Pumpkin Pancakes

I haven't blogged or cooked as much as I wanted lately... Things have been crazy with family and school change... Normally this is a favorite time for me to cook and bake. I love the pumpkin season and you would never know that by looking at my blog. I did not explore pumpkin as much as I would have wanted this fall. I hope I can squeeze few more recipes using pumpkin in the next few weeks to satisfy my cravings.

These are a fabulous weekend breakfast! You can also get away with serving them for dessert if you want to. Theses taste great just with a dusting of powdered sugar or with your favorite syrup. I love black currant syrup, but my husband and daughter love the maple. Whatever your choice, they are supper delicious! I hope you'll enjoy them.



Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.

Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Biscuits and Gravy...

Do you see the pattern here? I have been making breakfast dishes for the past few days. This morning while I was enjoying my first cup of coffee, I peeked through some of my favorite blogs... One that caught my eye was about great biscuit fraud Kate is HILARIOUS, she had me laughing out laud before I finished my coffee, which is pretty difficult to do given that I was only half awake at that time. I've never contemplated the biscuit greatness before, but thought that my recipe is pretty good, but again I am biased here. I decided to make biscuits and gravy for dinner tonight. I needed a quick recipe so I chose the cream biscuits. They are very quick and easy, and of course mighty tasty. Now, this is my variation on biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits:



2 cups of AP Flour
2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp of sugar
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Sift the dry ingredients together, add cream and stir till just combined. Turn it out on the floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Pat it into 1 1/2 inch thick disc and cut the biscits out, making sure not to twist the cutter. Bake in 450'F for 15-17 minutes.

Gravy



1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 lb of sausage out of casings ( I used mild italian sausage)
2 TBSP of flour
2 cups of milk
saly & pepper to taste
couple of shakes of hot sauce

Brown sausage in the skillet, add onion and garlic and sautee till translucent. Sprinkle with flour and cook for couple of minutes, add milk and bring it to boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Gravy is ready when it thickens.

Corned Beef Hash

Corn beef hash is a one of my husband's favorites, yet I rarely make it at home. I came across the recipe in Food Network Magazine from Crooked Creek Saloon & Eatery, Fraser, CO as I was searching for some breakfast inspiration yesterday. The dish was very easy to make and used ingredients that most of us have on hand. Anytime I don't have to make an emergency supermarket run to make something, works for me :) I served it with fried egg on top.



* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 8 ounces cooked corned beef, diced ( you can use canned corned beef)
* 1 white onion, finely chopped
* 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
* 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 4 large eggs
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 4 slices cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the corned beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it releases some fat and browns slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and potatoes and cook, undisturbed, until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the hash as it browns evenly, about 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over easy; season with salt and pepper.

Place the cheese slices on top of the hash, reduce the heat and let sit until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. To serve, top each portion of hash with a fried egg.

Barefoot Contessa Coffee Cake

There is nothing better than hot, steamy cup of coffee in the morning! If you are a coffee drinker you know what I mean...It does generally get the job done for me, but we had company this morning so I decided we need something to go with it! What would be better than coffee cake? Now, I love a good slice of coffee cake with my morning brew, but find that a lot of coffee cakes are bland and dry...that is not the case with this one. Ina has done it again! This cake is moist and delicious, nuts in the streusel topping add a little crunchiness which provides lovely contrast. I also added 1/2 cup of raisins to streusel.

Coffee Cake



* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ( I used 1 cup)
* 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups sour cream ( I used Greek yogurt)
* 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

* 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:

* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 tablespoons real maple syrup


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Breakfast Pasta-Take Two

So, I mentioned in my previous post that you can bake the leftovers of my breakfast pasta and make a casserole. I happen to have some pasta left from last night and decided to make it for breakfast. I just added 1/4 of heavy cream, mixed it together, put in a dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Baked it in the oven till heated through and brown on top. All the ingredients are already cooked so you are only re-heating it. It took about 25 minutes in 375'F. Take two was even better than the original. I love the variety of different textures, with soft pasta in the middle and crispy top...sooo delicious!

