Baked French Toast

I found whole wheat cinnamon raisin rolls at TJ's but they were on the dry side so I turned them into this delicious breakfast. It would be great for entertaining guests or for a brunch with friends. The praline topping is a little sweet for me so I could do without it but everyone else thought it was great.

butter a large casserole dish

Break cinnamon rolls into one inch pieces

Combine:

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla

pour over bread

Praline Topping:

One stick butter cut into pieces

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pecans

raisins

pour over toast to bake for the last 20 minutes

**This makes an excellent dessert. Better the next day. Tastes like bread pudding**

A Sunny Day

Grace and I made Sun Bread today using the recipe in the book of the same title by Elisa Kleven. It is a bit gray outside but this made things a lot brighter.

Ingredients

3 eggs 3 TBSP sugar 2 cups sifted flour 1 stick melted, unsalted butter 2 packages active dry yeast 3 TBSP lukewarm milk

Directions

Mix well:
3 eggs
3 TBSP sugar

Combine:
2 c sifter all purpose flour
1 stick butter, melted

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat well.

in a small bowl combine
2 packages active dry yeast
3 TBSP lukewarm milk
Let stand until foamy, at least 5 min.

Add the yeast mixture to the batter and stir. Knead dough on greased, floured surface for 8-10 min. (My dough took in about another cup of flour while kneading. The nutritional info includes 3 cups of flour, because of this)

Place dough in greased bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until double (about an hour).

Punch down and knead for a few minutes. The separate in to two portions.

To form the sun's face, shape one portion of dough into a rounded, somewhat flattened ball and place on a large greased baking sheet. (you can make a face by punching eyes and drawing a mouth with your finger)

Make a corona for your sun by dividing the remaining dough in half again. Roll half into long snakes. Then curl the snakes into puffy snail shapes. For the rest of the dough in to puffy triangles. Firmly attach the snails and triangles to the sun (use a little water if your dough is to dry)

Cover your sun and let rise again for about an hour.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes testing for doneness with a toothpick!

Enjoy! Plain, or with honey or jam!

Dutch Apple Pie

Dutch Apple Pie c/o Greg's Mimi:

take frozen pie crust (TJ's) out one hour before baking
preheat oven to 450
4 large tart apples
1 uncooked pie shell
1 cup (I use less) sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
3/4 flour
1/3 cup butter (grated in a cheese grater-the BEST way to cut butter)
I also sometimes add oats and/nuts

slice apples into 16 pieces each
toss with 1/2 of the sugar and cinnamon,
pour into crust
mix flour , the remaining sugar and butter (oats and nuts if using)
pour over apples

bake at 450 for 10 minutes
lower heat to 350 and bake for 40 minutes

Banana Bread Porridge

One of our favorite books is about a little Tomten and a Fox. The Tomten protects the farm from the fox by sharing his porridge. Gracie's first question was "what is porridge?" Good quetion. Google to the rescue. Wiki actually. It is any grain that is cooked into a hot cereal. Often oats and we (mama and dada atleast) prefer them steel-cut instead of steamed and rolled. They get a bit old though. The same everyday. Butter. Honey. Cinnamon. And this week what I REALLY wanted for breakfast was banana bread hot out of the oven and smothered with butter. Why did I not think to combine the two earlier?What a revelation!!!

Banana Bread Oats:

serves 2

Soak 1/2 cup steel cut oats overnight in 1 1/2 cups of water

in the morning  cook on medium for 10-15 minutes

add butter

honey

cinnamon

chopped pecans

sliced bananas

Simple Supper :: Bengal Chicken with Roasted Veggies

"Mama, I want to get brussels sprouts at the farmers market but fill the whole bag to the very, very top."

What three year old says that?

