Of Friends and Granola

The two M's, an evening at my place, some time in September

It's been almost a week since 'M.' moved away but I still walk past her house anticipating the welcoming glow of lamp-light filtering through her dining room window and her cheery 'Come on in!' that always came moments before I reached her back porch or noticed her on the other side of the glass door. My visits to M.'s house were never as brief as their pretext and I was often there for hours before I reluctantly tore myself away and walked back home.

M is much older than me, a senior citizen if you will, thoughtful neighbour, an honorary grandmother of sorts to my kids, always smiling and exuding energy and positivity. For two years she was a huge encouraging force in my life: she cheered me on while I worked on my Dissertation last year and was the first person who brought me a carefully and affectionately-worded Congratulations card in her meticulous handwriting when I received my grade. Nobody was allowed to get broody with her around: if she got the faintest clue anyone in our circle of friends was feeling down she would go over and drag them out, forcing them to enjoy the outdoors or would tactfully engage them in activities that forced them to shed the blues. There was never a discussion about it, never a long-winded, obsessive hashing-out of whatever ailed any of us. Only an abrupt change in perspective, effective immediately.

In an environment where many fail to find meaningful activities, M didn't have enough hours in the day to do the many things she enjoyed - from Mahjongg to Bridge, teaching knitting to Book Club, Food, Fitness and Travel. M is an amazing cook - she introduced me to my very first Thanksgiving meal (not a tradition where I come from) and we frequently exchanged cooking techniques back and forth. I borrowed ideas on how to make our meals more nutritious and flavourful and in return I taught her how to make Masala Chai, Haleem and baked Biryani.

She's been gone all of four days but I miss her. And I'll miss making things for her. . . A jar of my experimental Chipotle-Raisin Chutney had a permanent place in her refrigerator & repertoire because she and her husband loved how the flavours came together. They were always huge fans of whatever I baked up and brought over which gave me excuses and opportunity to bake even when there wasn't any occasion to.

The saddest part of expatriate life is that every couple of months you say goodbye to someone - because they have either moved on elsewhere or moved back to their native country. It's the unkindest cut.

With time one begins to take it all in one's stride. After living an expatriate existence for a little over a decade these transitions are something I have come to expect almost unflinchingly. There is a little sadness but also the comfort in knowing that social media now makes it so much easier to maintain connections, especially when those on the other side are so good at keeping up at their end. And in this case I'm not at all sad, I miss her for now but I know that I will see M again. We won't be neighbours any more but will be a four-drive away from each other in just a few months. The prospect of having even one good friend in almost close proximity when I move halfway across the world and start a new life, is heartening.

One of my experiments that ended up in a tin on M's kitchen counter is this Granola. I painstakingly made it on a cold, January morning. I say painstakingly only because I couldn't find unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds at the grocery store and  had to shell a whole lot of sunflower seeds to get a measly 1/4 cup . . I just wasn't patient enough to get the whole 3/4 cup the recipe asked for. . and I decided to dry dates in the oven, prior to adding them to the granola, which took me at least one whole day.

To others I seem like a mad woman when I turn seemingly simple tasks into all-day Daring Baker-like challenges. But I find comfort in laborious tasks. I think I get my fastidiousness from my paternal Grandmother. She most likely does not know what Granola is, never baked a Pie from scratch or even considered alternate uses for the oven other than storing frying pans. But when she works in the kitchen she is like me, or I'm like her: fussing over food preparation, mindful of flavours, doing things slowly and thoroughly, losing myself in the process.

The fruits of all this labour were delicious and greatly appreciated by M & P who, like me, had the Granola for breakfast with yogurt and a drizzle of Maple Syrup. I'll be thinking of them when I make a new batch this week. 

The recipe comes from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery by Rose Carrarini, a charming, eye-catchingly bright green cookbook I picked up on a whim during one of my travels and has since then become a favourite. 

