Holiday Granola – Only 8 Edible Gift Making Days Until Christmas!

When I was asked to take part in a special holiday YouTube playlist called, “Christmas Morning Breakfast,” I started thinking about seasonal variation on things like eggs benedict, quiche, and French toast. But then I realized…you can’t wrap those things up and give them as an edible gift, so I decided to do this granola instead.

We’ve covered the edible gift topic before, and discussed the fine line between, “Wow, what a creative and thoughtful gift!” and “Wow, what a cheapskate!” Happily, when it comes to this delicious, crunchy treat, one taste and the lucky recipient will forget about any ulterior economic motivations.

Since this was a Christmas-themed recipe, I went with lots of festively colored dried fruit, but the beauty of the granola technique is that it pretty much works with anything. I love the looks of the green pumpkin seeds, but things like hazelnuts and pecans would also work wonderfully.

As I mentioned in the video, it’s really up to you to determine the cooking time. I tend to like mine just golden-brown, but many enjoy the deeper, nuttier flavor of a longer roasting. Since you are pulling and tossing every 10 minutes, this is pretty easy to monitor, but just be careful towards the end, as it can get bitter if you go too far.

Anyway, whether this is for a quick and easy holiday breakfast, with milk or over Greek yogurt; or you are going to package some up as a stocking stuffer for the foodies in your life, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 cups of Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (pure coconut, not candied)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped candy covered chocolate pieces (like M&M’s)

1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped

1 cup mixed dried fruit (any combo of cranberries, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.)

*Bake at 325 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes or until browned.

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Pumpkin Scones with Toasted Pine Nuts & Maple Glaze – A Recipe for the Other 10 Months

I have no intention of giving up the best job in the world anytime soon, but if I do, I’d try and get a job in the marketing department of a pumpkin puree company. 

I’m guessing that like 97% of the canned pumpkin in this country is used during the time from Halloween until Thanksgiving. So if I could figure out a way to get people to use this in recipes all year round, I’d be a total superstar in pumpkin puree marketing circles.

Imagine that. It would be…awesome? Anyway, maybe I should rethink this whole post-Foodwishes career path, but in the meantime, here’s just one example of how I would convince the public that pumpkin is great for anytime of the year. Ironically, I did this because I had leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving, but still.

I may have covered this in the last scones post, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the scone. I’ve always considered it some sort of effeminate biscuit, but I’m starting to come around in my old age. There’s nothing like a freshly baked scone with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee, especially one tricked out with pumpkin, toasted pine nuts, and maple glaze. I hope you give this a try soon…or anytime! Enjoy.

Ingredients for 12 Pumpkin Scones:

8 ounces by weight all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup buttermilk

additional flour as needed
1 egg beaten with a few drops of milk or water to brush scones before baking.

*Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – The Least Scary Halloween Treat, Ever!

When I was asked to join some of my fellow foodies on YouTube, to produce a video for a special seasonal playlist called “Halloween Sweet Treats,” I sat down and considered all the scary sweets recipes in my repertoire. After several minutes of deep thought, I realized I had nothing.

Not to sound like a curmudgeon, but sticking broken pretzels into a marshmallow and calling it a “scary spider,” just isn’t my thing. So, instead of trying to figure out how to make a chocolate truffle look like a bleeding eyeball, I made a batch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They may not be scary (what’s the opposite of scary?), but they are seasonal, and incredibly delicious.

I used to joke that when Halloween/Thanksgiving time rolls around, the only thing a chef has to do to make a recipe seasonal is to add some pumpkin to it. Chili with a spoon of pumpkin stirred in? Halloween chili! Dinner rolls with a spoon of pumpkin kneaded into the dough? Thanksgiving dinner rolls!

Well, that’s exactly what I did here, and while it may be formulaic, it also produced the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted. One key is a nice soft, sticky dough. Be sure to only add enough flour so that the dough just barely pulls away from the side of the bowl as it kneads.

You can certainly embellish by adding some chopped walnuts or pecans to the cinnamon-sugar layer, but since I decided to garnish with pumpkin seeds, I went sans nuts. Anyway, despite not being very horrifying, these really would make a special treat at any Halloween party. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 16 Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:

(I used a deep 13 x 9 baking dish)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes

For the dough:

1 package of dry yeast

1/4 cup very warm water (about 100-105 degrees F.)

