The London Eye of Cuisine

For this month, I thought I would post a little bit about some great spots to hit up in London! I honestly have been happy every time I have visited and despite their reputation-DO NOT SLEEP ON LONDON. There is something for everyone in the beautiful city. I have so many places but will just share a few.

First I will shout out Chinatown. It is small, but so beautiful and everywhere you look there are food options. We went to Dumplings Legend for soup dumplings, dim sum and greasy noodles, because why not? It is not a fancy place but it is a good, laid back place to get some food that we were craving. The spicy duck dumplings were amazing and whatever soup dumplings my friend ordered were also addictive.

After stuffing ourselves with dumplings, we went to Chinatown Bakery because I HAD to have this dessert I saw in the window. Basically they make a waffle in the shape of a fish and then fill it with Matcha ice cream. 10/10 I miss it.

For typical pub food we ate all over the place, but the one place my husband remembers fondly and I took a picture of-Duke of Argyll. It had a cozy vibe upstairs and I had a great Steak & Ale Pie. The lighting was not great, so this is all I got, but I would recommend it!

Two great Breakfast options are on opposite sides of the city but here they are! Crosby & Hope had super yummy coffee and Avocado Bagels! It was also a quick spot which was nice. Another adorable place was this restaurant called The Buttery. It was technically inside a hotel, but we had amazing tea and Eggs Benedict.

Lastly, I will recommend some cocktail places. Cahoots and Mr. Fogg’s are always great choices for both vibe and balance! They are usually mobbed and so a reservation at night is a must in my opinion. Cahoots Underground is supposed to be like a train car vibe and we could not even get in. The upstairs is still of course beautiful!

I have no idea why the pictures look like that but WordPress just has it like this…..

My last shoutout is to The Parlour Bar at sketch. Sketch is a place that has a lot going on. There is a 3 star Michelin restaurant, The Parlour Bar and when we were there another bar inside what can only be described to me as an igloo or an egg. Bear with me…the cocktails are so great and the bar manager knew my friend when she studied abroad and his customer service is top-notch. My favorite drink was this gin martini-esque one and it was purple and super delicious!

There are some highlights of some recent London travels. I know it may seem a little all over the place, but hey diversity is fun. Next post will be a recipe of some sort…..probably something a little comforting for the colder months ahead….

-Allie

Homemade Caesar Dressing

Hello everyone! This Summer has been so hot and some days it just truly seems like cooking is the last thing anyone wants to do. Salads can sometimes be the answer! I have been using this recipe for homemade Caesar salads and it is AMAZING. I will probably never buy a bottle of Caesar ever again honestly. It is super simple and you literally just mix everything together and keep it moving.

Ingredients Needed:

1 cup of mayo
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is best!)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon of both)

You are going to mix everything together in a bowl and serve on top/mix well with lettuce and parmesan cheese. After I took these photos I ended up adding some steak to the salad and man it was so good.

Enjoy!!

-Allie

Paris Holds the Key to My [Food] Heart

To start my blog comeback, I will talk about a few of our favorite places in Paris to eat. We went last year and had really good luck with our restaurant picks.

The first place is one where we kind of stumbled into it…..and it was good!! I planned our Eiffel Tower tickets to be at night so we could see it sparkle on the hour, but because of the time slot I failed to really figure out a dinner situation. I quickly found this cute and tiny sushi restaurant and it did not disappoint. It is called Koi and is closer to the École Militaire side. If you are wanting to take a break from French food and just have a no frill sushi place-this is it.

Next up is this intimate and amazing restaurant called L’Apibo. They had a smaller menu, but everything was delicious and the staff was so nice. I started with some smoked mackerel thing (yes I know very descriptive), then had their duck and we split a chocolate mousse for dessert that was everything I hoped for.

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Two honorable mentions are these great wine bars. The first one is called Ambassade de Bourgogne near Luxembourg Gardens. It started raining and my husband found it and they had a nice selection of red wines. The staff was also super knowledgeable and friendly. The second place is called Le Baron Rouge and was recommended by a friend. Man this place was awesome! It was buzzing with locals and the wine was so cheap and local.

Back to food, I will finally shout out a place called La Jacobine. I found it through some blogs as one of the best French Onion Soup restaurants, but honestly all of their food was delicious. It is also a tiny place so if you do not have a reservation, you may want to line up outside 30 minutes before they open. I got the soup and Coq Au Vin (chicken with red wine sauce) and my husband got the Filet De Porc (pork with mustard sauce), and literally we keep saying we need to go back and try the rest of their menu. This place is a gem and I hope to go back soon!

France definitely lives up to all the food hype in my opinion, and pairs really well with all the red wine and sites……

A Bientôt!