Right off the bat Rose confesses that she is a pastry chef who is not overly-fond of sugar or sweet things and prefers naturally, intensely flavored food instead. This mindful approach is reflected in her recipes which are simple, un-fussy and focus on wholesome flavours rather than complex technique or saccharine sweetness (in the case of her desserts). I've made several things from this endearing book and hope to feature some in future blog posts. 

For now, here's the recipe for Rose Carrarini's Sugar-Free Granola. Please keep reading after the recipe, I'm not quite done with this post. 

Sugar-Free Granola
from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery by Rose Carrarini, page 48
(Serves 6)

300g (4 cups) rolled oats
100g (1 cup) whole almonds
120g (3/4 cup) sunflower seeds
120g (1 cup) pumpkin seeds
40g sesame seeds
1 tablespoon wheatgerm
125 ml (1/2 cup) apple juice
4 tbsp sunflower oil
A handful of dried or fresh fruits such as blueberries, strawberries or sultanas (I used dates and added them later)
natural (plain) yogurt, to serve

Preheat oven to 160C/325F.
Mix all ingredients (except dried fruit) together in a bowl, then spread out evenly in a baking tray.
Bake, turning often, for between 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove and let cool.

------------------------------

I want to say a big Thank You to all the readers who commented on my previous post or left me email messages asking how I am/leaving words of encouragement. 

The sporadic blogger that I am, I don't actually imagine many read or regularly follow my periodic posts. It has been elevating and heart-warming to read all your messages. I have had a few difficult months and all of that is not over yet so I am still not doing much writing, or blog-following. To be honest, I don't much talk to anyone these days either and am nicely, safely wrapped up in my cocoon of silence. But I miss this space and it feels good to be back. Baby steps . . 

Thank you again, for your encouragement! 

Heidi Swanson's Bran Muffins

I loved the ease of having the kids home for the holidays. The days blended into one another and three weeks flew by too fast because we were busy moving and settling into a new house. With so much to do, the lazy mornings I had envisioned and looked forward to just didn’t materialize most days. However,But it was so good to be able to wake up just a little later than my usual 5 a.m. and peacefully enjoy breakfast in the quiet hour I got to myself before the others started waking up. There were no early morning chastisements, hurried breakfasts, rush to catch the school bus. No trails of strewn clothes left behind or balled-up pyjamas found on top of beds. No realization a split second later (and the ensuing anxiety) that either child forgot a water bottle, a book-bag, library book, a hat, money for field trip/school photo/book order. Because they leave for school at 6:40 a.m. and are up and maddeningly chirpy at 6:00, the kids go to bed fairly early on weeknights. Usually they are already asleep before 7 p.m. which means we have to wait until the weekend to eat dinner together as a family. At least holidays change all of that. So accustomed we are to not seeing each other past 6:15 p.m., there is much giddiness and meal-times are loud, messy, exciting.  It’s sad when all of that comes to an end. But, to be honest, by the end of three weeks I was a little twitchy. So overwhelmed with all the things I still needed to sort through without the kids (finally) underfoot, yet excited to reclaim a few hours of relative under-stimulation each morning.

The night before the first day back in school, I stood in the kitchen with my copy of the beautiful Super Natural Every Day  by HeidiSwanson propped up on my messy kitchen counter, laid open to page 47, Bran Muffins. Working with what I had on hand I whisked eggs, yogurt, coconut oil and maple syrup together while I conversed with the man (husband) and a visiting friend, a sleepy baby balanced on my left hip. When I felt I needed the use of both hands the baby would be passed to the others – seemingly happy, her droopy eyes belying the frisky, jerky movement of her hands and limbs. Back and forth she went, observing every movement as I scooped the thick-ish batter into the muffin tin and, before I popped them in the oven, dotted a few with a teaspoon of strawberry jam, some with chopped dates and left the rest as they were. Not expecting these muffins to be very palatable (come on, bran = blah most of the time) I assumed they would need embellishments. How wrong. These muffins were moist, delicious, and hearty with just the right amount of sweetness and a faint crunch (the crunch from the crushed cereal in the batter lasted only up to a day but the muffins were very moist three days later). No embellishments needed. Perfect with a tiny smear of barely-salted butter (for me), and for breakfast-on-the-go for the kids. These muffins saved me this week.

