Breakfast |

Irish Soda Bread

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Kaitlin

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! One of my favorite memories growing up was my mom making Irish Soda bread during March. It is a fairly straightforward bread and is really quite easy. The bread uses baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast as its leavening agent. Irish Soda Bread is also made with buttermilk that reacts with the baking soda to make it rise. Soda bread is a mostly savory bread, but it usually has some kind of dried fruit in it (raisins, currants, etc) that add a bit of sweetness. My mom’s version has caraway seeds in it that add a little bit of an anise flavor to it (caraway seeds are typically found in rye bread) and I just love it. I wanted to make this with currants but couldn’t find any, so I used raisins. Feel free to substitute golden raisins or currants. Ingredients: 3 cups coarse wholemeal flour 1 cup all purpose flour 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons caraway seeds 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit 2 cups buttermilk, or more if needed

Huevos Rancheros Tacos

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Kaitlin

There is something so fun about having breakfast for dinner. Not only is it an easy way to whip up a meal with things you probably already have on hand, but it is so nice to have something so familiar and yet out of the ordinary. Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth (of Love and Olive Oil) have compiled a cookbook filled with breakfast treats with a spin, making them perfect for dinner. The cookbook, Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Fritatta Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers, and More! is plain drool-worthy. The photos are fantastic and each recipe sounds better than the last! It has a little bit of everything in its pages, including main dishes, appetizers, and desserts. Each recipe has an inventive twist on a traditional breakfast dish, which made it so difficult to decide which recipe to try first! When I asked my boyfriend to help choose, he responded, “Mmm… can’t we just make every one of them?” We were finally able to decide on the Huevos Rancheros Tacos because we are big taco fans (I have 7 listed on this blog as of this post) and I loved the idea of turning Huevos Rancheros into delicious dinner! … Continue reading →

Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Kaitlin

I know, I know. You probably read the title and thought to yourself there is no way quinoa can be a tasty breakfast. But hear me out. Quinoa, although a great grain to use as a dinner side, can also hold its own as a sweeter breakfast meal. I actually originally made this recipe so that vegan friends who were visiting for the weekend had a breakfast option. (Vegans have a tough time when it comes to breakfast! Oatmeal, quinoa, fruit. I think that’s about it…) Anyways, I wasn’t expecting much. But it was so tasty I made a batch for my breakfasts all week. That’s right, it even reheats nicely! I found this recipe on Budget Bytes and made some minor changes. Check out her original recipe here. Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa 1 1/2 cups apple cider 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1 medium apple (I used Fuji) 1/2 cup dried fruit/nut mixture

Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Kaitlin

I love recipes that make it easy to serve a bunch of people with minimal effort. A slow cooker is usually a go-to for those types of recipes but I’ve never considered using it to make breakfast before. The Ninja Cooking System is the perfect tool for it though. They sent over this recipe for an Apple French Toast Casserole and I couldn’t wait for the weekend to come so I could make it. This recipe makes 8 servings so it would be great for breakfast for a larger group but I also packed up the rest of my servings to reheat during the week. Ingredients: ½ cup butter 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup pure maple syrup 1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes 6 large eggs 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Pinch salt Confectioners’ sugar

Mini Cranberry-Vanilla Coffee Cakes

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Kaitlin

What is it about tiny treats that make the food taste better? I love perfectly portioned food so I was excited to be sent Petite Treats: Mini Versions of Your Favorite Baked Delights. The cookbook has recipes for mini donuts, muffins, scones, pies, and bundt cakes. The recipes sound absolutely delicious but to make most of the treats, you’ll need quite a bit of hardware: mini bunt cake pans, mini donut pans, mini scone pans, mini cupcake pans, etc. There are a few recipes that use a normal muffin pan that sounded really appealing, including mini cakes, but I decided to make the mini coffee cakes so I could have breakfast all week. Ingredients: 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 1 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup fresh cranberries (I used frozen cranberries, thawed) 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter,at room temperature, divided 2 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Mini Orange & Cardamom Muffins

