breakfast for dinner.

Popovers Please.

Sunday nights often include potluck dinners with my group of friends. It is great to collaborate on these evenings for dinner, and just to spend time hanging out with one another and eating great food. This week, we decided to go for a breakfast themed dinner. Simple and comforting, breakfast for dinner will always be one of my favorite things.

They are called popovers because they literally "pop" in the oven!

Popovers are a delicious egg-type muffin. They are really simple, and can go savory or sweet. Mine are topped with a bit of Swiss cheese. They are also phenomenal with Honey Butter or Jam.

Caramel Apple Topping for the pancakes

We also did cranberry apple pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a caramel apple topping for the pancakes.

Try with honey butter, jam, or stuffed with cheesy scrambled eggs!

 Easy Popovers:
3 eggs, room temperature
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Flour
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 slices of swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Whisk all of the ingredients except for the cheese until well blended. Evenly distribute into a greased muffin tin (12 popovers). The batter will be very runny. Place a small bit of Swiss on top of each muffin. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the pan!

Always a favorite. Thank you Andrew for the eggs.

and... Kevin's kicks are cool. Just saying.

coconut creations.

Friday breakfast this week with Bekah and Kristi was a delight. Conversation with the two of them is always enjoyable; it weaves from laughter to intentionality to play. They have been, and continue to be such a blessing.

Coconut Stuffed French Toast

This week, I had the craving for coconut. It happens to work really well with breakfast dishes, so I decided to invent a coconut-stuffed french toast. They turned out great. The stuffing was a great consistency, and a sweet way to start off a Friday morning.

Great texture and oh-so-delicious.

 

Fruit and Granola Bowls

Coconut Stuffed French Toast (serves 3)
6 slices of Multi-grain bread
1 Cup coconut
3 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Batter:
1 egg plus 2 egg-whites
3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla soy)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, coconut, cinnamon, milk, and brown sugar. Distribute evenly onto 3 slices of bread. Top with another slice of bread and press down to enclose the filling.

In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients for batter with a whisk. Dip each "sandwich" into the batter and coat thoroughly. Let the coating soak into the bread for about 5 minutes.

Grease a skillet or frying pan and turn to medium heat. Place each sandwich onto the skillet and fry until golden brown, about three minutes on each side.

Serve with maple syrup or fruit compote.

Letting the french toast soak in egg mixture

weekend starting.

Thank you pioneer woman. And Alex.

Cappuccino Cups

Coconut Topped, with Hot Fudge

My friend Alex wanted to cook something with me, and he landed upon a recipe for "cappuccino cups" from the infamous Pioneer Woman. The recipe calls for a cookie crust, coffee ice cream middle, and loads of good toppings. Its basic, but absolutely remarkable. What is not to love about the mixture of two of my favorite things; ice cream and coffee!

Top with Peanut Butter cups, coconut, chocolate chips, shredded chocolate, and hot fudge!

We altered the recipe a bit, and went make-shift with things that were already in my kitchen. Is it shameful to admit that I ate three in one sitting? I think not.

These are honestly one of the easiest, but best desserts I have ever had. It is a new obsession.

YUM. Enough Said.

Cappuccino Cups:
1 1/2 Cups Crushed Cookies (We used double chocolate sandwich cookies from Trader Joes)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 pint of Tiramsu or coffee flavored ice cream
Extra cookie crumbs, coconut, chopped candy
Hot Fudge

Take ice-cream out of the freezer and let it soften a bit. Line 12-16 cupcake holders with liners. Finely crush the cookies and mix with melted butter. Evenly distribute cookie mixture into the baking cups. Press down into the baking cups. Next, evenly distribute ice-cream among the cups. Top with anything! We did peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, and coconut. Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, until the ice-cream is firm again. Remove from freezer and drizzle the cups with hot fudge. Eat immediately. Put the remaining cups back into the freezer to keep from melting, and to keep yourself from eating all of them.

dinner please.

"love is the whole and more than all."
-ee cummings.

If you know me at all, you know that Cummings is a love of mine. He is difficult, and I have to work to understand him, but I love his complexity and demeanor in writing poetry. My friends Kimberly and Jeff recently experienced a great tragedy, and as a practical way of loving and serving them, our community has rallied and covered their dinner schedules.

Garlic and Herb Roasted Asparagus, Cauliflower, and Carrots

Chicken and Rice Chunky Soup

Today was my day to deliver a meal. I also needed to head into the city before traffic hour hit too hard, and needed dinner myself. So I did a simple, but satisfying Chicken and Rice Soup, with a french loaf and roasted vegetables.

friends and hens.

Butternut Squash Flatbread

Curried Carrot Soup with Homemade Croutons

Kevin's Cornish Hen. AMAZING.

