Easy and Quick Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've always enjoyed making muffins. They can be sweet or savory and are easy to share. Muffins are also portion controlled (unless you eat multiples at once). I recently came across a very easy recipe from Lily Ernst (Little Sweet Baker) that is very forgiving and are made from ingredients that I usually have on hand. These have been very popular with family and co-workers and only take 30 minutes to make (that includes baking).

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

'Wet' Ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 cup sugar
buttermilk (or regular milk)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients; set aside.
2. In a large bowl (I cheat and use a Kitchen Aid mixer), mix together the 'wet' ingredients.
3. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the 'wet' ingredients until just mixed (Note: I have made these in a hurry and over-mixed them in my mixer - they turned out fine).
4. Grease muffin tins (12) and fill the tins with your mixture. For larger muffins, fill all 12 so they are very full. If you like smaller muffins, you can fill the tins about 3/4 full and get around 16 muffins. If you do this, watch your bake time!
5. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F; cook for 5 minutes.
6. Decrease heat to 375 degrees F and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from muffin pans and allow to cool. If you aren't going to eat them right away, make sure that they are fully cooled before storing them.

These are delicious as-is, but I'd also love to add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the mix! Enjoy for breakfast, as a dessert, or just a snack!!

Easy, Impressive Breakfast

It's nice to have a fancy breakfast on the weekend, but I don't always have the time or the energy to make one.  That's why make-ahead and fast recipes are best.  You can enjoy a delicious meal without jumping out of bed at the crack of dawn.

The other morning, I wanted something new for Sunday breakfast.  After getting some inspiration over at Pinterest, I decided to try German Pancakes.  They're also referred to as Dutch Babies, and there are a zillion variations on how to make them.  I opted for the King Arthur Flour recipe.  These take about a minute to prepare and bake up in about 15 minutes.  By the time you set the table and make coffee, breakfast is ready!

I served the German Pancake with a squeeze of lemon and a healthy dusting of powdered sugar.  You could be really fancy and make a stovetop fruit jam or cinnamon apples for the topping.  Cinnamon sugar, fresh fruit, maple syrup, or other berry syrups or jams would also work.

King Arthur Flour's Puff Pancake
Serves 2-4, depending on appetites

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
small pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil (optional)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of half a juicy lemon)
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Melt the butter in an 11" straight-sided skillet, or a 12" skillet with straight or sloping sides. Make sure whatever you use is oven-proof. Or melt the butter, and pour it into a 10" square pan, or 12" round deep-dish pizza pan. Yes, the size of the pan matters. Too small, it’ll overflow. Too large, it won’t puff as high. Try to find a pan or oven-proof skillet whose square-inch cooking surface is about 100 square inches.

Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, sugar, milk, vanilla, lemon oil, and eggs till fairly smooth. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the pancake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until it’s very puffy and golden, with deeper brown patches. Remove it from the oven, and sprinkle with the lemon juice, then the sugar.

Cut in squares, and serve immediately, garnished with fresh berries, if desired.

Sausage & Hasbrown Breakfast Casserole

So I started a new job about a little over a month ago and one of the things that my coworkers like to do is eat and do themed pot lucks - I love it! Our most recent one was breakfast and I wanted to make something that would be relatively easy and could also reheat well, I came up with the following casserole.

Ingredients:
1 pound pork sausage (not in casings)
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/3 cup sour cream
10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 pound frozen hash browns
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Over medium-high heat, saute the sausage; remove from heat and place in a bowl. Using the grease from the sausage, cook the onions and mushrooms. Saute until the onions are translucent; add this to the sausage when done.

• In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, soup, milk and seasonings.

• Prepare a baking dish by lightly greasing it (I use Pam for this). Pour the hash browns in the bottom of the dish. Add the meat mixture over the hash browns and pour the sauce over the meat.

• Top with cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes.

This is delicious right out of the oven. I let it cool and took it to work and refrigerated it until we were ready to eat. I cut out servings and microwaved them for about a minute and it was still really good. This was very easy to make and it seemed to go over well at work too!

An Egg Filled Plate of Memories

I rescued my husband from Texas many years ago. Since we left the Lone Star State back in the late 1990s, we haven't ventured further south than Northern California. I can speak for my husband when I say that he really doesn't miss Texas. However, the one thing he does miss is the food.

My husband's mom is an amazing cook. She makes the best tamales in the world, and a plate of her chicken taquitos will make everything better. The other day my husband and his mom were talking and she mentioned that she made one of my hubby's childhood favorites: scrambled eggs with corn tortillas. My husband smiled as he remembered them, and I knew what I had to do: try to replicate one of my mother-in-law's recipes.

Now, eggs and tortillas are nothing new. Some call them migas. To others, they're chilaquiles (which is a super fun word to say). Whatever you call them, scrambled eggs and tortillas is easy, cheap, versatile, and tasty.

