Say Chee~se!

I’ve been having a different breakfast these past couple of days, due to waking up late. I knew my normal breakfast of oatmeal and fruits would ruin my appetite for lunch, so I’ve just been choosing something light and easily digestible: A heaping bowl of plain yogurt with all kinds of fruits mixed in with tons of cinnamon.

The fruits: grapefruit, grapes, apples, pineapples, pear, tangerine with another bowl of refreshing, thirst-quenching watermelon on the side (unpictured). I’m actually starting to favor this giant bowl of yogurt, because it really revitalizes me and cools me down after my daily morning walk. Plus, by the time lunch rolls around I’m perfectly hungry again.

Anyway, I had cheese in my mind yesterday. I was really craving some stringy, melted cheese…the kind that you can twirl around your fork and stretch it out and slurp it down still hot and gooey in your mouth. Specifically: mozzarella cheese.

But I was also really craving some kind of bold, intense flavor, which mozzarella, unfortunately, cannot satisfy with its milder flavor. Then I remembered the marinated mushrooms and onions I made for my Veggie and Cheese Open-faced Sandwich a few days ago, and decided they would go perfectly with mozzarella cheese!

I basically went through the same procedure as for the sandwich: I skillet-grilled some sliced eggplants, layered them onto a baking dish, then topped them off with fresh tomato slices. Meanwhile, I marinated some shitake mushrooms and onions in the world’s best marinade: soy sauce, cider vinegar, sake, tons of ginger and garlic, sweetener, and black pepper. I sautéed them until soft and (orgasmically) fragrant, then dumped them all over the eggplants and tomatoes. And then the finale: Handfuls of mozzarella cheese and spoonfuls of Parmesan cheese as well!

It smelled awesome in the oven and I was practically swooning in its heavenly scents! BUT when it came out of the oven:

What the hell? It looked like a frightful black mess. Like some overcooked lasagna. Like some dish a kid poured ink all over. Like baked cat’s poop! I was quite disappointed, as I was expecting a brilliant dish with the paleness of the melted cheese, but I guess I left it in the oven too long and the cheese cooked to a crispier brown color. Also, I think the marinade from the mushrooms and onions soaked through and dyed the whole thing black.

Still, it tasted fantastic!! The bold flavors were just popping in my mouth, and the cheese, though crispier than I would have liked, still had enough chewiness and stringiness in them

But guess what? What pleased me the most was not its glorious taste, but the fact that I overstepped my comfort zone, and challenged myself by using full-fat cheese. And not just a miserable sprinkle, but two large handfuls! I didn’t even care to measure!

YAY! This is why I’m calling this the Victory Vegetable and Cheese Bake. Yeah, yeah, I know, not the most original name…can you think of something better?

After lunch, I met up with my friend from Penang again to watch Bride Wars! You guys were right, it was really good! I’d rate it an 8.5/10 (I’m a tough critic). It was hilarious and fun, but I think the ending was rushed and too predictable.

Okay, on to today’s eats!

I tried a new fish I’d never had before today. It’s called toman fish (snakehead) and can only be found in Southeast Asia. It was on sale at the supermarket, so I grabbed it, but then when I got home I had no idea how to cook it! I’d never tasted this fish before, so I wasn’t sure about what kind of flavors would suit it. I decided to just wing it and coat it with lots of grated Parmesan cheese and Italian herbs, and salt and pepper of course. I then pan-fried it until cooked through and fragrant. The result:

I was totally clapping myself over the back for my lucky choice of going with Parmesan cheese and pan-fry. The cheese formed this delicious crispy crust all around the fish, and also helped retained all the moisture of the fish. I usually don’t like white fish because it’s less oily and dries out easily, but this one was perfectly tender and moist and flaky! Ah, cheese! How can you ever go wrong with cheese?

I enjoyed this Parmesan-crusted snakehead with a bowl of sunny-side up oats and cooked cabbage.

I love savory oats as much as the sweet kind, especially with a runny yolk seeping through it! The oats were especially flavorful, because I cooked it with some homemade cream of mushroom soup! Have you ever tried savory oats before? I’m open to new ideas and suggestions!

Oh and guess what I had for my afternoon snack? If you said sweet potatoes, sigh, you know me so well…But I added an old friend as well! Welcome my old snack buddy, Jollibean peanut pancake!

This is just like a peanut butter sandwich, except instead of regular sandwich bread, the peanut butter is encased between thick spongy pancake! Aaaah~ I really missed my peanut pancake.

You might have noticed most of my meals, be it lunch or dinner or snacks, are usually of a breakfast theme. It’s not intentional, but I guess I just love breakfast so much that I unconsciously incorporate them into most of my meals! Which is you favorite meal and why?