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Raspberry and White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins (Red, White, and Blue!)

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Piece of Cape, tagged blueberry muffins, blueberry raspberry white chocolate muffins, fourth of july recipes, Red white and blue recipes on July 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I have come to realize that Cape Cod is its own little world, which I would assume is why so many people flock here to get away. When I was little, if we were going “over the bridge,” God only knew where we were headed… “Off-Cape” could have meant Boston or China. Growing up “on-cape” was… well… different. I remember going to summer camp with kids who weren’t from the Cape and having to field questions such as, “Wait, so… you actually LIVE here?? Like, permanently??” and “You’re from the VILLAGE of Centerville?? Do you live in a Teepee??” Kids say the darndest things. It was only when I left for college in South Carolina that I realized not everyone uses the word “wicked” in front of the word “fun”… or that using a Dunkin Donuts as a point of reference when giving directions just isn’t possible in some places.

I still can’t get enough of the Cape in the Summer though. I’m so lucky that my parents let me freeload at this age because otherwise I’m sure I couldn’t afford it. Fourth of July is one of those holidays that I would feel really uncomfortable spending anywhere other than on the Cape. Watching fireworks over the ocean from a beach is pretty much the best. So for my official RED, WHITE, and BLUE recipe I decided to take the Blueberry Muffin recipe that I grew up on (my mom will forever make them better than I do but I gave it a shot…) and add raspberries and white chocolate to it. Get it… RED, WHITE, BLUE.

RASPBERRY, WHITE CHOCOLATE, BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening or butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar plus a little more for sprinkling

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raspberries washed and dried

1 cup blueberries washed and dried

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease muffin tin (top and in each cup)

3. Cream together shortening (or butter), sugar, vanilla, and eggs, adding one egg at a time

4. Sift together dry ingredients in separate bowl

5. Add dry ingredients and milk to shortening mixture alternating between the two until all is fully incorporated

6. Gently fold in blueberries, raspberries, and white chocolate chips

7. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full with the muffin batter

8. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar before baking

9. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on the muffin tin size, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean

10. Serve warm with LOTSA BUTTAH (in the words of my muthah)

Happy 4th!

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Parsnip and Leek Hash

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, tagged hard-boiled egg, parsnip and leek recipe, parsnip hash, parsnip recipes on June 6, 2012 | 2 Comments »

This dish was definitely an experiment. I have been seeing parsnips everywhere lately and you know what? I wanted in. (This is a very good example of when I type something out and realize that I am not normal. Why can’t I want in on denim shirts or paddle boarding or something hip like that? No, I want in on the parsnip craze. ugggh.) Anyway, My first thought was that I wanted to do a parsnip puree, inspired by a recent meal I ate with my dad out on the Cape which was awesome… but then I got lazy, didn’t really want to do anything that involved a blender and turned it into an easy “hash” with hard-boiled eggs cooked right in it! It came out really well and this recipe makes a good bit of it. So come on everyone! Get in on the parsnip craze with this parsnip and leek hash. (Who have I become??)

PARSNIP AND LEEK HASH

Ingredients

5-6 parsnips

1 large or 2 medium leeks

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

dash cinnamon

salt/pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the parsnips into strips down to the core of each.

2. Slice the leeks thin (cross-wise, to make rounds).

3. In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients except for the vegetable oil together until everything is distributed evenly.

4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet heats up, add the vegetable oil.

5. Add the parsnip and leek mixture to the pan, stir and flip it until it is cooked through and browned.

I ate mine with some hard-boiled egg that was chilled. It was a great combo of warm and cool and the flavors were great!

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Coconut Mini Donuts with Vanilla Sugar

Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks, tagged baked donuts, coconut donut, doughnut, mini doughnut, national donut day on June 2, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Did you know that yesterday was National Donut Day?!?! I am so upset that I didn’t get to post this yesterday but either way… Happy Belated National Donut Day! Not only is today Belated National Donut Day, it is also my birthday. Frankly I am a little POed that the real Donut Day didn’t fall on my birthday. That would be suiting wouldn’t it?

