the crema cafe

My best friend Linda and I were bored one weekend, she insisted that I take her somewhere new.. Because we’ve pretty much exhausted all of our eating out options in our own hometown and I’ve gotten pretty sick of always eating the same Thai food or TGIF whenever we go out..

So, I did a little research to find some cute cheap breakfast/cafe type places and came across this adorable little place called The Crema Cafe located on Main Street at Seal Beach.

the interior

We went in, had a little difficulty finding parking on Main Street because it was a weekend, but there was plenty of seating inside and out. The cashier was really patient and helpful while we took forever trying to figure out what to eat.

our number. :)

I ordered the breakfast crepe which was DELICIOUS and crispy but chewy. I haven’t had a good savory crepe in a while. And it came with salsa and lots of avocado which I loved.

breakfast crepe

Best friend ordered the Artichoke Chicken panini which was the favorite between the two. It was so good with sundried tomatoes and it was on whole-grain bread that was baked that morning at the actual cafe. Nice and firm but soft inside… It was perfectly panini-ed. Yummm. I love sandwiches.

panini

After we stuffed our faces, we took a walk around the Seal Beach pier and grabbed some ice cream from Ruby’s at the end of the pier. The good thing about having a best friend like Linda is that whenever we talk, I always get thinking and end up talking a lot about life. She asks the right questions, and I always have opinions that end up surprising me because I had no idea I felt so strongly about certain topics.

We played a game we’ve been playing since high school which is always fun though.

“What kind of guy do you think I’ll marry?”

:P

She said she imagines me with someone very clean-cut, preppy, tall, and attracts attention when he walks into a room. And then she got mad at me because I said only one word describing her future man.

“Weird.”

HAHA. Sorry, hun, but it’s true.

Overall, a good summer afternoon. :)

The Crema Cafe
322 Main Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562)493-2501

more quick breads!

i am in love with this cookbook.

My grandfather came from Korea last week, and he loves zucchini and banana bread. People with older Asian parents or grandparents know that  usually they don’t like sweets, especially American desserts because they’re not accustomed to all the sugar.

nutty delicioso

Apparently, when my mom was young and growing up in Korea, my grandmother and grandfather imported a lot of American cookies, breads, and candies and had an entire stock of them in a drawer. All the kids would stay in the living room and beg for some American sweets…. Even though he lived in Korea for most of his life, my grandfather really enjoys all Westernized foods such as steaks, soups, and sweets. :)

So, being in love with my Williams-Sonoma cookbook as of late, I decided to try a new banana nut bread recipe and I have to say.. .I’m sold! And so is my grandfather. He wants me to bake him one more so he can take it back to Korea with him on Wednesday! I wish I could bake for him more often, but I’m really glad he enjoyed the bread. This recipe is a keeper.. Next time I’ll adjust it and add some cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

banana nutty bread.

Banana-Nut Bread
from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook

6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 or 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve. Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf.

banana nutty bread.

get your summer squash

.

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
-Jim Davis, American actor

Smart man.

I can never resist my vegetables. Especially when I’m on a diet. Will a slice of this count towards my 5 servings of vegetables a day? I sure hope so. Perfect with some coffee.

Apparently one cup of black coffee a day will help you lose weight, too. It decreases your appetite and speeds up your metabolism because of the caffeine.

I reduced some of the sugar in the recipe since I am trying to watch the weight. And we have quite a few diabetics in the family. I also replaced the prunes in the recipe with raisins… I have bad memories revolving around prunes. My mom used to force me to eat five a day and I remember gagging every time. Ugh.

But I think I’m on a good track towards losing those 10 pounds, don’t you? ;)

zucchini bread!

Zucchini Bread
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook

8 oz zucchini, trimmed
1/2 cup canola oil, plus extra for greasing
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 8.5-by-4.5 inch loaf pan. Using a large box grater or food processor, shred the zucchini. You should have about one cup. Set aside.

Combine the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Use a stand mixer on medium or whisk very quickly by hand until light and creamy, about one minute. Add the zucchini and stir until blended.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts. Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir until just combined. The batter will be stiff. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the loaf is firm and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Let the bread rest in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve.

nice thick slices!

black-bottom cupcakes!

yumm

So, being the idiot that I am, I was happily mixing away and filling my muffin tin without stopping to think logically about what I needed to do to make my black-bottom cupcakes look pretty.

I mixed up the devil’s food cake batter and carefully spooned that into each muffin cup. Then, I whipped up the cream cheese filling and then just dumped a couple tablespoons on top of each cupcake.

IDIOTA!

I didn’t “spoon it into the center” because I stopped reading the directions and for some reason assumed that cream cheese is thicker than cake batter and would therefore just sink into my little cakes. No such luck. Instead of true black-bottom cupcakes, I ended up with cream cheese topped cupcakes.

But I have to say, they are very moist and quite delicious. Next time, I’ll put the cream cheese mixture in a plastic bag and pipe it into the center instead of relying on self-made up density and gravitational laws.

half-eaten cupcake.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
The Great Book of Chocolate, David Lebovitz & smittenkitchen

Yield: 12 full-size or approximately 30 mini cupcakes

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling:Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons* of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely,** which is fine.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

I think these actually taste better the next day. The chocolatey devil’s food cake becomes more moist and the chocolate flavor feels more concentrated.

Oh man, remember when Kobe used to have hair?

On an irrelevant side note, GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!