Archive | Breakfast RSS feed for this section

Bacon Jam Scones

on March 19, 2013

Bacon jam scone

During SXSW I attended a panel about grocery stores, and how they need technology to be able to survive. The tech guys on the panel (for there were no women on panel, despite women doing the bulk of grocery shopping, nor grocery store employees) threw out a statistic: that 41% of millenials don’t do their shopping in a traditional store.

Stats without context confuse me. Now, I’m not necessarily a millenial, depending on who you ask, but I certainly do a lot of my grocery shopping in a traditional store. I also do it elsewhere. In a given month, I’ll have visited HEB, Whole Foods, in.gredients, Wheatsville Co-Op, specialty stores like Antonelli’s and Salt & Time, farmers markets on Sundays, Wednesdays, and/or Saturdays, and had food delivered to my door via Greenling. So maybe grocery stores don’t need to be adding electronic carts that warn you that those crackers contain gluten or figure out personalized pricing, and instead should be examining why people like me are choosing to diversify when it comes to getting our food supply.

It does seem like a few stores are looking into this, and HEB is one of them. HEB is the main grocer in central Texas, and oftentimes the stores are stocked based on what area of town you live in. When we lived in far Southeast Austin, our local store offered a wide variety of peppers (fresh and dried), tropical fruits, and other items that catered to our predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. Now that we live in a northern suburb, the closest store to my house offers lots of organic and special-diet items.

In addition to paying attention to its clientele, many stores are now making sure to offer products created locally. Granted, we don’t produce quite as many food items as California does, but Texas is a huge state and every time I turn around I’m hearing about another new food or beverage company. I love trying new products, especially local ones, so when HEB asked if I’d like to try some of their Texas-sourced Primo Picks, I jumped.

This pregnant lady attacked the package of chocolate chip cookies, but once I uncovered a jar of Better Than Good Bacon Jam, I knew it was all over. If you’ve never had bacon jam, well, I just don’t know what to tell you other than you need to get yourself some, stat. If you can’t find bacon jam in your local store or market, try making it at home – both Creative Culinary and Food Renegade have recipes. Once you have it, resist the urge to put it on everything, so you can make these scones.

Bacon jam scone

Bacon Jam Scones

makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into small chunks (preferably Kerrygold or Cabot)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup bacon jam

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift together dry ingredients, then cut in butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles a corse meal – but leave some larger chunks of butter as well.

Slowly mix in the milk until a cohesive dough forms (you might not use all of the milk, or you might need more, depending on your flour’s moisture content and the humidity of your kitchen). It should be not too dry or too sticky.

Fold the bacon jam into the dough, mixing it thoroughly through the dough, but try to not overwork it, or your scones will become tough.

Place dough onto the baking sheet and pat into a circle. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut dough into wedges, but do not separate. This will allow for better rising and make the scones more tender.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until browned and irresistibly aromatic.

 

Disclaimer: I was given a bag of HEB products for the purpose of review. I was not required to create a recipe, and all opinions are my own. My opinion is that bacon is essential.

Read full story · Comments { 5 }

Brightening Mornings with Clementine Muffins

on January 28, 2013

I have trouble getting up in the morning. This isn’t an uncommon thing, but considering I sleep past 8, it shouldn’t be happening. Sure, these days I’ve been staying up later than I should, but if I get up when the rest of the family does, my body is clamoring for a nap just after lunch.

Right now, the main problem with lazily sleeping in is that my stomach starts a rebellion. If I don’t get out of bed at exactly the right moment and get some food in my mouth immediately, there is digestive hell to pay for hours.

Such as it is when you’re trying to grow a baby. After years of training oneself to only eat when you feel hunger, now you have to eat before you’re hungry.

One of the solutions I’ve relied on is batches of muffins – quick to make the night before, quick to grab and eat in the morning.

Since we’re still full-on in citrus season and have been plowing through bags of clementines, I thought it would be fun to snag a few from the fruit bowl and make a citrus muffin.

Lightly flavored with juice and zest, these muffins are a great addition to the breakfast table. They’re best served right out of the oven, of course, but can be kept in an airtight container for a couple days, or frozen for future snacking (just reheat for about 30 seconds in the microwave).

