Spinach Artichoke Quiche

Thought I should include a photo of my huge children.  It's been fun lately revisiting the early posts when Big was the only child and so, so little. 

This delicious (gluten-free) "quiche" is what we ate with our 2 ingredient bagels for dinner one night.  I topped it with red pepper flakes since my kids weren't eating it with us.  Then, I refrigerated the leftovers and ate them for lunch the rest of the week.

Spinach Artichoke Quiche (serves 6)
from Weight Watchers

1 can artichoke hearts
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 T olive oil
1 box frozen spinach (thawed and drained well)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 T dried basil
1/2 T dried oregano
salt and pepper

Grease a pie pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drain the artichoke hearts and trim them.  Cut them into halves or quarters and spread them on the bottom of the pie pan. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Stir in the spinach and parmesan cheese.  Pour egg mixture into the pie pan.  Top with dollops of ricotta.Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Points:  Varies depending on the cheese and milk.  I used whole milk and part-skim ricotta and the entire quiche was about 18 points so 3/slice.

Hash Waffles

I know I'm late to the waffle party - I haven't made much other than actual waffles in my waffle iron although I've been wanting to try the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls since Hannah told me they work great.

We're not big potato or hash brown people in general but this recipe has been popular around our house.  Well, after the first time when my husband though it was an actual waffle and poured syrup all over it.  I'll typically make one and split it between the two of us as a side with eggs or omelets.  There's a picture of this with the fritatta in the last post.

Recipe notes . . . I buy the frozen hash browns that don't have extra ingredients - that are basically just the potatoes.  I imagine you could shred your own and it would be the same but I usually take the short cut and keep a bag in my freezer.  Where the recipe says "Other seasonings," I've tried this with diced green chiles and cumin and usually put hot sauce on it after it's cooked.  You could do chopped spinach, other diced veggies, cooked diced bacon etc.

Hash Waffle (makes 1 large waffle)

3/4 cup frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1 egg
3 T egg whites (about 2 large)
salt and pepper to taste
any other seasonings

Preheat waffle iron.  Beat eggs and seasonings in a bowl.  Stir in thawed hash browns and mix well.  Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray.  Pour mixture into iron and spread evenly.  Cook until browned and cooked through - or when your waffle iron light comes on (or goes off?)

3sp

Butternut Squash Fritatta

After a busy April, I'm back on the blog for May!  In case you forgot what we all look like (or want to see how quickly my kids have been changing and growing), here are a few recent photos.

Crazy right?  Some days I look at her and wonder where my little Big went . . . sigh . . .

I've been on a "breakfast-for-dinner" kick since Valentine's Day.  I think it started with my new waffle iron and my discovery of the hash waffle - hash browns in the waffle iron.  These are two of my favorite recent recipes and I think you'll love them for breakfast or for dinner.

Look at this yummy base for the fritatta!

Butternut Squash Frittata (6 slices)
from Emily Bites Blog

1.5 tsp canola oil
2 cups butternut squash (cut into bite sized cubes)
1.5 oz proscuitto or center cut bacon
1 cup fresh spinach
8 eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz parmesan cheese (grated or finely shredded)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat an oven safe skillet on the stove top to medium high.  Add the oil and butternut squash and stir to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the proscuitto or bacon and cook, stirring, for another two minutes.  Add the spinach and cook for two more minutes or until the spinach is wilted and everything is nicely browned (like in the photo above).

While the squash is cooking, crack the eggs into a large bowl, then add the yogurt, sage, thyme, and parmesan cheese.  Whisk to combine into a smooth custard.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the squash, proscuitto, and spinach are cooked, spray the pan (get the edges and any part that doesn't have some oil from the proscuitto) with olive oil spray.  Then, pour the egg mixture over, stirring slightly to evenly combine with the squash mixture.  Cook on the stovetop at medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the very outside edge looks cooked.  Carefully transfer to the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the center of the fritatta is set.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then slice and serve!