Bengal Masala Chicken:

One package of organic chicken thighs

dust with Bengal Masala Rub with Love (garam masala, cumin, brown sugar)

Halve Brussels

Chop sweet potatos

toss with olive oil S+P

dust half of the potatoes with African Peri Peri Run with Love (red pepper and citrus)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

Slow Chicken

In a 2 quart slow cooker add
2 chicken breasts
one jar of salsa (I used TJ's Peach salsa this time)
cook for 4-5 hours

**double or triple next time to have leftovers for the next night. use larger slow-cooker for more meat**

perfect for shredding into tacos, burritos etc

Slow Beans

In a 1.5 quart slow cooker add

1 and a 1/3 cup pinto beans

3 cups water

cook for 3 hours

add 1 tsp salt and cook for another hour 

unplug or put on warm setting

Tomato Garlic Soup

My favorite restaurant growing up was the Restaurant On The Corner, known to locals as ROTC). I LOVED their tomato soup and salad with sprouts. That is probably why a good bowl of soup and a crisp salad is hands down, still my favorite meal. So for Christmas 1999, my mom gave me my favorite cookbook, Moosewood's Daily Specials with the following inspirational inscription inside:

Brook, May you always find joy and caring in the meals you cook and share.

It is a blessing to honor those you love with a fine meal. Love, Mom

Everyday in Ithaca, New York, the restaurant offers a daily special of a soup and salad. While Ryan and I were living in Connecticut we were seriously considering driving to Ithaca just for the lunch special. Then we saw that it would be a very long drive. Too long for a day trip and we never made it there for a vacation. So now that we are on the west coast, I cook out of the cookbook very often to get a feel of the restaurant. Delicious recipes and literally, every recipe I have tried is spot on perfection. 

Today we made their tomato soup for the first time. Why, oh why did it take me 11 years to make this recipe? They have been perfecting it for over thirty five years! And again, it is perfect.

Classic Tomato Garlic Soup

adapted from Moosewood's Daily Special Cookbook

Saute:

1 Tsp evoo

4 cloves garlic until slightly browned

add 

1 Tsp paprika

**chef's tip** measure your spice caps so you know how much they hold and can skip the measuring spoons. mine held a little under a tablespoon so I will just fill the lid next time.

2 cans of tomatoes in tomato juice (I used TJ's organic diced)

1 cup water or vegetable broth

1/4 cup applesauce (the recipe calls for sherry but we are out)

cook for 10-15 minutes and then blend until smooth with an immersion blender

For herbed croutons:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

dice four slices of bread

toast in oven for 15 minutes

 combine in a small saucepan

1 Tsp evoo

1 Tsp butter

pinch of thyme

pinch of marjoram

toss croutons in butter mix and let cool

serve soup with croutons and parmesan cheese on top

Alterations:

Sopa de Tortilla: omit paprika and sherry, use cumin, coriander, onion, bell pepper and tortillas

Tuscan: Add pesto and garbanzos and top with feta

No-Bake (One-Handed) Cookies

Maybe it is a southern thing but I grew up with these cookies. As soon as I was old enough to cook on the stove, my girlfriends and I would make these delicious no-bake cookies. So when Gracie was down for a nap today and I had Emily nursing on my left arm (well, she was nursing and I was holding her with my left arm) I wondered if I could make these using only one hand. Guess what? You can! Perfect mommy afternoon treat. So I made a little mess but I can clean that up later when I have two hands again.

In a sauce pan combine:

2 cups sugar (maybe less next time, these were a bit sweet)

1 stick butter

4+ Tsps cocoa (I used Scharffen Berger)

1/2 cup milk

after it has boiled for one minute add:

3 cups oats

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup+ peanut butter

use a 2tsp melon baller (if attempting this with one hand) to scoop onto wax paper or a silpat

let cool until hardened ~45 minutes

store in the freezer, in a ziploc so you don't eat them all in one sitting

or sit down on the couch, nurse your baby and eat as many as you please

Batch Cooking :: Meatballs

We made some turkey meatballs for the freezer today. Gracie also made her own meatballs with a large one for daddy and was discussing how much food he eats. "He thinks he's pregnant."

Turkey Meatballs:

Two packages ground turkey (~3 lbs?)

4 eggs

5 green onions chopped

1 cup ground wheat crackers or cereal (we used wheatabix this time) or oats

2 Tsps olive oil

1/2 cup parsley chopped

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook 400 degrees for 30 minutes

Cool, freeze on a cookie sheet then transfer to a freezer bag)

yields 100 balls

Sauces can vary:

*Italian Marinara Sauce

*Korean Dipping Sauce (ketchup, soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic, chinese 12 spice rub with love)

*Tzatziki (yogurt, cucs, garlic and maybe dill or parsley)

Korean Meatballs

When my dad came back from Vietnam, my mom and he went to a restaurant in Berkeley that had a similar recipe to this one we had tonight.

Preheat oven to 375

Mix one package ground turkey

1/4 toasted pine nuts

3 green onions, sliced

2 Tsps soy sauce

3 Tsps tokyo with love (rub with love)

1 egg

3/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs

dipping sauce:

1 cup organic ketchup

1/8 cup soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsps grated ginger

1 Tsp brown sugar

Cook meatballs 30+ minutes  until brown

Serve with sauteed veggies and brown rice

Betsy's Burritos (or Terrific Tostadas)

40 weeks, two days and no baby yet!

So on to other things....

My ultimate comfort food. My mom's pinto beans. We had them in burritos growing up but now I use them for lots of our favorite dinners.

Place in a slow cooker:

4 cups pinto beans

10 cups water

cook on high 4 hours until tender

Saute:

olive oil

2 onions

1 bell pepper

3-4 chile peppers (seeded for a milder dish)

2 Tsps cumin

2 Tsps coriander

Add above to slow cooker along with

1 tsp salt

4 chopped tomatoes 

Cook on low until ready to eat/assemble

For burritos:

Roll beans, cheese and cilantro in whole wheat tortilla and top with sour cream and salsa

For tostadas:

cook corn tortillas in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes on a cookie sheet with an inverted cooling rack on top of them to keep them from curling

Top with beans, cilantro, cabbage, lime, feta and salsa

Other Yummies:

Use as a filling for Tamale Pie (recipe soon), Tacos, etc.

Blackberry and Nectarine Crisp

This is such a simple and quick dessert. Perfect for when you have company or just want to savor the flavors of the season. I keep picking blackberries in our yard and toss them into the freezer. When I have a couple of cups, I make something like this. 

Some of our other seasonal favorites are (spring) strawberries and rhubarb, (summer) blueberry and peach, (autumn) apple and raisin, (winter) any fruit I have thought ahead to freeze. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Butter a pie dish

Cut 6 nectarines or any other stone fruit 

Add 1-2 cups blackberries or any other berry

(fruit should total approximately 6 cups)

Top with Crisp Topping:

1 cup oats

1/2 cup w/w flour

honey or agave or brown sugar to desired sweetness (We prefer very little)

1/2 stick butter (grated with a cheese grater)

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

Bake 30-40 minutes

Batch Cooking :: Ratatouille

Three for the "price" of one. This is really this first time I have tried batch cooking, even though I have been intrigued with the idea of power cooking just a few days a month, freezing prepped dinners and then simply thawing and cooking when the time comes. A perfect solution for an abundance of veggies from the summer's harvest/farmer's market. A perfect solution for a mama with another little one on the way.

This batch is Ratatouille. Simple roasted eggplant and other summer veggies. In the time that it takes to make one dinner, add a little extra for chopping, we were able to make not one, but three batches of Ratatouille. One is in the oven, two are in freezer bags. Just add chopped tomatoes and roast.

Ratatouille:

8-10 japanese eggplant

8 Romanesco zucchini

4 bell peppers

chopped tomatoes added at the end of roasting

olive oil

thyme

oregano

salt and pepper "Not too much pepper mama"

Baked for 30 minutes at 400 degrees (my new standard for everything)

B's Frozen Yogurt

WOW this is good! I suggest you put it into the freezer to harden it a bit but it was so delicious we ate all of it right away. 

B's Frozen Yogurt:

blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth

frozen blackberries (our own)

frozen blueberries 

banana

Strauss whole milk yogurt 

honey

Oatmeal Carob Walnut Cookies

You are what you eat? Well then I must be a huge oatmeal cookie this week!

Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family, one of my favorite family friendly cookbooks. Gracie doesn't care for chocolate too much, or metabolize it that well, so we used carob chips, which she said were still too chocolaty. Only walnuts next time. Or pine nuts? YUM!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (plus a little bit if the dough is too wet)

1/4 tsp sea salt

mix wet ingredients then add to dry above:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 melted butter (this must be why they are so good!)

1 tsp vanilla

then add the yummies:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup carob or chocolate chips (optional)

Bake 15-20 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown

This made 20 cookies and I put them in the freezer to keep from eating them all in one day. I at least have to let them thaw for 10 minutes, okay one minute if my teeth are lucky. 

