Birthday Biscotti Revisited

Two years ago this Tuesday, I posted a recipe for my favorite chocolate almond biscotti which were being shipped across the country as a birthday surprise. I dropped another batch of birthday biscotti at the post office this morning, with two new (and delicious) surprises.

1. The original recipe includes chopped almonds in the batter and sliced almonds on top. I swapped both for pistachios, my favorite for taste and color.

2. I used a vanilla salt that I made during the holidays, inspired by Joy the Baker's recipe (which I've included below).

Start with the original recipe, swapping whatever nuts and salts you choose.

Classic French Toast

Every once in awhile I like to sneak French toast into my pancake routine. Last Saturday morning I did just that, arriving at the local bread shop by 8:30 a.m. in search of a day-old loaf of French brioche. This recipe from Alton Brown of the Food Network produced a classic French toast taste, that was perfectly sweet. I swapped the recipe's half and half for whole milk, which I happened to have in the fridge, and added some cinnamon to the batter. Serve the French toast with bananas, powdered sugar, and real maple syrup for happy bellies.

Blueberry Lavender Scones

Earlier this month, I discussed my new obsession with adding dried lavender to my treats. Well that obsession had my oven preheating at 7:30 this morning. Shortly after opening my eyes, I thought about the fresh, local blueberries in the refrigerator and how nice they would be paired with lavender in scones. This isn't a far stretch from the lavender blueberry pancakes I've been making all summer but scones are different than pancakes, that's a fact. Scones pair well with coffee or tea, and are a perfect match for my yogurt and granola breakfast. Scones are also good for traveling if you eat breakfast on the run.

The base for this recipe is from my standard scone which I shared last September. This recipe has yielded the most consistent results and held up with a few changes today. Early morning baking is typically unplanned baking; inevitably I'm short on at least one ingredient. This morning it was the buttermilk. It's always the buttermilk. A simple substitution of milk and white vinegar works just fine and I've also used soy milk successfully. Of course, neither of these were in the fridge this morning. It's been an all-almond milk summer. We also didn't have white vinegar. I worried for a minute as I looked at the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, hoping there wouldn't be a trace of either flavor in the final product. When I'm standing at the oven in pajamas and slippers, however, I work with what I've got. I'll post the recipe below using buttermilk but if you're stuck like me use the following substitution:

1 tablespoon white vinegar + almost 1 cup milk = 1 cup buttermilk

this morning's substitution: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar + almost 1 cup almond milk

Banana Pecan Zucchini Muffins

Almost a year ago, I shared this recipe for a vegan zucchini bread, all spiced up and filled with walnuts.   That recipe calls for two whole cups of shredded zucchini making it a perfect bread when you have a garden full of giant zuccs.

This banana pecan zucchini muffin recipe is much simpler, calling for only one zucchini and adds a banana for extra flavor and moisture. The original recipe came from a farmer friend in Vermont, who made her own adaptation of the version posted on Taste of Home. On Caitlin's recommendation, I swapped out vegetable oil for coconut oil and halved the sugar. I also split the entire recipe in half (the original makes two loaves or 24 muffins).

The moisture in these muffins is perfect. They are just a bit spicy with the cinnamon and you could easily add nutmeg and/or cloves if you want to really spice things up. I dig the pecans as well, and as always you can opt to leave them out or swap them for walnuts. 

Lavender Blueberry Pancakes

There aren't many things as comforting as pancakes in the morning. Here we make one of our favorite comfort foods even more comforting with the addition of dried lavender [happy sigh]. Lately I've been adding dried lavender to muffins, scones, and now, pancakes. Once you get your hands on some dried lavender, add only enough to fit your taste buds. Some of us like the fragrant herbal flavor much more than others.

Served up with Greek yogurt and golden raspberries.

You can opt to leave the blueberries out, or swap them for bananas or even chocolate chips. Whatever you fancy. Once you're comfortable with the basic recipe you can adjust the sugar, milk, and spices without fail. Just don't forget the lavender and pure maple syrup!


Lavender Blueberry Pancakes
Makes 10-12 pancakes

1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. flax seed, ground
pinch of salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 - 1T. dried lavender (adjust to your tastes)
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. fresh blueberries


Heat a skillet over medium heat.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, flaxseed, salt, cinnamon, and lavender in a bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, vanilla, and egg just until combined. Batter should be lumpy. Fold in blueberries.

Grease skillet with butter or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into circles on your pan. Cook until bubbles form and pop in your pancake and sides stiffen. Flip and cook other side. Serve hot with maple syrup. Happy day.

December Baking

December is a busy month in the kitchen. Between Christmas cookies and homemade gifts, my sink is always full of measuring cups, spatulas, and cookie sheets. Short, dark, cold days left me yearning for the tastes of summer at the beginning of the month. I broke into my frozen blueberry stash from July to make a batch of orange blueberry poppy seed muffins on December 8th. 

These muffins are a twist on Joy the Baker's lemon blueberry poppy seed muffins. I swapped the whole milk in Joy's recipe for soy and the lemon zest for orange. These muffins are moist and full of blueberries. If your blueberries are frozen to start, toss them with 1-2 tablespoons of flour in a bowl. This will help prevent your batter from turning blue.

When you begin to sprinkle the crumb topping over your muffin cups, you will be hesitant to use all the topping. Don't stop sprinkling! I was hesitant too, but I was so very happy I used it all.

Banana Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Here's an easy vegan quick bread, perfect for autumn. This bread combines two favorites - banana bread and pumpkin bread. The addition of oats and walnuts give the bread a nice texture.

Banana Pumpkin Walnut Bread
Makes one loaf

1/2 c. oats
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground gloves
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. soy milk (or other nondairy milk)
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 in. by 5 in. bread pan.

Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl.

Mash bananas in a separate bowl. Whisk in maple syrup, soy milk and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Combine dry and wet ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Fold in walnuts. Transfer batter to your bread pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes.

Goat Cheese, Leek and Spinach Quiche

Cooler days are here. Quiche, soup, and pie please.

My mom graciously made me lunch last Saturday and it included this yummy goat cheese and veggie quiche. I seriously love goat cheese. The flavor is prominent in this quiche, so be wary if it isn't your favorite (either use less or swap it for another soft cheese). She used a store bought crust, which didn't make it home from the store without a few bumps and crumbles.

There isn't much to say about this quiche, other than it's delicious, easy to whip up, and makes you smile on a chilly day. It's just as good the next day too!

Scones, however you like

Believe it or not, I have had the most kitchen failures with scones. I blame it on the butter and my attempts to turn them vegan. Here is the one recipe that turns out consistently (no, it's not vegan). It's sweet and buttery, a bit biscuit-like, and so very easy to adapt. The beauties below are my latest: dried cranberry and almond.

The two tricky parts of this recipe are one, deciding on what goodies you will use to fill the scones, and two, how much buttermilk to use. Regarding the first issue, this a great issue to have. What will it be? Chocolate chips? Raisins? Blueberries? Nuts? You decide. As for the buttermilk, I've needed varying amounts depending on the day. You will need anywhere between 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup of milk, but you shouldn't need more than that. Even if the dough seems dry, you will find that it comes together as you knead it. A perfect dough will be a bit sticky and manageable.

Pat the dough into a 1 inch round and then decide how you want to cut it. A biscuit cutter works great if you have one, but the rim of a glass or mug works just as well (I usually end up with four large scones when I use a glass). A cookie cutter will also work, but ideally you want to use a cutter at least 1 inch high. Otherwise the dough spills over the side and makes it harder to finish your cut. Another option is to cut the dough into triangles with a knife or pizza cutter. Enjoy the scones fresh from the oven or store them in an airtight container for a few days.


Scones
Makes 4-6 scones

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar, raw or granulated
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, cold
2/3-3/4 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sliced almonds (optional)
1/2 c. fruit or chocolate (blueberries, dried raspberries, chocolate chips)

Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks.

Add vanilla and milk, mixing just until combined. Fold in fruit or chocolate.

On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough into a 1 in. round. Cut with a lightly-floured biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Brush tops of scones with buttermilk.

Bake on center rack for 20 minutes.

Mixed Berry Bars

What better way to enjoy summer berries than to sandwich them between a sweet, buttery crust? These mixed berry bars (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry) are sweet but tart, and delicious chilled.

