Zucchini Bread

This is such a simple savory bread and is always a total hit. It's perfect for a potluck, a side dish, or a Sunday morning breakfast. This recipe makes one loaf and is adapted from The Kitchn.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Croissants

This week, my coworker celebrated surviving breast cancer by hosting a "pink potluck" at work. We all wore pink and many of us brought in pink food. Choosing a recipe based on the food's color is actually not an easy thing to do, but I did it. This is an easy and delicious addition to any potluck or brunch.

Boozy French Toast

This recipe is sweet and perfect for feeding a handful of hungry people during brunch. Make the recipe the night before and bake right before you need to serve it! This weekend I made two batches (one with french bread and one with challah) and they were both sweet and filling. The recipe below is adapted from smitten kitchen and makes one 9x13-inch pan's worth of delicious french toast. Enjoy!

Brie Pastry Bites

This is the easiest & most delicious appetizer I've made in a long time (probably since my last brie appetizer). There are a lot of ways to make this a little more homemade than I did, but honestly, if you're going for quickness & convenience, I suggest sticking to this recipe. It makes 16 servings and is loosely based off of this recipe from Tablespoon.

Cinnamon French Toast

Reasons that I'm writing this post: (1) French toast is delicious. (2) I made some beautiful-looking French toast this weekend and took photos of it. (3) I wanted to post something this week and it looks like French toast is it.

So, you may not need a French toast recipe, but if you ever find yourself with amnesia, or teaching a toddler to cook (Is that the age that people let kids around a skillet? Just kidding -- kind of), then I got you covered. This recipe feeds two.

Spinach, Mushroom & Cheese Crepes

I can't believe that I have been writing this blog for a year-and-a-half and have never blogged about crepes. First off, I LOVE CREPES. Like, I probably have an unnatural obsession with them. There was a time when I first moved into my own apartment that I ate Nutella crepes every morning. Coincidentally, I gained a lot of weight then, too. But that brings me to my second point: I've been making crepes long before I really knew how to cook much else. I guess it's because it's a pretty easy recipe and most (if not all) of the ingredients are things that people just happen to have in their cupboard at any given time. It's important to note that I am not a "fancy" crepe maker. I don't own a griddle or one of those crepe-smoother-outter things (which are apparently called 'batter trowels'), but don't worry -- they will turn out tasty with or without the extra equipment. This recipe makes one thicker crepe (which is what I made for myself) or two thin crepes.

Leftovers Club: Peanut Butter Bread

This month for Leftovers Club, I made peanut butter bread and it is magical! It tastes a little like a peanut butter cookie, but not as dessert-y (or, as my partner suggests, "It tastes like victory.") I suggest eating it warm and topped with butter, topped with jelly (your own PB&J!), topped with Nutella, topped with cinnamon apples, topped with vanilla ice cream or simply by itself. The possibilities! I got the recipe from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and it makes one loaf. My Leftovers Club partner (Dan from Platter Talk) will be very happy!

 

Brunch-Off: Asparagus Risotto Cakes

I was invited to participate in a Brunch-Off over at Blisstree.com this weekend! The "special ingredient" that we had to work with was asparagus, so I made asparagus risotto cakes, topped with a sunny-side up egg. It was delicious  and a great way to use leftover risotto.

My contender made an awesome-looking creamy asparagus soup with goat cheese. Be sure to head over to Blisstree to check out my participation in Brunch-Off and the others as well (so many great recipes over there!). Thanks to Blisstree for hosting me and thanks to all of you for supporting me!

Leftovers Club: Spiced Vanilla Honey Biscotti

Jennifer of Savory Simple is spearheading The Leftovers Club, which is a network of food bloggers sending non-perishable leftovers from the recipes that we make. Most of the time, especially with baked goods, I end up making at least a dozen, if not more, of one recipe. For the most part, I bring the leftovers to work, but why not send them over to other food bloggers and receive some treats in return? It's a great idea!