1/2 tsp white sugar

1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup heavy cream (can sub milk, but cream is better)

1 tsp fine salt

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp allspice)

1 large egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour (divided), or as needed 
 (add enough flour to mixer so that dough just barely pulls away from sides, and a very soft, slightly sticky dough is formed)

*knead for at least 6-7 minutes

For the filling:

5 tbsp melted butter, brushed on rolled dough

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

*For the glaze:

1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk, or as needed

1/4 tsp vanilla extract, optional

*adjust glaze by adding more powdered sugar or milk to achieve desired consistency

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish

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Lamb Merguez Patties – If the Sausage is Moroccan, Your Burger Will Be Rockin'

After using Merguez sausage in this beautiful stuffed acorn squash recipe last year, I got a bunch of emails saying, “I can’t find that anywhere! Can you show us how to make it?!” I generally ignore those, since it’s usually just people not looking hard enough (I’m looking at you, Mr. “I can’t find Panko”).

However, in this case, I realized that Merguez is not commonly stocked at the grocery store, so I decided to come up with an easy home version. I didn’t bother with the casing, as these were originally going to be breakfast patties, but as I mention in the video, I was seduced by a brioche roll, and ended up going full burger. Happily, it made for a very memorable lunch.

If you do happen to give this Merguez recipe a try, I hope you make a double batch and not only experience the amazing burger it produces, but also use it in/on a number of things. It is wonderful in beans, frittatas, pastas, soups, and especially crumbled on pizza or flatbread. I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Four (4 oz) Patties:

1 pound ground lamb (rec., 85% lean, 15% fat)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp turmeric

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp Harissa (a spice red pepper paste), we did a version here. I didn’t add cayenne since my Harissa was very spicy, but feel free.

1 tbsp tomato paste

*Note: To check seasoning, fry a small piece and check for salt and heat.

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Muy Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Photo by Allrecipes user foodelicious

Someone asked recently, what's the most requested recipe that I've still not done on the blog? That's an easy one...cinnamon rolls or buns! 

I'm not exactly sure why these sweet, sticky treats haven't made an appearance yet, and I'm sure they will eventually, in one form or another, but in the meantime I'd like to present this very sexy version from my friends at Allrecipes. 

Check out the video, and then follow this link to see the official written recipe for Dakota Kelly's Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns. Enjoy!

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Potato & Italian Frying Pepper Frittata and How I Learned to Swear in Italian

One of my earliest and fondest food memories is that of my grandfather making frittata. It wasn’t the taste of this hearty, Italian omelet that made such an impression, although that was always wonderful, it was the excitement surrounding “the flip.”

Traditionally, a frittata is cooked about three-quarters of the way, flipped over on to a plate, and slid back into the pan to finish cooking the other side. It’s an hot, slippery exercise fraught with danger, and more than one of his magnificent creations ended up a broken mess. Come to think of it, this is where I first learned how to curse in Italian.

The funny thing is, as long as you have a broiler to finish cooking the top, which he did, you don’t need to flip anything. Just pop it in for a few minutes to firm up the eggs, and brown the cheese, and you’re ready to eat. So, why did he insist on the always risky flip-n-slid?

I’m not exactly sure, but I imagine it was because his father flipped frittatas, and so did his grandfather. That’s just the way they were done, so that’s how he did it. Regardless whether you’re flipping or not, this rustic egg pie was invented for late summer’s vegetable bounty.

If you can fry it in olive oil, it tastes great in a frittata, especially leftover vegetables that would otherwise end up in the trash. It’s also amazing with any kind of summer squash. Just remember that the veggies need to be tender before the eggs go in, since they cook so fast. I hope you give this “memorable” recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 servings:

12 large eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

6 slices of bacon or pancetta

1 1/2 cups sliced peppers

1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked potatoes

OR about 3 cups of any summer veggies

dry or fresh herbs to taste

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper flakes to taste

2 oz crumbled feta cheese

*Remember to drain oil before adding potatoes and eggs!

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Baked Eggs Con Huevos

If you’re wondering why I called this recipe “baked eggs with eggs,” I didn’t. No, “huevos” has another meaning, and any of your Spanish-speaking friends will be happy to tell/show you what that is. Anyway, as I said in the video intro, don’t let the generic name fool you; this “baked eggs” recipe is way more delicious than it sounds!

If you enjoy huevos rancheros, you will love this. The way the spicy sauce mingles with just barely set eggs is very similar, and when you start scooping this up with toasted chunks of bread, it gets borderline magical.

If you happen to accompany this humble dish with copious amounts of ham and bacon, this would make for quite the Father’s Day treat. You can stay with my Italianesque version, but American, Latin, or Asian versions are only a couple tweaks away.

I gave a general time of about 12 minutes at 400 degrees F., but of course this is going to vary based on your exact dish size/shape, as well as how many you are making at once. I would start checking after 10 minutes, keeping in mind that the yolks will keep firming up even after they are out of the oven.

