We really enjoyed the way this blend of herbs and spices was able to take a very ordinary dinner to a whole new level of flavor.  We look forward to trying the other varieties in the Kind Heart gift set, and experimenting with the recommended recipes that came with the spices!

This dish, shown above, consisted of a piece of homemade toast topped with homemade corned beef hash, a perfectly poached egg, homemade hollandaise sauce, and a side of homefries.  The serving size was just right.  I would definitely order this again.

My partner in dining chose a menu item I have considered on many occasions, but had not tried until he kindly shared a few bites with me that morning.  Shown above, the Ole Miss is a plate of spicy goodness:  homemade cayenne cheddar bread topped with real sausage or vegetarian sausage, chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, and mango sour cream.  The flavor combination is AMAZING, and I am fairly certain I will be ordering this dish on my next visit whether it is lunch or dinner time!

Check out the menu for yourself; there really is a little something for everyone:

http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/

While we have made many a dessert stop at Becky’s, we have yet to actually go for a meal, which is still on our “to do” list.  The menu offerings include a wide variety of traditional diner fare, as well as many fresh seafood dishes.

While I opted for water, my dining partner decided to try a Michelada.  This drink is typically prepared with a choice of beer, worcesteshire sauce, lime juice, and El Rayo’s house made hot sauce.  Sympathizing with my inability to consume beer, he ordered his drink to be made with a non-alcoholic brew, imported from Holland, called Buckler.  While I don’t think I’d ever bother to order a non-alcoholic beer, this blend did make for a convincing cocktail with a real kick of spice and tartness.  I’ll admit I enjoyed a few sips…

*Apologies for not including pictures of our actual meals.  As mentioned before, we were pretty hungry when we arrived, and I forgot about taking pictures when the yummies arrived…  The El Mercado Salad, topped with grilled chicken, was a nice choice with very fresh ingredients and a pleasing blend of flavors.  The Champinon Burrito was also very tasty–seasoned well, and a true comfort food menu option, and very flavorful with the addition hot sauce.

Download El Rayo’s menu here to see their other offerings: http://elrayotaqueria.com/ .

The recipe can be found at: http://www.relish.com/recipes/butterscotch-bourbon-sauce/ .

Tea pigs come in a variety of flavors.  So far I’ve tried the lemongrass tea, and have enjoyed its light, refreshing flavor with a touch of honey.  It is different from other teas I have on hand, so it has been a nice change of pace.

A Hot Chocolate Stick really looks like a delicious block of chocolate on a stick, rather than something to make a cup of cocoa with.  I’ll admit, I was tempted to just eat the chocolate, but I behaved myself and heated milk to mix this up properly.  The results:  a very dark, not-too-sweet cup of hot chocolate.  (Sorry, I drank half of it before I realized I hadn’t taken a picture of the hot chocolate itself, so I decided not to include a photo of the mixed hot chocolate.  I don’t know if that is a statement about the quality of the product, or my serious chocolate addiction?)

Now I’m somewhat inspired to try a recipe I found for homemade hot chocolate sticks that I found on a a blog called Cake or Death?

Chocolate Spice Sugar Cookies

1 c. softened butter

3/4 c. confectioners sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cayenne

1/8 tsp. ground chipotle

1-Preheat oven to  375 degrees.

2-Mix butter and sugar, then beat in egg yolk and vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients, then combine with the wet ingredients to form dough.

3-Use a cookie scoop, or form into 1 tbsp. size balls, flatten slightly, and bake for 13-15 minutes.

*Optional:  The recipe for the glaze on these cookies, as shown, can be found on a previous blog post titled Holiday Sweets.

The texture was moist and brownie-like despite the fact that I baked it for about ten minutes longer than the recipe called for.  I did have some difficulty getting it out of the pan due to its being so moist, and the center of the cake was a little damaged as a result of this.  To help it out cosmetically, I made a half batch of cream cheese frosting and sprinkled the top lightly with a blend of cayenne and cocoa powder.

All in all, this is a recipe I will definitely be using again!  Both the cake and frosting were easy to make, and the end results were delicious!

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake Recipe

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

*Updated:  Last weekend I made this cake again, but this time it looked much nicer when it came out of the pan.  A dusting of confectioners sugar was all it really needed, though in my book, whipped cream is always a nice touch…

When I prepared this dip, I followed the directions on the package and found, to my surprise, that it was actually a little too spicy for me!  I simply added the rest of the sour cream to the mix (a total if 16 oz.), pretty much doubling the amount of dip we would have for veggies.  The end result was a very spicy, flavorful dip that lasted most of the week and motivated us to eat a few more vegetables each day.

These might be better described as cake truffles–very moist cake filling with a smooth chocolate coating.  The red velvet variety made for a nice festive holiday treat, though I must say I am partial to the double chocolate!  These were a huge temptation in our fridge for as long as they lasted…