 5sp per slice

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins

Another light recipe to help you keep your New Year's resolve.  This is low in sugar, low in calories and filling.  If you use gluten free oats, it's GF and I have been replacing the skim milk with almond milk.   These are a big hit at my house and I made a variation (below) with fresh blueberries when they were on sale last week.  Muffin may be a little misleading - these are more dense (think "filling and nutrient rich") but they are convenient singles to grab for breakfast and eat on the go.  I may have just eaten one for dessert . . .

Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins (makes 1 dozen)
from Emily Bites Blog

2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 c. skim milk (or almond milk)
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
zest of one large orange
2/3 cup halved fresh cranberries

Preheat oven 350.  Lightly spray a muffin tin with cookie spray.

Whisk together the egg white, egg, milk, applesauce, orange juice and zest in a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended together.  Stir in the cranberries.  Spoon the mixture evenly between 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the oatmeal is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  (94 calories/3SP/single)

Lemon Blueberry Variation:  Use 3/4 cup greek yogurt (vanilla or blueberry flavor)  in place of the applesauce and orange juice.  Use lemon zest in place of orange and use 1 cup blueberries (whole, fresh) in place of the cranberries.

Favorite Food

What's your favorite food?  It's so hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I'd probably go with burritos. Or, maybe tacos.  Big's favorite food is salmon and Little's is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Middle, she loves pancakes.  She's not much of a breakfast eater and we struggle some mornings to get some food in her belly before kindergarten, but pancakes do the trick.  I make a hot breakfast once or twice during the week and on Sundays we've been making pancakes together.  Our Saturdays have had early soccer games and we rush out of the house but hopefully this winter that will change.

Middle loves to help make her favorite food and her signature touch is mini chocolate chips sprinkled on the pancakes while they're on the griddle.  This recipe is from my mom and is tried and true.  I realized that while there are pumpkin pancakes, banana pancakes, almond pancakes and other variations already on the blog, this one had yet to make an appearance.  So, here it is.  Almost as easy as a mix!

Grammy's Pancakes (serves 4)

1 cup flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 beaten egg
1 c. milk
2 T cooking oil.

Whisk together egg, milk and oil with a whisk.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just blended.  Cook on hot griddle.

*Middle suggests after pouring batter on the griddle, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips.

What's for breakfast?

In summer, I really slack off and let the girls eat cold cereal most mornings for breakfast.  Now that they're back in school, I try to change it up and usually make eggs once a week, pancakes once a week, and have homemade granola as another option besides cereal.  I also buy healthier cereal than what I let them get away with during the summer.

That being said, this #3 has a mind of her own.  She's obsessed with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.  She wants a small bowl of it every morning . . . but then usually proceeds to eat a second breakfast of whatever her sisters are having.  I found a healthier version with less sugar at Sprouts (it looks similar - squares covered in cinnamon sugar - so she's okay with the substitution).

I recently tried to change up my own breakfast routine of coffee and a greek yogurt by making a hot quinoa dish and by trying to drink a green juice before having my coffee in the mornings.  I do feel a lot better with something healthier in my stomach but it takes a little extra effort.

I made the quinoa dish when I was taking a break from sugar for awhile but I'll let you in on a little secret - it's way, way better with a tablespoon of brown sugar or a swirl of maple syrup!

Hot Breakfast Quinoa (2 servings)
from Cooking Light 6/13

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 T water
1 T brown sugar (optional)
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raspberries (or other berries)

Combine quinoa, coconut milk, water, and brown sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked.

Toast the coconut in the oven or on the stovetop until slightly brown.  Top the quinoa with the coconut and raspberries (or any other fruit / nuts etc. of your choosing).  Eat warm.

Peaches for breakfast

Before the peach ice cream happened, I made this delicious peach breakfast for my husband.  The girls don't love cooked fruit (even apple pie, much to my husband's dismay) so they weren't big fans but that meant more for us!  This is like a "dutch baby" or dutch pancake recipe and is really easy to pull together.  Other kinds of fresh fruit would probably work as well but the peach was delightful.

