July 2, 2008
Apple Raisin Sconey Muffins
Apples and cinnamon...What a fabulous combination! Throw in some raisins and you've got a muffin that is begging to eaten! Top it with a little sugar drizzle and it becomes even better! This is the perfect muffin with or without topping when you need a little snack or even just want a delicious breakfast on the go!
What You'll Need For the Muffins:
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of dried apples, chopped
1 cup of raisins, chopped
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of milk
Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
In a large bowl stir together flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda until mixed. Next stir in sugar and cinnamon until incorporated. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry mixture until crumbly. Stir in apples and raisins until incorporated. Next stir in sour cream and milk until sticky batter/dough forms. Spoon dough into a muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
What You'll Need For The Drizzle:
1 cup of powdered sugar
A few tablespoons of water
Drizzle over muffins right before serving.
Notes: Chopped pecans or walnuts would be a fabulous addition to the muffins!
Posted by Dianne at 9:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
June 29, 2008
Daring Bakers June 2008...Danish Braids!
This month's Daring Bakers challenge was a danish braid from Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking
We had a little leeway with this one to fill it as we saw fit and I chose to use blueberries and cream cheese for the filling. I made a simple blueberry sauce and mixed a little cream cheese and organic cane sugar. If you've read Dianne's Dishes for a while then you know I'm a fan of both blueberries and cheesecake so this was a bit of an homage to both and I must say it turned out quite well. Jamison's mom and I both liked the finished product!
I must be honest though and tell you that my braiding didn't really stick. One one of the Danishes it just popped completely open for the most part and in the one pictured below it popped a bit. But it didn't affect the taste, though it wasn't very pretty to look at. I looked at the diagrams and it just didn't come together and stick. Oh well. This is my second semi-failure in as many months. Part of that is probably because I was also baking Alexis' birthday cake, as well as some easy French bread and doing party prep all at the same time. You could say I was just a little busy! ;oP
As you can see when it went into the oven it looked like it was ok:
I even liked the way the ends came together and they actually held!
The dough for this was also gorgeous, but then again I love dough in general.
It was soft and springy and just perfect! I chose to omit the cardamom and since I was using blueberries I incorporated lemon instead of orange, which was also an allowed change.
Now let's talk flaky! This dough baked up to be so flaky! There was just layer upon layer of beautiful flakiness! I had never made anything like this before and I was very pleased with the result. It was really good the first morning after having cooled overnight, but still good the next day too! I'll definitely be making this again and I'd like to play around with fillings too!
So there you have it my June Daring Bakers challenge! Be sure to stop over at the Daring Bakers blogroll and see what all the other bakers cooked up!
I can't wait to see what next month brings!
What You'll Need for the Danish Dough:
(Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
What You'll Need for the Butter Block (Beurrage):
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
DOUGH:
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.
BUTTER BLOCK:
Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
DANISH BRAID:
(Makes enough for 2 large braids)
1 recipe Danish Dough (see above)
2 cups filling, jam, or preserves
For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.
Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.
Proofing and Baking
Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.
Posted by Dianne at 10:26 AM | Comments (31) | TrackBack
May 30, 2008
Gluten-Free Buttermilk Waffles
A few times a month we like to have breakfast for dinner. When we discovered that Jamison couldn't have gluten anymore this became infinitely more complicated since that breakfast for dinner was often pancakes or waffles. So far we haven't experimented with pancakes since the gluten discovery, but we have played around with waffles.
Our first journeys into waffledom used Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
These waffles could easily fool a gluten eater. They would have no idea they were eating something that was gluten free. The waffles are tender and fluffy. Pair them with some fruit and/or maple syrup and you're set! We'll definitely make these again.
What You'll Need:
1 cup of sweet potato flour
1 cup of sorghum flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of xanthum gum
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of organic cane sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup of safflower oil
2 1/2 cups of buttermilk
Pre-heat waffle maker.
In a large bowl sift or whisk together sweet potato flour through organic cane sugar. Set aside.
Separate eggs and whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Add egg yolks, safflower oil and buttermilk to dry mixture and stir until mixed. Gently fold in egg white until incorporated.
Spray your waffle iron with non-stick spray or brush with oil. Place a dollop of batter in the middle of each square (or circle...my iron makes 4 square waffles) and lower the lid. Cook for 4-6 minutes until waffles are golden brown. Serve immediately.