Unfortunately, the busy first few weeks of school have kept me away from the blogging world and this recipe is coming to you in the early days of autumn. But if you're like me, you have bags of berries that you picked all summer in your freezer, just waiting for an opportunity to be showcased. Frozen berries from the supermarket will also work or you can simply daydream about making berry bars until next summer.

My boyfriend loves mixed berry pie, so when he hosted a bbq in late August, we couldn't think of a better dessert. With little time to perfect a pie crust and filling, however, I decided that bars would be quick to make and easy to enjoy (no plate or fork needed!). I searched and searched the baking blog world and found several recipes for berry bars before settling on smitten kitchen's blueberry crumb bar recipe. Many bakers whip up similar desserts with a granola crust in an attempt to make a breakfast-worthy bar. I was searching for that berry pie taste and had faith that Deb's buttery crust would be a success.

Vegan Zucchini Walnut Bread

Zucchini is one of my favorite summer veggies. From snacking, to stir-fries, pizzas, and dessert, it's quite a versatile vegetable. I brought home a gorgeous Costata Romanesco from the farm and couldn't wait to try this quick zucchini bread recipe.

From Johnny's Selected Seeds

Costata Romanesco zucchinis are Italian and known for their ribbed, striped skin which is speckled with light green (check them out at Johnny's Selected Seeds). Whichever variety of zucchini you choose to use, be sure to have enough for two whole cups of shredded zucchini.

Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

I know it may be a little late for a blueberry post, but forgive me -- the summer heat has kept me out of the kitchen, daydreaming about crisp autumn days and apple pies.

Beea-utiful Berries

7.7 pounds of fresh picked blueberries

I spent July 4th with my friends Dawn and Erin in the fields at Emery's Blueberry Farm in New Egypt, NJ picking pounds of fresh, organic berries. We were in the middle of a heat wave in the mid-Atlantic but my seven-plus pounds of berries were worth the sun and sweat. One of the many blueberry recipes I had lined up for the coming weeks and months is this maple blueberry coffee cake.

Here's what I like about this cake: 

1. Maple syrup -- Sweeten your baked goods with maple syrup. Period.

2. Whole wheat flour and flax meal -- Both give the cake a tougher texture, placing this cake in the breakfast category instead of dessert. I know you love streusel. Butter, sugar, cinnamon. Seriously, there is nothing wrong about that trio. And although I love super sweet, cinnamon coffee cakes, the absence of streusel here makes it easier to justify eating this cake for breakfast.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Cinnamon, sugar, butter. [Cue drool]

On days where I have to wake up before the sun, my first smile comes with the thought of breakfast. I could live off of breakfast and brunch foods forever. In fact, after my 85th birthday I plan to do just that, with ice cream for both pre- and post-dinner snack.

This bread was my first introduction to the fabulous Joy the Baker. Her pull-apart bread would be the perfect pairing to your morning coffee or tea, but it's best to consider this a brunch recipe. Why? It's a yeast bread. Dun, dun, dun. Don't go running just yet, but do heed my warnings: (1) multiple steps and rises are required in this recipe (so worth it) and (2) after spending your morning preparing this bread, you will be angry (but satisfied) with how fast it disappears.

pull-apart = no slicing required

When you begin to roll your dough out, you might hesitate to use all of the butter and cinnamon sugar mixture in between your layers. It looks like a lot but do not hesitate. You're on your way to warm, buttery, cinnamon sugar heaven. I wouldn't want you to end up disappointed, with only a slightly cinnamon tasting bread.   

Baked Apple Oatmeal

An ideal Saturday morning sounds like this: getting up before the rest of the world, well-rested, and venturing out to my vegetable garden to greet the birds and worms under the warm sun. Post weed-pulling, it's back to the kitchen for a good breakfast and the sounds of WXPN's Sleepy Hollow. A close second is a rainy, late winter-early spring morning in the kitchen with Sleepy Hollow, something to read, and this baked apple oatmeal.

Oats, nuts, maple syrup, and spices. By now you've noticed that they're quite common in my recipes. There's the obvious reason, they're delicious, but the more practical explanation is that I always have them on hand. If you have been baking with me these past few weeks then you have these essentials in your kitchen cabinets as well, and whipping up this baked oatmeal will be a piece of cake.