Peach Oven Pancake (serves 4-6)

2 T unsalted butter
1 cup peach slices (peeled)
4 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place butter in a 10 or 11 inch cast iron or oven proof skillet and place the skillet in the oven until the butter is melted.

Remove pan from the oven and place sliced peaches in a single layer in the pan.

Prepare the batter by placing the eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, and milk in a blender and blending until smooth.  Pour the batter into the skillet over the peaches.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pancake is puffed and golden brown.  Cut into slices and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve with maple syrup on the side.

Pecan Roll Bundt

Last weekend, I hosted an annual Flip Flop Exchange and brunch for friends and their little (or not so little anymore!) girls.  We had a blast and I wish I had better / more pictures to share but I was busy enjoying the company and conversation.  I love making breakfast and having friends for brunch gives me an excuse to try some new recipe ideas.  Someday, if my dream of owning a bed and breakfast comes true, I'll get to do it all the time!  Anyways, I digress.  

This time around I made two new things  that I want to share.  The first is a pecan roll bundt cake.  It's like an easier version of monkey bread and I was initially skeptical about the method of using whole biscuits so I gave it a test run a few weeks prior when BFF and baby girl were here.  It turned out fantastic and really easy.  I love pecan rolls / sticky buns and everything of this genre so I ate waaayyy too much.  

Layered in the pan

Just out of the oven before inverting it

Pecan Roll Bundt 

original recipe here

1.5 cans refrigerated biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands Original)

3 T butter, melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. chopped pecans

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.  Combine melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.  

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle about half of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.  Lay the biscuits in the pan overlapping the edges (like the photo above) to form a ring.  Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar cinnamon mixture and pour over the rest of the syrup mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for a minute or two in the pan before running a knife around the edges and inverting onto a serving platter. 

Down on Amy's Farm

This spring I took a couple of months off of work to spend more time at home and with the kids.  One of the highlights of my time at home has been our "farm class" that I've taken them to on Monday mornings.  It's a parent-child class where we get to explore plants and animals on the farm and usually involves a craft, story time, and some songs as well.  When a friend first told me about it, I thought that I'd never have time to drive down to Ontario/Chino every week and do this but it's been awesome.  Jordyn has a new little friend that takes the class and it's been fun to watch the two of them together.  The farm also has a farm stand, tours, does field trips, and holds workshops.

 I think that the pictures will express the experience better than anything else I could write!

This mama and baby posed for their photo!

Hanging out in the garden - near Easter, we had an egg hunt in the rows

The kids usually got to feed an animal and learn about it - this week, we picked and ate carrots from the garden, saving the tops for the chickens.

There is literally nothing much cuter than piglets . . . 

The kids were encouraged to taste and try stuff - here, a variety of heirloom broccoli with edible flowers.  I saw my girls eat Rainbow Chard, Dinosaur Kale . . . all sorts of green delicious things!

She's an animal lover and natural farm girl - she loved every bit of her experience.

Before holding baby turkeys, the kids had to practice with little stuffed animals to show they could be gentle and not squeeze them to death.

Milking the cow!  We waited for weeks and this was one of our favorite days.

To visit Amy's Farm:  www.amysfarm.com

7698 Eucalyptus Avenue

Ontario, CA 91762

Here's a recipe for a healthy morning treat before farm class, school or any other adventure.  I've seen versions of this floating around on Pinterest and was intrigued by the concept - a cross between a pancake and a muffin with a decent amount of protein and fiber.  They're gluten free and filling.  I can see how they'd be easy to take and eat on the run.  The method in the original recipe called for putting all the ingredients in the blender but even with my VitaMix, I ended up with a lumpy mess at the bottom and the almond meal stuck to the blades wasn't fun to clean.

Almond Blueberry Pancake Muffins (makes 8)

original recipe on the Kitchenthusiast

1/4 cup Greek vanilla yogurt

2 T unsalted butter, melted

2 T maple syrup

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1.5 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

2 eggs

1 egg white

1/3 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.  In a large bowl, combine yogurt, butter, syrup, and almond extract.  Whisk together.  Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Add the eggs and egg white and stir until incorporated but do not over mix (the batter will be thick). 