Moving on… We are aware of my affinity toward all things miniature … so when I discovered a mini donut baking tin in my most recent order from amazon, I was delighted. That last sentence was a little decieving. Let me clarify. I go through stages from time to time when I have a severe online shopping problem. These little stints mean that sometimes I end up with packages that I completely forgot I ordered… It’s like Christmas! So I must have been in the zone on Amazon and got it in my head that I was going to dominate some mini donuts and here we are.

I went with a coconut donut because I have been really obsessed with coconut lately. I began to follow this recipe but ended up doing my own thing – out of sheer laziness really because I really didn’t want to get dressed and walk a half a block to get milk. Once they were done I made up a method (as you will see below) to roll them in vanilla-scented sugar. If you are lucky enough to have a life, you might not have sugar that you’ve scented with a vanilla bean… in which case, regular sugar is just fine. These were awesome. My only suggestion might be to find another way for the sugar to stick to the donuts as my method results in the donuts becoming insanely moist after a day.

Enjoy!

COCONUT MINI DONUTS WITH VANILLA SUGAR

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup + 1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract or flavoring

2 2/3 cups flour

1/4 cup water

For Coating:

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons water

1 cup vanilla sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat together butter, first 1/4 cup oil, and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and continue to combine.

3. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and coconut extracts, and mix until fully combined.

4. Begin to add in flour alternating with remaining 1/8 cup oil and 1/4 cup water until everything is incorporated and batter is smooth… almost the consistency of a thick pancake batter.

5. Fill mini donut pan wells ubout 2/3 of the way full and bake for just under 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

6. Remove from pan and place on rack or paper bag to cool.

7. Mix about 2 tablespoons of honey with 4 tablespoons of water and microwave so that they combine.

8. Dip the donuts into the honey/water mixture then put in a large sealable plastic bag with the vanilla sugar to coat.

9. Celebrate National Donut Day and my birthday the way the good Lord intended.

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Vanilla Bean Pancakes

Posted in Breakfast, tagged breakfast, brunch, butter vessel, pancakes on the rocks, vanilla bean pancakes on April 27, 2012 | 5 Comments »

I lived in Sydney, Australia for a semester of college. Much of my existence after 5pm in Sydney is somewhat of a blur however I did manage to take away some cultural experiences from that trip. This is not one of them. This is more along the lines of where I went to feast nachos and breakfast items at 3am. There was a place called Pancakes on the Rocks… nevermind I just Googled it, there IS a place called Pancakes on the Rocks that stayed open… ALWAYS. That’s right, anytime day or night, Christmas, Easter, Administrative Professionals Day, didn’t matter… if you wanted pancakes you got ‘em. Now that I’m back in the good old U. S. of A., I don’t have such luxuries. What I do have, is a phenomenal pancake recipe that you are seriously going to LOVE. Try it this weekend.

Ohh breakfast. Why are you so delicious?

VANILLA BEAN PANCAKES

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup whole milk (or use all buttermilk)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add egg, buttermilk/milk, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract and combine into a smooth batter.

3. Place skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.

4. Once heated, ladle batter into pan forming rounds of your desired size.

5. When air bubbles begin to appear and pop all over the pancake, flip and cook for another minute or so on the other side until golden brown.

6. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and serve warm with butter and syrup!

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Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, tagged breakfast, chocolate chip, mini, muffins on March 29, 2012 | 4 Comments »

What is it about things that are abnormal in size or quantity? I mean, if you have ever been to a Sam’s Club or BJ’s Wholesale, you know what I’m talking about. Things in bulk really get me for some reason, and I know I can’t be the only one. I could walk around a BJ’s for hours. In fact, I have walked around a BJ’s for hours. I’ll pretend to shop for 50 packs of light bulbs and discounted diamond earrings until the cows come home… or until the free samples of chicken taquitos run out. As intriguing as anything in bulk is to me, so are all things miniature. Everything from dogs to golf can be found in mini form now-a-days and you know what? I like it. I like it a lot. So guess what I picked up? A MINI muffin tin! Imagine that!

