breakfast

December 27, 2015

Challah French Toast.

French toast is one of those breakfast foods that I rarely eat. Obviously, it’s delicious. I tend to eat pancakes and waffles more often; French toast is a breakfast that’s been relegated to that “fancy schmancy breakfast” category in my brain. And that’s kind of silly, is it not? After all, French toast is basically just egg-fried bread.

{Several weeks back, I made the challah French toast for a “friendsgivingmas” feast. I had it plus homemade breakfast pizza, bacon, hot cocoa spiked with Bailey’s, and some delicious Califia Farms orange juice [my current favorite orange juice by far]. Yum!}

French toast, does however, require specific breads to be delicious. My usual go-to, store bought (gasp!) bread is a simple, whole wheat/whole grain (sometimes a honey oat wheat) bread, and that would not translate well to French toast. If I’m going to make French toast, then at least some preparation and forethought has to be involved. I guess that’s why I don’t eat it very often. As a single person, I can’t exactly have an entire loaf of Texas toast bread or challah or brioche laying around… Because I would eat it all on its own before even getting around to using it for the dang French toast!

But every now and then, I get a fierce craving for some homemade challah (recipe coming soon!). I absolutely love making and eating challah. My current go-to recipe makes two loaves, so after I’ve pawned a bunch of it off on other people, I always end up having extra challah. It should be considered a cardinal sin to waste something as delicious as challah, and it just so happens that stale challah is perfect for making French toast! Challah is already an egg-based bread, so it just makes sense that frying it up in an egg-based mixture will bring it back to life.

topviewfrenchtoast — {Aerial views of food are my favorite.}

The recipe for this challah French toast is basically my original recipe (although I’m sure the same recipe exists somewhere out there), but it is adapted from the infamous Ina Garten. I made it for a “Friendsgivingmas” [my roommate made up that word, haha] feast a few weeks ago, and it was a hit! It should go without saying that starting with something already delicious [aka challah] and repurposing it with a few ingredients will make it that much more delicious.

This challah French toast is still soft and moist on the inside, but it’s got that perfect, golden brown crunch on the outside. With the orange zest, vanilla bean paste, and cinnamon, it’s spiced and flavorful in just the best way possible. I especially love the French toast with fresh blueberries and strawberries, a slight dusting of powdered sugar, and a dash of real maple syrup. Now that’s a fancy-ass breakfast [or Friendsgivingmas dinner] that’s worth splurging on every now and then. 😀

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Challah French Toast.

Yield: A lot. Haha. This will easily serve six people. It tends to reheat well as leftovers, too. In fact, I was nuking leftovers at work the next day.

Ingredients:
– 7 large eggs
– 1 cup half-and-half
– 1/2 cup 2% (or whole) milk {Note: You can sub all half-and-half or all milk. I just prefer that the fat content is at least 2% or higher.}
– 1 tsp. grated orange zest
– 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or sub pure vanilla extract)
– 1 TBSP. good-quality honey
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1 large loaf challah or brioche bread {Note: I used my homemade challah that was beginning to go stale. I will be posting the recipe for this soon, but you can opt for store bought challah. I won’t judge you too harshly if you choose to go this route. 😉 }
– Unsalted butter and vegetable oil for frying
– Optional toppings: berries (strawberries and blueberries pair wonderfully with this!), powdered sugar, and real maple syrup.

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

2. In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half/milk, orange zest, vanilla, and honey. Whisk the cinnamon and salt in a separate small bowl, then add it into the liquid mixture.

3. Slice the challah into about 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the liquid mixture as possible for about 2-3 minutes, turning once.

4. Heat one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add several soaked bread slices at a time, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the slices are nicely browned on both sides.

5. Place the cooked bread on a cookie sheet and keep it warm in the preheated oven until ready to serve. Continue frying the bread as aforementioned in step four until it’s all fried up. You’ll need to add more butter/oil as time goes on to continue frying. Serve hot with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, powdered sugar, and/or real maple syrup.

