Pepper and veggie bagels

This is a new twist on the typical bagel sandwich.I found that the pepper in the cheese and the bagel mixed with the coolness of the cream cheese and veggies made an excellent balanced sandwich. As usual, feel free to experiment with the ingredients, this is just one way to make it. Be creative and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 jalapeno and cheddar bagel (I like Panera brand's)
Veggie cream cheese (Again, Panera makes a yummy variety)
Pepper jack cheese slices
1/2 a bell pepper (I would recommend using any color but green for the coolness and mildness)
Lettuce - about a handful. (I like a mixed field greens variety)

 I started by toasting the bagel and spreading it with the cream cheese and putting the sliced cheese on top quickly so it melts a bit. Next I added the peppers (using a thick slice to "plug" the hole in the middle of the bagel) and lettuce. Finally I closed the bagel using a knife to hold the goodies on while flipping the top half. Use extra peppers and lettuce to make a mini side salad.

Update: I tried this today with tomatoes instead of peppers and with white cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack, it was amazing!

Just an update...

Just letting you know... if anyone actually reads this. I haven't forgotten about my food blog. I simply haven't eaten anything worth writing about in months. Our dish washer and oven are both broken, I have been having some health problems that have me in bed a lot, and no one wants to hear a review of ensure or saltines. I promise I will start writing again when I can! <3

Pizza By Elizabeths

Today at my sister's birthday dinner, we had an unexpected surprise. She picked Pizza By Elizabeths as the restaurant for the celebration, no surprise since it has been a favorite in our family for almost a decade. The food is outstanding, the atmosphere is relaxed and classy, and the service is noteworthy. You are treated by the staff as if your only job is to relax and enjoy yourself, they are helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. 



If you've never been there, you have to go! It is a gourmet pizza restaurant that has a wide selection of toppings and sauces to choose from. Things that aren't typically on a pizza menu make this place have a special feel to it.  With sauces like mushroom duxelles sauce, honey Dijon sauce, green olive pesto, and roasted garlic you can create an interesting flavor for your pizza. Toppings like lump crab meat, shrimp, Brie, Locatelli romano, Smoked Gouda, vegan cheeses, Artichoke hearts, capers, Rosemary onion sauté, allow you to make the pizza of your choice with high quality ingredients. In addition to the pizzas, they have a selection of foods on their menu that are equally yummy. 


Their salad selection is outstanding! They have a very good greek salad, their dressing for the field greens salad is to die for, as is the dressing for the spinach salad. If you aren't in the mood for salad, they have a small selection of soups available as as well. The small cup is very small, it is best if you are getting it in addition to a pizza. The large bowl is about the normal size for a soup in a restaurant. I would highly recommend the Cream of Tomato soup. It is a creamy bisque with a fabulous tang to it. Dipping it with the served breadsticks makes it even better! After the meal they give you a sample of their homemade toffee. It is to die for! With a crispy bit into it you reach the chopped nuts, and the chocolate on the top melts in your mouth to make this wonderful, creamy flavorful bite. It is hard to go home without buying a box of that toffee... Just giving you fair warning if you ever decide to go there. All of this is the food I have been enjoying at the restaurant for years. They even have some to take out! 

Then we got to dessert, which we had never had there. We each ordered a cake slice. I ordered the chocolate cake and decided to add ice cream since I enjoy the combination of the cream and cake. When my cake got there it looked like you would expect, chocolate cake with a nice frosting and a pile of freshly made whipped cream. The cake was good, but once I took a spoon of my ice cream, the cake was nothing in comparison. This was the best ice cream I have ever had (and I've had a LOT of ice cream over the years.) It was creamy, but not heavy. The flavor of the cream was the main flavor, but you could also taste the fresh vanilla bean that had been mixed in. I liked it so much I had my sister and mom taste it as well, they loved it so much, they both ordered more for themselves. It was a serious hit! I would highly recommend that you go to Elizabeths, get some yummy pizza and finish it off with the ice cream. 

