Breakfast – Page 5 – First Look, Then Cook

Savory Spinach, Feta, and Roasted Pepper Muffins

Published on November 17, 2010November 17, 2010 by Dawn17 Comments

I have been trying really hard to improve the photos in my blog, but every once in a while, my patience is low, I am feeding guests, and I am starving. I just can’t get a good picture, and I give up. This is exactly what happened here – so I apologize. I know it is always so much more appealing to make something when the picture looks good – but trust me, these were excellent – so much better than the picture portrays.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I just love the idea of a savory muffin. You don’t see a lot of savory muffin recipes – mostly they are savory biscuit type recipes – which I happen to love. Therefore, I had to make these – I thought they would go great with an egg dish – for dinner. The muffins were delicious. They were slightly sweet – but the cheese really solidified them as a savory muffin. They were plenty moist, and went perfectly with the quiche I made for dinner. I couldn’t find parpadew peppers, so I just used roasted red peppers, which are also slightly sweet – so they were a perfect substitution. These also would be great for brunch – and they are very easy to make. So – sorry about the picture, but trust me, they are worth making.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup thinly sliced spinach leaves
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped drained mild Peppadew peppers or roasted red peppers from a jar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups or 6 large (3/4-cup) muffin cups with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, paprika, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk milk, oil, and eggs in large bowl to blend. Add dry ingredients; whisk just until blended. Add spinach, feta, and peppers; fold to incorporate evenly. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (cups will be filled to top).

Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes for standard muffins and 33 to 35 minutes for large muffins. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around muffins to release from pan. Invert pan to release muffins, then turn muffins right side up and cool completely.

Makes 12

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Coconut Pancakes

Published on November 4, 2010November 4, 2010 by Dawn12 Comments

After the last batch of pancakes were a total bust (Oatmeal pancakes) – my girls were not overly thrilled when I told them I was going to make them pancakes for breakfast. I assured them these would be better. There was a lot of pressure on me – waiting for food first thing in the morning is not easy for kids – especially when they get their hopes up that it is something good. I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I knew they had to be better than the Oatmeal pancakes. Adding coconut milk to anything makes it taste good – at least that’s what I was hoping.

Thank goodness I was right. These pancakes were incredible. Even adding just light coconut milk made all the difference – I can’t imagine adding regular coconut milk, they would be decadent. The pancakes were ridiculously delicious – and so thick and fluffy – look at the picture, I am not joking! These pancakes were so good, I had them for dessert that night – I just warmed one up in the microwave, served it with a little syrup – and it was such a treat. The coconut milk was not overpowering, but gave the pancakes just a wonderful essence of coconut flavor. If you are looking for pancakes that are just a little different – look no further. And make some extras for the next morning – they are awesome warmed up in the microwave, unless you are like me, and can’t wait for morning to have more…

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg

Preparation

Whisk together coconut milk, canola oil and 1 egg. Combine with dry ingredients. Cook as usual for pancakes.

Serves 4

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Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda Quiche

Published on October 9, 2010 by Dawn6 Comments

As I have mentioned before, I love eating breakfast for dinner. Unfortunately my husband doesn’t feel the same way – so any time I can sneak in a breakfast for dinner, I am there. There is one exception to that rule though, and that is quiche…unfortunately the amount of cream or half-n-half involved is enough for me to save it only for special occasions.

Making a quiche with milk instead of cream has always been a challenge for me. Most of the time, the eggs just don’t set enough, and I end up with a soupy mess. Although, that never stops me from trying again. I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I really didn’t think it would set correctly – but I was wrong. This quiche came out beautifully – and the flavors were delicious. I especially loved the smokey flavor in the gouda cheese. The crust was flakey and not soggy at all. I will definitely be making this one again.

Ingredients

Crust:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)

Filling:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated smoked Gouda cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of grated nutmeg
3 large eggs

Preparation

To prepare crust, place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Combine milk, salt, and egg yolk in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour; beat just until combined. Press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Unwrap and place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 10-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

To prepare filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 2 minutes.

Combine 1 cup milk and remaining ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in spinach mixture. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Cut into 10 wedges.

Serves 10

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

Published on September 17, 2010September 17, 2010 by Dawn4 Comments

I am slightly in denial about the fact that summer is basically over. For us in the Pacific Northwest – it never really started – maybe that is why. I am not actually a big fan of the sun – but I am a huge fan of the garden, and ours just didn’t produce like it normally does. The one surprise crop we had were the blueberries that continue to ripen, even when the weather was not cooperating.

So, to celebrate the last of our blueberry harvest, I decided to make a blueberry coffee cake. I adapted the recipe from my CSA market basket – which looked healthy yet scrumptious – and yes, it was everything I had hoped. It was so moist and flavorful, and the crumb topping had just the right amount of sweetness. The best part about this coffee cake? It was even better the next morning – with a nice cup of coffee.