+ Recipe adapted from Ina Garten, via The Food Network.

challahcloseup — {A closeup. I love how the berries look with the bread.}

September 7, 2015

RBE // Homemade Lucky Charms Cereal!

The roommate and I have officially lost our minds. This installment of “RBE” {Roommate Baking Endeavors} entails – as you have probably gathered – making homemade Lucky Charms. Oh yes.

I have been told by more than one person that I’m “crazy” for doing this. And you know what… Those people aren’t wrong. I’ll tell you one thing: I will NEVER make homemade Lucky Charms again. Ever. The amount of work involved was kind of insane. It took a lot of time, attention to detail, patience, frustration, and sore hands to accomplish. Making homemade Lucky Charms isn’t for the faint of heart. All that to say, I am glad that we did it. It’s a fun accomplishment, even though it’s kinda whack.

Now, this is going to be one of those posts where I’m not about to reinvent the wheel with detailed instructions and recipes on here. At the end of this post, I’ve listed all of the resources for recipes. Brave Tart, The Cupcake Project, and Kath Eats are all fine blogs who have already done the footwork for me here. Instead, I just wanted to share photos, some fun facts on the original Lucky Charms cereal, and some tips/tricks/warnings from the experience that Dani and I had. Just in case you’re actually whack enough to attempt this challenge on your own. 😉

PS: Shout out to Cooper for helping us with the marshmallows. You’re a champ. (Just no more shenanigans with my kitchen/living room decor, got it? :P)

fortunatetrinkets — {I thought it would be fun to put our marshmallows and cereal in these little peach bowls that were my Grandma’s. I think they’re ice cream bowls, but hey, they look nice holding homemade cereal, too. If Mamaw were here, she’d probably think I’m nuts for making homemade cereal. But “nuts” in the best way. :)}

spilledmilk — {No need to cry over spilled milk when you’ve accomplished making homemade Lucky Charms!}

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Homemade Lucky Charms [Aka Fortunate Trinkets].

+ Dani and Darcie’s Baking Notes [Tips/Tricks/Warnings]:
– Dani actually researched the marshmallow to cereal ratio (yes, she’s that dedicated to our RBEs). We determined that the best ratio is 3:1. Therefore, you’ll need about three pieces of oat cereal to each single marshmallow.
– Enlist a few brave people to help you cut out the marshmallows. All of your fingers/thumbs will be sore. {Or maybe find someone you don’t like so you can torture them? Juuust kidding. Maybe.}
– Don’t overcook the homemade corn syrup, or it will get crystallized real fast. It still worked out fine, but I was worried for awhile.
– Have your food coloring [preferably the good quality gel coloring] ready to go when you divide up your marshmallow “batter.” You’ll need to color everything very quickly to get the marshmallow paste to spread out before it gets more solid.
– Try to spread your layers of marshmallow as evenly as possible. It’ll make the cutting out process much easier later on.
– For the oat cereal: Maybe I did something wrong [entirely possible], but the dough was a pain in the arse to roll out. It’s maddening. You need just the right amount of moisture so that the dough will stick together, but not too much, or else it will get overly sticky.
– You can use a skewer to poke the holes in the oat cereal and shape them around the skewer. It’s a very tedious process, so only attempt this if you really like tedious processes. 🙂
– Think of a clever name for your cereal if you do attempt this. Dani came up with “Fortunate Trinkets,” which I think is entertaining. 🙂

+ Lucky Charms Fun Facts:
– These facts and more can be found here.
– Lucky Charms cereal first debuted in 1963. I didn’t realize it was that old!
– The marshmallows in Lucky Charms are actually called marbits. Interesting word.
– The only original “marbit” that is still in the modern version of Lucky Charms is the heart shape.
– Lucky Charms featured a mail-in order for a free, real tree in 1991. My only response to that is: Lolwut.
– I told Dani that the marshmallows reminded me of those nasty, sawdust-esque circus peanuts that all of the older folks loved buying at the hardware store I used to work at. Turns out I was spot-on with that assessment, because… “The cereal was created by product developer John Holahan. He developed the original prototype based on Cheerios cereal pieces and chopped up pieces of his favorite candy – Circus Peanuts,” according to the General Mills website.