 This week, I decided to make a spiced vanilla honey biscotti. Biscotti is perfect to send in the mail to my Leftovers Club partner, but also because I hosted a clothing swap this weekend and it was a great treat for my guests. This recipe makes one dozen biscotti (or two loaves).

Crescent-Wrapped Camembert

I went to a Super Bowl party  last night and was searching for something delicious to bring. I stumbled upon this recipe and decided that baked brie would be a good choice, but even better to wrap it in crescent dough. I came back from the grocery store with camembert instead of brie (whoops), but it turned out very well. Camembert is actually almost exactly the same, except that it has a little stronger flavor and, in this case, that was a good thing! I decided to drizzle the pastry with honey when it came out of the oven, but you can put various jams or fruits on the inside of the dough before you cook it as well. This recipe makes about ten servings or so (depending on how many hungry folks you're feeding).

Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy

There are only a few meaty dishes that I miss from my non-vegetarian days. Luckily, most of them have amazing meatless substitutes. This recipe definitely fits into that category. It makes 2-4 servings. The biscuit recipe is the same that I've used before and here is the original gravy recipe. Also, I really need to express how difficult to make photos of biscuits and gravy look appetizing. I hope they do it justice, because this was a very delicious dish.

Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

I can't stop baking! Seriously. I think it's a problem. Because I still have homemade marmalade from a batch that a friend gave me, and given my baking problem, I decided to make a sweet, orange-y baked good. These were easy to throw together and you could make a lot of variations of it as well. Instead of chocolate chips, you could add cranberries, almonds, walnuts, whatever. This recipe makes about 15 cupcakes and is an adaptation of this original recipe.

Vegetarian Chik'n and Waffles

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a long time, but was utterly overwhelmed with how difficult I thought it would be. It's actually fairly easy; definitely a lot easier than I thought it'd be! While this is a vegetarian recipe, it is not vegan because of the eggs that I use for both the chik'n and the waffles. If you have a great egg-substitute, you can easily make this vegan and just as delicious! This recipe feeds two people.

 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Purses

These little blueberry purses are so easy and are so delicious. Like, party-in-my-mouth delicious. This is a great breakfast, brunch or dessert item to serve for just a couple people or an entire house. I'm sure that if you're not a huge fan of blueberries (gasp!) you can also swap out any fruit that you'd like. Keep in mind that this recipe equals four purses.

Miniature Quiche

Like I mentioned previously, I am currently trying to eat a bit healthier. These mini quiches are perfect to eat on your way out of the door in the morning and really help me portion (because I can honestly eat half of a full-size crusted quiche if you let me). Make these on a Sunday night and keep them in your fridge all week or freeze them until you're ready to eat them. This recipe make six mini quiches.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Saute your veggies!

Four (4) large eggs
One (1) cup of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of red onion, diced
1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup of shredded cheese -- I used mozzarella and sharp cheddar
One (1) garlic clove, minced
One (1) tablespoon of olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Heat garlic and olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

Before baking.

Add onions and sun-dried tomatoes to pan. Saute.
Slowly add spinach and cover until the leaves wilt.
Pull the pan off of the heat and set aside.
Whisk eggs together in a mixing bowl and add the sauteed vegetables.
Portion into a greased muffin tin. This mixture should fill six muffin cups.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over each mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Eat right away, or save for later!

Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

This weekend is all about creating recipes based off of food I already have on hand. Luckily, I had some delicious juicy blueberries in my fridge (cheers to the summertime!) and leftover ricotta from my ricotta-basil muffins. I can't think of a more cozy breakfast than ricotta blueberry pancakes. This recipe is cut in half from the original and yields six pancakes.

Pair with: your morning coffee or tea

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Make sure to smother your pancakes in delicious syrup!

Ingredients
1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
3/8 cup of milk -- I used almond milk
Two (2) large eggs
5/8 cup of flour
One (1) tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Small handful of fresh blueberries
Pinch of salt

Directions
Whisk milk and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
Mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly mix in ricotta cheese. If you'd like chunks of ricotta in your pancakes (trust me -- delicious!), then make sure to swirl it in, but not to blend it.
Portion out in a griddle or pan and top with a few blueberries.
Cook and flip halfway through cooking time.
Enjoy!

Ricotta-Basil Muffins

I just found Baker Street's Muffin Monday posts and I couldn't be more excited (no, really, I pretty much told everyone in my office about all of the awesome types of muffin recipes). I made a list of the ones I want to try, and this one was on the top of the list. I have a basil plant at home, so it worked out really well. The original recipe is here, and I made some changes based on what I had on hand. This yields 12-16 fluffy, savory muffins!

Pair with: a homemade strawberry-basil lemonade
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Two (2) cups of all-purpose flour
One (1) tablespoon of baking powder
Two (2) tablespoons of fresh basil, finely chopped
One (1) teaspoon of salt
1/4 tablespoon of pepper
One (1) cup of ricotta cheese
One (1) cup of milk
One (1) large egg
Three (3) tablespoons of olive oil
One (1) tablespoon of canola oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, basil, salt, and pepper). Mix until blended.
In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients (ricotta cheese, milk, egg, oils). Whisk until blended.
In the bowl with the dry ingredients, make a well  in the center and pour wet ingredients into it.
Use a fork to mix all of the ingredients together.
Spoon dough into lined cupcake/muffin pan.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Let cool & enjoy fluffy goodness.

Homemade Poptarts

Making homemade Poptarts has been on my to-do list for over a year, since I tried Ted's Bulletin's Poptarts, and then again when I tried Woodberry Kitchen's Poptarts. If you use pre-made pie crust, like I did, this is totally easy. This recipe makes six Poptarts.

Pair with: Ice-cold milk

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Two (2) 9" premade pie crusts
Six (6) teaspoons of filling -- I used homemade strawberry jam from a good friend, and Nutella
Egg wash
Sugar to top

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Roll out pie crust and cut into rectangles.
Spoon one teaspoon of filling onto a rectangle and top with another rectangle.
Crimp the edges.
Repeat until all of your pie crust is gone.
Brush all Poptarts with egg wash.
Place all Poptarts on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and let cool.
Brush lightly with egg wash again and top with sugar.
Enjoy!

Tip
Nutella doesn't melt very well, so if you want to use it, make sure to spread it around, rather than just spooning it in. You can also use chocolate chips for a much more melty experience.

Blueberries & Cream over Biscuits

This is a great summer dessert (or snack, or breakfast) that my partner introduced me to a few years ago. This time I made my own biscuits and used the blueberries left over from the blueberry milk syrup I made yesterday.

Pair with: a blueberry ale (like Oliver's Something Borrowed, Something Blue)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
(for biscuits)

Three (3) cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of butter
One (1) cup of milk -- I used almond milk
Four (4) teaspoons of baking powder
One (1) teaspoon of sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
(for toppings)
One (1) cup of fresh blueberries
One (1) cup of vanilla ice cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
Mix all dry ingredients for biscuits together in large mixing bowl.
Mix butter in until it is in small clumps.
Pour in milk and mix slightly.

Remove from bowl and place onto floured surface. -- Using a cutting board usually makes for easier clean-up.
Knead dough until it is cohesive.
Roll out dough into a 1/2" thick rectangle and cut into circular shapes. -- I used a little Tupperware bowl to cut consistently.
Bake biscuits for 8-10 minutes, or until a little golden.
When they come out, top with a little butter.
Cut one of the biscuits in half, place blueberries on it, and top with vanilla ice cream.
Grab a book, sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy!

Blueberry Milk

Flavored milk is one of the best human inventions. I mean, I used to drink coffee milk religiously in a Rhode Island elementary school (and all of you RI'ers know what I'm talking about!). Blueberry milk was recently brought to my attention by a friend & this website. We picked some blueberries up from a roadside stand in rural Maryland and used almond milk to make this epic drink.