Dutch Baby

Ever since I was a kid, we have made these Dutch Babies.  I believe the recipe originally came from my grandma?  I will have to ask her. 

'Dutch Baby' is really nothing more than a puffed pancake, and I know there are many ways to make puffed pancakes.  I'd like to share with you this recipe.  Let me know what you think!

Perfect Granola Bars

I have made a lot of granola bars over the years.  It seems like I am constantly trying to make "the perfect granola bar."  What is that to me?  I want the granola bar to hold together and not be a crumbly mess, to be perfectly-not-too sweet, to be chock full of tasty, healthy ingredients and to be easy to make.

I believe I have finally accomplished all of these things, and I am so excited to share the recipe with you!

These granola bars are so much better than what you can buy at the store.  They are pretty easy to make, and since you can substitute for your favorite dried fruit, nuts or other ingredients, you can make the recipe wholly your own.

Perfect Granola Bars

• 4 cups granola cereal (I used my homemade granola, but you could also buy some)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons clear corn syrup
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• optional ingredients: dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, toasted nuts, ect...

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil, and grease lightly.

Combine honey, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves.  Bring to a gentle boil, and let boil one minute.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.

Pour butter mixture in to bowl with granola cereal. Mix well. Let cool about five minutes then add desired optional ingredients.  Stir to combine. (If you added the chocolate chips, they will most likely melt a little. This is fine, they turn into glue that helps to hold the bars together).

Transfer oat mixture to the lined 9x13 pan and use a rubber spatula or damp finger tips to firmly press the mixture into the pan. Make sure to press very hard, this will help the granola bars to stay together once they are cut. 

Bake for 20 minutes, and remove pan to cool completely (you could also put these in the refrigerator to hasten the cooling process).  If you would like, at this time you could throw some additional mini chocolate chips on top of the cooling granola bars. 

Once cool, remove granola from pan and peel away aluminum foil.  Cut into bars. Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week. For the softest bars, keep at room temperature. For 'harder bars,' store in the fridge.

Luscious French Toast

Since I recently made that loaf of pain de mie, I decided to try using it to make french toast.

The results were delicious!  The bread had great texture, and the french toast had a great crispy exterior and custard-like interior.

I topped the french toast with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and homemade strawberry syrup.  

Luscious French Toast (adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

 

• 12 slices country bread, brioche, challah or Pain de Mie
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 3 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave 30 seconds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon butter 

toppings of choice

• whipped cream
• fresh fruit
• syrup
• powdered sugar
• maple syrup

The night before making, slice the bread and lay out on a wire rack.  Leave on the counter overnight to dry.  You also have the option to mix up the custard the night before - this saves time in the morning.  If you choose to do so at night or in the morning, the directions are the same: in medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, honey, salt and the vanilla.

When you are ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan or other low-sided dish, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Dip bread into egg mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 2 to 4 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in on a pancake griddle, or in 10-inch nonstick saute pan.  I like to cook all the french toast together, so I use my pancake griddle.  If you use a skillet, you will have to cook just 2 or 3 slices of bread at a time into the pan.  However you choose to do it; cook each bread slice until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 or 6 minutes.  Serve immediately desired toppings.

Silver Dollar Sourdough Pancakes

Do you remember recently when I posted on the care and feeding of sourdough, and in that post I shared memories of my grandpa's silver dollar sourdough pancakes?  I made the pancakes for breakfast this morning, and wanted to share the recipe with you.

My family always said that even though these pancakes look dainty, they are a real "stick to your ribs breakfast."  After the last several years of trying to duplicate Grandpa's recipe (that he never wrote down), I had a taste testing with my family.  They pronounced these pancakes had just as much "stick to your rib-ness" as Grandpa's, but tasted a wee bit better.  

The real test came when a half a pancake somehow got stuck in my one-year-old-niece's clothes - we found it after the shirt had gone through the washer and the pancake looked as good as new! 


One of the wonderful things about these pancakes are that you can eat a whole stack (or two). 

They are delicious with just a drizzle of maple syrup. 

I must admit that I enjoyed two stacks of these little beauties this morning.  For my second stack, I topped the pancakes with my homemade cherry cardamom jam. 

Delicious!

 

Silver Dollar Sourdough Pancakes

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼  tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup buttermilk (or enough until you get a good consistency)

The night before, mix the 1 cup sourdough starter with the 1 cup flour and 1 cup milk.  Cover and let sit for 8-12 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is and how active your culture is.

In the morning, start heating up your griddle or pan until it is fairly hot (I set my griddle to about 300 degrees F).  To your bowl of sourdough add: the egg, salt, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda and buttermilk.  Blend together until fairly smooth - but try not to over mix.  Add a bit more buttermilk if you need to - you want this batter to be fairly thin.

