Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

English Muffins

Have you ever thought about making English Muffins from scratch?  If not, maybe you should!  They are surprisingly easy and lots of fun to make.  You might not know this, but English Muffins are baked on a griddle rather than in the oven. . . helping to contribute to a quickly made breakfast treat.

I had never considered making them before. Those of you who have read along for awhile know that I am afraid of yeast. I don't know why because I generally have success with anything I make using yeast but the fear is there. I blame my uber-yeast-phobic mother.

However, a few weeks ago there was a wave of recipes on food blogs for English muffins. Everyone blathered on about how easy they were. Then came the day that Paul was craving English muffins for breakfast yet I had none and couldn't be bothered to dash off to the store.

What to do?

Take the plunge!

I'm glad that I did. This recipe is easy to follow and the results are delicious. The muffins aren't as full of nooks and crannies as commercial English muffins (made with baking powder or soda) but the flavour is brilliant. This more than makes up for a fewer nooks and crannies in my book.

If you feel like avoiding the store this weekend - give these a shot!

English Muffins

1/3 cup water, warm (110F)
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup non-fat milk, slightly warm (100-110F)
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar and yeast and let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 40 minutes.

Heat a griddle/nonstick frying pan over medium/medium-high heat (water dropped on the griddle evaporates very quickly). Lightly grease with cooking spray.

Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto greased surface and cook until medium brown on the bottom. The top with look set and the sides will appear somewhat dry. The exact time depends on the temperature of your griddle and the size of your muffins, but expect this to take several minutes. Flip over and cook 2nd side until brown.

Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes or until completely cool.

When ready to serve, split muffins with a fork and toast.

Serve with butter, jam, peanut butter, etc.

Photo Hunt - Upside Down

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "upside down".  This pic needs no explanation . . . turning the bowl upside down to get every drop of milk!

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• Destination Anywhere

Bacon, Cheddar, Green Onion Scones

I found this recipe one night when I was searching the blogs. I was immediate struck with how delicious these would have to be - cheese, green onions,a nd bacon all wrapped up in a still-warm from theoven scone. AHHHHHH I finally got around to making them last week and I was not disappointed.

These are nice and light, but still filling without feeling too heavy. You don't get the sense that you're having dessert for breakfast the way you do with some scones and quick breads. The base for the scone is slightly different than that of previous scones I'd made, but still very light and buttery.

Enjoy!

Bacon, Cheddar, Green Onion Scones

adapted from The Pastry Queen

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick)chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 10 slices of bacon, diced and cooked; then drained of fat
• 3/4- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 400. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Combine on low speed. Gradually add the butter cubes as the mixer is still running, until the mixture is crumbly and studded with butter-flour bits (about the size of small peas). Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Add the bacon, green onions, and 3/4 cup of the butter milk. Mix by hand until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough will not hold together and is too dry, add buttermilk 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with each addition. Do this until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Do not overwork the dough, or the scones will not be light and tender.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a ball, and roll into an 8-inch circle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges for more substantial scones, or 10 wedges for smaller scones.

Combine the egg and water in a small bowl.

Place scones on an un greased baking sheet, and brush each scone with the egg wash. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Granola

The other day we had a breakfast crisis of sorts at home - we were out of granola! Yes, please don't flame me for being an insensitive boob - I am aware that as far as food related trauma goes that is minor - at least we had food! However, in our world it did create a wee wrinkle.

I asked my friend, and all-round brilliant cook Sandi, if she had a granola recipe and she sent me her favourite. I smiled at it because the granola isn't what one would call low-fat. Mind you, Sandi is from the south. Perhaps any area that gives us Paul Deen actually considers only using 1/2 cup of butter to be low-fat! LOL

When I commented on the amount of butter this was her response:

Oh... I thought you wanted GOOD Granola. This might be the recipe you want. healthy granola!

Any wonder why we love to spend a few days drinking wine on a patio with Sandi? She is a stitch.

