Coffee Cake Muffins

This week has been long with my little monkey who can't stay asleep for naps after noon. 

She gets so overtired and fussy and I get irritable and am now completely spent.

I'm very much looking forward to the weekend!

Especially since Sunday is Mothers Day.

I'm hoping for an hour long bubble bath.

Also maybe muffins.

Here's a recipe for some delicious coffee cake muffins you could make for your mom!

This recipe is pretty much word for word the recipe on the Martha Stewart site, only I substituted  raspberry yogurt (full fat. It's tastier) for sour cream (which I didn't have).

1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Prepare streusel topping: In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 tsp salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs; refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Butter and flour a jumbo 12-cup muffin tin (or two 6-cup muffin tins). I used a silicon pan which made removing the muffins without only taking out the tops SO easy. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup yogurt (I used raspberry), 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, until well combined. With mixer on low, beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
4. Divide half the batter among prepared muffin cups. Top with half the streusel mixture, then remaining batter, and top with streusel. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
   
   
   

   Happy Friday!

Healthy Homemade Granola Bites

For book club I really wanted to make something. I also wanted to make some healthy and filling snacks that I could easily shove in my mouth while entertaining a 3 month old.

I googled granola bar recipes and came across a tasty-sounding one from Oh She Glows.

(You can find the original recipe here)

I changed it up a bit as I didn't want any nuts and didn't have any seeds. 

So here's how to make my Oh She Glows inspired granola bites

• Start by dehydrating some fruit. I used strawberries and pineapple because I had them on hand and like the way they taste dehydrated. Thinly slice your fruit and put them on parchment paper, or tinfoil, or a silicone mat and bake in your oven at the lowest setting (mine was at 170 degrees) for about hours.
• On another baking sheet, toast 2 cups rolled oats in the oven at 350 for about 10 mins.
• In a bowl, mash 3 bananas (heat them in the microwave first for about 30 seconds for easier mashing) together with 1 tsp vanilla extract. 
• Stir in the toasted oats and chopped dried fruit (plus whatever else you want to add - nuts, seeds, etc) plus 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Spoon mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper and press down to make the surface as even as possible. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 mins until firm and slightly golden along the edges. 
• Let cool for 10 mins then remove from pan. Allow bars to cool for at least another 10 mins in the freezer (or longer in the fridge) before cutting into bites or bars.

(Based on the recipe above, sans nuts and seeds, and cut into 25 bites, each bite is about 42 calories)   

The bites are tasty but if you like them a bit sweeter brush the bites with a bit of maple syrup.

Raisin Bran Muffins

Firstly - our little love bug is one month old today! 

Where did that month disappear to?

At her check up yesterday we learned that she's gained a whole pound and grown a quarter inch since her last visit.

She is one healthy, happy, and very loved kid.

Secondly - Last week in my efforts to do some baking I also got around to making raisin bran muffins.

The idea was to make something healthy that I could grab quickly. Muffins aren't necessarily the healthiest... but the bran makes it easier to pretend that it is. 

If you wanted a slightly healthier version, substitute the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce. 

• Preheat oven to 375 and line a muffin tin with muffin cups. This recipe will make one dozen muffins.
• In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cup bran with 1 cup buttermilk. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Stir in 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add to bran mixture and stir until just combined. 
• Add in 1/2 cup raisins and stir. For my muffins I used golden raisins and dried black currants. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Happy 1/12th of a year, bug!

Potato Pierogies

For some reason yesterday I was intensely craving pierogies.

Actually I know the exact reason. The cook where I work had made them for our patients for lunch and they looked phenomenal.

So I had to have them.

Usually if we have them we eat them as a breakfast food, fried up from our store bought frozen stash with bacon and onions.

But I wanted to make my own. So I did!

They're quite easy to make and considering I've never attempted them before and they turned out not too badly, I'd say they might be foolproof.

The only thing I'd fix for next time is that I'd either add more filling or make my circles smaller or the dough thinner as I ended up cutting off and not eating a lot of the outer edges.

Also I'd add bacon.

