morning muffins

well, it looks like baking has been a bit of an obsession lately in our house. i guess the warmth of the oven and the smell of fresh baked goods in the morning can be a little addictive. we love berries, and blueberries seemed a fit for these light tasty little treats. these muffins are filled with streusel for a melt in your mouth fluffiness. recently we have been taking the gourmet coffee tour of the city at home, trying to find a favorite, although i think they all taste so good i don't think we will ever pick just one. we have gone through bags of stumptown, counter culture, and now ninth street espresso. between the aromas coming from the oven and the coffee pot, our house smells like morning all through the day.

Blueberry Muffins

makes 1 dozen

for streusel:

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/8 cup oats

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs unsalted butter, melted

for muffins:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4 tbs butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 small lemon

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 12 cup muffin tin. in a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients and set aside. in a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder salt and sugar. in a medium bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, milk, cooled butter, vanilla and lemon zest. pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. fold in blueberries until evenly distributed. fill each cup halfway full, then top with 1/2 tbs of streusel and cover with remaining batter filling each cup to the top. bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. enjoy!

french toast

things have been so busy! we missed posting on our year blog anniversary - can't believe how quickly a year of posting went by and we really love all the new friends we've made. also want to wish the "pictures" of pictures & pancakes a happy belated birthday - we had a wonderful new york day wandering the city, enjoying a cup of Stumptown coffee at the new Ace Hotel, a lovely dinner here and cocktails here.

other than that, we've been on a little french toast kick . . . does two sunday mornings in a row qualify as a kick? i think so. there are some amazing bakeries in this city and i actually just worked on a bread cookbook (details to come) with two amazing women - photographer susie cushner and stylist randi brookman harris. baked my buns off (hee hee) for 5 days straight but fell in love with carbs again. french toast is such a quick easy treat - change the recipe to make it your own with different breads, spices and sauces and let me know what your new favorite combination is! we used this blueberry sauce which is also great on pancakes. enjoy!

Brioche French Toast

serves 2

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 slices brioche loaf, 3/4-inch thick

confectioner's sugar & butter for garnish

in a baking dish, combine eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon and salt. place 2 slices of brioche in mixture and let sit for 2 minutes or until bread soaks up some of the liquid but is not soggy. turn over and heat a griddle over medium high heat. cook each slice for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. repeat with remaining slices. serve with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar, softened butter and blueberry sauce.

breakfast of champions

did anyone happen to read this article on sunday? it reminded me that i still had half a bag of anasazi beans in the cupboard leftover from this recipe. chilaquiles is basically soggy tortilla chips - so the first time a friend said we absolutely had to have them at la super rica, julia child's favorite taqueria, we didn't jump at the offer. but after the first spicy, soggy, crispy, sweet mouthful, we were hooked. there are loads of recipes out there and they all add a little something different - eggs, beans, shredded chicken, salsa verde, etc. here's the recipe we made for breakfast this morning and can't stop talking about!

Breakfast Chilaquiles

serves 2

1/3 cup olive oil

5 corn tortillas, each cut into 8 triangles

1 cup homemade or store bought salsa (more liquid, less chunks works best)

3/4 cup drained, cooked beans such as anasazi

2 green onions, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

avocado, sour cream & fresh cilantro for garnish

in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. fry the tortillas, turning constantly with tongs, until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. carefully add salsa - it will splatter and bubble. cook for 2 minutes, turning constantly, until tortillas soak up most of the salsa. add beans, stir to combine and keep warm on low heat. in a small skillet, cook green onion over medium high heat for 1 minute until wilted. add eggs and scramble, stirring constantly. stir in cheese about 30 seconds before eggs are finished cooking. to serve, divide tortilla bean mixture between two plates. top with scrambled eggs and garnish with diced avocado, sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro. enjoy! 

simple pleasures

a bowl of granola for breakfast is one of life's simple pleasures. it's one of those things that seems to cost way too much at the market and then you remember just how easy it is to make at home. making it also allows you to clean out your pantry of the various fruit and nut bags that are slowly taking over. as with many of our recipes, feel free to use a combination of whatever you have on hand or whatever flavors you like best. but don't leave out the pepitas! they are roasted & salted pumpkin seeds and are a beautiful green color - they add a delicious sweet & salty element to this granola. whether you like a big bowl filled with milk or a little granola with yogurt and honey, we hope you enjoy some soon.

Granola with Pepitas & Dried Fruit

1 cup whole raw almonds

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cups salted & roasted pepitas

1 cup dried figs, chopped

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

preheat oven to 375 degrees F. roast almonds on a sheet pan for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and lightly colored. let cool, coarsely chop and set aside. reduce oven to 300 degrees F. on a sheet pan, toss oats with honey and oil and spread into a thin layer. bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden, stirring halfway during baking. let cool slightly. in a large bowl, combine chopped almonds, toasted oats and remaining ingredients. store at room temperature in an airtight container.

we're fifty!

well, we're not literally fifty. today is our fiftieth post on pictures & pancakes so we thought it was high time we share a delicious recipe for pancakes. most times i believe that simple is better and when it comes to pancakes, nothing beats good ol' fashioned buttermilk. you can get crazy with the toppings but leave the pancakes alone. everyone likes them a particular way - i'm a blueberry girl and andrew is a banana pancake guy. i also like to add a little lemon zest to the batter if i'm making the blueberry version. one more tip - do not over mix the batter! it'll be a little lumpy but that's okay.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/3 cup flour

3 tbs sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 tbs vanilla

in a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. in a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla. add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

heat griddle over medium high heat and grease. pour 1/4 cup of batter over heat and cook until bubbly around the edges. flip and cook until brown.

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 cups blueberries

in a small saucepan, combine maple syrup and 1 cup blueberries. bring to a boil and simmer until blueberries release their juices. remove from heat and stir in remaining blueberries.

Caramelized Bananas

4 tbs unsalted butter

4 tbs brown sugar

2 bananas, sliced

in a small saucepan, melt butter and add brown sugar. swirl to combine and carefully add sliced bananas in a single layer. cook over medium high heat until they begin to brown on each side. serve over pancakes with maple syrup.

eggs & bacon

shirred eggs can be one of those little simple treats that can warm the start of your day. and who doesn't love adding a little heavy cream to anything?  the idea for this recipe came from the wonderful baked eggs we had at a new friends house in brooklyn last week.  their twist was some amazing truffle oil added at the end.  ours happens to be the idea of the more bacon the better...

Shirred Eggs

4 strips bacon, cooked

4 eggs

salt & pepper

1/4 cup fontina

1 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs chopped chives

2 tsp heavy cream

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  grease 2 ramekins and place on a sheet pan. crumble 2 slices of bacon into each ramekin, covering the bottom completely. break two eggs into each ramekin and season with salt and pepper. bake for 10 mins.  top each with fontina, herbs and cream. return to the oven 7-10 mins, until whites are set but yellow is still a bit runny.  serve with toast. indulge!

huevos

mexican food is one of those cuisines we can't eat too often - breakfast, lunch or dinner! and we probably take for granted that we live in a town with fantastic authentic mexican food all around us. here's our take on huevos rancheros - it uses a roasted tomatillo sauce instead of pico de gallo or a tomato based salsa. it's nice and mild so add a little heat with your favorite mexican hot sauce or up the amount of jalepeno.

Huevos Rancheros Verde

3 cloves garlic

2 onions, cut into chunks

1 jalepeno, seeded & roughly chopped

2 pasilla chilies, seeded & roughly chopped

14 tomatillos, husk removed & quartered

3 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

3 limes, juiced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 tbs white wine vinegar

4 small corn tortillas, warmed

1 can black beans

4 large eggs

1/2 cup queso fresco

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. on a sheet pan, toss garlic, onions, jalepeno, pasillas, and tomatillos with olive oil and salt. roast 25-30 minutes, until soft and slightly brown on the edges. let cool slightly and blend with lime juice, chicken stock, a handful of cilantro, and vinegar. season with salt and pepper to taste. to serve, place a warm tortilla on a plate. spoon tomatillo sauce on tortilla, sprinkle with black beans, top with a sunny-side up egg and garnish with queso fresco and chopped cilantro. the recipe makes more tomatillo salsa than needed for 4 servings but keeps well in the refrigerator and is good on almost everything!

jam

here's the last installment of homemade gifts for this holiday season. as you can see, we've been enjoying this berry vanilla jam and our first ever attempt at preserving. it was so much fun to boil the jars and then listen intently for the popping noise they make when they seal. we knew we were successful the next day when we checked the seals on all the jars and then opened one right away to taste! when i make small batches of this jam and don't preserve it, i eliminate the pectin - i think it thickens nicely with just the fruit and sugar. we're already enjoying the holidays with family and friends and will try to blog occasionally over the next few weeks from our travels. merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

Berry Vanilla Jam

makes eight 8-oz jars

5 cups crushed mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries & blueberries)

1 vanilla bean, cut in half & scrapped

4 tbs lemon juice

1 pkg fruit pectin

7 cups sugar

Combine mixed berries, vanilla bean and lemon juice in a large, stainless steal saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat and stir in pectin until dissolved. Add sugar all at once, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute. Follow preserving instructions.

jars & ginger

this ginger cardamom scone recipe is adapted from Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery and is a great gift with all the dry ingredients layered in a large mason jar. the scones are delicious, buttery and loaded with chunks of candied ginger! i couldn't help myself and ate two with my espresso this morning. hope you like them as much as i do! also, check us out on Fish & Veggies today - Catherine loved my mom's chili so much she wanted to share it on her beautiful blog.

Ginger Cardamom Scones

2 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp ground cardamom

4 1/2 oz candied ginger, finely chopped

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, frozen

3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. in the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and ginger. pulse to combine. add cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine meal. transfer mixture to a bowl and make a well in the center. add the cream and stir with a fork until just combined. gently knead into a ball and roll or pat the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface about 3/4-inch thick. cut out the scones using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, gathering scraps and pressing the pieces back together until all the dough is used.

brush the tops with remaining cream and bake 14-18 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.

biscotti di noce

biscotti is one of the first things i remember learning how to bake. i grew up watching all the great PBS cooking shows with my mom on Sunday mornings with chefs like Martin Yan, Jeff Smith and Mary Ann Esposito. i have made this biscotti recipe from Mary Ann's Ciao Italia for years and years and years. i eventually changed things around to add chocolate, candied ginger, dried cranberries and loads of other additions but in the end this recipe is my go to for a simple breakfast or after dinner biscotti. it is the perfect addition to a great cup of coffee on a cold morning, afternoon or evening!

Orange Almond Biscotti

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 orange, zested

1 tbs vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. beat eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow. beat in butter, orange zest and vanilla. sift flour and baking soda into egg mixture and stir well. add almonds and cranberries and stir until combined but still sticky.

spread dough on greased sheet pan to a flat loaf about 13.5x7.5-inches and bake for 20-23 minutes until firm to the touch. remove, cool and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. return to the oven for 6-8 minutes per side.

design sponge

mmm,  crispy ham and cheese breakfast polenta! here's a fun new recipe we created for the wonderful people over at design sponge for their weekly post "in the kitchen with." for the complete recipe and more photos look here. thanks to grace and all the people at design sponge for their beautiful blog filled with great design and daily inspirations!