Happy second day of Fall! While I am eager for the cooler weather and upcoming holidays, I felt a little sad the other day when thinking about summer being over. Well, there were so many more swimming spots I wanted to check out in and around the Austin area, and I haven't made it to most of them yet! And then there are the longer days, and drinking sweet iced tea in the shade, and wearing lightweight dresses, and eating ice cream, and more sunshine. Which do you prefer? Are you more than ready for autumn or wish summer would stay longer?
Ever since we got back from our trip to New York I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I feel behind on some freelance projects, and things are picking up at my new (amazing!) job, so I feel a bit scattered. It's not a good feeling, so I'm hoping to take some time off this weekend and unplug a bit. Kyle and I recently joined a new church group and last night we talked about trying to stay balanced within our daily lives. I definitely needed to hear it, because I do not feel like I am making near enough time for things that are of priority in my life.
After feeling pretty bad that I kind of hated on New York in my last post, I got to thinking about all of my favorite things about the city. One of my favorite coffee shops (actually probably my favorite of all time) was a place called Chalait located in the west village. Sadly, the location I am speaking of actually closed and they moved it within Chelsea Market, which I think was a HORRIBLE decision for a number of reasons that I won't bore you by listing out. But honestly, a huge reason I think so many people went here (besides their amazing coffee and matcha lattes) was because of the aesthetic and the interior. Lots of white everywhere, large windows letting in so much light, and marble backdrops for that perfect instagram photo (yes, sometimes people such as me go places just to get a photo for their instagram). I saw their new location in Chelsea Market under construction while we were there last weekend and I have to say, pretty disappointing, Chalait! Think: dark, crowded, and loud.
SO ANYWAYS, I would often go here on lunch breaks when I worked in the west village for an afternoon coffee or tea. Sometimes I would get one of their fancy toasts, which included a miso butter toast with avocado and egg, sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was so good!! Sometimes I would see a celebrity (I saw Katie Holmes here and a famous instagrammer, who wasn't exactly a celebrity but still kind of famous!). I had been wanting to recreate the miso butter toast at home, and since I still have so much miso leftover (and quite evidently, an obsession with the stuff), it came together in minutes. Mushroom toast is another story which began on a trip to Vermont, but basically all you need to know is, both toasts are amazing and miso butter should be a thing we can buy in stores everywhere.
Miso Butter Toasts, Two Ways
Ingredients:
for the miso butter:
- 2 tbl. butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbl. miso
for the toasts:
- 2 slices of bread, (I used sourdough!)
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 1 hard boiled egg
- toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. butter
- sea salt and pepper
- 1-2 fresh lemon wedges
Directions: Cream together the softened butter and miso until smooth and fully blended. Set aside in a small ramekin.
To make the mushroom toast: In a small saucepan, heat a sliver of butter over medium high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, and stir until mushrooms are evenly distributed. Let mushrooms sit without stirring for one minute, or until one side is browned but not burnt. Add the garlic to the pan, and toss to combine. Cook for an addition 1-2 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft with crispy edges.
Toast two slices of bread and slather with the miso butter.
Assembly: On one slice of prepared bread, top with sliced avocado, a hard boiled egg, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. On the other slice of bread, top with sauteed mushrooms and garlic mixture. Finish both with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Other notes, based on comments from my instagram! For the mushroom toast, add crumbled goat cheese, crème fraîche, or cream cheese with chives!