A few days ago I had cheerfully uploaded this photo on instagram. The caption said, “Kids back in school. Enjoying the quiet this morning”. How presumptuous and audacious. Of course that was an invitation to jinx myself forever.

Just when I thought I was going to unpack our last few boxes in peace and then put up my feet and read a book, maybe: everyone got sick. Including me. Falling like dominoes, starting with my girl, ending with me. So, this week was all about sleep-deprivation and exhaustion. I feel a bit like a wrung-out mop. Or dish-rag. Whatever is worse. But at least these muffins kept me nourished while, according to my boy, we (he and I) were “living the life” today i.e. sitting up in bed convalescing reading and chatting.

If you’d like to make these muffins, here’s the recipe. I used things I had on hand so I substituted coconut oil for the butter, a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour, and yogurt for the buttermilk. I’ve made quite a few things out of this book over previous months (more blog posts to follow) and I find Heidi’s recipes very easily adaptable. The recipes themselves contain suggestions for substitutes and I’ve found that I can use seasonal fruits, a blend of flours and different alternatives for butter without my alterations compromising the end-result. I’m excited to try more recipes from this book over the next few weeks as part of my target-one-cookbook-a-month plan for this year.

Bran Muffins

Makes 12

(Mildly adapted from the original recipe) Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson, Page 47

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt

½ cup coconut oil

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup oat bran

1.5 cups plain, unsweetened bran cereal, crushed (I poured it into a zipper bag and crushed it with one hand while I carried the baby)

½ cup wholewheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup natural cane sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400F. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, coconut oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle the crushed cereal and the bran on top, stir, and allow the mixture to rest for five minutes.

Stir the dry ingredients together in another bowl and sprinkle them over the wet ingredients, stirring till just combined. Scoop the thick-ish batter into your muffin pan and bake 18-22 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning the muffins out of the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Meetha Paratha (Sweet Flatbread)

My grandmother is an innate nurturer. After my grandfather passed away 27 years ago she latched on immediately to us, her grand children, as a coping mechanism to try and fill the gap he left behind. Every memory I have of her involves her being in her kitchen, her domain, where she would move around like a whirling dervish chopping, dicing, stirring, kneading - pouring out her love for us into the meals she prepared.

One of the special treats she made for us on weekends was meetha paratha - a fat, sugary, crunchy, flaky flatbread. She's almost 90 now but still welcomes requests and will lovingly roll out this delicious comfort food for my breakfast each time I'm back home for a visit. Two weeks ago I stood next to her and watched as she dipped a fat ball of dough into the flour bin, shook off the excess, flattened and spread it with ghee and granulated sugar. She then rolled it into a log, smeared it with more ghee and sugar, brought the ends together to form a disc and then rolled it out flat.

The passing years have not changed how swiftly her hands move, how her fingers look as she spreads the ghee on the dough, how she places the flattened dough on the griddle and rotates it before flipping it on to the other side. My grandmothers' meetha partahas are always thick, shaped square and are irresistibly delicious. They have crunchy, crispy edges while their insides are soft and almost syrupy-sweet. It may have been two weeks since I had one but I can still taste it so well. And, because I miss her so very much, I made this indulgent breakfast for myself this morning. My paratha is so lackluster in comparison, not half as thick or as sugary, not even a very good square. To add insult to injury it even has a few burned spots. I'm not sure she would approve. I always fall short. But it's okay. It's a tribute all the same.


Meetha Paratha (Sweet Flatbread)

2 cups atta flour
2-3 tbsp wheat bran (optional)
1 cup warm water
a large pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp raw sugar
3-4 tbsp ghee

Sift the flour, bran and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the water, half a cup at a time, mix into the flour with your hands and then knead to form a soft dough. Cover and leave aside for half an hour. Meanwhile heat the griddle on medium.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Dip a ball of dough into flour or dust with flour and flatten into a disc. Smear with ghee and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bring the sides up and roll the disc into a ball. Flatten and roll it out thick. Spread a tablespoon of ghee on the griddle and place the flattened dough on top. Spread the top with a layer of ghee and flip it over when one side is cooked. Serve warm. These parathas are delicious on their own, with a cup of milky tea.









.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I know, I know. Another banana bread recipe. 

I'm sorry. It's just that lately I'm a woman obsessed. I wake up dreaming about fresh pineapples and banana bread.  And not necessarily in that order. I've tried to appease my cravings for the latter but so far it hadn't worked as far as finding a whole-wheat version was concerned. So I've been compiling a list of recipes to try out and, needless to say, we are going through plenty of loaves of banana bread at my house. Isn't there something so comforting about waking up to the homey fragrance of baked bananas on a winter morning? 

I think I have finally found a one-bowl recipe that is moist & delicious enough that you might want to leave your bananas to blacken on the kitchen counter just so you can try it out. I've made a couple of minor adjustments to this  recipe that I stumbled across on the King Arthur Flour website. Also, I baked mine as muffins instead of a loaf quite simply because its a less crumbly option for the kids' lunch boxes. The chopped dates are a last-minute addition because I wanted to sneak in some extra iron and fiber and also because I have at least a few kilos on hand and quite simply have no idea what to do with them. Any suggestions?

(Note: I've made this recipe several times over with great success substituting both canola oil and coconut oil for the butter. It works very well with both & I no longer make it with butter).

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Serves 18

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

a pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (I used 3 large)

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted almonds

1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 2.5" baking cups. 

Beat together the butter and sugar till smooth. Add in the vanilla, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and bananas. Beat till smooth. 

Beat in the honey and eggs. Stir in the flour, nuts and dates (I dusted my dates with half a tsp of flour so they wouldn't clump together). Spoon into lined muffin tray and let rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Bake 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning muffins on to a rack to cool completely before serving. 

Whole-Wheat Waffles & Swallowing the Frog

The truth is, I've been kind of distracted lately. I'm burned-out and have the worst case of writers' block ever. 

I sit here facing my laptop screen & the words just don't come. I blame it on the weather, the annoying renovation in our house, and the endless academic writing. As far as the latter is concerned lately I'm so un-inspired there too. I sit and stare at blank pages until the last moment imaginable because I know I have to write my essay then & a late submission will mean a big, fat, ugly 'F'. At this point, when I'm so close to the end, this current strategy of procrastination is hardly proactive.

So, what do I do? Instead of writing, I head into the kitchen and mix flour with sugar and eggs to create comforting distractions. I do this almost daily & I take several photos. But they never make their way into a blog post. Because that involves writing. And I just cannot do that lately.

This week I'll have to swallow the frog: I'll push myself to blog about at least some of the things that have appeared in my kitchen the past couple of months. Maybe I can re-direct some energy here. It is most certainly needed because in past months my blog has begun to look like a shrine to BFMHTY alone. And, much as I love Dorie & BFMHTY, I'd really like to blog more often than the obligatory BWD bakes. 

Here are some waffles to distract you while I try & get my groove back:

Whole Wheat Waffles
(from the Nordic Ware leaflet that came with my Waffle iron)

3 eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (the recipe didn't ask for this but I added it)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Grease & preheat both sides of waffle iron on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Beat the yolks, sugar, vanilla & oil together in a medium bowl. Add half of the milk and stir.
Add dry ingredients and the remaining milk. Mix until just blended. Set aside.
Beat egg whites till stiff & fold into the batter.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of batter into the center of the waffle iron. Cook for 1/2 to 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove gently with a fork & serve with syrup or fruit.

Baking With Dorie: Pumpkin Muffins

There's nothing better than sleeping in late on a rare morning, and then heading down to the kitchen to bake up a batch of muffins that you can eat straight out of the oven; snuggled on the couch with your cup of coffee.