Divide the batter among the muffin tin cavities until each one is about half way full.  I got 8 muffins from this recipe.  After putting the batter in, sprinkle blueberries onto each one (I left a couple plain).

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.  Cool 2-3 minutes in the tin, run a knife around the edge of each cup and carefully remove.  They're good warm but they'll also store in the fridge for 3-4 days.  I didn't mind them cold but you can reheat in a 200 degree oven for 3-5 minutes.

First Day of Fall

It may not feel like it here in So Cal but today is the first day of fall.  I made this delicious fall-ish recipe last weekend for my girlfriends and I'm not sure about them, but I loved it (and chowed down the cold leftovers a couple of days later).  The pumpkin pie flavor was delicious and I liked the moist texture better than my other baked oatmeal recipes.  I made it GF and dairy free with GF oats and almond milk so it's versatile in that regard.  I imagine that a flax seed substitute would work fine for the egg as well.

I forgot to bring the whipped cream that I bought but I served it with maple syrup and some candied pecans that were chopped up.  Yummy!! Hope you're feeling some fall weather wherever you are!

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (8 servings)
adapted from Budget Bytes

1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 c. milk  (can use almond or soy)
2.5 c. old fashioned oats
For topping:  maple syrup, milk, nuts, whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder until smooth.  Whisk in the milk.

Mix the oats into the pumpkin mixture.  Grease a 2 quart casserole dish and pour in the oatmeal.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot out of the oven.  Top with milk, maple syrup, nuts, or whipped cream.  Tastes good cold too!

Pancake Pops

I've made several great recipes that I've found on Pinterest and while I love looking at some of the "Pinterest Fail" blogs sometimes, I've honestly had great luck.  I saw this idea on there some time back and when I decided to throw a Flip Flop Exchange & brunch again this year for friends, I wanted to try making pancake pops.  I was feeling great about it - found some Wilton lollipop sticks for a decent price, got the ingredients together, and then I told my husband my idea.  He laughed and thought it would never work.  So, with a group of friends and kids at my house, it was with a little apprehension that I tried this out.  But, ta-da!  It worked!  Baby girl ate 3 the first day, 4 the next morning and absolutely loved the pancake on a stick.

They are super cute but the real bonus is that I find my girls eat less syrup when they dip instead of drench their pancakes, and the little extra time it takes to make them is overshadowed (in my mind) by the time it takes to cut them into pieces.  It was fun for the party and I'll be making these again!

Step 1:  Make a batch of your favorite pancake batter.  The kind that's more cake-like will work better than the kind that is thinner and more crepe-like.  You might decrease your liquid a bit to achieve thicker batter.

Step 2:  Using a griddle, pour smallish amounts of batter and let it cook for about a minute.

Step 3:  After it's cooked for 1-2 minutes, add the sticks.  One of my friends suggested resting the sticks on the rim of the griddle so the sticks themselves didn't burn.

Step 4:  Using a spoon or spatula, smooth over the batter to cover the stick.

Step 5:  When bubbles appear, use a flat spatula to turn the pancakes - don't use the sticks to do this!

Step 6:  When they're done cooking, remove from the griddle (again using your spatula) and serve!  

No more pictures, mom!

Oven Custard Pancake

After many days and weeks of cold cereal, bagels or yogurt for breakfast, I decided we needed something hot for breakfast.  I really liked this custardy pancake but my kids weren't so sure . . . I probably shouldn't have called it "pancake" because it's not what they were expecting.  You could use other berries for topping or even in the swirl.  The pancake definitely sinks from its initial puffiness as you can see in the difference between the top and bottom pictures.

Oven Custard Pancake with Raspberries (serves 8)

from Sunset 4/2011

4 large eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp lemon zest

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

2.5 cups milk

1 cup raspberries

1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks

Optional:

Chopped fresh berries

maple syrup

Set an ovenproof 12 inch frying pan in the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees (you could also use a 9x13 pan).  Whisk eggs, honey, and zest to blend.  Add salt, flour and 1/4 cup milk and whisk until smooth.  Then, whisk in the remaining milk.