Kale Quesadillas

A simple lunch after a great day at the creek with dear friends.

inside:
TJ's whole wheat and corn tortillas
organic cheddar
chopped dinosaur/tuscan kale (this freezes great. just chop and freeze in a ziploc. good for smoothies too)

top with:
yogurt and chopped tomatoes

Simple Supper :: Baked Chicken

She ate it. She ate ALL of it! A clear plate. Dressing is the key I guess.

preheat oven to 400 degrees

toss chicken breast tenders in olive oil or marinade (we used island teriyaki tonight)
place in baking dish

toss veggies in olive oil (quartered zucchini and squash tonight)
place in separate baking dish

bake for 30 minutes

place baby spinach leaves, tomato and feta on plates
dress lightly with olive oil and balsamic

I made a seperate ramekin with extra evoo and vinegar for Gracie to dip veggies and chicken in.
"Mama, I really love this dressing!"

Quinoa Tabouleh

With so many great cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley at the farmer's market (and hopefully our garden soon) I can;t seem to get enough tabouleh. We were heading to a birthday party on the fourth of July and with the traditional bulgar wheat not working, quinoa came to the rescue. I think I may even like it better. Quinoa is a complete protein too so it is better for you as well.

Quinoa Tabouleh:

1 cup quinoa (I used red and white)

cook with 2 cups water 20 minutes or so

chopped tomatoes

chopped cucumbers

chopped parsley

lots of lemon juice

olive oil

Strawberry Aqua Fresca

We try not to drink very much juice especially with the news of lead in so many these days. Plus they are full of sugar. Why not just eat the fruit whole and drink a glass of water?

Well, sometimes it is nice to have a fruity (non-alcoholic) beverage when digits soar. While we were vacationing in Merida, Mexico we were offered a variety of aqua frescas every morning with breakfast instead of juice. More fiber, more nutrients, more flavor, more to smile about!

The strawberries are abundantly inexpensive at the farmers market these days so this makes a dent in the huge stash in the fridge. Next up: strawberry ice cream?

Strawberry Aqua Fresca:

2 cups water

juice of one lime

splash of agave nectar

one green basket of strawberries (pint?)

blend together until smooth and chill

**You can do this with any fruit. Cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon remind me of vacation.

Happy Summer Solstice :: Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes?

Summer has arrived!

Fried green tomatoes for those of us too impatient to let our tomatoes ripen:

slice green tomatoes

dredge in a combination of cornmeal and spices

tonight I used Rub with Love: African Peri Peri (thanks Auntie Beth!!!)

fry in evoo

eat on the porch with grilled chicken and corn on the cob

preferably followed by strawberry shortcake

Graduation and Grilled Bruschetta

My cousin's son graduated from high school on Friday and is heading to Northeastern in Boston in the fall. I had mixed emotions as we are so proud of him but it is hard to think about him being so far away and missing things like our family's Thanksgiving traditions. He has grown so fast as he was the ring bearer in our wedding and I remember his kind words as he stood next to Ryan at the front of the chapel.
"Tears of joy I presume." It all goes by so fast doesn't it?

Here is one of the many fabulous treats we had at the party. You can prep everything in advance and just assemble at the last minute. Great for potlucks or picnics

Grilled Bruschetta:

Combine and let rest for at least one hour at room temp
6 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil
evoo
white balsamic vinegar
1/2 red onion (or a sweeter variety)
1 clove garlic

Lightly grill one loaf of bread (sliced very thin) We are using TJ's whole grain loaf tonight

Scoop tomatoes and juice onto bread and serve.

Jamaica Sun Tea

My dad always had sun tea either brewing or chilling during the summer. Gracie wanted me to tell her a story about my dad teaching me to make sun tea when I was a little girl and then got really excited talking about how she would someday teach her kids and they would teach their kids and so on and so on. Family traditions come in all shapes and sizes I suppose. 

This batch was simply dried hibiscus flowers (1/2 cup for this large tea jar) and water and sunshine for a few hours. Then we chilled it in the fridge and just mix it with ice and agave nectar to make our own Jamaica, a traditional Mexican aqua fresca. My dad usually added mint so we will do that next time. Maybe from our garden. The butterfly garden is looking lovely as was this Tiger Swallowtail.

