Orange-Scented Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Walnuts

If I've ever been missing in action this long before, I can't remember when.  I hope you forgive me. I'm just about back in the swing of a new kitchen and will trot out a whole post on the process soon!

Through the construction practice, suffice it to say that most everything in the house seemed to be piled up in the wrong spot.  For instance, the clothes drying rack was in my bedroom.  My serving platters and baskets are still in my closet.  China and silver, as well as a big container of utensils, are still somewhere undetermined.  In a mislabeled box in the garage?  Lest I sound ungrateful, I'll own that I'm CRAZY about my new kitchen.  I just would never and I repeat never go through getting one again.  Waiting to exhale.  In the meantime, life goes on:  work, laundry, dog-walking, etc.  The kitchen waits for no one.  It's nearly totally functional!

I have a new job cooking at Shouse Appliance---showing off lovely things like the entire Jenn-Air line and DACOR ranges, wall ovens, grills, steam ovens, and so on.   I work three Saturdays a month and cook up dishes that are seasonal as well as foods that give a very real experience of the appliances. This week I thought I'd cook apple pancakes among other things.  Until I made them at home.  While incredibly luscious, they wouldn't give the best impression of the DACOR grill.  There's too much lag time in between customers and the griddle would be hot, warm, cooler, cold--which is exactly what we do NOT want for pancakes. We want hot, hot.  The pancakes themselves would get done and sit cold waiting for the next lady shopping for a new range to show up.  You know how you almost always throw away the first pancakes? I'd be doing that all day.  The more I thought about it, the more I nixed the idea and went with a grilled chicken-apple-cheddar panini.  Instead, I'm giving them to you....

When my kids were at home,  I made a plethora of pancakes.  Banana.  Apple.  Pecan.  Cranberry.   You name it.  I never wrote down a thing.  Geez.  So this time, I had to cook, write, test, and eat all at the same time.  Here's what I came up with.  If you do not want to make pancakes from scratch (and WHY NOT?), you can buy your Krusteaz and add the apple, orange, and cinnamon.  Use the 1 tablespoon of butter for your griddle.  It'll be lovely and a very happy Saturday.  Cook on!

Orange-Scented Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Walnuts
I usually throw out the first one or two pancakes.  You?   

• 1/2 cup grated apple with peel
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided (3 T melted for batter, 1 T for griddle or pan)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg 
• 1 cup unbleached, white all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon*
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup warmed maple syrup (do this in a pitcher in the microwave)

1. Place the grated apple in a double layer of paper or cloth towel and squeeze dry over sink.  Stir the apple and orange rind together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Preheat griddle over medium-high heat.
3. In a medium bowl or 4-cup mixing cup, mix together the 3 tablespoons melted butter with the cold milk.  Beat in the egg very well.

4. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to the milk mixture and stir until just barely mixed. Do not over mix.
5. Grease griddle with butter. The griddle is ready if you flick a few drops of water on it and they sizzle and jump.  Pour 1/4 cup pancake batter onto hot griddle for each pancake and top evenly with 2 teaspoons of the apple-orange rind mixture.  Let cook until bubbles form all over the cake and the bottom is quite brown. Turn and cook briefly on the other side until done.
6. Serve hot with warm maple syrup and garnished with chopped walnuts.  Makes about 5 or 6 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.  Save some for tomorrow or roll them up with peanut butter and take them for lunch on Monday.  This recipe doubles easily if you have company.

*If you think you'd like more cinnamon, you might try sprinkling a bit extra on a single pancake just to see and then next time double the cinnamon in the batter.

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Just a very sad note.  If you don't read my other blog (moretimeatthetable.com), you might not have read that our sweet Miss Gab (golden retriever, age 6) died suddenly a few weeks ago.  The vet thinks she picked up some meth that someone dropped in our neighborhood.  Our hearts are broken and we look and listen for her so often....  I wrote a post about it and you can read it here.  Thanks.

