The Adventures of Bob & Shan

Oatmeal Pancakes

August 10, 2015 by BobandShan

This morning, Bob and I woke up, made some hearty oatmeal, and prepared to take on Monday. Oh wait, no. We took those slow cooked oats, and turned them into light and delicious pancakes. (Still good for us, right?)

I have been loving Joy of Cooking lately, and slightly modified their recipe to suit our needs. In other words, a small bit of sugar was added, and we swapped regular milk for coconut almond milk. It was necessary, to kick off Monday, we decided! Mackenzie came over for a little breakfast date, and Bob snuck in a few photos while we stuffed pancakes in our mouths and waited for more, post-photos. The addition of oatmeal provided some great texture, giving the pancakes a pleasant chew, with a heartiness not normally found in regular pancakes. One thing I might mention is that the oatmeal we prepared called for salt as it cooked, and that was definitely noticeable in the pancakes. I would prefer if it wasn’t, and next time, we’ll change that. (There will definitely be a next time…)…

How to Massacre a Caramel Cake

July 29, 2015 by BobandShan

Have you ever had one of those days, where you are so excited for something, and it all goes drastically downhill? Well that’s kind of what happened today….

I’m not sure what has gotten into Shan lately, but all she wants to do is bake. I’m okay with this, I love eating new things! In her newly inspired baking phase, she came across this gorgeous caramel cake in Food & Wine magazine, that had to be baked. I was down, it looked amazing, of course we had to try it! I dug around my mountain of props, found some cake pans, and we got to work. She was initially going to make it herself, but whenever Shan gets in the kitchen, I can’t stay away, I love making new things, especially with her.

In hindsight, there were many predictors to how this cake would turn out. First, we needed room temperature butter. Having just taken it out of the fridge, we weren’t about to wait an hour for it to warm. I thought we could cube it up, and pop it in the oven to soften for a couple of minutes. This seemed like a great idea… Until 10 minutes go by… SHIT. I left the butter in the oven. Fortunately only half of it melted. I put it outside to cool, before creaming it with sugar, as Shannon proceeded to put together the rest of the cake….

Cheddar Chive Beer Bread

July 28, 2015 by BobandShan

This beer bread came about one night when the perfect opportunity presented itself. I found myself with a night off, and my good friend Desiree coming to visit. While waiting for Des, I flipped through Joy of Cooking. Truth be told, I was looking for a dessert recipe to further my addiction as of late. Nothing really stood out to me at the moment, and Bob suggested I look for a bread recipe instead. I suppose we didn’t need more dessert anyways……

Cauliflower & Zucchini Soup

July 28, 2015 by BobandShan

Rainy days are my thing. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I bounced down the stairs this morning. Bob said something like, “Babe, are you smiling because its raining?”. Yes, I was. He knows me too well. Having a rainy day meant that I opened up the windows, and decided to make soup. I love the idea of this soup, because it’s both comforting and healthy, so I quickly got to work prepping ingredients. Bob mentioned previously that he can’t stay out of the kitchen when I’m up to something, and he proved that once again today. I was breaking the cauliflower into sizable pieces, and he suggested popping it into the oven to roast it. Smart, that way we could enjoy a roasted flavor throughout the soup! I tried to shoo him away, but I was secretly happy for the company….

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

July 20, 2015 by BobandShan

I’ve been pinning recipes for various things on Pinterest, but that’s of little use unless you take initiative and make those recipes. I decided to do just that! I should begin by saying I generally struggle to eat breakfast. It’s been a bit of an issue with me for years, and I’m trying to change that. Lately I’ve had no issue eating breakfast – but that’s entirely due to Bob’s tempting sourdough bread. And eating bread every morning, while delicious, isn’t necessarily the best breakfast option. Enter, breakfast bars!

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Flourless Lemon and Ricotta Almond Cake

July 20, 2015 by BobandShan

The appeal of this cake was immediate for me. Lemon desserts are a vice of mine (mainly lemon bars). With that in mind, a slightly heavier, less sweet dessert sounded just perfect. In fact, I hastily took the night off work this past Friday with the sole intent of making this cake. I haven’t been thinking of it terribly long, but when a recipe jumps out at you, sometimes you can’t wait to get started! I was so excited to get going, I accidentally added all the sugar to the butter and lemon zest. Bob just smirked when I asked if he would cream it by hand for me. It’s a difficult thing to do when the ratios are offset. Good thing he likes me!

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Belgian Waffles

July 12, 2015 by BobandShan

Is brunch after 12 o’clock still brunch? Are waffles appropriate at 2pm? These are the kind of pressing issues, Shannon and I face on a Sunday.

After planning a waffle brunch with Shannon’s mom and sister, we figured 11am would be a good time to start feasting on waffles. We figured wrong. As I was perusing waffle recipes around 9:30am, I received a Snapchat from Shan’s mom showcasing her “Fresh berry breakfast”, and I was a little concerned about our future waffle plans. This concern grew as Shan texted me from upstairs:

“Guess whaaat?”….

Spicy Sriracha Cabbage & Pastrami Egg Sandwich

July 4, 2015 by BobandShan

I am a BIG sandwich fan. There is just so much you can do between the confine of two buns (get your minds out of the gutter). Continuing on the never-ending cabbage journey I recently talked about, I was inspired to use some up, along with other fridge leftovers. I often end up making sandwiches when I have nothing substantial to make supper with, or I’m cooking for one. In this case, Shannon was at work, and I realized I was starving, with a relatively empty fridge. I scrounged around for some scraps, grabbed an egg (because when all else fails, there are always eggs), and start conjuring something up. I wasn’t sure where it was going, but once it was all said and done, this beauty was born. Spicy cabbage, briny pastrami, melty cheese, topped with a gooey fried egg, and some fresh broccoli sprouts. It was extremely satisfying, and I’m now desperately craving another one as I write this……

Blueberry Mint Julep

July 3, 2015 by BobandShan

What’s dinner without a cocktail? Right!? Probably just a regular evening meal… But when you have unexpected company, drinks are always in order. Lately, there are a couple of things Shan and I can’t get enough of – bourbon, and experimenting with cocktails. With an overgrown mint plant, blueberries, and bourbon on hand, we decided to mix up a variation on the classic Mint Julep. If you feel like some bourbon cocktails can be a little too strong, this julep is a great way to get started. Strong, but refreshing, with a subtle sweetness and hint of blueberry.

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