Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

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When is it okay to eat cake for breakfast?

When you call if a "breakfast" cake!  One that has blueberries in it.  Oh, and buttermilk.  Both blueberries and buttermilk are breakfast items so that qualifies as a breakfast right?

Look at it like a coffee cake...

So I saw this recipe on my favorite addiction, Pinterest, and had to make it.  Hot blueberries fresh from the oven are another addiction of mine.  I'm sure that nobody can resist a blueberry bursting in your mouth.

BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST CAKE

Let me confess that "I LOVE THIS CAKE"!  A moist and tender cake filled with blueberries that give the sweetness a burst of tart.  Each bite leaves you wanting more.  Dangerous, I know.

This would be the perfect cake to serve at an Easter Brunch.  It would also do well at potlucks, as a hostess gift, or at bridal or baby showers.  It's easy to make and everyone will love it!

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake


½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup flour
cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   In a medium bowl cream the butter, lemon zest, and 3/4 cup of sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.

To a small bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

Toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour.  Fold in the blueberries into the batter. 

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread batter into the pan. Sprinkle batter with a tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in the pan 15 minutes on a wire rack.  Serve.  

Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen

Naan Pizza - 2 Variations (Pesto Chicken Pizza and Pepperoni)

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Individual Naan Pizza made your way!

We love pizza in our house but don't eat it as often as I would like.  So when we decided to throw a  get together with friends MGG asked if we could make pizza. So I had the idea of letting our guests make their own individual pizzas and knew that Naan Bread would be the perfect way to accomplish that.

Now I've made pizza using many vehicles as the base.  My recipe for homemade Pizza Dough is the best.  I've also made grilled pizza using pita bread.  English muffins, tortillas, and even a can of biscuits will work in a pinch.  Naan Bread is another perfect platform for pizza and a great way to serve kids at a birthday party, friends over for game day, or just a quick lunch or dinner for your family!

NAAN PIZZA - 2 VARIATIONS

(PESTO CHICKEN PIZZA AND PEPPERONI PIZZA)

Pepperoni Pizza

Pesto Chicken Pizza

We decided to do a dry run before the actual party.  So we made 2 variations of Naan Pizza.  Pepperoni (my all time favorite) and Pesto Chicken Pizza.  I must say that I loved my Pepperoni pizza but the Pesto Chicken Pizza was to DIE FOR!  And the best part is that you can get it in the oven in no time and in 10 minutes dinner is served!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Enjoy!





Naan Pizza - 2 Variations
(Pesto Chicken Pizza and Pepperoni)



Pepperoni Pizza

1 Naan Bread (individual size)
4 Tablespoons pizza sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced (from fresh whole mozzarella)  (I used Galbani)
Pepperoni

Spread pizza sauce on naan bread.  Top with pepperoni and sliced cheese.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and edges of the bread has browned slightly.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

1/2 cup precooked chicken, shredded

4 Tablespoons pesto

4 Tablespoons pizza sauce

1 Naan Bread (individual size)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced  (from fresh whole mozzarella)  (I used Galbani)

Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell pepper, sliced into rings

fresh tomato, diced

1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

In a skillet over medium low heat, add the shredded chicken and 2 Tablespoons of pesto.  Stir to combine and heat.  In a small bowl add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of pesto and the pizza sauce and mix until blended. 

Spread pizza sauce on Naan bread.  Top with chicken pesto mixture.  Top with slices of mozzarella cheese, bell pepper slices, and chopped tomato.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.  Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and edges of the bread has browned slightly.

Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes

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I grew up on meat and potatoes. 

Potatoes were a staple in our house and Mom made them all different ways.  I remember her teaching me how to make French fries, the fried kind in a cast iron skillet.  We made them all the time to go with Burgers and Hot Dogs, Steaks, and just because.   Oh how I love potatoes!

I still have that cast iron skillet we made the French fries in but these days it's used for other things and my French fries and baked in the oven!  Such a healthier approach to cooking potatoes, don't you think?  Plus roasted potatoes are outrageously good! 

So say you want to make my Jack Daniel's Whiskey Marinated Flank Steak and want a great side dish.  How about Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes?  Oh yes please!  They are the perfect side dish to any beef, chicken, or pork dish.  If you are a garlic lover then these are made for you.  Not 1 but 2 types of garlic are used in this dish to give it that intensely garlicky flavor.  One is garlic powder and the other is a garlic infused olive oil.  I have to tell you these are sizzling good potatoes that taste like fries.

DAMN GOOD GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES

They roast at a high temperature to give you a crispy outside and tender inside.  They are so good that I never make the "fried" fries anymore.  I found I like these just as well and don't miss the fat that goes along with frying.  You'll love them too.  Try them today!

Enjoy!