Strawberry-Almond Muffins + Father's Day Brunch Game Plan

Weekend breakfasts should be...what?  Laid back?  Slow?  Simple?  I'm not sure, but I do know they need to be delicious.  If you have someone to cook for, that's fine.  This would be lovely for Father's Day for family or friends.   If not, cook for yourself.  I often hear people say, "Oh, it's too much trouble to cook for just me."  (Or "us" if there are two.)  Au contraire.  It's simpler than cooking for a crowd and often more fun.  Hey, you get to cook things exactly as you'd like them.  And that's what breakfast is all about, right?  Everyone likes their eggs just so.  Yes!

.

Kalamata Egg Salad with Charred Red Peppers and Corn Muffins

A refrigerator with a few items that need to be used.
A hungry cook.
A small skillet.
Little time.
Makes a meal.  Unless you'd like bread? (Scroll down, please.)
Hence....

kalamata egg salad with charred red peppers
2 servings

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 sweet red or yellow bell pepper, large dice
• crushed red pepper
• 4 eggs
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• a big handful of greens -- any
• a small handful of pitted kalamata  or other olives
• sherry or balsamic vinegar
• olive oil for drizzling, optional

Heat an 8 or 9-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with oil and the chopped bell pepper.  Let cook 5-8 minutes, watching closely, or until peppers are just charred; add crushed red pepper. Stir.  Cook another minute or two.  Crack four eggs into the pan, one into each quadrant.  Season egg yolks with a small sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low.  Add greens on top of the eggs and sprinkle again with a bit of salt and pepper.  Cover and let cook 3 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking.

With a plastic spatula, loosen the egg salad and tip onto a plate.  Add the olives and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, as well as some olive oil, if desired.  Using a sharp knife, cut the egg salad in half and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.   Serve with corn muffins if you like. (recipe below)

Bacon-Granola Pancakes with Fried Egg or Your Very Own Broncos' Breakfast!

A cold and snowy morning at home.  Kept looking at my granola and wondering what I could do with it that would turn it into something warm.  Pancakes came to mind.  Eggs popped up right after that.   What came to be was a short stack of pancakes that had granola and minced, cooked bacon in them --all topped off with a fried egg and a swizzle of real maple syrup, garnished with a bit more granola. Heaven as I know it.

Years ago, I used to make Marion Cunningham's granola pancakes (just add granola), but I now make my own….She has always been a great breakfast inspiration and her Breakfast Book is one of my favorite cookbooks.

Alyce's granola--recipe below in blue  make my own granola link

Christmas Breakfast for One

Merry Christmas!

I'm blessed.  This is the view from my front door.  The mountain isn't fake; I didn't photoshop it; it's Pike's Peak and I live in Colorado Springs.   I really took this photo.

Merry Christmas to you!  If you're cooking for just your wonderful self this Christmas morning, you're blessed to be up and about and turning on the stove.  I hope you already made your coffee, fed the cat, brought in the paper, and maybe turned on some Christmas music.

Three Tenors' Christmas Concert

A lovely quick and filling breakfast can be had in one sweet little skillet.   If you'd like some scones to go with the eggs, I give a recipe at the bottom.  Do make the scones first!  Share the rest with a neighbor or wrap them well, store in the fridge, and have with your tea or a finger or two of scotch over the next few days.

Try this:

"Fried" Egg Skillet with Zucchini and Salsa

There are moments when there is definitely loveliness to sell. Sara Teasdale, right?*
As when you're moving and a neighbor shows up with great flowers and eggs from the nearby farmer-chef.

And you've just blogged eggs on spinach (again, but not the same).  And still, you go on and make yourself a breakfast/lunch/dinner incomparable that you'd like to share.  In fact, you do it two days running.

Breakfast Zucchini-Basil Boat

One big, scooped out zucchini filled with scrambled eggs, onions, basil, tomatoes+cheese.  Breakfast on the porch Just add newspaper + coffee.

Just for fun, take at look at the LA Times, who published the above photo on #weekendeats  !!!

These little boats are good for a fast summer supper, as well as for Saturday breakfast.  The "boat" is totally edible; make sure the skin is tender and eat it with a bite of salsa.  I served  this with sliced peaches and blueberries and a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jam.