That's what I did today - trying to stretch out the quiet contentment of the sunny morning before my toddlers' friend arrived for a play date. I had figured these muffins would be a perfect snack for the kids and so I sprinkled them with chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for toddler-appeal. It worked as far attracting their attention was concerned, but unfortunately I found both kids making a mountain out of crumbs a few minutes after they sat down to eat these muffins.. ! I guess you just can't win them all.

But that is not to say that these muffins aren't good - they are moist and have just a subtle hint of spiciness and mild sugary sweetness with an agreeable blend of textures ranging from the soft chewiness of the raisins and pecans to the pleasing crunch from the sunflower seeds. I liked that these muffins were delicately spiced,  tender and not too sweet - perfect with cup of coffee. And so much healthier than our previous bakes!

Thank you for choosing this recipe this week Elizabeth!

For a gluten-free version of this dessert, please visit Elizabeth's blog Gluten-Free Baking 101. For the original recipe, visit Chaya's blog at My Sweet and Savory or Page 13 of Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan.

To check out the other BWD bakers, visit the blogroll here. Our next challenge is 'My Favorite Pecan Pie' picked by Tina of My Domestic Bliss. If you'd like to join our baking challenge, please drop me an email at needfulthings at ymail dot com. We'd love to have you bake along with us!

How To Eat a Mango - Part 2

 
There is no civilized way to enjoy a mango. The sweet, juicy flesh and inedible skin make it a difficult fruit to eat without making a huge mess. And some would argue that getting all sophisticated about consuming mangoes takes away the fun of eating them altogether. And I agree.

But this post isn't really about how to slice and eat mangoes. It's about a cherished memory from an otherwise mostly forgotten part of my life: while I was growing up, it was an unspoken tradition that I would spend some time during the summer each year with my best friend and her family. One morning, during one of my visits at their home, Uncle A. (my best friends' father) asked me if I'd like to have Mangoes, Parathas (flat bread) and Lassi (yogurt drink) for breakfast. I couldn't wrap my mind around the combination of breakfast items - in fact, it was plain bizarre to me. But I was too curious to turn it down.

So we all sat around the breakfast table while Uncle A. showed me how to eat mango with parathas: take a bite of mango, followed by a bite from the paratha... Or scoop some mango flesh into a piece of paratha. Wash it down with a sip of sweet, frothy Lassi. It was strangely delightful. Eating mangoes all by themselves is delicious enough, making a meal out of them was an indulgent treat; the memory of which is heart-warming.

And so, this morning, I treated myself to a healthy dose of mangoes and remembrance of times past. I'm only sorry I didn't have my best friends, R & H to share it with this time around.

 Sweet Lassi 

1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ice cubes
3 teaspoons sugar
a pinch of salt

Blend all the ingredients on high speed until the ice is crushed and the mixture is frothy. Pour into glasses and drink right away.

Hot Cross Buns

Ok, so I went out some days back to buy some heavy cream & Oreos but came home with a Bread Maker instead. 

I blame my impulsiveness on cabin fever: my kids have had chickenpox and as a consequence we've all been confined inside the house far too many days. Add to that, the stress of meeting deadlines and finding time to study.

Ever since I've gone back to school, Wednesdays are the longest and most stressful days of the week for me. It's the last day of the study-week and I have huge assignments due. So I treat myself by giving myself Thursdays completely off. I don't think/read/write or do anything else the entire day if I can help it. 

That is just what I was doing last night after we got home from having dinner out. I was poking around in the kitchen to come up with 'something sweet' (and ready-made) for my dessert-craving husband when it struck me to finally unpack the much coveted bread maker and give it test run. It didn't really matter that it was past 9 p.m. I just had to try it out: according to my husband, I don't  understand the concept of 'chilling out'. 

After a brief search online, I came up with a recipe for Pull-Apart Hot Cross Buns on Allrecipes. I was initially going to go with a recipe for a basic loaf of bread but the cardamom in the ingredient list drew me to this recipe. 