Always add bacon.

(recipe loosely adapted from Martha Stewart's potato pierogi recipe)

In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk 1 egg. Add in 2 tbsp sour cream and mix together.

Mix in 1 cup milk and 1 cup water. 

Add in 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until elastic.

Place dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Bring to a boil a pot of salted water. Boil 10 potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork. 

Drain water, add in 1/2 cup cream cheese & 2 tbsp butter and mash together.

*I would also highly recommend adding in crumbled bacon here, however I didn't have bacon on hand (I know, how did that happen!?) so I won't include it in this recipe.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Cut out circles and place a dollop of your potato filling in the center. 

Pick up each circle of dough in your hand and press the edges together to seal. You can scallop the edges with a fork for a fancier look.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop pierogies in and allow them to cook and rise to the top. Allow them to cook for about 2 minutes more once they've floated up. Remove from the pot and drain off excess water.

Heat a frying pan and melt 2 tbsp butter.

Cut 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic and cook until translucent.

Add in pierogies and cook until crisp and browned.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream & enjoy! 

Bacon Jam: the ultimate stocking stuffer

As I was perusing this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living, I kept coming back to one page in particular because it looked too good to be true. 

It was a recipe for a homemade gift, a perfect stocking stuffer for carnivorous friends and family.

It was Bacon Jam. 

So yesterday I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, surrounded by the happy smells of frying bacon, onion and garlic, bubbling brandy, maple syrup and brown sugar.

If you're looking for something to wow your friends, make this for them. 

This recipe is based on the Martha Stewart Living recipe found here but with my own substitutions.

1. Cut 2 500-gram packages of bacon into 1 inch pieces. Spread half of the bacon in a single layer in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until brown, about 20-25 minutes. Repeat with the remaining bacon, making sure to drain off as much fat as possible in the process. 
2. Save 1 tbsp bacon fat in the skillet and add to that 1 large red onion, diced, and 4 cloves of garlic, also diced. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in 1 tbsp paprika and 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger and cook for another minute. 
4. Turn heat up to high. Add in 1 cup brandy, 3/4 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil then add in bacon.
5. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces to a thick glaze. I added in 1/4 cup molasses and a bit of corn starch to get my liquid to thicken.

Warning: your kitchen and subsequently your home is going to smell like heaven at this point.

6. Once thickened, let it cool then transfer to a blender or food processor and puree to the consistency of a thick/chunky jam. 

7. Put jam into airtight containers or jars for gifting or saving and refrigerate for at least one hour. The jam should keep in the fridge for about a month. 

Make sure to sample some for yourself as well. 

Enjoy!

Easy & Low Calorie Banana Pancakes

If you're anything like me, you've come home from work and made pancakes.

Or been watching tv and decided, hey, I'm going to make some pancakes.

Or looked in your fridge/cupboard and found items that make you say, "these would go great in some pancakes."

 

Basically I love pancakes.

They're so versatile. They're a delicious medium for most other types of food: add fruit or berries, add bacon, add candy, even add cheese.

 

The only problem is that the amount of wheat and sugar isn't so great for you.

 

I saw a recipe on Pinterest awhile back which suggested that banana pancakes could be made using only 2 ingredients.

 

I was skeptical.

But last weekend I finally got around to trying it out and the results were delicious.

  

 

 

It's really, really simple to make these.

 

You'll need:

 

 

(the pinterest recipe called for a 1 banana: 1 egg ratio but I was successful with the extra banana).

So that's 2 bananas and 1 egg.

Then:

 

Pre-heat a frying pan and if it's not non-stick then make sure it's sprayed or buttered.

Pour the banana mix in and let it cook until it can be flipped, just like a regular pancake.

 

The banana tastes so good when it starts to caramelize from the heat. You almost don't even need to add any syrup.

 

And the bonus is that at a total of only 285 calories for the entire batch of pancakes (mind you I got about 3-4 pancakes out of my mix), you're also getting a lot of protein from the egg and potassium from the banana.

 

Plus with the calories you save you can eat an entire pack of bacon to balance things out.

 

...right?

Eggs Benedict

 

Things have been quiet here for a little while because I've been busy working and trying to sort out a bunch of things.

 

As always, I took on more shifts than I maybe should have.

I work tonight, then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night but then as of Monday morning I am on a mini-vacation until Friday the 5th.

 

I was supposed to be on a plane to San Francisco right now.

One of my good friends moved there earlier this year and since we don't get to see her too often, my best friend and I decided we would take off to visit her in sunny California.

We booked our trip in November, and then the holidays rolled around, then I was off in Tanzania for 2 weeks. When I got back I submitted my request for time off but it was denied, as the other nurse had already requested to be off for the long weekend.

I emailed, I phoned (sometimes a few times) and left messages, but no one was able (or willing in some cases) to work any of my shifts.

So here I am.

At least I'm making time and half to update my blog!

 

The story gets more depressing - after my disappointment at having to cancel my SF trip, I was invited to join a number of my girlfriends in the Bahamas! But one evening, after having spent the afternoon on the phone canceling one trip and rebooking another, I got the bad news that the Bahamas trip wasn't going to work out.

So I had a good cry in frustration then called Expedia back and canceled a second trip.

 

Small things to get upset about in the grand scheme of things but I've already been feeling pretty worn out and fed up with my nights-only work schedule here.

I feel like it's starting to take a toll on the quality of my marriage and on my friendships.

 

April will be a month of resolutions:

To spend more quality time with John and to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.

To spend more time with friends and make time for the people I haven't seen in awhile.

To work less and take more time to be happy.

 

I'm really looking forward to being off next week.

I'm getting my hair done, I have a date with a good friend, and my sister and I are going to a baseball game. And that's only one day!

 

Tomorrow John and I are having a "day-t" as he calls it.

Once I've woken up we're going to have breakfast in bed with a movie, then go for a run together, then spend the rest of the evening being lazy and in love.

 

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Also... this is all I've been craving for the past few hours.

 

 

I may stop and pick up some of the essentials on my way home in order to make this as some point this weekend.

I'm going to use Martha's recipe, found here (and here for the hollandaise sauce).

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Here's looking forward to a happy & healthy April!

 

 

Weekend Breakfast Indulgence

I went to pick up our marriage license on Friday ($140 later...holy cow!) and while I was in the area I popped into the Loblaw's.

Their bakery always produces some very interesting loaves of bread and I'm always curious to try them.

The last really good one I had was a rosemary potato ciabatta loaf, which I then used as inspiration to make my own.

This time I picked up a loaf of Cranberry Focaccia (with raisins).

I tore into it once I got home - the top was lightly sugar crusted and the bread was packed with delicious cranberries and raisins. In an effort not to eat the entire loaf in one sitting, I decided I would turn the remainder into thick slices of french toast for breakfast the next day.

For my batter I whipped one egg with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, as well as a splash of french vanilla coffee cream. I cooked the french toast in a grill pan to give each slice those lovely grill marks that I find make everything taste better.

I also sauteed nectarines for some extra sweetness and grilled up a sausage for some savory.

Go find a different type of bread and get creative with your french toast!

Christmas Cookie Countdown: Easy Pull-Apart Cinnamon Rolls

Let it be known that I love to bake and make things from scratch.

Unfortunately there isn't always time to do so.

In times of little time, recipes that are fast and easy come in handy.

Much like the oreo brownies, this recipe is easy and requires very little work but produces something delicious that your guests will love.

These would be especially good for breakfast on Christmas morning.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open a can of cinnamon rolls (I used Pilsbury Grands - the big boys) and separate the rolls. Cut each roll into four pieces.
• Arrange the pieces in a lightly greased cake pan so that they're gently touching. Brush the tops with melted butter and top with chocolae sprinkles. Bake for 16-20 minutes.
• Let cinnamon rolls cool for several minutes then spread icing (it should come in the purchased cinnamon roll tube) on top. Serve warm and let guests pull off bite-sized peices of cinnamon roll to enjoy.

20 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!!!

Cinnamon Buns

It's Friday, Friday. And you gotta get down on Friday.

I assume you have by now seen this....this...monstrosity of a song/video, for lack of a better word.

But as Ms. Black points out, everybody is looking forward to the weekend.

Partying, partying (yeah)...

...fun fun fun...

Bah.

It's been stuck in my head for days now and I die a little each time I catch myself singing it.

Moral of the story is that if this girl can become a viral sensation overnight, I'd like to speak with someone at Ark Music so that my rap career can get underfoot.

Presented today for class - went very well!

Only a few more things to slave over and hand in before freedom!

Let the countdown begin!

As it stands now: 3 papers. 1 portfolio. 1 short presentation. 2 exams.

Last weekend I made cinnamon buns. They were pretty goodand were pretty easy to make. I find I always have a hard time getting enough of the inner goodness in the ratio of roll-to-sugar. I always wish I had added more sugar and butter but as I'm doing it I think "ughhh this is sooo much!" It's a no win situation.

But now that I've talked you out of making cinnamon buns, this recipe is easy to make, takes very little prep, and does yield some tasty and gooey buns.

Cinnamon Buns

(Courtesy of Canadianliving.com)



• Line 12-inch (30 cm) pizza pan with parchment paper or dust lightly with flour; set aside.
• In large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda. With pastry blender, cut in 2/3 cup cold butter, cut into cubes until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In separate bowl, whisk 1 - 1 1/4 cup buttermilk with 1 egg; pour over dry ingredients and stir with fork to make soft dough.
• With floured hands, press dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, knead gently 10 times. Roll out to 16- x 11-inch (40 x 28 cm) rectangle .
• Cinnamon Filling: Spread 3 tbsp melted butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border along 1 long edge. Sprinkle butter with *1/2 cup chopped pecans*(optional), 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Starting at side opposite border, roll up evenly into log; pinch seam to seal.
• Using serrated knife, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick slices; arrange on pizza pan. Bake in centre of 400°F (200°C) oven until golden, about 15 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool; set aside for up to 2 hours.)

Serve and enjoy! These are best enjoyed while still warm, straight out of the oven.

 

Sacha's Spicy Cheese Scones

Yesterday's Cookie Exchange provided great eats and also some great recipes!

I figured I would share with you the recipes that were shared with me.

Today - a recipe that was not a cookie, instead a savoury bit of cheese, spicy heaven.

These scones aren't too spicy though, so don't worry if you're not a spicy person.

Sacha's Spicy Cheese Scones

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Using a fork, stir together 2 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper or cayenne pepper. Work in 1/4 cup cold butter (cut into cubes) until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese.
3. Make a well in the center. Pour in 1 cup cold milk and stir together until just moistened. Turn the dough out on a floured cutting board and gently knead the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 6 equal peices and shape into balls.
4. For crusty-sided scones, place each scone 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. For soft-sided scones place each scone 1/2 inch apart. Bake in the oven until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

These scones are delicious - I gurantee you will have trouble eating only one.

They're great with warn with butter and also, as Sacha pointed out, they're great for egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches.

These would be perfect for a lazy, long-weekend breakfast!

Breakfat Lasagna

Last Tuesday I made a breakfast lasagna to contribute to the Black History month breakfast and it was a hit.

I made a vegetarian version (no meat but lotsa eggs) and a bacon version and while they didn't exactly fit with the salt fish and ackee, cocobread, and other more caribbean themed foods, both lasagna's disappeared pretty quickly.

I even heard one of the workers come down and ask the woman who works across from me if she knew who brought in the breakfast lasagna. I wrote out the recipe for her on a post-it!

I made one for John tok take to work with him also and it had similar results.

This is a recipe that came from my mom and possible came from my aunt Wendy before that.

If you've got people coming over on the weekend, want an easy and delicious breakfast, or just love all foods breakfast - make this. You can jazz it up to your own specifications. Bacon, sausage, peppers, etc. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Breakfast Lasagna

• Grease a large pan with butter or spray. Evenly spread 1 pkg frozen hash browns over the bottom of the pan.
• Cut 6 strips of bacon width-wise into smaller peices. Dice 1 onion. Spread bacon and onion evenly over top of the hash browns. Add in any other ingredients you like: sausage, green pepper, mushroom, spinach, etc.
• In a bowl, beat 8 eggs together with 1/3 cup milk and pour over top of the hash browns. Sprinkle 1 cup grated cheese over top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge over night. **You can omit this step if necessary and bake it right away.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-45 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Man, I want more breakfast lasagna!

Ebelskivers

First things first: the cheesecake brownies won the vote.

They were delicious.

My competitor forgot about the brownie bake-off so I won by default. But word in the office was that I would have won anyway.

Make those brownies, they are phenomenal.

I used a half ricotta half cream cheese mix instead of mascarpone since it's soooo expensive.

In other news...

For christmas I got a new pan and a recipe book to put the pan to use. It's for Ebelskivers.

Never heard of them?

Neither had I!

They're essentially a dutch filled pancake. But they don't need to be filled if you prefer your pancakes straight up.

I made three kinds: plain, chocolate chip, and ricotta.

Since they were my first attempt they didn't turn out exactly as they looked in the book. But with practice comes perfection so I will keep practicing.

Once you have the pan it's pretty easy to get started.

• Mix together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp baking powder.
• Seperate 2 eggs and to the yolks add 1 cup of milk and 2 tbsp butter.
• Mix the yolk mixture into the flour and stir with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Whip the 2 egg whites until soft peaks form then gently fold into the flour mixture, starting with 1/3 first and then adding in the rest.
• Pour 2 tbsp into each cup in the pan. Add any filling, then top up with 1 more tbsp.
• Cook on medium heat until bubbles form.

Gently, using either a knife or shish-kebab sticks, flip the ebelskiver over so that the other side can finish cooking.

Give the ebelskivers a few more minutes then remove from the pan.

Serve and enjoy!

There are recipes for some really delicious sounding ebelskivers that I'm going to make tomorrow!

I'm bringing in a breakfast contribution for the Black History Month breakfast-talk thing on Tuesday at placement so Im going to make some more ebelskivers!

Probably some sweet and some savory.

Also - I got netflix. Movie selection isn't the greatest but the TV shows are pretty good. John and I are watching Mad Men.

Oh Jon Hamm.

You handsome devil.

Breakfast: What to do When Company's Coming!

I love breakfast.

It is - as you've all been told over and over again - the most important meal of the day but it's also the most versatile.

You can literally bake, toast, fry, poach, or cook up anything you want and it would be acceptable breakfast food.

You can have steak and eggs for breakfast no questions asked (unless you have high cholesterol), but what if you ordered steak and eggs for dinner?

While I would commend you on making breakfast an all day event, some people would definitely think it odd to want scrambled eggs at night.

And as for those All-Day Breakfast joints (which are phenomenal), notice they specify that it's breakfast they're serving all day, not lunch because who orders pancakes and bacon for lunch?

But you want salmon for breakfast? You got it.

You want fajitas with the sunrise? Sure thing.

You want last night's cold pizza with your coffee? Coming right up.

Breakfast is the bomb.

You can have literally anything you want and it's not weird.

And if you have company coming over for breakfast or staying the night and expecting to be well fed the next morning then I have found 3 amazing recipes you can try!

I started thinking about more interesting breakfast recipes this morning when I stumbled across a selection of recipes from the April issue of Canadian Living.

I saw a recipe (and drool-worthy picture) for a British breakfast called

TOAD IN THE HOLE

(picture from http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/)

If you like sausage as much as I do (ha-ha, grow up) then this English gem should be making an appearance on your table sooner rather than later. It's as easy as this:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat and then brown 6 sausages (banger-style is ideal but you can really use any kind you like).

2. Transfer the sausages to the oven and cook until the insides are no longer pink, about 15-20 minutes.

3. In a bowl, whisk together 3 eggs, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 tsp salt. You should end up with a thick paste. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk until the mixture smooths out. Stir in 2 tsp chopped rosemary and pour over the sausages.

4. Bake for 25 minutes until crisp and brown, and resist the urge to open the oven door! This could deflate the nice puff your flour mixture will create around the sausages.

The second breakfast recipe that is great for company is very different from Toad in the Hole. If you like having something sweet (pancakes drenched in syrup, crepes, waffles, french toast, or muffins) for breakfast, then this recipe is for you! It's best served warm so unless you want to be the host/hostess with the most/mostess and wake up at 5:30 am to make this fresh, make it the night before and pop it into the oven for 5-10 minutes to warm it up before you serve it!

MONKEY BREAD

(picture and recipe from bakingbites.com)

1. Lightly grease a bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together 2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast and 1/4 cup warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 2 tbsp melted butter, and 3/4 cup warm milk. Mix until the dough is fairly smooth (if you have a stand mixer, throw on your dough hook and let 'er rip). Gradually add in another 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour and mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. Place back in the bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. While you wait, get out another bowl and whisk together 2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice. Set out another bowl beside the first and in it place 1/2 cup melted butter.
5. After the 30 minutes is up, turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently flatten out the dough using your hands. Cut small pieces of dough off to form small balls. Do this by rolling the dough in your ever-so-slightly floured hands. Dunk each ball into the butter and using a fork, transfer the dough ball into the brown sugar mix and roll it in the bowl to cover it. Place the dough ball in the bundt pan. Repeat this step until all of the dough has been cut into dough balls. Cover the full bundt pan with plastic wrap and let it rise until almost doubled in bulk, about an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the monkey bread for 30-35 minutes then let cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto the serving dish.
**This bread is best warm and gooey so, again, if you make this ahead of time, don't remove it from the bundt pan and pop it back in the oven for a few minutes before serving!


Finally, if you want to keep your breakfast more low-key but still retain that element of elegance, I have the solution for you.
This is a recipe that I saw on Everyday Italian with the lovely Giada Di Laurentiis a few years back but I can't find it nor do I remember her exact steps.
So it's inspired by her, with a twist all my own.

Scrambled Egg Baguette

(the actual results will look different to this but this was the closest picture I could find)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil.

2. Cut a baguette (your choice of type of bread, ciabatta works well as do french baguettes) length wise into top and bottom. Carefully pull out most of the soft inner part of the loaf, leaving a hollow middle section in the bread. Make sure you leave high sides and the ends intact. Place the hollow baguettes on the baking sheet and set the bread you removed aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk 5 eggs with 1/3 cup milk, 1/2 tbsp butter, and 3 tbsp finely chopped chives. Rip the bread you set aside into bite-sized pieces and add into the egg mix. Pour the mix into the hollowed out baguette and place in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked.

4. Cut the baguette into your desired serving size, serve and enjoy!

Easy, right?

Hope you can use at least one of those recipes for a delicious breakfast this weekend!

Good Morning (Nut-Free) Granola Bars

John and I went shopping last night to pick up cat litter for the poor little bugger and while we were there I took a walk down the breakfast food aisle.

I starred at the peanut butter replacements for a few minutes, debating whether or not I would buy a jar and try out the "peanut butter" granola bar recipe.

After a few back and forth mind changes and a few encouraging words from John, we bought a jar.

This stuff is actually pretty good.

It has the same texture and the same taste as I remember peanut butter having.

You can probably find soy butter products at your grocery store on the same shelf as the regular peanut butter.

It's kind of funny....it took me a full five minutes to remind myself that this was safe and not actual peanut butter and that trying it wouldn't result in swelling, hives, and itchiness.

I literally put some on my finger and then looked back and forth between my finger and the jar for five minutes. I re-read the declarations and promises of being nut free several times.

In the end I bit the bullet and tried it, then later devoured half the pan of granola bars.

Like a shark going into a feeding frenzy from the faintest sniff of blood, such, apprently, is me with "peaNOT butter" as my friend Danielle cleverly called it.

I want to try and make those delicious peanut butter (replacement) cookies now!

Anna Olsen's original recipe, fiddled with to my liking:

Good Morning Nut-Free Granola Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I a bowl, toss together 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup crispy rice cereal, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup mixed dry peels (like the kind you put in christmas fruit cakes).
2. In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 cup soy butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Once melted together, pour overtop of the oat mixture.
3. Pour granola batter into a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, then place pan in the fridge to allow granola to set, at least 2 hours. Cut into bars and enjoy!

I brought some over to my mom this morning and she was very impressed with how peanut-butter-y they really taste.

This product is perfect for anyone who loves peanut butter but can't have it for various reasons - allergies, working in a school, etc. I recommend giving it a try if you're curious about peanut butter replacements.

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

Lazy Weekend Breakfast

Clinical was canceled today and it was definitely a good thing because after I went back to sleep (at 6 am) I woke up again at 7 with a splitting headache.

Darn these chanes in pressure.

Stop wrecking havoc on my head.

Anyway I'm feeling slightly more human now and getting ready to go out.

And it's the weekend!

I have a busy weekend lined up - mainly tomorrow - and I'm looking forward to it.

Tomorrow morning I want to have breakfast on the balcony. Even if it's cold. I want to cuddle up in blankets and warm sweaters and have endless cups of coffee and scrambled eggs while watching the city wake up.

Can you tell I'm ready for a time-out from school/work?

I found a good looking recipe on Martha for scrambled eggs (even though I'm pretty sure no one could hold a candle to the scrambled eggs John makes) and this particular recipe comes straight from Barbara Walters:

Barbara Walters' Scrambled Eggs

(Photo and Recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com)
1. In a small bowl, combine 2 eggs, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chives, and 2 tbsp chopped swiss cheese. Beat ingredients together with a fork and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a small nonstick skillet until melted. Add egg mixture. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, gently pull the eggs from the side of the skillet. As the eggs start to set, stir them gently until curds form, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; serve immediately.

I'd much rather be eating this breakfast on a balcony more along the lines of this.....

But I can wait for Summer. I'm looking forward to spring.

P.S. one successful week (4 days...) of exercising & eating well! Only 3 more months to go!

Breakfast Egg Recipe aka Soldiers!

Friday!

And as an added bonus - my weekend started early because my lab day at school was canceled! 3 day weekend! I found out at a bad time though because I was already up, had eaten breakfast and downed a cup of coffee, so I was up up. Rather than try unsuccessfully to go back to bed I made John breakfast! It's been awhile since I've done that so I thought it'd be a nice gesture.

We have no bacon (sad face) so instead of bacon and eggs I made perogies and something my mom used to make for me and my sister:

Soliders!

I always assumed this was the poper name for this breakfast until I asked John one day if he wanted soldiers and he looked at me like I was wearing a straightjacket. THEN today I finally found some reassurance. I googled "soft boiled egg cooking time" cause I was unsure of how long I had before the yolk completely congealed and the very first website I came across called it soldiers! Yayy!

So here's what you do:

1. Place an egg (or two) into a pot with enough water to just cover the egg. Bring the ater up to a boil and allow the egg to cook for about 4 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast some bread. Butter the toast and cut length-wise into 4 strips.
3. When the egg is done, place it into an egg cup and allow it to cool for a minute, then using a spoon or a knife, remove the very top of the egg so that the yolk (which should be runny) is visible.
4. Dip the bread (the soliders) into the egg and enjoy!
   

It's a good breakfast and eggs are very good for you so long as you don't over do it. They are a source of protein and are fairly low-cal (about 70 calories per egg) but the yolks are a source of cholesterol so eating eggs every day isn't necessarily a good idea, especially if you already have high cholesterol. Egg whites, however, can pretty much do you no wrong.

Ok party people, I'm off to maintain my get-fit resolution and hit the gym! Martha is a Yoga show today and it's making me feel guilty for sitting on the couch in my PJs.

I also bought a Yoga DVD on Tuesday.....maybe I'll do it later :)