Pour batter by about a tablespoon-sized amount onto the griddle.  You can either use an actual tablespoon or pour a bunch of batter in a 2-cup measurer and pour out little dollops.  The pancakes should cook quickly - look for bubbles on the surface.  Flip and cook the other side.  I like to serve these pancakes stacked up with maple syrup, fruit syrup, butter and powdered sugar, any fruit jams, ect...

Blueberry Muffins

I had a little blip of cream cheese leftover from using it on bagels the other day, and wondered, hmmm.... what can I do with it?

This is kind of a long background story, but; I had wanted to try a new cornbread recipe that had a bit of cream cheese in it.  So I got the batter mostly mixed up, and went to grab my cornmeal.  To my dismay, I was out of cornmeal (I guess I finished it off making pizza's last fall and never replaced it).

What to do now?  I decided to use whole kernel corn in the batter instead, however, Charlie said that didn't sound very appealing.  He went on to add, how about just make some blueberry muffins?  I thought that over and decided it was a much better idea!

So, here are these cornbread-turned blueberry muffins.  They actually turned out great, not too sweet with a delightfully tender crumb.  I hope you enjoy them!

Blueberry Muffins

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 - 2 cups frozen blueberries

Topping:

• 1/4 cup chilled butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until softened.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk and frozen blueberries, stir just until combined.  Place in muffin in that has either been greased or has muffin papers in it.  I like to use a large cookie scoop to easily fill my muffin tins - one thing to note; these muffins didn't rise a lot so next time I would use a heaping large cookie scoop.   For topping, either pulse in food processor or cut with pastry cutter; butter, sugar and flour.  Sprinkle on top of muffins.  Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. 

A Hearty Breakfast - Steel Cut Oats

Good morning!  Do you like oatmeal for breakfast?  Not so much?  Have you ever tried steel cut oats?  In addition to tasting better and having a more pleasing texture, steel cut oats are the least processed type of oat cereal.  We first heard about this cereal from Alton Brown, and have been hooked ever since we first tried it.

The only issue we have found with them is that it takes a while to cook a batch of oats - a good half an hour total.  To get around this, when I have a bit of extra time, I will cook a double batch and refrigerate the surplus - the oats warms up beautifully for the rest of the week. 

These are the least processed type of oat cereal. The toasted oat groats are simply chopped into chunks about the size of a sesame seed.  - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/are-steel-cut-oats-healthier#sthash.dHWWHTNP.dpuf

These are the least processed type of oat cereal. The toasted oat groats are simply chopped into chunks about the size of a sesame seed.  - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/are-steel-cut-oats-healthier#sthash.dHWWHTNP.dpuf

The finished oats, topped off with buttermilk, cinnamon and a little brown sugar (I know the buttermilk sounds weird, but it truly does give the oatmeal a delightful tang). 

These are the least processed type of oat cereal. The toasted oat groats are simply chopped into chunks about the size of a sesame seed.  - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/are-steel-cut-oats-healthier#sthash.dHWWHTNP.dpuf

These are the least processed type of oat cereal. The toasted oat groats are simply chopped into chunks about the size of a sesame seed.  - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/are-steel-cut-oats-healthier#sthash.dHWWHT

So, to start off the cooking process: the oats toast with a bit of butter for a couple of minutes.

Add the boiling water and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

30 minutes later, the finished oats.

The final finishing gear - brown sugar, cinnamon and buttermilk.

Steel Cut Oats (adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 3 cups boiling water
• buttermilk
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• salt, if desired

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the oats. Stir for about two minutes to toast. Add the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook uncovered at a low simmer for 30 minutes, without stirring if possible (I did stir it a couple of times just because I couldn't help it).

After the 30 minutes are up, do a little taste test to make sure the oats are at a good consistency and that they are cooked well enough for you.  If they are good to go, spoon into desired number of serving bowls and pour on some buttermilk, add some brown sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  

Note: From what I have read, you aren't supposed to cook grains with salt but salt them afterwards - something about that it inhibits the amount of water each grain will take up.  Anyways, I always put a sprinkle of salt on top of my cooked oats along with the buttermilk, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Otherwise I think they are a bit bland.

Note #2: As I said earlier, these cooked oats warm up excellently for the rest of the week - just spoon out a bowlful and microwave for a minute or so until warm.  You could also warm them up in a pan on the stove, but you might have to add a bit more water so they don't burn. 

Sunday Morning Banana Waffles

This morning, we woke up and decided that waffles sounded like a great breakfast.  As I quickly got the waffles going, I noticed that the bananas sitting on the counter were at a perfect ripeness to eat.  Hmmm, I mused, I wonder if I could combine the bananas and waffles for a great breakfast?

About twenty minutes later, as I sat down to my delicious, crispy waffle topped with sliced bananas, a tiny drizzle of caramel, toasted pecans and a dash of maple syrup, I decided that yes, the waffles and bananas did make a great breakfast. 

