Months feel like years.

It has been quite sometime since I have last posted anything delicious and interesting on here in blog world. In fact, so much time has gone by I relocated! I no longer need to wish and dream of going to Culinary School. I am officially a Patisserie & Baking Student, I have been for over 2 months now and loving it. Who knows, maybe when I graduate I'll be some fancy Pastry Chef. Let me rephrase that, I will be "some fancy" Pastry Chef. Excuse my overly dramatic positive attitude, but a new door has opened for me. On my very decorative bookshelf I found a book. Yes, a book on a bookshelf. A book I never even opened, a book standing besides Confessions of a Recovering Slut. Please don't laugh, I am reading The Secret. When my mother first gave me this book I thought it was for people who really needed to be guided to the self help section of the nearest bookstore. Actually, this book is pretty great and is a great positivity boost. That is why I am so enthusiastic about having all my dreams comes true. They are coming true and will continue to come true.

Since I have been away from the blog world, there have been some fantastic dishes made on my behalf at family brunch Saturdays. This one I am going to share is my favorite. It's very simple to make and incorporates all the breakfast delights one enjoys. A delicious mixture of golden crispy shredded potatoes and cheddar jack cheese in the form of small teacup, a perfectly cooked egg sitting in the middle of this "teacup" potato and cheese heaven, then topped with salty crumbled bacon, bright green cilantro and silky chunks of avocado. To go with the delicious teacup breakfast I cooked buttermilk belgian waffles with blueberries. Hello, delicious! Pick a Saturday to make this fantastic breakfast with your favorite mimosa mixture (grapefruit and champagne was my pick.) Your friends and family will truly be impressed, but may show up every Saturday expecting more. Enjoy.

Hash Brown Teacups
24 oz bag thawed hash browns
2 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of shredded cheese (your choice of cheese)
6 slices of bacon, crumbled
12 eggs
Cilantro, chopped
Avocado, diced
Vegetable Spray

Cook bacon until crispy, crumble and set aside.
In a large bowl mix thawed hash browns, salt, pepper, olive oil and shredded cheese.
Spray vegetable spray on the inside of a muffin tin.
Take hash brown mixture and form a nest in the muffin tin.
Back at 425 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Lower the oven to 350 and crack an egg in the middle of each teacup then top with bacon and bake for 13-16 minutes.
Gently take each teacup out of the muffin tin and top with diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

Enjoy the breakfast heaven!

I'm sorry

Dear friends, unfortunately I haven't put up any recipes because I can't upload photos using my phone. I had to say goodbye to my beloved iBook charger. R.I.P charger, I will love you always. I promise I will have recipes up next week. Sweet dreams food lovers.

Dippin' not once not twice..okay 10 times

Buenos días. I woke up to a dark rainy day, my front yard is filled with bare trees and the steps leading up to my door is a slush nightmare. So, what does one do to slip away into a dream land of sunshine and happiness? I brewed some caramel Starbucks coffee and as I stirred in my crystallized honey I realized okay I need to write. I blasted the heat, sat down on the floor, slowly sipped the coffee out of my precious owl face mug, put on Bebel Gilberto and I imagined I was actually sitting in front of a chic cafe (somewhere not in America of course) surrounded by people who don't speak English. Works for me! Okay, back to what I really came on here for... FOOD! I have the greatest recipe for cookies. These are not just any cookies, so put down the Nestle Toll House easy way out "cookies" and keep reading. The first time I tasted these cookies I couldn't dip just once, or twice in the cookie jar. I can't blame myself for dipping 10 times in the cookie jar, they are just too delicious! Unfortunately this recipe isn't for anyone who may be on a diet considering the two sticks of butter that go into any cookie recipe. Just please bake these cookies, you will thank me or blame me later! These cookies are chewy, moist and oh so chocolaty. 

 

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

       Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (I like to use sweet cream butter)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats (they must be quick cooking oats)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

        Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
• In a mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Crack in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. 
• Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixer until just blended. 
• Mix in the quick oats and chocolate chips. 
• Drop spoonfuls of this heavenly mixture onto ungreased baking sheets
• Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

When you take the cookies out of the oven they may look like they are still raw but trust me they are cooked. DO NOT leave them in any longer than 12 minutes because you WILL ruin the cookies. Enjoy and eat many.

Holy Beanamole!

Evenin' folks. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't kept up with my food blog since my last post. Life is hectic and I neglected the grocery store. I will totally make up for it with this fabulous recipe that reminds me of a creamy guacamole but made with cannellini beans instead. I know your thinking "um okay, isn't this just a white bean hummus?" Well, yes it could be compared to that but I prefer comparing it to guacamole because of my serious love relationship with GUACAMOLE! This dip that I am officially calling Holy Beanamole (hehe) is garlicky, tangy, silky and delish. I served it with tandoori naan, a complete match made in dip heaven. The great thing about this recipe is, it's super quick to put together and very affordable. Luckily for me I only had to purchase the beans which cost 89 cents at Trader Joes. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

Holy Beanamole
15 oz can of Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) drained and rinsed under cold water
1/3 cup of EVVO
4 garlic cloves (3 if you aren't married to garlic)
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 or 5 chive sprigs
Sea salt and black pepper

Place all those ingredients into a food processor and blend
until smooth and silky. Serve with naan or carrot sticks.

It's my first time...

Hiya! After months of talking to myself about how I'm going to make a food blog, TA-DA! Here it is friends and strangers, Tara Lynn's food blog. It's my first time having a food blog not an actual "blog" the kind that a 16 year old girl has to record all her breakups and my parents are so unfair entries. No no, this is dedicated to food, travel and of course random photos of my beloved dog. I hope everyone enjoys! To start things off let's enjoy some Cuban cuisine together. Tonight I made picadillo, the Cuban chili. The sweetness of the raisins and saltiness of the capers made a flavor so perfectly blended together, my taste buds had goosebumps. This recipe however, I did not make up. All the credit goes to a group of men that call themselves Three Guys from Miami. I took a photo of it simmering on the stove which oughta motivate everyone to make it. Enjoy the recipe, cheers!

Picadillo Recipe