Sometimes because it's there....

Some of the world's best ideas were born from thousands of bad ones.

And perhaps this is one (of the bad ones).

In one hand, I some Chalet Creme Girl Scout Cookies that I really don't care for. The cookie is like graham/animal cracker and the creme is sparse. It does NOT come out to the edge like in the photo. Where's that honesty badge!?

In the other, I have a half can of Starkist Tuna Fish in Olive Oil. Decent but bland by itself...much milder with the olive oil.

Before eating the tuna, I thought, "I would LOVE some breadcrumbs or something to give it texture."

And then I thought of combining the 2 (sans creme)...

It really wasn't bad at all. There was a hint of lemon that came out with the cookie and it added a nice texture to it all as a whole. The sweetness was nice too (although I still wouldn't add the creme to this).

And, like I said, this isn't the best dish in the world - nor anything close to it. Some of you may even be dry heaving...but I think SOMETHING could come from this in the end. Some type of culinary attempt evolution could really sprout something fantastic - all because someone took a chance with 2 flavors that aren't traditionally matched!

Perhaps, some day, there'll be Cookie Crunch Fish Trucks on Hawaiian shores, selling fresh Thai salmon and crushed Tagalongs with a splash of coconut milk and a bit of fresh lemon grass.

And perhaps the dry heavers will take that first bite and think it's the most creative and fulfilling dish they've ever put their palate to.

And maybe they'll stop dry heaving and really produce something that time.

But I may like it. And I'm satisfied with that thought.

Me gustan los pancakes!

One evening at my mom's house, we decided to make pancakes. Actually, we originally agreed on breakfast, but that turned into a discussion of pancakes. Then I remembered I had this recipe for Olive Oil Pancakes, something that sounded rather interesting to me (not as interesting to my mom).

But, while she got involved with a phone call, I took advantage of the situation and stealthily made them anyways (I'm bad like that).

Here is the recipe...

• 1 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon(s) sugar
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
• 1/4 cup(s) Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary

Mix well and use some olive oil in the pan. You can also use dark chocolate chips in the batter and honey on the pancake itself. There are variations.

Here's the basic batter...

...then some granola and banana added to it (cooked in olive oil as well)...

...and then some fine-looking pancakes.

The pancakes themselves were still a little sweet, but with a richer flavor than traditional pancakes. The olive oil was really a nice touch. At this point, even my mother agreed and seemed interested in this varied recipe of a classic dish.

We plated them and opened the fridge to see what we should top them with. I, myself, am not a big fan of syrup, only because pancakes dry out easily and I keep having to put on more. (I will usually use real maple syrup though to sweeten things like oatmeal) Therefore, I usually use jelly on my pancakes.

But olive oil pancakes seemed like they needed something more than just simple sugary jelly. We searched the fridge and pantry for a solution.

Then it hit us...why not mix some locally made blueberry butter with some nice ricotta cheese? With a one-to-one ratio, we had something that was colorful, flavorful, and complimentary to the banana granola olive oil pancakes.

And nice to look at, if I say so myself.

And delicious.