Lately I've been experimenting with sourdough. I had fun with it for a while, making all sorts of different things and busily researching new ideas to try when I had more time. I have yet to try the sourdough cracker recipe I found, but I do have a new favorite pancake recipe.
I didn't record the method for making my sourdough starter. I just followed the directions on a website I found, and after about a week, I had a lively starter. There are many available - and most are much better at posting pictures than I am. But once you have your starter, you can try this recipe.
Sourdough Pancakes
The night before:
1/2 cup starter
1/2 cup each milk and water
1 1/2 cup flour
Mix together, cover loosly and leave out overnight. I put a plate over the top of my mixing bowl and set it in the oven with the light on.
In the morning, add:
2 eggs, beaten
2 t sugar
2 T melted butter
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
Stir well, and then cook as you would any other pancakes.
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Hot Chocolate
For the most part, my hot drink of choice is tea; strong, plain tea, with milk. There are times, though, when I want something more substantial. Sweeter. And chocolate. On these occasions I usually heat a cup of milk with a spoonful each of cocoa and sugar and am perfectly happy with it. But in the depths of winter I like the added warmth and creaminess of a mug of chocolate made with ganache. I often make a batch to give away as gifts, and always make sure to save some for us.
Hot Chocolate
For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (your favorite variety)
Heat the cream just to boiling. Add the chocolate and stir until it is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Cool. You can store it like this in the refridgerator and scoop it out as needed, but I always make mine into individual portions to store in the freezer or to package for gifts. When it is cool enough to handle, but will hold its shape, use a spoon or small scoop to form individual balls of about 2 tablespoons each. Wrap the chocolates individually and store in an airtight container in the freezer.
To make hot chocolate, use one ball of chocolate per 6-8 ounces of milk. Heat on the stove, stiring occasionally until the mixture is hot and the chocolate is completely melted.
Hot Chocolate
For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (your favorite variety)
Heat the cream just to boiling. Add the chocolate and stir until it is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Cool. You can store it like this in the refridgerator and scoop it out as needed, but I always make mine into individual portions to store in the freezer or to package for gifts. When it is cool enough to handle, but will hold its shape, use a spoon or small scoop to form individual balls of about 2 tablespoons each. Wrap the chocolates individually and store in an airtight container in the freezer.
To make hot chocolate, use one ball of chocolate per 6-8 ounces of milk. Heat on the stove, stiring occasionally until the mixture is hot and the chocolate is completely melted.
Crepes
We've been on a bit of a crepe-fest around here. I'm not sure what prompted it, but possibly it was just that I found a recipe that was simple and never failed. It's so good, in fact, that the teenager in the house used the recipe to make a 20 layer crepe cake for a French class assignment with no help from me.
Our usual fillings are much less grand. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar is the most frequent, with Nutella and strawberries a close second, although recently we combined the two with lemon curd and strawberries.
The original recipe came from Paper and Ink. The only alteration we make is to reduce the amount of sugar and vanilla. Maybe it's my vanilla, but I felt it was too strong, and with so many of our fillings being very sweet, having the crepes a little less sweet gave a better balance. I leave both vanilla and sugar out for savory crepes
Basic Crepes
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 T sugar
1 1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 T melted butter
Sift together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs. Gradually whisk the milk/egg mixture into the dry ingredients blending thoroughly to eliminate lumps. Whisk in the melted butter. If possible, allow the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet to medium. Lightly coat it with butter. About 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the underside is golden brown - about 2 minutes. Loosen the edge with a spatula, flip the crepe and cook another minute. Repeat until the batter is used up, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Our usual fillings are much less grand. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar is the most frequent, with Nutella and strawberries a close second, although recently we combined the two with lemon curd and strawberries.
