I had an open can of SPAM in the fridge, but I didn't want to just keep making Hawaiian omelettes, so I decided to give this hearty ham-and-potato omelette a try.

It's really meant to be made with ham and cubed cooked potatoes. But, since we had the SPAM in the fridge and some hashbrowns in the freezer, I decided to just chop those up and use them for the filling. Since the SPAM and the hashbrowns are already pretty fatty, I omitted the butter called for in the filling. If you're just using regular potatoes, then I'd recommend adding a little bit of butter to the pan.

Lumberman's Special Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 2-3 tsp. butter (optional)
• 1/2 c. chopped SPAM or ham
• 1/2 c. cubed cooked potato (or hashbrowns)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1-2 Tbsp. water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbsp. grated cheddar

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat (if using).
2. Add the ham, potato, and green onions and cook until lightly browned (~10 minutes).
3. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Melt a tiny bit more butter in the pan.
5. Beat the eggs with the water, salt and pepper.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until almost set. Lift up the edges and allow the uncooked egg to run underneath periodically to help with even cooking if desired.
7. Srpinkle ~1/2 c. of the filling over half of the omelette.
8. Add the cheese on top and then fold the omelette over.
9. Cook until cheese is melted and egg is set.
10. Either serve the remaining filling on the side or use it to make another omelette.

Gaji Namul (Korean Spicy Eggplant)

This is an old one. I made this the last time I was in NZ. I just never quite got around to writing it up. Which is a shame. Because it was delicious! Luckily, I kept a list of everything I made while I was over there. So I can rectify this grave oversight now.

Gaji Namul

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 450g Asian eggplants
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• pepper, to taste
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 mild red chile or bell pepper (optional), minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Halve eggplants lengthwise, then cut into pieces about 5cm (2") long.
2. Set up a steamer, bring water to a boil, add eggplants to steamer, cover, and cook for ~5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Combine the soy sauce, sugar, gochugaru, fish sauce, sesame oil, and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
5. Add the garlic, green onion, and chile/bell pepper (if using). Set aside.
6. Once eggplant is cool enough to handle, tear it into bite-sized pieces.
7. Pour the sauce over the eggplant and toss to combine.
8. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
9. Stir once more before serving.
10. Serve with rice and other banchan (side dishes) of your choice.

This was supposed to be a chickpea and turkey meatball soup. But I got mixed up about what was in the freezer and discovered that while we still had ground beef left, there was no turkey or chicken. So I ended up making it with beef instead. And it was delicious! (Possibly not quite as lean and healthy as it would've been with turkey, but very tasty nonetheless.)

Chickpea and Meatball Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 450g ground turkey or extra lean beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Soup

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1L chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale or mustard greens, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
2. Combine the mince, garlic, panko, Parmesan, egg, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. Using very small amounts of the meat mixture, form tiny meatballs (~1.5cm across).
4. Place the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown (5-10 minutes).
7. Add the tomato paste and chickpeas and cook for a minute or two.
8. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chicken stock.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Purée half the soup and return it to the pot (or use an immersion blender).
11. Add the meatballs and greens and stir to combine.
12. Cook until greens are wilted and everything is heated through (~5 minutes longer).

Cauliflower was on sale at the grocery store last week and it's been a while since we've had any, so I picked one up. I then consistently failed to cook it for the entire week. Luckily, I am finally getting back into the swing of meal planning now and hit upon this simple recipe to use it up. It's definitely not the most healthful vegetable side. Too much butter and oil for that. But it was very tasty!

Caramelized Cauliflower with Honey and Smoked Paprika

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 head caulflower, cut into florets
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. water
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

1. Melt the butter with 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the cauliflower and sear for 3-4 minutes without disturbing.
3. Flip and sear for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat once or twice more.
4. Add the remaining Tbsp. of oil along with the onion, and garlic and cook until onion begins to brown (~5 minutes longer).
5. Add the chile flakes, paprika, honey, and water and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the lemon juice and cook for ~30 seconds longer.
7. Remove from heat and serve.

Baked Rigatoni with Fennel, Sausage, and Peperonata

This was delicious! But I think it could have used more sausage. (And maybe a bit of spinach.)

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Peperonata

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g rigatoni
• 1 bulb fennel
• 450g Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 bell peppers, julienned (preferably all different colours)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar¹
• 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream²
• 150g baby spinach (optional)
• 250g fontina cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and grease a 23x33cm lasagne pan.
2. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Remove and discard the core and stems from the fennel bulb. Dice the remaining bulb and set aside.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the sausage.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
6. Add the fennel and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~5 minutes).
7. Add the sausage and fennel to the bowl with the pasta.
8. Add the bell peppers to the now-empty pan. Add a little oil if necessary, but the sausages released sufficient fat that I didn't need any for mine.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
10. Add the sugar and vinegar and keep cooking until vegetables are glazed.
11. Add the tomato sauce and cream to the peppers and cook until slightly thickened (~5 minutes).
12. Pour the peppers and sauce over the pasta, add the spinach (if using) and the fontina, and toss to combine.
13. Dump the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
14. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10-15 minutes.

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¹ The recipe called for granulated sugar and red wine vinegar. I swapped out the white sugar for brown. But I used the red wine vinegar as specified. Having tasted it though, I'd be inclined to try balsamic next time. I think that'd be even better! ^Back
2 The recipe called for 1 c. of tomato sauce and 1 1/2 c. of cream. We had a bit of extra sauce though, so we just tossed it in. I'm not sure if it was a full extra half cup. It might've been more like 1/3 c. But... close enough. Meanwhile, after putting in just 1 c. of cream, the sauce looked both very rich and very pale already. So I opted to omit the extra half cup. If you wanted to make this dish a bit lighter, you could use half-and-half instead. (I normally would've done that. But the cream has been in the fridge for a while and needs to be used up.) ^Back

I'm used to stratas being savoury dishes. Layers of bread, maybe some sausage and/or veggies, probably cheese, and then eggs or custard to bind it all together. Baked up into a tasty breakfast dish.

