A Treat for Queens: Crepes

Strawberry and Banana Crepes for the Highborn in Us All

Here at Cook's Landing we appreciate a treat for breakfast. And on those days when we want to feel as highborn as the queen herself, we like to make crepes. We fill ours with fresh strawberries and bananas and drizzle melted milk chocolate over the top. Sometimes, when we're feeling extra decadent, we even add a little whip cream to the top.

So today we'd like to share with you our crepes. They're easy and delicious. Trust us. We won't steer you wrong. Especially when it comes to crepes. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 8 crepes

Ingredients:

1 c flour

2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/2 c water

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp melted butter

Step 1: Whisk together flour and eggs. Slowly add in milk and water. Thoroughly beat in melted butter and salt.

Step 2: Heat a lightly greased frying pan on medium high heat. Pour batter into the frying pan. Use about 1/4 cup of batter per crepe. To evenly spread the batter, tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter spreads. Do this immediately, before the batter has time to heat. Cook each crepe for about 2 minutes. Flip when the bottom starts to brown - you'll be able to tell if it's browning by watching the edges. To flip, slide a spatula under the crepe and loosen the entire thing before quickly flipping it over.

We chose to fill our crepes with fresh cut bananas and strawberries. Then we took melted milk chocolate and drizzled it over the crepes. To get a perfect drizzle, put the chocolate in a plastic bag and cut off a very small piece of the corner. Then squeeze the chocolate out of the corner of the bag and over the crepes.

Fresh Blueberries for Blueberry Lemonade

Although House Cook is located firmly in suburbia, this area near Atlanta is a bit odd. It grew so fast that in some ways the landscape never had time to catch up. Down the street from House Cook is a tangle of trees that hides a fantastic blueberry patch. Many of our neighbors like to tromp into the woods and pick fresh blueberries, and a few days ago we joined them.

Grabbing tupperware and boots, we trooped out into the undergrowth to hunt for delicious, ripe berries.

It was fantastic! Many of the bushes still had berries that weren't yet ripe, but we found plenty that were.

Looking for something delicious to do with the berries besides just gobble them all up before getting home, we've decided to bring you fresh blueberry lemonade.

 Fresh Blueberry Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 c hot water

3/4 c sugar

1 c fresh lemon juice

1 c fresh blueberries

4 c cold water (or sparkling water)

Step 1: Puree together your hot water, sugar, lemon juice, and blueberries until everything is thoroughly mixed. 

Step 2: Pour your mixture into a pitcher through a fine mesh strainer (unless, of course, you like the pulp in which case just dump it all in). 

Step 3: Stir in your cold or sparkling water, serve over ice and enjoy! 

Mother of Dragons! Guacamole

Sometimes you learn the hard way that walking through fire doesn't always turn eggs into dragons. It's disappointing but true. Even the mother of dragons had to learn this the hard way. 

The question is: what do you do with the egg? If you're anything like us, you turn it into delicious guacamole. Our guacamole recipe is fast, easy, and tastes excellent. Keeping it simple makes for a tastier guacamole that anyone can make. In no time at all you can turn that dud dragon egg into spicy dip that your whole army will envy. 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados (squishy is better)
• 1 roma tomato
• 15 fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 - 1 (depending on how spicy you like it) medium-sized jalapeño
• Juice from two fresh limes
• Onion powder - ½ tsp
• Garlic salt – ½ tsp
• Table salt – ½ tsp
• Finely ground red pepper - ¼ tsp

Step 1: Don't peel the avocado. Simply start at the stem and cut all the way around the pit until it is sliced in half. Remove the pit. Cut the avocado into a grid while still in the peel and then squeeze each half into the a medium sized mixing bowl. Do this to all three avocados.

Step 2: Chop the roma tomato and add it to the bowl.

Step 3: Finely chop or tear the cilantro leaves and put them in the bowl.

Step 4: Very finely chop the jalapeño (either half or whole, depending on level of spice you want). Make sure to chop it into very small pieces (you don't want to take a bite with a big piece of jalapeño in it). Add to the bowl.

Step 5: Add all spices to the mix. Add lime juice.

Step 6: Don't stir this with a spoon. Take the knife you used to chop the ingredients and cut through the mixture. Cut all the way through the mixture until the larger pieces of avocado are chopped and then stir using the knife. This will keep the guacamole from becoming too mushy when you stir. The guac will taste better if it’s not too finely mashed. If you cut through the mixture, it will leave pieces of avocado - which provides a much nicer taste and texture.

Step 7: Taste it. Add salt or lime juice as needed. Serve with corn chips. Or if you want a healthier and tasty option, try sweet potato chips instead.

Enjoy your dip, and next week we'll show you how to make a spicy chicken to go along with your guacamole.