....is a Few Favorites, May TwentyThirteen

My May favorites are all over the place, from New Orleans to my own kitchen, an old favorite for breakfast, two breweries and a chair.

....is New Orleans TwentyThirteen, Day One

On the First of May, CPB & I took a plane bound for New Orleans, Louisiana! I'm a little slow to post them, but it was a wonderful trip and I wanted to share. Here's a snap shot of our first day, traveling.

....is an Apple & Walnut Tart

Breakfast, Brunch or how to ruin your Brenner. This tart is an easy way to do all three. I hope you give this recipe a try, it was Real Simple and delicious! I think next time I'll try it with summer fruit....maybe Peaches or Apricots. What fruit would you use?

....is an Apple & Walnut Tart for Breakfast

This morning at the Breakfast Hub, an Apple & Walnut Tart for breakfast!

Happy Cooking!

....is Baby Beignets for Breakfast

My Baby Beignet attempts and recipe is at the Breakfast Hub this morning! 

Check out the powder sugar covered fried doughy goodness.

Happy Cooking!

....is Baby Beignets

Last week I was in New Orleans! While there, I ate a lot of beignets. I mean a LOT. Is five times in six days too much? Some might think so, but who doesn't like fried doughy goodness completely covered in powdered sugar?! 

There are two well known places in New Orleans to get beignets, Cafe du Monde & Morning Call and we went to both. I wasn't there for the beignets alone, we planned the vacation primarily to go to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. And beignet's are just the beginning of the wonderful food down there. I'll have a few posts about my trip on Not Everything I Make is Pretty, next week. 

With all the expertise I gathered tasting beignets I had to make my own. I have to admit, I nerded out trying to come up with the perfect recipe (wait 'til you see my spread sheet....). I have ideas on what to do next time (there will be a next time) but I'm so excited to share my first beignet attempt with the Breakfast Hub. Enjoy!

Images of Beignets from New Orleans.

....is an Image Transfer, Part 2

Here's my attempt at what should have been a simple craft.

....is a Historic Homes Tour

Two weeks ago I went on the SOHO Historic Home Tour of early 20th-Century Mission Hills . There were six homes on the map but a friend from work, MC, & I turned it into a walking tour of the whole neighborhood. It was a dreary day for San Diego Spring but I had a great time looking thru the houses & finding other gems, like the home (and matching mailbox in the bottom left) in the picture above.

....is a Pear Dutch Baby, for Breakfast

At the Breakfast Hub with this Dutch Baby, and a little uh-oh I made in the process. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

....is a Pear Dutch Baby

Learning to bake is about what not to do as much as it is learning what works well. I started my first attempt at a Dutch Baby, a fairly simple recipe from Food Network, with a start-over mistake. Cooking mistakes are typically a little more forgiving but I've found baking are usually less so. I should have known better, in cookies wet ingredients are always first, and dry ingredients are mixed in parts after. Luckily I had all the ingredients to remake the batter.

....is Cajun Mac'n'Cheese

Today I'm on my way to New Orleans!! Beignets, Crawfish and Creole everything are in my near future, only a short plane right away. So, this is the perfect day to show off Cajun Mac'n'Cheese. Last week, I needed a quick meal for dinner. I like to get a rotisserie chicken to make tacos, jambalaya, chicken salad sandwich, salad salads, Mrs. M's chicken pot pie, etc.... so here's the delicious & easy Cajun Mac'n'Cheese recipe adapted from Eat Live Run.