Makes 8-10 waffles
Notes: These kept well and Alexis enjoyed some the next few days. Something during the cooking process caused the waffle iron to pop open. This happened on each batch, but it happened right before they were done so it didn't make a mess, but it was odd. We joked that they were explosive waffles! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 9:15 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
May 27, 2008
Tuesdays with Dorie: Pecan Honey Sticky Buns
It's Tuesday! So you know what that means...Tuesdays with Dorie
I felt guilty making these this week, because one of Jamison's all time favorites are cinnamon rolls and there was no way he could eat these! I had even planned to make a gluten free version for him but time got away from me and I have yet to find a gluten free dough that will roll out the way you need to to make cinnamon rolls. Even the doughs that promise to do just that don't live up. More experimentation is definitely needed!
Anyway, these turned out really well! I did tweak a few things, but that's par for the course I think. I used only dark brown molasses sugar instead of using a mix of brown and white sugar. I ended up having to use more butter and sugar in the middle to get it to spread out over the entire surface area. Also I mixed up a batch of cream cheese icing, because what's a sticky bun without a little icing?
Overall I'd give these a 4 out of 5 stars. Would I make them again? Probably not. The whole process is a bit intensive for a normal breakfast and there is enough butter here to kill a horse, but they were good. As Dorie mentioned in the recipe there are many recipes for cinnamon buns and everyone thinks theirs is the best and I guess I'm no different on that front. I like the ones I make on Christmas morning better and in all honesty I'm not a big fan of Dorie's brioche, though there was enough sugar and cinnamon here to overpower it so it ended up being pretty good.
I'm still on a quest to figure out a gluten free version that work and are not grainy, but I digress. I ended up sending the sticky buns home with my sister yesterday so she could enjoy them. I sent the loaf of brioche from the other half of the dough recipe home with her too. I also sent the rest of my Daring Bakers challenge home with her as well, but we'll get into that tomorrow! ;oP
Without further ado...Here's the recipe!
What You'll Need for the Glaze:
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)
What You'll Need for the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
What You'll Need for the Buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating it overnight)
Generously butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect for this).
To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out as best you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle over the pecans.
To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.
To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months . . . . Or, if you want to make just part of the recipe now, you can use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder. Reduce the glaze recipe accordingly).
With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. (Because you trim the ragged ends of the dough, and you may have lost a little length in the rolling, you will get 15 buns, not 16.) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.
Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and, in all likelihood, touching one another.
Getting ready to bake: When the buns have almost fully risen , center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.
The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mate or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.
What You'll Need for the Golden Brioche Dough (this recipe makes enough for two brioche loaves. If you divide the dough in half, you would use half for the sticky buns, and you can freeze the other half for a later date, or make a brioche loaf out of it!):
2 packets active dry yeast (each packet of yeast contains approx. 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm
What You'll Need for the Glaze (you would brush this on brioche loaves, but not on the sticky buns):
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
To Make The Brioche:
Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.
Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (After this, you can proceed with the recipe to make the brioche loaves, or make the sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)
The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.
Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)
Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.
Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.
Posted by Dianne at 6:58 AM | Comments (27) | TrackBack
May 12, 2008
Fruity Watermleon Smoothie
Most mornings I eat some sort of fruit and occasionally I like to make a smoothie. Smoothies are great because it's an easy way to get in several servings of fruits and/or vegetables in one sitting, all while having a delicious breakfast or snack! Pick the fruits and/or veggies you like (you can even throw in nuts and/or seeds if you like!) and take it for a spin the blender and you've got an instant, healthy breakfast or snack that will really hit the spot.
What You'll Need:
1 cup of watermelon
1/2 cup of blueberries
3-4 strawberries
1 banana, sliced (Note: I usually use a frozen banana, but I didn't have any frozen bananas today so I used ice instead. If you use frozen fruit you can leave out the ice.)
1/2 cup of orange juice
5-6 ice cubes (Optional)
Dump ingredients in the jar of your blender and blend until smooth. (Did I mention how easy this was?)
Makes one large smoothie or two small smoothies.
Notes: There is no need to use any sweetener in a smoothie as the fruit/juice is sweet enough in and of itself. You also don't have to use ice or frozen fruit, but I like the way it makes the consistency of the smoothie.
Posted by Dianne at 9:28 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 8, 2008
Spinach Gruyère Quiche
I love quiche and lately I've been wanting to make one, so when I had some left over pie dough I decided this was the perfect way to put it to use! Quiches are simple and delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner! This one utilizes some fresh spinach, which just happens to be in season right now, and pairs it with some Gruyère and just a hint of Monterrey Jack. The Gruyère provides the saltiness and the Monterrey Jack gives it a smooth undertone. It's just perfect when you're really in the mood for quiche.
