Bacon & Maple Pancakes

 Happy Friday!
 This weekend I intend to do a lot of indulging. And I'll start by making these perfect, crunchy, salty, sweet pancakes.

 I use this recipe for the base of my pancakes and they always come out perfect. Just add super crispy pork bacon or turkey bacon and top with more crumbled bacon, and drizzle the best maple syrup you can find! A Perfect way to start a Saturday morning. Have a wonderful weekend!

Date night at LOKAL

Last week John and I were invited to try out dinner at one of our favorite brunch spots LOKAL in Greenpoint Brooklyn.  When I got the email I was thrilled, not only because I'm so obsessed with the brunch at Lokal and had not yet had the privilege of trying out their dinner, but my little blog and a little previous post I did about Lokal actually grabbed their attention!!

In my last post about Lokal I raved about how great their brunch was, in particular their french toast, so when we ventured there for dinner we expected no less. And after last weeks date night at Son Cubano being a total bust, we were due for a really enjoyable meal. We were SO NOT disappointed. Its was as expected, perfect!

We started with fried calamari....YUM

For dinner I had meatball casserole which I had never heard of before, but it was absolutely divine! Sorta like a meatball stew. So perfect for the chilly weather we've been having here in NY.

John had homemade ricotta ravioli. I was lucky enough to taste one (lucky because I swear he wolfed that down so fast I barely saw the dish) and they were smooth and buttery and amazing!

For dessert we had a chocolate soufflé. Totally worth the calories. Of course the service was fantastic as well. If you live anywhere near Brooklyn or the L train you should def grab a bite at Lokal!

This post wouldn't be complete without a shot of my "look" for the evening.

A little rayon romper from H&M with black tights

Lace up booties

Patent Chanel

It's great when you can find a place that you can call "your spot" and I think after finally trying the dinner John and I can officially call LOKAL "our spot". Interestingly enough, the first time we both expressed to each other that we were, in fact, IN LOVE, we had brunch there the next day, for the first time. SO really, it is our spot!! We'll be back for sure. Actually probably this Saturday, the day after my birthday for my favorite Brunch. :)

Red Potato and Yellow Squash Yummyness!!!

Things involving dinner or anything other than baked goods in the kitchen is not my forté, BUT I've been getting creative and trying new things and this Tart/Quiche I made for dinner the other night is just to DIE for. I know that sounds a bit dramatic (typical of me) but really it was just SO good. I made this little number up as I went along so I didn't measure anything but I'll try and give you the recipe to the best of my knowledge. I had some left over Mini Red Potatoes, Ricotta Cheese, Fresh Rosemary, Fresh basil, one whole squash, and red onion in the fridge so this is what I did...

Ingredients:

1lb (approx) red potato - Sliced very thin

1 whole squash sliced very thin

2-3 TBSP (approx) of red onion chopped small

1 cup (approx) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup cubed fresh mozzarella

few sprigs of fresh rosemary

1/2 TBSP (approx) fresh parsley finely chopped

Generous dash of Kosher Salt

Generous Dash of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of milk

1 egg

1 Pillsbury pie crust

 

Directions:

Boil the red potatoes for 10 min. Saute the Squash in olive oil, salt and pepper till they are very soft and slightly golden on both sides. Drain the potatoes and put in the bowl (leaving out a few to spread along the top of the tart) with the ricotta cheese, squash, fresh mozzarella, pepper, salt, parsley, red onion, and rosemary and mix well. In another bowl whisk milk and egg together till incorporated then add to the ricotta mixture and mix well. Pour into Pillsbury pie crust and spread evenly, place remaining boiled red potatoes over the top. Also you can crumble a few bits of fresh mozz on top also.  Bake for 1 hr. Then ENJOY!

Brunchin' this weekend???

Head over the Lokal!! Located in WIlliamsburg/Greenpoint directly across from McCarran park this Mediterranean Bistro is now on my top 5 list of best brunch spots.

Photo Credit: Shake it app for iPhone

This place is in a great location and has a really nice vibe. They pull back all the windows and doors to create a super relaxed open and airy ambiance. My boyfriend and I both commented on how we sorta felt like we were on vacation, Being so close to the park sitting outside with all the other brunchsters. Def not a typical brunch experience. I'd highly recommend this place and I will for sure be back! I think I'm actually going to have to try this place out or dinner one night as well! A recommendation on food I'd give the french toast an 11 our of 10!!! It was just to die for!!  Its Slightly crispy on the outside and amazingly soft and sweet on the inside. I don't even like french toast usually but this was absolute heaven!! if your in Manhattan this pretty close to the L train stop and most certainly worth the trip!