-Allie

May 2024 Update

Hello everyone!

It is hard to believe it has been so long since I have posted……life got insane and I am now living overseas in Europe. I think moving forward I will be doing a mixture of recipes and travel on this blog! I have been to a bunch of amazing cities and would love to share with y’all on where to eat and why. I also usually try to do more local and not tourist-trap restaurants, so hopefully I can help guide people in a deliciously authentic way.

I had a great group of gals texting me weekly to remind me to do the blog and I thank y’all so much! I know this is not a recipe, but I PROMISE there will be a post in June! It will either be a recipe or a post on Rome or London.

If you are reading this, thank you for sticking by!

-Allie

“People who love to eat are always the best people.” -Julia Child

 

Easter Resurrection Rolls

Even though Easter is over, these rolls are super yummy and can be eaten year round! I found a recipe for them and thought it was cool how each step represented something about Jesus and the Resurrection. However, after making them I admitted they were so good and I would probably make them randomly on the weekends as a treat for breakfast or something. Also before I start:

I saw this and thought it was hilarious. Moving on….

Ingredients Needed:

1 container of biscuit dough

1/2 to 3/4 stick of melted butter

Large marshmallows

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/3 cup of sugar

First, mix your cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Then melt your butter in another bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Next, flatten out your biscuit dough pieces a bit. Then you will dunk a marshmallow into the butter and then roll it around in the cinnamon sugar mixture. This represents Jesus (the white/pure marshmallow) being anointed with oils and spices (the butter and spices). 

Then you will place the marshmallow on the flattened biscuit and then wrap it in a ball. Then dunk the ball into the butter and cinnamon sugar mixture. It will look weird but trust the process.

All of this represents Jesus being wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb. 

Now you will want to spray your muffin tin with nonstick spray and place the rolls seam side down into the tin. Bake them for 12-15 minutes or whatever your biscuit dough package recommends. When the rolls are done, the marshmallow disappears/melts into the dough and so there is nothing inside! Just like Jesus rose and the tomb was EMPTY! One of my rolls the marshmallow escaped or something and looked crazy so ignore that one.

These were seriously way easier than I anticipated and they were delicious!! I hope y’all try it and like it!

-Allie

2021 Update

Wow….I cannot believe that it has been almost a full year since my last post. Quarantine last Spring and Summer was crazy, but I honestly was not trying too many new recipes. For some reason Fall and Winter flew by and here we are back in March!!! It has been a year since COVID-19 rocked our world and even though things are still a mess, I am very excited for this Spring. Keep an eye out on here for some new recipes in the next few weeks! Comment below is there are any types of recipes you are needing more than others!

-Allie

Red &White Chicken Farfalle

Quarantine Day Whatever: How are you guys doing? Still somehow staying sane? This recipe was obviously something where I grabbed everything-except the cheese-from my pantry. My friend in college used to always get both red and white (marinara and alfredo) sauces mixed together at the pasta station at Southside Dining Hall. Shoutout to any GMU people reading this…..

Anyway, one day I finally tried it and became a believer. Growing up I never mixed the sauces and thought it was kinda strange, but it really tastes good y’all! It has been a while since I have even eaten pasta with the both sauces, so I decided why not? I apparently am out of the good shredded Parmesan cheese, but luckily had some of this Italian blend stuff leftover from who knows what.  I chose to add some chicken in the mix, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can also throw some veggies in there if you want! Peppers, onions, broccoli…..I will leave it up to you to choose.

Ingredients:

So if it is more than two people eating……probably 2-3 chicken breasts cut up.

1/2 Jar of Marinara Sauce (I love Rao’s……)

1/2 Jar of Alfredo Sauce

1/3 to 1/2 box of pasta-depending on how many people-I used mini farfalle because why not

Some Parmesan or Italian cheese blend for sprinkling on top.

First you will want to fill your pot up with water. I usually do about halfway and make sure I pour some salt in, then you wait and wait for it to boil.

Next you will want to cut up and season your chicken. I like to do salt, pepper, about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder and 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder. Make sure you get the seasoning on all sides. Then put a drizzle of oil in a frying pan and put it on medium-high heat.

Once the water boils, pour the pasta in. I personally like to boil for 1-2 minutes less than the al dente recommendation, because once I put it together with the chicken and sauces it will still cook from the heat-making it perfectly al dente by the time I get to eat the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, you can cook the chicken pieces. You want to do about 3-5 minutes per side. Turn off the burner when you are done. Once you strain the pasta water, you can dump the farfalle into the same pan as the chicken.