The best part of the meal was sitting and eating it on the porch with Dave.  I'm grateful for the moments.  Here's our porch...not at breakfast, but you'll get the idea:

Gazpacho-Poached Eggs

Just in case you're looking for a fun, light and nutritious breakfast this holiday week while you're at the lake, getting ready for the barbeque, or even if you're staying home, staying cool and reading a sizzling novel!

Try my:

Apple Crisp in One Minute or Sauteed Apples with Granola for Breakfast; What's In a Name?

 This is one of those odd little dishes that you could eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or snack.  I like it for breakfast, but also know it's sweet-fast conclusion to a filling supper.  It might fill the bill when you're desperate for dessert and all your time was spent at

• the doctor's office, or
• the car repair place, or
• sitting at the airport, or
• fuming at the traffic that never moved, or
• work, reading a novel, playing the piano, talking to your best friend.

Scones for Breakfast; Scones for Lunch

  

I'm a biscuit maker from way back, but as a Scot, scones and I have always loved one another.  A tiny bit sweet and lovely with butter, jam, cheese, ham or honey, they're biscuit like in taste and texture, but are also just enough different that you'll become pretty obsessive about them once they're made once or twice. 

Cranberry-Ginger Bread Pudding for 2--Breakfast or Dessert?

I have a thing about making desserts in individual portions. I'll own it.  I'll fess up. I guess I just think they're cute.  Manageable.  And I love bread pudding at holiday time.

I find myself, when in a good kitchen shop (like COOKS of CROCUS HILL on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul and in Stillwater--both in Minnesota), browsing around for ramekins, over-sized cups, and so on.  Anything that will go in the microwave, oven, or convection oven.  One of my regular ovens and my microwave are also convection ovens by design.  Did I get the verb-subject agreement here?
Sounds wonky.  In a pinch, one-cup glass measuring cups could be used.  Make sure they're oven-safe or they could shatter in the oven.

Election Day Egg and Bacon Supper

You don't want to cook much tonight, but you want something to get you through until the wee hours of the morning.  TODAY SHOW'S  Savannah Guthrie says NBC news will be on until at least 3a.m.  So get your strength on with this quick breakfast for dinner.  Yes, there are some fried components (potatoes and bacon), but the eggs are poached and sit on gorgeous cheddar-smothered tomato slices with whole wheat English muffins.  Go ahead, tank up.

Egg in 30 Seconds and No Pan to Wash

This probably is one of those things that everyone in the world knows about, but I'm not sure.  So if I'm Mrs. Obvious this morning, skip the post.  Just in case, I thought I'd share my own quickest hot breakfast and also the method I used when I quickly need a boiled egg for tuna (or other salad).

In the microwave.  30 seconds for a runny yolk.  1 minute for a "hard-boiled" egg.  1 minute and 20 seconds at 50% power for two eggs with runny yolks.

Look, Ma:  No pan.  No butter either. 

Coffee Cup Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins

          Makes 6 large muffins


I spend a bit of time every fall baking pumpkin bread...  I have a special pan for it:

Apfel Pfannkuchen for One (Apple Pancake, German Pancake, Dutch Baby, Dutch Puff)

 

 I'm not sure there's anything better for breakfast (or breakfast for dinner)  than Apfel Pfannkuchen  (Apple Pancake).  Maybe there is and I don't know it.  Tender, eggy--almost custardy.  Puffy, sweet (not too), a light touch of cinnamon, buttery-- like a sweet Yorkshire pudding or a popover with fruit made in a pan.  If you've never had it, it's time you made it just for you.  

Would You Make Breakfast? Fried Bread with Egg Skillet

 For years when I had to cook just for myself (before and after the house full of kids), I just made scrambled eggs and toast.  It wasn't that I didn't know how to cook, but rather that eggs were fast, cheap, filling, and used one pan and one plate.  Ok, you could even eat them out of the pan.   I had spent so much time cooking for other people that when there was just me, I wanted to spend my time in other ways, i.e. breathing. 

This is one of the first sorts of things I cooked just for myself.  A fish salad.  Walleye Salad if you're in Minnesota.  Make a nice salad while a piece of fish cooks in a pan.  Gee.  Real rough?  But it was a watershed moment.  You know how often you hear someone say, "Too hard to cook for just me."  I changed that for myself.  I set the table, lit the candles, turned on the music, and lived.