+ Recipe Resources:
– Inspiration for this crazy endeavor is from The Cupcake Project.
– Crispy cereal marshmallow recipe and instructions from Brave Tart.
– Oat cereal recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.
– You can find the Ateco cutters for the marshmallows on Amazon. I found mine in Germany, but I’m pretty sure they’re the exact same as the Ateco cutters here.

July 19, 2015

Vegan Chai-Spiced Pancakes.

I don’t think it ever occurred to me that you can make vegan pancakes until I bought the book Pancakes, written by the same cool lady who writes at A Cozy Kitchen. That sounds silly now that I really think about it. In my mind, however, pancakes have always meant that there’s gonna be lots of butter, eggs, and milk (or better yet, buttermilk!).

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that tasty, fluffy pancakes don’t necessarily have to contain any animal products. I’m far from being a vegan – I don’t have anything against the lifestyle; I just recognize that it’s not for me. Still, I go through phases [Is it just me? Surely not…] in which I am: a) out of milk/eggs and too broke/lazy to go buy some; and/or b) eating mostly vegetable-based foods, because it just feels better at times; and/or c) in the mood to experiment with less common ingredients. For those phases, these vegan pancakes are perfect.

This vegan pancake recipe is extremely simple and easy. It comes from the book titled Pancakes: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack, aka the Pancake Bible. I like to make these pancakes just as they are when one of my three-part life phases hit me. But sometimes when I’m feeling extra rowdy, I’ll add some chai spices to the pancake batter to, well, spice things up a bit.

Sometimes a girl just needs a stack of six pancakes for dinner. Sometimes chai spices add a lovely aroma and slight kick to some simple pancakes. That’s just real life, and real life is pretty decent when there are pancakes and jadeite plates around. 🙂

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Vegan Chai-Spiced Pancakes.
Yield: Makes six pancakes.

Ingredients:
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 TBSP. baking powder
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
– 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp. cardamom
– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
– Pinch of black pepper
– 1 cup almond milk [or other non-dairy milk]
– 1 TBSP. agave nectar [or real maple syrup, if you don’t have agave nectar]
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– About 1 tsp. of vegetable oil or vegan butter for the skillet

Instructions:
1. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
2. Measure out the milk in a liquid measuring cup, then add the agave nectar and vanilla extract, stirring until combined.
3. Add all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients at once, then mix until just combined. The batter will probably be slightly lumpy; this is okay! Pancake batter is supposed to be lumpy, so don’t beat the heck out of it.
4. Preheat your skillet over medium heat, and brush with the vegetable oil so that the pan is well-greased.
5. Measure about 1/4 cup of batter and scoop into the heated skillet. Cook for about three to four minutes, or until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes.
6. Flip the pancakes, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the on the opposite sides for approximately one to two minutes, or until the pancakes are golden brown.
7. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 200 degrees F oven to keep warm. Repeat the cooking process with the rest of the batter until pancakes are done. Serve immediately with real maple syrup, and enjoy!

– Recipe barely adapted, via Pancakes: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack.

May 25, 2015

Vegan Blueberry Muffins.

I’m no writing expert, but even I sometimes hit a wall. I think they call that “writer’s block.” 😉 There are just times where – even if I enjoyed a recipe or felt inspired by it – I just don’t know what to say about it. That’s how I’m feeling today.

I got my less-than-great photos edited and uploaded. I wasn’t having a great photography day when I took pictures of these muffins a few weeks ago. Then I waited about a week to actually begin writing after the photos had been uploaded. {In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed to even post them. But I decided to just roll with it, because I think this muffin recipe is an interesting one.}

Actually, one of my favorite parts of baking and food blogging involves simply experimenting with various recipes. I even get sick of making certain things over and over again [I kind of hate routines, which makes adult life interesting]. It just gets super boring to me. I’m not vegan, as I think most of you are aware. However, I did decide to make these vegan muffins, just for kicks. I was seriously worried that they wouldn’t turn out, because the batter was slightly off. I may have done something wrong; who knows. I’m pretty sure I was in a daze when I made these muffins, because I forgot to even write down any notes based on my experience with making them.

