I really like waffles. I figure an Eggo waffle on a regular basis is probably not the most healthy choice though, so the other day I decided to make my own buttermilk waffles - tons of them! - and freeze them like homemade Eggos. I guess it may have also had something to do with the fact that I accidentally bought a big thing of buttermilk instead of homo milk. Why are they almost the same!?!? Anyway, this is my favourite waffle recipe, and freezing them and then toasting them in the morning worked out really well. I got the recipe from the Epicurious website:
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Waffles - Homemade Eggos
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Pecan Scones for a Chilly Spring Weekend
A rainy weekend is perfect for doing not much at all. This morning my Corporate Challenge event was cancelled due to the poor weather, so I got to head home to make a tasty brunch for myself. I found a recipe a while ago on Chowhound (but failed to keep a link to the original post) and while I personally thought these were a bit too vanilla-y and sugary, they were a hit with everyone else who tried them. Who am I to judge?
Pecan Scones (makes 8):
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup cold whole cream
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used PC Mixed Dried Berries)
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. In a food processor, quickly blitz the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter. Mix together the egg, vanilla, and cream, then add slowly to the mixture in the food processor. Pulse until just blended, then mix in the nuts and fruit. The mixture will be very dry, so just dump everything out and form into a circle about 1 inch high. Cut into eighths and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 17 minutes.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ratatouille Tarte
As mentioned last week, I took the Ratatouille I made, and used some of it in a tarte. Really, a tarte is pretty much the same as a quiche for all intents and purposes. In this case I threw some goat cheese in with it because who doesn't love goat cheese with roasted veggies? I served it up with a nice little spinach, bacon, pine nut and goat cheese salad for lunch when my mom came over. Isn't this such a girls lunch?
Ratatouille Tarte:
Buy or make a pie crust (I buy, I am crap at pastry)
Add your fillings (ratatouille and goat cheese) so that they cover a good deal of the bottom of the tarte, but don't pile up above the rim of the crust.
Mix up eggs and cream at a ratio of two eggs per quarter cup of cream so that you get a consistency that isn't quite the same as an omelet. Give it a good whip so that it comes out light and fluffy. The amount you need will depend on the size of crust you use - I made two at once (and froze one after baking), and used seven eggs in total.
Bake in a 400 F oven until it is set (about 40 minutes). I cover it in foil for the first half and then uncover it to brown for the second half.
Throwing an extra in the freezer after they are done baking is a great way to have a little snack on hand for when you get surprise lunch guests, and all you need to do when you are ready for it is throw it in the oven covered in foil at 350 until it is reheated.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Basic Blueberry Muffins
Okay, so the cravings have started to get a bit more random. The other day, I thought I saw something on the street when I was out for a walk that looked like a chunk of blueberry muffin. No, I did not pick it up, but it did get me thinking... "I must have blueberry muffins of my own!" So, come weekend time, I was up before the weather got hot, searching for a recipe that didn't require a trip to the store. Found one! It took a bit of alteration, and came out almost like a muffin/biscuit hybrid, but it hit the spot and was quick and easy.
Blueberry Muffins (makes 10-12 because that's all I can eat before they go bad):
1 1/2 cup flour (half should be whole wheat, but mine was all all-purpose)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/4 cup blueberries (mine were from frozen)
2 tbsp butter
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
In one bowl, mix the first four ingredients. In another bowl, soften the butter, and beat the egg in. Add the milk. Toss the blueberries in the dry mixture, and then add the wet mixture in mixing just to combine. 
Either grease the muffin pan or use baking cups. Fill 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops start to brown. I have thrown raspberries and saskatoons into this recipe in the past if I have them to make them into random berry muffins. These are fast and easy enough to make for a weekend breakfast and eat straight out of the oven.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Eggs and Soldiers
Breakfast in less than 10 minutes! A soft boiled egg, 5 spears of asparagus, and a slice of toast: this is a nice sit-down breakfast that is also quick and healthy. I cut my toast into dip-able spears as well so I wouldn't miss out on any of that liquid yellow heaven.
For a soft boiled egg, 
bring a small pot of water to a simmer then add the egg and cook for 6 minutes. While the egg is cooking, make a slice of toast and with 3 minutes left on the egg drop the asparagus into the pot of simmering water to cook. When the timer goes, everything is ready to eat. Once done, drop the egg into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove & serve.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Asparagus and Goat Cheese Omelets
All I did was brush the asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and roast it for 3 minutes at 500 F. Then I folded them into the middle of an omelet with a sprinkling of goat cheese. I also topped the omelets with a bit of crumbled goat cheese because goat cheese is so tasty, that a little extra never hurts. Look at the little ends waving to me from inside, proud to have been the ones up early enough to be cut prior to the snow. I know, I need to move past this! 
