Blueberry Pancakes

Want to know how many times a month I crave pancakes?
I don't want to talk about it.  It's a lot.
Instead of shoveling out 8 bucks at a restaurant for some of the cheapest comfort food out there, I cooked some up this weekend.  Because I'm cheap, and because I know I can control the quality of ingredients that go into these hot cakes.   Griddle cakes.  Ew.  Does "hot cakes" make you cringe a little?  It should.  They're pancakes.
And in this case, they're blueberry, whole wheat, and vegan.  Oh, and delicious.

Blueberry Pancakes
Adapted from Peas and Thank You's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups almond milk (unsweetened plain or vanilla)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Earth Balance vegan margarine and Grade B Maple syrup for serving

Combine all dry ingredients.  Stir in almond milk, just until combined.  Over mixing your batter will make tough pancakes, so try to avoid that.  Fold in blueberries so they are evenly distributed in your batter.  I used a large mixing spoon to slop batter into my cast iron skillet heated on medium, but you could use a 1/3 or 1/4 cup measure depending on how big you like your pancakes.

I like a good buttery crust on my pancakes, so just before I drop some batter into the pan, I will add about a teaspoon of Earth Balance to fry it up in.  You don't have to do this, but you totally should.  Cook the pancake on the first side until you see little bubbles forming and popping on the surface and the edges turning golden brown.  Flip it.  Cook a couple more minutes until the other side is golden.         

 You're going to cook all of these one at a time unless you have a totally awesome large griddle or electric skillet, so it can take a little while.  To keep those cooked pancakes hot while you cook the rest of the batter, keep them on a plate in the oven with your oven set on its lowest or "warm" setting.  Here's a peek at my state of the art and impeccably clean oven.  Don't judge.

After they're all golden, cooked and gorgeous, serve them up with some warmed blueberries or some maple syrup.  Grade B is has less of a glycemic impact than Grade A, in case you care about that sort of thing.  I also happen to think it tastes more maple-icious.

A little magazine reading on the couch, a ponytail to hide my unshoweredness, and a couple cups of coffee later, I'm ready to go pick out this year's Christmas tree.  Feeling fa-la-la.

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Happy Halloween!

My attempt at carving leaves with "softly glowing" aspects ended in me punching a giant hole into the side of the gooey mess.  Hence the awkward angle.  The dog food, newspaper and plants threatened by frost really enhance the holiday feel of this photo.  You're welcome.

Is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?  If it's wrong, I don't wanna be right.  There must be a "festive gene" that all the women in my family seem to have.  Maybe it's just because I have such an amazing family (no one likes a bragger, but get ready 'cause here it comes).  Maybe the arrival of Halloween marks the beginning of my favorite part of the year because there is the promise of spending more time together and enjoying each others special gifts.  From Aunt Hannah's sausage balls and Uncle Tommy's Christmas Eve serenades to Mom's all-out comforting Christmas decor and Alana's Thanksgiving Apple Cake, my family members are holiday professionals not to be trifled with.  I could go on and on, but I'll stop being a bragging jerk and point out another awesome family- Have you met the Peas?  Peas and Thank You is my new blog crush.  Mama Pea's recipes are so pealicious that I had to buy her book.  Whether you eat only plants, only animals, or both, her book and blog are full of recipes and hilarious stories that you will love.  I loved these muffins.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

These were the fragrant and wonderful start to the day.  And apparently they are nutritious too since I had enough energy following muffin consumption (I may or may not have had more than one) to fuel a hike by the river, intensive cleaning of the stove and microwave, and more Pea inspired cooking and eating before settling in for a cozy viewing of Funny Farm with Jeremy.

Teriyaki Tofu (recipe from Peas and Thank You) over jasmine rice with stir fried veggies for dinner.  Even tofu-suspicious Jeremy went back for seconds.

In other news, I had to scrape ice?! from my windshield this morning.  The holidays are truly upon us.  I can't wait to go home and roast my pumpkin seeds I've been soaking from yesterday's pumpkin debacle (I'm not to be trusted with large knives and slippery gourds) and hand out candy to young'ins.  Do you save your pumpkin seeds, or is it too much trouble?

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Spice up your Breakfast, Baby.

This is just something I make.  Is it gorgeous?  No.  Fancy?  No.  It is easy, quick, scrumptious and satisfying.  A good way to start out this gorgeous day.  I like to call it a breakfast chalupa.
A great friend of mine is getting married today, and I am so excited for her and her husband-to-be.  If I plan on dancing my socks off tonight, I better eat hearty this morning.

I made my breakfast chalupa pretty substantial today since I slept in on this Saturday morning, but it would work just as well if not better with a smaller tortilla and just one egg instead of two.  We'll call that a weekday breakfast chalupa.

In a medium or large saute pan, melt a teaspoon or so of butter on medium heat before cracking two large eggs into the pan.  Cook the eggs until the whites turn opaque, then top the eggs with shredded cheese while they are still in the pan.  I used Seriously Sharp White Cheddar by Cabot.  Toss a tortilla on top of this mess and press gently.  Let it sit and cook this way until the whole thing adheres together, about one minute.

Here comes the tricky part.  With the biggest spatula you have, scoot the spatula under this conglomeration, trying the best you can to get it under any cheese or stray egg pieces that may be hiding under your tortilla.

Get ready...

FLIP!  It doesn't matter if it's ugly.  Now top your creation with a bit more cheese if you like, and a generous portion of salsa.  I like a spicier salsa with my eggs.  Sometimes I like just straight up hot sauce, especially if I am making a weekday version of this.  Salsa verde is a great choice with this, as would be a roasted tomato salsa.  But for our purposes this morning, ChiChi's medium salsa is what I had in the fridge.  This is Saturday morning, folks.  We're not fancy.  Let this cook awhile until the cheese between the eggs and tortilla gets all melty.  I don't like to cook mine terribly long because I like the yolks to still be a little runny.  Saucy!

Now you're ready to fold it like an omelet.  If you're lucky, little pieces of cheese or egg or salsa have escaped and smeared themselves onto the outside of your tortilla.  This makes for browned crusty goodness.  This is a good thing.

Let it brown a little (maybe half a minute) before flipping to the other side and doing the same.  Slide that baby out of the pan onto a plate.  If you have some sour cream or greek yogurt, now would be a good time to get that out and add a dollop to the top of this mess with some fresh cilantro.  I don't have either, so I ate mine straight up with black coffee.

Let's get this day started!
Get me my dancing shoes.









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Quiche like Manna from Heaven

Has anyone seen that episode of The Office where Kevin goes on and on about his family recipe chili before he proceeds to spill a huge vat of it all over the office floor?  I have felt his pain on a number of occasions.  While the first one looked the messiest, (Sweet Potato Chicken Chili has that musty smell and orange color that provokes terror when coating even the most water resistant floor mats), this morning's spill was much more challenging.
While creme fraiche quiche has a creamy, velvety, intoxicatingly rich flavor and texture after cooking, the custard before cooking smells a little funky as all cultured creams do.  Imagine it:  you've have your custard mixture in your stainless steel bowl all covered snug with plastic wrap and situated just so in the floorboard.  Throughout the commute you check to make sure it's secure and comfortable.   When your workplace is in sight and you are about to turn into the parking lot, you notice a slightly piquant dairy odor.

TERROR OF TERRORS!  Your floorboard is completely white, the bowl is in its original upright position, the plastic wrap is still completely in place, and yet the contents of the bowl are sloshing and seeping into the darkest recesses of your custard colored Camry.  Welcome to my Monday morning.  While I ponder how to remove the custard funk from my vehicle, you enjoy this amazing recipe courtesy of Joy the Baker.  This girl has got it goin' on.  Her recipes are so inspiring, her sense of humor is grand, and she's one of those people you know was just blessed with loads of common sense.
Mine right after it came out of the oven all puffy in its custard glory and puff pastryness:

The glorious thing is that I was able to make cheese straws to go with my soup tonight with the scraps leftover from trimming the edges of the pie crust:

Just trim your scraps into quarter inch thick strips of dough, twist them into a spiral, sprinkle with the cheese of your choice (parmesan or gruyere works great, especially if you have leftover gruyere from making the quiche above), and bake at 400 for 11 minutes.  Like eating cheese flavored buttery air...