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Kaitlin

This weekend, I am co-hosting a Tiny Food Party with Bridges, Burgers & Beer, another Philly food blogger, using recipes from Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park’s cookbook: Tiny Food Party. A bunch of the recipes we are making use mini muffin tins. I wanted to try out my new min muffin tins at least once before making food for the party, so I found this recipe for Mini Orange & Cardamom Muffins from a book I received last year and have used once before for a recipe (see it here) called 1 Mix, 100 Muffins. The flavors of these muffins sounded absolutely delicious. It was a lot of prep though: you have to juice and zest the oranges for the recipe. It’s well worth it, the citrus-y flavor is perfect with the cardamom seeds. Ingredients: (makes 48 mini muffins) 2 oranges 1/2 cup milk (maybe less) 6 whole green cardamom pods 2 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 large eggs 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled Begin by melting the butter over medium-low heat. Allow to cool. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the mini muffin pans with paper … Continue reading →

Biscuits and Gravy

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Kaitlin

To my readers who come to my page looking for quick and health(ier) cooking options, I apologize for this post. I am making Biscuits and Gravy, and I can’t even pretend that there are any health benefits to this, except perhaps a feeling of pure joy as you consume it. Healthy readers, maybe we can pretend that this recipe for a Southern favorite never happened? For the rest of my readers, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Because I sure did, it was fantastic. So why the sudden move into southern cooking? Biscuits, of course! I was sent a few boxes of Robinhood Meetinghouse‘s frozen biscuits, including their original Cream Cheese Biscuit. The Maine-based biscuiteers (yes, I just really wanted to write the word biscuiteer) also make pull apart cinnamon bread, sticky buns, and mini pies. The company’s products contain no artificial flavors, colors, corn syrup, or genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). And the best part? The frozen biscuits are ready in the oven in only 25 minutes time. There are plenty of ways to use their original biscuits, but a friend mentioned one of her favorite recipes from the South, Biscuits and Gravy, and I had to try … Continue reading →

Open-Faced Sandwiches with Mushrooms and Fried Eggs

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Kaitlin

Brunch appeals to my indecisive side: I love not having to choose between breakfast or lunch. Philadelphia is a huge brunch town so almost every weekend I have the opportunity to have an awesome brunch at a local coffee shop or restaurant. This weekend, I decided to stay home for brunch and try out this delicious sounding recipe from Cooking Light. The recipe includes mushrooms, a fried egg, tomatoes, and pesto … did they make this recipe especially for me?! Ingredients (this makes 4 servings): 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (I used basil olive oil) 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, divided 3 portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 8 teaspoons refrigerated pesto (or fresh, check out my recipe here) 4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices Italian bread 2 ounces grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/2 cup) 4 large eggs 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices beefsteak tomato 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil The wonderful people at Nudo sent me a new product on their site: the Squadra Italiana Set which includes cold press olive oil, olive oil with Sicilian chillies, and a free tin of extra virgin olive oil stone ground … Continue reading →

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough-Filled Crepes with Bananas

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Kaitlin

Food is just as much about the joy of the process as it is about enjoying eating the dish. So when I was sent The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook, I was excited to be more whimsical than I usually am when cooking. The cookbook is filled with recipes that incorporate an egg-less cookie dough, which means it is safe to eat it raw. Recipes range from breakfast foods to desserts. The photos are stunning as well, I had a tough time choosing a recipe! What I really love about this cookbook though is that it allows your creativity to wander. The recipes listed are probably fantastic as is, but can also work as a base for whatever you want to change. The cookbook is also filled with really helpful tips to successfully complete the recipes inside. I was also asked if I wanted to take part in the Cookie Dough-lympics. Now who in their cookie dough loving mind is going to turn down a chance to be in the Cookie Dough-lympics? The competition is a month long, where me and other food bloggers have adapted recipes within this lovely cookbook. I’m the last (and hopefully not the least) blogger … Continue reading →

Egg BLT with Avocado

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Kaitlin

When I came across this recipe, my first thought was “why don’t people make Egg BLTs more often”? Why is this not a common brunch menu choice? Egg sounds like a logical upgrade to a traditional BLT. The addition of avocado to this just takes it over the top. I found this recipe on myrecipes.com and switched it around a bit, but the general idea is the same. Ingredients (makes two servings): 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes 1/2 avocado, diced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, divided 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons mayonnaise 2 pieces of ciabatta bread (or 2 ciabatta rolls) 1 cup firmly packed arugula 4 thick bacon slices, cooked I bought one of those “bake at home” ciabatta breads that you pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. I thought some “freshly baked” bread would be nice with this dish. You can use whatever bread you happen to find if ciabatta is not available. Cook the bacon according to package directions. Transfer to a paper towel to drain excess fat. Combine the tomatoes, avocado, basil, garlic, olive … Continue reading →