Cherry Almond Scones
This recipe is…there are no words for how good these scones are.
No. Words.
I’m a noted lover of scones (as seen here, here, and here), and there are very few flavor combinations I love more than cherry and almond. So as I was poring over various cherry recipes to use my plethora of fresh cherries (and awesome new cherry pitter), I came across this one and it immediately jumped to the top of the “must make” list.
I made a few small tweaks to the original recipe, most notably cutting way back on the glaze. I don’t think they need a ton, just enough to get a bit of extra sweet and a punch of almond flavor. I’m well known for adding almond extract to EVERYTHING.
Banana Bread with Espresso Glaze
Oohhhhhh look at that warm, sweet, gooey glaze!
I’m not really into icings or glazes, but this espresso glaze takes something as simple as banana bread to a whole other level. This banana bread is fairly straightforward, albeit with a little topping of crunchy turbinado sugar and a hint of cinnamon and espresso powder. But add that glaze and you have a bona fide hit on your hands.
What’s great about the recipe is that it can feel really special, or just be an everyday sort of thing. I’m not hugely into banana bread, but I am hugely into this. Seriously, what are you waiting for? It can be in the oven in 15 minutes. Go. Go now.
You might also like: Chai Spice Banana Bread
Maple and Oat Scones
This is my new breakfast obsession.
I don’t know the last time I found a scone recipe I was so into. Don’t get me wrong, I love scones, but they’re generally more of just a vehicle for condiments, an excuse to slather on jam or honey. The scone itself is not so much the point. But these scones are completely the point.
These are absolutely divine with a tiny bit of honey, but they’re honestly even amazing without anything at all. There’s butter and maple syrup baked right in, so they really don’t need anything. And they only took a few minutes to whip up and get in the oven. Perfect for company, or just for you to devour by yourself with coffee and a blanket on a cold winter morning…READ THE POST
Tex Mex Breakfast Casserole
It is a truth universally acknowledged that I am a super lazy breakfast casserole maker. Which is why I basically refuse to try new recipes, because they all have, like, a billion ingredients (which makes them expensive) and require way too much prep work. So it’s pretty unusual for me to take on this recipe on a Thursday night for Friday morning department breakfast.
But boy, am I glad I did.
While this requires a tad more prep than my usual recipe (mostly cooking up the potatoes), it was super yummy and totally worth it. The prep probably only took 30 minutes total, and I was also getting a coffee cake in the oven as well so I could have cut that down a bit with some focus. The spice mix is awesome, and the tortillas add a great texture along with the black beans. This is definitely going into my regular breakfast rotation.
It’s also worth nothing that this is really doggone healthy as well. Full of protein and fiber, and weighing in at around 100 calories per serving (assuming a 15-serving pan…probably more like 130 calories per serving if you have hungry people). It was super filling and stuck with me all morning. I had a second helping for a late lunch, in fact.
I made a few changes to the original recipe, including omitting the bacon out of laziness—also, turkey bacon doesn’t quite have the same effect. I considered adding ground beef instead, but I was both lazy and cheap. And honestly it doesn’t need it. I also left out the cilantro (meh) and added cheese because…duh. There’s a lot of flexibility in this recipe, so if there’s something you’re dying to add or substitute, go for it. I’m not the boss of you.READ THE POST
Jam Streusel Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is like the Sound of Music in real life. It’s all about my favorite things.
Jam? Check. Streusel? Check. Excuse to eat dessert for breakfast? Check.
Coffee cake is kind of a perfect food. It is easy to whip up and throw in the oven, leaving you to focus on other things. It can be made the night before if you’re on a tight schedule in the morning. It’s fancy enough for a brunch or shower. It CAN even be a dessert. And this recipe is particularly great, in that the cake itself is lovely and light and moist and fluffy—helped along by the buttermilk, greek yogurt, and extra egg yolks.READ THE POST
Apple Pie Scones
I had other things I planned on posting this weekend, but I just couldn’t keep this recipe from you for a minute longer. This recipe needs shared IMMEDIATELY.
I spent almost a week home with the family for Thanksgiving, and it involved a fair amount of cooking and baking. Sabbath morning my mom asked what I’d like to make to go along with our awesome chili-cheese omelettes. I needed something simple and fairly quick, since we were all starving, and scones felt like the simplest option.
I was really tempted by a cinnamon scone recipe I’ve been eyeing for months, but then this jumped at me. I took a chance, and BOY, did I make the right choice?!
The strangest thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t include any milk or buttermilk. That made me nervous, and I was worried these would be dry or wouldn’t rise well, but I was totally wrong. The shredded apples and the applesauce gave them all the moistness they needed, and the texture was perfect. They’re pretty healthy as scones go, and have such a great flavor.READ THE POST
Healthy Eating in 2015…Back to Basics
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I don’t judge people for making them or anything, but I’m more of a believer in making a change as soon as you see the need for it, not waiting for some contrived start date. Plus, if my old gym was any indication, few people keep them. It was nuts there the first few weeks of January, then back to normal within a month.
HOWEVER, I know that lots of you are making resolutions right now, and I myself have definitely slipped into bad habits over the last few months. I’ve got to lock it down now. Every time I call the Chinese place I want to go all Becca on myself…
Here is my healthy manifesto, though:
1) Healthy doesn’t mean unsatisfying—I believe things can taste good AND be good for you.
2) This is NOT a diet, this is about making good choices most of the time. I don’t believe in diets. Diets involve deprivation, and when you tell yourself you can’t have something it just makes you want it more. They’re unsustainable and that means that eventually people revert to their old ways. Plus, they’re just not fun, and I believe in fun. (And food. I love food.)
3) Quality of food (i.e. packed with as many nutrients & as few chemicals as possible) is much more important than type, quantity, fat content, etc. And exercise is and always will be critical. Never underestimate the power of walking. Walking is amazing for body and soul.
So I’ve outlined some of my favorite healthy recipes below. This is as much for me as anyone else…for the last few months my schedule has been insane and I’ve been totally exhausted. That means I’ve been choosing convenience over everything else, eating out more often and have lacked the willpower to use portion control like I should. So now that I’ve had a week or so to decompress, I’m getting back to my good habits.READ THE POST
Apple Pie German Pancake Bowls
German pancakes, where have you been all my life?!?!
A few weeks ago, I realized on a Thursday that the next morning was my breakfast day. But, in addition to working long hours, my co-workers and I were going out for a department event, so it was going to be a late night. I racked my brain for something I could easily throw together the next morning, but that would be hearty and unhealthy enough for my (probably slightly hungover) co-workers. This recipe was perfect because it was pretty easy, and had a baking break in the middle where I could also throw the frittata into the oven.
While I’d heard of Dutch babies (another name for German pancakes), I’d never made them and I’m not sure I’d even had them. But they are awesome! There’s no sugar in the actual batter (some recipes I’ve seen have a tiny bit), but you load them up with whatever awesome fillings you want. Because they have a lot of eggs in them and a lot less flour, they also stick with you longer.
These have a delightful homemade apple pie filling and then some streusel on top, and are entirely decadent (yet surprisingly not that bad for you). This has opened a whole world of German pancakes and Dutch babies to explore now that I can’t get them out of my mind.READ THE POST