For muffins like these, I typically use the base of my mother’s recipe for Blueberry Muffins (that I can GUARUNTEE you are the best damn muffins this side of The Mississippi) and then sub the blueberries out for whatever I want. I wanted to make sure that these little nuggets didn’t become too dry in their mini form so I decided to try a new recipe with sour cream and buttermilk, both of which I think contribute to keeping these a great consistency. Beware: These things are dangerous… (another thing about mini muffins is that you don’t feel as bad eating one thousand of them). Also, be sure to sprinkle the tops with sugar before you bake them. It really makes a difference!

P.S. Reason #4,902 to keep up with Piece of Cake: that Blueberry Muffin recipe is bound to show its face on here sooner or later… and when it does, you will not be disappointed.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MINI MUFFINS

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoon buttermilk

3/4 cup chocolate chips

sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugar together for 5 minutes or so until light and fluffy.

2. As you continue to mix, add the egg and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the dry mixture, sour cream, and buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated.

5. Mix in chocolate chips.

6. Spray the mini muffin tin with cooking spray and fill the cups almost to the top.

7. Sprinkle each with sugar, and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

(Makes about 2 dozen mini muffins)

Piece of Cake - Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

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Crepes

Posted in Breakfast, tagged crepes, fluff, nutella, vegas on March 14, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Once upon a time in Vegas…..

There were three ~~drunk~~ young girls enjoying themselves amidst a sea of lights and slot machines. They were just about to retire to their room to get ready for the ball that night when they stumbled upon a doorway in the Palms that seemed to glow brighter than all the other shop doors in the entire casino! Immediately drawn to its name (that they recognized from reality television), they entered Huntington Ink without hesitation. Inside, they were tempted by the Evil Uncle Johnny who lewered them in with his wit, charm, and images of skulls he had inked onto other patrons. All of a sudden, everything became a blur… ink was flying, laughter swirling through the air… and then. They woke up. Safe and sound in ~~the bathtub~~ thier beds at the Palms Hotel and Casino. It was all some sort of cliche-laced dream! ….or was it? All three of them had been marked with a Fleur di Lis by the fairy godmother of Vegas… something to remember their trip by! They went down to the pool and lived happily ever after. The End.

… great fairy tale huh? I heard it a long time ago and it has for some reason stuck with me all these years.

Moving on to the food. I went to visit my dear friends Kali and Anna in the great state of New Jersey this past weekend and we decided to make Crepes in honor of the Fleur di Lis (Kristin B. – you were there in spirit). Let me tell you… I am going to make crepes ALL THE TIME now. They were so good and so easy and you can really do anything with them… and we did. We made ‘classy burritos’ filled with chocolate, peanut butter, and fruit… we layered mini versions with nutella and fluff… we ate them plain… at one point I found myself making a chicken salad taco out of one… things got out of hand. Either way, these are a great and easy way to get creative with fillings and toppings.

I got the recipe out of a cookbook in Kali’s kitchen called “The American Family Cookbook,” published in 1974, sooo these things were obviously legit. Straight from France. Bon Appetit!

CREPES

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

Directions

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside

2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk and butter in a separate bowl and then add mixture to dry ingredients. Beat together until a smooth batter is formed. If the batter has lumps of flour in it, pour batter through a fine screen or sieve/sifter. The batter should be very thin, almost as thin as a heavy cream. If it is too thick, mix in more milk to thin it out.

4. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to one day.

5. When you are ready to cook them, heat a skillet or crepe pan (the more shallow, the better) to medium/high heat. Ladle in batter to make a very thin layer on the pan – you can do this by either tilting the pan to cover it evenly with the batter or use a circular motion with the bottom of your ladle to spread out the batter in the pan.

6. Cook approximately 2 min, until golden and flip to cook the other side for 1-2 min.

7. Have your way with them…

(Makes 10-12, 8 in crepes or 18-20 mini crepes)

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Piece of Cake

another food blog.

Archive for the ‘Breakfast’ Category

Raspberry and White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins (Red, White, and Blue!)

Parsnip and Leek Hash

Coconut Mini Donuts with Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla Bean Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Crepes

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