Clementine Muffins

makes 1 dozen

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1/4 cup clementine juice (from about 2 clementines)
1/3 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon clementine zest

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
Sift together flours and set aside.
Mix together remaining ingredients until well blended, then stir in flour.
Scoop batter into pan and bake for about 15 minutes, until browned.

Read full story · Comments { 2 }

Pumpkin Persimmon Walnut Bread

on September 24, 2012

I know. Fall just started, and you’re already sick of pumpkin recipes. But I bet secretly you buy thick slices of pumpkin loaf and wolf it down at your desk when no one is looking. It’s OK, really. We’re meant to like pumpkin, especially when the colored leaves start dropping.

Now, I know “persimmon” might seem like a scary thing, even if you live in a place where they grow. It’s hard to know what to do with them if you’re unfamiliar, especially if you don’t have the brain-bursting soft variety. But these little hard ones, the fuyu persimmons, are darn sweet as well. In fact, they’re a good stand-in for apples, if you happen to like baking with apples. I find they are easiest to prepare for baking by slicing off the top, quartering, and then peeling each quarter with a paring knife before dicing.

Some like to put icing on tea breads, but to me that’s just taking things a little too far. Most tea (or “quick”) breads are already quite sweet, and I prefer to let the natural ingredients shine rather than pure sweetness. Walnuts are an excellent alternative, as the crunchy-yet-creamy nut is a nice contrast to the pumpkin and persimmon. I added nuts to both the batter and the top, resulting in a bread that is studded with hearty flavor, but you can just put the nuts on top or omit them altogether. Pepitas, pumpkin seeds, are a nice alternative if you don’t like nuts but still want some crunch.

I’m addicted to self-rising flour lately, but if you don’t have it, you can swap in regular flour, and be sure to add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt to your dry ingredients.

Pumpkin Persimmon Walnut Bread

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup diced fuyu persimmons (about 3-4)
1 cup walnuts (about 3.5 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan. I like to use baking paper laid across in two perpendicular strips, as it doesn’t require extra oil and makes cleanup easy.
In a small bowl, mix together flour and spices. In a larger bowl, beat together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, until just mixed. Stir in persimmons.
Chop the walnuts and reserve about 1/4. Fold 3/4 of the walnuts into the batter.
Pour batter in the prepared pan and scatter the remaining walnut pieces on top.
Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Read full story · Comments { 4 }

Butternut Cheddar Frittata

on September 12, 2012

Reasons I like frittata:

It’s easy.

It uses up anything I have in my fridge. Provided I have eggs, of course.

Any excuse for more butternut squash is a good one.

Minimal cleanup. If you cook your veggies in advance, you only need to worry about the pan. And plates, if you’re that kind of family.

It doubles as breakfast. Or lunch. Or snack. Whatever.

No fussy crust to deal with. Which means gluten free, which means I won’t kill my friends if they come over for a nosh.

Eggs, vegetables, cheese. What else do you need? (OK, I won’t say boo if you add bacon.)

Butternut Cheddar Frittata

Serves 6

2 cups diced butternut squash
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup shredded sharp or smoked cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. (Note: You can use the same skillet you plan on cooking the frittata in, if you like.) Roast about 25 minutes or until squash is tender and lightly browned, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and set aside, and preheat oven to broil.

Whisk together eggs, milk, and herbes de Provence.

Heat a cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, and add the butter. Swirl the pan to coat it as the butter melts. Once the butter has melted, add the butternut squash to the skillet, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook on the stove approximately 5 minutes or just until starting to set on top.

Scatter cheese over the top and move skillet to the oven. Cook for approximately 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and top is set and lightly browned.

Read full story · Comments { 4 }

Hovering {Recipe: Blueberry Lime Muffins}

on August 8, 2012

Food blogs are funny little beasts.

The words are simple. Food. Blog. A blog of food. And yet, for most of us they have become more than just a logging of what we put in our mouths. We fill them with so much longing. Longing for comments, longing for people to want to make our recipes, longing for acceptance. As if we can ever really figure out what acceptance means.

We either hide our real lives behind perfect lighting, only sharing the most wonderful or beautifully poignant moments, or we glory in our lack of perfection, seeking out validation by trying to get people to deny our lack of talent, our ugliness, our sameness. Our readers become connections, which in turn become friends. And yet, even when I think on friends whom I would fight to the death for, I know little. The Internet has taught us to share everything – only just not much of anything.

