Honey-Rum Roasted Rhubarb

Last year Molly from Orangette wrote about her variation on Canal House's Roasted Rhubarb so convincingly that I had to try it. It was a risky move as I had never had rhubarb without strawberries, but there was reward in its sweet, tart taste. So for a while I reveled in it and then rhubarb was out of season.

Cue Spring in Richmond this year and a dearth of rhubarb. Apparently it is a Northern crop, so it isn't widely anticipated or available here the way it is in New York City. After a few weeks of searching I was resigned to not having rhubarb, then I saw it on Farm to Family's produce list! I squealed and promptly went to pick up some of the red celery-looking stalks.

Molly's original version still is great, but I've tinkered with it a bit halving the proportions, removing the refined sugar and using rum in lieu of wine. With wine you end up with a spare 3.5 cups to drink, which didn't interest me nor did cluttering the fridge with the bottle. Rum can be held for at room temperature in the pantry and it goes well with honey.

This rhubarb has more flavor and is sweeter when cold, so I recommend eating it that way although it eating it while its warm won't hurt you. Enjoy the rhubarb on its own, over plain greek yogurt for breakfast or over popovers, which convinced my mom that "stewed rhubarb" as she was raised eating it was actually quite tasty rather than the mushy, undesirable stuff of her memories.

Honey-Rum Roasted Rhubarb
Adapted from Molly at Orangette's twist on a recipe by Canal House Cooking, Volume 3.*
Yield approximately 1.5 cups

1 pound Rhubarb, trimmed (the leaves are poisonous!) and cut into 2-inch lengths
1/4 cup Honey (I used clover.)
3 tablespoons White Rum (We had Ronrico. Don't judge. It worked.)
1 tablespoon Water
1/2 Vanilla Bean, split up its center

1. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Pour the honey, rum and water into the bottom of a pyrex dish (a dutch oven or other over-safe pot would work too). Add the rhubarb and stir gently to combine the ingredients.
3. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, then remove the dish and stir the rhubarb to ensure even cooking.
4. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking it for 15 more minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, cool briefly on the counter and then place it in the fridge to cool overnight.

*It looks like David Lebovitz and Sarah Galvin at All Our Fingers in the Pie have done something similar too!

Spinach and Yellow Pepper Clafoutis

My love affair with clafoutis began in 2008 when I first made Nicole at Baking Bites' Cherry Tomato Clafoutis. I served it at a brunch I hosted, which I spent face down in my bed asleep among coats as I had worn myself out with vigorous cleaning and baking after a night out. My personal performance brought  laughter but the clafoutis brought raves. In fact I believe my former roomate, Tracey's, mom still makes it frequently. I also have tried Nicole's sweeter, still delicious, Pear Clafoutis with the twist of bacon crumbles and mint.

Yesterday morning I made a new version throwing together spinach, yellow peppers and oregano thinking of Greek food. I also substituted whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour just because. The active time is about 15 minutes, so clafoutis is perfect when you want something simple and filling with an impressive appearance. Think of a souffle, only with a third of the effort and the ability to travel well and reheat nicely (should you have any left).

Have you made clafoutis? What is your favorite flavor combination? I'm sure I'll be looking to make my next batch soon and would to hear your ideas.

Spinach and Yellow Pepper Clafoutis
Inspired by Nicole at Baking Bites' Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt (I would skip it in the future as feta has enough salt.)
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
3 Eggs, large
1 cup Milk (I used 3/4 skim and 1/4 whole)
2 1/2 tsp. Oregano, dried 

1/3 cup Feta Cheese
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper, diced

1 cup Baby Spinach, packed into the measuring cup then torn

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a 6.5" x 10.5" x 2" baking dish with oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, a 4-cup measuring cup works, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, eggs and milk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the oregano and cheese.
3. Place the yellow pepper and spinach at the bottom of your baking dish and pour the custard mixture over  them.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Don't be alarmed - it will deflate.

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Coconut Chai Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

VCU Men's Basketball WON against Kansas! We are going to the final four! I am so excited. Please join me and cheer us on next Saturday night. Now to something else delightful... 

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake. Their full instructions can be found here. Inspired by Ria's use of saffron to flavor the dough and some tea bags I had I came up with Chai Coconut for my flavoring.