Now comes time for the sauces. Pour about 1/2 of a jar from each and toss well. When you are done, you are ready to eat! Just sprinkle some cheese on top and enjoy!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Hello. Our world is currently being rocked by COVID-19/Corona Virus. This is definitely something that will be in history books later on. Anyway, at this point I think everyone should be quarantined in their homes and practicing the famous phrase “social distancing”. The good news is this quarantine freed up a ton of time for me, which means more time for recipes! Most of the recipes will be from ingredients that I had laying around and wanted to get rid of, or just ingredients that got my creative juices flowing.

To be 100% real with y’all-I am pretty certain my chocolate chip recipe is just the Nestle Toll House recipe. I had some peanut butter chips in the pantry and love a good chocolate/pb combination…..so I added those too.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking SODA-I always grab powder but my recipe says soda sooooo SODA IT IS!

2 sticks of softened butter (softened is key)

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs-my fridge apparently was empty and had zero eggs…..but I used 2 egg whites and somehow they came out exactly the same….so yay! #quarantinehack

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

 

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

I used a stand mixer, but you could do all of this with a hand mixer as well.

Start by creaming the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract on medium to medium-high speed.

While that is working, combine the flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl.

Once the butter and sugar is nice and creamy, gradually add your eggs and make sure it is mixed well. (Again I had to use 2 egg whites)

Next, you should gradually add the flour mixture and once it is all combined-add the chips!

Now here is where some people may think I am nuts:

I grew up with my mom making large cookies!!! So for me these are normal sized but every now and then a friend will bake with me and be like “Woahhhh Nelly!” So I use this scoop my friend got me……and those are my cookie sizes……I also use parchment paper for all my baking now. (I have no clue why my mom never had it in the house!!!)

Bake at 375 degrees for about 14-16 minutes if you do this size. Smaller sized cookies will bake way quicker.

 

I love my cookies to be kinda soft and slightly chewy when they cool…..so that is how this recipe leans. If you want your cookies to be crispy bake them a little bit longer.

Enjoy!

Allie

Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Baked Brie

Hello everyone! The holiday season starts this week with Thanksgiving. I am so excited to share this simple and delicious appetizer idea with you. I honestly have been kinda stumped with what recipes to share with you next and a friend suggested a holiday appetizer and this immediately came to mind. Usually when people talk about baked brie they think of adding apples or honey/something sweet in the mix, but I prefer a more savory combination with baked brie. If you are still craving a sweet factor after your first bite, you could drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top but I did not need it!

Ingredients:

1 wheel of Brie cheese

1-2 tablespoons of chopped basil (WalMart did not have the fresh leaves so the pre-chopped stuff is what I used and it worked just as well)

1/3 or 1/2 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes

pinch of salt

Pita chips or baguette for serving. I kinda like the crunch of the pita chips more for this recipe.

First you will want to try and thinly slice off the top of the wheel of brie and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Next, put the brie on a sheet pan-don’t judge my picture it looks funny because I didn’t want to use too much parchment paper -and gently spoon on the sun-dried tomatoes. Then sprinkle a bit of salt on top.

Pop this in the oven for about 11-13 minutes and then sprinkle on the fresh basil! Servce with the pita chips AND YOU ARE DONE. So easy, so gooey and so delicious. Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Caprese Chicken With Veggies

This has been a hot, sticky and beautiful Summer filled with great farmers markets and fresh veggies! Every now and then I like to just throw a bunch of it together with a protein and call it a day. Today’s recipe is a good example of that, along with being a little healthier than what I usually post, but still super tasty and easy!

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Tomatoes-you can do 5-7 roma or smaller tomatoes or 1-2 beefsteak tomatoes

2 bell peppers-I had 1 green and 1 yellow from a farmers market

1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion

1 small package of baby bella mushrooms

1 package of fresh pre sliced mozzarella

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

drizzle of olive oil-about 1/2 a tablespoon probably.

salt and pepper to taste

As always, preheat the oven first. For this one I would say 375 degrees. Next, put the chicken in a pan and sprinkle the tablespoon of Italian seasoning and garlic powder-about half on one side and then flip the chicken and add the other half of seasoning on the other side. For some reason mine did not spread out as evenly as I would have liked.

Next you should cut up the tomatoes in slices and then open the pre sliced mozzarella to arrange layers onto each other and on top on the chicken.

Clearly, I had a tomato-cheese ratio issue this day but whatever-still all tastes good right?

Next, slice up the onion, bell peppers and mushrooms and combine! Drizzle some olive oil and some more salt and pepper on top and pop it in the oven! It should take about 25-30 minutes to cook. The mozzarella definitely wants to be melted.

It looks a little busy and messy, but I am telling you it tastes so good!

Happy eating!