Extra Schmaltz!

Somehow we don't have a recipe for these on the blog, and they're one of my favorites. Think of them as operation icebox muffins - that old apple way too soft to eat? Got a can of pinneaple around? Bam, you probably have what you need for these. I'm also putting this online because the recipe I'm using is printed out and I'm afraid I'll lose it since it turns out fabulously every time. The veggies/fruits in the recipe are subject to what you have and your whims. Personally, I think the pinneaple and coconut are essential to the recipe, and we like the raisins a lot. Otherwise, you can tinker - I've replaced the apple with ripe pear to great effect, I've added a peach, and you can play around further. Ingredients Dry 2 1/4 c. white flour (don't mess with whole wheat, these have plenty of fiber) 1 1/4 c. sugar (don't short this or they'll taste way too healthy. The fruit doesn't make them too sweet either) 2-3 tsp. cinnamon ...

This might not justify posting an entire recipe if it weren't for the fact that it was AMAZING. It's mostly a variation on Mom's original pancake recipe , but it's more than the sum of its parts, and is perfect for fall weather. They turn out really fluffy- you can make them with normal milk, but the buttermilk really makes them that much better. Ingredients Dry: 2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda (optional) 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1-2 tsp. cinnamon to taste Wet: 2 eggs beaten. 2 Tbsp. oil or melted butter Buttermilk (which combined with wet ingredients equals 2 cups total, so ~1.5 cups) or milk + 1 Tbsp. acid 1 large apple (I used one of those giant Jonagolds) cored and either grated or food processed. Walnuts, crushed. Preparation Combine wet ingredients with each other, dry ingredients with each other, then mix wet into dry until combined with some lumps left. Fold in apple. Pour the pancakes into a greased pan - add the crushed walnuts to the panc...

As a kid I loved day trips to the tourist-trap known as Solvang , for one big reason: æbleskiver! These Danish goodies are little eggy puffs of air, made in a specialized cast-iron pan. Lucky me, Alex got me just such a pan! This dough would also make fantastic pancakes or waffles if you don't have the pan. I used this æbleskiver recipe from a Danish enclave in MN at Lutsen, but I cut it in half for two people. They recommend allowing 7 puffs per person, which is handy because that's how many fit in a pan. The recipe below makes ~18 puffs. For the technique, watch this video from Solvang: 1 c. buttermilk 2 eggs, separated 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. oil 1 pinch salt 1 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda Beat the egg whites until stiff. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, oil, and salt in a large measuring cup with a pour spout. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and then add it to the liquid ingredients. Whisk until very smooth...

These are delicious and a nice break from flour-based pancakes. I have noticed a nice assortment of organic and high-quality brands of cottage cheese at the coop, and had sort of forgotten about keeping it on hand. A couple spoonfuls are a great pick-me-up in the afternoon or before dinner is ready. This recipe was found on the internet, with a few adjustments, but this is how I did it: 1 cup oatmeal* 1 cup cottage cheese 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon *I ran the oatmeal through the food processor first to break it down a little - if you have the quick-cooking variety you shouldn't have to do this first. Put all ingredients into food processor, blast a few times, and set aside. It will get thicker from standing. On a medium hot non-stick or lightly oiled griddle, make silver dollar-size pancakes; turn when slightly bubbly. Cook a little longer on side two. Serve with your favorite topping. I used cooked apples (baked ahead of time with a wee bit of sugar and cinnamon). They ar...

I've always been a big fan of crumpets, and so I spent a few days looking around online for recipes. Someone else appears to have done the same, and this recipe is based on hers but is hopefully a bit clearer. It might be worth noting that I also halved her recipe. Due to the need for risings, etc, I'm not sure if this is a great breakfast recipe or not. Maybe you could make it the evening before, and then refrigerate the dough, but I think the best approach is to make them whenever and toast them later. First, and most importantly, you'll need something to cook the crumpets in - a circular cookie cutter is good. I've heard tuna cans suggested, but every can I've seen of that size has a special bottom that is made for better stacking but which you can't cut off. It's better to get something a bit larger, like a can for crushed pineapple, etc. I recommend having at least two. Ingredients: 2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 c. room temp milk (30 secon...

Note: Alex had titled this "Toad-in-the-Hole", which refers to another dish entirely. Discussion is in the comments. This is a fun recipe (technique really) that I picked up from Melanie. She also calls it "Bullseyes" - it has a ton of names - Wikipedia lists it as "Eggs in the basket" among many, many others. You could do it with any kind of bread (a personal favorite is corn bread, then put some salsa on top). It's also quite popular with kids. One crazy variation I see online is to use waffles. Instructional Pictures! With ham and Swiss cheese melted on top in the toaster oven. Ingredients: Eggs Bread (in slices) S&P Take some pieces of bread, butter both sides, and cut holes in the center (you can use a glass or cookie-cutter to do this). On medium-high heat, cook the bread for a minute or so, then crack an egg into the center. You can sprinkle on some salt and pepper at this point. When it looks cooked enough to f...