The original recipe came from Paper and Ink. The only alteration we make is to reduce the amount of sugar and vanilla. Maybe it's my vanilla, but I felt it was too strong, and with so many of our fillings being very sweet, having the crepes a little less sweet gave a better balance. I leave both vanilla and sugar out for savory crepes
Basic Crepes
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 T sugar
1 1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 T melted butter
Sift together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs. Gradually whisk the milk/egg mixture into the dry ingredients blending thoroughly to eliminate lumps. Whisk in the melted butter. If possible, allow the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet to medium. Lightly coat it with butter. About 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the underside is golden brown - about 2 minutes. Loosen the edge with a spatula, flip the crepe and cook another minute. Repeat until the batter is used up, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Frittata-To-Go
Like most families I know, weekday mornings in our house are rushed and breakfast is often a haphazard affair - if it happens at all. Often it's eaten at work, or for the passengers in the family, on the go. I'm not crazy about the lack of 'family time' in the morning and maybe we'll figure out how to get it back someday, but for now I'm just trying to figure out how to get better food in my family to start their day.
One idea I've been kicking around for a while was an egg-based option other than the usual hard boiled eggs. This week I happened to have time on my hands, a spare chorizo and a bit of Monterey cheese, so I decided to give it a go. Just to mix things up, while I was at it I made a smaller batch with swiss cheese and asparagus.
I baked them two different ways to see which I preferred: in large silicon muffin cups and in small mason jars. Mason jars will likely win when it comes to ease of transport, but they were a bit small for the men in my family. On the other hand, the silicon muffin cups could be filled with different amounts of mixture to suit larger or smaller appetites. I also liked the way they popped cleanly out of the silicon muffin cups, and being glass-free they will be better suited for packing in The Kid's lunchbox.
Obviously, these will be a great way to use up leftover bits of meat, vegetables and cheese. The recipe can be changed to suit any ingredients you have on hand and should be enough to fill six large muffin cups.
Frittata-To-Go
6 eggs
1 potato, shredded, rinsed and well drained
1 cup grated cheese - cheddar, swiss, jack, pepper jack - whatever you have on hand
1 cup chopped meat or vegetables - or a mixture of both
1/4 cup water or cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 teaspoon pepper
optional: herbs, spices or other additions that work well with your chosen ingredients
Beat the eggs with the cream, salt, pepper and herbs. Divide the meat and vegetables between the muffin cups. Pour on the egg mixture, filling no more than 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool slightly. As they cool, they will shrink and pop out easily.
One idea I've been kicking around for a while was an egg-based option other than the usual hard boiled eggs. This week I happened to have time on my hands, a spare chorizo and a bit of Monterey cheese, so I decided to give it a go. Just to mix things up, while I was at it I made a smaller batch with swiss cheese and asparagus.
I baked them two different ways to see which I preferred: in large silicon muffin cups and in small mason jars. Mason jars will likely win when it comes to ease of transport, but they were a bit small for the men in my family. On the other hand, the silicon muffin cups could be filled with different amounts of mixture to suit larger or smaller appetites. I also liked the way they popped cleanly out of the silicon muffin cups, and being glass-free they will be better suited for packing in The Kid's lunchbox.
Obviously, these will be a great way to use up leftover bits of meat, vegetables and cheese. The recipe can be changed to suit any ingredients you have on hand and should be enough to fill six large muffin cups.
Frittata-To-Go
6 eggs
1 potato, shredded, rinsed and well drained
1 cup grated cheese - cheddar, swiss, jack, pepper jack - whatever you have on hand
1 cup chopped meat or vegetables - or a mixture of both
1/4 cup water or cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 teaspoon pepper
optional: herbs, spices or other additions that work well with your chosen ingredients
Beat the eggs with the cream, salt, pepper and herbs. Divide the meat and vegetables between the muffin cups. Pour on the egg mixture, filling no more than 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool slightly. As they cool, they will shrink and pop out easily.
Breakfast Casserole
I first had this casserole at a Christmas Party at my son's school. Instead of the usual afternoon parties, they have a big breakfast party and invite the family. A few families brought variations on this casserole, but this one was my favorite. I've since made it for visiting family and it's always been popular.