What You'll Need:
1 pie crust (Note: You can use homemade or store bought.)
2 cups of baby spinach, julienned
1 small onion, chopped
1 to 1/2 cups of Gruyère, shredded
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack, shredded
Freshly ground black pepper
A very small pinch of sea salt (Note: Gruyère can be salty so be careful with adding additional salt. If you do choose to add some I wouldn't add more than 1/8 to 1/4 of a teaspoon at most.)
8-10 eggs (Note: This depends on the size of your eggs. If you eggs are larger you'll most likely need 8, if they are smaller then 10. There is no wrong answer with a quiche so do what feels right to you.)
Preheat oven to 400 F.
If you are using a homemade pie crust then roll it out and place it into a pie plate. If you're using a store bought crust it's either in a pre-made tin or it's already rolled out. If it's the rolled out version place it in a pie plate as well. Once your crust is in the pan, whether it is put there by you or already purchased that way, set it aside. Also make sure it is thawed if it was frozen.
In a large bowl toss together spinach, onion, cheeses, black pepper and sea salt if needed. Add eggs and stir to mix. Pour the egg/vegetable mixture into your pie shell. Bake for 30-40 minutes until quiche is done through and slightly golden.
Seriously how easy is that?
Notes: You can use any type of veggie or cheese that you like. If you wanted to make this gluten-free you could leave the crust out and simply bake the egg mixture in the pie dish without it, which would give you more of a fritatta, but it's the same in principle.
Posted by Dianne at 10:20 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
May 7, 2008
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Before the gluten had to go Blueberry Muffins were one of Jamison's favorites. Of course his version came out of a box, but that's neither here nor there! ;oP So now it was time to come up with a gluten free version that Jamison could enjoy and this happened to fill that bill.
One nice thing about these muffins is that they stay moist, even days later. The consistency is very good as well. There is no residual graininess or anything of that nature either that sometimes happens with gluten free baked goods. This is one you could definitely take and serve to gluten eaters without them really noticing and sometimes that is just what you need.
What You'll Need:
2 sweet potato flour
1 cup of tapioca flour
1 cup of sorghum flour
1 3/4 cups of organic cane sugar
4 tablespoons of powdered milk
3 tablespoons of xanthum gum
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
1 cup of plain yogurt (Note: I used fat free.)
4 eggs
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
1 - 10 ounce package of frozen blueberries (Note: If you can't find a 10 ounce package then 12 or 14 ounces will work fine.)
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large bowl mix or sift together sweet potato flour through baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together through buttermilk until smooth. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until dough forms.
Stir in blueberries until incorporated and place dough in muffin pan that has been lined with cupcake liners. Each liner should be 3/4ths of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
Makes roughly 30 muffins. Store in an airtight container to retain moistness.
Notes: In theory this should work with any frozen berry. I say in theory, because as I've learned since this gluten free adventure began, theories that might work with regular flour sometimes go astray when you're dealing with no gluten.
Posted by Dianne at 1:29 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
April 23, 2008
Taste & Create VIII: Strawberry Pancakes (with Honey)
I decided to participate in a food blogging event hosted by For the Love of Food called Taste & Create VIII where you are paired with another food blog, you look through their recipes and then cook one you'd like to try and blog about what you prepared! I was paired with Passion + Love + Patience = Good Food and I chose to try Strawberry Pancakes since Alexis is a big fan of anything pancake. I had mine paired with some honey, Alexis chose to top hers with a bit of maple syrup and let me tell you these pancakes were really wonderful!
I wasn't able to find self-raising wholewheat flour so I had to use all-purpose flour and add in some baking powder, but other than that everything else was easily located. The pancakes were light and fluffy and the strawberries gave them just the right fruity touch. Alexis and I really enjoyed them!
Pancakes...Strawberries...Completely delicious! What's not to like?
Posted by Dianne at 7:02 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 21, 2008
Blueberry Muffins
Yesterday morning at church they had a breakfast gathering so Jamison and I decided Blueberry Muffins would be the thing to take. These muffins are delicious, tender and the blueberries give them just the right pop and zing. They are delicious warm or cold and keep for several days. You can even freeze them for use later. They are just perfect for a breakfast treat!