As you can see it got a little too brown while I watched VCU beat Purdue last Sunday, the ring didn't match up perfectly and the meringue oozed a little during the second rise, which bothered me wasn't really bad as the ooze was chewy and delicious once baked. I also forgot to put the granulated sugar/cayenne inside so I brushed the outside with the egg wash, sprinkled some on and then brushed with more egg wash. It worked though I will try it the regular way to see what difference it makes to the texture.

Regardless of these little imperfections, I loved the end result. This cake is just sweet enough for a slightly indulgent breakfast and has a fun crunch thanks to the coconut and a kick from the ginger and cayenne. I highly recommend that you make some version of it, if you haven't already. This bread really reminded me of stollen and that is a high compliment as it was one of my favorite Daring Kitchen challenges to date.

Filled Meringue Coffee Cake
Halved to make 1 round coffee cake, approximately 10 inches in diameter.

For the yeast coffee cake dough
2 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 and 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/8 teaspoons active dried yeast
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 Celestial Seasonings' Decaf Sweet Coconut Chai tea bag

For the meringue
1.5 large egg whites at room temperature (made that happen with Just Whites)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 scant teaspoon vanilla
2 drops coconut extract
1/4 cup sugar

For the filling
1/2 cup Unsweetened Coconut, shredded
1/2 cup Semisweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 HEAPING tablespoon Candied Ginger, Chopped (need to find a better way

Egg wash
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Prepare the dough
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Add the Decaf Sweet Coconut Chai tea bag and steep off of the heat for 10 minutes.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup flour and beat for 2 more minutes.
4. Add enough of the remaining flour to the mixer and run until the dough holds together (this required almost an additional full cup of flour for me). Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, adding extra flour as needed.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:
1. In a small bowl, combine the cayenne and sugar for the filling if using. Chop chocolate and ginger. Measure out coconut.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
1. In a clean mixing bowl (plastic or glass) beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque.
2. Add the vanilla and coconut then start adding the 1/4 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cake:
1. Line baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle your filling of choice evenly over the meringue.
3. Roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal.
4. Very carefully transfer the filled log to the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.
5. Using kitchen scissors , make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.
6. Cover the coffee cake with plastic wrap and allow it to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Brush the top of the coffee cake with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.
9. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cake from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide it onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.
10. Enjoy! These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

I like to hold the bowl upside down to prove I have reached stiff peaks. It makes for a nice little thrill. 

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

One of my favorite treats growing up in Richmond, Virginia was fresh bread from Montana Gold Bread Company in Carytown. Going to get new pointe shoes at Ellman's inevitably ended with a thick, sample slice and a few loaves coming home. When I saw Cassie from How To Eat a Cupcake and Flour Child Bakery post this Cinnamon Swirl Bread I was brought back to their Cinnamon Swirl Bread and bookmarked the recipe confident that I could bring a version of Montana Gold's bread to my Brooklyn kitchen.

My only changes to the recipe were spreading a bit of canned pumpkin between layers in lieu of raisins  (because what isn't pumpkin good in?), rolling it up without the topping and having to unroll it (oops) and letting it rise overnight in the fridge, which didn't hold it back in the least as this bread was a prodigious riser. I'm not kidding. It's strength buckled my silicon loaf pan.

The resulting loaf was an excellent likeness to the one in my memory -- light and fluffy in texture and slightly sweet. It was great on its own fresh or toasted with a bit of butter later in the week. To get a feel for it imagine the texture and size of Texas Toast only replace the garlic and butter with a sweet swirl. My only change next time will be having more space to roll out the dough, so there will be more of a swirl in my end result! You've got to try it.

Other excitement: I have two new readers! Thanks for signing on y'all. I also ran my first 8k this past weekend; thanks to a friend's pace setting skill there were no stops or walking breaks and we finished in 58:20. I didn't think a 5k outside was possible much less an 8k. :)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
From Joy of Cooking via How To Eat A Cupcake
Yield: 1 loaf

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
3 tablespoons Warm Water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 cup Milk (full fat or nonfat both are fine, heat to  low-fat milk, warmed 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
6 tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter (keep one tablespoon for finishing)
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups All-Purpose Flour

Filling:
1/2 cup Pumpkin
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon

Finishing
1 Egg
Salt
1. Combine yeast and water in a large bowl or bowl of mixer and stir. Let stand for five minutes until yeast dissolves. Meanwhile, oil a large bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour and the aforementioned teaspoon of butter, and mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add the 3 1/2 cups of flour a 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl yet sticks to its bottom. If needed, continue adding a tablespoon of flour at a time until you reach the right consistency.
3. If using a mixer with a dough attachment, switch to it and knead for about 10 minutes on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. If kneading by hand, sprinkle the counter with flour and knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
4. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and turn it over once to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
5. Open the can of pumpkin and scoop out 1/2 cup in a small bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar for the filling.
6. Grease an 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan. Melt the reserved butter. Punch dough down. Roll the dough into an 8” x 18” rectangle about 1/2” thick. Brush the surface of the dough with the 1 teaspoon of the melted butter. Sprinkle all but 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon sugar over the dough and spread the pumpkin as evenly as you can over the surface. Starting from one 8” side, roll up the dough and pinch the seam and ends closed. Place seam side down in the pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk egg and salt together and gently brush over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan onto a cooling rack. While the bread is still hot, brush the top with the remaining melted butter, then let it cool.
8. Once cool, slice and enjoy.

Nectarine Brown Butter Popovers

A few weekends ago I adapted The Way It Crumbles' Apple Popover recipe into Nectarine Brown Butter Popovers. Nectarines were on sale and I had brown butter leftover from a previous project, but I think any combination of fruit and butter would work well.

Popovers make a delicious breakfast (and afternoon snack) with their slight sweetness. This version serves them with the portion that touched the bottom of the muffin tin facing up, which provides the cup for the additional fruit and anything else you drizzle on top.

Their texture reminds me of a lighter German pancake or clafoutis, two of my favorite breakfast dishes. I can see these becoming a go to treat thanks to their simplicity and relatively healthy profile for a recipe on the sweet side. The six were gone in no time!


Nectarine Brown Butter Popovers
Makes 6

Sauteed Nectarines
3 ripe nectarines, cut into slices
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp browned butter

Cut nectarines in half, remove pit. Slice thinly. Melt butter in a pan, add brown sugar and nectarines and allow to soften. Set aside to cool slightly.

Popovers
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup milk (I used soymilk)
pinch of salt
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
melted butter to grease muffin tray

Let all ingredients come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat six hollows of a muffin tin with melted butter. Once oven is preheated, place muffin pan in for about 5 minutes to heat up.

In a medium bowl, combine egg, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined and frothy. Sift flour into liquid. Whisk batter until smooth.

Take muffin pan out of the hot oven carefully and spoon about 1/2 tbsp of the fruit mixture into the tin's compartments. Top with evenly divided batter and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan for even cooking, and reduce heat to 350 degrees, cooking for approximately 10 more minutes or until golden and crispy.

Remove from oven and pan, set on rack to cool.

By the way, I'm experiencing the great outdoors in Big Sky Country i.e. Montana and Canada 8/13 to 8/24, so any responses will come when I return. Thank you for your patience and wish me luck seeing a moose with a rack.

Pear Clafoutis with Mint and Bacon Crumbles

I have a mild obsession with clafoutis. It's so easy, light and delicious (if you use lowfat milk in place of heavy cream) that I want to eat it all the time. Thus the decision to attempt converting this pear clafoutis into last week's breakfast. There is a savory way to make it but I had to have this one. The pears were just so pretty and they are in season.

I convinced myself that adding 3 pieces of crumbled turkey bacon, 1 tablespoon of chopped mint and decreasing the sugar by a tablespoon would make it less dessert-like. That logic was as flawed as convincing myself that the boys I made out with repeatedly while drunk in college and I sort of dated. It doesn't work in reality but the fantasy is enjoyable while it lasts. 

This clafoutis presents beautifully and like Nicole at Baking Bites, who developed it, says would be excellent for brunch. I do think it could use less sugar though as the pears, or at least my Bosc pears, are already super sweet on their own. Maybe with more bacon and less sugar there is still hope for it being an acceptable breakfast option? Because every bite made me smile and feel like I was getting away with something and there has to be some merit to starting your day off with that feeling.

If you haven't sliced and cored pears before, I discovered the easiest method to remove the core while retaining the shape is to use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and then pull out the fibers. Thank you, internet.

Savory Asparagus Pie

Back on April 25, I was way overeager and picked out two recipes featuring asparagus. Our late Spring, which as grown into a very slow starting summer, did not provide me with the necessary vegetable. Conscience be damned I went to Whole Foods and spent a small fortune on an excessively large bundle from California for this Savory Asparagus Pie. The other recipe would wait.

The week sped by, kind of like the past 2 months, and I finally got around to making the pie at 9 pm on the Wednesday the 29th. I can't even begin to explain why complicated cooking projects appeal to me late at night. I was tired and yet again there I was there I was moving forward and making my first pie crust.

While I wasn't happy with the aesthetics of my attempt the pie tasted pretty awesome, impressed my difficult to impress co-worker Lauren, and made a great, really rich breakfast reminiscent of a quiche. Next time I make this recipe I might cut back on the asparagus, I didn't measure it out but I suspect I overdid it, and attempt to convert the pie to a quiche with more of an egg base. Eggs are less expensive than crème fraîche and I like them.

Ricotta Zucchini Cheesecake

Sunday one of my friends had a birthday party for her Yorkie, Dixie, who was turning one. The hostess flattered me into cooking, in spite of some serious reluctance on my part. The best part was she had only tasted my cookies before so the flattery was without any knowledge of results. Ha ha. Her request was something savory, not a bread. I found this challenging as the easiest dishes to take on public transportation are sweet and/or bread. Plus! I'm more comfortable with sweets.

Intensive online research turned up this recipe for Ricotta Zucchini Cheesecake. I found my lack of a spring form pan a little disconcerting, but everything turned out okay even with my substitution of oregano for dill and use of an 8 x 8 cake pan. It didn't look quite as pretty as it could have, but the flavor was good and the cheesecake very filling. For me the goat cheese on top's rich, tangy flavor made the dish. It also added a contrast in texture to an otherwise slightly soft yet grainy (?) dish. One heads up: it took forever to make, even with the lovely mini-food processor my brother gave me for Christmas (that machine is a miracle worker).

I'll probably try this again in the summer. It's been a great leftover breakfast in the morning most of the week. Should you happen to take this back home via bus with saran wrap on top, start reading a magazine with it under your purse and stand up in a rush dumping it off your lap upside down (saran wrap intact), I'm pleased to report it will hold up.

Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

I don't know how you say Clafoutis, but I assume it kind of rhymes with delicious. This recipe for Cherry Tomato Clafoutis is one of my favorite breakfasts to date. I was so excited to see a savory recipe for it instead of sweet that I made it as soon as possible.

As I had feta cheese on hand from one of the zucchini recipes last week, I used it as my cheese. I also substituted egg whites for one of the three eggs. The result was similar to my Mom's german pancake, but thicker and with a richer flavor. It reheats perfectly, although I liked it so much that there wasn't too much to reheat. The nice thing is it doesn't collect condensation on top like so many other breakfast dishes I have made...

I'm definitely going to make this again. It provides a nice break from my muffins and breads. I think eggs are technically a healthier breakfast anyway.

Raspberry Ricotta Babycakes

When I saw the recipe for Mixed Berry Ricotta Babycakes, I knew I had to make them. Since planning an event at Shutters on the Beach a couple years ago and experiencing their lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberries and syrup, I have yet to find a comparably delicious breakfast. My assumption was these muffins would replicate the experience without all the work involved in making pancakes.

They come pretty close! I had to bake them for 25 minutes, slightly longer than suggested. They puffed up beautifully just out of the oven and are a beautiful golden brown. My muffins were not as light as a pancake, which could have been an over stirring issue, but they had the same texture with the hint of ricotta. The muffins feel substantial, but I suspect they won't hold me over until 1:00 pm for lunch as they do not contain any fiber or protein.

Regardless, I can't wait to make other variations or to just add lemon to another raspberry batch.

Mini Spinach Frittatas / Egg Muffins

A few months ago I made these breakfast muffins, which in spite of what I said I haven't revisited. Having found a much better egg muffin, I no longer have any intention of revisiting the cottage cheese version.

The ingredient list is much shorter for these egg muffins and the texture doesn't leave me wondering what to think. They are basically personal mini-quiches; the possibilities are endless. I have made the spinach frittata version. I've made a cilantro, red onion, and cheddar cheese version (pictured below). The results are consistently good and eggs for breakfast are ideal.*

For reheating, I recommend toasting them in the toaster oven rather than microwaving or they seem wet.


*I still prefer standard muffins, breads, and even cake though.

Raspberry-Stuffed French Toast with Custard Sauce

Sunday was my second meeting with the Potluck Dinner Club and the theme was brunch. As soon as I heard the theme in March, I knew I wanted to make Raspberry-Stuffed French Toast with Custard Sauce.

At Christmas Brunch my Mom established a new family favorite by serving this dish and I was certain I could replicate her rave reviews. The good news it that even though my custard sauce did not thicken very well, my plan worked.

The recipe is by Kraft. Strange, right? I was shocked too. I made some substitutions to ensure that my cream cheese and milk wouldn't have hormones and used the Argo Corn Starch Custard recipe for the sauce per my Mom but otherwise followed the recipe. The custard, questionable if I can call mine that since it really is very liquid, tastes a lot like vanilla soymilk after you have eat all the Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of it i.e. delicious.

Actually the whole dish was just as amazing the second time. While it takes a while with the sitting and cooking, it is easy to prepare and I'm sure you will agree the results are stunning.

Crustless Spinach and Onion Quiche

I haven't tried making crust yet and was short on time, so this recipe for Crustless Spinach, Onion, and Feta seemed perfect for me. Quiches are a nice break from my typical grain heavy breakfast, but still a fairly portable option that I can rush out the door holding in my hand.

I'm not sure if I didn't cook it quite long enough, but I found it to be a bit wobbly for quick transportation. It was much better once I started taking the time to toast it, adding a bit of crisp to the outside, and put a sprinkle of salt on the top. As I was missing the Feta, I substituted a 1/2 cup of Parmesan which worked out fine but I suspect without this substitution I would not have needed the salt.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Once I saw the divine pictures of Whole Wheat Apple Muffins by Smitten Kitten, I knew I had to make them. They would help use my spontaneously purchased buttermilk and would integrate more healthy whole wheat into my life.

Since I actually had roughly all the ingredients on hand, I was able to get started right away. My only substitution was light brown sugar in place of dark brown sugar. I assembled the muffins and had them baking in under an hour. Not bad. They smelled great by the time Rock of Love 2 was ending. Nothing like a sweet treat to offset the ending of an awesome yet awful TV show.

These muffins have a very moist texture and flavor reminiscent of a lighter pound cake. I enjoyed them all week for breakfast; next time I am going to try decreasing the sugar used as they were too decadent a breakfast food for my taste. Seriously, I eat things like plain oatmeal for breakfast on a regular basis.

My big stumble with these was putting them in a gallon storage bag before they had cooled enough. As a result, my crunchy brown sugar topping just melted into a sticky mess. If only I could learn to start cooking before 9:00 pm.

German Pancake with Buttermilk Syrup

I ask my Mom to make this almost every time I go home. I'm obsessed with the syrup, which my roommates compared to cake batter. I knew it was good, but suddenly it all made sense. My favorite scent? Vanilla Cake baking. My favorite lotion? Vanilla Bean Noel. My favorite Coldstone ice cream? Cake batter.

While not the healthiest, this is really easy to make, done in 20 minutes, and, in case I was unclear, delicious. My Mom's recipe for the cake and syrup is below followed by my picture.

German Pancake with Butter milk syrup! Yum
Yields about 8 servings and 2 cups of syrup (if you aren't gluttonous)

German Pancake
In blender mix until smooth:
*6 eggs or equivalent egg beaters
*1 cup milk
*1 cup all purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon salt.

Pour into 9X13X2 baking dish greased with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. (I didn't say this was healthy). I melt the butter in the dish to save dishes! Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Syrup
While baking make the syrup. The original recipe suggests in a sauce pan but it does well in a oversized glass bowl in the microwave be sure to serve hot!
*1 1/2 cups sugar *3/4 cups buttermilk (milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar is the substitute let stand till sours about 1 minute) *1/2 cup real butter (this is the flavor) *1 teaspoon of baking soda

Bring to boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat add 2 teaspoons of vanilla, stir. Serve over hot pancake, dusted with confectioners sugar if desired (I never add the confectioners sugar since I use so much syrup).

