Tag Archives: eggs

A Market

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I have lived in Orange County for most of my life (aside from my 10-year stint in LA), and am constantly stumbling upon new gems that make me love my neighborhood even more.  My latest discovery is A Market in Newport Beach.

Now I can’t take full credit for discovering A Market as I first heard about it from my lovely friend and wedding photographer Dana Grant on her instagram, and knew I had to check it out.  A Market shares the same parking lot as the famed A Restaurant, only it’s a more casual marketplace/cafe/wine cellar.

The Englishman and I decided to check out A Market the morning after our friends wedding in Palm Springs.  We made the bleary eyed drive back to OC determined for a strong cup of tea and a hearty breakfast and A Market did not disappoint.

A Market PastriesWe wanted to try a variety of things so we started off with splitting the quiche of the day which included ham, broccoli, and cheese. It was a crust-less quiche and delicious.  I haven’t had quiche in ages and this one did not disappoint.

A Market QuicheThe Englishman got the Breakfast Panini which included fried eggs, ham, tomato and cheese.  He also added extra bacon because, well bacon rocks. I stole a bite and loved it.  The bread was perfectly grilled (a must for paninis) and the ham, egg and swiss just worked together.

A Market Breakfast SpreadI kept things simpler and got fried eggs, bacon, avocado, and fruit. It may sound boring, but everything about this breakfast was perfect and exactly what I wanted.

Since breakfast was such a big hit, I returned a week later for lunch with my blogger buddy Joelle.

I went the salad route this time and got the Mediterranean Salad topped with feta, avocado, olives, tomato, cucumber and chicken with a lemon vinaigrette on the side.

A Market Greek Salad Close UpThe salad definitely did not disappoint.  Everything about it was pretty much perfect.  I definitely need to come back for lunch and try some of the other salads and sandwiches on the menu.

If you are looking for a cute little spot for breakfast, lunch or even a cocktail (they have those too!) then I highly recommend A Market.  This is definitely going to be my new local spot!

Easy Weeknight Dinner

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Did you know that February is National Sweet Potato Month?  I didn’t either until Karla from Foodologie tipped me off to this fact.  Since this blog is named after my love for sweet potatoes, I thought I’d squeak in a few sweet potato dishes before February is over.  Starting with this easy weeknight dinner.

diced sweet potatoesThe Englishman and I like to meal plan each week, and 99% of the time one of our weeknight dinners involves eggs.  I’m a huge brinner (breakfast for dinner) fan, so I look forward to those evenings.  One of my all time favorite ways to eat eggs is poached over some roasted sweet potatoes.

I first tried the egg and sweet potato combo about a year ago, and ever since then I’ve been hooked.  It’s such a simple dish and the perfect easy weeknight dinner.  Just roast some sweet potatoes, boil some vegetables and top with a couple of poached eggs (and bacon).  Simple, yet perfect.

While roasting sweet potatoes can be somewhat time-consuming, I’ve found that if you boil them for about 8 minutes and then put them in the oven it helps to speed up the cooking process.

If you are looking for a healthy easy weeknight dinner, then this can’t be beat.

Eggs and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 medium sweet potato

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375F.

diced sweet potatoes dishChop your sweet potato into small pieces and place in a baking dish.  Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until your sweet potato is tender.  If you are short on time, boil the potatoes first.

Diced Sweet Potatoes CookedOnce your potatoes are done remove them from the oven and place them on a plate.

Diced Sweet Potatoes and EggsPrepare your eggs to your liking – scrambled, poached, fried and place on top of your roasted sweet potato.  Season with salt and pepper.  Eat and enjoy.

What’s your favorite easy weeknight dinner?

Boutique Lunching at Cafe Anastasia

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One of the great things about working in Laguna Beach is that I’m literally a hop, skip, and a step away from all the cute cafes and shops in downtown, and of course, the beach.  Naturally speaking, all the cute cafes and shops also have cute price tags as well, so I try to limit my downtown lunching to once every other week.

But today the skies were blue and the temperature was giving off the first real indications of spring (in socal anyway), so my coworker and I decided to head downtown for a nice leisurely lunch.  We considered going to our standby favorite Zinc Cafe, but decided we weren’t feeling like spending $$$ on lunch (sorry Zinc!) so we popped into a cafe up the road – Cafe Anastasia.

One of the things I like most about Cafe Anastasia is that it’s attached to a cute little clothes boutique, so you can window shop while you eat.  My coworker decided on the Eggs Napoleon (aka fancy eggs benedict) for lunch and I chose La Greque (aka Greek salad).

When they brought out the Eggs Napoleon it was plated so cute!

My salad however didn’t quite have the same “cute” factor.  But it did have lots of red onion (which I didn’t eat):

The “La Greque” was good, but it was missing something.  Chicken maybe?  Pine nuts?  I loved the fresh feta and olives, but I felt like the salad could use a little more pizazz.  At least the unpictured french bread that was served was delish and my coworker loved her Eggs Napoleon.  They also serve iced earl grey tea here which I thought was interesting.

Overall, Cafe Anastasia  is a cute little brunch/lunch place with lots of affordable options.  I definitely think I’d come back and try more of the breakfast and egg dishes.  And maybe La Greque again if they added chicken 😉

Cafe Anastasia

460 Ocean Avenue

Laguna Beach, CA 92651