Bacon Pancakes

This is super easy to make and tastes delicious! Just cook off a few strips of bacon prior to making the pancake batter. Let it cool and then crumble the bacon. Make the pancake batter (any boxed mix will do) and dump the crumbled bacon inside. With a bit of butter and syrup, your pancakes will be sweet and savory! Every bite will have salty bits of bacon with sugary syrupy goodness. Amazing!

Health Nut

Tofu over stir fry veggies.

Terrapins

Over the Xmas holidays I was down in Virgina Beach, VA and I had the chance to dine at one of my favorite restaurants: Terrapins. The first time I went with my good friends Missy and Matt and the second time I went with my parents. Both times I forgot to take pictures of all the dishes. (What's wrong with me? I'm slippin' up!)

However - thanks to the internet I was able to find a few photos for you so that you can have some understanding of what my delightful gastronomic adventures looked like.

We begin with the first courses:

My dad had the MUSHROOM RISOTTO with local & wild mushrooms, fresh thyme

white truffle oil & parmigiano-reggiano. I took a bite (even though I HATE fungus - and I actually liked it!) Truffle oil makes everything amazing!

I had the TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE with Vermont extra sharp white cheddar & black truffle. I convinced my mom to try it too and she loved it! Some other dishes worth noting but not featured here are Matt's PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND MUSSELS in a green curry & coconut milk broth. Delish!

For dinner, I had the BRANDT "ALL NATURAL" NY STRIP with truffle & Parmesan french fries, local seasonal broccoli rabe and thirty five year old emiliana balsamic drizzle. It was amazing! Both my parents had the same thing - they were not disappointed! BTW - truffle oil and Parmesean french fries? OMG! Where have you been all my life?! Some other dishes not shown here but consumed by us were Matt's Colorado Lamb: pan seared lamb chop loin, cauliflower puree, lemon roasted peewee potatoes, apple cider-mint sauce, smoked chile oil. Also. the second time I went I had the LOCAL ROCKFISH with pee wee potatoes, crispy pancetta, fried sage, collards & whole grain mustard sauce. Missy had the FENNEL POLLEN SPICED SEA SCALLOPS: local dave & dee's oyster mushrooms, wild mushrooms,oven dried tomato, sea beans, & truffle pan sauce.

I had a spoon for dessert - and with it I used it to taste some of everyone's desserts. This was the CHOCOLATE TURTLE: rich valrhona chocolate & caramel cream, warm butter caramel, toasted pecans, tahitian vanilla bean gelato & turtle tuile.

THE MACAROON dark chocolate mousse, rich fudge brownie, crispy french macaroon, sour cherry spoon sauce & pistachio gelato.

Mono Mono

We ate at Mono Mono the other night for Alicia's Surprise B.day dinner! You can find this spot in the fabulous East Village - (which is convenient for me) but this place is cool! They have over 30,000 vinyl records played through vintage tube amplifiers. The place is a Korean chicken heaven, but not only that - the Soju comes with flowers...how nice...

Korean Fried Chicken. Nothing beats a soy garlic glaze on a fried piece of heaven...

Not sure what those girls got but I think it was Prosciutto on a bed of grilled calamari with lemon, aioli, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley.

Wedge cut fries with rosemary sprinkles, spicy mayo and hot bacon mustard sauce. You can also spy the grilled edamame with lemon in the background.

More Soju...this one was fruit infused. We also had the Dduk Galbi on a Stick with rice cake balls. It was amazing - so amazing we forgot a photo...

Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade

We went out to Blue Ribbon in Park Slope for dinner and I finally got to try the bone marrow and oxtail marmalade. I saw it featured on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network. Man oh man - is it good. Funny thing is - I've NEVER had it before, but for some reason I knew I was going to love it. Imagine a meaty butter that you spread on toast with fried parsley, a sweet marmalade and sea salt. I paired this plate of "God's Butter" with a salad. All about balance. :)

Mexican Lasagna

You build this lasagna the same way you do the Italian classic but with all the things you'd use for taco night! I layered mine with refried beans, salsa, black beans, ground beef, and I used corn tortillas to create layers between the toppings. Top with cheese and bake. I added the jalapenos for spice - but you could pick them off.

Served with chopped romaine and sour cream.
Yum! (This is so easy to make and a great idea if you have a ton of leftovers too!)

What to eat when you've eaten too much...

This is perfect for the day AFTER Thanksgiving.

Spaghetti with spaghetti squash. Only 45 calories for one cup of squash (versus 300+ calories for pasta). The meatballs are 90% lean.

Yummy vegetables! A Greek salad! (Topped with light feta)

Just look at all that VEG! Just what you need after a meal packed with carbs...