Sweet Potato Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

See? Not at all like a strata!

I am a plain old Cheerios and milk in the morning sort of breakfast eater. It is my go to quick fix. Unfortunately, Cheerios and milk is not really a lot of protein and generally if I eat right when I get up at 4:30 then I'm hungry again before I get to my desk at school. And I'm ready to chew my arm off by the time I get to lunch. So I've been trying to get some more protein in my breakfast. I made some yogurt to eat with granola. But it actually got moldy before I had the chance to eat it all.Then I decided to make a crustless quiche recipe as I've had success with eating those in the past. But I only ate half of it in a week. I was eating my Cheerios instead. As I'm trying to eat better food for me in this whole new era of recovery, I was getting frustrated. I mentioned this to my super cool science teacher friend while we were eating lunch with her three daughters after church. She told me that she had this really great breakfast casserole recipe. It had tater tots and eggs and cheese and she uses some ground sausage and vegetables. I thanked her and decided to give it a try. Except that I totally changed it. 

That whole top is melted cheesy goodness!

This is an amazing casserole! I had it for both lunch and dinner yesterday. And I sent pictures and texts to Super G to tell her how amazing it is. And she now wants the recipe. I can't say that I blame her. I was a little worried it would taste like a strata. I hate strata. But it didn't! It tastes sweet and savory and cheesy and delicious!

I almost sprang out of bed this morning with excitement that I get to eat the breakfast casserole for breakfast! And then I remembered that it's President's Day and I didn't have to spring out of bed. 

Sweet Potato Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

Changed so much from the original it might as well be an original Shazamer recipe

Serves 8

1 bag sweet potato tater tots

1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick)

1 lb chorizo

1 green bell pepper (chopped small)

1/2 white onion (chopped small)

5 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Arrange the sweet potato tater tots so that they all fit in the bottom of an 11 x 7" glass baking dish. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour evenly over the tater tots. Then cook the tots as otherwise directed on the package. Mine needed to be cooked at 425℉ for almost a half hour. 

While the tots are cooking, brown the chorizo in a skillet with the finely chopped onion and green pepper.until cooked through. Also in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk.

When the tater tots are done cooking turn the oven down to 350℉ and remove from the oven. Pour the chorizo mixture onto the tots and using a spoon, spread the meat and vegetables evenly over the tots. Then pour the egg mixture over the meat and potatoes. Finally sprinkle the cheese on top. Put the casserole in the oven and cook for 30 minutes more. 

Breakfast Granola

I like clean food. I like food that doesn't have a whole lot of extra ingredients that I can't pronounce. That always makes me nervous. And, once upon a time, I read Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, and I really liked it. There's a part in there about how our grandmothers wouldn't recognize what we call food today as food. He specifically brings up yogurt. And I discovered that even plain yogurt sometimes isn't just milk and bacteria. So I started making my own yogurt. My first attempt (I blogged about it here) was a total bust. I had icky milk with yogurt aftertaste in a jar. I then borrowed the Home Ec teacher's yogurt maker and had amazing success! Knowing I have to return it at some point, I asked for one for Christmas. And I got it! Hooray!! 

I under cooked my first batch. oops. Oh well. Today I'm making batch #2 and I have high hopes!

The question becomes though: "What? Do you just eat plain yogurt?" Um no. Homemade yogurt is delicious and doesn't really need a sweetener, but it's, um, plain. So I searched Pinterest (God I love Pinterest!) and found some granola recipes. And I started making granolas. I made this one. And this one. And this one! And I started fiddling around with the recipes. Finally I came up with a recipe I like a TON. And I'm going to share it with you. 

Princess is stirring the granola!

Another nice thing about granola, besides how tasty it is, is that the princess can help! This is especially good because we've been kinda trapped inside our home since the beginning of the year. We didn't get the giant snowstorm that was in the forecast, but it's been really really cold. And my darling princess has a cold. I think when she gets older, it will be fun to have her help me all the time, but for now we're sticking to stirring the granola and helping to scramble the eggs for breakfast.

The Princess eating eggs that she helped scramble!