This weekend was lovely. Time spent in the city, dining at my favorite falafel restaurant in Chicago, quality time with friends, and great episodes of Arrested Development. Because Monday was Presidents Day, class and work were canceled. My friend Kevin is an excellent chef and offered to host a group of us for a fabulous dinner. He roasted Cornish hens for us, accompanied by a date salsa. It was phenomenal.

As an appetizer, I made a curried carrot soup with homemade croutons, and a squash flatbread. My friend Johnny did the photos for the evening. We dined like kings and queens... it was lovely.

Boiling the Carrots

Curried Carrot Soup:
1/2 onion, sliced
2Lbs of Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Homemade Croutons (below)
Seasonings (parsley works great!)

Saute onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan for about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and curry powder and bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Remove from heat, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then blend by batches in a blender. Return to heat and simmer. You can add more chicken stock if soup is too thick. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with homemade croutons and parsley.

After Soup has been blended

Cubed leftover bread

Tossed in olive oil, basil, and oregano

Baked at 375degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until crunchy and golden

After dinner, we went to listen to a speaker on campus, and then came back to my apartment for a homemade apple crumble pie. It was a winner; we practically licked our plates clean.

Pie pre-crumble

Apple Crumble Pie
Crust:
For the crust, you can use a premade crust, or you can follow this simple pastry recipe.
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons ice-cold water
Add sugar, butter, and flour to bowl. With your fingers, mix until dough resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the water and stir. Using your hands, knead dough until it forms a ball. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. After chilled, roll dough out enough to cover a 9 inch pie plate. Bake crust blind for 15 minutes, in a 375degree oven.

Filling:
6 cups peeled and sliced apples
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon flour
Toss sliced apples in lemon juice in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until apples are evenly coated. Place into prebaked pie crust. Top with teaspoon dices of butter.

Topping:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
1teaspoon cinnamon
Soften butter, and mix all ingredients until crumbly. Pile onto apples and bake the pie at 375degrees for 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Apple Crumble Pie, headed into the oven

Once done, let the pie cool for about an hour. Serve with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce. YUM.

perfect combinations.

{chewy pb and chocolate cookies}

Rainy days and baking go perfectly together.
So do peanut butter and chocolate.
Yesterday was a rainy day, and I had a craving for a chewy, gooey, rich cookie.
So here is my spin on a chewy pb&c cookie. They are classic and delicious.

Chewy PB and Chocolate Cookies (Small Batch)
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 cup premade chocolate pudding
1 1/4 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mini-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375degrees.
Mix butter, pb, until blended. Add sugar. Add egg, vanilla and pudding. Stir well. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop by heaping Tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden.

{dough! with mini white and dark chocolate chips}

{heaping tablespoon size cookies}

for kristi. and her idea of heaven.

A while back, my dear friend/sister Kristi gave me one of the most phenomenal dessert cook books. The pictures in this book are amazing. I sometimes find myself involuntary drooling after flipping through page after page of succulent, sweet, delectable treats. Kristi filled the book with an assortment of post-it notes, with little phrases such as "make me now" or "i might die if i eat this."

{kristi's post-it note, next to an upside down banana cake}

Yesterday, after failing to accomplish any schoolwork, I picked up the book to spark my creativity, and to make my mouth water. One of Kristi's post-its saying "my idea of heaven" was tagged to a lovely looking banana cake. I felt inspired to recreate it, using the general idea, but tweeking it with the current ingredients I had in my apartment.

The cake is so good. Its gooey, and not too rich. I accompanied it with a homemade warm custard. Some friends came over last night and we enjoyed jumbo pieces of cake while watching an entire disc of Arrested Development. It made for a lovely Saturday evening.

{upside down banana cinnamon maple cake}

{with homemade warm custard sauce}

Upside Down Banana Cinnamon Maple Cake
Topping:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 bananas
Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 Tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350degrees.
In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Spread into the bottom of an 8x8inch square baking pan. Slice the two bananas length wise and place into baking dish on top of butter mixture. Set the pan aside.

For the cake: In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup until blended. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. In another bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda together. Slowly add the egg mixture to the melted butter mixture. Once blended, add the flour mixture and blend until combined. Pour cake batter into the 8x8 pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the cake is set.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for about 3 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of the cake and then invert the cake onto a plate, letting the gooey-ness drip down the sides.

This cake is great on its own, and best served warm. For a homemade custard sauce, blend 3 egg yokes with 3 Tablespoons of superfine sugar. In a saucepan, bring 1 1/4cups of milk just to a boil. Remove from heat and wisk in the egg mixture. Return the pan to heat and keep stirring until custard thickens. Don't let it boil, or it will curdle. Pour a good serving over a warm piece of cake and enjoy Kristi's idea of heaven.

sweet potato sweetness.

{sweet potato bake with yogurt, walnuts, and cranberries}

I stumbled upon a recipe the other day for a sweet potato pudding. I love sweet potatoes... I think they are one of God's greatest gifts to us. First, they are so orange; their brightness is so much fun, and whenever food is fun, I like it more. Second, they are really good for you; full of antioxidants and fiber and good good things. Third, they are versatile; this recipe was presented as a dessert dish... but I decided to morph it into a breakfast.

So this morning's breakfast was a sweet potato bake, with toasted walnuts and cranberries.

Sweet Potato Bake:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup ground oats
1/2 milk (I used vanilla soy)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries

Mix together sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine eggs, oats, milk, salt and brown sugar. Fold in sweet potato mixture. Top with crushed walnuts, cranberries, and extra cinnamon. Bake at 350degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla yogurt and sprinkled cinnamon.

friday breakfasts.

{baked oatmeal with bananas, apples, walnuts, and cinnamon}

{oatmeal and avocado, spinach, provolone omelet}

Every Friday morning, my friends Bekah and Kristi come over for breakfast. It has become consistent this year, and something that I look forward to and cherish each week. Bekah and Kristi are sisters, and can literally make me laugh until my stomach hurts. Our conversations usually feel like waves of humor, intentionality, and play. Bekah, 3 years older than Kristi, always adds nuggets of wisdom and witty remarks, while Kristi entertains with her bubbly and exuberant personality. Each week I do something fun, and new for breakfast. Last week, I was feeling both salty and sweet. Breakfast happens to be my most favorite meal, and I find that it is best to have a taste of both the sweet and the savory. We lingered on peppermint mocha coffee while indulging in a decadent baked oatmeal with bananas, apples, walnuts, and cinnamon. We also had an avocado, spinach, and provolone omelet. The baked oatmeal is a warm and comforting winter food, satisfying and full of goodness. We drizzled it with brown sugar and maple syrup for a little added sweetness.

{served with maple syrup and brown sugar}

Baked Oatmeal with Banana, Apples, and Walnuts (serves 4)
2 cups rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 cup chopped apples
1 sliced banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 large egg - beaten
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a 2-quart baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, mix together milk, egg, vanilla, brown sugar, and maple syrup.
Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry. Gently fold in apples, bananas, and walnuts. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Spoon into serving bowls and serve with milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup.

for the love of love.

{cranberry walnut coconut pancakes}

{valentines brunch: cranberry walnut pancakes, baked french toast, strawberry muffins}

"As long as the self is consumed in the struggle to make itself lovely, it cannot love. First it must come to the end of its own resources, for the power to love derives purely and solely from the knowledge that one is already loved in return. The energy for love flows not out of any effort but simply from being loved."
Mike Mason

{overnight baked french toast with strawberries and hazelnut glaze}

This morning I had a bunch of girls over for Valentines Day brunch. I often joke that food is my love language... It is true. I love cooking for people, and it seems like such a simple way to brighten someones day or make them feel valuable. Valentines is such a loaded holiday, but can be so innocently beautiful and fun. The girls came over and we sat and lingered over some very festive and indulgent breakfast dishes. The overnight french toast is great, and so easy! The recipe is below.


Overnight Baked French Toast

6-8 old bagels, or thick bread cut into cubes
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
3 cups Milk
1/2 cup flavored creamer (I used hazelnut)
6 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
Sliced Strawberries (optional)
Hazelnut Glaze (1 Tablespoon cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon of hazelnut creamer, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 2 cups powdered sugar- mix well then add milk by teaspoons until mixture is glaze consistency.)

Cube the bread and place in a 9x13 pan.
Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. In the morning, stir the mixture well, add sliced strawberries, and bake at 350degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until set.

When you take it out of the oven, serve with hazelnut glaze.

warm comforts.

There is very little that tastes better than warm comfort food when the air is numbing.


{white chicken chili}

Wednesday evening I had a group of friends over for dinner. When I went to grab some last minute items for the meal, my thermometer read -8degrees. It was pain. That is the kind of cold that shocks you, and feels like little needles in your skin. Needless to say, I felt good about my decision to make a warm crock pot of white chicken chili.
It was a lovely dinner party, accompanied by stories of funny dates and awkward valentines days.


{banana almond cake with hazelnut glaze}

While cooking, I fell in love with a new song, and it has quickly climbed to the top of my favorites list. It is titled "The Storm" and is by Elenowen. Her voice is literally intoxicating.


{pear, gorgonzola, walnut spinach salad with black raspberry vinaigrette}

Below is our dinner party menu. Yum and yum.
White Chicken Chili
Pear, Gorgonzola, Walnut Spinach salad with a black raspberry vinaigrette
Chips and corn salsa
Garlic Roasted Asparagus
Sliced multi-grain baguette
Banana almond cake with a hazelnut glaze