeds and curry powder - but you can use whatever you want here - ex: oregano, garlic, etc…

Spread the cubes onto a baking sheet and bake in the over at a high temperature (about 450 degrees) until ready (you should take one out every 15 minutes to test. . .Mmmm..)

Finally everytihg is ready and set on the table:

Here is the Frittata:

Here is a beautiful shot of one of our plates, ready for eating:

And of course, the ‘money shot’

I’d like to thank Jen, Kate, and Corinne for the long, lazy sunday morning (and afternoon!)

Here I am , relaxing with another cup of coffee while the girls chatted it up.

Now I know what girls talk about!!!!! (sorry boys - I was sworn to secrecy)

I have recently learned that the addition of a cuppy thing of Mott’s applesauce makes regular Krusteaz super moist and delicious. Todays addition was raspberry-apple which turned my pancakes pink.

They were very good, but confused the heck out of my one year old son. He just kept looking at his pancakes and looking at me, then back at his pancakes then back at me. The pink pancakes were not a hit. I think he was too manly to eat pink pancakes. Sheesh, kids these days.

This is a pretty typical breakfast for myself and my spawn. I even tried to hide the offending pink pancakes under some vanilla yogurt and some banana slices. My attempt was thwarted and I was punished by having to clean yogurt, banana and pink pancake off the floor and walls. I have learned. Oh boy have I learned.

MMmmm nothing like a good ‘ol breakfast at The Royal Oak. I’ve only been to the one on Wellington so I decided to try the one on The Canal for a change. Don’t ask me what that guy is doing in the bushes.

Gen and I got there just a bit before noon and found a nice cozy spot to sit. Gen had the Irish Breakfast to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Scrambled eggs mixed with sausage, potato and green peppers topped with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese:

I had the Eggs Benedict. Now here’s a first for me: The waiter asked how I would like my eggs poached. I don’t ever remember being asked that before and was quite impressed. Of course I asked for soft with a side of toast for mopping up:

Both our breakfasts were $7.99 and I must say, the potatoes at the Oak are some of the best around.

Here’s a breakfast on par with many of the great ones my Australian counterpart enjoys on his breakfast blog. Exploding Girl suggested we try this spot on Preston in Little Italy to celebrate the fact that she just bought a house. I’m going to miss having her nearby for my local breakfast adventures but she already has a breakfast spot in mind for when I visit her at her new place.

It was a slow, lazy and rainy Sunday and we chatted about the future.

I ordered the Fiorentina.. perfect poached eggs with fresh spinach, smoked salmon and cheese sauce on ciabatta, served with a delicious salad:

She had the Benedict.. served with prosciutto on toasted ciabatta bread with a mixed salad:

Both our meals were $11.95, omelettes go for $12.95. Super yummy.

My parent’s love for brekafast must have rubbed off on me. They make a killer Eggs Benedict that my girlfriend and I had the last time we visited:

I braught some authentic Quebec blueberry jam from the area where my Mum grew up to celebrate my French Canadian roots:

I was playing with the some alphabet pretzles while waiting for breakfast.. I am so mature:

Last Sunday morning I was without a car but my friends Holly and Simon picked me up and took me to Aylmer (a little outside the Ottawa/Hull area, on the Quebec side) for some breakfast goodness. We had to wait in line for a little while but soon found a place to sit for a morning feast.

I had “Le trou d’un coup,” 2 poached eggs in sesame bagel halves topped with mushrooms and ham and cheddar cheese, gratiné:

Simon got creative with his.. a regular breakfast with some good ‘ol beans:

Holly had Le Norvégien, a smoked salmon omelette with cheddar cheese covered with onions and capers..

We all spent just under 10 bucks each.

Long time no blog y’all!! I’m still eating breakfast everyday, but I don’t think it’s all that interesting. Just the same old eggs, toast and fruit, hardly blog-worthy I think. But this morning I decided I needed a change. Thanks to my handy (although questionably named) Krusteaz pancake mix:

With some apples, raspberries, whipped cream and caramel sauce, I came up with something a little more entertaining for breakfast.

I topped my extra large pancakes with a quick apple-cinnamon compote I threw together, topped with some whipped cream, a few fresh (and heavily over priced!) raspberries and a generous drzzling of caramel sauce. I got all tingly in the pants with anticipation while I was taking the pics for it. It was truly worth the wait though.

I even made some mini pancakes and threw a little mini version of my breakfast for my little one. Judging from the huge mess all over the floor and all over my son, it was a huge success!

And look everyone! I got new place mats!! WOOOO!

I tend to start my day with a coffee from Tim Horton’s.. and a new one just opened up just a few seconds from where I work. WOO!

This picture was taken the afternoon before they officially opened. Bring on the coffee goodness! I can already feel the caffeine coursing through my veins and setting my soul on fire!

I just ate this: A potato patty and an egg in a toasted bagel half, sprinkled with shredded Tex-Mex cheese.

In the background you can see my old 70s black and white TV. There’s something cool about watching satelite programming on that old box in the kitchen. It just works so well there.