Yummy Breakfast Granola

An original Shazamer recipe

4 C Old Fashioned Oats

1 ½ C slivered almonds

½ C packed brown sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

¼ C canola oil

¼ C maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sunflower seeds

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat oven to 300°F

Mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in large container. In a small bowl combine oil, syrup, and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into oats. Stir until well mixed.

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread granola evenly on pan.

Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add coconut, stir, and bake 5 more minutes. When finished, mix in cranberries, sunflower seeds, and apricots and allow to cool completely.

Enjoy.

Bacon Waffles

Sometimes I can be not so bright. Yes, I managed to pull off all A's for the whole year in school despite my busy schedule. But that's books. When it comes to life I can be a complete moron. Sorry, I'm not going to go into the details on my silly little blog that I would be surprised if anyone still reads.

One fairly stupid thing I managed to do recently was place a whole stick of butter in the butter dish. This would not be stupid in and of itself, but see, I've been dealing with some personal problems by cleaning. And so I was soft-scrubbing the counters and rearranging everything and I moved the butter dish to the opposite counter. Still not stupid per se. But then I agreed to work the rummage sale at church(so much fun!) and decided to make these pork chops. Which wouldn't have been stupid if I hadn't put the crock pot right in front of the butter dish. D'Oh!

Three days later I noticed that my nice stick of butter had turned into a melty ball of nonuseableness. I don't think that's a word, but you get my drift.

Now because I've been kind of blue lately and dealing with some not so nice people, the first thing I thought to do with my melted stick of butter was to turn it into some comfort food. And comfort food it was. I pulled out my little waffle maker, thawed some slices of bacon, tweaked a recipe from the Joy of Cooking and did my best Paula Deen impression. The furry sous chef was hopping up and down waiting for the drippy edges that I would throw at her. And there are now 6 waffles in the freezer waiting for another day that I might need them.

Bacon Waffles

adapted from the Joy of Cooking

1 3/4 cups all purpose-flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 Tbsp melted bacon fat

3 eggs

1/3 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat waffle iron. Mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine bacon fat, eggs, butter, and milk. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in crumbled bacon and cook waffles according to your waffle irons specifications. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Broccoli Pie

Last weekend I had a couple of my girl friends over for a candle party/ Sunday brunch. Mostly it was an excuse to hang out with my lady friends with no husbands or kids allowed. As a single woman I was pretty familiar with how to throw a dinner party. Or a cocktail party. I could gather people together in the evening and I knew what to make. I gotta admit though. The idea of Sunday brunch intimidated the crap out of me. All I could think of was Ina Garten saying that the first time she entertained she made omelets and it turned out horribly because omelets are hard to keep warm and serve everyone at the same time.

Oh the anxiety.

So I called my mom. Zucchini pie is always good she said. I called my sister Super G and asked her what to make. Zucchini Pie, she responded. I'd only barely even heard of Zucchini Pie. So Super G talked me through the ingredient list as I wandered through Meier. First major trauma came in the produce department. The zucchini were small and shriveled and far from fresh and tasty looking. Super G suggested broccoli. But she said if I went with broccoli I needed to change the cheese to cheddar too. Oh boy. So the next major trauma happened when I realized I'd never actually bought crescent rolls before. I had no idea what they looked like or where to find them. I'm a freak. I know this. Super G talked me off that cliff and then I went home and discovered another trauma. I didn't have the recipe for Zucchini Pie. Crap.

Remember I mentioned how my mom had given us all cookbooks she had written out good recipes in? Well the Brain has a problem with lactose and although it was in everyone else's cookbook, Mom figured something laden with cheese was probably not something I'd be making and she left it out of my cookbook. Fortunately, I called Mom and she quick emailed it to me. Whew. I then took a long nap.

Sunday came around and I have to say, Zucchini Pie, er Broccoli Pie is one easy and delicious recipe to make. It's not horrible bad for you, but it's apparently no fail and it's really very delicious. And now if I invite people over for brunch I know of at least one thing I can make and have it all go smoothly!