So I sucked it up and made her favourite recipe. Of course you know what happened - it was brilliant. Yes, boys and girls, butter and sugar will make anything taste amazing!

I did make a few changes to her recipe - I added some additional fruit (1/4 cup dried wild blueberries and 1/4 cup dried cherries), and some additional nuts (1/4 cup pecans), and I also added some spice - chinese 5-spice powder and cinnamon. I know that the Piggly Wiggly might not cary that fancy spice but I like the layer of flavour it adds . . . I did NOT adjust the butter or sugar. *smile*

This is far better than the stuff I buy from the bakeshop for $ 9 a bag. We don't use much of it as you can see from the pic below . . . just a bit on some low-fat yoghurt and fruit - so I guess that butter doesn't really matter that much!

Enjoy!

 Nutty Granola

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or pistachios)
2 Tbs sesame seeds
2 Tbs flax seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Combine the nuts, sesame seeds, and flax seeds in a pan and lightly toast to bring out the flavor. Cover raisins and cranberries with orange juice and set aside. In a large sauce pan, melt butter sugar and syrup over low heat. Combine until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Stir in nuts and raisins with juice. Next, stir in oats and mix until well blended. Spread out onto a sil-pat or cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. When cooled, break into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Wild Blueberries

I posted awhile ago about how I went 'recession crazy' when I spied an incredible price on ricotta cheese when I was in the States. I didn't need it at all but the price was soooo good that I couldn't pass it up. Of course, why buy one container of a product you don't need in any way, shape, or form when you can buy 6?

Then I was stuck with a dilemma - the expiry date was coming close and I had no plans to use all of the stuff! This would become a crisis because I risked being soundly and thoroughly mocked by Paul if I had to toss any of it out because it went bad.

Honestly, there should be some sort of 12 step program for this 'recession craziness'.

To make matters worse, when I was shopping a few weeks ago I spied bags of Meyer lemons - a fruit we rarely see (if at all) here in Canada. Immediately I remembered the bag of Meyer lemons that Judy brought me (self-picked from her own tree) a few years ago when we were in California. I brought them home on the plane (I think that was illegal - eek) and made a few things with them - YUM I was officialy hooked on Meyer lemons!

When I saw them in the market a bag just 'jumped' into the cart.

So there I was, a bag of Meyer lemons needing to be used and a carton remaining of ricotta about to turn into a science experiment. What to do?

I visited my fine friend GOOGLE and found this recipe for pancakes made using ricotta cheese and the Meyer lemons. I modified the recipe by adding some dried wild blueberries I had purchased at Trader Joes (why oh why won't Trader Joes come to Canada?). When I served these to Paul you could hear the purring for miles. In fact, there were some leftovers and he insisted on having them for breakfast on Monday. This is high praise from one who will NEVER eat the same thing two days in a row (and folks think I have neuroses!)

The pancakes are more dense than the regular kind but the flavour - oh wow!

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Wild Blueberries
About 12 small pancakes

3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
Finely grated zest of 1 large Meyer lemon
1 cup homemade ricotta (store-bought works fine)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup dried wild blueberries
Jam and/or maple syrup, for serving

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, lemon zest, ricotta, blueberries, and flour.

 

In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, beat the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

 

Heat  an electric griddle, 2 non-stick or well-seasoned frying pans over medium heat. Add a bit of butter enough to coat the cooking surface.

 

Dollop heaping tablespoonfuls of the pancake batter into the pans, leaving a bit of space in between each pancake. You should be able to fit 3 or 4 pancakes into each pan, depending upon how large your pan is. NOTE - I had to spread the batter out a bit with a teaspoon as it is quite thick.

 

Cook for about 1 minute, until the bottom is golden brown. Carefully flip the pancake to brown the other side, and cook until the pancake is cooked throughout, another minute or so.

 

Serve at once on warm plates with jam or maple syrup.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Pancakes

I haven't been joining in with the fun at Weekend Herb Blogging for some time . . I've been cooking but there has been so much to post about I haven't had many things up that were suitable for WHB. Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event that brings bloggers from around the world together as they explore a plant of herb. The rules for WHB are here.