Sunday Morning Banana Waffles

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 small or 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 bananas, sliced thinly
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• maple syrup

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add milk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Whisk together until combined (try not to mix too much - a few lumps are ok).  If possible, let the batter rest on the counter for a half an hour to an hour (or more is fine - I think this makes a more tender finished product).  If you and your family are hungry and ready to eat (10 minutes ago), get your waffle iron heating according to the manufacturers instructions - the batter will be fine and doesn't have to rest.  Cook waffles - you should get about 4.

Top hot waffles with sliced bananas, a drizzle of caramel sauce, chopped pecans and maple syrup.  I also think a little pile of whipped cream would be delicious, but I didn't have any.  If you try the waffles with whipped cream, let me know how it is!  Serve immediately.

Granola

Granola is such a versatile food - it can be eaten straight out of the bag, with milk and fruit, with yogurt, or as a dessert parfait.  I made some granola the other day, using a slightly-modified recipe from a friend.  

 

Mixing up the wet ingredients.

 

 

The dry ingredients.

 

Coming out of the oven, dry and crispy. 

 

With milk and strawberries for breakfast, mmmm.

I love putting almonds in my granola.

Granola

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
• 1 cup honey (or maple syrup, or ect...)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat all wet ingredients together until sugar is melted.

Dry Ingredients:

• 9 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups almonds (or any kinds of nuts you would like)
• 1/2 cup flax seed

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well.  Spread out on baking sheets (I had to use two) in a single layer (or at least as much as possible).  Bake at 300 degrees F, stirring often, until dry.  I baked mine for about 40 minutes, stirring about every 15 minutes.  Add 2 cups of dried fruit after baking (I like to add cranberries, but any dried fruit would do).  If you add the fruit before the baking, it has a tendency to burn.

Home Smoked Bacon

Home smoked bacon!  It isn't as hard as it sounds!  We did this a couple of months ago, and I wanted to share our experiences with you!  We followed Alton Brown's Homemade Bacon Recipe after watching his Good Eats show "Scrap Iron Chef."

For starters, Charlie made the cold smoker set-up that you can see below.  The box with the red contained the hot plate, a pan with wood chips and the small fan.  The fan blew the smoke through the (new) dryer vent tube into the brown box - the "protein box."  The pork belly was resting on a kitchen wire rack where you can see those little pegs sticking out about half way up the box.  That's it!  We smoked the pork belly for about 5 hours total.

 The hot plate with the wood chips.  It isn't fired up here, but it did create a great amount of smoke when it was hot. 

 The pork belly on the wire rack in the "protein box."

The finished (still raw) bacon, cut in nice thick slices.

The cooked bacon. It is crisp on the outside, and creamy and chewy on the inside.  The flavor is smokey and slightly sweet - we love it.

Alton's Homemade Bacon

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup salt
• 8 ounces molasses
• 1/2 gallon (2 quarts) water
• 1/2 gallon (2 quarts) apple cider (I just used apple juice)
• 2 tablespoons course ground black pepper (I didn't use quite this much)
• 1 (5 pound) piece raw pork belly

In a large non-reactive pot, bring half the water, 1 cup of sugar, salt, and 8 ounces molasses to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a large container with the remaining water, and the apple cider. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Press the black pepper into the pork belly. Once the brine has cooled place the peppered pork belly into the mixture until completely submerged.  Since I had three pieces of pork belly, I divided the brine into three gallon bags, and placed a pork belly in each one.  Refrigerate for three days.

After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a wire rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork belly on the wire rack in the protein box (our "brown" box) of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

To cook, place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees F and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels.  I really believe this starting-in-a-cold-oven cooking method is part of why this bacon is so delicious.  

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Blueberries dusted in flour… this is a great technique to use to help your blueberries stay suspended in your baked goods. 

The blueberries are folded into a coffee cake batter and topped with a cinnamon pecan streusal…

and baked for about an hour until golden brown and delicious…

I made this coffee cake this morning and it filled the house with the wonderful smells of cinnamon, pecans, and cakey-goodness (is there such a thing as “cakey-goodness?”  I think so…).  At least it sure smelled like it.

 Blueberry Coffee Cake

Streusel

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 -2 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a Bundt pan well with cooking spray. Make the streusel topping: Mix streusel ingredients in bowl, cutting butter into dry ingredients (will be crumbly). Set aside. For the cake: Beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine in large bowl until creamy; add 1 cup white sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Cover with berries, and sprinkle with some of the streusel.  Stir around a little bit.  Add the remaining batter by tablespoons. Cover with streusel topping, and stir around a bit again. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, until deep golden brown. Remove pan to wire rack to cool. Invert onto a plate after cake has cooled.