Kitchen Note:  This recipe uses Garlic Infused Olive Oil.  I've made mine and included instructions below, or you can purchase it.  Other uses for it are over steamed vegetables, in salad dressings, use to sauté chicken or toss with pasta.




Damn Good Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes

Garlic powder

Garlic infused Olive oil:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 head garlic

Directions:

To make the Garlic infused Olive oil:  Smash and peel cloves of garlic. Transfer to a medium pot, add olive oil, and heat over medium-low heat until bubbles form around garlic, about 3 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes, on low so the garlic does not brown to much.  Remove from heat and let cool about 45 minutes.  Store in a sealed tight jar.

For the potatoes:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel potatoes, cut into planks lengthwise.  Cut each plank into long fries.

Place fries on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Just enough to lightly coat.  Toss fries in oil.

Separate fries out on the pan so they are not touching.

Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 min.  Take fries out and turn them over so they brown on the other side. Return to oven and bake another 10-15 min. until crispy.

Banana Cinnamon Nutella Swirl Muffins

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Who needs a different variety of muffin?  I do!  I do!

How about a breakfast you can eat in bed, or on the go!

MGG and I snuck away for a long weekend not long ago and stayed at a wonderful little boutique hotel in Santa Barbara.  We just love this town and I have to tell you what impressed me quite a bit was the welcome basket full of baked goodies.  There were fresh chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies (who can resist that!) that were scrumptious.  They also gave us a few croissants, and some banana chocolate swirled muffins.

Those muffins were so moist and delicious they are definitely the inspiration for today's recipe.

BANANA CINNAMON NUTELLA SWIRL MUFFINS

So over the weekend I tried my hand at a combination of banana and chocolate using my basic muffin recipe.  Bananas always add great flavor and moistness to muffins and then adding Nutella as a swirl into the muffins just seemed necessary.  Let me tell you...they were easy and tasty!  Hot from the oven these mouthwatering, fluffy, and seductive (yes, I said seductive...) muffins should probably be hidden if you want to save some for yourself, because they will be gone once your family smells them!  After one bite, it's all over!

Can't wait to go back to Santa Barbara and get some more inspiration.
Enjoy!





Banana Cinnamon Nutella Swirl Muffins

Makes 6 muffins


1 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Nutella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 well muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large blow mash your bananas.  Add the egg, oil, milk, and vanilla.  Stir until combined.  Add flour, both sugars, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir just until combined.

Divide batter among 6 muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Add 1 tsp of Nutella to the top of each muffin.  Using a toothpick drag the Nutella through the batter to swirl. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Cinnamon Orange Baked French Toast Muffins

I always seem to have bread which you could consider "day old" around. Do you?

Last night we had a wonderful steak dinner and I made garlic toast from French sandwich rolls.  They were the perfect accompaniment, but we didn't use them all, so today I had a lonely roll staring at me, saying "use me!"

So French toast came to mind.  But I wanted to try something I was inspired to try, muffin tin French toast.  Basically it is baked French toast, but in a muffin tin instead of a casserole dish.  The only thing I had to settle on was the flavor.  Being citrus season I decided to add the brightness of orange and the warmth of cinnamon since it's still a bit chilly in the mornings.

CINNAMON ORANGE BAKED FRENCH TOAST MUFFINS

The recipe is fast, easy, and tastes wonderful.    They are baked in the muffin tins, so there is no butter or oil (healthier).  Once you bake them in the tins, out comes these cute little things I'm calling French Toast Muffins.  They are perfect little gems.  Slightly crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. 

Perfect for a weekend breakfast, or a brunch, plus the kids will love them!  The flavors of cinnamon and orange coming from the oven is enough to wake the whole family and have them come running.  When they taste them, they will be begging for more!  To keep the sugar count down I served them with a sugar-free syrup. 

With the presentation being so cute and the flavors so warm and comforting, these were definitely a hit and I'll sure you and your family will love these.  Bake up something good this weekend!

Enjoy!




Cinnamon Orange Baked French Toast Muffins

Serves - 8 cups

3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons orange extract
1 loaf French sandwich roll, diced into 1-inch cubes
sugar-free syrup, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, sugars, cinnamon, and orange extract.  Whisk to combine. 

Add the bread cubes and coat evenly.  All bread to soak up the custard about 3 minutes.  Distribute the bread cubes evenly among the muffin wells lightly piling the cubes on top of each other.  Pour any remaining custard over the cubes.  I filled each one just to the top with bread. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Custard should be set and the muffins should look dry.  Remove from the oven and allow to the tin for 5 minutes.  Remove each muffin with the help of a knife and serve with syrup.  

Brown Sugar-Sour Cream Banana Bread

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How are you liking our Daylight Savings time?  I'm always bummed when I wake up and we've lost an hour but I really love the lighter evenings!

