New Foods and Drinks

Over the last year or so I have come across some interesting foods and drinks that I wanted to share! Some of them may be familiar to you, some are new, either way, food excites me and it deserves to be shared! Here are some things I have tried recently:

This spiky looking thing is called a horned melon! Although it looked intimidating, I had to try it. 

It's exterior is very firm, not unlike a watermelon, sounds hollow when you tap it, and hard to cut into. But once you get to the inside, it explodes!! 

It's as if the fruit inside is scared of you when it's cut into, it just runs everywhere! Never in my mind would I have imagined that it looked like this on the inside LOL! I had no idea how long to wait until it was "ripe" or what, so I cut into it the day after I bought it. The actual "pulp" if you will tasted very much like a bitter cucumber. So perplexing! I had no idea how to eat it so I went at it with a spoon. 

It didn't want to stay on the spoon, which made me have that much more fun with this crazy fruit. I had no intentions of letting the fruit go to waste though, I wanted to finish it! So I added a bit of sugar to it, and it took it to a whole different level. Now it tasted like a grape! How did it do that? LOL. Give this fruit a try some time. Have a sharp knife and a bowl ready! Oh and maybe look up online how long to ripen it! 

Next up is something that I have fallen in love with! Bubble Tea! A man in the mall has his own stand and I bought Bubble Tea from him just about every Saturday last summer. Here are two of my favorite flavors: 

The green one is kiwi boba and it was devine! Had a great balance of tart and sweet in it, and super smooth ice. The slushy made the pearls firm up a bit making them even more chewy, loved it!

This yellow one is pineapple! Oh so sweet and bright. Perfect way to cool off from a hot summer's day. 

Next up are these adorable jellies I found at an Asian food store. They came in a large bag with 4 flavors. I only have pictures of 3 because my sister and I ate a lot on the ride home LOL. 

These I actually ate at room temperature, just as they were displayed on the shelf. They aren't your typical American jelly/jello. They have a lot more bite to them. I think perhaps they had tapioca starch in them. There is just the tiniest amount of syrup with them too so you better open them on a flat surface! 

Here's a look at the jellies out of their package:

ADORABLE!! They have a swooping heart shape! Some are opaque and others are almost see through. Very fruity in flavor, they taste more like real fruit than artificially flavored fruit. Try these if you see them!!

Next up is a very yummy soda which I have loved since I was a small child. It's root beer! But not just any root beer, artisanal root beer! Hand crafted in Virginia and sold at farmer's markets all over. 

 

Look at this awesome packaging! It was a little sweeter than say IBC or A&W root beer, but still oh so bubbly and refreshing. I was one of those weird kids who ate those root beer barrel shaped candies. They have a slightly effervescent hint to them, yummy!! Anyway, this root beer has that great foam on top as if it were real beer too. I loved eating the foam off of root beer floats as a kid. 

Lastly is a more adult beverage. This drink I discovered at a french restaurant with my lovely mom and grandma. It's called Lambic, and it is a FRUIT beer. Sounds girly I know, but who cares! I am a girl and I like what I like! There are such a wide variety of Lambics out there I hope to try them all. But here are the two I enjoyed:

The one on the left is "Peche/Peach" and the one on the right is "Fraises/Strawberry". The strawberry was significantly sweeter than the peach, but they were both very bubbly. The peach was more savory and took on more beer personality. They had a slight head in the glass when poured, and were super refreshing. I actually had them served on ice but you can choose to do without. They come in a 12 oz. bottle and are corked in front of you. Great presentation and great taste. Please try one if you see it on a menu! 

Those are just a few things I have tried recently! I encourage all of you to try new foods, even if you end up hating it, it's all about the experience. I can't wait to post more things I try in the future, maybe I will try a creepy crawly or fermented foods LOL! Who knows! Take care and thanks for reading! 

Panzanella Salad

If you are a fan of any kind of Italian food, you will love this recipe.!! Italian cuisine has such a unique flare and take on fresh ingredients, but something that amazed me is their take on revamping boring old bread!!You know you are guilty of letting bread go stale, and you have no clue what to do with it! That hard brick that you let air out by accident cause your wine buzz got the best of you and you forgot to put away your left overs, mmhhmm, don't try and hide it LOL!! This salad recipe is so simple, refreshing, and in my opinion can be eaten year round. 

This recipe will vary among person to person, so please feel free to add what you like! Let's dive in shall we? This recipe has two parts: 

Ingredients for Salad

1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2-3 cups stale bread, cubed***
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1 cups fresh mozzarella/stick mozzarella diced
thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Ingredients for Tomato Dressing


1/2 pint cherry/grape tomatoes cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp, dried Italian seasonings


Directions

1.) Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
2.) Cut the tomatoes in half and chop your garlic. 
3.) Pour the olive oil into your pan and get it warm, then add the tomatoes and garlic. Sautee until the tomatoes release their juices. Cook just until their skins begin to wrinkle. Add in the salt, pepper, lemon juice and Italian seasonings. Stir together and remove from the stove. 
4.) In a food processor/blender, pulse the dressing to your desired texture. I like it very smooth. Taste it and make sure it's to your liking. 
5.) Add all of the dressing to the bottom of a large bowl. Pour in all of your diced veggies, cheese and bread on top of the dressing and toss to coat. This salad is best if allowed to sit for10-15 minutes so the bread softens up a bit. Toss again right before serving and top with the sliced scallions. 

This makes for a great dinner for two, or perfect as a side dish for 4. The prep work is simple and these ingredients are very easy to find at your local grocery store. You can use any short cuts you want in this recipe too like using bottled lemon juice, stick mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, frozen and diced veggie mix, what ever you like! If you really want to wow your friends or family, make it with the freshest ingredients possible, they are all fairly inexpensive. Please enjoy my recipe!! Thank you so so much!! 

****Cook's side note: I would highly suggest using an Italian bread loaf or sour dough bread for this recipe. Makes for a nice contrast against the vegetables and dressing. Please avoid using regular sliced bread, unless it's texas toast, you want the bread to be able to soak up the dressing without becoming complete mush. 

Also, I am working on taking photos of ingredients you will need before hand, what it looks like while I am preparing the dish and afterwords. Thank you for your patience!! 

Frittata

Weekend breakfasts for me are a treat, and I want to treat myself right with something cozy. This simple and tasty frittata is one of my favorites. I will say that this makes enough for 2-3 people (If eating other accompaniments or want a light breakfast), which I will gladly eat by myself if my hunger calls for it LOL. Here we go!

Ingredients:

4 Large eggs

1/4 White onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bliss potato, quartered and sliced thin

1/4 tsp. Chopped Garlic

2 TBSP. Bacon fat/Butter

Mixed shredded cheese of your choice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parsley Garnish (optional)

Directions:

1.) Crack and whisk the eggs in a bowl, set aside. 

2.) Cut and slice the potato and white onion, set aside.

3.) Get a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add in the cooking fat of your choice. 

4.) Cook off the onions and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly golden brown. Add in the garlic and stir to combine. 

5.) Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes and onions. Stir so the egg goes underneath the potatoes and onions. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

6.) Reduce the heat to low and cover the saute pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Lift the cover and check if all of the eggs are set. Cook more if necessary. 

7.) Sprinkle cheese on the top of the frittata and cover again to melt. 

8.) Carefully slide frittata onto a large plate and enjoy immediately. 

9.) Garnish with fresh parsley if you so desire. :) 

You can eat this piping hot or at room temperature. Makes for a great breakfast or brunch item. 

Please enjoy and thank you!