This recipe seemed to be a perfect fit for WHB.Lots of folks may have enjoyed Sweet Potatoes before but they aren't that common here in Canada. I've cooked them a few time but generally as a vegetable (they are great grilled , but that is another post). Here they are the predominant ingredient in a delicious pancake which makes makes this fit the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. Here's more about how to enter WHB if you'd like to participate.

Scroll down for more about sweet potatoes . . .

Today is Shrove Tuesday. I don't know what that means from a religious standpoint but I know what it means to me. All through my childhood it was pancakes for supper. Not just any pancakes but mom's super special pancakes with whipped cream, icing sugar, and maple syrup. Ahhhhhhhh  . . . . childhood memories.

Imagine my surprise when Paul was flipping through the newspaper yesterday and suddenly called out 'tomorrow is Pancake Tuesday - we forgot.'

ARGH . . . Forget, we did.

All day today I have been craving pancakes - I have learned to gine into such cravings - but I wanted to make something a little different. Tonight when Paul got home form work he practically begged for pancakes. He was happy when I told him I was a step ahead, having selected a recipe to try and already been to the store for the ingredients.

This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. I wish that I had read it more carefully so I could have followed it a bit better. Opps The final result was very good but not as great as I was expecting. Of course this means that I will have to make it again for a second opinion. The combination of the sweet potatoes, gentle spice, and crunchy pecans - all bathed with maple syrup was a great one. Now if only I hadn't messed up with the recipe . . .

Another great thing about these pancakes is that they only have 270 calories. You have to like that.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato-Pecan Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used half a---purpose and 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted and divided
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (16-ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams, drained and mashed (about 3/4 cup) NOTE - 1-16 oz can DRAINED and MASHED. I was a twit and used an entire 16 oz can of mashed sweet potatoes - likely enough for three recipes.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons pecans, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through eggs); add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in sweet potatoes.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Sprinkle pancakes with 2 tablespoons pecans.

About Sweet Potatoes . . .

Although sweet potatoes may be part of the Thanksgiving tradition, be sure to add these wonderful naturally sweet vegetables to your meals throughout the year; they are one of the most nutritious vegetables around. Sweet potatoes can be found in your local markets year-round, however they are in season in November and December.

The sweet potato has yellow or orange flesh, and its thin skin may either be white, yellow, orange, red or purple. Sometimes this root vegetable will be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times it will be longer with tapered ends. There is often much confusion between sweet potatoes and yams; the moist-fleshed, orange-colored root vegetable that is often called a "yam" is actually a sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. In one study, these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body's most impressive internally produced antioxidants. Although future studies are needed in this area, count on these root proteins to help explain sweet potatoes' healing properties

The sweet potato is also a strong performer in terms of traditional nutrients. This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

Mind you, the habit of many folks who cook them in a sweet casserole with brown sugar, a pound of butter, and marshmallows might counteract some fo the nutritional benefits! Step away from grandma's sweet potato casserole recipe folks . . . be healthy!

PhotoHunt - Breakfast

Have you voted in the photo contest?

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 344 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

Today's photohunt theme is breakfast. Breakfast is one of my favourite meals of the day but generally the one I devote the least time to as we race out the door for the office. I think it is because of that fact that I enjoy breakfast so much when I'm on vacation.

This shot is a breakfast at Baur B and B - the best B and B I have ever stayed at. The Baur B and B appears on many lists as one of the best (if not THE best) B and Bs in Italy. It is well located within Piemonte in the lovely town of Acqui Terme, allowing for interesting day trips and a wonderful spot to lay your head at night. The B and B is run by the talented Diana and her husband Micha - if you're planning a trip to the area you really should check it out 

Our daily breakfasts (AKA food for the entire day) were incredible! The food was fresh and creatively prepared by Diana in her huge new gourmet kitchen (formerly the barn). The eggs for the omelets were laid the day before - you can't get much fresher than that! She was excellent at asking what you were interested in and making sure that you got what you wanted - Paul mentioned that he loved cilantro and before you knew it an omelet made with cilantro was on the table!