Breakfast Pasta

How about breakfast for dinner tonight? I decided to make a pasta dish with traditional breakfast flavors...eggs, bacon, cheese. It was a great meal and you can bake the leftovers in a casserole with some heavy cream or half and half for breakfast the next morning,so you can have two meals in one(that is, if you will have any leftovers) :) I hope you enjoy it!



1 lb spaghetti pasta
1/2 lb of bacon
2 TBSP of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 cloves of garlic minced
4 eggs beaten
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
Handful of chopped cilantro

Saute chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil till translucent, remove from skillet. Cut bacon in thin strips, and render it in the skillet, transfer to paper towel to drain.

Boil and drain pasta, return to the pot it was cooked in and turn heat on high, add beaten eggs and stir till eggs are scrambled. Add onion mixture, bacon and Parmesan cheese, mix it together. Stir in cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Crepes & Paris Memories...

Few years ago when George & I traveled to Paris we fell in love with the rich history and great architecture this town has to offer. It was a fabulous trip and we enjoyed every moment of it from visiting Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame & Louvre for sampling of art and history to wondering the streets and sampling the most surprising mix of fantastic food. We all know that Paris is known for its cuisine & the most decadent pastries but what I remember most are the street food... Prior to going to Paris, I had no idea that there are so many different street vendors selling anything from sandwiches to crepes...and that is where we had the BEST Crepes in the world.

In Paris, crepes can be eaten any time,and any where. There are breakfast crepes and dinner crepes, snack crepes etc. The best thing about street crepes is that they’re made fresh to order with your filling of choice. Deliciously decadent favorite is the Nutella(chocolate and hazelnut spread) crepe. I have found the picture on the Internet of one of the crepe stands in Paris. I wish I had taken one of my own when I was there but I was too busy enjoying my Nutella crepe ;)



Yesterday, when I was shopping @ Costco, I came across Nutella and knowing how much my husband would love it, decided to buy it and make Nutella crepes for breakfast this morning. This recipe makes neutral crepes that you can fill with anything sweet or savory, if you'd like to make it a dessert, add 1/4 cup of sugar as apposed to 2 TBSP.

Crepes



2 eggs
2 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups whole milk
1 cups water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Add milk and water, stir.
Sift the flour with baking powder and add to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Whisk well, you don’t need any lumps in the batter. Add the oil, whisk again.

Heat a crêpe pan or medium size frying pan over medium heat. Very lightly brush it with oil and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and swirl it around. Wait until the surface doesn’t appear wet and the crêpe is lightly browned on one side, about a minute, flip the crêpe onto the other side. Proceed with the other crepes till they are all made.

Belgian Waffles

My father in law is a big fan of waffles. He generally gets them in a restaurant or uses purchased waffle mix at home. We do not get to see our parents often, so whenever they do come to visit we spoil them by making their favorite foods. This is my favorite waffle recipe. Adapted from Gourmet magazine, June of 2005 issue. They are moist and soft on the insider and crispy on the outside, hmmmm heavenly!



* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
* 2 large eggs
* Vegetable oil for waffle iron

Put oven rack in middle position and put a large metal cooling rack directly on it. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs in another bowl, then whisk into flour mixture until just combined.

Brush hot waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and pour a batter into the waffle mold. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer as cooked to rack in oven to keep warm, keeping waffles in 1 layer to stay crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Enjoy!!!

Blueberry Pancakes

I wasn't sure what to make for breakfast today...Confronted with having to make breakfast for 6 and one that everybody likes, it was a challenge. I would normally make a fritata of some sort, but with no oven, that was not an option. "How about pancakes?" Olivia asked...not a bad idea. I had some fresh blueberries on hand, so blueberry pancakes it is. I love Martha Stewart's buttermilk pancake recipe with blueberries. Here is the recipe:



* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 3 cups buttermilk
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat griddle. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.