Category Archives: BREAKFAST RECIPES

PANCETTA AND GRUYÈRE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

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(The casserole is on the top right next to the dinner plates. Not much to see from this photo, but frankly I was too busy to take individual photos. My bad!)

Mr. C and I hosted our first ever New Years Day brunch this year. I asked people to come at the civilized hour of 1:00pm and to come hungry and as casually dressed as was befitting sophisticated people on the day after the night before. In other words, come as you are. Well we had a lovely time. We ate too much, drank moderately, and enjoyed each others’ company as we listening to the many musicians who shared their enormous talent with the group.

This recipe is one of the breakfast casseroles I made to serve the starving masses. Now I must admit. I never got to taste this dish because it was gone before I had the opportunity. But judging from the almost licked clean casserole dish, along with a few positive comments from our guests, it was terribly well received.

So, next time you get a wild hair to throw a brunch for your family and friends, I would suggest giving this recipe a try. It is stinkin’ easy to prepare, and tastes (so I’m told!) like a million dollars.

  • 2 T. olive oil, divided
  • 1 med. onion, chopped
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. sugar
  • ½ lb. pancetta (thick sliced), diced
  • 6 eggs, room temp.
  • 1½ c. whole milk
  • ½ tsp. dry mustard
  • 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to sprinkle on the casserole before baking
  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 c. (loosely packed) day-old egg bread, cut into ¾ inch cubes
  • 1 c. grated Gruyère cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, a generous amount of pepper, and sugar. Sauté until the onions are lightly caramelized (a medium golden brown color), about 25 minutes. (Do not let them get too dark.)

Meanwhile, in another heavy skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the pancetta until the fat is almost all rendered and it begins to get crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pancetta from pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, thyme, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. When ready to assemble the dish, butter an 8-inch square baking dish (preferably glass) or a 2-quart casserole dish. Place the bread cubes in the bottom. Next layer on the diced pancetta followed by the onions. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyère and finish by pouring the egg mixture over the entire thing.   Press down on the top gently, so that all of the bread cubes get soaked with the egg mixture. Sprinkle lightly with ground nutmeg, cover and refrigerate overnight.

About an hour before you plan to serve the casserole, take it out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 325 degrees (for glass pan) or 350 degrees for a metal pan. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 50 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top begins to brown. Check to see if the egg mixture is set by sticking a table knife into the interior. If it comes out clean the bread custard is baked through. (Cover with foil near the end of the baking time if the top is already browned.)

Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Or allow the casserole to cool and serve at room temperature.

SOFT FRENCH BAGUETTES

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As everyone knows, bread is the staff of life. And no group of people are in touch with their inner “must have bread” like the French. One of the best things about visiting France is watching people go about their business snacking on big old chunks of freshly baked baguettes. They rip off a piece and somehow manage to get at least the majority of the bread in their mouths. They carry the baguettes in bags, back packs, the little baskets on the front of their bicycles, anywhere their hands can reach with the least amount of effort. It’s amazing to watch how contorted their bodies can become when their mission is to eat the bread and maneuver through traffic at the same time. Boggles my mind, I’ll tell you that! And because of that, French bread has a special place in my heart. (Well that, and the fact that I am a sucker for good bread!)

This recipe, unlike most of the baguettes you see being consumed on the run, (so to speak), produces a soft and tender loaf of bread. The crust and crumb (inner portion) are both soft, with just enough “chew” to be interesting. And the preparation could not be easier or the final result more delicious. (And I know I have already given you plenty of recipes for bread. But buying good bread is just ridiculously expensive. And when you consider that basic bread is just yeast, water, sometimes a little something sweet to encourage the yeast, salt, and flour; well highway robbery immediately springs to mind!)

So I’m not going to bug you this posting about baking your own bread. I’m just going to remind you that there are no preservatives in home baked bread. There isn’t too much salt or sugar. And, it only costs pennies to produce. (That’s as close as I can come to “not bugging” you. And yes, it was very hard to show even that much restraint. But then, I’m not your mother! Or if I am, please let me take this opportunity to tell you once again how much your mamma loves you.)

