Pumpkin Cranberry Baked French Toast
Nothing moves my morning along like the aroma of pumpkin pie mingling with my morning coffee. This breakfast takes no time to whip up the night before- I often do it while dinner is baking or sautéing. I’ve shortened the prep time even further by grinding the mix of spices in a batch so I just have to add a teaspoon of it. It’s basically “pumpkin pie spice.” The next morning, I stagger bleary-eyed downstairs and throw it in the cold oven and move on to the business of the morning. By the time the lunches are made, breakfast is ready. Read more
Pumpkin Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
You guessed it. This is an autumnal riff on Funky Monkey Baked Oatmeal. The cravings for pumpkin and cranberries begin with the first ruby maple leaf and don’t wane until the appearance of the first crocus. Read more
Empanadas de Picadillo Oaxaqueño
Adapted from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless
I’ll admit it. When the class I’m teaching tonight asked me to make empanadas, I wasn’t even sure I’d ever eaten an empanada- much less made one.
These were surprisingly easy. Better still, the filling is simple to make in large batches. With some picadillo in the freezer, fresh, warm empanadas are easy to throw together as an appetizer or snack.
Empanadas are usually deep-fried but I prefer the lightness of the baked version. You could always opt to deep fry if you’re feeling naughty. Read more
Dark Chocolate Crackle Cookies with Orange
Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine Holiday Cookie Edition
There are two kinds of bakers: fat bakers and skinny bakers. The fat bakers just love to bake and consume far too much of their product and so… well, they’re giving their lives to the cause.
The skinny bakers used to be a mystery to me until I figured out their secret. They bake for the pleasure of baking and then find a way to dispose of the results without harming themselves. Some skinny bakers find outlets to sell their products- a great trick. Others find ways to foist the calories off on other people. They find circuits of things to bring cookies or pies to: meetings, parties, potlucks and picnics. They’re always looking for someone who just had surgery and needs a dozen cookies to cheer them up. Read more
Whole Wheat Pretzels
Adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
They’re threatening another snow day for tomorrow. I don’t know if I can take it anymore! I’m a hardy Midwestern girl. When it snows in Chicago, you just drive slower. You slog through it. Why does the world stop for New Yorkers every time it flurries? Seriously people!!? You are KILLING me with the snow day silliness. Trapped again in the house with four bored kids, it takes a spurt of creativity to break up the day.
These pretzels are a very satisfying way to make the best of the day. Their flavor and texture are fantastic. They’re minimally time-consuming. The dough is incredibly forgiving of the kind of torture young kids inflict. If your preschooler just decides to stretch his piece into an oddly-shaped clump and insists that’s how he wants it, it’ll bake just fine. Read more
Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Muffins
Don’t think I’m going all Jessica Seinfeld on ya, but you’ve gotta love this opportunity to sneak a little extra veggies into your family’s diet at breakfast. The sweet, warm, oozing blueberries burst with flavor in your mouth. The texture is heavenly- like a gauzy white shirt-dress on a breezy summer day. This is a healthy muffin that is light as air and yet is as filling as one of those leaden hockey-puck bran muffins.
Blueberries and zucchini are beautiful and bountiful right now. Take advantage. Read more
German Pancakes
Adapted from the Food Network Website
I’ve been a bit bored with the breakfast rotation lately. I was rescued from my doldrums a few weeks ago when I heard someone talking about German Pancakes and suddenly found myself with a new craving. But are German Pancakes a weekday sort of breakfast? Read more
Mustard and Panko Crusted Pork Chops
Oh, you are SO going to love the simplicity of this dish! It smells absolutely amazing while it cooks- perfuming the house with the fragrance of mustard and thyme. It is also delicious, of course.
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Chard Brunch Casserole
This is one of my go-to recipes for brunch or even a light dinner. Read more
Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2008
Makes about 18 standard-sized muffins
I make these from the first change of the leaves in the fall until the snowdrops bloom. Read more