I even fretted when I put them in the oven, unsure as to whether or not they’d turn out. But lo and behold, the baking gods smiled upon me, and they turned out great! You wouldn’t even necessarily know that they’re vegan. The texture of the muffins is actually quite nice – they’re your typical, soft muffin texture.

Plus, I think it goes without saying that blueberries and muffin batter were simply meant to be. If you’re feeling adventurous and vegan [or you are actually, you know, vegan], then try these muffins out. They might come in at a close second to my favorite [very non-vegan, butter y’all] blueberry muffin recipe [which I need to post soon!]. 😉

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins.
Yield: 10-12 regular sized muffins.

Ingredients:
– ¾ cup all-purpose flour
– ¾ cup white whole wheat flour {Note: You could also just use all AP flour for this.}
– ¼ cup light brown sugar
– ½ cup granulated sugar
– ½ tsp. salt
– 2 tsp. baking powder
– ⅓ cup vegetable oil
– 1 large banana, mashed [about ½ cup]
– ⅓ cup non-dairy milk [I used almond milk, and I actually needed more like 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk. If the batter seems too dry or extremely thick, feel free to add a bit more liquid to thin it out to a better consistency.]
– 1 cup fresh blueberries [I used frozen; if you use frozen berries, do not thaw them prior to throwing them into the batter.]

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with 10-12 liners, and set aside.
2. Combine the flours, sugars, salt, and baking powder. Add in your milk of choice, bananas, and oil. Stir until just moistened. {Note: As aforementioned, I ended up needing WAY more liquid in my batter than the recipe called for… Just use your best judgment. Now, muffin batter is supposed to be a bit more thick and lumpy, but if something seems way off, add a bit more liquid.}
3. Gently fold in your blueberries, and fill the muffin cups about 3/4ths of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).
4. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove muffins from pan to cool completely. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

– Recipe from Bakerita.

April 18, 2015

Giant Cinnamon Rolls.

daffodilrolls — {Yay for cheery daffodils from the Missouri Botanical Garden + fresh, giant, delicious cinnamon rolls!}

I’m in a pretty straightforward mood today. So let me just get straight to the point with this blog post: I’m pretty sure that these are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made. Yes, I realize that was a bold statement. But – not to brag – I have made a few cinnamon rolls in my day, and these take the cake [err, take the roll?].

These mofos are huge, as you can clearly see. They are filled with layers upon layers of buttery, delicious, sugary, cinnamon-y swirls. The brown sugar in the filling is probably my favorite part; I absolutely love how it tastes with cinnamon. There is also just a tad bit of cocoa powder in the filling, which I think just deepens the delicious filling even more. The dough is also great; yeast doughs can be tricky, and sometimes lackluster. But I really liked the dough for these.

And that vanilla bean cream cheese frosting? *Homer Simpson drool/gurgle noises* It’s so creamy and delicious. I would bathe in it. [Sorry/not sorry for that visual.]

I made them for Easter Sunday, which was definitely a wise choice. But I’d make them again at any time. You can even let the dough do its first rise; form the rolls, let them rise a bit more, then place them in the fridge overnight. Take them out in the morning, allow them to rise for about 30-60 minutes, then bake in the morning. And be everyone’s breakfast hero. Either way, just make these giant cinnamon rolls. They’re worth it. {The only downside is that you might be in a sugar/carbs coma after eating one. YOLO.}

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Giant Cinnamon Rolls.
Yield: Two 9×13″ pans of GIANT cinnamon rolls (total 12 large rolls).