  • 1½ c. warm water
  • 2 pkgs. or a scant 2 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 T. honey
  • 3½ to 4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • olive oil, for greasing the bowl
  • cornmeal, for baking pan

Combine the water, yeast, and honey in a large mixing bowl, preferably the bowl from your stand mixer. Let proof for about 5 minutes or until the mixture looks foamy. Add about half of the flour and the salt and mix until all of the flour is incorporated. Slowly add enough remaining flour to make a dough that is not too wet or sticky. Knead for about 4 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and pour a small amount of olive oil down the side of the bowl. Using your hands, lift the dough from the bottom of the bowl and coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rest in a draft free area until doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half. Using your hands, form each half into an elongated, 12-14 inch loaf and place on the prepared pan. (To shape the dough, I hold the dough with one hand and using the other hand I squeeze the dough up and down its length until I have the desired size I need. Then I finesse it a bit once I have it on the pan. A little additional shaping here and there until it is roughly symmetrical.)

Once the baguettes are on the baking sheet, make diagonal cuts along the top at about 1-inch intervals. Cover the baguettes with the tea towel again, and let double in size. This takes about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Set the other rack in the middle of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. When your bread has doubled for the second time, remove the towel and place the pan in the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crusts are a lovely golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when you thump them with your knuckles. Allow to cool before they are devoured.

BISCUITS WITH SAUSAGE GRAVY

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As promised, this is one of my retro dishes that I mentioned I would share with you. I make this every once in awhile because I love a good biscuit and gravy breakfast more than just about anything else I can set on my plate before 9:00a.m. And I am definitely not alone.

When it comes to biscuits and gravy, there are very few people I know who don’t break out in spontaneous giggles at the very mention of this tantalizing combination. OK, there are some who would never touch a biscuit, much less a cream gravy. But for those of us who once in a while allow ourselves a taste of heaven, this decadent yet exceedingly simple recipe has all the right components.

First of all, the gravy is high in fat. (Any mouth worth its teeth loves the feel of food rich in fat.) Then of course, this recipe is loaded with bad carbohydrates. (Who in their right mind doesn’t adore the taste of bad carbohydrates to begin with, and especially when they come presented so deliciously?) Then of course, there are the idle calories. (Who among us doesn’t put idle calories into our bodies once in a while when life gets rough or we feel the need to celebrate?) The only thing this delightful combination doesn’t have going for it is an over abundance of refined sugar. (But no recipe’s perfect!)

So next time you feel the need to celebrate life or treat your family and friends to one of life’s little guilty pleasures, or just go wild and do something fairly innocuous for which you will still probably hate yourself the next morning, bake a batch of biscuits (see my recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits on this site) and stir yourself up some sausage gravy. Then sit back and savor every single solitary morsel of fat, bad carbohydrate and empty calorie. After all, we only have one life to live and once in a while it just feels good to break all the nutritional rules and simply enjoy the moment. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! Cheers!

  • 2 T. butter, divided
  • 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage, either pork or chicken – as lean as possible (if you buy breakfast sausage from a good butcher shop it will be leaner than Johnsonville or Jimmy Dean, for example)
  • 3 T. flour
  • 1½ c. milk, plus more if needed (I use 2% milk because the gravy is rich enough without using whole milk, half & half, or cream)
  • 1½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp. dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp. seasoned salt
  • freshly ground black pepper (not too much)
  • fresh parsley, garnish, opt.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sized pan. Add sausage, breaking it up as it cooks, and fry until good and caramelized. (That means it’s a nice dark brown and there are tasty meat bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.) Add the remaining butter to the pan and whisk in the flour lifting the browned bits off the bottom as you stir the mixture. Let burble for a couple of minutes. Slowly pour in the milk and Worcestershire sauce (gently whisking the entire time) and when thoroughly blended add the thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The sauce will thicken nicely during this time.) Add milk if the consistency is too thick.

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When ready to serve, adjust the seasoning and serve dolloped over warm biscuits and sprinkled very lightly with fresh parsley.

GROUND BEEF AND SPINACH FRITTATA (JOE’S SPECIAL)

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According to Wikipedia, “a frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelet or crust less quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables, or pasta. The word frittata is derived from Italian and roughly translates to “egg-cake”.

It’s obvious from the name, that at one time this was Joe’s (whoever he might be) favorite way to prepare or eat eggs. And as it happens, a “Joe’s Special” is one of Mr. Cs favorite ways to eat eggs too. So I decided, I better get on the stick and learn how to make a “Joe’s Special” for my dear husband.

After looking at several recipes on line, I came up with this version. I tried it out on Mr. C. this morning, and he declared it a hit, even though I didn’t have any green onions for the garnish. (Next time I will be better prepared!)