Monday, April 20, 2009
Perfect Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Those of you that follow our blog regularly may have noticed that my posting has been sporadic as of late, and often not even food focused. There is good reason for this: I am pregnant! Yay! Well, yay until I learn that I am one of those poor poor women that experiences terrible nausea through out the first trimester. I considered not sharing this, but as I am now on my way into what I hear is the blissful second trimester, I am feeling a bit desperate for empathy. I don't just want sympathy for the fact that food and beverages of all types tasted like metal to me, I want real understanding from people who love food and have been through a time when the greatest, simplest joy in life is taken away from you for months at a time. I feel like only other food bloggers will understand that I was driven to tears many times in sheer self pity over the fact that eating, my life passion, became a daily occurrence that was equivalent in joy to taking large disgusting tasting pills. Sob! It was the WORST! Okay, pity party over. I now have 10 pounds to make up ASAP for the sake of this baby, so bring on the carbs!
This is the banana chocolate chip muffin recipe I grew up with. I am not sure which cookbook my mom got it out of, but to me, this is what a banana chocolate chip muffin should taste like. Not too cakey, with a good balance of chocolate chips, and served warm from the oven with a pat of butter spread on its golden insides.
1 1/3 cup flour (I sometimes sub in some bran if I feel extra healthy)1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup milk
3 medium mashed bananas
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine the first five ingredients (the dry ingredients) in a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until frothy (really, get them frothy, it will keep them lighter in texture), and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry one and mix just until combined. Ladle into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes or until nice and golden.
If I am freezing muffins, I will often make a double batch, but they are so good straight from the oven that it is worth making a fresh batch for a brunch or snack when you have the time.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Pump up your mcmuffin
For weekday breakfast number three, I decided that eggs are not actually too much work for a weekday if you are just doing a quick fry up. Plus, while it is still cool out, I wanted to include a warm breakfast option because to me it seems really luxurious to get up in the morning and get to have a hot breakfast before work. I am lucky my office isn't in one of those that has a little cafe in the bottom that offers a breakfast special or I would be all over the eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns every day (which is probably a bit excessive, especially in the breakfast meats category).
Calling this a mcmuffin at all is a bit off base I guess since I substituted a whole grain flax bagel for the english muffin base. I just wanted to give it a little more whole grain goodness, and I skipped slathering it with butter. I topped the bagel with some baby spinach leaves to pump up the veggie factor, and then thinly sliced some really strong white cheddar. When I popped the egg on top, it melted the cheddar a bit, so it stayed together a bit better. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and I like to soft fry the egg if I am not taking my breakfast to go, and then break the yoke open so that the vibrant yellow spills out all over the plate and I get to mop it up with the last bits of bagel crust.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Weekday Breakfast #2
It goes without saying that winter in Canada isn't exactly the greatest for local fresh fruit, and that is challenging when it comes to trying to pack lots of food groups into breakfast. Today I thought that I would throw together something simple and tasty that covered at least three food groups not involving any fruit.
Yogurt is one of my favourite foods. After all the rave reviews from Brooke's post, I decided to pick up some Liberté Méditerranée yogurt in my favourite flavour: vanilla. I punched it up in true European fashion by topping it with some nice granola, almond slices, and some flax seeds. It almost feels like eating a breakfast sundae! To get the most out of the flax seeds, give them a little bashing with your mortar and pestle, or they will just go right through you. Alternately, I sometimes throw in walnuts as opposed to the almonds.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Feel Good About Weekday Breakfast!
Weekday breakfasts can be tricky. It is difficult to come up with meals that take less than 5 minutes to make, but are still tasty and healthy. This weekend I did some thinking about what kind of breakfasts I could have this week to shake things up. None of these involve reinventing the wheel, just making sure that simple items are done up to taste good and look good so that your morning meal is a pick me up instead of bogging you down. Each of these contains food items from a minimum of three food groups too.
Today's was a simple toasted 12 grain bagel half, spread nice and thick with light cream cheese, and then topped with fresh blackberries (which I got on sale at the grocery last week). They looked like shiny little jewels perched atop the bagel! The best part was the combo of the creamy cheese and the crunchy toasted bagel with the juicy squirt of the blackberries as you bite into one. Delish from beginning to end! As an alternative, if I had some extra brie to use up I have substituted that in the past for the cream cheese. It makes for a slightly more savory breakfast.
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Grown-up Egg McMuffin
On Saturday morning I had a craving for an egg mcmuffin - but not the regular greasy (yum) kind. I wanted something a bit more grown up. Because it was snowing like crazy I definitely did not want to leave the house, so I just made do with what I had. It turned out to be perfect... and almost ridiculously delicious. I poached the egg instead of frying it, and added goat cheese, sage, and tomato. I am sure this one will be staying in my repertoire.
Egg McMuffin:
1 toasted english muffin
1 poached egg
goat cheese
sage
tomato
salt & pepper
This was my first time poaching an egg. I suppose I was always worried they wouldn't turn out, and didn't want to waste eggs (why yes, I am very cheap thrifty). It was a lot easier than I had thought. In a shallow pan, bring a few inches of water with salt to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat to medium, add a splash of vinegar, and gently pour the egg into the water. Supposedly, the vinegar keeps the egg together. Cook 3-5 minutes with a lid on until it reaches your desired firmness of yolk. If you want to rinse off the vinegar taste, just drop the cooked egg into a bowl of cool water before serving.
