New Things and Muffins

Number one: Instagram.

Am I the last one to join?  I installed the Andriod app on Monday, and it's just as addicting as Interest (Here I am!).  Whenever there's a dull moment in any of my classes....I think it's time to get updated on Instagram.

Also: chocolate and ginger.  I didn't realize until March 13 how well these flavors go together.  There might have been some cookies made yesterday to take advantage of the flavor pair- stay tuned. :)

Third: whole wheat pastry flour.  Which is where these muffins come in!  I love muffins but they get a bad rap for being one of those foods that sound healthy but are actually really bad for you.  But I'm happy to say that these muffins do not deserve that negativity.  They are moist, flavorful, and just all around delicious.

I made several changes from the original recipe, and I'm absolutely thrilled with how they turned out!  Instead of using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour, I used all whole wheat pastry flour, and I substituted wheat bran for oat bran.  I also used all raisins and no walnuts and added extra coconut.  If you're in the market for a quick and healthy breakfast, this is the one for you.  Throw on some peanut butter for protein and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins


makes 16 muffins
adapted from Breakfast in Bed by Carol Frieburg

1 egg
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup raisins (or walnuts or a combo)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or half WW and half AP)
1/2 cup wheat bran (or oat bran)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.  Beat in bananas, raisins, oil, vanilla extract, molasses, and coconut.  In a separate bowl, combine flours, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Using a spatula, gently fold in banana mixture just until blended.  Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and muffins test done with a toothpick.  Turn onto a cooling rack to cool.

Have a great Thursday!

Love,
Rosie

Coffee Cake Supreme

My adorable cousin Anna is a very picky eater.

So when we had her and her parents over for brunch on Saturday, I knew that anything with unidentified green parts (like a delicious Garden Medley Quiche) would not be popular.  Believe it or not, neither was the fruit salad.  This is the girl who doesn't like bread but will eat pizza crust (only if it's cheese), hates salad unless it's pasta salad with cheese tortellini and absolutely no sauce, and won't eat any kind of sandwich other than an ice cream sandwich.

Fortunately, I think we managed to get some of this coffee cake into her before she ate any significant amount of chocolate eggs.  Even with such a picky eater, this was a hit.  And there is absolutely nothing about this that's not to love- it's a lovely light cake studded with dates and walnuts and a perfect butter/brown sugar flavor.

It's really perfect for a brunch, holiday breakfast, or just because. :)

Coffee Cake Supreme


from Breakfast in Bed by Carol Frieburg

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, thoroughly cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.  Beat in egg.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Spread half the batter in a greased 8-inch square cake pan (I used a round 9-inch pan).  For filling, in a separate bowl, combine all filling ingredients and sprinkle over batter.  Spread remaining batter over filling.  Top with nuts.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tests done.

The Easter bunny doesn't make a big point to visit this house anymore, but my sweet mom gave me a little Easter gift

Love love love Theo chocolate.  I broke into this bar tonight, and it was just perfect.

I also got a little gift from my aunt, which was gone that day.

Isn't it a beautiful cookie? I'd love to learn some tips and tricks for making food look nice.

By the way, I ate three of the most incredible eclairs yesterday.  Forget custard, I just need to learn how to make those! :)

Have a great start to your week!

Love,
Rosie

Easter Brunch- Garden Medley Quiche

After all that, my custard wasn't super thick.  It was smooth and creamy, but not really thick.  But I'll take a smooth custard over a curdled one any day, and I'm just pleased that the second around went so much better than the first!

It's hard to see in the photo, but there are tons of beautiful specks from the vanilla bean.  Someday soon I'll give custard another shot. :)

I also made the quiche last night, and thankfully only needed one go to make it turn out just right.  I absolutely love the colors and the bright flavors the veggies add, and I think the cottage cheese makes it nice and light.

Garden Medley Quiche


from Breakfast in Bed by Carol Frieberg


makes 2 quiches

10 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (I always use butter.  The real stuff is so much better!)
3 cups cottage cheese
1 cup cooked fresh spinach or 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow or green pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
12 oz shredded Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, combine eggs, flour, baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, butter/margarine, and 1 cup of the cottage cheese; blend well.  Pour blended mixture into a large bowl and add remaining cottage cheese, spinach, peppers, green onions, and shredded cheese.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Divide between two greased 10-inch pie pans.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until set.

For brunch we also had fruit salad with the custard sauce and coffee cake.  The coffee cake recipe was from the same book as the quiche, and they both turned out really well.  These Orange Yogurt Muffins are from the same book, and I think it'll turn into a staple for breakfast ideas.

Happy Easter!

Love,
Rosie

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes

Something about Friday nights just means pizza.

And when the oven is already on, you might as well make something special for Saturday morning breakfast!  Like this roasted asparagus frittata.  But only if you like asparagus, or there's someone in your house who does.  I'm not an asparagus fan, but my parents liked it.  And at least I got some veggies in to start my day.

After breakfast, my dad and I rushed out the door to our county Republican convention! He was chosen as a delegate at the caucus about a month ago, and I got to tag along to observe.  It was really interesting, and things can get pretty intense even at the county level.  It was really fun though, and I'm so glad I went.  :)

I've been eating big salads the past few nights and loving it.  When you can put on anything you want, salads are great fun!

But who needs healthy when the Costco food court starts carrying hot turkey/provolone/pesto sandwiches?

My mom and I split one for lunch yesterday, and it was hot and buttery and perfect.

And since this is spring break, I have plenty of time to fool around in the kitchen!  I convinced my mom to buy a giant tub of cottage cheese at Costco yesterday, and this morning I made these cottage cheese hotcakes.  I found the recipe in the same cookbook that had Pacific Northwest Breakfast Eggs, and it came together very fast.  It said to top with sour cream and jam, but I experimented with plain Greek yogurt, jam, bananas, and honey.   And they were really.  good.  The only bad thing is that it doesn't make a big batch, so we didn't end up with many leftovers!

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes


from Wake Up and Smell the Coffee


3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick.  Beat in cottage cheese.  Add flour and salt and stir until combined.  In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold into cottage cheese mixture.  Cook on a hot griddle until both sides are golden brown.  Serve immediately and top as desired.  Enjoy!

Have a great Tuesday!

Love,
Rosie

Pacific Northwest Breakfast Eggs

On school mornings, I've been eating breakfast before my shower, which means I get up on time every day.  It's not an exaggeration that the reason I've been getting out of bed this week is these orange yogurt muffins.

But today was different.  I didn't eat for almost an hour after I got up, but the killer eggs I ate made it more than worth it.  I woke up craving eggs, and decided to pull together a recipe for Pacific Northwest Baked Eggs that I marked in one of my new cookbooks.  It's quick and easy, and oh so good!  And if you eat a muffin on the side? Heaven :)

My parents loved these too, and I imagine we'll be eating a lot more of these eggs on future weekend mornings.

Pacific Northwest Breakfast Eggs

serves 3

slightly adapted from Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

6 eggs

2 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp sour cream

a few Tbsp chopped bell pepper

a few Tbsp chopped green onion

a few Tbsp smoked salmon

three small handfuls shredded cheese (I used a blend, but any kind of hard cheese would be delish)

Butter or spray three ramekins with cooking spray and set aside.  Beat eggs with milk and sour cream, and divide between ramekins.  Sprinkle with pepper, green onions, salmon, and cheese.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until eggs are set, probably between 25 and 30 minutes.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

This weekend was nice and laid back.  I made an impulse Trader Joe's run and came home with three fun buys, sweet potato chips, yogurt covered pretzels, and champagne pear vinaigrette.  We've been eating the chips with guacamole every day, and I'm wondering how I've never had these before.  But the pretzels...the pretzels...I can't even describe how much I'm loving all the sweet/salty/crunchy/creaminess in that little bag.  If there's not a Trader Joe's close to you, I promise they are worth every minute in the car and every penny's worth of gas.  :)

 I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!  Have a great start to the week :)

Love,
Rosie

Orange Yogurt Muffins and a Tennis Match

Yesterday was  my first tennis match after being injured!  It was tough and I lost, but it felt so good to be really competing and working hard.  I'm still in the process of getting back in shape, but it'll be so worth it when I do. :)

Tuesday night was our unofficial team dinner, and we went to Tampico like always.  I had the chicken mole enchilada and it was so. good.  I can't get enough of the Mexican rice and refried beans, and mole is chocolate.  Which means it has to be good.

