Santa Rosa Plum Coffecake

I am wading through plums, and I am starting to feel more and more like a fool.  Like many novice fruit pickers, I struggle with the eternal question: Is this fruit ripe yet? Last year I made several blunders, picking apples, plums, and Asian pears too early, then wondering why the texture was off, or the taste was sooooo sour.

Sour was the word to describe our Santa Rosa plums, which I had been picking too early every year in the past. Naturally tart, this type of plum should have a yellow flesh and dark purple skin when fully ready to eat. I learned this year to be patient and not mind losing a few plums to the birds, rather than picking them too early.  We got a lovely haul of ripe plums as a result, enough to share with a friend, and enough to get me scratching my head as to what to make with all of this fruit!

I picked my first batch of plums at night to avoid the terrible heat of the day, so when I got home, the first thing that came to mind was breakfast. So I dusted off my old red-and-white checkered Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that I've used for years, and turned to my trusty old recipe for fruit coffeecake.

This recipe will work with many kinds of fruit and (I believe) any kind of flour. I prefer to use a mixture of whole grain flours, like whole wheat pastry, oat and spelt flours. No matter what fruit or flour I choose, this basic recipes has always worked well for me over the years. The original recipe calls for a streusel topping, but.... I tend to believe that breakfast should have nutritional value and go easy on the sugar. I just sprinkle the top with a little coarse/turbinado sugar for texture. Leftovers freeze well. Dig in!

Fruit Coffeecake

1.5 c. chopped plums (or any stone fruit, berries, apples, etc.)
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1.5 c. flour of your choice
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1 beaten egg
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Coarse sugar

In a medium saucepan combine fruit and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes or until fruit is tender. Combine the 1/4 c. sugar and cornstarch; stir into fruit. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spread half of the batter into an ungreased 8x8 baking pan. Spread fruit mixture over batter. Drop remaining batter in small mounds stop filling. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake in a 350 oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

How To: Granola

Source: sweetsugarbean.com via Stacy on Pinterest

A while back, I bought some gourmet granola for a friend. It looked wonderful: chia seeds, dried cherries, and sunflower seeds. Yogurt and granola make a fabulous breakfast, both delicious and healthy, but that store-bought granola set me back $8. Yeah... That's not an item I could afford to purchase on a regular basis. So I set about learning the basics of granola-making at home.

I started with a basic recipe from Sugar Sweet Bean, coming up with a bare bones template that could be altered for endless variation. I have enjoyed many variations on this granola theme in the past several months, and all have been lovely. (Except that one where I added the dried fruit before baking and they turned into burnt pieces of ash.)

And I have to say, it so, so easy. I will probably never buy granola again now that I know how simple it is to make at home. I basically just toss together whatever combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and spices I have in the pantry (bought cheaply in the bulk section of the grocery store). Bake it for 30 minutes and I have a new stash of wonderful homemade granola. Here's to a future of wholesome, exciting breakfasts!

Basic Granola Formula

3 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.)
1/2 c. mixed seeds (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppyseeds, flaxseeds, etc.)

3/4 c. coconut (optional)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-2 pinches of coarse salt
5 T. liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, etc)
4 T. neutral oil (canola, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.)

1 1/2 c. dried fruit of your choice (cranberries, blueberries, cherries, apricots, dates, etc.)

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (do not add the dried fruit yet!). Stir in the sweetener and oil of your choice. If you want it sweeter, add more sweetener; feel it needs more oil, then add more. Line a bake sheet with aluminum foil, and spread the granola evenly. In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake for 15 minutes, then stir around, and bake another 12-15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit before adding the dried cranberries. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Filhos (Portuguese Doughnuts)

When I was a child, our family took a trip every year to the coast where we would relax in a beach house for a week. This 4 hour car ride was always preceded by a breakfast of store-bought orange juice (Sunny D - blech) and doughnuts. Since I always got motion sickness on the drive, it turned me off of doughnuts for my entire childhood- not a bad thing, health-wise, but quirky.

