Mini Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

These should really be called mini baked apple cider doughnut muffin doughnuts, because I took a doughnut muffin recipe and adapted it to make doughnuts. But that sounded like too much of a tongue twister, so mini baked apple cider doughnuts it is.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Yogurt Parfaits

You know how when you're playing Hearts, you have to wait until hearts have been "broken" before you can start using them? That's kind of how it went with me and pumpkin this year. I kept thinking maybe it was time to crack open my cans of pumpkin, but I was hesitant to kick off the season until one day recently when pumpkin was broken for me, in the form of a delightful pumpkin truffle from a chocolate shop near my work. The truffles were a new item, so the woman at the shop was offering samples of them. It took that one little bite (and the purchase of a second one) to throw me into pumpkin season. All bets are off now. Oh, and since pumpkin is in, naturally cranberry is too.

Classic And Creative Brioche Pastries With Joanne Chang

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time know that I spent a little over a year working at Flour Bakery. It was at a time in my life when I was seriously considering culinary school. I was unhappy in my editing job at the time (to the point that I was in tears pretty much every Sunday evening stressing about and dreading the week ahead), and I wanted to do something I felt passionate about. As I was searching job postings, I came across one for a baker position at Flour. I had a lightbulb moment and thought maybe I could work at the bakery and learn on the job as opposed to paying for culinary school. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Muffin Madness: Chocolate Raspberry-Cheesecake Muffins

Let's celebrate March Muffin Madness today! Because, well, who doesn't love a good muffin? Especially when we're talking about chocolate muffins bursting with a bright, fresh raspberry-cheesecake-like filling.

Zucchini Hash With Soft-Cooked Eggs

So remember how I told you I already found and picked a zucchini from my garden? I was so excited about it that I had to cook it and eat it right away. I had some boiled potatoes in the fridge and decided to make a zucchini hash and top it with some soft-cooked eggs. With zucchini from my garden, potatoes from Siena Farms, and eggs from Silverbrook Farm, I had a super-local meal that was summery and satisfying. It makes a great breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

More Breakfast For Dinner: BLT Biscuit Bar

After making the chicken and biscuit waffles from Breakfast for Dinner, I had leftover buttermilk, so I decided to make another biscuit-based recipe: BLT biscuits. Now I love BLTs, but Jeff isn't a huge fan -- he loves the B but not the L and T. So I put my own spin on this recipe, and after I cooked the bacon, I put a pounded-thin chicken breast on the same sheet pan and baked it in bacon grease (yes, I really did that), and then I used my biscuit cutter to cut pieces of chicken that would fit perfectly on the biscuits. Since I was making this modification, I thought it would be fun to create a BLT biscuit bar, as opposed to pre-making all the biscuit sandwiches as instructed in the recipe. This way we could each put whatever we wanted on our own sandwiches. I think this would be a really fun serving idea for a "breakfast for dinner" party. (People have those, right?)

Breakfast For Dinner: Chicken And Biscuit Waffles

Do you ever eat breakfast for dinner? Jeff can eat pancakes any time of day, and I find a hearty omelet or a cool, crunchy bowl of cereal to be the most satisfying meal some nights. When I heard about Breakfast for Dinner, a cookbook featuring breakfast-y main dishes, sides, starters, cocktails, and desserts all meant to be served for dinner, I was definitely intrigued.

Breakfast for Dinner is written by husband and wife team Taylor Hackbarth and Lindsay Landis, of Love & Olive Oil. To come up with a variety of recipes for the cookbook, the couple said they tried to keep an open mind about what constituted something "breakfast-y," and they also tried to incorporate dishes from different cultures and types of cuisine. This is evident throughout the book, where you'll find recipes for everything from egg and chorizo burritos to Greek baked eggs to frozen sunrise margaritas to Vietnamese iced-coffee pops.

Mango-Raspberry Breakfast Cake

The National Mango Board recently contacted me and asked if I'd like to receive a box of mangos along with some classic holiday spices to inspire me to make some sort of holiday mango dish. I was excited because I love mangos, but I wasn't so sure how I felt about combining them with holiday spices. But the Mango Board was right, and those spices, which filled the whole kitchen with their varied fragrances when I unpacked them, inspired me to start baking.