This one is a bit different. It's a sweet strata! Basically a layered bread pudding. Full of apples, raisins, spices, and a lightly sweetened custard. And served with maple syrup. Rather than cheddar or mozzarella (as I might normally expect for a strata), it uses cream cheese.

I think, on the whole, I prefer my savoury stratas. But this was definitely a nice way to mix things up a bit. And the Kidlet loved it!

Apple Strata

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 6 slices stale bread, cubed and divided
• 125g cream cheese, cubed
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Directions

1. Grease a 23x23cm (9x9") square pan.
2. Place half of the bread cubes in an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
3. Scatter the cream cheese on top.
4. Layer the apples on top of this and sprinkle with the raisins.
5. Beat the eggs with the milk and mix in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
6. Pour the custard over the strata.
7. Cover and set aside to allow the bread to soak up the custard for at least an hour and as long as overnight. (Store in the fridge if there will be more than 2 hours between assembly and baking.)
8. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)¹.
10. Bake strata at 180°C (350°F) until custard is just set (60-75 minutes).
11. Serve topped with icing sugar and/or maple syrup.

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¹ The original recipe says to bake your strata at 190°C (375°F) for 55 minutes. Mine was very dark on top after only 45, but still raw in the centre. I ended up covering it with foil and baking it for another 10 minutes and then reducing the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and baking it 10 more minutes. So, I think next time I'd just start it out at 180°C (350°F) and bake it for a bit longer to make sure that everything gets cooked through without burning. ^Back

This is meant to be made with fresh Chinese-style egg noodles. I didn't feel like making a special trip out to the shop though, so we just used dry spaghettini. It worked just fine and was delicious.

I also didn't bother trying to cook the chicken in a grill pan like the recipe called for. I just cooked it in a normal frying pan. No pretty grill marks on it that way. But it seemed just fine otherwise.

For the vegetables... It was meant to use edamame and carrots. I don't particularly like edamame, so I used frozen green peas instead. Honestly, I think it would've been good with even more veg. It was good as-is. But I might be tempted to add some thinly sliced bell pepper next time.

Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. light soy sauce
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. Sriracha
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• pepper, to taste
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 300g dry spaghettini (or similar)
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2-3 carrots, grated
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine the oils, soy sauce, vinegar, juice, sugar, garlic, and Sriracha and mix well.
2. Season the chicken breasts with pepper and brush with 2 Tbsp. of the sauce.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook until no longer pink inside (5-6 minutes per side).
4. Remove from pan and slice.
5. Meanwhile, place the frozen peas in a colander.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt lightly, and add the pasta, cooking until al dente.
7. Drain the pasta by pouring it into the colander with the peas.
8. Toss the noodles and peas with the bell pepper (if using), carrots, chicken, remaining sauce, and green onions.
9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

I didn't quite do this recipe to spec. It's very simple. You're meant to cut the topknots off of a few individual brioches, hollow out the larger bottom parts, butter both, and then bake eggs in the bases. They're seasoned with a little tarragon and parsley. But there's not much to them other than that.

So how, with a recipe so simple, could I have deviated? Well... I still had about half of this lovely poppyseed bubble loaf left. And some of the centre bits were ever so slightly underbaked. So it occurred to me that this might be the ideal way to use them! Hollow them out, fill them with eggs, and bake them again. Which is great, except the "bubbles" are all a bit smaller and much more awkwardly and irregularly shaped than a traditional brioche. So the eggs didn't really fit neatly into them. I did my best. But it still got a bit messy.

Eggs Baked in Brioche

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 4 individual brioches
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 4 large eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
• 4 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter 4 custard cups or ramekins.
2. Cut the topknots off the brioches and set them aside.
3. Hollow out the brioche bases and butter them.
4. Crack and egg into each brioche base.
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, tarragon, and parsley.
6. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, butter the topknots, wrap in foil, and set aside.
8. Once the eggs have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add the foil packet with the topknots and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and serve.

This was pretty tasty! Definitely not health food. But a nice treat. Especially on the first day. (I do think it loses something in the reheating. It's still good. Just not as good.)

Marry Me Shrimp Pasta

Slightly adapted from Delish.com

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil¹
• 450g shrimp, shelled and deveined
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 450g dry pasta (rigatoni, shells, or penne all work well)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream or half-and-half (10% MF)
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning²
• 300g spinach
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• fresh basil, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pink and opaque (3-5 minutes).
3. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ~1/2 c. of pasta water, and set aside.
5. Reduce pan temperature to medium.
6. Add garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes and cook until paste darkens (1-2 minutes).
7. Add sun-dried tomatoes, broth, cream, and Italian seasoning, deglaze the pan, and bring to a simmer.
8. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly (~5 minutes).
9. Add spinach and cook until wilted (1-2 minutes).
10. Add pasta, shrimp, and reserved pasta water, stir vigorously for a few seconds, and cook until pasta is well-coated and sauce is glossy.
11. Stir in Parmesan.
12. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
13. Sprinkle with fresh basil (if using) and server.