Broccoli Pie

an adaptation of a family recipe

1 8oz package of Crescent Rolls (use the Pillsbury type)

4 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup diced onion

2 Tbsp butter

2 eggs well beaten

8oz package shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium-high heat saute vegetables and onion in butter until tender, approximately 8 minutes. Add spices except mustard and stir well. In a large bowl combine eggs and cheese. Add vegetables to cheese mixture and combine thoroughly. Separate crescents into triangles. Smoosh dough into bottom and up sides of ungreased 10 inch pie pan. Press seams to seal completely. Spread mustard on bottom of crust. Fold in vegetables and cheese mixture. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Note: cover edge of crust with tin foil strips the last 5 minutes of baking if crust becomes too brown.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns

Fall has definitely hit. It's chilly outside. And this morning there was a cold looking rain. I wasn't going outside. Actually, I was trapped inside all weekend with a nasty case of the flu. The Brain, I think, was worried I was going to permanently meld with the couch. Fortunately, yesterday I took a turn for the better. And by last night I was back to my normal self. I even was back to yelling at the TV during the Rachel Maddow Show. And rooting for Warren Sapp as he hustled across the dance floor. I admit it. I'm a Dancing With the Stars junkie.

So at some point this weekend while I lay on the couch staring at my bookshelves, which are full of cookbooks, I realized that I do really have a bunch of cookbooks that I haven't cooked from. One of them is Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. Now this book was a birthday present (that I picked out for myself) last year. And I just haven't planned ahead enough to make any of the breads out of it. So there I was with the time to plan and no real desire to cook. Yes I was definitely sick. But the thing is, I have a loaf of Zingerman's Whole Wheat Farm Bread on my counter that I've been slowly working my way through. I really didn't need any more bread.

But I did find a recipe in this cookbook / bread making manual for some Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns. Fabulous! The recipe reminds me a little bit of the Julia Child French Bread Recipe. It's very long. But in the margins is a nice little commentary that gives the bread profile (Enriched, medium soft dough; delayed fermentation method; commercial yeast) and tells how many days it will take to make (2) as well as a breakdown of how long each step will take. So I feel like the recipe really wants me to succeed. I still haven't found any instant yeast and am seriously thinking I may have to pick some up online, but earlier in the book there is a little commentary that says if you want to use active dry yeast, that's fine, just increase the amount by 25% and hydrate in 2 oz. of the lukewarm water (about 100°F.) for 2 to 5 minutes. So I tried to do that. But then I ended up adding a lot more flour because the final dough recipe called for more instant yeast, but no additional liquid. So I did what I figure I had to do and added 2 ounces of water. I sort of figured that if I added the yeast without any extra hydrating it wouldn't do anything. If anyone has a better idea I'm open to suggestions.

As a result, I did have more than the 8 to 10 buns that the recipe called for. I got 12. And I think they are really good. The Brain came home for lunch and he thought they were like eating whole wheat bread. But to be fair, he took an end piece that maybe I didn't get the cinnamon and sugar all the way to the end on. And he took it without frosting. I took a bite of mine and went back and made more frosting to dribble on top. They aren't as sweet as say those sickly sweet deep-fried ones at the grocery store, but I think they're better than them. And really, this is the kind of cinnamon roll I could eat for breakfast with a steaming hot cup of coffee. And best of all, although hard to believe, these are low fat (only about 2g each), high in fiber (over 7g each!) and they're made with whole wheat flour exclusively so you could even convince yourself they're sort of healthy.

Time for a healthy breakfast!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns

closely adapted from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads

Soaker:

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp (.14 ounces) salt

3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1% milk

Mix all of the soaker ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight (12 to 24 hours).

Biga:

1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp (heaping) active dry yeast

3 ounces 1% milk (a little more than 1/3 cup)

2 ounces lukewarm water (about 100°F./ 38°C.)

1 large egg slightly beaten

Hydrate the active dry yeast in the 2 ounces of water and let stand for 5 minutes.

Mix all of the Biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still tacky.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

About 2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

Final Dough:

Use all soaker

Use all biga

7 Tbsp (2 oz.) whole wheat flour

5/8 tsp (.18 oz.) salt

3 3/8 tsp active dry yeast

2 ounces lukewarm (100°F./ 38°C.) water

3 Tbsp honey

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

6 Tbsp brown sugar (or more to taste)

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

4 Tbsp 1% milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Hydrate the yeast in the 2 ounces of lukewarm water for 5 minutes.