There was one kind of doughnut that I still loved, however, that tasted nothing like store-bought doughnuts to my young palate - my mom's homemade Portuguese doughnuts, called filhos. Apparently they are a traditional Christmas treat in Portugal, but my mom made them for us whenever the inclination took her, but usually on a lazy Saturday morning.

We made some this weekend and I was amazed all over again at just how many I can stuff down my throat without feeling heavy or weighted down like I do with just one store-bought American doughnut. We make our filhos round by using a cookie dough scooper, and roll them in cinnamon-sugar after frying, but plain white sugar is more traditional I suppose. I understand some versions use pumpkin; ours do not. The only hard part is waiting for them to rise, but we have cheated on that part too and still enjoyed the results. So good, people! So good.

Filhos

6 cups flour
6 tsp. yeast (I know right? It's a lot, but it's right.)
1/2 c. sugar
8 eggs, beaten, at room temperature
2 c. milk, warmed
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Mix all ingredients together with hands for 5 minutes until dough is smooth.

2. Let rise for 1 hour.

3. Pull off various size pieces and fry in hot oil (we use canola).

4. Drain on paper towels and roll in sugar. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins with Everything Good

Happily, this week I discovered that the pumpkin I have been storing on my front porch since our harvest in October was still in good eating condition! I started off the slaughter of the pumpkin with Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good. Bread, cheese, cream, bacon and chives... How could you go wrong? Just a wedge for dinner and we were full.

Then came this morning. I always feel like Saturday morning calls for a real breakfast, since I don't necessarily get one during the work week. What could be more appropriate than pumpkin muffins? I have a great recipe to share - it's even relatively healthy, with half whole wheat flour. Olive oil, dried cranberries, apples and walnuts made it hearty enough to fill you up for a while. (Two muffins at 11:00am and I was good till dinner! True story.) In a tribute to Dorie, the grand dame of French cookery, I'll call these Pumpkin Muffins with Everything Good.

Pumpkin Muffins with Everything Good

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
Dash of: ginger, cloves, and nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped apple
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350f. Grease a 12-muffin tin.

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in the apples, walnuts, and cranberries.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to finish cooling.

What to Do in Ashland, Oregon

If you ever find yourself in Ashland, Oregon, do be sure to:

-See a play, especially at the stunning Elizabethan Theater. It's the next best thing to a trip to England! Ashland is famous for having a wonderful Shakespeare Festival, and we loved the modern, top-notch acting we witnessed there.

- Take a stroll through gorgeous Lithia Park. Think nature hike in the middle of bohemian downtown and you have Lithia Park. Ashland Creek runs through the forrested park and between the wading pools, park benches, duck ponds and towering trees, you'll be feeling zen in no time.

- Last but not least, eat breakfast. Every day. If there's one thing Ashland excels at, it's eating a solid breakfast.

Pecan Waffle and Apple Spice Butter with Marionberry Jam at Breadboard

Coconut French Toast at Dragonfly

Lemon Poppyseed Waffle with Lemon Butter and Fresh berries, at Morning Glory.

Speaking of Morning Glory, it is a local staple, a restaurant known for having excellent breakfasts and a beautiful garden.

I loved the quote that was painted on the wall of the restaurant:

Maybe we could all use a little reminder to gaze a little more at the morning glories!

Apple Cinnamon Whole Grain Waffles

Remember back in the 90's when mom's freezer was always stocked with frozen Eggo waffles? Maybe that was just me, but anyway- I liked the apple cinnamon kind the best. I've been experimenting with a couple of different whole grain waffle recipes and adding in fresh grated apple and spices. The whole grain flours make these much more substantial and filling than the lightweight Eggo waffles that never filled me up for long. Also, I found that when I froze a big batch of these guys and heated them later in the toaster oven, they made a great healthy stand in for the Eggo's of my childhood. In this fashion, I was finally able to Leggo my Eggo.

Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Waffles

In a large bowl, mix together:

2 c. whole wheat

½ c. buckwheat flour

½ c. oat flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together:

3 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoons vanilla

¼ c. olive oil

Next, stir this wet mixture plus 1 grated apple into the large bowl with the dry mixture. Stir until just combined and let sit for 5 minutes while your heat your waffle iron. Pour desired amount of batter into waffle iron and cook until brown and crisp on the outside. Serve with real maple syrup. Makes about 16 waffles.

If freezing waffles for weekday breakfasts, place hot waffles on a rack to cool. When cool, stack in a ziplock bag and freeze. To use, place frozen waffles in toaster oven or toaster until heated through and crispy on the outside.

Lemon-Ginger Scones with Oat Flour

One year when I was in college, a roommate and native Utahn announced that some of her friends were coming over that night for a scone-making party. Apparently this was a long-standing tradition for them, and I was elated at this information. Why, this party sounded like something straight out of "Pride and Prejudice"! How British! How proper! I was all ready to bring the tradition of afternoon tea back to America with this little band of apparent Anglophiles.
When the friends showed up, they appeared to be congregating around a pot of boiling oil, much to my confusion. Later, when my roommate came and offered me a piece of fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, I was confused and disappointed. It was then that I learned that in some places like Utah and Idaho, the term "scone" is applied to what is called fry bread, fried dough, or elephant ears in other places, and looks like this:

It was a tasty snack, don't get me wrong, but don't expect me to ever apply the term "scone" to anything other than true British teatime scones. I'm a staunch traditionalist in this respect.

One of my favorite scone flavor combinations is lemon with crystallized ginger. Ever since I began cooking from Kim Boyce's "Good to the Grain" cookbook and realized how delicious whole grain flours can be, I find it hard to justify using all white flour in any recipe. So I tweaked a recipe for scones to include oat flour.

As you can see below, the scones are delicate; crunchy on the outside and soft inside, dotted with chunks of warm crystallized ginger and sprinkled with coarse sugar. Enjoy with with a cup of lemon ginger herbal tea and you'll be feeling British by breakfast.



Lemon and Ginger Scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
7 T. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces
Zest of 1 large lemon
2/3 cup buttermilk (I substituted almond milk plus 1 tsp. lemon juice)
Coarse sugar to sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped crystallized ginger and lemon zest. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
3. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 or 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar.
4. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Don’t you love it when you discover you really do like a food you thought you hated - and realize that you just never had a “good version” of that dish before? Pancakes were like that for me. I never much cared for the pancake breakfast events we attended while I was a child. The Bisquick pancakes served were dry, tough and bland- until you doused them with artificially flavored syrup that was too sweet and gave me a headache.

I fell in love with these pancakes, however. I wanted to find more uses for the package of oat flour I bought for another recipe, and on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill label I found a recipe for oatmeal pancakes. They came out light, fluffy, with some chewy texture from the quick oats and a mild, pleasant flavor. Drizzled with a little real maple syrup and topped with sliced strawberries, I was in weekday breakfast heaven.

Next time I would double the recipe, because as it is, it yielded 10 medium-sized pancakes. I'd like to freeze a bunch and re-heat them in my toaster oven for a quick breakfast throughout the week.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Recipe from Bob's Red Mill

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Oat Flour
3/4 cup Quick Rolled Oats
1 cup Nonfat Milk (I used almond milk)
2 T. Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 Egg Yolks, beaten
1 T. Vegetable Oil
2 Egg Whites

Directions:

In a small saucepan heat milk till hot; stir in oats; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine oat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add oat-milk mixture.

In a small bowl combine egg yolks and cooking oil; add all at once to flour-oat mixture, stirring just till combined.

In another bowl beat egg white till stiff peaks form; fold into the batter. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook till golden brown, turning to cook other side when pancake has a bubbly surface and slightly dry edges.

Use a 1/4 cup measure as a handy scoop for transferring pancake batter from the bowl to the griddle. If you want smaller pancakes, switch to a 1 tablespoon measure. That will put just the right amount of batter on the griddle for dollar-size pancakes. Makes 12 pancakes.

What To Do With Wheat?

Last weekend, I attended a class on how to prepare wheat. Those who are interested in storing food for use in case of an emergency or disaster often rely heavily on wheat because of its nutritional value and durability. When properly stored, whole wheat (or wheat berries as they're called nowadays) can last for upwards of 30 years. But then storing it is one thing, but preparing it in a variety of interesting ways is another. So off I went, to learn the ABCs of cooking wheat.

Most obviously, wheat can be ground into flour for baking purposes. Many find freshly ground flour superior to store-bought because (as with all foods) the fresher it is, the more nutritional value it will have. On display were are a ton of different mills, grinders, flakers, etc., in all variety of price ranges and sophistication. I'll show you one of the coolest ones I saw below.

Also shown to the class were a variety of whole grains, along with several forms of wheat, including wheat berries, cracked wheat, and bulgur. Cracked wheat and bulgur can be used in cooking with ground meats to make a small amount of meat go further, because it blends right in with the meat, bulking it up without altering the taste. Wheat can also be popped like popcorn!

The demo included a bread-making session using freshly ground 100% whole-wheat flour, plus extra wheat gluten (which helps the dough rise) and dough enhancer (which extends the shelf life of the bread).

We watched a demo on how to sprout wheat. If you follow up by planting some sprouts in soil in a sunny window, you will soon have a sustainable source of wheatgrass for blender smoothies. This wheatgrass is just 10 days old and look how hardy it is already!

Here is the amazing device I mentioned before, which seamlessly combines physical fitness and food preparation. As you pedal the stationary bike, it powers the motor of the white flour mill on the floor. Just pop your wheat berries in the opening, hop on the bike for some morning exercise, and when you get off, retrieve your bowl of freshly milled whole wheat flour. I thought this was a hilarious idea!

Finally, we all left with a packet full of recipes ideas using wheat (of course!). Today, I made my first batch of wheat berries for breakfast in the slow cooker (1 cup of wheat berries+2 1/2 cups of water + pinch of salt= 2 servings of wheat berry cereal after about 8 hours. I topped mine with dried currents, honey and almond milk. The wheat berries were chewy and filling, a great breakfast dish. I will be continuing my experimentation with wheat, the staff of life!

Turn Leftover Jam Into A Quick Breakfast

I would estimate that my current supply of jam should last me the next several years. Our refrigerator always contains several varieties of jams and preserves at any given time, and I am always open to new ways to use up this surplus.

Like many working couples, we are always rushing out the door in the morning. So when I came across a recipe for healthy jam-filled muffins that can be frozen ahead of time and thawed for a fast morning meal, I had to try it! (Actually, I used to make a similar muffin with all-purpose flour, before my days of whole grain worship!) I totally forgot to add nuts to the top of them, but they were still tasty, and would be ideal for a light breakfast/snack. I used blueberry lavender jam - delicious!

Jam-Filled Muffins

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice)
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
jam of your choice

walnuts

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add buttermilk, orange juice, oil and vanilla; whisk to blend. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Scoop half the batter into the prepared pan. Drop a generous teaspoonful of jam into the center of each muffin. Spoon on the remaining batter, filling each muffin cup completely. Top each muffin with walnuts.

Bake muffins until tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15-20 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Porridge: Not Just for Goldilocks Anymore

I hope that, like Goldilocks, you will find a warm bowl of porridge just right for a cool morning. One bowl of whole grains, mixed with nuts, fruit and/or seeds, will keep you full for hours. It's also a good way to use up those leftover bits of whole grains that may be all lonesome in your pantry.

You may be wondering why you should mix all these grains together; why not just have oatmeal? Oatmeal is high in fiber, but using a mixture of grains gives a unique texture to your morning meal, and additional nutrition. For example, in my mixture, quinoa contributes protein and flax seed adds Omega-3s.

You may customize your special blend with whatever grains appeal to you (amaranth, millet, tricale, etc). When I made it, I mixed roughly equal parts of the following:

-Barley
-Bulgar (cracked wheat)
-Steel-cut oats
-Quinoa
-Brown rice
-Flax seed meal

Next, I divided the mixture into 1-cup portions.

To prepare:

Place 1 cup of whole grain mixture in slow cooker. Add 4 1/2 cups of cold water and a pinch of sea salt. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Breakfast is served. Enjoy with brown sugar, milk, and dried fruit/nuts/seeds/whatever you like. Serves 4.

Steel-Cut Oats with Pumpkin

Hallelujah, it’s pumpkin season! Last night, I had half a can of leftover pumpkin that needed to be used up, so I tweaked a recipe I had for cooking steel-cut oats in the slow cooker. The result was like eating dessert at breakfast - it really captured the flavors of fall.

You can’t beat spiced pumpkin with cranberries and nuts! But unlike some Thanksgiving dinners, this dish is also packed with vitamin A from the pumpkin, fiber from the steel-cut oats and dried fruit, protein from walnuts, and omega-3s if you decide to add in some flax seed. This dish packs quite a nutritional punch, and will keep you going all morning.

Note: the sugar and syrup amounts are approximate, and you may add more if you like a sweeter oatmeal.

Steel-Cut Oats with Pumpkin

1 c. steel-cut oats

½ c. organic pumpkin puree

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. maple syrup

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon with dash of nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, etc.

pinch sea salt

4 c. water

Half and half, milk, cream or soy milk

Chopped walnuts and dried cranberries or currents

Ground flax seed

Mix all ingredients together through water together in a slow cooker. Cook overnight for 7-9 hours. In the morning, swirl in a bit of half and half, milk, cream or soy milk to add creaminess. Sprinkle with nuts and dried fruit and ground flax seed as desired.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

When I was young, muffins meant a box of Jiffy brand. Sometimes it was banana nut, and sometimes it was blueberry flavored. Then, later, my mom moved on to Duncan Hines brand. But I can honestly say that I have no memory of ever eating fresh muffins made from scratch.

So when I first tasted a warm muffin made with fresh, juicy blueberries, topped with a cinnamon streusel, it came as a bit of a revelation. Also, possibly the best thing anyone has ever conceived of as a breakfast food. This is the best recipe I have ever tried for homemade blueberry muffins. Treat yourself over the weekend to something fantastic like these muffins - you earned it!

Note: You can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh. Just bake a little more towards the 25 minute mark.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins
From Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Pukkolla: Quick, Delicious Make-Ahead Breakfast

I think everyone who knows me knows what a huge Jamie Oliver fan I am. This week, I’ve been watching "Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution" on ABC (perhaps one of the most important shows on TV at the moment, in my opinion). Then, my husband procured the entire BBC production of "Jamie’s American Road Trip", and so far we’ve followed him as he explored the Mexican community of east LA and cowboy culture in Cody, Wyoming. Yum!

All of this Oliver mania left me hungry for even more Jamie, so I pulled out my old cookbook "The Naked Chef Takes Off" and found a recipe that I’ve been meaning to try. It’s basically a sort of muesli, and it has a beautiful silky, not-too-thick texture. I have made muesli before, but always with yogurt; I prefer it Jamie’s way. This dish is extremely healthy, and convenient, since you can make it all ahead of time. Both my husband and I absolutely loved it.

The name "Pukkolla" is a play on the British slang "pukka", which means something like "wicked" or "awesome". He’s very informal in his measurements - it’s all part of his natural, laid-back approach. Love it!

Pukkolla
(Jamie Oliver’s Muesli)

several handfuls of rolled oats (not instant or quick)
a handful of dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, dates, etc.)
a handful of crumbled walnuts
a few tablespoons of bran meal
a few tablespoons of flaxseed meal (This was my addition for the nutritional benefits of flaxseed!)

This mixture may be kept in an airtight container for several months if you want to make a large batch and take out a smaller amount each day to prepare. Here is how you prepare it:

The night before:Cover the mixture with milk (or soy/rice/almond milk). Grate in 1 apple, stir, cover and place in refrigerator overnight.

The next morning:Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and stir. Slice up a banana and stir it into the mixture. Can add a little honey for extra sweetness if desired. Serves 2.

The Only Thing That Can Lure Me Out of My Warm Bed

It’s a cold, crisp winter morning. You wake up, snug and warm in the embrace of a comfy blanket, and realize you’ve nowhere to go and nothing you must do today. Only one thing can lure you out of bed on a morning like this.

Pecan Rolls. Warm, gooey, sweet, soul-nourishing concoctions of cinnamon, butter, and crunchy nuts. Cinnamon rolls are well and good, but I always feel that they’re empty without nuts. This recipe is amongst the best I’ve found. It’s really not as much work as one might imagine would be required for such a heavenly reward. (This recipe first appeared in Bon Appetit magazine in October 1999.)

Note: One of the best tricks I know is to cut the rolls using dental floss! It cuts so cleanly and prevents the dough from being squished with a knife!

Pecan Rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water (105F to 115F)
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 envelopes dry yeast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup pecan halves

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over and let stand until foamy, about 6 minutes. Mix in vegetable oil and salt. Add enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 10 minutes.

2. Lightly oil another large bowl. Place dough in bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then cover with kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Beat butter, cinnamon and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in medium bowl to blend.

3. Turn dough out onto floured work surface (do not punch down). Roll out or press dough gently to 16x10-inch rectangle. Using spatula, spread 1 cup butter mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, forming log. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut log crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Spread remaining butter mixture over bottom of 15x10x2-inch metal baking pan. Sprinkle 1 cup pecan halves evenly over butter mixture in pan. Arrange rolls, cut side down, in prepared pan, spacing evenly. Cover pan with plastic wrap. Let rolls rise in warm draft-free area until light and puffed, about 30 minutes.

4. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325F. Bake cinnamon rolls uncovered until tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes.

5. Remove pan from oven. Using sharp knife, cut around sides of pan. Place large baking sheet over pan. Using oven mitts as aid, hold baking sheet and pan together and turn over, releasing cinnamon rolls onto sheet. Serve cinnamon rolls warm or at room temperature.

How to Eat A Healthy Breakfast Every Day

Breakfast: The most important meal of the day. Also the most disregarded and least heralded meal of the day, because everybody wants a few more hours of sleep. One of my solutions is to bake a big batch of muffins one night and freeze them. Then, on a busy weekday morning, I take out one or two muffins, heat ‘em up, spread them with some butter (or butter spread) and enjoy with a glass of soy milk/herbal tea.

Here is the best recipe I’ve ever tried for bran muffins. They’re delicious and good for you, what with the rolled oats (note: old-fashioned, NOT quick), wheat bran and whole wheat flour! I like to experiment with it, though it's perfect as it is, to try to boost the nutrition even more. Last night, I made a batch but added shredded carrot for added vitamin A and some ground flaxseed meal for extra Omega 3's, lignans, and fiber. Yum!

Bran Muffins

2 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ c. hot water
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. wheat bran
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. unbleached flour
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
½ c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
2 ½ c. buttermilk
handful of raisins (optional)
handful of toasted walnut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 24 muffins tins with oil and set aside (or line with muffin liners). Combine the hot water and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk oats, bran, wheat flour, unbleached flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl to blend. In a separate large bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, buttermilk and eggs lightly. Add the hot water mixture and flour mixture, as well as raisins and walnuts if desired, and stir to incorporate.

Divide muffins into 24 muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in a rack for five minutes.