Saturday, February 26, 2011

Cinnamon Waffles


So, thanks to my dear friend Alyssa and her boyfriend Shane, I have become obsessed with waffles and finding different ways to make them! I had them one weekend after crashing at their place and that very next day went out to HEB and bought a little waffle maker. For $10 it does the job! One word of advice, be sure to spray non-stick spray on the waffle maker before adding the batter.


Ingredients: (makes 6-8 waffles)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tbs sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 separated eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • any brand waffle maker
Directions:

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks well. Stir in milk. Add sifted dry ingredients to egg yolks and mix until moistened (be careful not to over mix). Add vegetable oil. Fold in egg whites.
Pour cinnamon in mixture. Stir.
Bake in preheated waffle maker for at least 4-5 mins, until crisp and brown. (in my waffle maker it takes about 10 mins or so..do the tooth pick test!)

I normally add 1 big ice cream scooper full of batter, around 3/4 Cup or so... make sure to use non-stick spray!! Well there you have it my readers, the delicious breakfast itself - WAFFLES!

Now you can use this base recipe to add different seasonings or add ins. For example you could leave out the cinnamon and add a 1/2 Cup or so chocolate chips - yum!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Weekend in Austin: Coco's, Habana & Pho Van

So this weekend we decided to go to Austin (about 1 hr away) and to try out a few new places to eat. It's a tradition of ours to find a new bakery, coffee shop, eatery in Austin or any new town that we go to. So this weekend we went to Habana SoCo to have a little Cuban food!

Habana SoCo

2728 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
512-443-4253
Cuban & Caribbean food $10-$15 per Entree.

The outside was very welcoming and has
a outdoor sitting area that is heated! (Not that Texas needs that often)

I had the Ropa Vieja for $13.50. This was a HEARTY plate and I even took home left overs. It was very tasty! Ropa Vieja is Spanish for "Old Clothes" - It is a shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base.

Gerald had the Seafood Paella for One - $19.95

It was very flavorful but seemed like the "knock off" version of all the huge pots of Paella that you see on the food network. Still tasty but I would not really pay $19.95 for it again...Sorry paella!


Our next stop was
Coco's Cafe
8557 Research Blvd
Austin, TX 78758
512-833-6588

This is one of the best places in Austin to get bubble tea. If you have not tried it, you definitely should. You can get it in any flavor, my personal favorite is a strawberry smoothie with the boba pearls on the bottom. Roughly about $3 a cup - but very filling!

Another first I had this weekend was Pho, and it was very delicious.

Pho Van
8557 Research Blvd (right next to Coco's)
Austin, TX 78758
512-832-5595

Under $10 per entree. I had Pho Ga - small size for $5.99 , and there was plenty for left overs!

Pho Ga was a chicken broth soup with noodle and vegetables.

SO that's what we did this weekend...how was your Valentine's weekend? What are your favorite places in Austin??