While the egg is cooking, bash up the sage with some sea salt and mix with the goat cheese, and get the english muffin toasting. Spread the cheese on the toasted muffin and place a slice or two of tomato on the other side. When the egg is cooked, add it to the muffin and season with salt & pepper. Done!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
PC Blue Menu Steel Cut Oats
I had been hearing about steel cut oats for a long time without really knowing what they were, so when I saw them at Superstore a while ago I finally decided to give them a try. However, the long cooking time indicated on the packaging made me put off making it... and then I remembered that my rice cooker has a porridge setting. Yay! No effort required (that's my kind of breakfast).
Steel Cut Oats:
1/2 cup oats (rice cooker cups)
water to fill line
1/2 stick cinnamon
If you don't
have a rice cooker, just follow the package directions. But it is absolutely genius to be able to pop all the ingredients in the rice cooker in the evening, and set the timer to have my breakfast ready in the morning. This made enough for 2+ servings, and I just left the machine on Warming to keep breakfast ready for the second morning. It tasted just as good! On day one I topped it with brown sugar, 1/2 a chopped apple, and chopped walnuts, and on day two with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and a little sugar. Delicious both ways!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Breakfast Casserole - How Retro
I know that casseroles in general seem a bit retro, but I expect them to be making a big comeback this year in the wake of the "economic crisis" and the fact that casseroles are generally economical, filling, and fast for those that are dual income families (meaning no full time cook). I think I will be trying to dig up a couple of good ones over the next little while to help support my prediction. This one happens to be a great breakfast casserole that is extra great because you prep it the night before so that you can sleep in a bit on the morning of your breakfast/brunch. My mom always makes it for us to eat Christmas morning, and it has become a bit of a tradition at our house.
Wife Saver Casserole:
16 Slices of bread (crusts removed)
16 Slices of back bacon or ham (cooked)
16 Slices of sharp cheddar cheese
6 Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup Onion (minced)
1/4 cup Green Pepper (finely chopped)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cups Milk (whole or 2%)
A dash of hot sauce
1/4 lb Butter
Cornflakes (crushed)
In 9 X 13 buttered baking dish, put 8 pieces of bread (covering the bottom of the dish entirely). Cover bread with cooked back bacon or ham slices. Lay slices of cheddar cheese on top, then cover with the remaining slices of bread (to make it like a sandwich).
In a bowl, beat, eggs, salt and pepper. To egg mixture, add dry mustard, onion, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, milk and hot sauce. Pour over the 'sandwiches'. Cover and let it stand in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F.
Melt 1/4 lb butter and pour over top. Cover with crushed corn flakes (or Special K cereal). Bake 1 hour in 350F oven. 
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving or it will slide apart as you remove portions from the baking dish. I left out the green peppers this time to suit one of my guests. It was delish!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Liberté Méditerranée Yogurt - Best Ever!
My new favourite thing is Liberté Méditerranée yogurt. This is a bigger deal than you might think, as I have kind of a love/hate relationship with yogurt and it has to be exactly what I'm looking for or I won't touch it.
Since leaving England (and the perfection that is Yeo Valley Organic Wholemilk yogurt), I have settled for Astro Original Balkan Style yogurt mixed with my own fresh fruit. While the Astro yogurt is delicious and has it's uses, it is a bit sour even with the fruit. I've spent years (not an exaggeration) trying to find exactly what I'm looking for, so I have pretty much purchased every brand on the market and nothing had the consistency, texture, and taste I wanted.
When I saw this at Sobey's a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it a try. Don't be put off by the fat content (8% M.F.) - this is serious, stand-a-spoon-in-it yogurt. It has an amazingly smooth creaminess that I can't get enough of, and there are 12 flavours to choose from. To prevent myself from eating bowlfuls of the stuff, I have mostly been using it as a topper/garnish; really, it's almost a dessert - tonight I had some as a treat instead of ice cream. Delicious!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Muesli Scones
On Sunday, I felt like having brunch at home all by my lonesome so I prepared a feast of scones, fresh fruit and my latest addiction - Liberté Méditerranée yogurt. This is one of my favourite recipes for scones. It is not traditional, but is certainly tasty; I found it about 10 years ago (yikes, that makes me feel old!) on the back of a box of Alpen No Sugar Added cereal. This time I made them small as I wanted to have them as a side with breakfast rather than alone, and because I ran out of raisins I used 1/8 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/8 cup finely chopped apple.
Muesli Scones: 
1 cup Alpen cereal
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
13 cup margarine
1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in the margarine until it resembles breadcrumbs. Beat the egg into the milk, then stir it into the mixture until just combined. Knead the dough about 10 times on a floured surface, then press in a circle to a 2cm (3/4") thickness. Cut into wedges and bake at 350F/180C for 15 minutes until golden. This makes 8 large scones, or 12+ small round scones. 
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Holiday Breakfast
This is what breakfast looks like here. We picked it off the tree and then served it up for breakfast. Yup, that's it - I'm on vacation!