You can have this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack...and would probably be exceptionally good after a long night out on the town.

Here's the basic recipe, though it's more of a cooking technique than a recipe.

• Heat a non-stick skillet and add about a tablespoon of oil (not extra virgin olive oil!)
• Tear up (or cut) a few corn tortillas into strips and add to the hot oil. Allow the tortillas to crisp up.
• Remove crispy tortillas from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
• Beat a few eggs with a tablespoon or so of water. Add beaten eggs to the skillet and scramble to your liking.
• Toss the crispy tortillas into the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Serve immediately.
  

Now here are some ideas for additions--since this is an egg dish, you could add almost anything you like:

• Saute some veggies with the tortilla. Onions, green/red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. would all be good.
• Add meats: cooked and crumbled bacon or sausage might be good. Or be fancy and opt for shredded beef. Ham would certainly work, but really whatever you have in the fridge could go in this dish.
• Add cheese: cheddar, jack, whatever you like!
• Go southwest: serve this with avocado, salsa, chorizo, and extra tortillas.
  

As simple as this is, I'm still trying to perfect this dish, to make it as good as my mother-in-law's. Even though what I make is probably a sad rip-off, my husband loves this and devours it happily.

Give it a try!

A Family Tradition - Breakfast For Dinner

Growing up, there was always one dinner that Lydia and I could look forward to - pancakes with all the fixings (and yes, I did say dinner).


I know that pancakes is the traditional fare for Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday), but from time to time we would have a full breakfast for dinner. When we did, we would have homemade pancakes (courteous of Jiffy Mix), bacon or Taylor's pork roll, Del Monte fruit cup (yuck!) and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup (super yuck!). Now that Mom and Dad have lived in Vermont, we eat nothing but real maple syrup and Del Monte has been replaced with fresh fruit - both are a very welcome improvement!

Basic Pancake Recipe

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
1 1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1. Prepare and preheat the griddle by melting butter over medium heat (350 degrees).
2. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir them together, mixing just until combined.
3. Ladle or pour the batter on to the griddle.
4. When the top of the pancake is speckled with bubbles and the underside is golden, turn the pancake over.
5. Cook until the second side is lightly browned.
   

As a Mom, I am always looking for a meal that brings smiles (instead of screams) to the table and this meal is definitely a winner! The nice thing is, you can doctor the meal up anyway you like. Add eggs, add fruit to the pancake recipe, through in some veggies (shredded potatoes, carrots and zucchini hash), have some ham, etc. - it's all good!

Treat Yourself To Something Good!

One of my favorite meals out is breakfast. I always feel like I am treating myself to something special when I start the day off with breakfast out! No matter where you live, you can always find a good cafe, dive or diner that can serve up some up some good grub!

This past Thursday, I took the day off of work to be able to attend my son's Valentine's Day party. I got him up and ready for school, dropped him off at school and came home. My Mom usually does this routine, but I was able to give her the morning off and let her sleep in a bit. I thought that it would be nice to treat her to breakfast out, so we headed to Patty's Eggnest in Mill Creek, WA.

This was my first visit to Patty's Eggnest (and it won't be my last) and my Mom's second. Mom had French toast with a sunny-side-up egg and bacon. I had the cornbeef hash with eggs-over-easy, hashbrowns and English muffin and we both enjoyed a few cups of coffee with our meal. The tables all had 2 different types of freezer jam - strawberry and raspberry and tasted great on my English muffin.

It wasn't a fancy restaurant, but it was delicious, the service was good and the price was very reasonable too! I was full until dinner. We both enjoyed our meals and more importantly, the time we spent together! On my next visit, I want to try the eggs and gyros with pita and tsaki sauce!

Yum for Breakfast...or Any Time!

My mother stole this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis and all I can say is: Thanks, Mom!

If you're looking for an easy, super yummy recipe for something that can be eaten for breakfast on the run (or for a middle of the afternoon pick me up), give this one a try.

The ricotta cheese makes the difference, so use the best quality you can find. Don't substitute vanilla extract for the almond. The almond gives these muffins more depth and a much better flavor. And the sliced almonds on the top toast as the muffins cook, so they'll be crunchy, toasted and super nutty. This really is one of my favorite muffin recipes.

LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

1. Directions Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
   
3. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract.
   
4. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).
   
5. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.
   
6. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins.
   
7. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

"The Night Before" French Toast

I don't know about the rest of you, but in the mornings I don't want to fuss over complicated breakfast recipes. Most days breakfasts are grab and go affairs, but on certain mornings--like Mother's Day, Christmas, etc.--a big breakfast is essential to the day's festivities.