But I had to fuel up before practice, and I splurged on a piece of zucchini bread at a local coffee shop.  It was thick and dense and moist,  everything an afternoon treat should be.  Yum!

We have overnight guests this week, and since I was dying to get back in the kitchen I decided to make some easy breakfast foods.  I chose a recipe from a new cookbook, Breakfast in Bed.  It's a compilation of recipes from bed-and-breakfasts on the West Coast, and all the recipes sound absolutely fabulous.  I really wanted to use some of the plain Greek yogurt we had in the fridge, and these muffins sounded like the perfect way to do that.

Orange Yogurt Muffins


adapted slightly from Breakfast in Bed (recipe from Top O' Triangle Mountain, Victoria, BC)
makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp fresh grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine ingredients through baking soda.  In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and egg.  Add orange rind, juice, and yogurt.  Mix in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fill well-greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake until muffins test done, about 14 minutes.

I've been eating mine with strawberry rhubarb jam, apricot preserves, and almond butter.  And they are a great way to start the day!

I needed food before tennis again today, and went to the coffee shop, Silver Cup, again.  I don't usually get flavored coffee drinks because they are way too sweet for me, but I was tempted by the caramelized banana latte.  Sadly, I didn't have time to linger over a coffee, so I had the chocolate biscotti dipped in white chocolate.  It definitely helped me power through those approach shots!  :)

I hope your week is going well! We're almost to the weekend.  Have a great Friday!

Love,
Rosie

Oatmeal Raspberry Scones

When I think about making breakfast a little more special than cereal or toast, scones never come to mind.  Scones and biscotti have always kind of been one and the same in my book- sometimes tasty, but most of the time just dry and crumbly.  

Until now.

There was an abundance of fresh raspberries in the fridge after my mom and I went to the u-pick farm, and I had complete license to do whatever I wanted.  After combing my 'to try' recipes and not finding anything that sounded perfect, I started hunting through some of my favorite food blogs for ideas.  I love Annie's Eats (and of course I look up to Annie; she's a doctor and she makes amazing food!) and of course it was there that I found the perfect recipe. 

I will admit that these scones are a little crumbly, but the flavor is out of this world and the raspberry/oatmeal combo is genius.  Thank goodness we froze some raspberries, because I am dying to make these again asap!

Oatmeal Raspberry Scones

from Annie's Eats

1 large egg

1/2 cup cold buttermilk

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

pinch nutmeg

10 Tbsp cold butter, grated on a large grated or cut into small pieces

3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the egg and buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup.  Stir together; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.  Add the butter to the bowl and toss. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.  Pour the egg and buttermilk mixture into then dry ingredients and mix with a fork just until incorporated (will be sticky).  Fold in the berries just until incorporated (be gentle if using fresh berries).  Gently knead the dough six to ten times, just until it comes together.  Portion the dough our into 8-12 scones, depending on your size preference, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.  

Not too pretty at first :) I cut mine into slices before baking instead of making individual scones.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

 

 The scones grew a lot in the oven!

Sunday Breakfast- Buttermilk Crepes

One of my favorite things about the weekend is that there is usually time for a special, leisurely breakfast.  There wasn't time on Saturday because we had to rush the girls out the door so they could meet with the other students and catch their flight back to Japan.  But there was time on Sunday, and I wanted to do something fun and tasty before church.  We had lots of buttermilk in the fridge that needed to be used, so I decided to make...buttermilk crepes!

We stuffed the crepes with sliced peaches and apricots, and scrambled a few eggs with the leftover egg whites from the crepes.  It made for a fun and satisfying breakfast, perfect for a summer morning!