Anyway, whether you are trying to impress dad with your brunch skills (by the way, don’t call it brunch if it’s for Dad…go with “breakfast”), or simply want to shake up your personal egg recipe routine, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 Portion:

Shallow oven-proof dish, just large enough for 2 eggs
2 large fresh eggs

1/3 cup marinara sauce

red pepper flakes to taste

salt and pepper to taste

fresh herb as desired

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp cream

generous dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano

lots of toast

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A Quiche for Mom

There are so many food-related ways to show mom love this Mother’s Day weekend, but none will be more delicious than this creamy quiche Lorraine! What are your plans? 

Breakfast in bed? Great idea, until you consider the crumbs and numb legs. Maybe brunch out? Sure, less clean up, but a mediocre meal at the local casual dining complex says, “we like you, mom,” more than it says, “we love you.”

That brings us to the best option; cooking brunch for mom at home. Of course you’ll need something that’s very easy to make, even ahead of time if need be, as well as supremely special and memorable. This cheesy, bacon and onion pie is all that, and more!

In this chef’s opinion, a proper quiche should be rich, custardy, and luxurious – not some kind of dense, baked omelet. This has only enough eggs and yolks to hold things together, but that means you need to let it cool to just warm before serving, to fully enjoy the experience.

I know many will ask, so I’ll cover it now… yes, of course you can just use milk instead of cream, and more whites instead of yolks to cut down on the calories, BUT you will not get the same amazing results, and since this is such a special occasion, you should give any substitutions careful consideration.

As you’ll see, this is very simple, so the challenge isn’t construction (by the way, the layering procedure wasn’t a joke…do it), the real trick it to not overcook the custard. I show you what it should look like, but in case you aren’t great at reading jiggles, use a thermometer, and pull at between 160-165 degrees F. internal temp.

Anyway, I’d like to wish my mother, and first culinary instructor, Pauline, a very happy Mother’s Day. Unfortunately we can’t be together Sunday, but I promise I’ll make quiche for her the next time I see her. I’d also like to wish my mother-in-law, Peggy, a happy Mother’s Day. She was the original Food Wishes fan (even before it was called “Food Wishes”), and was integral to the blog’s growth and success! Thanks, moms! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Pie dough for a large, single-crust, deep dish pie dish or pan (click here for recipe!)

8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup (I used a little more) diced leeks (just white/light parts) and/or onions, washed extremely well!
big pinch of salt

cayenne and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, divided (or other Swiss cheese)

For the custard:

3 large eggs, plus 2 additional egg yolks

1 cup cream

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

Steps:

- Line inside crust with foil, fill halfway up with dried beans, rice, or baking weights

- ”Blind bake” the crust for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F.

- Remove foil/weights and bake another 5 minutes

- Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.

- Bake filled quiche for 40-45 minutes, or until set

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Savory Bacon & Crab Bread Pudding Eggs Benedict – Sometimes the Best Recipes Are the Ones You Don’t Make

This incredibly delicious bacon and crab bread pudding Benedict almost never happened. The original request was for crab cake eggs Benedict, but since we’d already done crab cakes, poached eggs, and hollandaise videos, I decided to go in another direction, while still somewhat honoring the aforementioned food wish.

It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and that includes growing the mustache. Not only do I think this is far superior to crab cake eggs Benedict, it’s way easier, and you get a lot more mileage out of the same amount of crab.

I only used four-ounces of crab, which would have made just two small crab cakes. Here it was enough for two large ramekins that seemed to be loaded with crab. Instead of just sitting on top of the English muffin, the crab flavor permeated the bread cubes during the baking time, and the results were spectacular.

This would certainly make any brunch special, especially a Mother’s Day brunch, which will be here before you know it. So, whether you’re desperately trying to finally gain your mother’s approval, or just want something awesome for breakfast, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions (I used 10 oz ramekins):

3 cups small dry bread cubes or plain croutons

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 strip bacon, sliced

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/3 cup chicken broth or water (more as needed)

1/3 cup cream

1 tsp fresh lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
1 large egg 
4 oz fresh crab meat

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2 or 4 poached eggs

1/4 cup hollandaise sauce

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Classic Diner Hash Browns - The Real King of the Breakfast Potato

When people make breakfast at home that includes some kind of potato side dish, they almost always go with homefries over hash browns. I’m not sure of exactly why, but I think people assume that hash browns are somehow more difficult, which is simply not the case.

Grating a couple potatoes is not that much harder than cubing them up, and the cooking process is almost identical. If anything, hash browns cook faster than homefries, and in this chef’s opinion are the superior breakfast potatoes. They are crisper, more interesting, and absorb runny egg yolk like homefries can only dream about.

One thing to note when you look at the ingredients below: this is a scalable recipe, with one medium-sized russet potato portioned per person. If you're going to make this for a larger group, you’ll want to use several pans, as you need enough room to get the proper crustification.