Pure of Heart Pizza

Friday nights are pizza nights in the Coffee Cottage. The ingredients change every week but this is one of the standards. I first had a pizza similar to this at Cable Car Pizza in Fayetteville, AR. It was called The Purist but had tomatoes instead of artichokes. We live so close to the artichoke capital of the world, Castroville, and we have loads of them at every farmer's market (and hopefully in our garden next year!) The Artichoke festival is May 15 this year. We may battle the traffic but I have heard it is crazy. But just imagine...every vendor and food item has artichokes in it! For now, we will take this pizza.

Pure of Heart Pizza:

Preheat pizza stone in a 450 degree oven

Whole Wheat pizza dough (TJ's) remove from fridge and let rest for 20 minutes then roll out to 12 inches on floured surface. I then toss it into the air to make nice and thin but you can also keep rolling.

Dust stone with cornmeal before placing dough. Sometimes a two person job. One to open oven and dust while another has stretched dough waiting to place.

Drizzle with olive oil garlic and oregano

Top with Feta

Artichoke Hearts

Mozzerela

You can also add sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a Mediterranean pizza, another one of our favs.

To make the original omit artichokes and top with sliced tomatoes AFTER cooking pizza. Great for summer with fresh basil.

15 Minute Tuscan Bean Soup

We are spending more and more time at the garden now that it is planting season. That means I have less and less time to cook wholesome, healthy meals for the family. I am also trying to plan for the days to come when I will have even less time to spend on food. Inspired by Simple Lovely's posts about her family's favorite meal of white navy beans (but without a recipe to work with)  and my favorite cookbook (thanks mom!) Moosewood's Daily Specials...here is how today panned out for us. 

In the morning:

I threw 3 cups of navy beans and 6 cups of water into the slow cooker on low.

We spent the morning planting in the garden. Heaven.

We came  home to cooked beans and to take a nap.

As Gracie napped I sauteed:

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

half a bag of carrots (1 1/2 cups+/-)

s+p

I added that to the slow cooker with:

1 capful (2 tsps?) sage

Now it is cooking (warm setting) until Ryan gets home and we are ready to eat. Maybe with sliced tomatoes, crusty bread and TJ's new batch of California Estate Olive Oil. Buon appetito!

Gracie's Birthday Cake

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MY LOVE!

BIG slides

BIG hugs

BIG smiles

and a carrot cake that was a BIG hit with little and big kids.

Gracie's Birthday Cake (she helped make this one)

preheat oven to 350 degrees

oil 2 round cake pans and line bottom with parchment

Combine

1 1/3 cup flour (white and w/w pastry)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

add 

2/3 cup oil

3 eggs

stir in

2 cups carrots

1 1/2 cup chooped pecans

1 cup raisins

bake 30 minutes. let cool 10 minutes in pan. slide knife around to detach and let cool on racks. then frost

Frosting:

In an electric mixer combine

2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 stick butter

sweeten with honey (1/2 cup?)

Salmon, Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa

Finally, I am feeling well enough to cook again. I am so tired of eating out so we are cooking lots of things tonight. Baked salmon, roasting sweet potatoes (diced and tossed in evoo), Bean so green from trader Joe's (cooking time 15 min on stovetop, quinoa with veg broth, pine nuts and raisins.
A very quick and easy meal I must say. I am not sure why I don't make it more often. Once the potatoes are cut it takes 30 minutes.

DIY: It would be a good idea to freeze the Bean so Green yourself in a ziploc (green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, peas, butter, garlic, shallots) TJ's is light on everything but beans.

Porcini Pasta

We just returned from a PERFECT family vacation camping on the beach near Santa Barbara. There was literally nothing in the fridge but we didn't want to go out to eat so I whipped this one up. While it was quickly cooking, literally as long as it takes to boil pasta, I realized that it would be a perfect one-pot camp dish. I am starting a new label for camp so that we can easily have a list the next time we go--which will be often as G LOVED IT SO.

Boil some whole wheat penne
saute some garlic granules (yes, I was even out of garlic which has never happened before) in some olive oil
add a can of garbanzo beans
add a jar of sun dried tomatoes (drain from oil first)
sprinkle some "exotic mushroom rub" from rubs with love (basic porcini, herb de provence, garlic)
toss in chopped kale from freezer (if camping a bunch of kale keeps like a bouquet of flowers in a jar of water)
toss with cooked past and add a little of the pasta water.