Cooking with a Wallflower - Page 86 of 139 -

Desserts Farmer's Market Quick and Easy Recipes Sides Strawberries Summer Cravings Vegetarian

Honey Strawberry Skillet Cornbread

Cast iron skillet cornbread filled with corn kernels and sweet strawberries. This honey strawberry skillet cornbread is crusty on top and moist in the center, perfect for serving alone or as a summer side.

I just got back from my mini trip up to Sonoma Valley!

We originally planned on just doing a day trip, but at the last minute, we decided to book a room at a local hotel so that we would be able to spend more time exploring, eating, and wine tasting.

The trip still felt short, even though we extended it, but it was enough for me to feel a little refreshed and ready for the week.

I’ll definitely share photos with you later.

During our trip, one of the places we ate at, Sauced BBQ & Spirits, offered honey cornbread as a side. I loved that it was slightly sweet and filled with fresh corn.

I love cornbread and corn muffins, and when I have the option to choose it as a side, I’ll very likely pick it. The crusty edges, the moist center, the fresh corn, the hint of sweetness. It’s so addictive.

I could probably eat cornbread by itself all day.

Peach Berry Sunrise

Fresh orange juice poured over a blend of sweet peach, blackberries, and strawberries. This peach berry sunrise is a deliciously sweet and refreshing drink, perfect for warm summer days.

I’m super excited!

This weekend, we’re doing a little getaway up north. Every summer, my sisters, two of our cousins, and I try to do a little trip together. Two years ago, we did a few days in Southern California. Last year, we did an overnight trip to Napa County to do some wine tasting and relaxing. This year, since we had difficulty syncing all five of our schedules, we’re doing a day trip up north. By north, I really just mean an hour or so from San Francisco.

It’s going to be another food filled weekend because we’ve bookmarked a whole bunch of restaurants we want to try in the Santa Rosa and Petaluma area. Plus, maybe some cheese tasting.

Our plans aren’t quite set yet, but I’ll definitely share photos at a later time.

This peach berry sunrise!

I’m in love with the vibrant colors as well as the blend of fresh berries, peach, and citrusy orange juice.

With orange juice as the main ingredient, this smoothie is the perfect way to start the day.

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 78

My friend Emily, from Emily’s Daily, and I wanted to take a little break from the chaos of work and life. So we decided to indulge ourselves with a fancy-ish meal at M.Y. China, a Martin Yan brand restaurant located at the top of the Westfield San Francisco Centre. What we really wanted to come for was to try their Asian inspired dessert.

In the end, we ordered three entrees and one dessert. As usual, we were a little greedy and ordered more than we should have because we always want to try everything. Picture two girls with a ton of dishes on a table that’s too small to fit everything. That’s almost always how Emily and I eat.

We ordered the Cauliflower and Portobello Mushroom with Hoisin Glaze, the Da Dao “Knife Cut” Fish Noodles with Seafood and Vegetables, and Jasmine Tea Smoked Sea Bass with a Honey Glaze.

I actually have no idea why the noodles were called fish noodles. There wasn’t any fish in the dish that I could see. Every dish was delicious.

And of course, dessert! Lychee Panna Cotta with Chrysanthemum Granita and Mint Essence. I was immediately in love with the flavor.

Now, how do I make this at home?

Honey BBQ Chicken Nachos

Tortilla chips topped with honey BBQ shredded chicken, fresh tomatoes, diced avocadoes, corn kernels, melted mozzarella, and a side of sour cream. These honey bbq chicken nachos are the perfect snack for serving guests.

I love to snack.

And I especially love to snack on anything that has “supreme,” “super,” or “loaded” in the title, just because there are just so many elements to the dish. I mean, the different flavors, the different textures, the different ingredients, just somehow work so well together in one dish, and it makes eating fun.

Plus, dishes like these nachos are absolutely perfect for sharing, and it’s pretty easy to put together if you have all the ingredients on hand.

Like, maybe you’ll want to serve these honey BBQ chicken nachos while watching the Olympics opening ceremony or your favorite event.

Will you be watching the Olympics in a couple days?

Spicy Korean Glass Noodles with Sweet Peppers and Shiitake Mushrooms

Korean glass noodles stir fried with sweet peppers and shiitake mushrooms in a slightly spicy sauce. These spicy Korean Glass Noodles with sweet peppers and shiitake mushrooms are delicious and perfect for a weeknight meal.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a relaxing weekend and celebrated with a slice of cheesecake! I definitely did.

It’s the perfect way to end July, right?

Today, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite dishes: a variation of japchae.

Japchae is Korean glass noodles made of sweet potatoes usually stir fried with vegetables and thinly sliced beef in a sesame soy sauce. Sometimes it’s served as a main dish, and other times it’s served as banchan, the little side dishes that are usually served at the beginning of your meal. I always look forward to those little side dishes.

These Korean glass noodles I love the aromatic taste of sesame oil in the noodles. It adds such depth to an otherwise simple dish.