Puree the raspberries in a blender until smooth.  Strain and discard seeds.

Remove pan from oven (carefully!).  Add the butter and swirl until melted and golden.  Pour in batter.  Pour raspberry puree over batter in wide ribbons.  Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake pancake until deep golden, about 20 minutes.  Let stand 10-15 minutes to firm up (the puffy pancake will fall).

Serve with chopped fresh berries, a little more honey, maple syrup, or plain.

Salsa Verde Poached Eggs

I love spicy egg dishes for breakfast like huevos rancheros or chilaquiles.  While we're on the topic, my favorite Huevos Rancheros are at Cafe Verde in Pasadena . . . yum!!  Anyways, a few weeks ago I dreamed up this version of fake chilaquiles, made it for brunch with friends, and loved the result.  I'm looking for an excuse to make them again!

Some recipe notes:  Poaching eggs is a healthy way to enjoy them and doing it in salsa brings a lot of flavor (and is easier than poaching in boiling water which I don't quite have down).  You could make your own salsa verde but I love the Trader Joe's version.  I make these tortilla strips for tortilla soup and for taco salad and it works great here too.  Baking the tortilla strips omits the frying part of most chilaquiles recipes which turns me off from making the more authentic version.  You can use cotija cheese for a more authentic flavor but really any shredded cheese will do.  I used pepper jack to make it spicier.  It's easy to do several batches in the same salsa (add a little to it after scooping out the first batch of eggs) to feed a larger group.  If you're GF, check the ingredients on  your corn tortillas.

Salsa Verde Poached Eggs (2 servings)

4 eggs
2-3 cups salsa verde
2 corn tortillas
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
olive oil spray

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  With a pizza cutter, cut corn tortillas into thin strips and then cut in half.  Spread them in one even layer on a cookie sheet that's coated with olive oil spray.  Sprinkle with salt if you want to (I did but the salsa was pretty salty too so next time, I'd omit the salt from the tortilla strips).  Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the strips and crispy and light brown.  Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the salsa verde until barely bubbling.  Depending on the thickness of the salsa, you might want to let it simmer until it's thickened up.  If the salsa is too thin, the eggs won't hold their shape as well while poaching.

Make little wells in the salsa and pour a cracked egg into each well.  Cover and simmer over medium heat until the egg is poached to your preferences (I like the whites to be firm and the yolks to be a little runny).  Right at the end, sprinkle the cheese on top of the egg.

Put some tortilla strips on a plate.  Spoon an egg and some salsa verde on top.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Smoked Salmon over Potato Cakes

Normally when we have salmon, my husband grills it.  I've only recently discovered how much I like smoked salmon and when I saw this recipe in a recent Cooking Light, I really wanted to try it.  It was a perfect light summer supper but would also be  an awesome idea for brunch or a luncheon.  I thought that some of the traditional toppings like creme fraiche and capers would also go really well.  I had a bag of frozen hash browns (just potato - no other ingredients) and thawed out the correct amount.  

If it's too hot to turn on your oven, try a crock pot recipe instead and remember this for when it cools off a little!!

Smoked Salmon over Potato Cakes (4 servings)
from Cooking Light

6 cups grated peeled baking potato
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
5 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
cooking spray
3.5 ounce package of smoked salmon
dill sprigs

Place an 8 inch round metal cake pan* in the oven.  Preheat oven to 425 with the pan in the oven.

Combine potato and onion in a large bowl.  Combine salt, pepper, cheese and eggs in another bowl, stirring well.  Combine egg mixture and potato mixture.  Remove preheated pan from oven  and carefully coat with cooking spray.  Place potato mixture in the pan and pack down slightly.  Bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand in pan 10 minutes.  Invert potato mixture onto a plate.  Cut into 8 wedges; top evenly with salmon and dill (1 serving = 2 wedges = 391 calories).