Using a pastry scraper, chop the soaker and biga into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some additional flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other.)

Put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 Tbsp flour, salt, yeast, honey, and butter. Mix on slow speed with the paddle attachment for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to the dough hook if need be and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-doughs become cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. (If you're using active dry yeast and extra water, you will need to add a bunch of flour).

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you are preparing a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and made any final four or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1 1/2 times it's original size.

When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with about 1 Tbsp of the extra flour and gently transfer the dough to the floured work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try not to rip or tear the dough). Roll the dough out to a 9-inch square approximately 1/2 inch thick. (My square turned out to be more of a 12-inch square). Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon sugar all over the surface (making sure to get the edges) and roll it up into a tight loaf. Slice the dough into 1 inch thick slices and lay them out, 1 inch apart on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Mist the top of the buns with pan spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until the buns are nearly double in size.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (240°C.) Place the pan on the middle shelf, lower the temperature to 350°F (177°C.) and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes. While the buns are baking mix together glaze ingredients. The buns will be a rich brown and very springy when poked in the center. If they still seem doughy, continue baking.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool the buns for 5 minutes before glazing.

I'm a real American and I'm voting for Barak Obama. Although I do have the urge to point out that all you big city people aren't real Americans. You bunch of phonies! hee hee!

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins

So while I was doing an all out search for some frozen artichokes and ended up in the next county, I ran across some beautiful crimson rhubarb stalks. In a moment of impulse, I bought some. Then I came home and realized that I don't like pie. What was I going to do with this rhubarb?

After some searching, I found this fabulous recipe on the Food Network website. This is a superb way to use up rhubarb. The finished muffin has nice crunchy walnuts, crumbly sweet streusel topping, and is studded with tart little pieces of rhubarb. They are super easy to whip together too. Thank goodness I have more rhubarb to use up. I think these are going to go fast.

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins
adapted from the Food Network courtesy of Blacksmith's Inn, Bailey's Harbor, WI

1 1/2 flour
3/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped rhubarb

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and prepare 12 muffin cups.Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, mixing only until moist. Fold in rhubarb and walnuts. Distribute batter among 12 muffin cups. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

Multicultural Danish Braid

In case you haven't noticed the Danish Braids taking over the Internet, today is post day for the latest Daring Baker's Challenge, Danish Braid. This month's challenge is hosted by Kelly of Sass and Veracity and Ben of What's Cooking. The definitely challenging part of this challenge was learning how to make a laminated dough. This is the same type of dough as croissants are made of. I saw Jacques Pepin make this dough on PBS years ago and have been afraid of it ever since. In fact, I procrastinated so bad on making it that I just finished at 12:45 this morning.

I should not have been so afraid. The dough was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be. I followed the directions (posted on the host blogs) carefully and ended up with a nice flaky and delicious dough. But why do I call it multicultural? Because my filling was inspired by the Orange Chocolate Baklava in the book Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger. The orange flavoring really comes out. I used Lindt 70% chocolate only because I didn't have time, or the forethought, to drive to the next county to get some yummy Scharffenberger chocolate.

And oh yeah I'll be making this again.

Make sure to check out the rest of the Daring Bakers and their yummy braids!

Orange Chocolate Filling

1 cup unblanched whole almonds, lightly toasted

1 cup walnuts lightly toasted

6 oz. 70% bittersweet chocolate

4 oz. chopped dates

zest of 1 orange

Place nuts in food processor and pulse to chop very small. Add orange zest, chocolate, and dates and process until crumbly in texture.

This makes enough filling for 2 Danish Braids.

LiveSTRONG Day 2008

I am lucky. I may be on pseudo-house arrest. I may not be able to get into my pantry. I may have the world's squeakiest brace and sound like a demented version of the tin man. I may wake up sometimes in the middle of the night with a weird pain in my knee. And I may have resolved that it's possible that this isn't my last knee surgery. But I am lucky. This is all temporary. Eventually, and it's a certainty, I will be able to ride my bicycle again. I will be able to play and jump and maybe run (I've never been very good at running). I will heal one hundred percent. I don't have cancer. My body isn't mutinying against me. I am lucky.

