you may have noticed there haven't been a lot of recipes on here lately.  that's not to say that we're not cooking (there's not a day that goes by that i'm not cleaning dishes at our house), we've just been total slackers when it comes to sharing the goods!  ...and we've been doing a lot more of "hey i saw this great recipe in food network magazine " or "i want to make this from thekitchn.com ".

last night was one of those nights we were dying to try something we saw on thekitchn.com :

savory muffins

i scored a half snow day from work, and told mr p i would make anything he wanted.  anticipating a response along the lines of something for dinner, he wanted muffins.  after trying scallion and black pepper scones at a&j king in salem a few years ago, we've been talking about savory baked goods ever since, yet we never take the time to make anything!

though not all of the ingredients for the muffins were things we had on hand, the actual recipe ( see here ) was simple, and didn't require a lot of dishes (that's the WORST part about baking sometimes!) with just 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, the recipe was nearly gluten-free, and could easily be substituted with a gluten-free flour. the original recipe calls for prosciutto and chives, and i simply read that as "some sort of cured meat and something onion-y".  instead i used hard salami and scallions (hey, we had it on hand!) the recipe also calls for muffin liners and spray oil to keep the muffins from sticking to the liners. we didn't have any spray, and gosh they stuck so bad.  next time i'm definitely just buttering the pan and forgetting about the liners!!

the recipe is great for big group breakfasts, because the muffins are all finished at the same time (as opposed to cooking eggs, omelets, french toast, things that take lots of labor and you must eat as soon as it hits the plate.

.....well, and they are also good for snow days when you have a bit of extra time on your hands ;)

the recipe is a good base for any savory muffins, really. maybe i'll try adding amaranth or millet, or maybe i'll try adding in goat cheese and cracked black pepper! with all these ideas they make be on our weekend breakfast menu for a long time!  the amazing smell in the kitchen was enough incentive to make them again!

cheers.
jenn

for a while i was getting up early to walk in the mornings, just as the sun was rising, just long enough to get the blood flowing but not so much i was dripping sweat right before work.  i never went with a wallet, just me and my phone.  many days i would venture into the paulus hook neighborhood of jersey city, just so i could get a fun look at all the houses down there.  it's not that they are anything different from hamilton park/harismus cove, it's just that it's rare that i had a reason to be over there.

one morning i walked down morris street and spotted a new coffee shop, the smell of freshly brewed coffee flowing all the way to the end of the street.   WHY didn't i ever bring money with me!? that was at least a month ago, and i've been talking about how i want to go ever since.



saturday was finally the day!
mr p and i woke up early feeling well-rested, so we decided to head over to sam a. m.  right away before any "rush" came in (because we all know weekend brunch is awesome around here, so awesome that there's often a wait...)  the sun was shining, the air was crisp, and it was just nice to get up and out, walking arm in arm on such a beautiful fall morning!! (to get all mushy on ya)




we walked in, being welcomed by most of the workers, and found a 2-person table with our name on it (not really, but you know what i mean).  the entire sun-filled room smelled of smoked bacon, not even coffee.  my mouth was instantly watering!  we both ordered coffee, i chose a sammich with dates, caramelized onions, lettuce, and herby goat cheese, and mr p ordered the weekender, a classic breakfast of pan-fried potatoes, extra runny eggs, smoked bacon, and sourdough toast.









that bacon is seriously the best i've ever tasted.  it was like eating a delicious campfire in my mouth... i'll be back just to place an order of bacon.. just bacon.  my sammich was just the right amount of sweet and savory, and the stumptown coffee was so smooth.  our waiter was so laid back and polite, and made us feel cozy and at home (as if the vintage-y, warm, sun-filled place isn't home-y enough)



...and for only $24 for breakfast for two, we will definitely be back.  we might just order coffee and bacon though.  maybe.

cheers!
jenn


p.s. we went to our friend's house on sunday for our first time trying thirty acres catering...  it was insane, and i'll tell you about it tomorrow.