So being bummed when I woke up I decided to bake something for breakfast (or actually brunch by the time I got up, oops!...) from a new cookbook I inherited bought recently.  It's called Bake Good Things by Williams-Sonoma:  Simple Techniques & Foolproof Recipes for Everyday Eating.

This book will bring your baking level up a notch by teaching you different baking techniques.  The book is full of recipes to make cookies, muffins, cobblers, pies, cake, cupcakes, biscuits, breads, & pizzas!  YUM!!! 

The book is broken up into sections that concentrate on a certain baking technique.  I immediately went to the section on Muffins & Quickbreads (my favorite).  To quote the book:

"Muffin-making requires three basic mixing techniques:  creaming the butter, combining the dry ingredients, and then blending them together with some form of liquid".

So I decided to make their Brown Sugar-Sour Cream Banana Bread. We always love a good banana bread, and this sounded delicious.  (Trust me it is....!)

BROWN SUGAR-SOUR CREAM BANANA BREAD

The recipe made 2 loaves but I scaled it down to make 1 loaf which is plenty for us to, with leftovers for several days.  This also includes bananas, with are a healthy ingredient to bake with.  The lend natural moistness and will replace heavy oils.  Who doesn't love healthier baking??  You will want over-ripe bananas that are mashed really well with no lumps remaining.  I use a fork, but a potato masher works great as well.

The bread turned out really moist with the addition of sour cream along with the bananas. It's simple to mix together and uses pantry staples. We just loved the flavor and texture of this bread.  A hint of cinnamon and nutmeg add a nice deep earthy flavor.  To add some decadence, dark chocolate chips can be added to the batter if you like.  I kept it simple this time around, sticking to recipe.  I use this loaf pan, which has served me well, but this is also a really good pan to use.

This light, moist and crumbly bread will have you reaching for the coffee and a good book! 

Enjoy!




Brown Sugar-Sour Cream Banana Bread

slightly adapted from Bake Good Things

makes 1 loaf

cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 large, extra ripe bananas
1 egg, large
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, sift together the flour baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, eggs, brown sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and melted butter.  Add the flour mixture and whisk to combine. (Don't overmix - only until combined)

Add the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with turbaned sugar.  Baked until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Let the banana bread cool slightly in the pan, and on a wire rack, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Benefits of Oranges

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There is still plenty of citrus in the markets, so before it goes away until next year I wanted to talk a little about Oranges.

Oranges are one of the greatest members of the citrus family.  Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber.

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants.  They also contain minerals like potassium and calcium.  Oranges are in season  from October to February/March, (depending on the variety) although I am still seeing these delicious beauties everywhere.  Some varieties of sweet oranges are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, blood orange, and Cara Cara.

I'm IN LOVE with Cara Cara oranges right now!

Oranges can be kept at room temperature for a week or so. They will also stay fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator.  

Celebrate the goodness of oranges while they are still around!  Here are some of my favorite orange recipes:




Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach






Simple Asian Salad







Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette






California Salad

Orange Iced Tea

Pork Chops in an Orange-Cumin Sauce

Caribbean Chicken Salad


Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Guinness Irish Beef Stew

A truly classic Guinness Irish Beef Stew, made long and slow with a touch of Irish beer, just like the women of Ireland did so long ago!

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It's about that time of year when we celebrate all things Irish!

I've never been to Ireland though it is certainly on my bucket list.  My great-grandmother was a migrant as a young girl from Ireland to Oklahoma and her parents participated in the famous Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893 to stake a homestead claim for land.  We think the strong persistence of the Irish people in my family tree deserve celebrating this St Patrick's Day!

St Patrick's Day is actually a day of feasting, celebrating the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and the heritage and culture of the Irish.  You don't have to be Irish to take part, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!    So if you plan on having a feast at home this year I have the dish for you!

SLOW COOKER GUINNESS IRISH BEEF STEW

We just love a good stew and Irish stew is hearty and comforting.  This version has all the traditional ingredients with an added touch of Guinness beer for a jazzed up version.  The major plus is that it is made in the slow cooker.  You can come home to a mouthwatering meal that is just irresistible!

It's full of big chunks of meat and vegetables with a hint of Guinness flavor in the broth.  Pair this with my Pioneer Spotted Dog (Irish soda bread) for one fantastic meal, and the perfect way to celebrate!

Enjoy!





Slow Cooker Guinness Irish Beef Stew

1 1/2 lb lean beef stew meat
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
½ large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup Guinness Extra Stout
Salt & pepper to taste

Saute meet either in your slow cooker (if available) or in a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of oil and just brown meat over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as it browns.

If browning in the skillet add beef to the slow cooker.  Add potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and tomato paste to the slow cooker.  Then add the Guinness (including any foam that has formed) and the broth.  Stir to mix slightly.  Place lid on the slow cooker and set on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Serve hot.