Apr6

Mini Angel Food Cupcakes

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Hi! Remember me!? I know…it has been a much longer hiatus than I anticipated! I apologize for just up and disappearing like that! In case you have been drooling over the mini angel food cupcakes, I thought that it was time that I FINALLY shared the recipe. What a cliff hanger, eh? Over a 2 month wait! On the bright side, school has been going fantastic! I am officially half way done my didactic year (thank goodness!). I hope you all have been enjoying the signs of spring:) I know I enjoyed the sunshine on my walk to the library this afternoon. Today I’ll share my recipe for the mini angel food cupcakes and hopefully get the one for the amazing, homemade strawberry buttercream frosting to you in the near future. I am looking forward to cooking with fresh ingredients over the next few months, so I promise to start sharing more again soon. I would love to hear from you! Any suggestions on receipes you’d like to see on kitchen anatomy in the near future? 
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The Ingredients:
  • 4 large egg whites
  • ½ tsp cream of tarter
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sifted powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup sifted flour
  • Pinch of salt

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Feb4

I baked you something sweet for my SITS day!

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Hello SITStahs!

Thanks for taking time out of your very busy days to come and check out what kitchen anatomy is all about! Since you are all my guests, I baked you something sweet. I wanted to make sure you were treated like my friends and if you are my friend, you are spoiled with lots of delicious treats. I decided to make some amazing mini angel food cupcakes with homemade fresh strawberry buttercream frosting in your honor. Since we’re virtual friends, I’ll be sure to enjoy each and every one of them while paying my gratitude to all of you. The calories don’t count if you’re doing it for friends right? That’s what I’ll tell myself at least…

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Interested in the recipe? Stop back by later this week…I’m studying for a rather large (33% of my grade) pharmacology exam that is consuming my life for the near future. I promise to share it and you definitely don’t want to miss it. Ah, the joys of being a Physician Assistant student…never quite enough time in the day!

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I appreciate you stopping by and look forward to visiting your website and seeing what you are all about! I hope you enjoy some of the recipes I created and that you are able to incorporate some of my creations into your recipe repertories. If you were looking for a specific recipe and don’t find it here, I would love some request. I love the challenge of creating new things in the kitchen.

Thanks again for stopping in! I hope you enjoyed it!

Jan29

Philly Restaurant Week: Tequila’s

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Delicious homemade chips and I really enjoyed the charred jalapeños. Matt found them a bit too spicy, but I loved them

It seems as though I have been doing more reviewing of restaurants lately then cooking. I promise that’s only half true but I wanted to share our final restaurant week experience with you! I’ll be back in the kitchen sharing new recipes in no time. Restaurant week will be continuing until February 1st for lunch and dinner and I really encourage you, if you are in the Philly area, to check out what one of many restaurants has to offer! Seriously, it’s one of my favorite things the city participates in because you’re able to try a variety of places and not kill your budget.

Anyhow, as promised Matt and I checked out Tequila’s for lunch for restaurant week. We were able to pick from their restaurant week menu a choice of appetizer, lunch, and dessert all for 20 bucks. It was our first time dining in and I was super impressed with the wait staffs attentiveness. I think that it has a great opportunity to be a lovely place to dine, but unfortunately for lunch they only seat in the bar area and we were the unlucky ones that got seated right by the door. The very, very, very drafty door. I think this really took away from the experience for me. I’m not one that enjoys shivering during a meal. I would definitely give dinner a try and would love to sample a margarita the next time we drop in.

Chicken Taquitos

Chicken Taquitos

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

The Breakdown:

I ordered the chicken tortilla soup, the chicken enchiladas, and chocolate mousse cake. Matt ordered the chorizo omelet, chicken taquitos, and tres leche cake.

The Review:

Overall, we both enjoyed the authenticity of the dishes we ordered. I think that we have been spoiled with restaurants constantly offering innovative and creative food however. I found the food almost generic in a sense that I could have sampled similar tasting, authentic food at many of the restaurants in our old stopping ground of Indianapolis of all places. I wasn’t blown away by any means, but do think the food tasted good.

Appetizers:  I was quite disappointed in the chicken tortilla soup because it was mostly tortilla strips and nothing else. I literally had two pieces of small chicken in the some what oily broth. Matt however enjoyed the chicken taquitos, they were just okay to me. Perhaps I was too distracted by the cold to appreciate them?

Main Dishes: I ordered the chicken enchiladas and really enjoyed the corn tortillas. The food was severed very hot which I always appreciate. The red sauce was quite tasty and I enjoyed the queso fresco on the beans. Matt had the chorizo omelet which he said was quite good. I’m not a huge fan of omelets so I didn’t snag a bite, but he did say he’d order it again.

