Hash

Hash is one of my all time favourite breakfast foods. I love hash browns but this is definitely an elevated form. We added peppers, onions, garlic and bacon. We also added turnip along with the potatoes for variety. I didn’t think that I would like the turnips but they actually complimented the potatoes very nicely. Our biggest challenge in the lab was cooking the potatoes. When making a hash you have to “par-cook” the potatoes which means to partially cook. You have to make sure they are soft because they won’t cook fully in the pan. We boiled some and microwaved some. I think that boiling them was more efficient. Another challenge that we had was the heat of the pan. The hash ended up being a bit burnt but it still tasted good. We ate it with a fried egg and topped it with cheese. I loved this recipe and when I make it again I would turn the heat down.

Pineapple Delight

Pineapple delight is a dessert that I had never heard of and never eaten before. It turned out being surprisingly simple to make. We started with a graham cracker crust which I could have just eaten by itself. I made sure to pack it down firmly so that it would stay together. We baked it and after it cooled we added a custard like mixture on top that was very sweet. We chilled it again and made whipped cream with pineapple in it for the topping. We had to chill it over night so I ate it for a snack in foods the next day. I was very refreshing but quite rich so I could only eat a small amount at a time. It was very successful and I would make it again if I was in the mood for something quick and tasty. I forgot to take a picture because I was too excited to eat my dessert.

Mexican Rice

We had a chef come from LaSalle College come to demo this recipe for us. It was a fun experience and he was really upbeat and passionate about his job. He wanted to show us how to make a somewhat healthy recipe using some things that we might already have at home. I learned that when you are chopping onions and garlic, you should add some salt to them to bring out the flavours. Chef Evan put an emphasis on the importance of seasoning and tasting. He wanted us to add a pinch of this and a pinch of that and then taste to see what we needed to add more of. Chef Evan added black beans for protein but we used red kidney beans and chickpeas instead. We also used a mix of rice and quinoa to make it a bit healthier. What I liked about this dish is that it is so versatile and that we could customize it to our liking. My partner and I chose not to add jalapeƱo because we don’t like much spice. This is a dish that you could have as a meal or as a side dish. Since we made it in class I made it at home again. My favourite part was the cilantro and feta cheese that we added on top. The lime juice in this was perfect for some extra acidity.

Crepes

For this lab we were given the option to make waffles or crepes and everyone in the class chose to make crepes. I was so excited to make them because they are fun to make and so delicious. I make them all the time at home for my family, but this time my partner and I decided to make them a little bit different. We decided to add cocoa powder to make chocolate crepes. Who doesn’t love chocolate?! Since we added the cocoa powder we had to adjust the amount of flour we put in so they wouldn’t be too dry. We made a raspberry filling and whipped cream cheese. I had never had this combination before but it sounded to good to me that I just had to try it. I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. The first couple crepes didn’t turn out so well because we added too much oil to the pan, but once we got the hang they turned out well. Don’t let the look of these crepes deceive you, although they aren’t the prettiest, they tasted amazing!

Rustic Bread

This was my first time making bread from scratch and I loved it! Bread is one of my all time favourite things and this was such an easy bread recipe for a crusty loaf. I would compare this bread to a French baguette because it was soft on the inside but crunchy on the outside. Our products standards were golden brown, thick crust and a crunchy outside. I would rate this 10/10! I may be a bit bias because I am a bread lover, but I would recommend this recipe to everyone.

Veggie Frittata

Frittata is a dish that I don’t eat very often but I really enjoyed the one that we made. Typically frittata is served for breakfast, but its a very simple dish that you can eat for any meal if you wanted to. It is very similar to a quiche, just without the crust. We added lots of veggies to ours, there might have been more veggies than egg in it. My partner and I each did our own but we put it in the same cast iron skillet. I added tomatoes, spinach, peppers, onions and roasted broccoli and cauliflower. At first I wasn’t too sure about adding cauliflower because it didn’t sound like something to put in a frittata, but I ended up really liking it. Roasting the broccoli and cauliflower added an extra layer of flavour and I have started to make roasted broccoli at home all the time. I also added feta cheese on top which added a briny tang. I made frittata again after this at home and I plan to make it again. My partner and I also made thinly sliced crispy potatoes on the side. We had the option to put potatoes inside the frittata, but we had the idea to make them separately.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a breakfast dish that originates from North Africa. It is consists of baked eggs in a flavourful tomato sauce. Before I made it, I was unsure of how it would taste but it was so good! One of the ingredients in it was coriander. I learned that coriander is dried cilantro. Another thing I learned is that it is important to “toast” the spices in the pan to bring out all of the flavour. Once it was finished it looked very appealing with lots of different colours. You could taste the layering of flavours. I added avocado on top to add another element of texture. I would rate the nutrition 9/10 because there are lots of veggies and there is protein from the eggs. I would make it again for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Design Your Own Breakfast Sandwich

This is one of my favorite recipes that I have done so far. We got to design our own breakfast sandwich. We started with a scone as our base and then decided what type of egg we would do. Then we decided on a sauce, protein and veggies we wanted to add. I made a cheddar and chive scone with a medium poached egg and hollandaise sauce with bacon, avocado and arugula. My biggest challenge was making the hollandaise sauce. When I was taking it out of the microwave I spilled some. Luckily, my group members and I managed to save some of it. My goal was to create a tasty, flavourful and hearty breakfast sandwich. My favorite part was definitely the hollandaise sauce. All of the ingredients together were so good. If I were to make it again I would add less lemon juice to the hollandaise and some spinach.

Eggs Our Way

In this lab we got to choose which type of egg we wanted to make. We got to choose between fried, sunny side up, scrambled, cooked in the shell(hardboiled), poached or baked. The method we used is egg cookery. I chose to make a poached egg to challenge myself. I make poached eggs all the time at home but I still need more practice. The hardest part for me is keeping the egg together when I drop it in the water. A fun fact about poaching an egg, is that you add a splash in vinegar to the water when its boiling before you add the egg. We do this to help the egg white stay together. I liked my poached eggs medium so that the yolk is runny. When I cut into it, it was perfect!

Banana Muffins

Our goal when making these muffins was to have a somewhat healthier version compared to a muffin from Starbucks or Tim Hortons. To make these muffins a bit healthier, we used a lot less sugar and some whole wheat flour. We used half white and half whole wheat flour. I learned that muffins are called a ‘quick bread’ because they don’t have yeast in them and they are a flour mixture. The leavening agents (what make the muffin rise) are baking soda and baking powder. I also learned that in order for the baking soda to work it needs and acid. We used the muffin method for this recipe. The most important thing when making the muffins is to not over mix the batter or else they will be dense. The muffins were golden brown and moist, just how I like them. They had a pebbled surface, unlike a cupcake which would have a smooth surface. They were not dense at all. These are a perfect snack for anytime of they day, I can’t wait to make them again.