My mom's friend Pam wasn't so lucky. She had lung cancer and finally succumbed to it two years ago. Pam had her flaws like everyone else, but she was a pretty cool lady. She taught school, but I really have no idea what grade and what she taught. I know she loved to swim. But mostly I remember driving her to the hospital when she wasn't allowed to drive anymore and listening to her talk about how when she got better she was going to have adventures. She had this attitude up until the very end. It was pretty inspiring really. And Pam's gift to me was showing me what would happen if I didn't quit smoking. That sounds so Machiavellian of me, but it's true.

The fear of lung cancer sometimes keeps me up at night. I used to smoke. I used to smoke a LOT. Some people will tell you that I survived in college on Diet Coke and cigarettes. And pretty much I did. Cigarettes became a way for me to stop myself from saying things I would regret. Cigarettes allowed me to pause and think before I spoke. Cigarettes allowed me to step outside and take a deep breathe when I got completely stressed out. And yes, I'm not from a generation where I can claim that I didn't know they were bad for me. I didn't care that I smelled bad. I didn't care that I couldn't smell anything. I was only mildly perturbed that my teeth were starting to yellow and that I'd probably get those scary lines around my lips. I had smoked for 15 years. Half of my life. And I loved it.

Those horrible photos of blackened lungs didn't do anything to break the grip that cigarettes had on me. I was addicted. What finally did it was watching Pam. Was knowing how Pam had all these adventures left in her that she wouldn't get to take. I didn't know Pam too well. But when Pam needed rides to the hospital, I didn't feel I could say no. After all, I have had far more than my share of people driving me around because I couldn't do it myself. And in the end, I was on the receiving end of these trips. Because I had a new appreciation for Pam and her unconquerable spirit. And I will never be a smoker again. How lucky I am that I had Pam in my life!

Winosandfoodies is having a Taste of Yellow blogging event where bloggers make yellow food to show their support for LiveSTRONG Day 2008. I spent a long long time thinking of a good food to make for this event. I wanted to make something that not only was yellow, but was also appropriate. For example, Saveur magazine had a recipe on how to make butter. Butter is yellow, but it doesn't seem right for a we can beat cancer type event. It's more of a oh hell let's all get fat kind of an event food. (If there is such an event please let me know!)

So I did loads of thinking and found this recipe for delicious corn muffins studded with cranberries and walnuts. Both of which have HUGE cancer fighting properties. According to work done by Catherine Neto at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and her colleagues, cranberries have chemicals called proanthocyanidins, which originally were thought to help prevent urinary tract infections. They have found that they inhibited the growth of human lung, colon and leukemia cells in culture without affecting healthy cells. I think that's pretty promising and you can read the whole article here. Walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties and you can read all about walnuts here. So I think these little cancer fighting yellow muffins are perfect for this event. That and they're damn tasty too!

There will be a complete roundup of entries on May 13th here. Make sure you check it out. Last year there were 149 entries and it's been accepted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation as an official LiveSTRONG Day event. And if you'd like to see the rules for the photo contest or how to submit an entry check them out here.

Dried Cranberry Black Walnut Corn Muffins

from The Cornbread Gospels

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached white flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup black walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 egg

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup grape seed oil (or other mild vegetable oil)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 18 muffin cups with oil. Set aside

Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss them together well, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Set aside.

Combine the dried cranberries and walnuts in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the dry cornmeal mixture over them and toss well. Set aside.

Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and oil in a small bowl.

Pour the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture and, working with as few strokes as possible, combine the two. When they are moistened but not quite incorporated and the batter is still far from smooth, stir in the meal dusted cranberries and nuts.

Scoop the batter into the prepared cups and bake until the muffins are golden brown, slightly crusty around the edges and test clean with a toothpick, about 15 minutes.

Look What I Made This Week!

Yet again I've been lurking around the food blog world. And yet again I've found some delicious delicious posts on other blogs that I gave a try...


This week I decided to give the Egg Muffins found originally on Kalyn's Kitchen, and then found here and here and numerous other places on the Internet. These little babies are a tasty way to start your morning on the go. I usually eat mine cold right out of the refrigerator, but the Brain likes to heat his up. They are super versatile too. I've made them with goat cheese, Swiss, Parmesan, dill and asparagus. I've also made them with red pepper, carrots, fennel, cracked black pepper, and mushrooms. Either way they're great, easy and a healthy way to start the day.