Today's recipe is one of my favorites. It's a baked French toast that can be modified a zillion different ways to suit any taste. It must be made in advance (the night before) which means minimal effort first thing in the morning. It also has a short list of every day ingredients.

If you don't have plans for Christmas breakfast yet, consider whipping this up. It takes just a few minutes to throw together but it results in a yummy, special breakfast. As my husband said the other day after eating a batch, "That was glorious, Miss Lydia." Glorious, indeed!

LYDIA'S BAKED FRENCH TOAST
1 (13- to 14-inch-long) loaf of soft-crust supermarket Italian bread
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup (give or take) sliced almonds

1. Cut 12 (1-inch-thick) diagonal slices from bread, reserving ends for another use.
2. Generously butter 1 side of each slice and arrange slices, buttered sides up, in 1 layer in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit if necessary. (Note: you may find it difficult to get everything into one dish--really squeeze the bread in there!)
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and extract until combined well, then pour evenly over bread.
   
4. Chill, covered, until bread has absorbed all of custard, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, depending on bread. (The bread really sops up the liquid!)
5. Preheat oven to 425°F.
   
6. Bring mixture to room temperature and sprinkle bread with sugar and almonds.
   
7. Bake, uncovered, in middle of oven until bread is puffed and top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately with syrup.
   

VARIATIONS

• I've used challah bread and sourdough for this in the past--both worked well. Use any type of bread you want (brioche, baguette, etc.).
• If you don't like (or have on hand) almond extract, try vanilla, maple syrup, orange, or anything else you like.
• If you want something festive, try eggnog instead of milk.
• We drink skim milk in our house, so if you don't have whole milk just use what you have on hand. It won't mess things up.
  
• Change the topping: you don't need to add nuts, or if you want, try a different combination of nuts (I think pistachios would be yummy).
• Instead of maple syrup, try powdered sugar, fruit syrup, or whatever else you may want.

If you make your own concoction of this, let me know. I'd love to hear about your changes.

Puff Daddy

As a rule, I much prefer kitchen tools that can multitask and I tend to avoid single-use items (honesty, do we really need to spend $8 for a citrus peeler? I think not!). But all rules have their exceptions, which is why I own an ebelskiver pan.

I know, I know...what a goofy name: ebelskiver. Say that three times fast, I dare you. In my house we refer to the ebelskiver pan as the Nebekenezer pan, but that's just because my husband and I are somewhat nerdy.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Despite the funny name and it's ability to only be used for one thing, an ebelskiver pan is an awesome kitchen addition if you're a fan of breakfast. See, the ebelskiver pan is used to make super yummy pancake puffs.

Here's how it works:

• Mix up some pancake batter using your favorite recipe or mix.
• Heat up the ebelskiver pan on your stove. Some companies do not recommend using the pan on glass cooktops, but that's what I have and so far I haven't caused any damage to either the pan or the stove.
• Lightly grease each well of the ebelskiver pan.
• Pour about 1 Tablespoon of prepared pancake batter into each well.
• Top the batter with the filling of your choice (see below), about 1/2 teaspoon per pancake puff.
  
• Cover the filling with another tablespoon of batter.
• Cook the ebelskivers 2-3 minutes, until the batter bubbles and gets firm around the edges.
• Using a pair of chopsticks or two toothpicks, carefully flip each puff so the other side cooks.
• Continue cooking about 1 more minute.
• Remove each puff with the chopsticks/toothpicks and serve warm, topped with maple or other flavored syrups or powdered sugar, a dusting of cocoa, or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, depending on your taste.

Filling ideas:

You can fill your pancake puffs with anything you'd like. Pancake puffs are just begging to be experimented with! Try:

• Your favorite jams/fruit spreads
• Chocolate chips
• Fruit, like blueberries
• Pie fillings, especially spiced apples--throw in some nuts for added texture
• Nutella
  
• Cheese (marscapone, ricotta with a bit of orange, etc.)
• Meat (cooked and crumbled bacon, sausage, etc.)
• Williams-Sonoma recently featured pancake puffs with a sticky, nutty toffee filling and a gooey sauce on top. Wow!
• Mix up chocolate pancake batter and fill with raspberry jam. Yum.
  

Other considerations:

• I want to try this with a lighter batter that will yield a crispier coating.
• Speaking of batter: you could add some spices to give the pancake part more flavor.
• Patience is a requirement when making ebelskivers. And practice makes perfect. Give yourself permission to make a few batches that are less than perfect. You'll need to get your technique down.

Equipment:

• Ebelskiver pan, approximately $30 to $40 (check here and here for ordering info).
• Optional: squeeze bottle for your pancake batter or a pancake dispenser (check out this one--it's pretty awesome!).
• Toothpicks or chopsticks.

Photo above from Williams-Sonoma. They also have a handy-dandy video on how to cook up these bad boys.