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
– 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
– 1/2 cup half & half
– 6 tsp. active dry yeast [about three packets]
– 1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP. granulated sugar
– 8 TBSP. unsalted butter, melted
– 1 whole egg
– 2 egg yolks
– 1 TBSP. pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
– 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1 1/2 tsp. salt

For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
– 16 TBSP. salted butter, softened to room temp. [You can also use unsalted if you like.]
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1/2 cup light brown sugar
– 1/2 cup ground cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp. unsweetened, plain baking cocoa

For the Frosting:
– 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
– 8 TBSP. unsalated butter, softened
– 1/2 cup heavy cream
– 3 cups powdered sugar
– 1 TBSP. pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
– 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:
1. Begin heating the milk and half & half in a saucepan. Heat until it reaches about 105 degrees F [use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature].
2. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly if it got a bit too hot [you don’t want to kill the yeast]. Add the yeast and one tablespoon of granulated sugar. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Melt the butter, and mix it into the yeast mixture. Add the whole egg and egg yolks, and the vanilla, then mix well.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients together, and set aside.
5. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Next, add half of the dry ingredients, and combine slowly. Add remaining dry ingredients, and combine with a dough hook for five minutes. [*Note: You can also knead for about 6-8 minutes by hand, if you do not have a stand mixer.] Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it. Allow the dough to rest and rise for about 1.5 hours.
6. Once the dough has rested for an adequate amount of time and doubled in size, divide the dough in half. Turn it out onto a large floured surface [e.g. a clean counter top]. Roll each half into a large, thin rectangle, about 1/4″ thick. For these rolls, we want very thin layers so that the individual rolls will have more layers.
7. When you have one half of the dough rolled out, spread half of the softened butter all over the entire rectangle. Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the buttered dough.
8. Carefully roll the dough, being sure that it’s rolling tightly, so that it forms a long roll. Measure the dough and divide it into six even pieces. Place the rolls cut side down into a sprayed 9×13″ pan. [Note: They will look a bit tall and odd in the pan; this is normal.]
9. Once you’re done with the first pan, repeat the same process for the second pan of rolls. Cover the pans in plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest/rise for about an hour.
10. When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the rolls until golden, about thirty minutes. Remove the pans and cool on a wire cooling rack.
11. While the rolls are cooling, combine the cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream in a mixer bowl. Mix until sooth. Sift the powdered sugar, and add it, the salt, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, and top the cinnamon rolls with your frosting. Enjoy!

– Recipe from Southern FATTY.

April 2, 2015

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts.

Oh man. These doughnuts. I just love them. I was fortunate enough to try them several months ago when my roommate made them for two other girls and myself. I think I exclaimed, “Holy crap, that’s GOOD!” when I first tried them. So I asked my roommate if we could make them together as a Roommate Baking Endeavor [RBE] sometime, and that’s what we did last weekend.

heartdonuts — {I found a heart-shaped doughnut (?) cutter that my aunt shipped me from an antique store in Colorado, so of course I knew I needed heart-shaped doughnuts!}

These doughnuts are just like what you’d get at a doughnut shop if you were to order an old-fashioned, fried cake doughnut. Except they’re better. They are also incredibly easy to make [Minus the frying part – that still scares me a bit, but my roomie is responsible for most of the frying duty, and she’s got it down pat.]… Plus it’s just plain cool to know that you can make doughnuts at home! I would not advise eating these on a regular basis, as they’re not remotely healthy. But hey, everything in moderation, amirite?

donutholes — {Doughnut holes on a scale!}

These are seriously an amazing treat! They are light, cakey, and the nutmeg flavor just adds a lovely oomph to them, if you know what I mean. The glaze is also what makes these; it seals in the moisture and they just melt in your mouth. If you’ve got some spare time on the weekend, just TREAT YOSELF. That’s all I’ve gotta say.

donecloseup — {Mmm. Those beautiful innards.}

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Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts.

Yield: It really depends on how small/large you cut your doughnuts; it can vary.

Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
– 2 1/4 cups (255 grams) cake flour [Note: You can also substitute all-purpose flour sifted with cornstarch; Google a substitution method for more details.]
– 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
– 1 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 2 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 large egg yolks
– 1/2 cup sour cream [full fat]
– Canola oil, for frying

For the glaze:
– 3 1/2 cup (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
– 1 1/2 tsp. corn syrup
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup hot water

Instructions:
For the doughnuts:
1. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until they form a sandy consistency. Add the egg yolks, and beat until the mixture is light but thick.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream. You should have about three additions total; be sure to end with the flour. The dough will be sticky; this is normal. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
4. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a doughnut cutter [or two different sized biscuit cutters] to cut out all of your doughnuts. Dip your cutters in flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. You should get approximately twelve doughnuts and holes, but again, we found that this varies.
5. Pour two inches of canola oil into a pot with a thermometer attached. Heat the oil until it’s reached about 325 degrees F. You may need to monitor the temperature of the oil, depending on your stove. Just use caution, as the oil temperature can change very quickly.
6. Fry several of the doughnuts at a time, but be careful to not overcrowd the pot. Each doughnut should take about two minutes on each side to fry; be careful to not let them burn. Allow the cooked doughnuts to sit on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.

For the glaze:
1. Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth glaze forms.
2. Immerse each doughnut into the glaze, and place them on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch excess glaze. Allow the doughnuts to sit for about twenty minutes until the glaze is set. Note: Doughnuts are the best served the day they’re made, but these doughnuts keep well for several days in an air tight container at room temperature.

– Recipe from Handle the Heat.

March 28, 2015

Simple Granola + Raspberry + Yogurt Parfaits.

I’m not gonna lie: I am not a huge fan of yogurt. Try as I might, there’s just something about the taste that just kinda squicks me out. [I’m also one of those apparent nutjobs who hates cow’s milk, but that’s another story for another day.]

Then last Saturday morning, I found myself rushing to leave my apartment relatively early so I could go drive to Indianapolis for a high school friend’s wedding. I knew I needed some espresso for the nearly four hour drive, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to eat. I stopped at a local coffee shop, ordered my usual vanilla latte, and then decided to order a yogurt parfait. It was simple – it had plain vanilla yogurt, along with honey, strawberries, and fresh mint. And perhaps I was just starving, but it was actually very good. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it – even as I wolfed half of it down in the coffee shop’s parking lot before hopping on the interstate.

That parfait got me to thinking: What if I made my own yogurt parfaits? Would that be a way to get myself to eat more yogurt? I mean, we all know that plain yogurt [either Greek yogurt or whole fat yogurt – not the sugary fruit-flavored yogurts that are popular] is supposedly really good for you. But as I mentioned before, I’ve just never been a huge fan of it.

When I got back to St. Louis on Sunday, I decided to make some simple homemade granola. And I thought that it would go great with some yogurt so that I could make my own little parfaits. Behold:

parfaitone

These parfaits are simple and delicious, and very healthy [for the most part]. The best part is that they’re super versatile. For my parfaits, I used the following: honey, my homemade granola, raspberries, and whole fat plain yogurt. But if you hate raspberries, use strawberries or blueberries. If you want to go vegan, use agave nectar in place of the honey, and coconut yogurt in place of the whole fat yogurt. Your options are endless! That being said, this post is not really a recipe, as I don’t think you can quite qualify this as a recipe. But I thought it would be cool to share how I made my little parfaits – in the hope that you will be inspired to make your own. I think these parfaits have converted me from a yogurt-hater to someone who can eat yogurt – if it’s done right! 😉

parfaitingredients — {You will need: a jar to store the parfait, yogurt, fruit of your choice, honey (or agave nectar for vegans), and small batch granola.}

leparfait — [Putting my parfait in this “Le Parfait” jar was actually unintentional, but I’m okay with it.]

raspberriestopview — [Mmmm. Raspberries.]

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Simple Granola + Raspberry + Yogurt Parfaits.

Ingredients:
– Honey or agave nectar
– Granola [homemade or store bought]
– Yogurt
– Fruit of your choice

Instructions:
1. In a small jar or bowl, add some honey or agave nectar to your liking.
2. On top of the honey/agave nectar, add several scoops of yogurt.
3. Top the yogurt with granola, then garnish with fruit of your choice.
4. Mix all the ingredients together with your spoon, and enjoy!
5. Note: You can layer all of the ingredients in a jar, then close the jar and store it in your fridge overnight for an easy and tasty breakfast on the go in the morning! Dooo itttt.

parfait1 — [I wish my layers were prettier. Oh well.]