And as usual when I started to write my preface to this recipe, I got to thinking about the ingredients in the dish with an eye towards the nutritional value. I was actually surprised. There was less fat in the form of butter, cream, and cheese than in most omelets or scrambles that I prepare. And the small amount of olive oil that was used; well it’s actually good for us. Then of course there was the vegetative component – the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and spinach. All veggies that have nutritional value and that I try (especially the spinach) to use in my cooking as much as possible.

So all in all, a relatively healthy dish that tastes wonderful and is easy to prepare. And kind of “retro” to boot. I like that. Actually many of the recipes that I feature have been favorites for decades. Some are still in vogue, but many have been relegated to dinosaur fodder and that I simply can’t allow to happen. (You show me one person who doesn’t like Deviled Eggs (except for my husband), Not Your Mama’s Chex Party Mix, or Sloppy Joes and I will give up the cause.)

But until then, look forward to more relics from the dark ages coming your way. Up next – Biscuits and Gravy.

  • 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-8 oz. lean ground beef
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ tsp. seasoned salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • a couple large handfuls of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 6 eggs
  • ¼ c. finely grated Parmesan
  • 2 T. finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • sour cream, opt.
  • chopped green onions, opt.
  • toasted and buttered crusty Italian bread, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and allow the meat to get very brown on the bottom side. (You really want that nice caramelization to occur. It helps flavor the entire dish.)

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Turn the meat over and break up with spatula. Add the onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Stirring frequently, cook until the onion is transparent. Add the garlic and spinach and cook until spinach wilted. Meanwhile whisk the eggs. When the spinach is wilted, add the eggs to the beef mixture and cook until mixture is slightly dry. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Romano and give the mixture a stir or two. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a liberal sprinkle of green onions, and a side of toasted bread.

 

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

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There are just times when nothing will do but a biscuit. And I know, there is nothing wrong with toast, or muffins, or bagels – you name it. But sometimes, you need just that perfect vehicle for butter and honey or jam. And when that happens, there is no other bread type as perfect as a warm, straight from the oven, good old fashioned biscuit. And I’m not talking just for breakfast either.

The other evening I served a cold salad for a family dinner gathering and decided that biscuits would be just the perfect side. (I mean really, what do you serve as a side with a main dish salad?) Especially one like the Chicken and Wild Rice Salad on this blog that has the starch, meat, and all the veggies you can eat already represented. So I decided on biscuits. First of all, they’re easy. And they are just enough different to add a special quality to a meal. (Plus this recipe makes a lot of biscuits and I could serve them again for breakfast the next morning.) Luckily, they ended up being a nice side for the salad. And for breakfast, perfect with sausages and scrambled eggs.

So consider making biscuits the next time you want to change things up a bit at the dinner table. Your family and friends will love the soft texture and the depth of flavor imparted from the buttermilk. And I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful these biscuits are for breakfast all smothered with room temperature butter and jam. So be advised. If you serve your friends biscuits for dinner and they see that some are left, your friends might still be around in the morning. Make a note: Buy extra eggs when serving biscuits for dinner!

  • ½ c. lukewarm water
  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast or 1 scant tablespoon if you buy your yeast in bulk
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 5 c. flour
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • ¾ c. vegetable shortening
  • 2 c. buttermilk

Place warm water in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle on the yeast and sugar. Set aside to proof. Meanwhile whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. (I use my KitchenAid mixer bowl.) Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yeast mixture and the buttermilk and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix.

Scoop dough onto a floured pastry cloth or a floured clean work surface. Allow dough to rest for about 10 minutes. Dust top with additional flour. Using your hands pat the dough to about ¾-inch. Cut into round or square biscuits as large or as small as you desire. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and let sit while you heat your oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. (Since I have a convection option on my oven, I start the biscuits in a regular oven for 7 minutes and then turn on the convection option for the next 3-4 minutes or until a light golden brown.) Don’t over-bake. Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.

Based on a Paula Deen recipe.

 

CLASSIC ITALIAN BAGUETTE

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This recipe from King Arthur Flour takes about 20 hours from start to finish. OK, 99% of the time you are not on active duty, but I still think it only fair to let you know that this is definitely not a quick bread! But, boy oh boy is it good. I served it at one of our recent JazzVox pre-concert dinners, and all three baguettes were gone before I even had a chance to snag a piece. (I hate it when that happens, but love that my guests appreciate homemade bread.) I actually try to have some kind of homemade bread with every JazzVox meal I serve. First of all, people love homemade bread, and being the cheap frugal cook that I am, I like to save a buck or two where I can. And three really good baguettes from the store would cost me over $10, whereas I can bake 3 baguettes for about $1. (I will leave you to do the math!)