Dessert: This was by far the best part of the meal for us. I will be very, very disappointed if they don’t make all their desserts in house. We rarely, if ever order dessert, but since it was included in the price gave it a shot. Look how humongous this piece of cake is! It was so good in fact we ended up devouring the whole thing instead of bring it home as were our original intentions. The tres leche cake was equally as fantastic and has inspired me to start figuring out a recipe because I couldn’t get enough of it.

All in all it was a good experience. No new or innovative flavors that I’ve never tasted but solid authentic cuisine. I would love to check out their dinner menu and dining experience. We’d definitely go back because the food is tasty.

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The show stealer, Chocolate Mousse Cake

Jan28

Philly Restaurant Week: Amada

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Restaurant week is a glorious time here in Philadelphia. It gives you an opportunity to sample the finest restaurants the city has to offer at a decent, prefixed price. Lunch starts at 20 dollars per person and dinner at 35 per person. Most include your choice of an appetizer, entree, and dessert. It’s a fantastic way to spend a date night and it’s currently going on here in Philly until February 1st. If you live here or have the chance to visit in the next few days, I’d highly recommend dining at as many places as you can.

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Aged Manchego with Truffled Lavender Honey Cheese Board

We had the opportunity to dine at Amada on Friday night for the first time and it was amazing. Amada serves “authentic Spanish tapas based on the earthy Mediterranean flavors that have long been the passion and expertise of founder and executive chef, Jose Garces – but Chef Garces goes beyond tradition, interpreting centuries-old  tapas recipes.” That’s right, Iron Chef Garces. It was absolutely fantastic. I started off with a cocktail called the Matador that was made with ginger, Bourbon, and elderflower. It was probably one of my favorite cocktails I’ve had in the city.

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Shrimp, Chorizo, Garbanzo Bean Purée Flatbread

The Breakdown

  • For the prefixed menu you were able to select two appetizer sized tapas, a larger entree sized tapas, and a dessert. There were a total of four of us, so we each chose different things to maximize our sampling from the menu. It was a ton of food and we each left more than happy and full. The highlight of the meal for me was the Serrano Ham and Melon. The cantaloupe was perfectly candied and served with a micro green salad on top. It was the show stealer for me. We also enjoyed the Ham Croquettes and the Braised Beef Short ribs flatbread. I apologize that there are not more photos, but food was being served and dishes removed from our table at a rapid pace. For dessert we sampled the Arroz con Leche and the Crema Catalana (Spanish Custard, Pistachio, Pumpkin Semifreddo, and Cranberry).

The Review

  • I was very happy with this dining experience. We all left satiated and happy with our selections. The highlight of the meal, like I pointed out, was the Serrano ham and Cantaloupe as well as the cocktail. We also sampled the Tinto Sangria (Spiced red wine, orange, apple, and cinnamon) that was very delicious. The Arroz con Leche was the only thing that I wouldn’t order again. All of our other tastings were fantastic and I look forward to a return visit soon. 

You still have a few more days to get out and try restaurants! Be sure to take advantage of the great deals if you are in close proximity to the city. We are trying Tequila’s for lunch, I’ll be sure to update you on our dining experience. Enjoy!

Jan27

Things I Love: Decor

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I spend so much time pinning projects and recipes onto Pinterest, but like I imagine many of you, never actually get around to doing half of the things I get excited about. I thought that it was really time that I start documenting the Things I Love, so I can not only share some amazing things I’ve found with all of you, but to also perhaps get motivated to try them. I’d love to see some of the things you love as well! We are planning on moving in September, so it would be great to start brainstorming the new decor in our new place!

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How amazing is this accent wall? Not only would it be a quick project, but if I ever decided to change it up it’d be a quick and easy project to transform.

  1. One of my favorite blogs is a beautiful mess. It is a great mix of new recipes, DIY projects, fashion, and overall style. Many of my study (procrastination) breaks are spent on this website. I have a confession to make and that is that I love all things nautical. I think maybe it’s my inner Mainer trying to maintain some of her roots in the big city of Philadelphia? I actually have this iPhone case…I think a small accent wall like this would be amazing (and would perfectly feed into my obsession).
  2. I adore this piece, it is from West Elm. I would love to figure out a way to turn it into a DIY for less at home. I imagine it’s totally possible, and probably should look into figuring out the details. Any tips from anyone that’s made their own ottoman?
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Anything that even resembles the chevron pattern is immediately something I drool over. Love this, not the price.

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Yes please. I love this look.

3. I can’t get enough of this look. I think that it’d be amazing in a nursery (some day!).

I hope you enjoyed a few of the things I’m loving this minute. What are some of the things you are crushing on?