I also made, because I couldn't resist, these unbelievably cinnamony brownies from Quirky Cupcake. They were delicious even though I think I made the glaze wrong. If you'll notice the difference between my week glaze to her luscious glaze in the photos. All I can think is that if mine were made wrong and still tasted so decadent and so lovely that even the Brain, who notoriously doesn't like brownies, ate far more than his share of them. Although it should be noted, because he's been insisting, that I did indeed eat over half of the pan. But I'm not the one who took a fork to the pan the next morning.


Finally I made this delicious Greek noodle dish found on Kalofagas. I bet you were wondering what I was going to do with Halloumi and Ricata Salata. Well okay maybe you weren't wondering. But I have been poking around a lot and when I saw this dish, I knew I had to make it. I just had to wait until I could find some Halloumi cheese and it took a trip to Michigan to find it! And Peter M. is right! Halloumi does squeak when you eat it. I also had to substitute chardonney for port and these fun little radiatore shaped pasta for egg noodles. It's amazing what you run out of when you're not looking. Anyway, it was delicious and light and just perfect. Although I did have some trouble that I kept eating the hot fried Halloumi before I finished making the dish.

Please Sir, I'd Like Some More

I am a lucky girl. I have a great mother in law. I know I've let this be known several times, but really, I mean it. Back in early January, she asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told her I wanted a bread baking book or some athletic socks. She tried to get me an artisan bread book a friend of hers had, but she could only find it used. Instead, she gave me the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. I Love it. Really. Madly, deeply, love it.

See, I'm a fairly big dork. And I love to read cookbooks. I look at the recipes and the descriptions and I imagine how it would taste and whether the Brain would eat the recipe and whether I could get the ingredients here. Sometimes I try to imagine how fattening things are and whether my butt could really take any more expanding. But being that this is really a crazy fantastic cookbook, it has the nutrition information for almost all of the recipes.

As of right now, I've managed to get through the breakfast section. While things like quinoa pancakes look unbelievable, I'm not sure where I'd manage to get some quinoa flour out here in Nowhere, Ohio. Especially with this snow/ freezing rain blend we've gotten today. I did pick up some quinoa in Michigan this weekend, but I don't know if I can make my own flour. But I digress. In the midst of this baking book, there was a recipe for porridge.

Porridge? Porridge brings to mind cold and rainy weather and orphans and tasteless gruel and musicals about poor people. Or at least it used to for me. This was the most amazing breakfast EVER. I haven't wanted a second helping of breakfast since I was a kid and my mom once in a while bought a sugar cereal, like Graham Crackers, or Honey Nut Cheerios. Not only was it delicious, but it was packed with fiber and whole grains. The porridge, not Honey Nut Cheerios. I happened to have almost all of the ingredients on hand too. I didn't have the exact fruits the recipe called for, and I only had about 1/4 cup of heavy cream for the Maple Cream. But really I don't think the Maple Cream is necessary. Don't get me wrong, it was soooooo good. It was rich and tasty and made my eyes roll back in my head. But the porridge with the fruit would be a very good breakfast with just a sprinkle of brown sugar. Way more healthy too.

And the porridge was a great way to start a day with such miserable weather. It even kept me full through shoveling. Too bad I forgot to pack my own lunch. Such a healthy breakfast did make me feel better about going next door to the local coffeeshop for a brownie for lunch though. And oh yay! I get to have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow! The Brain didn't want any. Silly man.

Irish Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Maple Cream

from King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking

2 servings

1/2 cup steel-cut oats

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp dried prunes, chopped (about 3)

1 Tbsp currants

1 Tbsp golden raisins

2 Tbsp craisins

The night before you want to serve the porridge, soak the oats in enough water to cover them plus an inch. The next morning, drain the oats and place them in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and the salt. Bring the oats to a simmer over medium heat and simmer, stirring, until they're tender, about 10 to 12 minutes total cooking time. Stir in the dried fruits and let the porridge sit for 5 minutes. To serve the porridge, divide the oatmeal between 2 bowls and serve with a sprinkle of brown sugar and the maple cream (recipe follows).