So the first time I made this bread, I knew I had a winner. I actually have several recipes for baguette style breads on this blog because every one of them is delicious in their own right. And even though I live in fear of being considered a nag, but going forward anyway, BREAD IS EASY TO MAKE!

So next time you have a dinner party, consider making homemade bread. Even, or maybe I should say especially people who are truly conscientious about what they put in their mouths are not going to be afraid of a piece of homemade bread, unless of course they are gluten intolerant, but that’s another story. Homemade bread has no preservatives or funny ingredients that most people can’t even pronounce much less want to consume.  And many recipes for baguette type breads contain no sugar, or if the recipe calls for any, a very small amount. (Usually just enough to start the yeasty beasties on their happy feeding frenzy!)

So if you are postponing bread making because you don’t think it will be well received, think again. Bread is the staff of life. Frankly, I don’t know anyone who can resist a piece of bread straight out of the oven. So get out your KitchenAid mixer or a large bowl, buy yourself some yeast and bread flour, and whip up a batch using either this lovely recipe or any of the other bread recipes on this blog.

For more information on making bread, please visit my Bread Baking 101 post.

Starter:

  • ½ c. room temperature water
  • 1/16 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 c. unbleached bread flour  

Dough:

  • 1 c. + 2 T. lukewarm water
  • 1 tsp. active dry yeast
  • all of the starter
  • about 3½ c. unbleached bread flour
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • extra virgin olive oil

Starter instructions:

Mix the yeast and water together. Stir in the flour. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours. (Overnight works great.) After the 14 hours the “starter” should have risen a bit and appear “bubbly”.

Dough instructions:

Pour lukewarm water into a large prep bowl or into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle on the yeast. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Add all the starter, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix and knead everything together by hand or with your stand mixer for about 5 minutes adding additional flour as needed  to achieved a soft, smooth dough. Pour a little bit of olive oil on top of the dough, and using your hands, roll the dough into a ball with all sides very lightly greased with the oil. (Your hands should be nicely greased also!) Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.

Ever so lightly grease a large baking sheet with olive oil. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval and place on the baking sheet. Cover with either greased plastic wrap or a piece of parchment paper. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again. With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15-inch log. Place the logs seam-side down on your baking pan. Repeat with the other two pieces. (Try to keep the baguette dough pieces evenly spaced on the pan.) Cover them again and allow the loaves to rise till they’ve become very puffy, about 1½ hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8″ vertical slashes in each baguette. Spray the baguettes very lightly with cooking spray. (I use olive oil spray.) Bake the baguettes until they are a very deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

 

 

 

 

BAKED CHEESE OMELET WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

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Breakfasts have always been my bugaboo. What to serve that takes literally minutes to prepare, offers variety, while at the same time supplying enough protein and complex carbohydrates to jump start our day? (I know, many of you maintain that coffee fulfills that need, but some of us truly need more than caffeine to get our engine running!) So for me, preparing a breakfast that is both interesting and nutritious is a mighty big challenge; mainly because I don’t really start functioning productively until about 11:00am. (You guessed it – I am not a morning person!) So anytime I can prepare something as tasty as this omelet, I am in happy breakfast heaven.

This recipe is as close to a dish my mother used to serve, all too infrequently unfortunately, for Sunday dinners. We lived on a farm, and as many families did in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, we had our main meal after church and then a small repast in the evening. My mother was not a very good or inventive cook, but boy could she prepare a good omelet. And every time she would serve this dish, I would gobble it up like there was no tomorrow.

So the other day I decided to try and replicate her recipe. (I know – why did I wait so long?) So first I tried using Ro*Tel in my sauce, the second picture at the top, but it wasn’t the flavor I wanted. So this morning I made the sauce using plain old tomato sauce. Viola! Just as good as moms! So although the first picture shows the right sauce, I served it over simple scrambled eggs. Confused, let me paraphrase what I just said. The sauce in the first picture should be served with the omelet in the second picture. And yes, I am lazy and should have made the omelet again, but this is a really busy week for me. (Concert in two days and I’m still working on memorizing all the words.) Besides I know that only intelligent, busy, productive people follow my blog. No doubt in my mind that my efficiency measures would make complete sense to one and all!

So next time you want to serve a wonderful dish perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, whip up this easy omelet and the yummy sauce. Serve it with toast or warm tortillas and fresh fruit, and you will have a meal your entire family will enjoy.

  • 2 tsp. + 3 T. butter, divided
  • ¼ c. diced green bell pepper
  • ¼ c. minced onion
  • 1 lg. garlic clove, minced
  • 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 7-8 crushed red pepper flakes
  • pinch dried oregano (Mexican preferably)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 lg. eggs
  • ½ c. 2% milk
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 8-oz. grated cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella cheese (or combination), divided
  • Mexican sour cream, opt.

In a small sauce pan, melt the 2 teaspoons butter over medium heat. Add green pepper and onion; sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute or until garlic releases its aroma.  Stir in the tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper.  Simmer until the sauce is thick, about 7-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk, and salt together. Stir in about 2/3rd of the grated cheese. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy 10 to 11-inch ovenproof pan and pour in the egg mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. When the egg is set, the omelet is done.

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Serve generously slathered with Spicy Tomato Sauce and garnished with remaining cheese and sour cream. I like to serve freshly baked flour tortillas and fresh fruit on the side. Serves 4 adults very nicely.

 

 

 

NANTUCKET CRANBERRY CAKE

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I love cranberries and am always thinking of new ways to feature them especially during the holidays. I make Brandied Cranberries, Cosmopolitans, Waldorf Salad, Cheddar and Port Wine Cheese Ball (to name a few that are on this site). This year I decided I wanted to serve a dessert for Christmas Eve that contained these lovely ruby red gems.

Coincidentally, a couple of months ago, my dear friend Angela loaned me a book she thought I would enjoy by Laurie Colwin entitled “More Home Cooking”. Enjoy?!?!  It’s like reading a book written by my sister by another mother! She thinks the way I do. (Scary in and of itself!) However, even though we think alike, she is a true gourmet. I am merely a cheeseburger loving pagan compared with her tastes and culinary abilities. Never-the-less, her book is like listening to me talk and most of her recipes look and sound like they would be fabulous. And there in black and white was a recipe for a Nantucket Cranberry Pie. (It calls itself a pie, but in truth it is a cake!) And the recipe looked super easy to make! So I went on-line and researched other recipes for this simple dessert. Low and behold almost all the recipes were very similar. I tweaked Laurie’s recipe a bit and came up with my own version.

I am here to tell you, this is one of the best desserts I have ever had the pleasure to serve my guests. And it is beautiful, so it is perfect to serve over the holidays. It looks festive and tastes like you have slaved in the kitchen for hours. (I like that combination.) But the reality is that you don’t even have to use an electric mixer, just a whisk.  And in about 5 minutes the batter is ready to pour over the fresh cranberries and nuts. Yum! And of course, you know me. While I’m at it, let’s further guild the lily and add a dollop of freshly made whipped cream! After all, it’s the holidays and even those of us who don’t enjoy sweets that much go to bed dreaming about tomorrow morning’s cinnamon roll. So, what’s an extra dollop or two of whipped cream among friends during the holidays? Speaking of reasons to celebrate – Happy New Year everyone and thanks again for reading my blog.

  • 2 c. halved fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 c. (12 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1/2 tsp. salt (or 1/4 tsp. if using salted butter)
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • coarse white sparkling sugar, opt.
  • freshly whipped heavy cream, opt.

Generously butter a 10″ pie plate or spring-form pan.  Spread the chopped cranberries and nuts in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 cup sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. When thoroughly combined stir in the flour just until absorbed into the other ingredients. Do not over-mix. Spread the thick batter over the cranberries and nuts.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the coarse white sparkling sugar atop the batter. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean of batter or crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven. Serve warm, or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

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FROSTED PUMPKIN PECAN MUFFINS

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Something you should know about me.  Unlike most people, I truly don’t like donuts and I don’t much care for muffins either. However, there are a few exceptions. (Aren’t there always?) I absolutely adore maple bars (really just a donut in rectangular form with maple icing) and have learned to really like a few kinds of muffins. Like this muffin for example. It has substance and flavor. It has a lovely dense yet moist consistency. In other words, it has something to offer besides airiness and idle calories. Any muffin I find myself drawn to usually contains bran or dried fruit or has some other redeeming ingredient that sets it apart from the average offering in any coffee shop display case. And truly I don’t understand why I love most cakes and dislike most muffins. They are very similar when it comes right down to the ingredients list. But I guess there is just no explaining an individual’s taste in food. And in that regard I am no different than anyone else. (Just proves what I have always said – “humans are nothing if not inconsistent!”)