Visit their website for the full menu and directions...

http://www.pizzabyelizabeths.com/

Quick tortilla rolls

I like this as a quick meal. Its nothing fancy, but if you're like me and don't know how to cook well, its an easy thing to throw together. As an added bonus, it is very versatile, try experimenting with different fillers.

Basic ingredients:
Tortilla rolls (I like Mission brand since they don't break as easily)
Some kind of spread (salad dressing, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pesto, red gravy, etc.)
Veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, squash (cooked), spinach, shredded carrots, etc.)
Protein (cheese, ground beef, cooked chicken, meatballs, boca crumbles, etc.)

Basically, you first spread the sauce on the tortilla. Then fill it. Flip one side of the tortilla up and roll the tortilla up.

Favorite mixes of ingredients...
Mexican: sour cream and guac, lettuce (lots), tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese, and pick a meat.
Pesto: pesto, spinach, tomato, shredded mozzarella, chicken, fresh basil
Veggie: ranch, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, shredded carrots, spinach, corn
Italian: Red gravy (not too much or it gets soggy), pick a meat, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil

ps. Sorry there is no picture... I ate it before I took the pic!

Brio's Summer Bruschetta

Brio is a chain restaurant that has recently opened in our local mall. My family really likes their Italian food there, so we frequent the restaurant enough to know most of the waiters and have them know our regular orders. The head chef has specialties based on the season and fresh ingredients on hand, and this summer they had the Summer Bruschetta. I tried it because it is vegetarian, looked good on someone else's plate, and was not the typical $18 meal that the restaurant has. The plate comes with 6 crusty pieces of bread overflowing with toppings. There is pesto on the bread, followed by mozzarella cheese, a slice of tomato, then a mixture of (very mild) cilantro pesto and chopped yellow tomatoes is put on top. An amazing balsamic reduction is drizzled on top and then it is all sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan cheese to add the perfect kick to the dish. It is amazing! 

Sushi lovers unite!

To those of you who love sushi, I have recently discovered that there is an all you can eat sushi place by me! If you live in the DE/PA border area, Hibachi Restaurants have all you can eat sushi! I got the flying fish roe, which sounds horrible, but its actually very sweet with a nice crunch (yes the crunch is the eggs and it sounds barbaric, I know). I also got a rainbow roll, with a variety of fish on top, a salmon and avocado roll, and some kind of spicy roll that was way too hot to eat. If you are new to sushi, or are not comfortable with eating raw fish, I recommend sticking to the veggie or tempura (cooked) rolls. They are easier to newbies. I always get edamame to start the meal. If you have never tried it, it is steamed soybeans with sea salt on top. You pop the soybeans out of the shell with your teeth, do not eat the shell! Sushi also comes with a little tray/bowl for your soy sauce, I like to mix some wasabi into the soy sauce and to dip the roll into it for an added kick, but that isn't for everyone. If the spice upsets your stomach, try to eat some of the pickled ginger that comes with the meal (the pink shaved stuff on the side of your plate). It looks and tastes not great, but settles the stomach very well. I take an extra sushi menu and keep track of what I have ordered, what I like, and why. That way, as I order, I remind myself of favorites and have a record for the next time I visit a sushi place. I challenge you to try some sushi out sometime. It may not be your thing, but it can be a fun culinary adventure. 

Been a while since I cooked...

To be honest, I haven't been feeling up to cooking lately, but is something I ate and would like to share!













To those of you who don't live in the NC area, you may have never heard of Cookout. It is a fast food drive through chain, that has the typical burgers and fries, but locally is better known for its milkshakes. The shakes are so thick that they sometimes hand them to you upside down! Its almost always impossible to drink it with a straw, so they give you a spoon too. They have so many flavors and mixins, its sometimes very hard to decide what to get. The ingredients are high quality, the sanitation score is always higher than my school's cafes were, and they deserve the word of mouth popularity they have earned. If you happen to be passing through NC, make an effort to find one and try a shake. This day I tried a new combo of double chocolate and banana, very good choice. I also am a fan of chocolate with cherries and chocolate chips. Mmmm! Making my mouth water!