Nutrition Information per serving (3/4 cup porridge): 39g whole grains, 190 cal, 3g fat, 6g protein, 37g complex carbohydrates, 5g dietary fiber, 271mg sodium, 269mg potassium, 64RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 31mg calcium, 184mg phosphorus

Maple Cream

Yield: 1 cup, 8 servings

1 cup heavy cream

1 cinnamon stick

1 small strip orange peel

1 star anise

1/4 cup maple syrup

Combine the cream with the cinnamon stick, orange peel, and anise in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, orange peel and star anise, and whisk in the maple syrup. Increase the heat and simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes more. Serve with porridge.

According to the cookbook this cream "keeps well in the refrigerator, and a quick zap in the microwave warms it just enough to serve."

They didn't give the nutrition information for the Maple Cream.

Pumpkin: It's a Vegetable

Oh so you know that I've been focusing on vegetables all month. How I promised to spotlight them and show you hot great all these different vegetables are. Well Peabody and Helen threw yet another blog event into the mix that I simply wanted to participate in... Time to Make the Donuts! Only problem is that it is a donut event. Yes those delicious fried rings of dough that are ridiculously fattening. In a month that I'm focusing on vegetables. Who ever heard of a cabbage donut?

But, have no fear. I found a pumpkin donut recipe. Pumpkin is a vegetable. Pumpkin is very good for you too. It's loaded with phytonutrients which helps keep our skin young and protected from sunlight. Even when it's mixed with sugar and flour and deep fried.

So I was up in Michigan to celebrate my birthday on Sunday. Yay! I love birthdays! Really, I just love birthday cake and cards. I don't even care if I get presents as long as there's cake and cards. SO my sister M, my mom, my stepdad, Brain, and I were all up there and I figured this would be perfect because then the Brain and I aren't left trying to eat all the donuts in one morning before they get gross. Fried food doesn't stay good long usually.

I mixed the dough the night before, and Mom and I did a late night run to Meijers for buttermilk, baking soda, and what we could find for a donut cutter. The next morning, my sister M, helped bring sheet pans of raw donuts over while I was putting them in the oil. She also brought over empty pans for me to put the cooked donuts on. M also helped roll the donut holes in the spiced sugar. The Brain taste tested several of the donut holes as soon as M could roll them in sugar. My mom supervised to make sure I didn't catch the kitchen on fire while deep frying. And my stepdad helped by testing the experience of waking up to warm frosted donuts.They were delicious. I'm so glad we weren't left with all of them. I would have happily eaten them. And, because they were cake donuts, they stayed good until around 1pm when we fled from their delicious subliminal call to eat them. They might be good even longer than that. If you can get them to stick around that long.
And I didn't catch the kitchen on fire. Whew!

Pumpkin Donuts with Powdered Sugar Glaze and Spiced Sugar Donut Holes

from Bon Appetit

Spiced Sugar:

1 cup sugar

4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

Donuts:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp buttermilk

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

Canola oil (for deep frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

Whipping cream

For spiced sugar:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend.

For donuts:

Whisk first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin in 4 additions. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic and chill 3 hours.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour.

Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2 inch diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1 inch diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make donuts and donut holes.

Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels.

Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F. to 375°F. Fry donut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry donuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer donuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

For powdered sugar glaze:

Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons milk to blend. Make this up to 3 hours ahead.

Add donut holes to spiced sugar and toss to coat. Spread donuts on 1 side with glaze. Arrange glazed donuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, about 15 minutes.

Everything Bagels

All summer the post office across the street from the Brain's law firm has been having work done. It has been some serious entertainment. At the end of it all, the workers landscaped the front and planted some grass seed. They put down some straw to keep the birds away and left. Today, before the rain came, large gusts of wind blew through town and picked up all that straw in one big swirly mass. It was like what I imagine a sandstorm would except it was straw. We couldn't even see across the street.

Sometimes things we see everyday, like straw can be transformed into something magical. The Brain and I had this experience with our everything bagels. Before now, if we wanted an everything bagel, we went to the grocery store and looked for one. And those barely taste like anything. When we travel we might stop on the tollway and get one from Einstein Bros. Bagels. So everything bagels haven't been a common occurrence out here in nowhere land.