I know the holidays are usually centered on a big dinnertime meal, but breakfast is just as important during the holidays as it is every other day. So I decided to make a breakfast cake that would get everyone's day off to the right start. And this breakfast cake, filled with cinnamon and ginger and chunks of mango and whole raspberries, with a gingery streusel topping, might do just that.

Mango-Raspberry Breakfast Cake (adapted from Joy the Baker)
Print this recipe

Ingredients

Cake
3 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Streusel
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon ginger sugar* (or 1 tablespoon sugar plus 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

Preparation

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10- by 7-inch glass baking dish.

Whisk eggs and oil together (I mixed them in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup). In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Break up brown sugar (make sure there are no clumps) and whisk it into dry ingredients. Stir in egg-oil mixture with rubber spatula.

Stir in mango and raspberries.

Spread batter in prepared dish.

Streusel
Mix flour, ginger sugar, and brown sugar together in small bowl. Rub in butter with fingers until it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle streusel over batter.

Bake cake for 45 to 55 minutes, turning halfway through baking, until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Transfer to wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan.

Cut and serve.

*One of my friends makes this awesome ginger sugar with flecks of ginger in it, and she gave me some to experiment with. I loved the flavor it added to the streusel topping.

What would you make with mangos and spices (cinnamon, ginger, cumin, cayenne, etc.) for the holidays?

Breakfast For Dinner With Robinhood Meetinghouse Biscuits And Stir It Up Cuisine Pepper Jelly

Yesterday was a long day. Jeff and I had to be up at 6:30 am to get to a final planning meeting at our wedding venue at 8 am. We rolled out of bed, hopped in the car, and grabbed coffees on the way. The meeting lasted for about 2 hours -- we went over all those last wedding details -- and then we headed out to run errands. We stopped at Costco to grab the remaining components for our welcome bags. When we got home, we had a quick lunch and spent the afternoon stuffing welcome bags (we got them all done!). And then evening rolled around and Jeff went to his softball game, and I went to see my hairdresser to get my hair colored for the wedding. Needless to say, by the time we both got back around 7:30 pm, we were tired... and we needed a quick, effortless dinner.

Luckily, I had recently been sent some layered cream cheese biscuits by Robinhood Meetinghouse, which is a Maine-based company that uses real butter and fresh, simple ingredients in its products.

The biscuits come frozen and bake in just 25 to 30 minutes. I preheated the oven, laid them out on a pan, and set about figuring out the rest of dinner.

I also happened to have some Neese's Country Sausage in the freezer. My uncle lives in Virginia and pretty much knows better than to visit my mom without replenishing her supply of country sausage. Fortunately, she shares with me sometimes, and she had recently given me two packages of the delicious, sage-heavy sausage. I defrosted some of it.

Biscuits, sausage... I had eggs and some cheddar in the fridge, so egg sandwiches were definitely forming in my head. Then I remembered I had also been sent some samples of Stir It Up Cuisine's Sweet Heat Pepper Jelly. Done.



Stir It Up Cuisine is a Massachusetts-based Caribbean catering company, owned and operated by native Jamaican Patricia Kiernan. Her pepper jellies are available online and at various local retailers and farms, such as the Wine & Cheese Cask in Somerville and Wilson Farm in Lexington.

I baked biscuits, fried sausage and eggs, topped the eggs with some thinly sliced cheddar cheese, and assembled sandwiches, spreading a little of the pepper jelly on my biscuit.

The biscuits were moist and warm (not to mention buttery and light), the pepper jelly added a subtle kick but also a complementary sweet note, the sausage was salty and herby, and the runny eggs tied it all together. It was the perfect lazy dinner, just what we needed after a day of running around (or at this point several days of running around because we've been going nonstop, with the wedding less than two weeks away now!).

What do you make when you want a quick, effortless dinner?

Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Scones

The morning after New Year's Eve pretty much requires a hearty but effortless breakfast -- the kind of breakfast that you can easily throw together after rolling out of bed just past 10 a.m. because let's face it: We're not as young as we used to be and staying up past midnight is getting more and more difficult. That lost sleep time needs to be made up somewhere, and I doubt many of us are willing to jump out of bed at 7 a.m. to start preparing an extravagant breakfast.

These scones are both effortless and filling, and they're also a complete breakfast in handheld form so they're perfect for a sleepy morning. Think of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich that's neither greasy nor messy but fluffy and light. Serve the scones with a half of a grapefruit or a little fruit salad on the side, and you'll have one satisfying meal.