Would You Make Breakfast? Egg & Egg White Omelet Filled with Cottage Cheese on Whole Wheat Toast

 Tired of the same old, same old breakfast?  This little omelet (I cut it so you could see the filling...) sitting on a piece of whole wheat toast is so fast and so luscious.  Not only is it quick and nutritious (made with one egg and one egg white), it'll hold you until early afternoon.  No elevenses (tea and cookies in the UK) needed.   Serve it up with a few slices of great August tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!   Try this:

Cranberry-Blueberry Orange Muffins

Tender is the word.  Gentle is the method.  Don't over-mix or over bake.  Butter?  Yes.

 There really isn't anything homier or more welcoming than a basket full of fresh muffins. (Especially if you're having a friend for breakfast.)  And they're a bit more versatile than at first they appear.  I like them for breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee, or dinner.  Much like quiche or omelets, they go anywhere, anytime.  They do travel well and keep for a few days on the counter or for a few weeks well-wrapped in the freezer.  Time?  5 minutes to stir up and 15 - 20 to bake?  They round up and out what might have appeared a paltry meal (think leftover salad or a jar of tomato soup or just yogurt and fruit) and  make you and the meal feel special.  Should I bring up butter?

Meatball Frittata

Except for soup, pasta, or salad, there's nearly nothing you can cook that is as versatile as the not-so-humble frittata, which is nothing more than an open-faced omelet.   Just about whatever you've got leftover in your frig, including spaghetti you brought home from the Italian restaurant (and definitely the toppings from that box of cold pizza), can be worked into a frittata and turned into a meal that might feed you a couple times or more.  Will you be happy?  I think so.

Boiled Eggs on English Muffins with Asparagus and Cheese Sauce

One of my favorite spring breakfasts is so terribly simple, that it appears I've never blogged it.  I see the photos on my Pinterest board and on fb, but when I checked the blogs--no eggs on muffins!  So here it is:  a meal perfect for Easter when you have lots of boiled eggs to use up, but also perfect any other time or for any meal, come to think of it.   If you have a plethora of eggs, as does my friend Cathy (we're trading my granola for her backyard eggs this week), this is a fine use for them.  My own kids had this every Easter for years.  Well, I served it anyway.  Whether or not they ate it is beside the point!

Won't make cheese sauce?  Grated cheese will work admirably and is even better if you slip the eggs under the broiler tooty sweetie to melt the cheese.   No asparagus?  It's quite delicious without it. (I provide a link to a tasty cheese sauce recipe, but also include my easy one down below.)

I feel a tish odd writing this out as a recipe, but I'm doing it anyway.  Here's how:


boiled eggs on english muffins with asparagus and cheese sauce
  serves 2

• 4 eggs boiled, cooled, peeled, and sliced
• 2 whole-wheat English muffins, split, toasted, and buttered
• 4 stalks asparagus, trimmed, chopped, and cooked briefly in the microwave (1 min on full power)-- optional
• 1/2 cup cheese sauce  (or grated cheese)*
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

To assemble:  place warm, buttered muffins on plates and top with eggs.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Gently lay asparagus pieces on top of the eggs and drizzle cheese sauce (or sprinkle with grated cheese) and again dust with salt and pepper.  (If you've used grated cheese, you might want to put the egg "sandwiches" together on a broiler-safe baking sheet and place them under the broiler for a minute or so, plating afterward.)

*Easy Cheese Sauce:  In a small, heavy saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter.  Whisk in 1 tablespoon flour until smooth.  Add a pinch each:  kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne, and dry mustard or nutmeg.  Let cook two minutes, stirring, and then whisk in 1 cup barely warm milk.  Bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook until sauce begins to thicken.  Stir in 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  (If you like thicker sauce, you can whisk together a little more flour in a 1/4 cup of flour and stir it in before adding the cheese... or  just begin with double butter and flour to start with.   The traditional flavorings here are onion and nutmeg.  If you'd like to use onion, mince a teaspoon and cook it in the butter before adding the flour and making the roux.)

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce