Blueberry Zucchini Bread
During the car ride home from my parent's house yesterday, I listed all the recipes I need to post on this here website to Casey and he had no recollection of me making Blueberry Zucchini Bread! When I described it as "that tasty/moist/lemony bread studded with juicy blueberries...you know the one you ate a LOT of?" the memory of eating the bread finally came back. Apparently he was just thrown off by the word zucchini because he had no idea there was zucchini in that bread! Cooper had no clue too. I'm guilty of vegetable hiding.
Blueberries & Zucchini! They're both in season right now, so why not combine the two and make a scrumptious bread? This recipe makes TWO loaves. If you're scared that you'll eat BOTH loaves (which is easy to do and I don't blame you), wrap one up and give it to your neighbor/friend/coworker and earn brownie points. If you're feeling greedy, wrap up the second loaf and stash it in your freezer. Blueberry zucchini bread will be a great start to your week, next week!
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Triple Berry Galette
There isn't a better way, in my opinion, to welcome someone home after a week away on business than with a huge slab of triple berry pie. Casey has been gone for the past week which means I've been eating salads, playing single parent, organizing my closet, catching up on girly/trashy shows, wearing face masks, hogging the couch, plucking my eyebrows in random parts of the house and really wishing I had a reason to bake something. I woke up yesterday morning with the intention of making a pie and that's what I did. I made this one. My husband was coming home and he deserved a pie for his hard work.
A trip to the store for some fresh berries while drooling over this crostata from Lottie & Doof, and a text with my best baker friend about the difference between a galette & crostata helped me make this ridiculously easy pie. It's free form. It's gorgeous. It's rustic. It's charming and the crust is earth shattering! Like...I can't BELIEVE I made this crust-CRUST. The berries are juicy, dark & delicious. They're the epitome of summer.
I must confess that I hogged this galette like I hogged our couch this past week. Even though I gave half of it to the neighbors, I cut a small slice for myself EVERY TIME I walked past the kitchen. I purposely avoided the kitchen for 4 hours before Casey came home or else there would have seriously been none left. Pie so delicious... you must give half of it away and then hide it. Good thing I've been binging on salads....
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.
Blueberry Pie
I made this pie for my dad because:
1. It was his 64th birthday.
2. He loves blueberry pie.
3. I love him!
4. I wanted to impress my family with homemade pie crust. (And did!)
Oh! This pie!! There were times I felt like giving up because the dough was being a bit obnoxious when I was rolling it out. Parts of it crumbled and I felt like all I was doing was piecing it together. I mostly blame the temperature outside mixed with my lack of patience. It also didn't help that I drank a bunch of wine the night before with my family and didn't sleep well. With a glass of red wine and a long deep sigh, I finished what I started. There's nothing that says I love you more than a homemade blueberry pie. Right? We devoured this fantastic lemon scented blueberry pie. My dad was proud, and we had such a wonderful evening!
Happy Birthday Dad! And thank you to Martha Stewart. This recipe worked out fabulously!
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Buckwheat Belgium Waffles
I love waffles. There's just something so satisfying about pouring batter into a waffle iron and watching a waffle magically appear. They are so much easier than pancakes, in my opinion. I get too impatient with pancakes. I either flip them prematurely or not soon enough. A waffle iron keeps me stress free and that something I appreciate when I'm not fully caffeinated in the morning. This recipe for Buckwheat Belgium waffles comes from a street vendor called Moxie Rx in Portland, Oregon. They were featured in the March '09 issue of Sunset magazine, who thankfully shared the recipe with us. The waffles are incredibly light and perfectly crisp! I could easily eat 3 in one sitting because they are so airy and delicate! The buckwheat isn't a very dominant flavor, so if that scares you, don't fret! It just adds a hint of nuttiness to the waffle and doesn't make it seem like a health food.
You need to make the batter 24 hours before you make the waffles, so plan on that! If you want a sweet waffle, you're supposed to put the batter in the fridge overnight (which is what I did). If you want a more sourdoughy waffle, you let the batter sit on your kitchen counter overnight. I topped our waffles with cinnamon sugar, bananas, Greek yogurt & a really fast blueberry sauce. If that sounds like too much for you, they are just as great on their own with some butter & the cinnamon sugar. Trust me.
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Blueberry Corn Salad
REFRESHING! Sweet, tangy, simple, crunchy, GOOD. Last night, I put this salad on top of a grilled corn tortilla with some grilled shrimp and plopped some lime sour cream on top. So fab!! The only thing wrong was that it was a little too chilly outside when we ate it! Damn you, weather. Other than that...sheer perfection. The salad tastes even better, the longer you leave it in the fridge! You have to make it a day in advance, but the wait is well worth it! Put this on your TO DO list, and you won't regret it. Promise.
Not yet sold? Check out this shrimp tostada action!
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes with Orange Maple Butter
You need to make these NOW.
Make them for dinner if you have to! They are fantastic! And that orange maple butter is OFF THE HOOK! You will seriously find every excuse to eat the leftovers all week long. And please do, because the recipe makes a good amount! I'll totally kick your ass if any goes to waste! So how are the pancakes? Scrumptious! They taste like a cross between breakfast polenta, a blueberry muffin, and a pancake with a fancy high noon tea vibe (thanks to that butter!) Every now and then you get a little crunch from the cornmeal. It pleases me and I bet you will be pleased too. By the way--your taste buds called and they said their sick of plain old regular pancakes. Throw them a bone and make them something new and different! Do it!
Come on! Look at that BUTTER!!!
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Did I ever tell you how much I suck at making pancakes? Or should I saw how i USED to suck at making pancakes. I don't know what my problem(s) were. Perhaps over mixing? Maybe my batter was too thick? The pan was too buttery? I didn't let the batter rest? I didn't have the right heat? Maybe I was just a wuss and psyched myself out. Yeah that sounds more like it ;)
Today I embraced my fear of making pancakes and tried this Blueberry Buckwheat Panackes recipe from Ellie Krieger. I mixed all of the dry ingredients last night before bed and set them aside. I sprung to my feet the second I heard Coop stirring this morning and whipped up the batter and brought him down and made pancakes. He enjoys watching me run around in the kitchen.
Casey woke up earlier than normal to join us for breakfast. I am sure he would have much rather slept- but when you have your wife slaving in the kitchen in the morning, you HAVE to. He said "they were pretty good for being all healthy and buckwheaty". I feel like I need to sneak some health in every chance I can. If my boyz had their way, they would be eating nothing but meat, pasta, potatoes & bread.
The pancakes were very light and with the additions of blueberries & bananas---they were yummy. I really thought that they were gonna turn out like big thick hockey pucks! So SCORE. I DID IT. I made light & fluffy pancakes.
I still have TONS of batter left and might make a batch tomorrow morning. We'll see how that works out! Hope you enjoy!
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Print This Recipe(recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger)
-3/4 cup buckwheat flour -3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour -1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder -1/2 teaspoon baking soda -1/4 teaspoon salt -1 cup buttermilk (i used a cup of plain yogurt)-3/4 cup nonfat milk -1 tablespoon honey (I used agave nectar)
-2 large eggs -2 tablespoons canola oil -2 cups blueberries, divided (I used frozen-and defrosted them overnight in the fridge)
-1/2 cup real maple syrup
In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat together the buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey, eggs, and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. Stir in 1 cup of berries.
Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium flame. Ladle the batter onto the skillet with a 1/4-cup measure. Flip the pancake when it is golden brown on the bottom and bubbles are forming on top, about 1 1/2 minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Serve topped with more blueberries and the maple syrup.