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¹ My tomatoes were not oil-packed, so I didn't have any tomato oil for my sauce. Instead I used a bit of oil from some spicy, oil-packed anchovies. I feel like this was an acceptable substitute. ^Back
2 I didn't have any ready-made Italian seasoning, so I just mixed in a few herbs separately: mostly parsley, oregano, and basil with just a touch of rosemary and thyme. ^Back

I needed a vegetable to go with my chicken stir-fry the other day and bok choy was on sale at the grocery store. The fact that this is an incredibly simple recipe didn't hurt either!

Bok Choy with Lemon and Soy

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1kg baby bok choy, thoroughly rinsed and quartered
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the bok choy and stir-fry for a minute or so.
3. Add the soy sauces, honey, and lemon and stir-fry until bok choy is wilted and glazed with sauce.

These waffles are... weird. The batter uses an unusal ordering of ingredients. The flavour profile of the salsa is bizarre. And the overall effect, while not bad, is quite unusual.

Hawaiian Waffles with Tropical Salsa

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

Salsa

• 1 c. diced mango
• 1 c. diced pineapple
• 1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
• 1 jalape&ntile;o, seeded and minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Waffles

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 275g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder, sifted
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts
• 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Combine all of the salsa ingredients, stir, and chill for 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat waffle iron.
3. Beat the eggs until foamy.
4. Drizzle in the butter and continue beating.
5. Mix in the milk.
6. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and stir to combine.
7. Stir on the nuts and coconut.
8. Scoop a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions.
9. Repeat with remaining batter.
10. Serve topped with maple syrup and/or tropical salsa.

I've been meaning to make this one for a while now. It can be done as either a "bubble loaf" with little round balls of dough coated in poppyseeds or "money bread" with flat ribbons of dough coated in brown sugar and currants. I opted for the savoury poppyseed variety.

The recipe specifies using 2 cups of butter for coating the dough pieces. This is clearly insane. I melted 1 stick (ie. 1/2 a cup) and still had about half of it left over by the time I was done. Two cups would've been ludicrous!

Otherwise, I pretty much followed the recipe. Although I did toss in ~250g of sourdough discard. Not because the recipe needed it, but because the starter desperately needed to be fed. And, to be honest, the starter does act as a decent conditioner that makes the dough a bit nicer and the finished bread a bit more resistant to going stale, so... why not?

And, while I kept the rest of the ingredients the same, I did slightly change the way that I handled some of them. Most notably, I omitted the butter until I was about halfway through kneading the dough and then worked it in. My understanding is that, although it doesn't necessarily make a huge difference, this can often help with gluten formation.

Poppyseed Bubble Loaf

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 800-900g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour, divided
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 250g sourdough discard (optional)
• 2 c. water
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 c. dry milk powder
• 6-8 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1/3 c. poppyseeds

Directions

1. Combine the yeast with 400g of the flour.
2. Add the sourdough discard (if using) and the water and stir to combine.
3. Add the salt, sugar, and milk powder and mix vigorously for ~150 strokes.
4. Add 400g of the remaining flour ~50g at a time.
5. Turn the dough out and knead for 5-10 minutes, using the remaining flour to dust as needed to achieve a soft, supple dough that does not stick too much.
6. Smear 2 Tbsp. of the butter on the work surface and work the dough on top of it for another 5-10 minutes, grandually working the butter into the dough.
7. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Small bubbles forming just below the surface is an excellent sign!
8. Round the dough and place it in a covered bowl to rise at room temperature.
9. Once dough is fully risen (~1 hour), knock it back.¹
10. Melt the remaining butter and use some of it to grease a large (10-cup) Bundt pan.
11. Place the poppyseeds in a shallow dish.
12. Pinch off a small portion of dough, shape it into a ball, dip it in the melted butter, and then dip it in the poppyseeds. Place the ball seed-side-up in the prepared pan.
13. Repeat with remaining dough.
14. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
15. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
16. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until done.²

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Variations

Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 800-900g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour, divided
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 250g sourdough discard (optional)
• 2 c. water
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2/3 c. dry milk powder
• 6-8 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. currants, soaked and drained

Directions

1. Make the dough as directed above.
2. Once ready for shaping, press or roll the dough into a large, flat rectangle and cut into ribbons ~2cm wide and 8cm long.
3. Mix the brown sugar and the currants into the melted butter.
4. Dip the dough ribbons into the butter mixture and toss into the pan. (Clayton says to do this "haphazardly", but I think that trying to make a nice pattern with them would be pretty.)

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¹ At this point, you're meant to begin shaping the loaf. I had errands to run, however, so I asked TF to knock the dough back at the 1-mark and then put it back in its bowl to complete a second rise there. After an additional hour, I knocked it back a second time and then shaped the loaf. So the final proof was actually it's third rise, rather than the second as called for in the original recipe. Doing it this way certainly doesn't seem to have hurt the results any! So, feel free to adjust the rises to suit your schedule. Putting it in the fridge to retard it somewhat could also be an option. Bread is really quite flexible! Figure out a method that works for you. ^Back
2 This can be a little tricky to judge with this loaf. Clayton actually says to bake it at 190°C (375°F) for 1 hour. I thought that sounded excessive. Especially for how well-risen the loaf was. I also worried that the slightly higher oven temperature would cause it to burn on the outside before it had baked through in the centre. So I lowered the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and baked it for just 30 minutes. The top pieces were certainly wonderfully browned and beautifully baked. Hopefully it ended up fully cooked in the centre as well. I will admit, I did not end up testing it as I was a little distracted by the time it was going in the oven. ^Back

This is a weird one: An omelette without cheese and with fruit.

I have to admit, I haven't been impressed with sweet/fruit omelettes when I've tried them before. That said, I've tried it precisely once before today. So I figured I shouldn't write them off completely yet. And this one is going for a savoury-sweet Hawaiian pizza type deal. So I figured it might have a better chance of working out than a purely sweet omelette. And, you know what? It did!

Is it my favourite omelette? No. But is it something I'd have again? Absolutely! This combo worked. Even the coconut was excellent in it. (Honestly, I feel like the coconut is what made it.) And the "tocino" SPAM that I had in the pantry worked fabulously in place of chopped ham. So... great success all 'round.

Don't mind the structural integrity issues. It was a tasty omelette despite its ragged appearance.

Hawaiian Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 c. diced ham or SPAM
• 2 Tbsp. minced pineapple
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2-3 slices papaya (optional)
• 1-3 fresh mint leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size pan over medium-low heat.
2. Beat the eggs with the water, salt, and pepper.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook gently until almost completely set.
4. Sprinkle half the omelette with the ham, pineapple, and coconut.
5. Fold the plain side of the omelette over the topped one and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
6. Carefully flip the omelette and cook for 2-3 minutes longer (or until eggs are completely set.
7. Transfer to a plate, top with papaya and mint (if using) and serve.

I've spent most of the last few months flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to scheduling and meal planning. Lots of "just-in-time" compiling of food. And lots of emergency takeaway as I realize that I've run out of either time, ingredients, or energy. (Or sometimes all three.) This stir-fry was very much in that vein. I needed something that I could throw together quickly with ingredients on hand. And this happened to fit the bill. And, bonus: It was even pretty tasty!

Spicy Basil and Chicken Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 fresh Thai or finger chilies, thinly sliced
• 2-3 coves garlic, minced
• 450g skinless boneless chicken breases, sliced
• 3/4 c. fresh basil chiffonade (preferably Thai basil)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• cooked rice, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the stick, fish sauce, sugar, and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil over high heat.
3. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the chiles and garlic and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink (2-4 minutes).
6. Add the basil and green onions and stir-fry for one more minute.
7. Stir the sauce and then pour it into the wok.
8. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-60 seconds longer.
9. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

This was not a spectacular dish, but it was honestly pretty good. And while it took a while to make, the time required was mostly passive. There was very little active prep or cooking required. So, while definitely not a showstopper, this does make for a very appealing side dish.

Photo goes here.

Tomato and Eggplant Tian

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1-2 American or Italian eggplants
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 1-1.2kg fresh tomatoes, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme, divided
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, divided
• 1/4 c. dried breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F), line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, and grease a gratin dish or deep dish pie plate.
2. Peel the eggplant(s) and cut them crosswise into 1cm thick slices.
3. Brush both sides with olive oil and place them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper.
5. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, thyme, and the remaining salt and pepper. Set aside.
7. Flip the eggplant slices and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and increase temperature to 230°C (450°F).
9. Arrange eggplant slices, overlapping, in pie plate.
10. Sprinkle with half the basil.
11. Layer the tomatoes on top, being sure to pour in all of their juices as well.
12. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top and dot with butter.
13. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 25 minutes.

This somewhat unusual breakfast scramble was apparently the signature dish of a restaurant in San Francisco. I've seen a few different versions of it floating around over the years. This one is very straight-forward. And tasty.

Although I do feel that this is one case where the dish might benefit from the use of lean -- or even regular -- ground beef rather than my usual extra lean. Don't get me wrong! The extra lean was good. But it just didn't quite have that unctuous, greasy spoon diner vibe that I really associate with this kind of cooking. Definitely much healthier this way. Just maybe slightly less authentic.

Original Joe

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 400g ground beef
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 200-300g frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 6-7 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. water or milk
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• grated Parmesan
• chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the beef, mushrooms, and green onions over medium heat and cook until beef is no longer pink. Add a little water if necessary.
2. Season with half of the salt and pepper and add the frozen spinach. Stir to combine.
3. Beat the eggs with the water (or milk), nutmeg, and remaining salt and pepper.
4. Pour the eggs into the pan and let cook for a minute or two.
5. Stir and continue cooking until eggs are set.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley.
7. Serve with buttered toast and/or broiled tomato slices.

Not much of a recipe here: Just tomatoes with a bit of salt, pepper, and Parmesan. They are tasty though. And they make a nice addition to many breakfast plates.¹

Broiled Tomato Slices

From The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, thickly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated Parmesan, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat a broiler and lightly grease a small rimmed baking sheet.
2. Place the tomato slices on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cheese.
3. Broil until tomatoes are cooked and cheese is melted (~4 minutes).

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¹ As long as you can safely eat them! (Sorry, Reiv...) ^Back

I was at a bit of a loss for dinner the other night. I haven't been sleeping well lately and have been very much flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to meal planning.

I needed something that would come together quickly, without too much effort, with the ingredients that I already had on hand. And this fit the bill. It's not the greatest meal ever. And, having tried it both ways now, I actually think I prefer it as a pasta sauce rather than serving it on buns like you're "supposed" to. But it got the job done. (And it is excellent on pasta!)

Sloppy Joes

Slightly adapted from Delish.com

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. ketchup
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• black pepper, to taste
• 450g ground beef (preferably extra lean)
• 1 c. tomato sauce

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until softened.
3. Add the bell pepper and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the ketchup and cook until the colour darkens slightly (2-3 minutes).
5. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook for another minute.
6. Add the vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with pepper.
7. Add the ground beef and simmer, stirring and breaking up any large chunks, until meat is cooked through (~5 minutes).
8. Add the tomato sauce and simmer until heated through (3-5 minutes longer).
9. Serve on buns or over pasta with toppings of your choice. Dill pickles, lettuce, and cheddar cheese are all particularly good.

I tried grits for the first time when I was on vacation many years ago. They had little packets of instant grits along with the instant oatmeal and cold cereals as part of the hotel breakfast spread. I decided to give them a try and discovered that I quite liked them! Unfortunately, grits are relatively hard to come by in Canada. I kept my eyes peeled for them for years, but never found any. Until about a year ago! When I finally spotted a bag of Bob's Red Mill corn grits. Finally!

To be fair, now that I've tried them properly, they're not all that different from polenta. But I still appreciate having the opportunity to give them a go.

I know shrimp and grits is a classic. But I didn't feel like cooking shrimp for breakfast yesterday morning. So, instead, I opted for some chicken sausages, fried eggs, and a garlic-y kale sauté to top my cheesy grits. And I feel like this worked out pretty well all-in-all.

I think the only change that I'd make next time is to adjust the proportion of cooking liquid slightly. The recipe I had called for cooking 3/4 c. of grits in 3 c. of water. But the package specified a full cup of grits for that amount of liquid. I decided to follow the package instructions, but I think the cookbook may have actually had it right. It's not a huge deal either way. Just something to keep in mind for next time.

Cheesy Grits with Sausage, Kale, and Eggs

Ingredients

• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. grits
• 450g chicken sausages
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 300g kale, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 c. grated cheese

Directions

1. Combine water, salt, and grits and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened.
3. Reduce heat to very low and keep warm while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cook the sausages over medium heat.
5. Remove from the pan, allow to cool slightly, and slice. Set aside.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat.
7. Add the garlic and cook until softened.
8. Add the kale and cook until wilted.
9. Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
10. Fry the eggs in a little butter or lard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Stir the milk and cheese into the grits.
12. Dish up a portion of grits and top with some sausage, kale, and an egg.

As written in the original recipe, this is meant to be more of a syrup. Made with pineapple juice and strained smooth. I chose to make it as a chunky sauce using chopped fruit rather than juices and skipping the straining.

Pineapple-Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 300g sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 340g fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 pineapple, trimmed and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. grated ginger (or ginger paste)

Directions

1. Combine the sugar and water and bring to a vigorous simmer.
2. Shake the pan a few times to mix and continue cooking until a light caramel forms (~8 minutes).
3. Carefully add the cranberries and pinapple to the pot and stir to combine.
4. Caramel will harden. Continue cooking until caramel softens and dissolves and cranberries begin to break down.
5. Stir in the ginger and cook for another minute or two.
6. Serve over waffles or pancakes.

The Kidlet requested cake pops for her birthday party this year. I was somewhat apprehensive since I've never made them before and they seemed a bit fiddly. But, truth-be-told, they weren't actually that difficult to put together!

On the one hand, you have to bake the cake and then crumble it and mix it with milk to form the "dough". Then form it into balls, partially freeze them, impale them on sticks, and coat each one in chocolate. So it is a bit of a process. But, on the other hand, you don't have to make icing or split, fill, and stack cake layers. You don't have to do any decoration beyond a few sprinkles. And they're extremely easy to serve. No plates or cutlery required!

All-in-all, I'd call these a great success and happily make them again in the future!

My cake pops were a little on the large size. According to the recipe, we were supposed to get 36 cake pops, but we only ended up with 30. I could have reduced the size a bit to the proper proportions, but I figured no one would mind the extra-large size. They're a little less dainty, to be sure. And a little more top-heavy. But I quite liked them nonetheless.

Cake Pops

Slightly adapted from The Perfect Cake by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 210g all-purpose flour
• 200g sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. milk¹
• 2 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar
• ~2 c. white or dark chocolate chips
• 30-36 lollipop sticks
• sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 20cm (8") square pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in the baking powder and mix well.
4. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) until golden and cooked through (~25 minutes).
6. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.
7. Once cake has cooled completely, break into small (1-2cm) pieces.
8. Add the milk and sugar to the bowl and mix until a dough forms.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
10. Form the dough into balls (aim for 30-36 total).
11. Freeze for ~1 hour until firm, but not frozen solid.
12. Gently melt the chocolate in a large measuring cup and place in a bowl of hot water to keep it liquid.
13. Dip a stick into the melted chocolate and then stab it about halfway through one of the cake balls.
14. Dip the cake pop in the chocolate to coat completely.
15. Dip in sprinkles so that some are picked up by the chocolate.
16. Stand cake pop in a piece of florist's foam and allow chocolate to set.
17. Repeat dipping process with remaining cake pops.
18. Store at room temperature for up to 4 hours or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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¹ The original recipe only called for 1/4 c. of milk, but that wasn't nearly enough to form a cohesive dough. I needed to add an extra 1/4 c. of milk for it to reach that point. ^Back

Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles (Big Book of Breakfasts)

I've been on a bit of a waffle kick lately. I've already made most of the waffles from the waffle cookbook (except for the dessert ones), but there are still a bunch of as-yet-untried ones in the Big Book of Breakfasts that I haven't made yet, so I decided to give another one of them a go. To be fair, this one is pretty similar to other buttermilk waffle recipes that I've made, but it still lets me check off another recipe, even if it's not a completely new type or flavour.

The original recipe just used all-purpose flour for these crispy and fluffy waffles. After giving it a bit of thought though, I decided to go with a mix of white and whole wheat flour for mine. I used a 50/50 mix, but I think 100% whole wheat also would've been fine. It might even be nice to try to incorporate a bit of sourdough starter next time.

Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles

Slighty adapted from The Big Book of Breakfasts by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 130g flour
• 130g whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 100-150g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration (optional)
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Combine flours, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
4. Beat eggs into buttermilk.
5. Mix in the sourdough discard (if using) and stir in the melted butter.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
7. Scoop a portion of batter into the waffle iron and sprinkle a few blueberries on top. Close waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions.
8. Repeat cooking process wiht remaining batter and blueberries.
9. Serve topped with yogurt, maple syrup, and/or cream.

I actually made these waffles several weeks ago, but I've still have a huge backlog of recipes to write up, so this one is very late in getting posted.

These were pretty good. Not may favourite waffles, I don't think, but perfectly serviceable.

The cookbook suggested serving them with baked apples, so I whipped up a quick, chunky, homemade apple sauce to serve with them. (Not the same, I know, but I was hoping that it'd be close enough). This was alright as a topping, but I think other fruits and/or a sweetened cream cheese topping of some description would've worked even better.

Gingerbread Waffles

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfasts by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 300g whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 1/4 c. butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
3. Sift in baking powder and mix well.
4. Beat eggs and molasses into milk and mix in butter.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine.
6. Scoop a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions. Repeat with remaining batter.
7. Serve with baked apples, applesauce, fresh fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, and/or maple cream cheese.

I needed bread in a hurry last night. I had intended to give the chocolate bread a try when next I was baking, but I didn't have time to make the sponge. So instead I flipped a bit further through the book and settled on this high-fibre quick bread recipe.

Using chemical leaveners rather than yeast meant it was ready in about an hour. And, while it does have quite a bit of sugar in it, it also contains a hefty quantity of wheat bran and no added fat. So it comes out sweet, but quite lean. And the molasses makes it pleasingly dark and fragrant.

Hilo Bran Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 375g flour
• 150g wheat bran
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 6 Tbsp. molasses

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour two 20x10cm (8x4") loaf pans.
2. Combine the flour, bran, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
4. In a large measuring cup, combine the milk and molasses and mix well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and let stand for 10 minutes.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-45 minutes.
8. Turn out onto wire racks to cool.

Basic Waffles (with Variations)

I've been meaning to make waffles for breakfast all week. But I kept sleeping in and not quite getting to it. Today I finally managed to rouse myself early enough to get them done before the Kidlet went to school.

I was going to just make plain waffles. But then I saw that it had a bunch of suggested variations down at the bottom: chocolate, cheese, poppy seed, and nut. I briefly contemplated doing cheese waffles. But TF said that something sweet might be better since we don't really have much to put on savoury waffles right now. So, in the end, I went with the chocolate version.

They were perfectly serviceable waffles with a nice (if not particularly intense) chocolate flavour. They got a bit of crisp to the exterior and weren't too sweet either. I think I'd probably mix in some chopped dark chocolate next time. Just to punch up the flavour a little bit. But all-in-all this made for a perfectly acceptable quick breakfast. (Not the most nutritionally complete, to be sure, but okay as an occasional thing.)

Basic Waffles

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfasts by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk and butter.
3. Add the flour and sugar and sift in the baking powder.
4. Stir until just mixed.
5. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. Serve with fruit, syrup, whipped cream, and/or other toppings of your choice.

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Variations

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 30g cocoa powder, sifted
• 60g dark chocolate, chopped

Cheese Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 c. milk
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. grated Cheddar

Poppyseed Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. poppyseeds

Nutty Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts

Waffles with Ham

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 250g flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. diced cooked ham

RM put me onto this recipe a while ago. I had hoped to make it with some fresh limes from Reiver's tree while I was in NZ, but I never quite got to it. Luckily we had a bunch of limes in the freezer here though and Granny Smith apples are easy to come by, so I decided to give it a try after I got home instead.

I cut back the sugar significantly in the cake. And I was tempted to skip the icing altogether. But TF was keen on having a bit of frosting, so I did end up using it in the end.

The icing was good. Although I was definitely glad to have cut back the sugar in the cake once the frosting was added. That said, I think that next time I'd be inclined to swap out the American buttercream for a cream cheese icing. I think the cream cheese tang would complement the other flavours nicely. And cream cheese icings tend to need proportionally less sugar and butter to begin with. So, while still not a health food by any stretch, it would still make for a marginally less sweet and calorific topping.

Green Apple and Lime Slice

Adapted from Twisted Citrus

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 Granny Smith apples, grated
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 125g butter
• 3 Tbsp. golden syrup
• 240g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 125g unsweetened applesauce
• 2 c. dessicated coconut
• 1 c. sultanas
• 1 c. dried currants
• 2 large eggs

Icing

• 100g butter, softened
• 240g cream cheese, softened
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 250-300g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Mix the lime zest and 2 Tbsp. of the juice with the grated apples.
3. Combine the butter and golden syrup in a small pot and melt over low heat.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl with the apples and mix in the salt, cinnamon, sugar, applesauce, coconut, sultanas, and currants.
5. Pour the butter mixture into the bowl and stir to combine.
6. Add the eggs and mix well.
7. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
8. Bake at 180&det;C (350°F) until done (~30 minutes).
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan.
10. Meanwhile, make the icing byt beating the butter with the cream cheese until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
11. Beat in the lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla.
12. Sift in icing sugar until desired consistency is reached.
13. Once cake has cooled completely, spread the icing on top.
14. Cut into squares and serve.

As has become typical recently, this write-up is late. I made this bread several weeks ago, but it's taken me a while to get to the write-up for it.

It was a fine loaf. Very wheat-y. As you might expect from something containing so much extra wheat germ. But it rose well and the flavour was nice. It wasn't special, but it was perfectly serviceable and we've eaten the lot now.

Wheat Germ Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/3 c. butter
• 1/3 c. molasses
• 4 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
• 1 c. wheat germ
• 3/4 c. milk, warmed to ~50°C (120°F)
• 600g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 200-300g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour

Directions

1. Combine the water, sugar, salt, butter, and molasses and warm to ~40°C (105°F).
2. Add the yeast and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the wheat germ with the warm milk and set aside until liquid is absorbed and mixture has cooled slightly.
4. Add the molasses mixture to the wheat germ mixture.
5. Add ~300g of the whole wheat flour and 125g of the white flour and stir vigorously for 150-200 strokes.
6. Add the remaining whole wheat flour and mix very well.
7. Use some of the remaining white flour to dust your work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
8. Knead, working in as much of the remaining flour as needed to form a soft, supple dough. (If in doubt, it's better for the dough to be a bit too loose than a bit too tight.)
9. Continue kneading for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Round the dough and place it in a covered bowl to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
11. Knock back, knead a few strokes, divide into two equal portions, and round each one.
12. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, grease two 22x12cm (8.5x4.5") loaf pans.
14. Shape the loaves by your preferred method (I like to do a letter fold followed by a coil fold) and place them, seam-side-down, into the prepared tins.
15. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 45-75 minutes.
16. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
17. Bake loaves at 190°C (375°F) for 30-40 minutes.
18. Remove from oven and let cool in tins for 5-10 minutes.
19. Brush crusts with a little butter if desired. (It will give them a light gloss.)
20. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

We had the Kidlet's birthday party this past weekend. She requested cake pops rather than a regular cake, which actually worked out really well. That said, once we'd finished with the cake pops on Saturday, TF and I were both craving some sort of dessert that we could eat. So I quickly threw together this sheet cake as well.

Powdered buttermilk and frozen lemons meant that it was easy to make with ingredients on hand, without needing to do a special shop for supplies. And I also appreciated that the glaze can be added while the cake is still warm. (In theory, you're still supposed to wait for it to cool completely before you actually cut it, but at least the glaze can go on right away. And you can always cheat the timing on cutting it a bit in a way that you can't do with icing.)

I cut back the sugar a little bit for this one, but I was nervous about scaling it back too far because there's so little else in the cake to begin with. I omitted ~50g of sugar from the cake itself and maybe 40g from the glaze. I might've been able to reduce it a bit further, but I'd be wary of changing it too much more. This might just be one of those recipes that I enjoy sparingly and infrequently and just let it be an extra-rich treat when I do have it.

Lemon-Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Slightly adapted from The Perfect Cake by America's Text Kitchen

Ingredients

Cake

• 280g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 300g sugar
• 3 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk

Glaze

• 300g icing sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. powdered buttermilk (or 1-2 Tbsp. regular buttermilk)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x33cm (9x13") cake tin.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Mix in the salt and set aside.
4. Combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in a measuring cup and set aside.
5. Beat the sugar with the lemon zest until well-mixed and fragrant.
6. Separate out ~1/4 c. of the sugar and set aside.
7. Cream the butter into the remaining lemon sugar.
8. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the egg yolk.
9. Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the wet ingredients in two additions.
10. Give a final stir by hand and then pour the batter into the prepared tin.
11. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 25-35 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk powder (or buttermilk) together until it reaches a smooth, pourable consistency.
14. Pour the glaze over the cake, making sure it covers the entire surface.
15. Sprinkle with reserved lemon sugar and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

It's been a tough couple of days. I woke up late this morning and was craving comfort food for breakfast. And, while I may not be able to solve anything else right now, I could at least solve that. So I made these very basic oatmeal-buttermilk waffles.

The book called for topping them with a fresh blueberry sauce, but I didn't have any blueberries. What I did have though, was serviceberries! And they were a lovely treat here.

The waffles came out very light and crisp and were great with the serviceberry sauce (which comes together in ~5 minutes). The Kidlet had hers with a dollop of whipped cream, just to make it extra special. I had mine with just the sauce and didn't feel that I was missing out.

I think the only change that I'd make next time is to add just a touch of vanilla to the waffle batter. I nearly did so this time. I thought it seemed like it would be a nice addition. But, in the end, I decided to stick to strictly what was in the recipe. And, to be fair, the waffles did come out very well. I just think a hint of vanilla would've made them even better! And, if you're making the sauce to go with them (which calls for lemon juice, you can always zest the lemon first and toss a bit of the peel into your batter as well. Don't overdo it, of course, but I think that a 1/4-1/2 tsp. would go quite nicely.

Oatmeal-Buttermilk Waffles with Serviceberry Sauce

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

Waffles

• 140g whole wheat flour
• 100g quick oats
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 c. fresh or frozen serviceberries (or blueberries)

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Combine the flour, oats, and sugar.
3. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda.
4. Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter.
5. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest, if using.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just mixed.
7. Scoop a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions. Repeat with remaining batter.
8. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, water, and berries over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
9. Cook, stirring often, until liquid portion of sauce is smooth and glossy and thickens slightly (2-3 minutes).
10. Serve waffles topped with sauce (and any other toppings you'd like).

粽子 (zòngzǐ) are sticky rice dumplings. They're the tetrahedral ones that you see wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied up with string. They are made with glutinous rice, can be savoury or sweet, and are traditionally eaten during 端午节 (duānwǔ jié) or Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs sometime between late May and mid-June each year.¹

Unlike "real" 粽子, this version is not wrapped into individual bamboo leaf packets before steaming or boiling. Instead, all of the ingredients are mixed together in a leaf-lined steamer basket. This gives you all of the same flavours without going to the effort of making individual dumplings.

I didn't have any dried bamboo leaves on hand and I did have a surplus of lettuce. So I just ended up using that to line my steamer basket. This did not, of course, impart any of the traditional bamboo flavour to the rice, but it worked just fine to prevent the rice from sticking to its cooking vessel. And we still got to enjoy all of the other flavours in the rice. So, all-in-all, I'd call this a success. Even if not necessarily a super traditional one.

Lazy Zongzi Rice

Slightly adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

Rice

• 1 1/2 c. uncooked glutinous (sticky/sweet) rice
• 8-10 dried bamboo leaves
• 1/2 c. shelled raw peanuts (without skin)
• 3-5 Chinese sausages, sliced thin
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Pork Belly

• 450g pork belly², cut into 1cm dice
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Place the rice in a large bowl with enough water to cover by at least 2-3cm. Cover and soak for at least 6 hours or as long as overnight.
2. Soak the bamboo leaves for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
3. Soak the peanuts for 1 hour, then boil for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the pork belly, light soy, salt, dark soy, wine, sugar, and white pepper and mix well. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
5. Drain the rice and the peanuts.
6. Combine the rice, peanuts, Chinese sausages, green onions, soy sauce, and salt and mix well.
7. Line a steamer basket with some of the bamboo leaves.
8. Place a layer of rice over the leaves, followed by a layer of pork belly. Repeat once more.
9. Cover the last layer of pork belly with the remaining bamboo leaves.
10. Place the steamer basket into a pot/steamer over cold water.
11. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam for 60-90 minutes. Or, if pressure steaming, cook on high pressure for 45 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
12. Keep warm until ready to serve. (Rice will harden when cooled.)

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¹ Meaning that I even managed to make this dish at a vaguely seasonally appropriate time! ^Back
2 The original recipe only called for 225g of pork belly, but I had extra, so I used it all and just scaled up the marinade accordingly. I liked these proportions, but feel free to use more or less as you see fit. ^Back

Pears were on sale the other day and I vaguely remembered that I had a lot of pear recipes yet to try, so I picked a few up on spec. In the end, I was feeling too tired to do anything very involved last night, so I skipped over the upside down cake and the custard tart and the various other options in favour of this very, very simple roast pear dessert. The pears are simply oven-roasted with butter, glazed with a bit of honey and returned to the over for a few minutes, and then topped with a slice of brie. The recipe suggests adding a few toasted almond slices if desired, but TF and I both decided that we wanted ours plain.

Honey-Roasted Pears with Brie

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 4 pears, halved and cored
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter¹
• 2-4 Tbsp. honey
• 125g brie
• toasted sliced almonds, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a large baking dish with some of the butter.
2. Place the pears, cut-side-down, into the prepared tin/dish.
3. Melt the remaining butter and brush it over the skin of the pears.
4. Roast at 200°C (400°F) until pears are tender (15-30 minutes, depending on firmness of pears).
5. Flip pears over and brush with honey. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
6. Serve pears topped with cheese and almonds (if using).

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¹ The original recipe called for 1/4 c. of butter, but I thought that seemed like way too much, so I cut it back to just 2 Tbsp. That said, I think it probably would've been fine with even less butter and I'd be inclined to try using just 1 Tbsp. next time. ^Back

I had intended to make some "lazy" steamed zongzi rice for dinner last night. But I forgot to put the rice in to soak. So that particular recipe had to be bumped to tonight and I needed to pick something else to make for dinner yesterday. Luckily I had another recipe queued up that was much quicker and easier to make. All that's required is a quick stir-fry of some pork belly with ginger and mushrooms, then just add a bit of sauce and water and stir in some rice and green onions. Easy peasy!

I reduced the shiitake mushrooms slightly for my rendition because I had a huge pile of cremini mushrooms in the fridge and liked the idea of using a mix. I also tossed in the last couple of handfuls of baby spinach. It was really enough veg for the amount of rice, but at least it was something and at least it used it up. If I'd been thinking, I would've thrown in some peas as well, but it didn't occur to me until too late. Maybe next time.

Photo goes here.

Pork Belly and Mushroom Rice

Slightly adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger or ginger paste
• 250g pork belly, cut into 1cm dice
• 4-5 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced (soaking water reserved)
• 6-8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 3/4 c. mushroom soaking water
• 1 c. fresh or frozen peas (optional)
• 4 c. cooked rice
• 1-2 scallions, chopped

Directions

1. Heat wok over medium heat.
2. Drizzle in oil and swirl to coat.
3. Add ginger and stir-fry for a minute or two.
4. Add pork belly and increase heat to medium-high. Stiry-fry until pork starts to get crispy (3-5 minutes).
5. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the wine, sugar, light soy, dark soy, mushroom soaking water, and peas (if using).
7. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Add the rice and green onions and mix very well.
10. Serve as-is or topped with a fried egg and a bit of Laoganma.

I'm a big fan of whipped cream. Especially when it's lightly sweetened and flavoured with a bit of vanilla. This variation adds some additional layers of flavour to the mix: A small amount of sour cream gives it a distinctive tang. And using brown sugar rather than powdered or granulated gives it just a touch of complexity from the molasses.

I made it to go with a sour cream chocolate cake, but it also pairs beautifully with fresh fruit.

Tangy Whipped Cream

Slightly adapted from The Perfect Cake by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat on low speed until slightly frothy.
2. Gradually increase speed to high and beat on high speed until cream stiffens.
3. Serve with fresh fruit and/or cake.