I'm a girl (cook) of my words...

Oh wow. I am just so excited to share my meals with your guys today...Because I created not just one, not just two, but three dishes today! Whew! My creative juices have been really flowing today, and my chef-wannabe adrenaline is sure pumped way up! So bear with me here...and be forewarned there's gonna be tons of pics and lots of irritating exclamation marks! <-- here's one, heh heh! I only got in about 5 hours of sleep last night, so was in need of some major caffeine this morning! I was afraid of over-bloating myself by having coffee and breakfast, so I incorporated coffee into my oats...Oatmeal of the day was 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 heaping tsp instant coffee, drop of almond extract, and a whole crumbled Alpen apple-sultana bar!


Also not pictured is a lovely cold bowl of fruits: kiwi, orange, pineapple, and my favorite...MANGOSTEEN!! I did take some gorgeous pictures of these mangosteens...


Ahh...heaven. Those white juicy flesh...sweet and fragrant and plump as a baby's bottom! (when the baby's clean and poop-less, of course)

Remember I promised more potato-inspired dishes to come? Well, I was sort of craving pancakes. Well, something breakfasty and carby! Who doesn't love breakfast and carbs? But I really wanted to use my potatoes, too, so came up with the idea of...Potato pancakes! You're probably thinking of latkes, but I didn't really want a very crispy savory pancake...I wanted something fluffy like a regular pancake but with a potatoey taste and texture...So this is what I came up with:

First I took boiled two potatoes till tender...


Mashed them up real good...


Added an egg, a splash of almond milk, a drop of vanilla extract, salt and pepper...


Then threw in some wholemeal flour and baking powder...


to achieve a more batter-like consistency...


Dropped them into a heated and PAM-sprayed pan...


and this was the result!


The pan was heated way too high, so I burnt the exteriors a bit, but I actually like the charred taste so it was okay. I tasted one...and was quite disappointed. No, it didn't taste horrible...it was actually pretty good, and I would definitely really recommend trying this out, but it just wasn't what I'd envisioned...I'd wanted something more breakfasty and bready, but it tasted more like...mashed potatoes, except in pancake form with a little bit more bite and texture.

So my mind got rolling again...Something breakfasty and carby...I could have whipped up some regular pancakes, but after that failure I didn't feel like pancakes anymore. After debating between french toasts and scrambled eggs, I finally made up my mind and just incorporated the two dishes!

First I slathered two pieces of wholemeal bread with a cucumber-chive cream cheese spread and placed them on a shallow ceramic dish...


Then I cracked two eggs on top of the bread. I ended up using three, though, because the second yolk broke! And I wanted a whole yolk. I was briefly concerned about the higher addition of calories, but my craving for perfect whole yolks won.



Then I sprinkled some chopped red onions, salt and pepper, and also a splash of almond milk to dampen the bread, and popped it into a 350 degree oven (175 celcius)...

Ta-da!

I enjoyed this whole baked egg and toast dish with cooked cabbage and a bowl of yogurt with cinnamon and apples.



Check out the close-ups! Man I was in heaven! So deceptively simple, yet so incredibly good! A hit, a very palpable hit, indeed!


I was concerned with the yolk that it will be too well-done, but it was runny enough to keep me satisfied, though not as runny as I'd wanted it to be. Next time I'll separate the whites and yolks, and add the yolk in after the whites have set in the oven.

And the next brilliant creation, I have to admit, was not my own at all. I got the idea from Jemima of Mashed....Banana "ice-cream"!!


Ingredients? Just plain ol' natural frozen bananas, whipped up into a creamy pudding in a blender, with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was so sweet and delicious by itself; it need no additional sweetners! Thanks, Jemima, for the brilliance! I enjoyed each and every sweet cool bite! It really feels like banana gelato!


And now! For the grand finale...Dinner! Again, remember that lunch I had the other day with my friends in Shokudu, a Japanese pasta restaurant? Remember I said I would probably recreate that dish at home? Well, that's exactly what I did!

I don't know how they made their burgers, but just came up with my own:


Mixed up ground beef (couldn't find lean in my local supermarket, but oh well I need the freaking fat) with tiny chopped shitake mushroom and red onions, and used plain yogurt to bind them together...


Then shaped it into a big fat patty and cooked it over an open skillet...


VOILA~! That was fast and easy! On top of the burger I put on a slice of American cheese and a fried egg! With tons of veggies as my sides, of course! Yeah, I'm missing the bun but I need to leave space for my enormous bowl of oatmeal later!


Mmm...The yolk is soft and runny, just the way I like it..The burger was nice and flavorful, thought next time I'll probably omit the mushrooms since its more masculine taste clashed a bit with the meaty taste of the beef. But overall, pretty damn good if I say so myself!


Love the way the yolk soaks into the meat!

So I've kept my two promises: to create more potato dishes, and also to recreate the burger at home! I feel so freaking accomplished...haha~