But, feeling like I need a break from the steady stream of vegetables going on over here. Especially after getting seriously creative with those turnips, I needed to work with something I know would work out for me. Baked Goods. Bolstered by my repeated success with Martha Stewart's pretzels, I decided to attempt bagels. (Also there's a neat food event going on over at Sweet Sins called Bread Baking Day #6 Shaped Bread and this is my entry for it.)

I mixed and kneaded and when it came to shaping, the Brain was seriously interested in what I was doing. So he sat there and measured out little 3 ounce blobs of dough and I rolled them into what I thought were mini bagels. Half of them I made into balls and poked holes in them. The other half I made into ropes and from the ropes into circles. I think the rope/circle method worked better than poking holes, but by the end I couldn't tell which were which. After letting them rise and then boiling them, I created a mixture of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated minced garlic, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and caraway seeds. Then I pressed the bagel tops into this mixture.

They came out WAY better than buying them at the store. And since my little town has no bakery other than WalMart (blech) we will most likely make these again. frequently. maybe when the family comes into town. maybe just because we like bagels. maybe just because we like THESE bagels. And really although the Joy of Cooking recipe says it makes 8 bagels and we got 16 good sized bagels out of it, there was nothing mini about them.

Bagels

from the Joy of Cooking

Combine in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes:

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm (105° to 115° F) water

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Stir in:

1 Tbsp melted vegetable shortening (Crisco)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 cup bread flour

Gradually stir in:

3 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour*

Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let rest, covered, 15 to 20 minutes.

Punch down the dough and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope tapering the ends. Wet the ends to help seal and form into rings, stretching the top end over and around the bottom end and pinching them together underneath. Or alternately, roll each piece of dough into a ball. Stick your thumb through the ball to make a hole. Stretch the hole out about 2 inches. Let rise, covered, on a floured board about 15 minutes, until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bring to a boil in a large pot:

4 quarts water

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Drop the rings 4 at a time into the boiling water. As the bagels surface, turn them over and cook about 45 seconds longer. Skim out and place on an ungreased baking sheet coated with:

Cornmeal

Press the tops of the bagels in a combination of

Caraway seeds

Kosher salt

Sesame seeds

Poppy seeds

Minced granulated garlic

Cracked black pepper

in a 1:1:1:1:1:1 ratio. (1 part of each). Bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

* I had to use a lot more flour. I think it may have been humid in my kitchen. That happens a lot.

Ah Relief

We are home. Temporarily in between Christmas celebrations. Last weekend we had a 90th birthday party, a wedding reception, and 2 Christmases with my family. This weekend we have a Christmas celebration, a birthday party and a baby shower. Celebrations and family happiness abound. But I have to say, I love my quiet little house and my nice firm mattress. I can lay awake in the early morning hours and listen comfortably to the nothingness.

I digress. After all that rich food in Michigan, and with the expectation of rich food to come, I am craving vegetables. But I'm not really cooking this week. (We're playing "what leftovers are in the freezer" for the 2 nights I actually have to think about dinner.) So I've made do with some very tasty bran muffins. I got some pretty cool silicone cupcake liners in both heart shapes and squares as a Christmas present and I wanted to try them out.

This recipe is loosely based on this recipe here. But I don't keep buttermilk on hand, so I substituted yogurt. And the reviews said it was dry, so a little applesauce couldn't hurt. And really when I was cutting up the apricots and prunes and I just kept finding more dried fruit in my cupboards, I couldn't help adding raisins and currants and craisins and adding an entire 1/2 cup more dried fruit than I was supposed to. I don't know what the original recipe tasted like, but my recipe made 18 muffins (in both heart and square shapes) and tasted darn good.

And a little relief is a good good thing.

Bran Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 egg white

1 1/2 cups plain non-fat yogurt

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1 1/2 dried fruit, chopped if big pieces, (I used prunes, apricots, golden raisins, currants, and craisins)

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degree F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners (or use silicone ones without liners).

Whisk flours, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Lightly beat the eggs and egg white in a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt, brown sugar, applesauce, and oil. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Fold in the dried fruit and the nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until firm when pressed gently and a tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the cups and cool on rack. Serve warm or room temperature.