I usually use freshly shredded potatoes, though I have bought frozen hash browns when I've been crunched for time. The original recipe didn't call for baking the potato 'crust' separately, but I found I like the potatoes to be a bit crunchy.
This recipe is for a 9 x 13 inch pan, which is quite large for just us, but it keeps and reheats well, so is nice to have for quick breakfasts on busy mornings, which will again be the theme around here in a few days. It can also be halved easily. I also think it lends itself well to variation. One option I plan to try is use jack cheese instead of cheddar, and add green chili.
Sausage and Egg Casserole
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Scrambled Eggs
The most recent example was how to make better scrambled eggs. I thought I made good scrambled eggs before - fluffy, souffle like eggs cooked in butter and coconut oil, but now that I've had these, I almost never want to eat eggs any other way again.
I don't usually show step by step instructions, but with these eggs, it's the method that matters.
First step: Throw some butter into a pan and let it get all foamy. I didn't measure mine, but it seems like a bit less than a tablespoon.
Into that golden lake of bubbly, melted buttery goodness, crack two eggs, sprinkle with salt and add a good glug of cream. About a tablespoon or so.
When the eggs are set and nearly cooked, add some more butter and a bit more cream. Yes, really.
Breakfast 'Pizza'
This morning I wanted to make something a bit different for breakfast. We had some good Italian sausage left over from our pizza making the day before, along with fresh mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and some other pizza toppings. I've got dough in the refrigerator, so I could have made more pizza, but we've been eating a lot of bread lately and I wanted to rein it in a bit.
I considered making sausage and cheese omelets, but decided that was a bit too ordinary, and I hoped the pizza look would appeal to the youngest member of the family. The result was definitely not ordinary and, as predicted, was popular with the younger, 'not-so-sure-about-eggs' family member who is now looking forward to trying it again - with pepperoni.
Breakfast Pizza
Ingredients:
pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, peppers, spinach - your choice.
grated cheese
eggs
butter
herbs, salt, pepper or other seasonings
Preheat broiler. Prepare the toppings and set aside. Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble with a whisk or fork until uniform yellow color. I used a small pan and two eggs per person. Season as desired.
Melt butter in a shallow, oven safe pan over med-low heat. When butter is foamy, add eggs and swirl to coat bottom evenly. Sprinkle egg mixture with pizza toppings. Top with cheese.
When the eggs are cooked on the bottom, place pan under broiler for a few minutes, watching carefully, until eggs are cooked on top and cheese is melted.
Granola
We don't eat cold cereal since for the most part, it's expensive, highly processed and pretty much useless in the nutrition department. Some days, though, you just want something quick and crunchy in the morning - or to top your yogurt with. On those occasions, this granola is just the thing. It's soaked, so it's even more nutritious and easier on the digestion.
This recipe is just a basic starting place. You may need a smaller/larger amount, or prefer another combination of spices. I like for the granola itself to be more background for the toppings, so you may need more spice/sweetener in yours.
Soaked Granola
* 8 c. rolled oats
* 2 cups nuts, sunflower seeds or a combination
* 1/2 c melted butter
* 1/2 c. melted coconut oil.
* 1 1/2 c. yogurt
* 2 cup water
* 3/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
* 1 tsp. sea salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, mix oats, butter, oil, yogurt and water. Add oats and sunflower seeds and/or nuts. Cover and let sit out for at least 24 hours. If it's cold in my kitchen, I usually put mine in the oven with the light on.
When the soaking time is up, mix the remaining ingredients with the oat mixture. Spread evenly on dehydrator sheets or on two large cookie sheets oiled with coconut oil. Bake either in the oven at the lowest temperature or in the dehydrator until it is dry and crispy. In my dehydrator it takes about 12 hours. Check every so often, breaking apart large pieces as it cooks.
When it is crispy, and has cooled, break into smaller pieces and store. I keep mine in large mason jars and using those to refill a smaller, easier to handle container.
To serve, I have a little 'granola bar' with an assortment of chopped nuts, dried fruits, flaked coconut, grated chocolate and of course, yogurt or whole milk, so that my family can have whatever flavor combination sounds good to them at the time.
This recipe is just a basic starting place. You may need a smaller/larger amount, or prefer another combination of spices. I like for the granola itself to be more background for the toppings, so you may need more spice/sweetener in yours.
Soaked Granola
* 8 c. rolled oats
* 2 cups nuts, sunflower seeds or a combination
* 1/2 c melted butter
* 1/2 c. melted coconut oil.
* 1 1/2 c. yogurt
* 2 cup water
* 3/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
* 1 tsp. sea salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, mix oats, butter, oil, yogurt and water. Add oats and sunflower seeds and/or nuts. Cover and let sit out for at least 24 hours. If it's cold in my kitchen, I usually put mine in the oven with the light on.
When the soaking time is up, mix the remaining ingredients with the oat mixture. Spread evenly on dehydrator sheets or on two large cookie sheets oiled with coconut oil. Bake either in the oven at the lowest temperature or in the dehydrator until it is dry and crispy. In my dehydrator it takes about 12 hours. Check every so often, breaking apart large pieces as it cooks.
When it is crispy, and has cooled, break into smaller pieces and store. I keep mine in large mason jars and using those to refill a smaller, easier to handle container.
To serve, I have a little 'granola bar' with an assortment of chopped nuts, dried fruits, flaked coconut, grated chocolate and of course, yogurt or whole milk, so that my family can have whatever flavor combination sounds good to them at the time.
Baked Oatmeal
For years I saw on blogs and boards references to 'Baked Oatmeal' for breakfast. Although everyone who mentioned it gushed about how great it was, it didn't sound like anything I wanted to try. I'm not sure what finally convinced me to try it, but eventually I did and I'll bet you already know what I'm going to say next. Yep, everyone loved it. Even the ones who don't like oatmeal.
It's been a long time since I last made it. It didn't really appeal to me that much during the summer, but that may just be me. Now that the mornings are getting rather - ahem- 'crisp', it once again sounds like a great way to start the day.
It's tough to come up with an actual recipe, since I tend to throw in what I have around the kitchen and what sounds good at the time. Today's version went something like this:
Last night I mixed and set out overnight:
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats
Tablespoon yogurt
warm water
I like the texture and chewiness of steel cut oats. I don't know if it works as well with rolled oats since I've never tried it. If someone has maybe they could comment on it. Either way, oats are more nutritious when soaked overnight.
This morning I drained the oats and added:
dash salt
1 egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup (you could use honey)
chopped apple, walnuts, cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg and a chunk of grass-fed butter.
I baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes and served with more butter and fresh cream.
Next time, instead of apple and walnut, I'm thinking dried cranberries and macadamia nuts. On the other hand, I did just buy a bunch of persimmons...
Let me know what flavor combinations you come up with.
It's been a long time since I last made it. It didn't really appeal to me that much during the summer, but that may just be me. Now that the mornings are getting rather - ahem- 'crisp', it once again sounds like a great way to start the day.
It's tough to come up with an actual recipe, since I tend to throw in what I have around the kitchen and what sounds good at the time. Today's version went something like this:
Last night I mixed and set out overnight:
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats
Tablespoon yogurt
warm water
I like the texture and chewiness of steel cut oats. I don't know if it works as well with rolled oats since I've never tried it. If someone has maybe they could comment on it. Either way, oats are more nutritious when soaked overnight.
This morning I drained the oats and added:
dash salt
1 egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup (you could use honey)
chopped apple, walnuts, cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg and a chunk of grass-fed butter.
I baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes and served with more butter and fresh cream.
Next time, instead of apple and walnut, I'm thinking dried cranberries and macadamia nuts. On the other hand, I did just buy a bunch of persimmons...
Let me know what flavor combinations you come up with.
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