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In Praise of Focaccia

Jeremy's birthday was this weekend.  Unlike me, he was not cursed with a sweet tooth, so in lieu of cake he opted for some fresh baked focaccia.  This time with some thinly sliced tomatoes and rosemary from the hearty plant out front.  There are many good things about making focaccia from scratch.

The yeasty and warm smell of dough rising


The aroma of fresh baked bread permeating your house for the whole day


and most importantly,


The totally kicked up creations you can make with the leftovers.


My favorite recipe I've found so far comes from the Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook:

2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp sugar
5 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
fresh ground black pepper


In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the yeast, water, sugar and 2 Tbsp of the flour.  Let stand until foamy, about ten minutes.  In a large bowl, stir together 5 cups of the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, then form a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the well along with two Tbsp of the olive oil.  Stir with a wooden spoon, incorporating the ingredients until a soft dough forms.  Use floured hands to mix the dough when it becomes too stiff to work with a spoon.
Dust a work surface with the remaining flour (about 1 1/2 Tbsp).  Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead ten minutes, adding the flour if the dough becomes too sticky.  When the dough is smooth and elastic, shape it into a ball and place it back into the bowl with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil.  Turn the dough once to coat.  Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 to 45 minutes.  Punch it down, cover, and allow to rise again in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes longer.
Use 1 Tbsp of the oil to grease an 11 x 15 inch rimmed baking sheet.  On a lightly floured work surface, spread and press the dough flat until it is about the same size as the baking sheet.  Place in the prepared pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise one last time until doubled in bulk, about 15 minutes.  Poke a pattern in the dough with your fingertips.  Position your oven rack in the middle to upper two thirds of your oven and preheat to 425.
Sprinkle dough with the rosemary, remaining teaspoon of salt, and pepper.  Drizzle evenly with the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.


This recipe looks long.  It might look complicated.  It isn't!!  Even if you are a novice baker, you've got a great shot at impressing even your most skeptical relatives with this one.  A few changes I've made to the recipe:
Mix an additional teaspoon of chopped rosemary and one thinly sliced clove of garlic into the dough.
When dough has been formed and pressed into the baking sheet, additionally top it with thinly sliced tomatoes, a sprinkling of grated parmesan or a white/yellow cheese of your choice.  Also, do you want this to be even easier?  Good.  Me too.  That's why I do ALL the mixing and ALL the kneading in my stand mixer.  If you have one, please use it.  Unless of course you need to unleash some stress and make that dough pay with your hands and you just dare someone to try to stop you...

Here to our left you will notice maybe the most superb methods of transforming your leftover day or two-day-old focaccia into pure bliss.  It's also super easy.  After you've had enough morning coffee to avoid cutting yourself, split a square piece of focaccia about the size of your hand into two thin layers.  One top and one bottom.  We're making a sandwich- not a rocket.
Toss a piece of breakfast meat into a skillet on medium.  Country ham is about as quick, easy and delicious as it gets.  Canadian bacon is a tasty and more calorie-conscious choice, but man would some bacon be sublime!
Cook until it's done (a matter of a minute and a half for country ham!) and put it on your bottom layer.  Cut the cheese.  I know I am juvenile, but I get my smiles where I can, okay?  Use a sharp cheese that is full fat for optimum results.  Top the bread and meat with the cheese and put in your toaster oven or oven just until the cheese melts.  Take it out carefully.  While it gets toasty, fry up one egg.  I like my whites firm and my yolks runny and saucy!  Egg goes on top of ham and cheese, sliced tomato goes on top of egg, fresh ground pepper, top with focaccia half, WHAMMO.  You'll love me for this, I promise.

Still have a little leftover bread the next day?  Me too.  So I have a pot of soup on that I plan on topping with these little beauties before polishing off a nice big bowl.

Homemade croutons take almost no effort and the flavor payoff is fantastic.  Avoid buying croutons if you can.  They're even delicious made from stale store bought bread.  Cut into cubes, toss in a Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, season to taste, bake at 450 for ten minutes or until golden brown.  Shake the pan once during cooking to ensure even browning.

If you have read all the way down to this point, I congratulate you!  Thanks for staying tuned.  I can't wait to hear how your bread turns out!

-Melody



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