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Topping

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup nuts (optional)
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing blow. Incorporate thoroughly, then gently fold in blueberries and lemon zest. In a small bowl whisk together egg, milk, butter and add to flour mixture. Stir carefully until well incorporated. Spread mixture onto a greased 8×8 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl mix together topping ingredients, cutting cold butter until large crumbles form. Sprinkle over batter and place in center rack in oven. Bake until top is golden brown, 20-25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Blueberry Coffee Cake

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Published on September 3, 2010September 4, 2010 by Dawn4 Comments

When I was little I went to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – and there was one part in particular that really made an impression on me. When the bratty girl turned into a giant blueberry. Although, I had a hard time saying the work blueberry, and it came out like “blueblerry.” It definitely freaked me out – and to this day, I can’t see a blueberry and not think about that movie.

My younger daughter loves blueberry muffins – in fact, she can inhale them – it is extremely impressive to watch. We have started muffin Mondays with Mommy at our house, and the fan favorite is blueberry. I don’t make them every Monday, but if I can, I do – there is nothing like a blueberry muffin to start the day off right…

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light – and decided to give it a try. I liked the addition of oats and whole wheat flour to make them just a little healthier – and cinnamon to give them an extra kick. They turned out great – they were denser than I imagined, but still delicious. I used fresh blueberries instead of frozen, so there were big chunks of fresh blueberries in every bite. I think you could easily substitute raspberries as well. The other trick I use so we don’t have muffins coming out of our ears for the rest of the week – I cut the recipe in half. We have enough for a couple of days – and by the time the next Monday rolls around, everyone is craving muffins again.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (about 2 1/3 ounces)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place oats in a food processor; pulse 5 to 6 times until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in a large bowl.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to oats in bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk, oil, rind, and eggs in small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Toss berries with 2 tablespoons flour, and gently fold them into the batter.

Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle batter with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately. Place on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 muffins.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Apricot Scones

Published on July 27, 2010 by Dawn8 Comments

There is a reason most of my recipes come from Bon Appetit and Cooking Light – they have a test kitchen, and supposedly make all the recipes they publish. I actually believe them, because 90% of the time, the recipes I choose are right on. A friend of mine pointed out that I am good at reading recipes, and knowing which ones will come out – I take that as a huge compliment, but I also know that most of the recipes are just accurate.

Every once in a while I find a recipe from a different source. That is when I really use my cooking/baking brain to figure out if I think the ingredients will come together in perfect harmony to make a successful final product. Every week in my market basket, they provide a handful of recipes based on the seasonal produce you are receiving. I have to say, the majority of the recipes I am either not interested in, or they are so basic, I have my own version already. I have been getting a lot of apricots lately – and I noticed a recipe for apricot scones in my box. I looked at the 4 apricots from the previous week still sitting there, and the 4 new ones I just received, and knew what I had to do. I tried this recipe – and I have to say, I did not think they would come out at all – the batter was so wet, I really had to add a lot of flour to roll them out – but they were fantastic. Right out of the oven, they were soft and fluffy, and just the right sweetness. I would make them again in a second – thanks for the great recipe Full Circle Farm!

Ingredients

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup diced fresh apricots
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine and mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and cut into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add apricots and toss until pieces are coated with flour mixture. Reserve 1 tablespoon milk; mix remaining milk and eggs together and lightly blend. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened. On a lightly floured service, knead dough gently about 10 times. Pat dough into a 3/4-inch thick round; cut into 8 wedge-shaped pieces. Place dough on lightly oiled baking sheet; brush with reserved milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown and wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

Makes 8 scones.

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New-York Style Crumb Cake

Published on July 5, 2010 by Dawn14 Comments

As I have mentioned before, I cook and bake not only because I love to eat, but because it makes people happy. When I feel completely helpless, I know that at least I can make some good food. My neighbor has been really sick, I mean really sick. He is doing much better now though, and I feel so fortunate to have him (really his whole family) in my life. I am a better person and parent because of them. Every week I think about what I can cook for them – I wish I had the time to cook every night for them – but at least I am able to help out every once in a while. I think of him as a miracle, and pray that each day he continues to get better and better.

With every miracle comes a tragedy. My very dear friend at work lost her husband yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with her. They have a 7-year old daughter, and he was not sick, it just happened suddenly out of no where. When I brought this crumb cake into work, she loved it. I remember the smile she had on her face. I wish I could make her another one.

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New York City is definitely one of my favorite food cities. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time there growing up – then more time right after college. My husband and I always have a long list of places to visit when we are there – almost all related to food. Now that our kids are old enough, we have started to spend time there again – and I swear it is like a drug. Once you get a little taste, you just want more.

In April, we spent a week there – with breakfast, lunch, and dinner all planned out. I had read about Chelsea Market many times, and it was on my list – but I wasn’t sure we would have time to get there. One morning we headed over to Cook Shop in Chelsea for breakfast, and afterwards decided to take a leisurely walk towards SoHo. Lucky for us, we just happened to walk by Chelsea Market on our way downtown. It was a Friday morning – and it was empty – we basically had the whole place to ourselves. It was amazing, just incredible! We walked into each and every shop and marveled at the wonderful food. Everything looked so fresh and delicious – we wanted to try everything. We decided to grab just one treat that we could snack on later on – and my older daughter had her eye on these crumb cakes. They looked unbelievable – and they had a crumb topping that was at least an inch thick, if not more. You could taste the butter with every bite…one piece was easily enough for all four of us.