What You'll Need:
3 cups of unbleached flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 cup of organic cane sugar
3 - 6 ounce cups of fat free vanilla yogurt
1 1/4 cups of butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup of buttermilk
The zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until completely incorporated. Add lemon zest yogurt, buttermilk and butter and mix until flour mixture is completely wet and mixed throughout. Fold in blueberries carefully by hand and pour into pre-greased or lined muffin pans. Batter will be very thick.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden.
Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing.
Makes roughly 2 1/2 dozen muffins.
Notes: Make sure you have blueberries throughout your dough. If you get to the bottom of the dish and it's scarce on blueberries add a few to the remaining muffins once they are in the pan so that each muffin has blueberries throughout. Also make sure that you use firm blueberries, as those that overly mushy won't work as well. You can use plain yogurt and add in a teaspoon of vanilla, but I had some vanilla yogurt that needed to be used so I chose that route instead.
Posted by Dianne at 7:54 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
October 24, 2007
Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
This recipe is a healthier take on my Mom's traditional Banana Bread recipe utilizing whole grains and natural sugars. The great thing is that in muffin form it's also quick and easy! They are good hot right of the oven or cold the next day. If you like banana muffins then these are the way to go!
What You'll Need:
1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup of honey
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped (Note: You can use any nut you like or even omit them.)
2 cups of white whole wheat flour
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream bananas, honey, eggs and apple sauce until relatively smooth. (Note: A few banana chunks here and there is not a bad thing.) Add remaining ingredients, except flour and mix well. Stir in flour until just incorporated.
Scoop out into a muffin pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or has liners and bake from 12-15 minutes until golden brown and muffins stick done.
Makes approximately 24 muffins.
Notes: You can add in a cup of other fruits along with the bananas if you like such as peaches or blueberries. You can also add in a cup of peanut butter for a different twist.
Posted by Dianne at 7:43 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 19, 2007
Whole Grain Pumpkin Pancakes
Yesterday just slipped right by me! I was working on a quilt and then bang! It was evening and I hadn't cooked a thing! This cool weather just makes me want to be creative! I've been working on a travel quilt for Alexis for over a year and since we have some fun adventures planned over the next few months and she has grown too tall for her other quilts it's time to finish this one so her little toes won't get cold when she's sleeping on her travel bed! I hope to finish it today. We'll see how that goes! ;o)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! Alexis and I decided to use the last of our pumpkin and make some pancakes. These are a great fall time treat. You probably won't see anymore pumpkin recipes for a while, but then again never say never! ;o)
What You'll Need:
2 cups of white whole wheat flour (Note: If you don't have white whole wheat flour or can't find it then regular whole wheat flour will work too. All purpose flour would work as well, but then you'd knock out the benefits of whole grain.)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of mashed pumpkin
1/3 cup of maple syrup (Note: Real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. You can also use honey or molasses.)
1 3/4 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
3/4 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
Mix dry ingredients to incorporate. Stir in pumpkin, maple syrup, buttermilk and eggs mix until mixture is smooth. Add raisins and walnuts and stir to mix. Cook batter as you would regular pancakes in a large preheat skillet or griddle with a little non-stick spray.
Notes: You could use any kind of nut you liked. Also you may need a bit more or less buttermilk depending on the humidity. When the batter forms stop adding milk. If need be add a little more. The batter should be thin, but not completely runny.
Posted by Dianne at 11:01 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 14, 2007
Pumpkin Smoothie
It's amazing how much pumpkin three small sugar pumpkins actually put out! So that just encourages me to come up with new uses for pumpkin. This morning I was thinking about pumpkin and I wondered how a pumpkin smoothie would taste, so I whipped one up. If you like pumpkin then this little gem makes a great fall time breakfast or snack!
What You'll Need:
1 ripe banana
1 cup of cooked pumpkin
1 cup of milk (Note: I used EdenBlend's Rice Soy blend, but you can whatever type of milk you like.)
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1 cup of ice
Dump all the ingredients into the jar of your blender and blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes: If you wanted to add some cinnamon they that would be a great addition, but I'd leave out the peanut butter. Also I think the banana and pumpkin "sweetens" the smoothie without having to add any other sweeteners, but if you think it needs something more then I would go with either a tablespoon of honey or a tablespoon of maple syrup. I'ts nice to stick with natural sweetners and not processed ones.
Posted by Dianne at 7:49 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 12, 2007
Pumpkin Surprise Muffins
Last weekend Alexis saw some local sugar pumpkins and wanted to get some. She's all about pumpkins. Loves them! We decided one of the things we could do was to make some Pumpkin Muffins and I decided it would be fun to add a little twist, a "surprise" if you will. What's better than a surprise? Most people like surprises. The "surprise" in these muffins is a little bite of cheesecake in the middle of each one! I decided this would make a good treat for Jamison to take to work since Fall is on our doorstep. I'm really enjoying making up new recipes and testing them out on Jamison's coworkers! Hopefully they are enjoying it too. :o)
What You'll Need for the Pumpkin Batter:
3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour (Note: I had intended to use White Whole Wheat flour, but I realized I was out. You could easily substitute it for all of or part of the white flour.)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 cups of mashed pumpkin
1 stick of butter, melted (Note: You could use unsweetened apple sauce instead of the butter. Again this was my intention, but I realized I was out of apple sauce.)
1 cup of natural brown sugar
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 cup of light or fat free sour cream
3/4 cup of light or fat free buttermilk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of vanilla
What You'll Need for the "Surprise":
1 package of cream cheese, softened (Note: Any variety is fine...Regular, light or fat free)
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/8 cup of unbleached all purpose, flour
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix dry ingredients (flour through sea salt) in a large bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients (pumpkin through vanilla) and stir until incorporated. Mix dry mixture with wet mixture and stir until completely mix. Set aside.
Cream together cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add flour and mix until just incorporated. Set aside.
Spray two muffin pans with non stick spray. Fill each cup 1/4 of the way full with pumpkin batter and then add a dollop of the "Surprise" mixture (roughly 1 tablespoon or less) into the middle of each cup. Top with more pumpkin batter to cover the "surprise".
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins stick done.
Makes about 24 muffins
Notes: You could add a cup of nuts and/or raisins to the pumpkin batter for even more yummy goodness. We used fresh pumpkin that we roasted in the oven and mashed ourselves. This process gave lovely little bits of pumpkin throughout the muffins. You could easily used canned pumpkin instead.
Posted by Dianne at 7:37 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 13, 2007
Peanut Butter Granola
When you think Granola it makes you think of wholesome goodness. Buying commercially made granola is a toss up though. You never know what you're going to get and who really wants a grab bag when it comes to what you're eating. Many of them have nasty preservatives you can't pronouce, and/or high fructose corn syrup, and/or other refined sugars and/or the dreaded trans-fats. None of that is stuff you want to eat, or shouldn't be anyway.
A while back I came across a recipe that I adapted from Mother Earth Living for homemade granola bars and Alexis, my sister, Nelson and I loved them!
At the time I thought it would be nice to subtract the butter, add another healthier fat and make it granola instead of granola bars, so today I tried that. The result was scrumptious! And the best part is that this is an excellent way to incorporate whole grains!
What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups of extra thick rolled oats (This is the Whole Grain kind, not the instant version)
1 cup of unsulphered coconut
1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup of whole, raw almonds
1/4 cup of whole flax seeds
4 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (I use Tree of Life Blended Peanut Butter)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup (You can also use molasses instead)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup raisins
Peheat oven to 350 F.
Mix together oats through flax seeds on a very large baking sheet and put into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the oat mixture is heating in a pot melt peanut butter butter, honey and maple syrup. Once the mixture is nicely melted melted bring to a quick boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Remove oat mixture from the oven and leave the oven on. In a large bowl mix oat mixture with the peanut butter mixture and stir to coast. Stir in raisins and then spread granola mixture out so that it isn't completely touching on one large pan or two smaller pans. Put mixture back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool and store granola crumbles in an air tight container. When they first come out of the oven they will be slightly soft, but they will harden as they cool. Serve plain, as cereal of as a topping for yogurt or ice cream.
Notes: You could add any seed or nut you wanted in addition to or in place of the ones I chose for this mix. Last time I used cashews. Peanuts would be good too! Mix it up and make it your own!
Posted by Dianne at 7:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 1, 2007
Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Bread is one of those things that immediately sounds delicious if you're in to such things. There are many variations of this bread, but my recipe is an adaptation of my mom's Banana Bread. I've even seen recipes that called for chocolate chips! The possibilities are endless, but anyway you slice it (yeah I went there again! ;op) it's delicious!
What You'll Need:
2 large zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup of safflower oil or unsweetened apple sauce
2 eggs
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup of raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat together oil (or apple sauce) and sugar. Stir in eggs and zucchini. Add remaining ingredients and place batter into one prepared loaf pan. Bake for 35-30 minutes or until golden brown and sticks done.
Posted by Dianne at 8:15 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
June 30, 2007
Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
In our house on your birthday you get to pick what we have for breakfast. Alexis picked pancakes and blueberries Sunday morning for hers! While she had her blueberries fresh, I decided to whip up a little blueberry sauce for mine. It was the perfect compliment!
What You'll Need For the Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups of fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar
The zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoon of water
Dump everything into a medium sized pot and cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until sauce forms. Serve warm over pancakes or waffles or chill for a great ice cream topping!
What You'll Need For the Pancakes:
What You'll Need:
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup of organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups of buttermilk
Oil or non-stick spray
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add eggs and buttermilk and stir until incorporated. (Depending on the humidity, etc. you may need more or less buttermilk. I never make a batch with the same amount of liquid because of this. You're looking for a batter that is thin, but not overly runny. It still needs to have a bit of stick to it and not run every which way when you spoon it into your pan.) Using a ladle ladle batter into circles in the hot pan that has been brushed with oil or sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook until browned on each side.
The pancakes are also good with other types of fruit, butter and/or maple syrup!
Posted by Dianne at 7:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2007
Buttermilk Waffles with Cherries and Sweetened Cream
What better way to celebrate the weekend than with home made Buttermilk Waffles? Top them with fresh, cooked cherries and a little sweetened cream and you've got a breakfast to savor! After all isn't that what weekend are all about?
What You'll Need For The Waffles:
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of sugar
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
Mix everything in a bowl and stir until your batter is smooth. Cook on a waffle maker according to the maker's directions. Top with fresh fruit, maple syrup or whatever you like on your waffles.
What You'll Need For The Cherries:
2 cups of cherries, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup of sugar
Cook cherries and sugar over medium heat and sugar until cherries break down and sauce forms (about 20-30 minutes) stirring occasionally to keep the cherries from sticking or burning. Serve warm or chill in the fridge until ready for use. This also makes a good pie filling, but you'd need to double or triple it accordingly.
What You'll Need For the Cream:
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
Mix until blended, but not stiff. Use to top waffles and cherries.
Posted by Dianne at 7:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 30, 2007
Fruit Smoothie
There is nothing better than a smoothie made with fresh, ripe fruit! The choice of the fruit is up to you...Banana strike your fancy? Then go for it! Strawberry? Absolutely! Papaya? That's always good? Blueberry? It'll be purple, but delicious! Mango? Surely! Well, you see where this is going. Anything you like, toss it in, you can't go wrong with a fresh, yummy smoothie!
What You'll Need:
1 large banana, sliced and/or frozen
3 large strawberries, sliced and/or frozen
1 small very ripe peach, sliced and or frozen
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 cup of soymilk (Note: You can use any kind of milk you like, but I like to use soymilk in my smoothies, I think it tastes better.)
1 cup of ice (optional)
Place all ingredients in the jar of your blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
How's that for a fast, easy and not to mention a portable breakfast? And don't forget you can use different fruits or even just add more to this basic smoothie. There is no wrong answer. ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 9:20 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 25, 2007
Orange Cream Coffee Cake
When my mom was visiting we tried a free sample of Starbuck's Reduced-Fat Orange Crème Coffee Cake and it was delicious! I told her I was going to have to come up with something similar and this morning Alexis and I did just that!
So my version is NOT low-fat, in fact it's anything but, but it's delicious and orangey none the less and in my opinion that's a good thing. As far as flavor goes, it sort of reminds you of a Creamsicle meets Orange Julius...Or maybe a creamy orange pie, but if you like orange flavored goodies you'll LOVE this!
What You'll Need For The Cake:
3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of organic cane sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice (I used Minneolas, which are actually tangelos. I juiced two of them and used the juice for this and the filling below. It came out to exactly 1 cup from the two oranges.)
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Add butter, orange juice and eggs (the orange juice will make the baking powder fizz a bit, so don't be surprised) and mix until a sticky dough forms. Spread dough into a 9 inch round cake pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or spread with butter. Make a well around the cake in a circle about an inch from the edge of the pan. Set pan aside and proceed to the "filling".
What You'll Need For The "Filling":
1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup of organic cane sugar
Cream together cream cheese, orange juice and sugar until smooth. Place the "filling" in the well that you made around the dough in your pan. Set aside and proceed to the topping.
What You'll Need For The Topping:
1/2 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
The zest of two oranges
Mix ingredients in a food processor or with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the entire top of the cake, filling, batter and all. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. You can also let it cool completely before serving if desired, it's good either way.
Enjoy!
Posted by Dianne at 2:07 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 21, 2007
Breakfast For Dinner: Buttermilk Pancakes and Fruit
My family has always liked to do breakfast for dinner from time to time and it's a tradition I have carried on with my own family (i.e. Jamison and Alexis). Since my parents are visiting I thought it would be fun to do breakfast for dinner this evening while we were together, so we had Buttermilk Pancakes with maple syrup and fruit. Sometimes it's fun to pretend it's morning even when it's not! ;o)
What You'll Need:
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup of organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups of buttermilk
Oil or non-stick spray
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add eggs and buttermilk and stir until incorporated. (Depending on the humidity, etc. you may need more or less buttermilk. You're looking for a batter that is thin, but not overly runny. It still needs to have a bit of stick to it.) Using a ladle ladle batter into circles in the hot pan that has been brushed with oil or sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook until browned on each side.
Serve pancakes with some warmed maple syrup, butter and/or fresh fruit, (In this case watermelon, strawberries and blueberries, but whatever you like works!) and sit back and enjoy!
Breakfast for dinner is yummy, but these Buttermilk Pancakes are good anytime of the day! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 7:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 12, 2007
Totally Cheating Pumpkin Walnut Muffins
I usually do not use mixes that much at all, but by reading the ingredients on the box I quickly discovered that there isn't anything in it, but natural REAL ingredients and decided to give it a whirl. I ended up using it make Pumpkin Walnuts Muffins and they turned out great! Alexis loved them too. These are a great addition to any breakfast or the perfect snack!
1 package of Canterbury Naturals Pumpkin Cake Mix
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 - 15 ounce can of pumpkin (Note: Plain pumpkin NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix)
2 eggs
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix ingredients and add into a prepared muffin pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins stick clean with a toothpick.
Makes roughly 15 muffins.
See simple, easy and delicious! They are just perfect for a laid back weekend breakfast! ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 9:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 2, 2007
Whole Grain Granola Bars
When you think Granola Bars, you automatically think healthy, but a lot of the commercially produced bars are anything but. This recipe adapted from Mother Earth Living is not only whole grain, but there are not nasty preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars or trans fats! These delightful bars will fast become a favorite and the crumbs make a fabulous granola topping for yogurt or even ice cream! ;o)
What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups of extra thick rolled oats
1 cup of unsulphered coconut
1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of pepitas
1/4 cup hempseed
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup of raw cashews
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup dark brown molasses sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (You can also use honey or molasses instead)
1 cup raisins or milk chocolate chips (I used chocolate chips because we are out of raisins, which we usually have on hand, but we're eating out of the fridge and pantry trying to clean things out in a grand spring cleaning expedition! ;o))
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Mix together oats through cashews on a very large baking sheet and put into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes while the oven is preheating to 350 F.
While the oat mixture is heating in a pot melt butter, maple syrup and brown molasses sugar. Once melted bring to a quick boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Remove oat mixture from the oven and leave the oven on. Pour the melted sugar/syrup mixture over. Make sure all of the oat mixture is coated with the sugar mixture. Be careful not to burn yourself as both the oat mixture and the syrup mixture are very hot! Use a silicone spatula to do the mixing.
Using your silicone spatula press the mixture firmly into a 13 X 9 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick oven. Put back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into bars.
Notes: You could add any seed or nut you wanted in addition to or in place of the ones I chose. I think dried cherries would be really good and almonds or walnuts too. Dried apple bits would also be good. Mix it up and make it your own!
Posted by Dianne at 10:08 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 20, 2007
Homemade Organic Yogurt
A month ago or so I got a yogurt maker after reading about how easy it was to make your own, delicious yogurt. Not only is it easy, it's also cheaper than buying it from the store and you cut down on waste by not having all those plastic containers to have to recycle!
This is the 3rd batch I've made, but the first real milk bath. The first two batches I tried I made with soy milk, but I couldn't get it to set up properly. It was perfect for smoothies, but it was to thin to eat like regular yogurt. This time I used skim milk and it turned out beautifully! It's some of the best yogurt I've ever had! But don't forget to keep 1/2 a cup to make the next batch! ;o)
I'll most likely keep trying with the soy yogurt, but for now here's the milk version to tide you over.