*Instead, you can use ramekins.  I made large 2-cup ramekins but you could also divide it between smaller ones.  Reduce cooking  time by 10-15 minutes if you do this.

Chia Seed Pudding

I rarely skip breakfast - I need something in my belly and some caffeine to start the day.  My girls usually have a bowl of cereal, frozen waffles, or on a good day, homemade pancakes.  I like a little more protein and less calories so I often have greek yogurt with homemade granola or a hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit.  I don't often eat hot breakfast because I've gotten used to the kind of things I could grab  and go with when I worked early mornings.

When you're busy, or if you typically skip breakfast, make ahead breakfasts are such a good idea - my friend Steph makes this great overnight oatmeal that you should check out.  Lately, I've been making chia seed pudding.  It's sweet, filling, and you make it the night before so it's there to just grab and eat in the morning.  The first time I saw this on Pinterest (from the Baked Bree blog), I went and got the ingredients that day and whipped it up for myself.  Delicious!  The chia seeds form a gelatinous ring around them when soaked so it's a great pudding like consistency in the morning.  Chia seeds are a complete protein (all amino acids present) and considered by some to be a "super food" nutritionally.  Try it - you'll like it!

Chia Seed Pudding (1 serving)

3T chia seeds
1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
1 T agave nectar or honey (optional)
2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or almond extract (also optional)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries (or other fruit)

Mix together the first 5 ingredients and refrigerate covered overnight.  In the morning, stir it and top with fresh blueberries and any other toppings (nuts, coconut, other fruit).

Coffee Cake

What's better than nuts, chocolate and coffee all together in the same cake?  Not much!  I love a good coffee cake and although my quest to wear a bathing suit this summer (after three kids - yikes!) means that I'm cutting back on sweet treats, I can't wait to make this one again.  It's not overly sweet, it's super easy to make, and the combination of flavors was delicious.  

Pecan Chocolate Espresso Coffee Cake

from The Food Librarian

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray or butter.   

Combine the flour, both sugars, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed, then on medium speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Pull out 3/4 cup of the mixture and place in another mixing bowl. Stir in the pecans, chocolate and espresso powder to form the crumb topping.

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the remaining flour-butter-sugar mixture; add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Almond Pancakes

I came across this on Pinterest recently and I liked the idea of pancakes without white flour.  These would accommodate a lot of diets (they're gluten free and even Paleo, I think).  I was a bit skeptical because not all of my Pinterest experiments turn out well so I just tried out a half batch.  I knew that if I promised my kids pancakes for breakfast and they turned out bad, we'd have a major morning crisis on our hands.

As you would expect of the ingredients, they were a little gritty in texture (I did use the finely ground almond meal from Bob's Red Mills) but I liked the nutty almond flavor.  I might experiment with adding a little more water (or almond milk?) to the batter to make the pancakes a bit thinner.  They reminded me a little of corn cakes that I've had before.  After a few bites, Middle asked me to make "the other kind" of pancakes but for the amount of protein they pack, I'd eat them again!

Almond Pancakes (serves 2-3)
from www.delightedmama.com

1 1/2 cups almond meal
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 T cooking oil (I used vegetable oil - coconut oil would probably be tasty)
1 tsp sugar or other sweetener (optional)
dash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together.  Cook as you would "normal" pancakes.  They might not have bubbles on the surface as much as normal ones but if you look closely, you'll see small bubbles and dry edges indicating it's a good time to flip them over.

Baked Oatmeal

I love hot breakfast or going out for breakfast.  My recent routine on Wednesday mornings is to grade papers at Panera while Little goes to MyGym Breakfast Club (drop off class where they feed the kids breakfast).  While Panera isn't my first choice, I really like their oatmeal and the free wi-fi.  At home, I usually have greek yogurt with Fiber One or granola and the girls usually have cereal.  I've been trying to change our routine a little and make hot breakfast at home for the girls more often - usually pancakes or scrambled eggs.  I've been on a roll lately with making this baked oatmeal.  If you have someone in your family who doesn't like oatmeal because of its texture (mushy), try this one - it's a little crunchy on top, drier than typical oatmeal, and delicious.  

