The Most Important Meal of the Day

Cara, this post is dedicated to you, the true lover of breakfast.  When I do take time to make something for breakfast other than cereal or oatmeal, it's usually waffles.  Ryan and I got a waffle maker as a wedding gift, and I LOVE it.  It's just a simple waffle maker like the one found here.  

Now, it shouldn't come as a surprise when I tell you that the best recipe for waffles is the kind made from scratch as written by Mark Bittman in my favorite cookbook How To Cook Everything.  If I may, Bittman says the following about pancake batter, but I feel that the same applies to waffles:

     "Americans must have been sadly alienated from the kitchen for pancake mixes to ever have gained a foothold in the market, for these are ridiculously easy to make."  

Preach on Mark.

Anyway.  Here's the basic recipe.  I always like to add a little something special to the waffles.  Be it some multi-grain flour, fruit, or spice.

2 C all purpose flour 
     (I like to mix 1 C multi-grain or whole wheat flour for a heartier, more        flavorful waffle)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
     ( I like to use 1 T brown sugar instead)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
4 T (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla

suggested add-ins:  1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
thinly sliced bananas or apples added right before you close the waffle maker
chopped almonds, walnuts

melt the butter first so that it cools back down!
brush waffle iron lightly with oil and pre-heat it.
combine the dry ingredients.
mix together the milk and eggs.
stir in the butter and vanilla.
stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
if the mixture seems to think to pour, add a little more milk.

spread a ladelful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3-5 minutes, depending on your iron.  serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

topped with chopped almonds, real maple syrup and butter, of course. 

i like to eat my waffles in sections! 

Vegan Coconut Nog Recipe

We just had our first big snowstorm in Boston and I've spent the day in my kitchen trying out new recipes.

As the egg nog begins to disappear from the grocery stores, I'm still keen to hold on to this rich, winter treat.

Because real egg nog can be a bit overwhelming for the senses (as well as the stomach) with its cream and raw eggs, I've been fond of the dairy free So Delicious coconut nog I found at my supermarket. And today, I had a revelation: I can totally make that myself!

With a little taste testing, this is what I came up with for a dairy free, vegan and delicious homemade coconut nog.

Homemade Vegan Coconut Nog

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
2 Tbsp raw sugar
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground turmeric, optional (this gives the nog a mellow yellow color, without the egg yolks)

In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk until it is steamy, but not quite boiling. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.

Stir in almond milk, vanilla, nutmeg and turmeric.

Serve warm or chilled. Add rum if desired (try coconut flavored rum!), and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Happy New Year, Allison. It was so good to visit with you over the holidays! And eat food from your kitchen. xoxo Cara

Homemade Cranberry Almond Granola with DIY Yogurt

This is by far the best and easiest homemade granola recipe I have ever made. Its inspired by a recipe I came across a few years ago in Yankee Magazine.

The ingredients are simple enough that I almost always have them on hand in my pantry to bake up a batch of granola. Its great on its own, or with milk or yogurt. In fact, I've recently started making my own homemade yogurt! Its magical. I found a great yogurt tutorial online, I'll share that below as well.

Easy Homemade Granola
makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole, raw almonds
3/4 cup shredded coconut*
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 cup dried cranberries*

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut and sea salt. Add maple syrup and safflower oil and stir until all dry ingredients are evenly coated. Spread out on one large, or two small baking sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes for even browning.

Remove the baking sheets from oven and let cool completely. Scoop granola into large bowl. Add the cranberries and mix well. Store in well sealed bags or large mason jars. Lasts about two weeks.

*Watch out for coconut and dried cranberries which are sweetened with lots of sugar. Go for unsweetened coconut whenever possible. Look for cranberries which have been sweetened with fruit juice rather than sugar.

Homemade Yogurt

Now that you've made your own granola (it wasn't so hard!) it's time to try your hand at yogurt.

I've had the best luck with this homemade yogurt tutorial from The Kitchn. You'll need a big pot, a thermometer that hooks to the side of your pot, milk (so long as it is not ultra-pasteurized) and some yogurt to use as a starter. I always try to use whole, organic dairy products. 

Store bought yogurt often contains pectin to artificially create a smoother, thicker product and to extend shelf life. Your homemade yogurt might appear curdled or clumpy, and this is as it should be! Plus the taste is far superior and so much fresher than anything you buy at the supermarket. If you like it sweet, add your own honey and fruit.

I keep mine in a sterilized mason jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. Save the last half cup to start your next batch!

Now add it all together for your super good homemade breakfast. Yum.

For another homemade breakfast recipe perfect for mornings on the go check out Blueberry Coconut Chia Pudding over on the Bliss Journal.

Cooking the Cover, volume 2.

When the March issue of Bon Appetit arrived with a mouthwatering cover photo of homemade pizza, I was elated. "Make Pizza Like A Pro" the cover touted next to the delicious photo.  I gladly accepted the challenge. As you know, homemade pizza is a favorite dinner at my house.  We'd been doing just fine with our current dough recipe, but I was excited to read about new ideas and methods. Last night, we gave it a try.  I was also warmed by the idea of a community of homemade pizza lovers out there, if Bon Appetit was covering it.   

There was a no knead dough that only required a little planning ahead and a rise time of 20 or so hours. Ryan assembled it as I finished cleaning up Thursday night's dinner and then it sat and fermented and grew on the kitchen counter all night and all day Friday.

My husband loves working with dough. I think he did a pretty fine job! He was also happy to find a tutorial in the back of the magazine about how to shape the dough like a pro.

There was enough dough for an extra to be saved in the freezer for next time!

The magazine suggested drizzling the dough with olive oil before adding toppings such as simple crushed tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and not so simple ones too, such lamb meatballs.  We opted for the olive oil and crushed tomato suggestion, fresh and shredded mozzarella and red peppers.  We haven't had fresh mozzarella on our pizza for some time, using instead the cheaper, pre-shredded stuff that comes in a bag.  I don't know what were thinking.  Fresh mozzarella is far superior! Worth the extra two dollars or so.  Finished with a little salt and pepper after it came out of the oven, which was at a super hot 550!,  this was a killer pizza.  Just crunchy enough crust, with a little char in some places and delicious simple toppings.

The finished pizza.

Take the time and make this pizza.  Chop some veggies for a quick salad, mix up a couple of cocktails and make a night of it.  It was a welcome Friday night dinner after a long and crazy week of school and work. 

Homemade Popcorn Trifecta

We love popcorn at my house. It's one of our favorite snacks.  Ryan has this amazing popcorn popper, that I found out, everyone in his family gets as some right of passage when they move out on their own. Ok, so it's probably not that dramatic, but that was the reaction I had and the story I concocted when I discovered that his sister had the same exact popcorn popper. 

Ryan was having some friends over for cards and decided to make poprocn.  THREE FLAVORS of popcorn!!!  We do it right here, friends... and sometimes we go over the top.  He quickly whipped up some cheesy popcorn, spicy popcorn and caramel popcorn.  Remember those giant crazy tins of popcorn that would show up around Christmas time and last until Easter?  This is the homeade version of the popcorn trifecta....

Which would you rather eat?

this?

 

or this?

secret family recipe caramel corn

spicy popcorn

Parmesan cheese popcorn