What You'll Need:
4 cups of organic skim milk
1/2 cup of organic nonfat milk powder
1 - 6 ounce container of organic fat-free plain yogurt (Make sure the yogurt you purchase has live active cultures in it or the process won't work. This yogurt is for the starter for the first batch only. After that you just keep 1/2 cup of the yogurt you made the last time to use for your next batch.)
Heat milk and milk powder to between 180 and 200 F. DO NOT LET BOIL!!! Remove from heat and let milk cool to 110 F. (The best way to determine temperature is to use a candy/deep fry thermometer.) While your milk is heating and cooling plug in your yogurt maker and let it warm.
My yogurt maker is made by Salton
Once the milk has cooled to 110 F (Note: This is very important...If the milk is too hot the yogurt will not set up!) add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the milk into the yogurt starter and stir until smooth. Pour this yogurt/milk mix into the rest of the milk and stir until just mixed. (Do NOT whip or beat...Just stir gently!) Add mixture to bucket of your yogurt maker and put the lid on. Let process for 4-6 hours or until yogurt is set.
And the best part? The container comes right out of the yogurt base and into the fridge. It even has its own little serving spoon that hooks into the front of the container so it's ready to go:
Simple, creamy, cheap and delicious! It makes about a quart at a time and lasts for about a week to a week and a half. You can add in your own fruit mixture or sweetener if you want to after it's made, but make sure you leave 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to make the next batch.
Notes: Make sure the utensils you are using are extremely clean so as not to mess with the cultures in the yogurt for best results. I usually just pour boiling water over everything that isn't being heated, but is going to touch the mixture to make sure it's sterile.
Posted by Dianne at 11:33 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 12, 2007
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Sometimes I like to make a smoothie for breakfast. I've seen a lot of smoothie recipes that call for sweeteners, but the reality is that natural sugars in the fruit are more than enough! Smoothies are fast, easy, healthy and delicious!
What You'll Need Per Person:
1 cup of milk (skim, soy, etc.)
2 strawberries, sliced
1 banana
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 cup of crushed ice
Place all ingredients in the jar of you blender and blend until smooth.
Notes: You can use peaches or blueberries or any other fruit that you like. You can even use frozen fruit! You can also add in some yogurt if you like as well. It's another one of those recipes that you can play with and the possibilities are endless!
Posted by Dianne at 9:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 11, 2007
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon poppy seed muffins are one of my all time favorites, but I've never actually tried to make them at home. Yesterday I decided to give them a try and I am very pleased with the results! They are buttery, lemony and oh so good!
3 cups of unbleached flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 1/4 cups of butter, melted
1 cup of organic cane sugar
1 1/2 cups of plain fat free yogurt
1/3 cup of skim milk
The zest of 1 lemon
The juice of 2 large lemons
1/3 cup of poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and sit aside.
In the bowl of mix together the butter, sugar, yogurt, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well. Stir in poppy seeds and then slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined and pour into pregreased or lined muffin pans. Batter will be thick.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden.
Makes 2 dozen.
Posted by Dianne at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 26, 2007
Blueberry Pancakes
Nothing says comfort food like pancakes! Throw in a few blueberries and you've got heaven on a plate! ;o)
What You'll Need:
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup of organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups of buttermilk
Blueberries
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in eggs and buttermilk and stir until smooth.
Preheat skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray when hot. Pour batter into the pan in circles (about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of batter depending on how large you want your pancakes).
Drop blueberries onto the pancake spaced evenly:
Turn when bubbly and cook the other side until done through. Serve plain or with maple syrup.
Minus the blueberries this is my basic pancake recipe. You can add any kind of fruit you want or just eat them plain.
What's not to like?
Posted by Dianne at 9:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 15, 2007
Omelets Stuffed With Veggies And Swiss Cheese
Sometimes I like to have breakfast for dinner and nothing is better for that than omelets! Stuff them with veggies and a little cheese and they are hearty and oh so good!
What You'll Need Per Person:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 asparagus spears
2 button mushrooms
1/4 of an onion, cut into strips
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 slice of the cheese of your choice
Cut veggies and roast in the oven or sauté until tender with a little freshly ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Once tender set aside.
Heat skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Beat eggs with a little freshly ground black pepper and pour into skillet. Cook until egg is set.
Add veggies and cheese to half of the egg circle and fold the other half of the egg over the "stuffing". Let heat through until cheese melts. Serve with whole grain toast.
Posted by Dianne at 8:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack