Apple peanut butter delights

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/apple-peanut-butter-delights/

Photo & recipe credit: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Breakfast today: Blueberry muffin cookies

http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2016/05/blueberry-muffin-cookies.html

* Note: we skipped the candied ginger in our batch

Photo and recipe credit: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/recipes/

Liege waffles

We visited Belgium earlier this fall and I devoured my fair share of their delicious waffles.  Called liege waffles, they are the ultimate street food- I like mine with Nutella or strawberries, or both.  When we got home, we ordered Belgian pearl sugar on Amazon so we could recreate these little jewels at home.  These are not your average waffle- they are made from a thick dough instead of a typical thin batter, and the pearl sugar creates these little pockets of chewy sweetness.  Seriously- so good.  In fact, I think we're due another round of these this weekend...

Blueberry coffee cake

Sometimes I watch the Food Network when I'm hungry, which makes me want to make ALL the recipes.  This blueberry coffee cake from the Pioneer Woman caught my eye and got priority baking status last week.  I halved the recipe and made a 9x9 pan, which made a delicious, easy breakfast for a few days- yum!  Anything you top with a sprinkle of sugar and a pat of butter is a winner in my book!!

Whole wheat olive oil pumpkin bread

I don't veer from my favorite pumpkin bread recipe very often, but I wanted to give this whole wheat flour and olive oil combo from Recipe Girl a try.  This bread is delicious, and using whole wheat flour takes away the guilt when my kids eat it for breakfast.  Win-win!!

WHOLE WHEAT OLIVE OIL PUMPKIN BREAD

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and spices into a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and water. Stir in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (don't over mix).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then remove loaf to a rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin doughnuts

I love Fall.  I love cooler weather, switching from shorts to jeans, colorful leaves, and all things pumpkin.  My favorite recipe of all time is this chocolate chip pumpkin bread that my friend Kady got me hooked on years ago.  When I make it, which is often, there is leftover canned pumpkin that I need to find a use for.  This time around I made these delicious baked doughnuts from Pia Recipes.  The kids loved making doughnuts at home, and I felt slightly better about them since they aren't fried.  Yum yum!  ** And I just noticed I have back-to-back doughnut posts.  #sorrynotsorry

PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS

Yield: 12 doughnuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, for coating

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin.

2) Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

3) Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

4) Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. (If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15).

6) Bake the doughnuts for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. (If you're making muffins, they'll need to bake for 20-25 minutes).

7) Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.  While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon-sugar.

9) Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.

Gruyere quiche with caramelized peppers, onions and spinach

I made this yummy little number from Whole Foods for Easter brunch this year.  There is a Brazilian restaurant in town that makes a delicious quiche, and my goal was to imitate it.  The keys to making the copycat version are the red bell pepper and spinach- the Gruyere cheese may be poetic license, but this version was delicious and definitely a keeper!

GRUYERE QUICHE WITH CARAMELIZED PEPPERS, ONIONS AND SPINACH

Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 pound baby spinach leaves

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 refrigerated pie crust

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add peppers, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes; transfer mixture to a large bowl. Return skillet to heat, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and spinach and cook, tossing often, until completely wilted and liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to bowl with onions and peppers and set aside.

Add eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Gruyère, salt and pepper to bowl with onion mixture and mix well. Transfer to pie crust, top with remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère and bake until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly then cut into slices and serve.

Pumpkin muffins

The girls and I read Bear Says Thanks for our 'book club' this week, and since I don't have a recipe for huckleberry pie, we followed the rabbit's lead and brought muffins to the party.  These pumpkin muffins from Smitten Kitchen are great for breakfast or a snack (or both!).