Here we have cured meats, smoked salmon, cheese, tomatoes with aged balsamic, fresh fruit cut up with mint, freshly squeezed OJ, coffee, yogurt, granola, and a delicious tarte made with puff pastry, pears, and thyme. Then she whipped up the omelet! WOW

What a breakfast!

Lots of the slowtravel  community members also photohunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars

I mentioned yesterday that I was busy making treats for my department meeting today. These cereal bars are another favourite of my colleagues. It's funny how people always ask for the recipe - how hard is it to jazz up some rice krispie treats? There is a recipe however, and it originally came form Cooking LIght, so you know it is good!

Enjoy

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars

 

Cooking spray
1/2 cup raw green pumpkinseeds
1/4 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) package miniature marshmallows (about 5 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
2 cups corn flakes
1 cup dried cranberries

Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows; cook 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and salt. Stir in reserved seeds, cereal, and cranberries. Scrape mixture into prepared dish using a rubber spatula.

Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; press cereal mixture evenly into prepared dish. Cool completely. Cut into 16 bars.

Egg Muffins (from Kalyn's Kitchens)

I thought it appropriate to feature this recipe today. This weekend marks the third anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging, a food blogging event created by Kalyn of Kalyn's kitchens. She has done a tremendous job over the years of organizing WHB's round ups and ensuring that food bloggers had access to an incredible wealth of information about herbs, fruits, and vegetables.

Not only has she done a great job with WHB but she has developed her blog into a source of inspiration - particularly for those of us looking for low-fat or south beach friendly recipes. I've made a good number of her recipes over the years but have decided to feature this one as a tribute to her skill, dedication, and knowledge because it is our favourite!

This 'recipe' is more of a technique that results in a delicious breakfast treat - think a quiche without the crust and you can imagine what these babies taste like. It is one of those recipes that begs to be played 'with' by adding any combination of veggies, herbs, meats, and cheese - everything is optional. *smile*

Enjoy!

Egg Muffins (and NOT the McDonald's Kind!)

The only MUST HAVE ingredients are eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. The rest can be whatever combination of protein, cheese, and veggies that you wish to throw in.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray, and put them on a large cookie sheet to catch spills. This is where the 'recipe' becomes more of a 'technique'. Layer chopped meats, veggies, and herbs in the muffin tins. I started with smoked turkey breast, some chopped onion, some chives, marjoram, and steamed asparagus.

Add grated cheese on top of the veggies. I used grated low-fat swiss cheese. By now the muffin cup was almost 3/4 full.

Break some eggs into a bowl and beat with some low-fat milk, salt and pepper. I made 6 egg muffins and used 6 eggs, about 1/2 a cup of milk  . . salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the egg mixture on top of the layered cheese and veggies until the muffin cup is almost full.

Bake in the oven for about 25 - 35 minutes or until they are puffed up and golden brown.

As you can see from the pic above we served these with some fresh fruit and yogurt and a wedge of brown bread with walnuts and cranberries. YUM

The cooled egg muffins freeze well allowing for a quick and easy breakfast during the week.

Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Sunday mornings are generally the one day of the week where we enjoy a nice breakfast. The rest of the time we gulp down a bowl of cereal in 5 minutes and race off to catch the train into the city. We sit and enjoy a good meal, the paper, some music, and quality company.

We made these a few weeks back and were quite impressed with the flavour - such a difference from what you get from a boxed mix.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 /2 c buttermilk
1/4 c butter
1 cup diced fresh strawberries

In a medium sizee bowl combine the dry ingredients, stirring well.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla.  

Pour the liquid mixture into flour mixture. add the diced strawberries.

Gently mix until just combined - it is ok if there are still lumps of flours in the batter - like most quickbreads they will 'cook out'.

Spoon onto a hot griddle and cook the pancakes until the tops bubble, then flip.