The original recipe is from The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide and can be found on Leite's Culinaria. I stayed pretty true to the recipe when I made these (though I did cook the eggs in bacon grease to add flavor and I simplified the process a little), but I have a few changes I would make if I made them again. First, the recipe makes six scones but only calls for three pieces of bacon. Maybe it's just me, but I'd up this to six pieces, so there's one piece of bacon per serving. The recipe also calls for only two scrambled eggs, which is such a small amount of egg per serving. I'd scramble at least three eggs next time. I think the dough can handle a little more egg and bacon.

The recipe also only calls for two ounces of shredded cheddar, and I used three ounces, but I'd even up this to four next time. (Clearly, I'm looking for a very indulgent, but simple, breakfast.) And lastly, the scones are made with heavy cream, and I can't help wondering how they'd be with buttermilk because their texture sort of reminded me of buttermilk biscuits. I'll be testing that out soon.

Oh, and if you're having more than six guests, the scones are definitely big enough to cut in half before baking. That way you'll end up with 12 smaller scones. This is also a good option if you're doing more of a potluck brunch and want to be able to pair the scones with a bunch of other dishes. Either way, you're in for a hearty, satisfying breakfast if you make these.

Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Scones (adapted from The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide)
Makes 6 large scones

Ingredients

3 to 6 strips bacon (use more or less depending how much you love bacon)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
5 to 6 eggs (2 to 3 eggs will be used for the scrambled egg filling; 3 will be used raw)
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 to 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with Silpat mat.

In medium skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp.

Transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, crumble bacon.

Meanwhile, lightly scramble 2 to 3 eggs in small bowl. Once bacon has been removed from pan (leave 1 to 2 tablespoons grease in pan for flavor), lower heat to medium, melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan, and cook eggs. (I cooked them omelet style so I had a thin sheet of eggs, but you can just scramble them if you prefer.) Turn off heat, and break eggs into 1-inch or smaller pieces using spoon or spatula. Set aside.

Pulse flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl of food processor just until combined. Cut remaining 5 tablespoons butter in pieces, add to flour mixture, and pulse to combine. Mix heavy cream and 2 raw eggs together in measuring cup, and pour over flour mixture. Process until mixture comes together.

Dump mixture into medium bowl. Fold in bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese using hands (trust me, I snapped the spatula that came with my food processor while trying to fold the mixture). Try not to overwork the mixture (we're going for fluffy here).

Transfer dough to Silpat mat, and pat into 12- by 4-inch rectangle about 3/4 inch high.

Using bench scraper, cut dough into three 4-inch squares. Cut each square on diagonal to form 6 triangles. Space triangles about 1 inch apart on Silpat mat, using bench scraper to lift and move them.

Beat remaining 1 raw egg with 2 tablespoons water. Brush scones with egg wash.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. (Scones are best warm out of the oven, but they can be cooled, wrapped in plastic, and stored in refrigerator. Rewarm in oven or toaster oven.)

What will you be eating for breakfast on New Year's Day?

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt

When it comes to breakfast, I'm most likely to get excited about egg dishes, like eggs Benedict, interesting takes on eggs Benedict, veggie-laden omelets, and egg sandwiches on soft rolls. I rarely get excited about things like oatmeal. And I won't even claim that this particular oatmeal recipe is going on my favorite breakfast dishes list. But I will say that it is flavorful, warming, and filling -- and that's just what I need in the morning before embarking on my 45-minute-plus walk/T-ride to work.

I'd been eating toast with avocado slices or bagels with cream cheese until I made this oatmeal. My other breakfasts would have my stomach grumbling shortly after I arrived at work, but the oatmeal keeps my stomach quiet until almost 11. That's when I dig into a granola bar, homemade granola, or something similar for my second breakfast. (And usually shortly after that there are tons of tastings in the kitchen -- which equals lots of stuff to keep me full for the rest of the day.)

I first read about this baked oatmeal on The Clean Plate Club and followed Alicia's link back to the kitchn, where I found the original recipe. I modified the recipe slightly, mainly subbing Silk for milk and serving the sweet, spicy oatmeal with tangy Greek yogurt. (The Greek yogurt packs some extra protein.)

