perfect for a sunday brunch apartment warming

So, this post is a bit overdue.  And by a bit, I mean extremely.  BUT now that that's over with, let me tell you a story!

I am a normal college student; by normal, I mean that I could not WAIT to get out of the dorms and into an apartment with an actual kitchen (of course that's what I would look forward to the most!)  So, I was super excited when Chris told me he and all of his roommates were moving out of their (gorgeous!) apartment last year and that I could call dibs.

And so that is how I signed the lease for my first apartment back in April or so, with 3 close girlfriends from RPI.  I am still really excited to have the place, but I never thought about the amount of responsibility that comes with living on your own.  The knowledge that if the toilet breaks or floods, it's solely our responsibility to clean it up, is terrifying!  I'm a girl, I don't know how to deal with that...(and I don't mean that in a sexist way at all, it's just that I am not interested whatsoever in sticking my hand into the toilet tank if the chain falls off (it's held on by a paperclip in the downstairs bathroom), or dealing with a toilet bowl covered in mold after a long, humid weekend.)

I guess that makes me sound like a bit of a baby. 

But moving on!  The best part (in my opinion) of having an apartment is the endless opportunities I now have to entertain.  I have a kitchen!  A living room!  A kitchen table that won't be covered in disgusting unidentifiable pieces of food! (Hopefully!!)  HALLELUJAH!

Perhaps I sound a bit too enthused by these ideas, but let me have my moment of happiness please. (Notice that I'm refraining from discussing the two DISGUSTING GIANT AWFUL house centipedes that we found this summer.  MOVING ON.....)

I recently had some family over to partake in an absolutely delicious Sunday Apartment Warming Brunch (if I do say so myself).

The menu was: Cinnamon Bun French Toast (me), Grape Foccacia (Chris), Egg and Veggie Breakfast Casserole (my mom), Fresh Tomato Citrus Basil salad (my aunt), Guacamole (Chris), and Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (me).  Mmmmmm!

I've made my Cinnamon Bun French Toast for 2 brunches now - it's the perfect amount of sweetness to be considered breakfast, but rich enough for lunch.  I find that you don't even need to use syrup with this, since it's so gooey from the frosting and filling already.  I always use pre-made Freihoffer's Cinnamon Buns as the base, but if you want to make your own, I'm sure it'd be that much better!

 

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Cinnamon Bun French Toast

1 pckg Freihoffer's Cinnamon Buns (or 6 cinnamon buns of choice)

5 eggs

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup heavy cream

Butter or oil for pan

Slice cinnamon buns horizontally, so you have 12 pieces.  Combine eggs, vanilla, spices, and heavy cream in a large bowl.  Whisk together until mixed. 

Heat a butter or oil in a large frying pan or skillet on medium heat.  Working in batches of 2-3 at a time, dip cinnamon bun slices in egg mixture, making sure to get both sides.  Place slices in frying pan and cook until golden on each side - about 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove from pan when done, and prepare next batch.

Serves 6

How many times am I allowed to say "delicious" in one post?

So, I decided that with all of the unpacking and whatnot I still have to do, I probably wouldn't have time for a real first blog post. But I think that blogging about the Greek festival I went to this weekend is a good compromise!

My parents came up to visit me yesterday, since I'm effectively all alone in the apartment right now with my boxes and bags threatening to overtake me. We've been wanting to hit the St. Sophia Greek Festival for a couple of years, but never quite made it out there. Anyway, I'm glad we finally did! Not only is the church absolutely gorgeous, but the place was packed, and the food was DELICIOUS! Unfortunately, I left my camera in the van (yes, we drive a stylish mini-van...), so I was stuck with cell phone pictures all day.

My mom and I found a tent selling lots of sampler platters and classic Greek dishes, so she had the Greek sampler, which was actually a mistake...she thought she was asking for the pastry sampler! But it was a delicious mistake, nonetheless. I've never had such good feta cheese, not that I'm very well-versed in feta cheeses anyway! And, since my dad is slightly competitive (and only had some beer to hold him over amidst all of the delicious smells!), he ended up getting the calamari, which was very very good as well...light, crunchy batter, and tons of taste. All in all, you couldn't ask for better!

I got the spanakopita, which was very flavorful, light, crispy, and yes....delicious!! (I am a huge fan of exclamation points, it's kind of a problem!) I also had 2 cups of Greek coffee while we were there (yum). I made the mistake of swishing around the dregs in my cup to "mix it up" towards the end, thinking it'd make it thicker....what a HORRIBLE idea. Somehow my mind left out the part where the woman making the coffee told me the dregs would be finely ground coffee when I made the decision. *Shudder* I won't be doing that again, ever. On the right, you see the loukoumathes that my mom and I attempted to split (couldn't finish them all, although that's not necessarily a bad thing!), drenched in honey and cinnamon :D. Yum!

I'm going to wrap up this awkward post because I think I've reached my quota on the number of times I get to say delicious as well as use exclamation points. Also, work is ending soon! (YESS!)