When I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, my mind immediately went to Chelsea Market. This was exactly the crumb cake that we tasted. This crumb cake definitely brought me back to the city. The funniest part of the recipe was the serving size – yes, those are NYC sizes. I served this for dessert one night and took the rest to work – people were coming back for seconds. This is the real deal here.

Ingredients

Topping:

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, warm
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

For topping:
Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with fork until moist clumps form (topping mixture will look slightly wet). Set aside.

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Transfer cake batter to prepared baking dish; spread batter evenly with rubber spatula or offset spatula. Squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering completely (topping will be thick).

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and slightly crisp, about 1 hour. Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Cut cake into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 very large pieces, or 24 medium pieces.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: New-York Style Crumb Cake

Molly’s Everyday Granola

Published on June 30, 2010 by Dawn2 Comments

I don’t usually stray from my mother’s granola recipe. It is definitely one of the few recipes I make over and over again. Basically it is my standby when people are coming to visit – it is so delicious and easy to make – and I never have to worry about it sitting in the pantry.

I happen to be a huge fan of Molly Wizenberg though – who has a column in Bon Appetit each month. The other month she wrote about her granola recipe – and she had me sold on a single ingredient – the unsweetened coconut. Basically I had to swap out the cranberry juice concentrate for the unsweetened coconut – and change the proportions of honey – and the recipes were almost identical. I made some changes below based on what I had in the house – but I was very impressed. I loved her granola – it was crunchy, sweet and the coconut was a perfect addition. It wasn’t a strong flavor, but a subtle difference that I really enjoyed. Next on my list – my mother’s recipe adding the unsweetened coconut – so at what point can I call it my recipe?

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup assorted dried fruit

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool. Mix in fruit.

DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight.

Makes about 5 cups.

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Blueberry Pancakes

Published on June 20, 2010June 20, 2010 by Dawn6 Comments

Blueberry pancakes, what a wonderful way to wake up in the morning. I let my older daughter choose the breakfast, and this was what she had in her mind. I went to Epicurious, and found this perfect recipe (perfect because I had all the ingredients) from Bon Appetit. It had almost 4 forks, which always is a good sign. I was just a little concerned because the blueberries were gigantic. Bigger than I had ever seen in my life – and I was worried about the weight of them in the pancakes.

Well – I had good reason to worry, this was a very tough batch. Not only did they keep flying out when I flipped them, the first batch was raw around the blueberries. So – I tried a different method – the same method I use with chocolate chips. I just added the plain batter to the pan. Just when I thought they were cooked enough to flip – I added the blueberries, and pressed them down into the batter. I still lost a couple of blueberries, but at least they were cooked all the way through.

These pancakes were delicious – so delicate and tender on the inside – and crisp on the outside. The blueberries added just the right amount of sweetness for me – but of course my family doused them with maple syrup. I am excited to try this with baby blueberries, right off the trees from our backyard – if the sun ever comes out to ripen them.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries.

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Blueberry Pancakes

Cook’s Illustrated Banana Bread

Published on June 13, 2010 by Dawn23 Comments

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am pretty new to Cook’s Illustrated. For the most part, every recipe I have tried has really been a winner. They definitely do their research, and have different techniques to make sure that whatever you are making – ends up being the best. They don’t just give you the recipe either – they go into depth about what you are making, and why their techniques work better than probably anything else you have ever tried.

I saw this recipe for Banana Bread – and they claimed it was the best recipe ever. Ok, with a statement like that, how can I pass that up? The problem is, I think I already have the best recipe ever – my mother’s recipe. I really couldn’t imagine this recipe topping that, but I figured I had nothing to lose. I looked at the ingredients – and there were two main differences – one was the number of bananas, and two was that this banana bread used butter instead of oil. Then, I read the instructions – wow, you cook the bananas in the microwave and drain the liquid? Are you serious? And if that is not enough, then you reduce the liquid until it makes a sweet banana syrup – this was quite an extra big step in the process. This better be good – and with 5 bananas, this has to be the most banana flavored bread in the world. I made one slight change below – leaving off the step where they “shingled” another banana by slicing it up and layering it on each side of the bread before baking.

Ok – so it comes out of the oven – and looks very similar to my mother’s recipe. Then comes the true test – the tasting. I swear my mother’s is better. It is moister – and I really didn’t see how these extra bananas did anything for the bread. But – the biggest problem with this bread was how it stood up for the next few days…after one day, it already started to taste stale – I think that is the butter. When you use oil, it somehow gives it some extra moistness so it stays fresh for a few days when wrapping it properly with plastic. Sorry Cook’s Illustrated – this is one recipe that doesn’t beat mine.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 large very ripe bananas, peeled (almost 2 pounds)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preparation

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

Place bananas in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have 1/2 to 3/4 cups liquid).

Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

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Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 loaf.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cook’s Illustrated Banana Bread