March 24, 2015

Small Batch Granola.

Granola probably seems like one of those foods that makes much more sense to make in bulk, right? For most people, it probably does make sense to make massive amounts of it. But I’m not one of those people. You see, I like granola; don’t get me wrong. I just can’t eat a ton of it before it becomes stale. Cooking for a single person is difficult; I don’t want to waste food [and yet I still do this anyway.. ugh], but I also don’t want to have too little around. Because then I might get hangry, and no one wants to see that!

So my solution for making just the right amount of food for myself is to cut most recipes in half, and sometimes in half again. For this granola, I found a basic granola recipe and then cut it in half and made a few minor adaptations to the recipe. The result is this tasty, simple, and relatively healthy granola. And it’s just enough to get me through this granola craving, and then I’ll move on to some other random craving.

closeupgranola — {This granola is ready for its closeup!}

Now, I am no granola expert. But I have made it several times using various recipes, and I think that I like this one the best. There is a bit of added sugar, which is the only caveat. It’s brown sugar, and I really like the flavor that brown sugar adds to just about everything. There is also honey in my version, which I like as well. The granola almost tastes sort of graham cracker-esque, so you know that’s a good thing! It’s also super customizable, so feel free to alter the recipe however you like. If you hate almonds, add a different nut. If you want to add some dried fruit, go for it! I think that this recipe could also be pretty easily veganized using agave nectar in place of the honey. I will definitely be trying more granola variations soon, so I will be sure to post them here when I do.

parfaitone — {Be sure to stay tuned: in a few days, I’ll be showing you what I have started to make with this granola – when I’m not shoving clusters of it in my face, that is!}

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Small Batch Granola.
Yield: About two to two and a half (2 – 2 1/2) cups of granola.

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 cups rolled oats [Not instant!]
– 1 1/2 TBS. packed light brown sugar
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
– 3 TBS. honey
– 2 TBS. light olive oil
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1/4 cup raw slivered almonds [NOTES: I get mine at Trader Joe’s. Please note that it is important to use raw nuts if you’re going to be baking them with the granola. If not, you may buy pre-roasted nuts and add them to your granola after it bakes. Just don’t put roasted nuts in with the granola to bake, or you may end up with overcooked nuts, and the taste of them is not pleasant. Not that I’d know from experience or anything…]

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture together until the oat mixture is evenly coated and some clumps begin to form. {Note: You might find that you’ll need more oil/honey to get it to come together. Feel free to experiment with this.}
3. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper, then spread the granola out in an even layer on the sheet.
4. Bake the granola for about 15 minutes. Take the granola out, and stir it around to get it more browned evenly. Add the slivered almonds, and stir around to evenly distribute them. Put the granola back in the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on it, as it can burn quickly.
5. Cool the granola, then store in an airtight container. Granola should keep for a few weeks.

– Recipe adapted from Chow.com.

March 1, 2015

Buttermilk Banana Bread.

There are so, so many banana bread recipes out there. I have at least 10-15 nanner bread recipes pinned on a Pinterest board, most of which I still have yet to try. But I recently realized that it had been awhile since I made some good nanner bread, and so I found this buttermilk banana bread recipe. I’ve been intrigued by it for awhile because I haven’t ever used buttermilk in a quick bread such as this. Also, as with most baked goods that have over 9,000 recipes in existence, I enjoy trying out as many as possible. For science, of course. 😀

The sun was so bright, shining through our kitchen windows that my slice over on the right is way too over-exposed. Whoops.

This recipe makes a mama loaf and a baby loaf of bread [or you could make one larger loaf, but I have a mini loaf pan and I enjoy putting it to use on occasion]. Look at how cute they are together!

