I found myself looking longingly at the dredges of coffee in the pot the other morning. I wanted more coffee, God knows I needed it, but the heat of the day was already getting to me and the last thing I wanted was a hot cup of coffee. I was also hungry. Breakfast is hard for me to remember, even if I am hungry. It's the craziest part of the day. My two toddlers sit and repeat their breakfast orders like two grumpy parrots. "I want drink!" one croons. I quickly correct him for his lack of panache and manners, he asks again nicely, then without missing a beat, the other chimes in, "I want vita-mininin" (don't ask). I tell her, "Please, wait." Then my 10 month old, starts squawking for another teething cracker, the dog needs to go pee and to top it all off, Barney is singing his stupid songs and I absent-mindedly sing along! And on and on it goes until, everyone is fed, except for me and I'm nearly crawling along the floor, in search of food because my blood sugar is like, one.
So! I did finally get to making myself breakfast and drink that lingering coffee, all in one. It ended up being quite delish. But for the recipe, I changed adding hot coffee to a smoothie to using espresso powder instead, rendering a much less melty smoothie.
Morning Buzz Smoothie
3/4 c. milk or soy milk
3/4 c. crushed ice
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I use whey)
1/2 banana
1 tbls. peanut butter
Blend all together. Now, of course you could swap out whatever you like. But this does make for a heartier smoothie than most. Refreshing and zingy!
This is a very special installment of Foodie House. The bonus on this video is my cutie husband and what we think are some of the best bloopers to date. Every thing's more funny and ridiculous when you've got a partner in cooking crime. So we are preparing for you a dinner that is the perfect date night at home. We have 3 small kiddos and we don't get out much, mainly because we nearly collapse as we sing the last song and read the last book to our tiny tired three year olds. But some nights we just press through the exhaustion and make time for us. Sammy and I love cooking together. We joke around, have some wine, dream together etc. It is more fun than going out sometimes because you don't have to go anywhere and you can eat your dinner in your lounge wear.
Here's the menu...(everything is just for two, so double or triple for a dinner party)
Seared Filet with Caramelized Onions
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Garden Salad with Bacon and the Foodie House Herbaceous Buttermilk Dressing and Croutons
Seared Filet with Caramelized Onions
2 10 oz. Filets of Beef, 2" thick Salt and Pepper 1 Tbls. Olive Oil
Get your oven crankin' to 400 degrees. Blot off your meat with paper towels. It needs to be dry to get a tasty brown crust on it. Get your oven safe pan smoking hot on medium high heat. Season your filets with salt and pepper. Be rather generous as it is a thick piece of meat and it needs flavor throughout. Add your olive oil to the pan and when it is smoking, add your seasoned filets. Sear both sides 3 minutes. Leave the meat alone as it is searing. Don't move it around, it will disturb the crust that is forming. After both sides are seared, move the pan to the oven to cook the steaks another 7 min. This is for medium rare. If you want medium do another minute or two. But remember, if your steak is less than 2" thick you will need to adjust the time in the oven. Please remember not to grab the hot pan handle with your bare hands after it comes out of the oven!
Caramelized Onions
Follow the Caramelized Onions post for the how-to on this. Once you've made the onions, add 1/2 cup white wine, or red if you prefer, to the onions and let it reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve over the filets for a savory accompaniment.
Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
1/2 lb. "C" sized baby red potatoes, or whatever you have on hand 3 cloves roasted garlic (see Roasted Garlic Low-Down for the how-to) 1/4 c. heavy cream 3 tbls. butter 1 tsp. fresh rosemary salt and pepper
Boil potatoes until they are fork tender and soft enough to smash. Drain, add garlic, cream, rosemary and butter. Mash until it's creamy but still kinda lumpy. Salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh Garden Salad with Bacon and Foodie House Herbaceous Buttermilk Dressing
2 Large handfuls of your favorite greens, I use green leaf lettuce 1/2 c. sliced cucumbers 1/2 c. halved cherry or pear tomatoes 4 strips crispy bacon, chopped 2 handfuls of Quickie Croutons (see the how-to here on Foodie House) 1 recipe of the Herbaceous Buttermilk Dressing (also here on the blog)
Assemble your salads! I do the dressing and croutons the day before to save on time.