This dish is my version of the classic japchae. Filled with thinly sliced sweet peppers and shiitake mushrooms, these spicy Korean glass noodles can be made in less than 30 minutes and utilize the ingredients that can be found in your kitchen. There’s no need to run out to buy more ingredients.

You can add spinach, shredded carrots, mushrooms of all sorts. It’s really up to you how you customize this dish.

I kept mine vegetarian and on the simple side.

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Muffins

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries baked into buttermilk muffins topped with brown sugar walnut streusel. These summery mixed berry buttermilk muffins are so delicious and moist and perfect as an on the go breakfast or snack.

Oh my god. It’s National Cheesecake Day!!

And yet I’m not sharing a new cheesecake recipe with you. lol.

It’s almost tradition for me and my sisters to get a slice of cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory since they sell their cheesecakes for half off. Every year, they debut a new flavor on July 29th. And I always want to try the latest one. This year? It’s the Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cheesecake. Um, yes, please.

Will you be indulging in cheesecake?

Now that we’ve recognized and talked about my obsession with cheesecake, let’s talk about these mixed berry buttermilk muffins.

I’ve been shopping at the farmer’s market during the weekends. When they offer me deals on berries, even if it’s just $1 off, I’ll take it.

I mean, berry season lasts only a few short summer months. At least, the sweetest juiciest ones. So I practically hoard berries.

I seem to always leave the market with baskets of berries.

Can you tell? I get greedy.

But as much as I love eating them fresh, I also love them in my baked goods.

So of course, I had to make something with the mix of berries I have.

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 77

Since my sister Victoria and I have been staying at a hotel in Oakland to keep our sister Angela company and provide support while she takes her exam, I haven’t had a chance to write up a post for today. Spotty wifi and no laptop means almost electronic free. So I’m posting my weekly finds early this week.

While we were in Oakland, Victoria and I decided that we might as well find the best eats around us.

Oakland is just across the bridge from SF. But we rarely ever head in that direction. Sometimes, I don’t feel the traffic across the Bay Bridge is worth it.

One of the places we tried is the Cook and the Farmer. The name itself caught my attention.

We tried the Oakland’s Own Po Boy, crispy fried oysters with creamy coleslaw in a soft Acme bun; their soup of the day, Summer Squash Soup with Tomato and Basil; and their fresh lemonade.

Strawberry Heirloom Tomato Salad

Mixed greens tossed with chopped sweet strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, cherries, and walnuts then drizzled with poppy seed dressing. This strawberry heirloom tomato salad is simple yet absolutely delicious.

Recently, my family and I went to an all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant called Gen. The wait was soo ridiculously long, like 1 ½ -2 hours long, but the food was definitely amazing and you can order as much of it as you want. I love buffets and all you can eat mostly because there’s so much variety. You don’t have to stick with just one dish, which means you can try whatever you want. Since this was a Korean BBQ restaurant though, that meant that there was a ton of meat. While I’m not a vegetarian, I generally don’t eat a lot of meat, not like that anyway.

So to balance my night out, it’s back to fresh vegetables and fruits in this amazing Strawberry Heirloom Tomato Salad.

Summer means fresh fruits and vegetables as you already know. There are so many different ones to pick from! Just stop by your local farmer’s market for inspiration. =)

With so many different fruits and vegetables available, I wanted to combine some of my favorites in this simple salad that takes just a few minutes to make.

Honey Strawberry Basil Toast

Crusty bread topped with melted mozzarella, chopped strawberries, and fresh basil with a drizzle of honey. This honey strawberry basil toast is delicious, refreshing, and tastes like summer.

Happy Sunday!

I have so many things planned for this weekend, so I’m going to keep this post short.

From working to going to the farmer’s market to celebrating my grandma’s birthday, it’s definitely a busy weekend. Plus, with family from out of state visiting, I get to play the part of the tour guide, which is always fun.

But before I get all wrapped up in life, I have to share with you this honey strawberry basil toast.

It’s like taking a bite out of summer.

This honey strawberry basil toast is the most incredible appetizer or snack. And if you’re like me, you might just turn this toast into a meal. It’s loaded with fresh ingredients that you can easily find. The sweetness of fresh strawberries, the refreshing taste of basil, the crunch of walnuts, all on a crusty bread with melted mozzarella. To top it off, a drizzle of honey.

Yes, please!

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Recommendations Wallflower Weekly Faves

Wallflower Weekly Finds, 76

By now, I think you know my obsession with all things brunch.

I’ve mentioned brunch probably a bajillion times now. What’s another few?

If I could have brunch for every meal, I think I could and never get tired of it.

So when my little cousin from New Orleans came to visit, what do you think we did?

Took her out for brunch, of course.

And oh my gosh, we wanted to try a new place that none of us have been to before.

And ended up choosing this restaurant sitting on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

I’ll share more photos with you later. But I couldn’t resist giving you a little peek.

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