So just in case there are any readers who share my eccentricity about muffins, I’m going to post a few really outstanding muffin recipes I have learned to make over the years. I’m not going to post them in any kind of sequence or series. Even though I have learned to really like them, they will simply never hit my every day or even every week “must have, absolutely crave” list. None-the-less, they are very good and in some cases, fairly nutritious too. And muffins are easy to make, keep very well, and most normal people think are just a delightful treat. And at this busy time of year, almost indispensible as a tasty sweet to serve friends and neighbors who drop by with holiday greetings.

Because I have been so frank about my general dislike of muffins, I feel compelled to say I’m sorry to any muffin lovers out there if I have in any way offended you. Also, if your meaning of life comes from jelly donuts, I offer my heartfelt apologies for casting aspersions on something so near and dear to your heart. In fact, I’m feeling so contrite I’d be willing to make it up to you. Let’s meet for a maple bar!

Muffin Ingredients:

  • 2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1½ c. all purpose flour
  • ¾ c. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon each cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ c. chopped toasted pecans
  • 1 (15-oz.) can pure pumpkin (or 2 cups puree)
  • ½ c. olive oil
  • ¼ c. real maple syrup
  • 3 T. milk
  • 3 eggs, room temperature

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1¼ c. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 T. maple syrup
  • 1-2 tsp. water

Muffins: Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar, and nuts in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, maple syrup, milk, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl and stir only until combined. Do not over-mix.

Lightly grease each muffin cup with cooking spray. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin tin almost to the top with a scoop of batter. (If you don’t have a large ice-cream scoop, just fill using a large spoon.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the muffins comes out dry. Remove the muffins from pan and let cool before frosting. (If you have time, bake the muffins ahead and let them take a cold vacation for a few days in your freezer. Baked goods that contain fruit or vegetables are almost always more moist and flavorful after being frozen. However, if you do freeze them, don’t frost them until just before serving.

Frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add water until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled muffins. Allow the frosting to harden and store in an airtight container.

BREAKFAST ROLLS

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One of the joys of traveling in Italy is the continental breakfast that is almost always provided as part of the cost of your hotel or B&B room. And as can reasonably be expected, the size and amount of dishes offered depend almost entirely on the size of the hotel or B&B. So in a small B&B you might just get cold cereal, yogurt, individually wrapped croissants, fresh fruit, juice, and coffee. While in a larger hotel, the variety and choices can be almost endless.

In a medium sized hotel (we didn’t stay in any large hotels) you are almost always presented with a cheese and sausage platter or two, wonderful chewy baguette slices, plastic wrapped biscuits and Melba toast, various pastries including croissants, hard boiled eggs (or sometimes scrambled eggs), fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal (both corn flakes and cocoa puffs), juice (often fresh squeezed), and espresso drink(s) of your choice.

But by far the best breakfast bread I tasted was in our first hotel in Rome. It was a not too sweet, hollow brioche type roll made I’m sure by forming several small balls of dough and placing them together in some sort of a large cupcake shaped pan to bake. So when you broke them open, you had several lovely little concave pockets on which to spread your butter and contain the honey. I’m tellin’ you, these babies were enough to make a grown woman swoon. OMG they were good.

So of course when I arrived home, one of the first things I wanted to duplicate were these wonderful rolls. The difficult part of finding a recipe for a one of a kind roll is, well duh, they’re one of a kind! I have spent hours looking, believe me. But when I do figure it out, you, my faithful readers will be the first to know!

In the meantime I’m going to share the recipe for my first attempt. This recipe is easy to make and produces an absolutely divine tasting roll. And when spread with butter and honey, well it’s just a heavenly experience. These would also be fabulous served at Thanksgiving. So give them a try.  But keep posted (so to speak). I have only begun to search for the roll of my dreams.

  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 pkg. or 1 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 T. warm water
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • small amount of vegetable oil
  • melted butter

Scald milk; stir in butter, salt, and sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast on warm water in the bowl of your heavy duty mixer; stir to dissolve. Add the lukewarm milk mixture along with the eggs. Beat in flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Knead with your mixer or turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly until dough is smooth and satiny. Pour a small amount of oil over the dough in your mixing bowl and turn dough to coat all of the surfaces. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled, about 90 minutes.

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Punch down and turn out on a floured surface. Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces using a bench scraper; cut each piece into thirds.

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Roll each small piece into a ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).

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Place muffin pan in a warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over the rolls. Let dough rise until almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups) about 45 minutes.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your microwave. Gently brush melted butter over each roll. Bake rolls in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. (Check after the first 10 minutes. If rolls are already golden brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.) Allow rolls to cool for a few minutes in the baking pan then transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.