I had all the ingredients on hand except ... the flour! But I discovered a bag of whole-wheat flour and decided to substitute with that instead. The recipe required me to dump all the ingredients into my bread maker and set it on the 'Dough' cycle. Sounds simple, right? Only if you follow the instructions on your breadmakers' manual: I dumped everything in and an hour later, it didn't look very dough-like. 

Took a look at the manual. Duh! Pour in the water or other wet ingredients first. Which I  . . hadn't done. 

No big deal, I just took the very, very sticky dough out and kneaded it only slightly with well-floured hands. I added in some raisins, divided the dough into 12 as directed and left the balls of dough to rise in a 9x13 pan. 

They rose to gargantuan size. I thought about taking them all out and dividing them further into 24, but then (feeling lazy) baked them as they were. 

Result: Aromatic, soft  and huge hot cross buns that are subtly spiced and not overly sweet. We waited till this morning to eat them for breakfast and let me tell you how they tasted in one word: delicious.

Pull- Apart Hot Cross Buns

adapted from Allrecipes

1 x 0.25 oz package dry active yeast

1/4 cup water

4 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 1/4 cup lukewarm milk

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

1/4 cup raisins

Frosting: 

1 1/8 cup confectioners sugar

1/8 cup milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

Sprinkle the yeast over warm water and let it stand for 5 mins. 

Place the flour, salt, sugar, cardamom, milk, butter and egg into the bread machine (as per manufacturers instructions). 

Pour the yeast on top. Close the lid and set the machine for dough setting. Add raisins, if using, when it beeps. 

When the dough is finished, divide it into 12 portions and shape into balls. Place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, cover with clingfilm and set aside to rise till double in size (about 45 mins).

Remove clingfilm. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. 

Set aside to cool completely. Whisk together the milk, confectioners sugar and almond extract. Drizzle over cooled buns in a cross shape. 

Now that I own a bread maker, watch out for more Yeastspotting on this page ;-) 

Lets Talk Chai

I'm a bit of a Chai snob. 

I normally decline offers of Chai that other people have made by either pretending I'm not a tea-drinker or by exaggerating my caffeine-intolerance. Most of the time I get away with it (Ssh! Don't tell anyone!). 

Chai, for me, has to be a strong brew and not predominantly milky. If I'm making it only for myself, I flavor it with cinnamon or green cardamom (I love Masala Chai for this reason). 

Not everyone gets it right. My husband, who is too polite to decline a offensive to the senses  cup of tea when offered, will always drink up any weak, watery, colorless concoction. But he invariably always asks me to make him a 'real' cup of tea as soon as we get back home. 

 

Here's how I make Chai with tea bags. 
For 1 strong cup of Chai, you need:


2 tea bags
2 tbsp regular or low-fat evaporated milk (don't use regular whole milk or low-fat milk if you want a creamy cup of Chai)
boiling water
sugar to taste
 
Place the two tea bags in a cup. Pour boiling water over them to come up 3/4 of the way up your cup/mug, cover with a saucer or small plate and let steep for exactly 3 minutes. 

Covering is optional, but I feel like it traps in more flavor. 
Uncover, remove tea bags (squeeze well before you do), add sugar and evaporated milk. Stir, serve. 


If you like spiced chai, like I do, throw in your flavoring of choice with the tea bags before adding the boiling water so they can steep together. Use a stick of cinnamon or 2-3 pods of green cardamom, crushed. Remove & discard spices before serving. 

Cinnamon Danish Toast with Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt is one of my favorite foods. I can eat it for breakfast or as a snack at any time during the day.

Some time back I came across a book called 101 Things to do with Yogurt. I had to buy it knowing what a versatile food yogurt is and was eager to learn how to use it as a base for or as a healthy substitute in recipes. 

It was hard to decide what to make first out of the book; Cinnamon Danish Toast sounded like a good start. It required me to make Yogurt Cheese to begin with and so I made a small batch over the weekend. And I made the Cinnamon Danish Toast for breakfast this morning. 

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins - Baking With Dorie

This is the first thing that my baking buddy Susi and I have baked out of Dorie Greenspan's book Baking: From My Home To Yours, for our Baking with Dorie Challenge .