LOKAL
905 Lorimer St. (near Nassau Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11222

3:00 Pick me up!!

Low Fat brownie sundae!!! Photo Credit: Shake it app for iPhoneSo I made these for dessert last night and they were amazing! Using the Fat free No pudge fudge brownie mix (original), some ice cream (I'd say stick to a low-fat low cal one to keep this treat "skinny") My fav. Ice cream (unfortunately not low-fat, but organic!) happens to be Coconut Bliss. As I've stated before I LOVE coconut and this non dairy non-soy, gluten-free ice cream is made from delicious organic coconut milk! And Last but not least my new fave topping: Photo Credit: Shake it app for iPhoneChocagave - this stuff is amazing! A good for you twist on chocolate syrup made from agave nectar, also gluten-free, dairy free, vegan and low fat. It tastes amazing!! It was the perfect ending to this decadent (not so fattening) chocolate treat! Now for those of you in an office don't get huffy bc you think these must be made at home bc...hold your breath!....No Pudge fudge can be made in single servings too!!! Just put two Tablespoons of mix into a small container with 1 tablespoon of fat-free vanilla yogurt mix well and microwave for one minute! Now that's really perkin up that 3:00 lull!

3:00 Pick me up!

3:00 again! Need a Treat! Try an interesting twist on chocolate. Chocolate and bacon OH MY!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Vosges chocolates! They are the most delicious, glamorous, and beautiful chocolates ever! (oh and they make great gifts....hint hint). Check out their other great chocolates here. www.vosgeschocolate.com

3:00 Pick me up - Skinny Cow!

Its 3:00 o clock again!! Time for a pick me up!A friend of mine (thanks LJ) told me I just needed to blog about the Skinny Cow Ice Cream treats. Of course I told her! But def NOT without trying them! And after a run to the grocery store and a chocolate and peanut butter ice cream sandwich later I can say I'm def a lover of the skinny cow!!!! You would NEVER think these are 150 calories each! and since I'm an obsessive calorie counter and have a strong affinity for snacks and treats, this is one that will most definitely be stocked in my freezer! Thank you Skinny Cow for keeping our waistlines glamorously thin and our taste buds totally satisfied!!! Check out their other great skinny products here www.skinnycow.com

Check out these buns!!!

A co-worker of mine brought these in all the way from Bucks County Pennsylvania today! The gooiest, most delicious sticky/Cinnamon buns ever from the famous Fritz Bakery!!! Best breakfast ever! Most certainly not the most healthy but you gotta live every once and a while!!

3:00 Pick me up!

Its gorgeous out!! go out soak up a lil sunshine and get yourself a Yolato!!! So delic!! I <3 Fro-yo! and this is way better than Pinkberry! I think I ate this for lunch like 3 times a week last summer! and NOW they even have Yolato Bars!! Which I most certainly will be purchasing on my next food shopping excursion!  mmmmmxx M

A Smooth way to start the day

Put the bagel down! Try a new breakfast that will surely keep your waistlines glamorous. It's pure deliciousness! Blueberry, Strawberry, Banana, Yogurt/soy smoothie.1/4 cup of Blueberries1 cup of strawberries1/2 banana1/4 cup of vanilla soy yogurt (or fat-free non-soy yogurt)1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk (or fat-free dairy milk)1 teaspoon agave nectar (optional for taste)a few ice cubes*all measurements are approximatePut all ingredients into your magic bullet (everyone needs one of these!) until fully blended and then enjoy!!!Happy Sippingxx M

GLAM BURGERS!!!

This is for real folks! I'm usually not a fan at all of major chain resturants.......but that might have to change!The cheesecake factory launches their new "line" of burgers simply called "GLAMBURGERS" (I think I sense something catching on!!!) Check it out > https://promos.thecheesecakefactory.com/glamorous/. I am a HUGE fan of burgers, typically I go for the traditional cheese burger and on occasion I'll throw in some lettuce and tomatoes and onions but THIS has my name ALL over it! A burger thats glamorous, why didn't I think of it!! I seriously wish there was a Cheesecake Factory located in the metro area just so I could try the Monterey Burger - it has jack cheese, arugula, onions, honey mustard mayo and avocados!! Are you kidding me! It sounds like heaven!!!  The cheesecake Factory is even having a contest to add the next new "GLAMBURGER" to the menu....... I wonder what NY would taste like?? mmmm just yumyness I bet!! If any one is so lucky to try this out please let me know!!XX M