Better Breakfast

I am in a bit of a cooking and baking kick, so I'm taking advantage of it. I thought I would spruce up our usual eggs and toast breakfast by making a a coffeecake. Adam couldn't resist the apples and cinnamon in this coffeecake, as they are two of his favorite things. Add coffee, and it's a perfect match for my perfect match. (Although, I have to say that you need quite a sweet tooth for this one--a little sweet for my taste.)

Apple-Cinnamon Coffeecake (Cooking Light, November 2007)

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 oz)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

2 Tbs. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup diced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)

cooking spray

Streusel:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbs. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. To prepare cake, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 3 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in apple. Pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare streusel, combine brown sugar, 2 Tbs. flour, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.

A Perfect Start to the Day

Since I have been having really long days of rehearsals and shows, Adam and I haven't had as much of a chance to spend time together in the kitchen. On Friday night I came home to a computer screen full of fabulous Saturday morning breakfast ideas. We decided on Cranberry Scones and homemade butter. To make the butter all you have to do is put heavy cream in to a mixer and turn it on. Wait until it passes the whipped cream stage, letting the mixer keep doing it's thing. All of a sudden, butter will stick to the beater and buttermilk will sit at the bottom of the bowl. If you want to add flavorings or salt, simply add them before turning on the mixer. Sounds daunting, but if you can turn on a food processor and a mixer, you've got this meal made--literally.


Cranberry Scones (www.joyofbaking.com/CranberryScones.html, Stephanie Jaworski)

The recipe calls for topping the scones with sliced almonds, but we didn't have any so we used chopped pecans. You are also supposed to use dried fruit in the recipe in addition to the cranberries, but we didn't have any so we just increased the amount of fresh cranberries slightly. The contrast of the tart cranberries with the sweet bread and savory pecans works perfectly for an early morning treat.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
1/3 cup mixed candied fruit and peel
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 400 and place rack in middle of oven. Butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter by pulsing until it has formed a mixture looking like coarse crumbs. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Gently stir in the cranberries and candied fruit, making sure not to crush the fruit. Add the milk and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
3. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is 8 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and then brush scone with milk. Using a sharp knife, score the scone into eight pieces and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean.

Variation on a Theme

I know I have already posted a meal very similar to this before, but this variation on a theme is just so perfect for a night when you don't have a ton of energy yet still want a decent meal. We were also a little short on food supplies, so we had to use what we had. We had purple potatoes that we steamed and then smashed and browned with leeks. We also had eggs, three whole and two whites, which we cooked into an omelet with a diced jalapeno and cheddar cheese, then topped with diced tomatoes. The jalapenos had quite a kick that made the meal spicy hot!


Smashed Purple Potatoes

I've found that steaming potatoes in the microwave is quite efficient, and, according to Cooking Light, healthier than boiling them. Supposedly, the vegetables retain more of their nutrients with the steaming process than by boiling. A faster, healthier method? Sign me up!

1 lbs. purple potatoes (or other type of potato), cubed
olive oil
2 leeks, sliced thinly
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

1. Steam potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl for 4-7 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain. Smash with a fork, leaving some pieces of potato in chunks.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (does not have be to non-stick) on medium heat. Add leeks and potatoes. Cook until slightly browned. Mix in cumin and chili powder.
4. Serve with Mole sauce and/or ketchup.


Spicy Hot Eggs

3 eggs, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten
splash of milk
1 jalapeno, sliced (you can seed and rib it if you aren't into spicy)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced

1. Heat olive oil or butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Beat eggs, egg whites, and milk together. Then, add egg mixture and jalapenos to skillet. Cook until eggs are no longer runny. Add cheese and finish cooking.
3. Plate the eggs; top with diced tomato.

Maid Marian of Bagel and Sir Robin of Loxly

Sorry for the reference, but I had to. Anyway, Adam and I were walking around beautiful Lake Merritt yesterday discussing what we wanted for breakfast this morning (yes, I recognize that that's a bit sad, but that's my life). We decided that we wanted bagels with cream cheese, tomatoes, and capers, a glass of orange juice, and piping hot cup of coffee. We walked to Piedmont Ave in hope of finding some fresh bagels. When we found none, we were sorely disappointed. But, I then suggested, "Why don't we just make our own?" And so we did.

The best thing about making your own bagels is that you can top them with whatever you want. We made several different kinds: plain kosher salt; rosemary with kosher salt; Garlic and Wine Seasoning; and Everythings with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt. These bagels absolutely beat any bagel you can buy in a grocery store. And, they don't even take that long to make!

Bagels (found on recipezaar.com, "Beautiful Bagels," but I have altered it slightly)

The original recipe calls for 2 Tbs. gluten flour, but I omitted it and the bagels tasted fantastic.

3 tsp. yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. honey
1 1/4 cups water

1. Place all ingredients in a bread machine on the dough cycle. Allow the dough to go through one full cycle of mixing and rising (about 1 hour 10 minutes). Then, take out the dough and pour onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute.
2. Cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each of the parts into a snake-like shape. Form a circle and tightly pinch the ends together. Place the bagels onto individual pieces baking paper that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover with another piece of baking paper. Allow to rest.
3. Bring a large skillet of water to a boil.
4. Place the bagels in the boiling water (about 4 at a time) for approximately 40 seconds on each side. Allow to drain on a cooling rack.
5. Brush each bagel with a lightly beaten egg mixed with 1 Tbs. water and 1/2 tsp. salt. Sprinkle the toppings of your choice onto the bagels.
6. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Who Doesn't Love Breakfast for Dinner?

Ever since I went to this diner down the street for fantastic croissants and saw the other breakfast-goers eat hash browns, I've been craving the potato concoction. Having left over potatoes that needed to be eaten, last night seemed like the perfect opportunity. And who doesn't like breakfast for dinner? So, we had Skillet-Browned Potatoes and a Spanish Omelet--a fairly quick and simple meal for any weeknight.

Skillet-Browned Potatoes

We had a leftover bag of mixed potatoes with little red, white, and purple potatoes. I'm sure any type of potato would work; they just may take a little longer to become soft. A great thing about these potatoes is that you can just leave them in the pan to brown while you focus on fixing the omelet (or any other part of the meal).

1 lbs. potatoes
onion, any variety, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
salt
pepper
butter

1. Place the potatoes in a microwaveable bowl with about an inch of water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes or until a fork goes through them easily.
2. Heat a skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Place the potatoes in the skillet. Mash potatoes with a fork once or twice, just so that they have opened up and flattened. Add onions to the skillet. Brown the potatoes and onions for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add seasonings and enough butter to moisten the potatoes. Serve plain, with ketchup, or melt cheese on top just before serving for delicious gooey-ness.

Spanish Omelet (The New Broccoli Enchanted Forest by Mollie Katzen)

This is just the recipe for the filling. It serves 2-3 people each with 2 egg omelets. It helps to make the filling before starting on the omelet to ensure that the eggs don't get cold and gross. Also, we used fresh basil instead of dried for added freshness and green olives from a jar with pimentos rather than those that come off a pit. Both changes worked well.

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 small bell pepper, in very thin strips
1 medium-sized ripe tomato, diced
4 to 6 green olives, sliced off the pit
freshly ground black pepper
cayenne

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, garlic, salt, and herbs, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
2. Stire in the bell pepper, and cook over medium heat another 5 to 8 minutes, until the pepper is tender. Add tomato and olives; season to taste with black pepper and cayenne.