So I was making omelets the other day, and I was thinking it might be fun to have a list of interesting omelet fillings, for those days when you want to try something new. Since I can't figure out how to let us all edit this post, we should add more ideas in the comments. Tomatoes with Browned Garlic, Mozzarella, Parmesan and Basil: Dice tomatoes, garlic, and optionally green onions. Brown garlic in olive oil, add green onions briefly, then add tomatoes - remove from heat, but keep stirring. Add the mix to the omelets with mozzarella, Parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Mushrooms in Wine, with Basil and Rosemary: Cut mushrooms into small chunks (I liked to leave them a little chunky). Brown in lots of butter (again, optional green onions), salt, add white wine. Cook down. Add basil and rosemary to the eggs. You could do this with or without cheese. I think I used Parmesan, cause that's what I had. Za3tar: Mix za3tar spice mix with olive oil until it makes a liquidy paste, then ad...

A standard of Tex-Mex cuisine, migas are a great way to use up old, stale corn tortillas. The ingredients are mostly up to you, but this is sort of the standard: Old corn tortillas, cut into squares Onion, minced Bell peppers, diced (this is optional, but I like it) Jalapenos (if you don't like this too hot, use pickled jalapenos, they're not normally too hot) Tomatoes or chunky salsa Cilantro Eggs Cheese (cheddar, pepper jack,whatever) Saute tortillas in some oil until they get a bit more transparent (they're gonna get cooked a lot more, so don't overdo it too much), then add onions and cook until halfway to transparent, then add peppers. I like to add some of the cilantro here. When everything's pretty well cooked, add tomatoes or salsa, cook for a bit. Eggs should be beaten with s&p, cilantro and some milk if possible. Pour eggs over everything, stir, and towards then end add cheese. I like to brown the whole mass a bit. Serve with lots of salsa on top. Tradi...

Had a hankering the other day for some cookies. Since I am wheat intolerant, I can't just reach up into the cupboard and raid Jeff's, so it takes some thought and planning. I found a recipe in the King Arthur Flour Cookbook that makes enough for 3 batches of refrigerated dough. I substituted spelt flour for the wheat flour and it worked just fine. Refrigerating the dough ripens it, which means that it changes its nature to make cookies that are thin and crisp rather than thick and chewy. These cookies are best made small. The beauty part of this scheme is that you can cook a batch on three separate nights, and add different flair to each batch. They are all baked at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. The first batch I just did was plain;I sliced pieces off from the roll of dough and baked them. They were very good, and excellent vehicles for milk-dipping behavior. (I think I made them too big, as they were thick and chewy). The second batch is fabulous - I pinched off pieces, rolled ...

This evoked an OMFG from a complete stranger - it is mouth-wateringly delicious, and not too sweet for breakfast. (I have considered making it again with a thin layer of apricot preserves between the layers) Lifted directly from Prairie Home Cooking , a must have cookbook. Preheat oven to 375. 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter 3 cups all-purpose flour (bleached spelt worked great) 3 eggs 1/2 tsp almond extract Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar (sift first) 1 TBSP butter, softened 1/2 tsp almond extract Light cream or something In medium bowl, cut 1 stick of the butter into 2 cups of the flour until pea sized. Sprinkle 1 TBSP of cold water over 1/3 of this mixture, and gently toss with a fork. Push this to the side of the bowl. Repeat with the other 2/3. When all the dough is moistened, shape it into a ball and divide in half. On an ungreased baking sheet, pat or roll each piece of dough into a 12" x 4" strip. It will not look right, but trust me. This is where I might add a laye...

I just realized that we don't have the family pancake recipe on here. I sometimes need to check it or give it to other people, so I'm going to upload it verbatim how Mom sent it to me back when I was living in the dorms. I prefer to add baking soda and acid as per the directions below - I'm sure we all have our own variations. Mom's Famous Pancakes Combine dry ingredients in bowl: 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. sugar pinch of salt 1 tsp. cinnamon, cardomom, ginger (optional) handful of nuts (optional) Combine wet ingredients in something else: 2 cups milk 2 eggs 2 tbsp. oil or melted butter Mix blended wet ingredients into blended dry ingredients, but do not overmix. Have the griddle fairly hot, so they cook quickly, but do not burn. Paint or apply vegetable oil to surface before each batch. Fruit may be added to the pancakes as you go (blueberries, banana slices, etc.) Flip them as soon as they look ready - usually, small bubbles will appear, they will sta...

This is not a real recipe per se - just sort of a meal idea, and you can add and subtract as you like. I bet it'd be really good with a bit of meat (chorizo), and I didn't have any cheese on hand, which would definitely make it better. Note also that you need either a metal skillet that's oven friendly, or you can try to pour things into a baking pan in the last step. Anyway, it's a Magidow classic: 1 can black beans 1/4-1/2 Bell pepper, minced 1/4-1/2 Onion, minced Jalapeno peppers to taste, minced Garlic, minced 3-4 eggs Cilantro Spices Preheat oven to 400. Saute peppers, onion and garlic with butter or oil on a low flame, preferably in an oven friendly skillet. While it's cooking, mince up some cilantro, toss it into the eggs, and beat. You could also add some cheese to the eggs as well. Add the beans, and whatever spices you want (cumin, chili powder, etc), cooking to reduce extra liquid if necessary. Remove from heat, pour the beaten eggs over the w...

It's hard to fathom how we don't have this recipe up yet. This dish is a standard mezze and breakfast item in much of the Arab world. It's often eaten during Ramadan because it's so nutritious and filling. You can use dry beans (Brown Egyptian Favas) by soaking them overnight and then slowly simmering them, or you can just use the beans out of a can. In some places they like to leave the fava beans whole, but in other places they like to mash up the beans (my preferred approach). The toppings are up to you and can range from simple to elaborate. Eat with bread. 1 can brown fava beans 1/3 c. parsley, chopped + garnish 1 clove garlic, crushed juice of 1 lemon 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil + garnish 1-2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ground black pepper I also add: 1/2 tsp. cumin 1 pinch cayenne Heat the beans, liquid and all, until warmed through. Pour them into a dish. Mix in the parsley and garlic and then mash the beans with a potato masher (or leave them whole if you prefer). Mix in the lemo...

I've developed a backlog of recipes that I haven't loaded up to the blog, but here's one I couldn't ignore. I've always loved muesli, but it's usually ~$5 for a tiny box that will only last for a few meals. I figured that it can't be hard to make and lo-and-behold, a little internet searching and I had a recipe. This is for a lightly sweetened, roasted version that needs overnight soaking for breakfast*. I think that if I chopped the finished product up in my food processor, I could make a fast-soaking version (I'll update this when I try it). The fun part about this recipe is that you can customize it any way you want. The following recipe makes 7-8 finished cups of muesli. If you eat it a lot you'll want to double the recipe. This is the un-soaked version. Imagine it pleasantly soggy the next day with the dried fruits plumped up and juicy. Preheat the oven to 300. 4 c. rolled oats (or other rolled grains) 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/2 c. honey or mapl...

Who is Susan? We don't know! This recipe comes from the Melting Pot II Cookbook, which was a kick-ass collection of recipes from the parents of one of the pre-schools in Santa Barbara. A friend of ours, Debbie Lipp provided this recipe from her friend Susan. Whoever Susan is, she makes a good scone! 1 1/2 c. flour 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 c. melted butter 1 egg, beaten ~1/2 c. buttermilk Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat egg in measuring cup and fill with buttermilk to make 2/3 cup. Stir in melted butter [should now be 1 c. of liquid]. Add liquids to dry ingredients and beat until just smooth [I have read that in Ireland this is done in a maximum of five strokes!]. Do not overmix. This is a very soft dough. Turn it out of the bowl onto a well-floured board. Flour your hands and pat the dough into a round. Cut it into six to eight wedges. Move the wedges onto a cookie sheet, spacing about 1/2 inch apart. Bake at 400 for 15-...

Alex requested this recipe, which was a fun opportunity to look at my Jr. High School-era handwriting on the recipe card. I learned to make pannekoeken in Home Ec. in 7th grade (surely that class has since been eliminated or at least renamed) . It is like a large popover or a very eggy panckake that's baked, and is typically served for breakfast. The whole thing puffs up when you bake it and then the edges fall inwards. One example of a pannekoeken. They puff up higher if you preheat the pan and butter good 'n' hot, but this was the first batch and I was impatient. Preheat oven to 45o. Coat a circular baking dish (ideally one with high sides) with melted butter. Combine: 1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. milk 2 eggs Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the buttered pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, until it puffs up and browns on the edges. Serve as quickly as possible, because it will fall as it cools. I like to serve it with maple syrup, but it i...

A good old Magidow recipe, posted here for posterity so I don't have to search around my computer for the recipe every time I need it: 3 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup cold water 3/4 cup matzo meal 3 egg whites, stiffly beaten fat for deep frying Beat together the egg yolks, salt, water. Stir in the matzo meal and fold in the egg whites. Heat the oil to 375 and drop the batter into it by the tablespoon. Fry until browned on both sides. Drain. Top with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup. Serves 3-4 very small people who aren't very hungry.* * this recipe does not "double" well. It is best to make it twice (in two different bowls) to make twice as many.