Lime and Raspberry Bread

I made this Lime and Raspberry Bread on Monday night and finished it by Friday morning. It was that good. As one would expect, the flavor is very lime. The texture is like a good cake - light and very moist. Perfect.

While the recipe's author suggests dusting them with flour to prevent bleeding, I didn't bother. I had already squeezed 12+ key limes to get the 3/4 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice, my hands were HURTING and I just wanted to be done. Besides skipping that step made the batter really pretty; it had deep pink swirls like tie-dye. Why did I have key limes instead of regular limes? Well, the roast chicken left a surplus that I had an insatiable need to use.

If I weren't in the middle of making whole-wheat buttermilk biscuits right now, I might make a new batch using the other half of my bag of frozen raspberries and squeeze bottle lime juice.

bill's Coconut Bread

This first time I made bill's Coconut Bread, I ate it all before I could remember to take a picture. See, I have a thing for coconut. Freshman year of college a boyfriend's mom was an international stewardess and introduced me to Ferrero Raffaello candies. They are creamy, perfect candies that apparently caused me to make the same face making out did. Ahem. Next it was Edy's Coconut Sorbet by the pint in a single sitting. Writing this makes me what to sneak into the kitchen for my fourth sliver of the day, but I will resist as bedtime is soon.

Our refrigerator has been broken for almost three weeks now. I'm constantly challenged to make things I can eat quickly without buying perishable items that will need storage since to get the fridge fixed, when and if the part comes in, the whole thing must be unplugged for 48 hours. Remembering this recipe made me slightly less bitter about having to use my last two eggs and some butter just in case the call comes this week.

The bread is just as good as I remembered, obviously. It is dense, thoroughly flecked with finely shredded coconut, and not overly sweet. When toasted with butter it literally melts in your mouth. If you like coconut, you must try making this as it is pretty simple given what it provides. FYI, caster sugar is equivalent to superfine sugar in the US.

P.S. I really need to get better at taking pictures of my food, eh?

Cottage Cheese and Egg Breakfast Muffins

I always eat breakfast. It prevents me from being crank(ier than usual), jump starts my metabolism, and tastes good. Cereal is good, especially Kashi Go Lean Crunch, but not the healthiest choice so I am constantly looking for other options.

Now that is colder, I am almost always satisfied by oatmeal with raisins and a splash of milk. However, I sometimes want something different. Eggs may be a great breakfast, but making them and doing the dishes afterward isn't quick; I thought these muffins would be a good substitute (pictured below).

After eating 18 you would think I would have a stronger opinion about them. No luck. They are pretty simple to prepare, filling, and tasty yet the texture just seemed odd. Texture means a lot to me, so this might end up ruling them out. For now they are on my list of recipes to try again.

Apple Cheddar Yogurt Muffins

As I grated the apples for this recipe, I realized I could have just used natural applesauce. While Mom always says I should follow the recipe exactly the first time, my slightly grated fingertips have their doubts. Ouch. I left out the cardamon. I didn't think I would use it often enough to spend the $4.00 involved with buying each new spice.

The muffins tasted fine, but something didn't go right. They were very dense and squat. With the amount of effort involved and the mediocre results, I probably won't revisit this recipe.

Bran Muffins from Scratch

Last winter I thrived on bran muffins or oatmeal with raisins for breakfast. The idea came from my mother and All-Bran's super simple recipe. They were slightly sweet, filling, reasonable, and quick. A few batches in, I discovered that All-Bran contains the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup. So, just like that, bran muffins were off of the menu.

You would be amazed how hard it is to avoid high fructose corn syrup. It is everywhere: canned tomatoes, salad dressings, All-Bran, bread, candy corn - you name it. It doesn't add nutritional value and, shortly, it may make grocery shopping more expensive since the increased ethanol demand may cause the cost of corn to rise (go here for a related article). Anyway, back to the muffins...

Months later I discovered this recipe for bran muffins from scratch online. I put off making it for months as I knew it would be a pain to find all the ingredients, which it was, but it was worth the effort. The muffins are slightly sweet and moist. They manage to taste buttery without a drop of butter. They don't even require processed sugar, which makes them the antithesis of All-Bran's high fructose corn syrup containing ways. I highly recommend them.

P.S. I didn't use molasses and my honey was buckwheat.
P.P.S. I think my cupcake/muffin pan is a bit shallow.