Buttermilk Crepes

from nataJane

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 egg yolks

2 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp melted butter

1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg yolks, and vanilla.  Add flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter and mix well.

2.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet and tip to spread it around.  When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned and edges are golden.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Carrot Cake Waffles with Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread

It's been a busy few days.  This morning was my grandma's memorial, followed by a nice reception with lots- lots- of food.  The service was at eleven, so by the time it ended most people were ready for lunch.  Lots of cookies were donated and my dad provided the salmon, but my aunt had the actual lunch catered- sandwiches fruit and veggie platters.  There was also a pasta salad that looked fantastic, which I'm planning to sample a bit later on :) We got the leftovers, and there were a ton! Lots of people ate, but there was no way to do more than make something of a dent in the food.  Not that we need the rest- tonight we're having a vegetarian lasagna that another aunt put together last night!  And then a little surprise for dessert- tomorrow is the birthday of one of the aunts, and we stopped at a little bakery on the way back from the service to pick up something sweet :) 

Brownies, lemon bars, and raspberry bars..yum! 

So, the waffles...on Thursday morning, this is what we had for breakfast.  Sorry it's not the best picture!  My dad had Thursday and Friday off to help get ready for the service, and we all slept late on Thursday and then ate these waffles! I'm a huge carrot cake fan and this is totally the next best thing.  Especially when there's cream cheese to put on top.

I'll be honest and admit that I took the quickest, easiest route in getting these on the table.  There are some more sophisticated variations (browning the butter, etc) but if you want those they are in the Willow Bird Baking link!

Carrot Cake Waffles with Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread

Adapted from Willow Bird Baking

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1 2/4 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, separated

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots

cooking spray for waffle iron

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread:

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened

3-4 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 cup chopped walnuts

1.  Melt butter and let cool slightly.  Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl.

2.  Mix buttermilk and egg yolks.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat.

3.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Beat egg whites with an electric mixer and stir into batter.  Also stir in carrots, walnuts, and raisins.

4.  Scoop batter onto waffle iron and cook until the waffle is done to your liking.

For the spread, combine cream cheese, syrup, and walnuts and mix well.  

Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins and Avocado Bean Wraps

The goal for today was to find something to make with some of the rest of the canned pumpkin I opened for the pumpkin banana bread.  I wanted to do something for breakfast, and settled on Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins.  These make a great breakfast- healthy, filling, and absolutely delicious.  I love that the walnuts and raisins add more texture and go so well with the flavor of the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins 

from allrecipes

The original said this makes 12 muffins, but I got 14.

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin.  Place the raisins in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Let stand for a few minutes- this will plump the raisins.

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in the center and put in eggs, pumpkin, oil, and honey.  Drain raisins and stir in along with walnuts. Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

They really aren't that full of raisins- I forgot to stir them in and sprinkled a few on top of each muffin before they baked.  Haha.

Until this afternoon there was an avocado sitting on our counter, getting riper by the day.  Our go-to way to use avocados is guacamole on a Friday or Saturday night.  My dad grills burgers almost every weekend, and we usually make the guacamole on burger night.  But there was no way this one could last until next weekend, and so I decided to find a new and exciting way to put it to use :)

After looking at a lot of recipes online, I decided to make Avocado Bean Wraps, adapting it for what we had on hand.  The wraps were quick and tasty, and pretty healthy too!

Avocado Bean Wraps


adapted from Woman's Day

1 ripe avocado, mashed
dash olive oil
cumin
chopped carrots
chopped bell pepper
1 can black beans
chopped cilantro
flour tortillas

Cook carrots and bell pepper in olive oil and cumin for a minute or two.  Just long enough to soften the carrots a tad and pick up the cumin flavor.  Mix with drained black beans and cilantro.  Stir in avocado.  Spread on flour tortillas, wrap up, and enjoy!

I used two long carrots and one bell pepper and we got 3 wraps, using 8-inch tortillas.

There's no must-obey ratio for these ingredients.  You could also throw in lettuce, tomato, etc.  We topped with salsa and sour cream.

I promise it looks better in real life... :)