Chocolate Dutch Baby
Don't give me that look. It's perfectly acceptable to have chocolate for breakfast! Especially when you realize that the slice of powdered sugar dusted cake on my plate is actually a PANCAKE. It's a chocolate pancake, PEOPLE! And it takes absolutely no time to make! I was able to execute this recipe whilst getting ready for work, feeding Cooper, quieting an incessantly mewing cat, wrangling a diaper bag, taking pictures, sneaking in a few morning kisses with my husband, and cleaning up my kitchen on a weekday. Let me say that again- A WEEKDAY!! If that doesn't give you a hint of how easy it was, then I don't know what will!
All you need is a small group of ingredients, a blender, a medium sized cast iron skillet & a hot oven and you're just 20 minutes away from digging into a chocolate pancake for breakfast. Do you need syrup for this pancake? Heck NO! It's perfectly sweet with the combo of the powdered sugar & the strawberries. Isn't that fantastic? No syrup means you have one less thing to deal with in the morning! And yes...it does taste like a piece of really thin chocolate cake!
Apricot Pistachio Granola
Hi, my name is Tracy and I'm a granola addict. It's been 3 minutes since I ate my last handful of granola. I gave away as much as I could, but somehow a jar made its way onto my desk and I CANNOT close the lid. You too would have a hard time staying away if you had a chance to taste toasted coconut, roasted pistachios, walnuts, and oats covered in a spicy/sugary glaze mixed with a hint of salt. Did I mention there's olive oil in this granola?? I simply cannot be trusted with what's left of this jar. Someone please call for an intervention. I NEED IT. Continue reading→
Orange Poppy Scones
Have you already figured out what to make for Easter? I still haven't a clue! What I DO know is that I'll be taking a few of these flaky Orange Poppy Scones out of the freezer early tomorrow morning & popping them into the oven so we can start our Easter day off RIGHT! These buttery scones are infiltrated with the most addictive poppy seed crunch and are delicately perfumed by fresh, bright orange zest. Doesn't that just scream EASTER??!! Yeah, that's what I thought. I'm glad I saved a few for the special occasion. Way to go, me.
Now...tell me what you're making for Easter. I need ideas. Like...QUICK.
Berry Studded Baked Oatmeal
I already have 3 food related posts in my queue, but somehow I feel this great sense of urgency to share with you what I ate for breakfast this morning! Those posts will have to wait because you have breakfast to make this coming weekend and you'lll WANT to make this, no doubt. Let me start by saying that I almost NEVER make oatmeal and I'm not really sure why! My husband, who is a total oatmeal lover, gets the short end of the stick on this one. He's been away for work for the past few days and I thought it would be nice to welcome him back with something warm, sweet & tasty for breakfast this morning. You know...to make him realize how good he's got it at home! And yes...he already KNOWS this! After he finished the big bowl I served him, he said "This was excellent. I really loved it!" And that, my friends is reason enough to make this. Your favorite oatmeal loving person will be happy and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you make something JUST right for someone special? That's nothing BUT love!
So, what does it taste like? Think rice pudding meets bread pudding meets berry cobbler meets oatmeal mixed with tart berries and sweet gooey bananas. Also, can we say how EASY it is? Line fruit on the bottom of a baking dish, add oats, then milk, top with more fruits & nuts and bake. I think this is going to be one of those recipes that becomes an improvisational staple at my house. Just thinking of the potential flavor combos has me excited! Ooh! What about crystallized ginger, honey & almonds? What about something savory with bacon, maple syrup & bananas?! I told you I was excited...
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Sausage Cheddar Biscuits
For as long as I can remember, our family celebrated Easter at my grandparent's house. We would all pour out of my mom's avocado green station wagon and us kids would run right into the house to find my grandma working in the kitchen and my grandpa grilling lamb in their sunny backyard. We would immediately check out grandma's candy dish to survey our Easter loot, then we'd run right into the kitchen for a slab of her infamous Italian Easter bread. That thick, delicious bread studded with Italian sausage, cheese and egg proved more tempting than EASTER CANDY. Can you imagine? Bread better than Easter candy?? We ate our pieces so fast, they'd get stuck in the bottom of our throats. No doubt, we were enthusiastic about that bread.
This year my grandma will be in New York while I'm here in California celebrating Easter without her Easter bread! I hope she makes some for our relatives back east. Eat a few slices for me, will ya? Where am I going with this? Let me get to it... I made these little biscuits last weekend and they totally tasted like my grandma's Easter bread! I mean, they're definitely not a 100% replacement for her legit Easter bread, but they're a nice knockoff, if I do say so myself.
Carbs + Meat + Cheese = Trouble. The kind of trouble that I love getting into.
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Roasted Strawberries
I'm no stranger to roasted fruit. I know how intense fruit becomes when it's been sizzling & caramelizing in a high temperature oven. I also know how intense those thick, syrupy juices are when they burst out of the roasted fruit. I know because I'm the first one to dip my finger along the sides of the pan to collect the run off. Can we just have a moment to look at this? Thank you.
What I didn't know about roasting strawberries is that the seeds add a whole new dimension to the experience. Their poppy crunch is pretty unreal mixed with the tender, supple structure of the roasted strawberry. I think I might really like it! Wait. I really do! How does your house smell when you roast strawberries? Divine. It's like the fruit roll-up factory made a new Strawberry Pie flavor in your kitchen. A whole new revelation is waiting for you. You're gonna love it!
Blueberry Yogurt Cake
There are a few things I can guarantee in life. I can guarantee that my fingernail polish won't last for more than a day. I can guarantee that it will rain the day after I wash my car. I can guarantee that I will always pick the worst lane to be in at the grocery store. I can guarantee that my brother will always open my fridge the second he walks into my house, and I can pretty much guarantee that this cake won't last long in anyone's presence.
See this cake? It's a very moist cake filled with fragrant blueberries. A cinnamon spiced walnut layer is slugged right in the middle and a crunchy layer rests on top! I cut out a hunk to take this picture, and when I went to focus my lens on the pan, I suddenly noticed that almost half the cake was missing. Cooper and Casey were standing there... guilty. But really, who can blame them? The house smelled so good and they had to wait 45 painful minutes for it to finish!! If you make this cake, you'll clearly see why I had none left only a few hours after it came out of the oven. Also...save yourself a few corner pieces. They will blow your mind.
Brown Butter Waffles
These waffles don't need much of an explanation. All you really need to know is that there's browned butter AND brown sugar in the batter. You know what that means? There's so much flavor packed in one waffle that maple syrup seems totally unnecessary. Don't give me that weird look!
I know, I know. I put syrup on my waffle here but I didn't really need too! Since there's brown sugar in the batter, you get tasty bits of caramelized sugar on the surface of the waffle. And inside the waffle? It's nutty and sweet. Still don't believe me about not needing syrup? See for yourself.
A big thanks to my pal Cheryl who introduced me to these me waffles a few weeks ago. She made them with a side of corned beef hash, poached eggs, candied bacon & a blood orange salad! It's not such a bad thing befriending a food blogger is it? As you can see Cheryl, I couldn't stop thinking about them. I feed you next! Deal?