Life is not in soft focus with sepia tones or artfully scattered with tiny sprigs of thyme.

It’s disjointed, much like this post. It’s full of tears, and yelling, and wondering just what the hell you in fact are doing with this life, despite being in a place that should make you so, so happy. Life is kind of shitty like that.

It’s full of wondering whether you really should share what’s on your mind. If you should keep things pleasant and lovely on social media, if you should plaster on a smile in public. If you should keep quiet about actual life. Because actual life is scary. People don’t know how to handle it when presented with your problems. There is listening, to be sure, and occasional virtual hugs. But almost all is forgotten when the next person posts a To Die For Oozy Boozy Chocolate Drizzle Cake.

I apologize if you came here for the muffin recipe. It’s after the next photo, I swear. Go ahead and scroll on.

… OK then.

Maybe I’m just a romantic who manages to build up her heart every day, hoping that each time the new layer is formed, it can’t be chipped away. Maybe I’ve embraced too much of my vulnerability these days. Maybe this is all just part of being an adult, and you are all just better at hiding life than I am.

Can I go back to not being an adult, please?

Can you hold my hand, and whisper your stories and fears by dim flashlight, as we try to stay awake longer than we know is possible?

Can we just stop pretending this is all about the food?

I’ve been working on these muffins for a while, chasing a taste memory. Blueberry muffins are the very first thing I learned how to make, and I always return to them, no matter how much my son complains about blueberries.

Blueberry Lime Muffins

1 1/2 self-rising flour (such as King Arthur)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons flax meal (such as King Arthur)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup greek yogurt (such as Fage 0%)
1 lime
1 cup fresh blueberries

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a muffin tin, or line with paper liners. (Spraying the paper liners will help release the muffins from the papers.)

Mix together flours and flax and set aside.

In another bowl, mix together sugars and melted butter. Beat in eggs, then fold in yogurt.

Stir in flour mixture until just mixed. Zest lime into batter, then cut lime in half and juice into batter. Add blueberries, and stir until just incorporated. The batter will be thick.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes approximately 15 muffins, depending on the size of your berries and the cup fill. Best served immediately after baking, but can keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Read full story · Comments { 12 }

Lemon Blueberry Granola

on May 9, 2012

I’m very picky about granola. Chunks to big? Out. Almonds? Nope. Extra sweet? Heck no — this is a breakfast food, remember?

But it’s very hard not to succumb to that tempting aisle of products, especially when every other week there’s a new granola on the shelves. And as I reach for it, I think, This time. This will be my perfect granola.

It never is, of course, and I’m left with a half-eaten bag and a full case of regret.

When I remember, I make my own. Given my busy schedule, this is easier said than done. It’s not that granola takes a long time – an hour tops, most of it hands-off – it’s that I just seem to completely forget about it until breakfast the next morning.

My favorite versions right now include flavored honeys and a touch of dried fruit. Too much dried fruit makes it too sweet and sticky for me, but I like the burst of sweetness small fruits like blueberries, currants, and chopped apricots bring to the oats. This flavor, using Lemon Honey Creme, dried blueberries, and lemon zest, reminds me of my favorite muffin.

I add the blueberries after the granola has cooked, and you’ll probably want to do this as well. While cooking the blueberries with the oats helps spread out their flavor, it also can turn them into overly dry bits that taste like the scorched bits under a stove burner. So you probably want to avoid that.

 

Lemon Blueberry Granola

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Lemon Honey Creme

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried blueberries

2 teaspoons lemon zest, optional

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small sauce pan, melt together butter and honey creme.

Mix together oats, walnuts, and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle over butter mixture and stir well to coat.

Spread onto baking sheets and bake for about 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through.

Remove from oven and immediately scatter blueberries and lemon zest, if using, over the top of the granola. Stir quickly and then press granola down, to help form large chunks.

Let cool completely, and store in airtight containers, preferably glass.

Makes 2 quarts.

 

 

 

This post is part of my continuing relationship with Honey Ridge Farms and their Spread the Love campaign.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Read full story · Comments { 9 }
Older posts