Coffee & English Muffins

Even when I'm not on my normal Monday - Friday schedule, I like to enjoy a relaxing Sunday morning breakfast.  For the most part, I really don't like Sunday... it's a reminder that the weekend is over, and that you're about to get back to the grind the next morning.  You can't really stay up late.  It just lacks the excitement and potential of Friday & Saturday.  But still... one must find a little enjoyment, or else it's a waste, right?

I kept breakfast simple this morning.  Coffee & English muffins.  In the Summer I would probably enjoy lounging on a patio at one of my favorite brunch joints like Tweet, but in these last lingering weeks between Winter & Spring, I'm keeping it cozy, at home.

I get my coffee at this great little neighborhood spot -- Coffee Tree & Tea Leaves.

Can you imagine the pure delight of crème brûlée coffee?  Yes you can!  I imagine this pure delight at least six times a week, actually.  :)

What I'm Eating... Breakfast at Tweet

My favorite little brunch/breakfast place!

I had biscuits & gravy, two eggs over medium, hash browns, and coffee with cream & sugar.  And, yes, it was way too much food, so I brought some of the biscuits & gravy home, and reheated it for breakfast this morning.

What I Ate... Fourth Week of March

Breakfasts:

Mmm... the most important meal of the day?

Mine usually consists of strong black coffee

or Green Machine

cereal, and cigarettes.

Yup, I said it.

Lunches have been mostly uneventful leftovers, most of which I ate before I remembered to take pictures.  Chicken breasts, then chicken soup; macaroni & cheese with Polish sausage.  One day, I forgot my lunch, and treated myself to Chicken Tortilla Soup from Azteco de Oro (next door to my office).

Dinner has been frozen pizza (seriously), chicken breasts with sauteed spinach, more kofta curry meatballs (my favorite!!),

and I think one night we went out for Mexican?

Anyway, I think (hope) this week will be better.  Opening Day is Friday April 1st, so there's no telling HOW busy (and subsequently lazy, after work) I will be.

What I'm Eating... Macarons (or Macaroons?)

First of all... which is correct, macaron or macaroon?  I pronounce it like "mack-a-roon", but macaron seems to be the consensus.

Anyway, however you spell it, where have these things been all my life?  I saw them yesterday an Intelligentsia and couldn't resist, and now I need more!!

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

What I'm Drinking... Sludge

The name sounds less than appealing, but maybe there's a point to that... like, it sounds so gross, that your friends won't be interested, and you won't have to share it?

What I call "sludge" is just strong coffee made in my coffee press, combined with hot chocolate mix, and a touch of heavy cream.  It's delicious, really delicious.  It's also not too sweet, just kind of thick and bitter and frothy.  I imagine this is what Tom Waits would feed his children.  He would probably take his own with a shot of whiskey (and who can blame him for that, really).

Recipe:

Sludge

(clicking this link will take you to vanessauttaro.com)

Ingredients:

Coffee, dark hot chocolate mix, heavy cream

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Use strong coffee!  Also, use dark chocolate mix, trust me, it's going to be waaaay better than milk chocolate.  Just a touch of heavy cream -- if you don't have heavy cream, you can of course use milk, or just go without that element entirely, but I think its the thickness of the heavy cream that really makes this delicious

What I'm Enjoying... Rainy Sunday Morning

I love a rainy morning, especially on a Sunday when I can really relax and enjoy it.

One little pepper plant thinks it can.

The necessities... Coffee (still brewing in the press), doughnut, Macbook Pro, and Kindle (I'm reading War of the Worlds).

This lighting reminds me of my Nana (I don't know why, but still its comforting).

What I'm drinking... Vanilla Latte from Dollop

Okay, so this isn't really what I'm drinking at 12:07a.m., its what I was drinking Monday afternoon.  But it was yummy, and I hadn't been to a coffee shop in so long, and I got to hang out with a super-cool girl for a couple of hours, and it was snowing outside (loveliness) so I just had to share.  Also, its so pretty!

If you're in Chicago, visit Dollop!  I want to go back, its the kind of place that makes me feel like I could type on my Mac for a few hours, and that great short story that I've been trying to write for years would just... appear.  We'll see.  ;)

Decorate, Eat & Repeat