Chocolate Crêpes

The other day I remembered crêpes existed. No, really. My mother used to make them for me for breakfast constantly when I was younger but I haven't had them in ages. I was reminded thanks to tumblr and had an urge to make them immediately. Unfortunately that was when I realized we barely had any milk so I had to wait until tonight to actually make them (and upon doing so found out we actually had exactly enough milk to make one batch of them, meaning I didn't have to wait, whoops). I admit, I haven't perfected the art of crêpe making but if I make them more often, I hope to. I ended up topping these with some whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Chocolate Crêpes (recipe adapted from Gourmade At Home)

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Dash cinnamon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted & cooled
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the flour and cocoa (the color of your crêpe will depend on the kind of cocoa you use; they may come out any shade from light brown to brownish-red to dark brown). Once thoroughly combined, gradually add in the flour while continuing to whisk. Make sure there are no lumps of flour in the batter. (Or simply place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.) Heat a large frying pan on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour between 1/8 to 1/4 cup of batter into the pan at a time. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook each crêpe for between 10 and 20 seconds on each side or until bubbly and darker brown than the original batter. Use a spatula to carefully flip the crêpes. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying the pan with cooking spray before each new crêpe.

You can top / fill your crêpes with whatever you want, including fruit, whipped cream, or jam.

Why Diner Food Is The Greatest and A Review of The Red Arrow

Dinah's 2x2x2: two slices of french toast with strawberries and whipped cream, 2 eggs over easy, and two sausage links smothered in maple syrup @ Red Arrow Diner

Every time my family used to go on road trips, it was mostly about the food, hence why I was a very chubby child. My dad would look online and at guide books for days prior to our trips in order to plan the routes mostly around diners and barbecue joints. I grew up eating a lot of diner food, and consider diners to be one of the greatest things left over from America's past. The employees of diners always have this certain joyful, playful mood about them and seem to genuinely care about their customers, whether they're regulars or first-timers. The atmosphere of diners is something I wish more restaurants had, but I think it's something specific to diners only. I'm just incredibly comfortable when I'm eating at one, and completely in my element. Though diners are becoming a rare occurrence nowadays, which is slightly depressing, every time I find one (and a good one at that), I'm overjoyed.
The very first time I went to the Red Arrow, I was maybe 12 or 13. My dad took us up to Manchester from our then home in Massachusetts, for the sole purpose of having diner food. It was pouring rain and just generally icky out, but the diner was still crowded and we waited a good ten or more minutes to get three seats at the counter. Then again, I should probably mention the place is famous and has a long list of celebrities who have eaten there, not to mention they've won more awards than I can probably count. It's not constantly crowded, that's reserved mostly for weekends, and the longest you have to wait is usually a couple minutes. It's totally worth it anyway.

I know I should be more adventurous and I usually am at most restaurants, but at diners, I tend to get breakfast. 99% of the time, I will get breakfast. I have always been this way and do not see me changing my habits any time soon. Anywhere that has breakfast all-day, 24/7 is amazing in my book. I believe the first time I went to Red Arrow, I got Dinah's 2x2x2 (pictured above) or at least something similar.
Now that I'm living in Manchester, I was absolutely thrilled when I realized the Red Arrow was about a ten minute walk from my apartment. Guess what I got? Breakfast. Dinah's 2x2x2 in fact, and it was just as delicious as I had remembered.  So far, everything I've ever ordered from the Red Arrow has not disappointed. Remember to get some homemade pie!

The Red Arrow Diner is located at:
61 Lowell St
Manchester, NH 03101
They also have another location at:
63 Union Square
Milford, New Hampshire 03055
You can visit their website at http://www.redarrowdiner.com/ to view menus and even order pie / cake online.

Cinnamon Buns

I’ve never made cinnamon buns before, and every recipe I looked at needed some sort of yeast, which I didn’t have, so these are really a cross between biscuits, cinnamon rolls and monkey bread but they’re so good.

Cinnamon Buns For the Glaze

• 1/2 stick butter 
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon 

For the Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 3/4 cup whole milk 

For the Filling

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small, heavy saucepan, bring the glaze ingredients to a boil, spoon the mixture into the prepared pan so it completely covers the bottom, and set aside.
To make the biscuits, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and milk till well blended, pour into the well, and stir just till a soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll into about an 18 x 10-inch rectangle.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the filling ingredients. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle the filling over the buttered dough. (if you have any butter left, just pour it over the filling). Starting from the short side, roll up the rectangle jelly-roll style into an 18-inch-long log, slice into 9 biscuits 2-inches thick, arrange the biscuits cut side down in 3 rows in the glazed pan, and bake till puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Invert the pan immediately onto a large platter so the glaze runs down over the biscuits. You can serve them like this, or frost them immediately.

For the Icing

• 2 Cups powdered sugar-sifted 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons milk

Add milk slowly, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. You may not use all the milk, stop when it has formed a thick paste.

(recipe adapted from pepsakoy)