Jan24

Our Favorite Sushi in the City: Doma

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Yum. That’s all I can really say for an introduction. I’ll try harder for you though, because yum isn’t enough to describe how amazing this sushi actually is. We go once a week and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Hi, I’m Meggan and I am a Doma fanatic. They may or may not even know us by name, place our order without talking to us first, and bring us out piping hot edamame. Free edamame I may add because we have turned into that big of regulars. Doma is without our favorite place to dine in the city and though it is a quaint space because we have become such addicts, they always manage to squeeze us into a table with a minimal wait. It can get pretty busy though and I highly recommend making a reservation. Their Tuna Flatbread is to die for. So much in fact, I didn’t even get an opportunity to take a picture. I promise you won’t be disappointed and that it is without a doubt worth every penny.

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This iPhone picture just doesn’t give their rolls justice…

The Breakdown

  • Triple Double Spicy Tuna Roll:  tuna, spicy sauce, siracha, tempura crunch, scallion, seared albacore tuna on top with a  sichimi pepper sweet glaze
  • Naked Salmon: spicy salmon & avocado, over crispy sticky rice, masago and jalapeño slices on top
  • Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll 
Additional Recommendations 
  • Stuffed jalapeño tempura: tuna, cream cheese, scallion, lightly battered topped with eel sauce
  • Tuna Flatbread: tortilla flatbread topped with sliced tuna, fresh guacamole, garnished with jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, sweet glaze and spicy mayo

The Review

We eat here weekly, what more is there to say? It’s amazing! If we caved into our cravings we’d probably eat there more like three times a week…but that would be embarrassing. Another bonus? If you pay in cash, you get 10% of your bill. Enjoy!

Jan18

Maple Sausage, Pepper, & Potato Breakfast Casserole

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Husbands ask for a lot of things…and some requests are harder to grant than others. Like when they try to convince you that entertaining the idea of them growing a mustache for a month will make them look cool or when they think its a good idea to watch television in place of folding laundry. Thankfully, one for a breakfast casserole was something I could happily oblige to. Not only does it make husband happy (and possibly more inclined to fold laundry while watching football) it’s easy to throw together and tastes amazing.

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mmmm cheese and sausage, what more could you ask for?

Here’s a little story for all of you, we’re friends now right? It seems as though we’ve had a pretty steady friendship for the past 6 months and I feel ready to open up to all of you. Anyhow, now that we’ve established our virtual relationship, here’s the story. This one time, my very sweet husband, thought it would be a great idea to cook me breakfast. He actually surprised me while I was still sleeping. I woke up to a very proud husband. Matt announced, “I made you eggs!” I smiled and was excited about his very thoughtful gesture. He poured me a glass of orange juice and said “Not only did I make you breakfast, but there is a secret ingredient!” Yeah, I was worried too. So I smiled, picked up a forkful of the mystery eggs. I couldn’t even chew it….it tasted that bad! I gulped it down. Care to guess what was in them? Maple syrup, hot peppers, and feta cheese. Don’t get me wrong, these are actually a few of my favorite things. Mixed into eggs together however, not so great. I politely ate my whole plate but I’ll tell you I sure didn’t ask for seconds…

The Ingredients: 

Makes an 8 x 8 pan

  • 8 0z frozen of potatoes  
  • 5 eggs scrambled
  • 1 lb of breakfast sausage
  • 1/2 red pepper & 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup of freshly grated cheese, I used pepperjack (I actually roughly chopped a block of cheese and put it in my food processor to grate it; great time saving tip!)
  • Salt and pepper

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Jan12

Pomegranate and White Chocolate Scones

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I can’t even begin to explain how much I love a good pastry in the morning with my coffee. My brain sometimes tells me that it’s a bad idea, but look how delicious these scones look. How bad could they be? Thankfully I figured out a way to make them taste fantastic but not be a huge calorie bomb like many of the purchased baked goods (for example a blueberry scone from Starbucks is almost 500 calories per serving; gasp! but they’re so good!). Now you can have your cake (scone) and eat it too. This recipe only has a few tablespoons of sugar and absolutely no butter. Seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Seriously though, you won’t believe how good they taste until you give them a try.

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Feeling less guilty about drooling over them yet?

The flavor combination may seem a little weird to some, but it’s actually pretty amazing. I found myself with about 4 cups of pomegranate seeds after buying two gigantic softball sized pomegranates and needed to find a creative way to use them. I started reminiscing about some chocolate covered pomegranate candies I’ve had in the past and voila a new recipe was created. If you’re not sold on the flavor paring feel free to add blueberries, strawberries, diced apples etc. instead. Hope you enjoy them! They are a fantastic treat and ridiculously easy to make.

The Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 3 tbs of sugar
  • 3 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • zest of one small orange
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 1/4 cup  half and half (or substitute half regular milk if heavy cream now makes this recipe horrifying to you)

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