In my opinion, the buttermilk adds a unique tang to the bread, and it makes it more moist, of course. This bread isn’t quite as intense with banana flavor, so I may eventually try it again and add more bananas. The initial recipe doesn’t call for any spices, but I couldn’t resist adding cinnamon, because cinnamon and banana bread are just meant to be. Overall, I liked this bread. It’s a bit different from what I’m used to, but it was a nice little change! Try it out; you might be pleasantly surprised. 😀

PS: It’s also a lovely treat to hold us over on the rest of these gross winter days…

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Buttermilk Banana Bread.

Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 2 large eggs
– 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium sized bananas)
– 4 TBS. buttermilk
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/8 tsp. baking soda
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large loaf pan (about 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 inch) or use a combination of a mini loaf pan and a smaller loaf pan (e.g. 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch). [Note: I just grease my pans with cooking spray and place parchment paper in them for easy removal, but you do you. Just make sure you can get the bread out easily!] Set pans aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter and cream until light and fluffy. Next, add the rest of the wet ingredients (eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla). Mix until combined.

3. Add in the dry ingredients [flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon], and mix until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. {Note: Oven times and temperatures often vary. I think my larger loaf only baked for about 45 minutes before it was done, so keep an eye on it!}

4. Allow the bread to cool in its pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Then carefully run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and then remove it from the pan. Allow to cool completely, then slice and serve (or serve it warm; that’s the best!).

– Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.

February 21, 2015

Cinnamon Chip Scones.

Oh man.

I don’t even know where to begin with these scones. You see, cinnamon chip scones and I go wayyy back.

I’d even say that cinnamon chip scones are my homies. Yeah, I went there. Inanimate, edible objects are my friends.

Now you probably think I’m a weirdo for talking about scones as if they’re people. But these scones… Oh man.

I guess I’ll just go back to the beginning and explain myself so that you stop thinking I’m weird… [I mean, I am kinda weird, but who isn’t?]

So… When I said cinnamon chip scones and I go way back, I really meant it. These cinnamon chip eggnog scones from King Arthur Flour were the first scones I ever made. If my memory serves me correctly, I first made these during Christmas break from college in 2011. I was immediately blown away by how good they were then, and I recall even my mom saying that they were good enough to be in a bakery. Yes, they’re that good.

The original scone recipe is probably meant to make the scones more of a seasonal thing; they use eggnog in place of the usual heavy cream. But screw seasonal desserts; I make these mofos year round. Since eggnog and cinnamon chips are virtually impossible to find in the middle of summer, I have made a few alterations to the original recipe so that I can make these scones whenever the heck I want.

These scones rise beautifully and are relatively soft and moist [for a scone, anyway]. They are bursting with cinnamon flavor, and the turbinado sugar coating adds an awesome crunch once they’re baked.

You should seriously consider making these scones, even if it’s in the middle of winter. And then make them again around Christmas with eggnog too. They’re totally worth it.

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Cinnamon Chip Scones.

Ingredients:
For the scone dough:
– 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 3/4 tsp. salt
– 1 TBS. baking powder
– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pats or small cubes
– 1 to 2 cups cinnamon chips {I get mine from King Arthur Flour, but Hershey’s also makes them.}
– 1 large egg
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon eggnog flavor
– 3/4 cup cold heavy cream [or eggnog if you can find it]

For the topping:
– 1 TBS. heavy cream or eggnog
– 2 TBS. turbinado sugar

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.
2. Add the cubes of butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is mostly incorporated within, and pea-sized crumb-like dough is formed. Mix in the cinnamon chips.
3. Measure the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until a dough forms. You may need to add more heavy cream to get it to come together.
5. Once the dough has come together, dump it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough until it’s about 3/4″ thick. Either roll into a circle and cut wedges, or cut circles out.
6. Place scones on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Brush with extra heavy cream, then top with turbinado sugar.
7. For best texture and rising, cover prepared scones and freeze for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 (I usually only need mine at about 420) degrees F, uncover scones and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside but still soft on the inside. Enjoy!

– Recipe barely adapted from King Arthur Flour.