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.  Stir in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar together in a small bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins to rack to finish cooling.  Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate chip brioche pretzels

This recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook was my maiden voyage making soft pretzels, and it's a trip I'll be making again and again.  These are so delicious, and all that twisting is fun!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BRIOCHE PRETZELS

Yield: 8 pretzels

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup well- chopped semi-sweet chocolate or 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

For the glaze:
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon water
Coarse or pearl sugar, for finishing

Instructions:

Whisk the milk and yeast together in a small dish until the yeast has dissolved. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together fl our, sugar, and salt. Add the beaten eggs and the yeast mixture, and mix at a low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy pile. Raise the speed to medium, and beat for 10 minutes; the long mixing time creates the soft, stretchy strands brioche is known for. Add the butter, a third at a time, mixing the dough between additions. Now switch to the dough hook, and knead at low speed until a silky- smooth dough forms, another 5 minutes. Add the chocolate and run the machine until it is mixed into the dough.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, until almost doubled. Alternatively, you can rest the dough in the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours), bring back to room temperature, and let the rise complete before continuing to the next step.

Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope about 1/2 inch thick. (It should be easier to roll and stretch on an unfloured or very lightly oiled surface, but if you find yours sticking too much, lightly flour your counter before continuing).  To form the pretzels, draw the ends of a rope together to form a circle. About 2 inches from both ends, twist the rope ends together to close the circle-- a full twist, so that the rope end that started on the right side finishes there. Fold the twist down into the circle, adhering the loose ends of the rope at five and seven o'clock on the base. Repeat to make eight pretzel twists. Transfer them to prepared baking sheets, brush them with glaze, and let them rest for about 15 minutes, during which they'll puff slightly again.

To finish, brush pretzels with glaze one more time, sprinkle with pearl or coarse sugar, then bake for 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly bronzed. Cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Dutch baby pancake

Want to try something new for breakfast this weekend?  How about this Dutch baby pancake from the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook?  The original recipe was for a gingerbread spiced version, but we made ours plain for the kids.  Robert was the chef on this one, and it was a huge hit!

DUTCH BABY PANCAKE

Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

⅓ cup whole milk

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the eggs in a blender and blend until smooth and pale in color. Add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and milk- blend until smooth.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch ovenproof skillet over high heat, swirling it up the sides to evenly coat the pan. Pour the batter into the skillet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed up. Remove from the oven, dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with maple syrup.

Lemon poppy seed pancakes

I had lemon poppy seed pancakes at a fantastic breakfast place in Chicago a few years ago, and have been meaning to recreate them ever since. I finally hit the jackpot with this recipe from Allrecipes, slightly modified to our taste. I drizzled ours with honey, and they were DIVINE! I can't wait to make them again!

LEMON POPPY SEED PANCAKES

Yield: 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp lemon zest

Butter for pan

Instructions:

In a bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk a few times until the batter is mostly free of lumps.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and swirl a small pat of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes.  Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Cinnamon toast

I hadn't given much thought to how we make our cinnamon toast until I read this post from the Pioneer Woman.  So we have since converted from layering the butter and toppings on the bread to this version where you mix the butter, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract and SPREAD it onto the bread.  So simple, yet so delicious!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread (we use wheat)

4 Tbsp salted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smash softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won't burn!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

Baked pumpkin spice donuts

So I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond last week for a kitchen timer and left with a handful of items that weren't on my list.  One of those items was a doughnut pan. Taking the girls to get donuts is considered a treat because they insist on getting ones with frosting AND sprinkles, and they also insist on eating two.  EVERY TIME.  The words sugar overload come to mind.  Anyway, I thought this would be a great way to eat donuts in a (slightly) healthier way because they are baked instead of fried.  First up were these baked pumpkin spice donuts from Confections of a Foodie Bride.  Making your own donuts doesn't take ALL the fun away, because we still dipped them in chocolate and covered them in sprinkles.  Oh, and I totally counted the pumpkin as a vegetable serving for the day.  Sue me.

BAKED PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS

Yield: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp butter, cold

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz dark chocolate

1 tsp vegetable oil, shortening, or coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Spray a donut pan with baking spray.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, mix the flour, sugar, and butter on low until the butter is incorporated.
4. Add baking powder, spices, and salt, mixing until combined.
5. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
6. Transfer batter (it will be a little thicker than your standard cake batter) to a ziptop bag.
7. Snip off the corner of the bag (make the opening ~ 3/4 inch) and pipe the batter into the donut wells until 1/2 - 3/4 cup full (you'll get exactly 6 donuts; the batter is thick and holds it's shape, it won't really settle or bake smoothly if you spoon it into the pan).
8. Bake 8-12 minutes, until the top of the donut springs back when lightly tapped.
9. Let cool in pan 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
10. To make the glaze, melt chopped chocolate in the microwave with oil/shortening. Stir until smooth.
11. Dip the donuts into the chocolate and add sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.
12. It's easier to store unglazed donuts in a ziptop bag so only glaze the ones you are eating right away and store the leftover chocolate in the fridge to glaze the others later. They'll stay fresh for 3 days.

Pumpkin scones

I was on a pumpkin kick today so I made these pumpkin scones I had bookmarked a few weeks ago on A Feast for the Eyes blog. They. are. delicious!! I used a combination of cinnamon chips and mini-chocolate chips (heavier on the cinnamon chips), and no crystallized ginger. My only mistake is that I halved the recipe - I missed these when they were gone!

P.S. I've added a 'pumpkin' label to my recipes that call for canned pumpkin. A single recipe rarely uses an entire can, so you can click on the pumpkin tag to see other options to help you finish the rest of it! Today I made a repeat of the pumpkin spice marshmallows in addition to these scones.

Easter brunch

We hosted Easter brunch at our house last weekend with quiche, shrimp and grits, and fresh fruit, and Christy brought a phenomonal Cadbury pie baked by a friend of hers.  The quiche was basically Emeril's quiche lorraine with a few add-ins: I layered fresh spinach and chopped tomatoes with the bacon before I covered it with the egg mixture.  I also used a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, which is an excellent shortcut for homemade.  The shrimp and grits recipe was from Food & Wine magazine, and you'll notice a recurring theme - bacon!  Our motto is you can never have too much!  Everything tasted fantastic, and it was all pretty simple to pull together, too.  Bon appetit!

Cinnamon bun pancakes (for real)

Dinner tonight was cinnamon bun pancakes, a recipe from the Pioneer Woman and her Tasty Kitchen blog. These. were. fantastic! The Pioneer Woman says the maple-butter icing is optional... but in my humble opinion, it is required. So sweet and delicious. Now the only question is... were these dinner? or dessert? I think both.

Grits

Dinner tonight was breakfast, and the star of the show was grits from Food & Wine magazine. Our friend Matthew introduced us to the recipe, and we'll be forever grateful. They are so creamy and rich, you'll swear they're full of cheese... but they're not. No more grits cooked in plain old water - chicken stock and cream are the way to go!

09.26.09 Ultimate pancakes

We made Tyler Florence's Ultimate Pankcakes for breakfast this morning. They were light, fluffy and delicious! They are made with ricotta and lemon, which balances the sweetness of a fruit or syrup topping. Robert made a blueberry compote (fresh blueberries simmered in water and splenda) in place of Tyler's roasted apples. We halved the recipe, which yields 6-7 pancakes. This requires more work than using a box mix, but we think it's worth it to achieve less dense, non-rubbery pancakes!

09.24.09 Cinnamon roll cupcakes

I've been eyeing recipes for homemade cinnamon rolls for months, and finally dove in last night and tried one. I don't have a lot of experience with kneading, rolling, or forming dough, so my cupcakes weren't uniform sizes. I ended up with small ones for the little tykes (Lucy devoured one for breakfast this morning), and jumbo ones for hungry adults. These are called cinnamon roll cupcakes because they're cooked in a muffin tin with cupcake liners. They are delicious, and definitely have a more authentic taste than what you get from a can. I made a simple icing of powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract (hand mixed, measurements to taste), but they are delicious plain and I saved some to top with cream cheese frosting at a later date. These are sweet - kind of like that South Carolina victory over Ole Miss last night!!

09.12.09 Pumpkin-ginger-pecan waffles

Breakfast this morning was pumpkin-ginger-pecan waffles from another food blog, My Baking Heart. I am a sucker for a pumpkin recipe, and these waffles were amazing! They tasted like fall (if it's possible for food to taste like a season), and were perfect with warm maple syrup. A decadent, delicious treat on a lazy weekend!