When I was starting out, I thought about halving this recipe because I wasn't sure anybody at my house would care for anything lemon-flavored. I was pleasantly surprised when no one turned them away and my kids even asked for more. 

The poppy seeds add an interesting crunch to these subtly flavored muffins. Topped with the tart lemon glaze, they're simply wonderful. As usual, Dorie Greenspan does not disappoint.

The only variation I made to this recipe is that I used white poppy seeds because those are the ones that I had on hand. Aesthetically, they don't do much for the muffins because they aren't visible. I sprinkled some on the top of my muffins before baking them just so that they would show up for the photos. Before using, I did verify through research online that they would not make any difference to the flavor of this recipe because that is the last thing I wanted. 

Strawberry Crisp

 

I guess that Tres Leches French Toast wasn't enough.

I want dessert for breakfast every day! 

This one is simple, and it makes two servings. Perfect, don't you agree? 

And yeah - I'm selfish: I won't make breakfast for anyone else without a fight, but I'll happily labor over guilty treats for myself.

This morning I was a selfish & hungry person with intense carbohydrate cravings. And no, I'm not pregnant. Although my son said to me on the way back home from school yesterday, "Mama, I want 3 more babies. You can get me one right now & get two more when we move to the new house next month because we'll have more space there to play" . . . uh, yeah!

Who doesn't need a little soothing carbohydrate love after a demand like that?

I was down to my last box of strawberries and adapted this from a recipe on Recipezaar. The only change I made was adding an additional tbsp of butter. 

Assembling and baking takes all of 20 minutes, so I treated myself to warm strawberry crisp for breakfast today. I just told myself I was eating Granola ;-)

Strawberry Crisp

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sliced strawberries

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the oatmeal, sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. Remove from heat.

Divide the strawberries between two ramekins and sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over both. 

Bake at 375F for 15 mins. 

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tres Leches French Toast

I am not a breakfast loving gal. 

Or in other words, I'm lazy and the thought doing of anything more complicated than drinking a glass of water as soon as I wake up leaves me winded. 

It has been the bone of contention between DH and myself. He loves a good breakfast ... and I don't love making it.

I'm just not a morning person. So I can't get more creative than setting down a bowl of cereal in front of him and, if I'm feeling very generous, once in a while I'll butter toast.

I know what you're thinking. But sometimes I do make a special effort and get creative. Lately I've had Tres Leches cake on the brain. Constantly and all-consummately.

I saw another blogger's Caramel Pancakes ...and the idea of combining milk & caramel was all the inspiration I needed to go ahead and create a breakfast version of my favorite cake .

French Toast is always a delicious treat, no matter how you make it. It makes you happy just to wake up, get out of bed in the morning and smile deep down in your heart. 

This recipe started out as an experiment because I wanted to see if I could make baked and stuffed French Toast with a Tres Leches twist. And it had to be overnight-french toast because Tres Leches cake requires overnight or at least 5 hr soaking. Quite convenient for me - as I have already established how lazy and unproductive I am in the morning.

It worked so well. And the addition of strawberries made it smell wonderful. 

This french toast doesn't need the embellishment of maple syrup, because it is so rich and has just the right amount of sweetness. 

But I couldn't leave well enough alone and drizzled it with my homemade Dulce de Leche anyway. 

Oh my. Doesn't that make you want to dig in already? In that case: follow me . .

Super Easy Strawberry Jam

Love Strawberries? I do. 

In my part of the world, we get fresh, locally grown strawberries only between November and February. Right about now, strawberries start going on sale all over the place and I buy large amounts with the best of intentions.

The possibilities are endless. 

But most of the time, I never get to the ice creams and sorbets I was planning to make. We just simply end up eating through them all - with breakfast, or as snacks. But one thing I never fail to make each year is strawberry jam.  

I make jam just as the strawberry season is ending each year, so that we can savor the last of the berries for the next several weeks to come. 



Love Strawberry Jam? 

Want to try making your own? It's easy. 

Here's how :