I love the cooked blueberries but you could easily leave them out (today I used dried cranberries instead) or substitute some other fruit.  Adjust the brown sugar (or leave it out) according to your family's tastes.  If you double the recipe, use a a 9x13 pan.  Other easy add-ins are ground flax seed or chia seed, chopped nuts, dried fruit (cranberries or raisins), fresh chopped strawberries, raspberries, fresh cranberries - the recipe is pretty versatile.  If you're cooking GF, double check that you have gluten free rolled oats (TJs or Bob's Red Mill are two I've used).

Celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month and make a pan of baked oatmeal!

Baked Oatmeal (4 servings)

1 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
2 c. oatmeal (old-fashioned, rolled oats work best)
1 c. chopped apple
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. milk
1/4 cup brown sugar, divided (optional)
1 T cold butter (optional)
Mix eggs and canola oil together. Then stir 2 T of brown sugar and the rest of the ingredients. Spread in greased pan (8x8 or 2 qt) dot with chopped up butter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 T of brown sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with warmed milk.

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve, we hosted a brunch with some friends.  It was a lot of fun and maybe the start of a tradition.  With little kids, it's hard to make New Year's Eve evening (up 'til midnight) plans and I loved starting New Year's Eve with a little party.  We had mimosas, coffee, pastries, an egg casserole, fruit salad, and waffles.  The most amazing part of the brunch (in my opinion) was the egg nog syrup I made for the waffles.  I was showing my husband a recipe for egg nog pancakes and he told me that even better than egg nog in the batter would be an egg nog syrup or topping.  Ask and you shall receive!  The recipe was so easy and delicious - we've been eating the leftovers on vanilla ice cream.  I'm not a huge egg nog fan (I especially don't like to drink it straight) but trust me - this was good stuff!

Have you made any food-related New Year's Resolutions?  I reviewed my resolutions from last year and didn't do too bad.  One was to feed my kids less take out or fast food and I think we definitely decreased our drive thru trips over the year.  I'm hesitant to make any big sweeping resolutions this year because adding a 3rd kid to the mix is going to be a big enough change for our family!  Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2013.

Brunch Casserole (serves 6)

8 oz tube of Pillsbury Crescent rolls

1 cup of cooked bacon or cooked, crumbled sausage

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

2 T - 1/4 cup chopped green chiles

1.5 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Saute the onion and bell pepper in a little olive oil until soft.  Set aside.  Line the bottom of a greased 8x11 pan with the pillsbury crescent dough.  Firmly press the perforations to seal.  Sprinkle with bacon or sausage, onion & bell pepper mixture, chiles, and cheese.  

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.  Pour into the pan.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the eggs are set.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares.  Serve hot.  

Egg Nog Syrup (makes about 1.5 cups)

Original recipe here

1 stick butter

3/4 cup egg nog (full fat, commercially prepared works best)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

In a large pan (make sure it's large - the syrup will grow when you add the vanilla and soda), place the butter, egg nog, and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and soda (it will foam up).  Serve over hot pancakes or waffles.  Leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for a few weeks.

Summer Vegetable Frittata

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - 

just good food from fresh ingredients" - Julia Child

Summer Vegetable Frittata (serves 4)
from Better Homes & Gardens

3/4 lbs fresh asparagus
1/2 yellow sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4 wide inch strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. half and half or milk
1 T snipped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a pie pan and set aside.  Snap off and discard the woody bases of the asparagus and cut it into 1 inch pieces.

In a saucepan, bring about 1 inch water to a boil.  Add asparagus, yellow bell pepper, and onion.  Return just to boiling; reduce heat slightly.  Boil, covered, about 1 minute until crisp-tender.  Drain well.  Spread the asparagus mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.  Layer zucchini slices over asparagus.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper.  Pour over vegetables in baking dish.   Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  (186 cal / 13g protein)