On a Strawberry Swing

Is it normal to get excited for my husband to try new things I bake/cook/whip up for him? I mean, without sitting down to eat it too? This morning I ingeniously stirred our remaining strawberries into a bowl of whole grain pancake batter and threw in a pinch of cinnamon (his favorite).

As soon as the batter was ready for the pan it dawned on me: we’re out of syrup. For my husband, this was almost a deal breaker. I had to remind him, sweetly, that strawberries would make the pancakes sweet enough. He conceded and said he’d have them without the syrup, as long as I really buttered them up (no problem!). Piled on a plate, I proudly presented my creation and laughed when he got up to look in the cupboard one more time for hidden syrup. (Below, my Whole Grain Strawberry Pancakes!)

The verdict? Seems like he ate 75% of what I gave him, so I call that a breakfast victory — especially given he never lets me add fruit to my recipes. Let’s just say he’s not a fan of me modifying recipes… Maybe it’s a police thing, following the rules and all? I love theorizing.

Anyway long story short: Strawberries truly do make breakfast sweeter. I had a bite, they were delicious.

Liquid Gold, Strawberries and Basil

I’m never far from a new idea for incorporating the olive oil we brought home from Sorrento on our honeymoon.

Pictured here, my afternoon breakfast/lunch: strawberry and basil on a whole grain waffle, drizzled with olive oil, or as they called it on the farm, liquid gold.

If I’d never had a strawberry and basil margarita, I’m not sure I’d have come up with this waffle idea, but have to admit, SO glad I did! It’s delicious! Happy I chose to hold off and have a late breakfast today :) And to think, Hubby asked for waffles this morning and wouldn’t let me put anything on them but butter and syrup (no fun!)

More on our Italian treasure… Here is a photo from Cooperativa Le Colline di Sorrento, the farm and winery where we purchased our olive oil. You can see why they’re able to produce such amazing product, with all of that abundant sunshine!

If you get to Italy and have a chance to bring home olive oil or wine, do it. It’s worth the heavy baggage fee!

More awesome food pics here!
Pinterest/Tasted

Put it On a Pancake

About a month ago I discovered the deliciousness of Nutrisystem pancakes. They sandwich things like turkey bacon perfectly. And with a little bit of honey (it’s an energizer), make for a perfectly balanced meal.

(not the pancakes mentioned but cute nonetheless!) via weheartit.com

I thought my breakfast invention was genius, until my friend Meaghan passed a link along to me today from a blog I’d bookmarked awhile back, Steamy Kitchen. The post really pancaked my pancake. Granted, my concoction served a nutritious purpose, and this one’s claim to fame is its pure breakfast-loving indulgence. Two equally great concepts, right?

Check out the amazing multilayer pancake here: The Ultimate Breakfast Pancake

♬ Listening to: Songs with the word pancake in their title.

A grand slam to the heart

Denny’s continues its celebration of obesity in America by hosting a second Grand Slam event — free Grand Slam breakfasts from 6 AM to 2 PM today. According to NYDailyNews.com, 2 million showed up for breakfasts in 2009.

Denny's Customers Line Up for Grand Slam Breakfast Event (img via Lee Bennett/flickr)

The only point I want to make here is that a Grand Slam breakfast can easily weigh in at over 800 calories. I’ve heard Adelle Davis’ kingly advice time and again, but I just cannot rationalize why some people continue to eat up these sensational and blatant digs at the nation’s attempt to curb a dire health problem.