The recipe is fairly hands-off, especially for steel-cut oats, which were pretty much my nemesis when I worked at Flour. (I can't tell you how hard it is to bake cupcakes, prepare tarts, and finish cakes while constantly running over to the stove to stir oatmeal.) It requires a little mixing on the stove and then goes in the oven for about a half-hour. After that, you can let it cool, store it in the fridge, and simply microwave a serving each morning.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt (adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles via the kitchn)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups Silk Vanilla Soymilk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Greek yogurt
Maple syrup

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Stir in the oats, and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until they look and smell toasty.

Create a well in the center of the oats and drop the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the well. Add the pumpkin puree, and fry it in the butter, stirring after about 1 minute.

Stir in sugar and spices, and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until puree darkens sightly.

Stir in soymilk, water, vanilla, and salt.

Cover pot, transfer to oven, and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove pan, uncover carefully, and stir oatmeal. Oatmeal will look loose, but it will thicken as it cools.

Serve warm, or let cool, refrigerate, and reheat in microwave. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

It's not nearly as good as pumpkin pie, but it does make for a hearty breakfast. And I suppose it's more acceptable to eat oatmeal for breakfast.

After making this baked oatmeal, I am interested in finding other baked oatmeal recipes to simplify my mornings. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Cherry-Cacao Nib Granola Plus A Coffee Giveaway

When I came home from the Boston Brunchers' Birthday Brunch a few weekends ago, I found a copy of Salty Sweets from Harvard Common Press in my goodie bag. I quickly flipped through it, and I thought it was a nice book with gorgeous pictures. None of the recipes really jumped out at me as being new or different though. It wasn't until I actually read through the book more carefully that I realized that the recipes use different types of salt (and salt is actually carefully considered), and that's what makes them unique.

Author Christie Matheson writes:

A few years ago I realized that the most satisfying and rewarding sweets are the ones that have something going on other than straight-up sweetness. Sweet is sweet, but it can be kind of one-dimensional. But when you add a salty element to said sweet--even if the result is not an overly salty flavor--the treat in question gets seriously amped up.

As one who loves salt, I can definitely see that. I looked through the recipes again, cognizant of the use of salt, and this time a recipe for granola with dried cherries and cacao nibs caught my eye. I thought about how mouthwatering the combination of tart cherries; intense, roasted cacao nibs; sweet, toasty oats; and salt would be, and I headed into the kitchen.

The recipe calls for fine sea salt, but I only had coarse sea salt, kosher salt, Hawaiian pink sea salt, and fleur de sel on hand. Since Matheson encourages experimenting with a variety of salts, I read through her salt descriptions and decided to sub in the fleur de sel.

I also had both cacao nibs and chocolate-covered cacao nibs in the house and thought the granola would be a little more decadent if I swapped in the chocolate-covered nibs.

Chocolate-Covered Cacao Nib And Dried Cherry Granola (adapted from Salty Sweets)

Ingredients

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chocolate-covered cacao nibs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in a medium-size saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Mix the oats and salt in a large bowl.

Pour the hot honey mixture over the oat mixture, stir to coat, and spread evenly on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then stir in the cherries and bake for another 15 to 17 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Remove granola from oven and let cool completely.

Transfer granola to a container that has a lid, and stir in cacao nibs.

Granola can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

I've been starting my mornings with a piece of quinoa toast topped with avocado slices and a cup of coffee. Then I bring a small container of this granola to work with me and munch on it for my mid-morning snack. It's nice and filling and holds me over until the tastings start at work.

And speaking of coffee... I'm doing a coffee giveaway!

One of you can win a one-pound bag of Farmhouse Blend, a reusable travel mug, and coupons for two free hot or iced coffees from Cumberland Farms.

I know what you might be thinking, coffee from a convenience store?

Farmhouse Blend has just the right blend of 100% Arabica beans, giving it a wonderful blend of aroma, body, and flavor. And it’s just $0.99 for any size, iced or hot, at any time, so quality coffee doesn't have to be a “splurge.”

And for those who don't win but still want to try Farmhouse Blend, Cumberland Farms is hosting Free Coffee Fridays on November 11, 18, and 25 at all Cumberland Farms locations, while supplies last.

Cumberland Farms has been a family-owned and operated New England business since 1939.

To enter to win, please leave a comment about your morning coffee and eating habits.

For a second entry, follow @cumberlandfarms and tweet "I want to win Farmhouse Blend from @deliciousdish and @cumberlandfarms" and leave a separate comment letting me know you tweeted.

You have until Sunday, November 6, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST to enter. Good luck!