Speaking of russets, the potato variety is much more important here than with homefries. Just about any potato will work for those, but for hash browns you need the starchy texture of the russet, as opposed to the waxier texture of red potatoes. By the way, Yukon gold also works okay, but russet is the best.

Anyway, the next time your cooking a proper breakfast at home, I hope you give these “other” breakfast potatoes a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients per person:

1 medium russet potato, grated

1 1/2 tbsp clarified butter (melted butter separated from the milky liquid)

salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika to taste

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A Banana Bread That’s Okay to Make Early

Banana bread is one of those things people rarely make on purpose. Even though you know you’re not going to eat seven bananas in a week, you buy the big bunch anyway, because, “it’s kind of green.” Now, those last three bananas are almost black and you’re feeling like a bad person.

Then you remember banana bread, and long story short, you realize you’re not a bad person…in fact, you kind of rock. While that’s the most common scenario, this scrumptious banana walnut loaf, spiked with dark chocolate chips, is so good you’ll want to make it well before the bananas get to that condition. Yes, it does come out better with extra ripe bananas, but if you can’t wait (like I couldn’t), you’re still in for a treat.

The chocolate chips are sparse here, but make a big difference in the overall flavor. This is a case where more wouldn’t necessarily make it better. This should be more of a snack, not a super-sweet dessert. When Michele makes this, she actually grates unsweetened baking chocolate instead, and it’s amazingly like that also. And, don’t even get me started on how good this is toasted.

The recipe is adapted from one by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, from their cookbook, City Cuisine. It’s one of the oldest cookbooks we have, and has tons of great recipes, so check the link if you’re interested. Enjoy!

Banana Bread Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk
1 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

*Bake in a 9x4 loaf pan at 325 degrees F. for about 1 hour 10 minutes.

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Recipe 666: Deviled Eggs – Damn, These Were Hella Good

As I approached my 666th upload on YouTube, several subscribers wondered if I would do some sort of satanic-inspired recipe. Since one of my New Year’s resolutions was to eat less chocolate cake, I decided to go with the next most obvious choice.

My deviled eggs recipe is fairly standard, except I like to add a little cream cheese. Unlike mayonnaise, cream cheese firms up when chilled, and provides a little more luxurious texture. The other glaring addition is a simple, yet stunning ring of candied Fresno chili pepper. I think a little sweetness is important to balance the sharp flavors, and these “rings of fire,” along with a dash of rice vinegar, worked perfectly.

Besides sharing this much-requested recipe, and the gratuitous use of the words, “damn” and “hell,” the other reason I wanted to do this video was to prove that our previously posted hard-boiled egg method works as advertised. The procedure was posted back in March 2010, and some complained it didn’t work. Well, I used the exact same method, and it worked perfectly, again.

This time I’m giving an exact temperature of 210 degrees F, whereas before I just said to bring to a simmer. I imagine many failures were due to people not getting it to a high enough temperature. You also need a heavy pot and tight lid, as well as live close to sea level, but other than that, you should be fine.

By the way, I did try to get the Devil to make a cameo appearance, but he was too busy meeting with the Kardashians on a new deal. Anyway, the NFL playoffs are just about to start (Go, Giants!), so maybe give these sinfully delicious deviled eggs a try for your next big game day buffet. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 large eggs cooked in 3 quarts of water as shown

2 tbsp cream cheese

1/3 cup mayo

1/2 tsp Sriracha or to taste

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste
chives to garnish

For the candied peppers:

1/4 cup red chili rings

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp water

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Country Gravy – Deliciously Dingy and Definitely Diner

This sausage country gravy recipe comes from a time before cooks tried to think of ways to trim a few calories, but rather, thought of ways to sneak more calories into a dish. This was a meal that was meant to fill you up and keep you satisfied for a long time.

In addition to the astronomically high calorie count, another advantage of a milk gravy that’s been thickened with a roux made from the rendered fat of meat scraps, is it’s very cheap. So, when you combine “cheap,” with “filling,” and “delicious,” you have all the makings of a diner classic, which this certainly is.

In a diner, this gravy (also known as sausage gravy or cream gravy) would be made with leftover cooked sausage links and other breakfast meat scrapes like crumbled bacon, or ham ends. Since we’re making ours from scratch, we have the advantage of all that freshly rendered fat to make the light roux.

This method is more authentic and flavorful, but admittedly does nothing to improve the recipe’s dingy color and questionable appearance. Let’s face it, some great recipes are just plain ugly and that’s the way it is. I used a low fat milk, which makes for the dingiest color, but whole milk or cream, if you want this extra rich, do look marginally better.

As I mention in the video, if you’ve eaten this before, and know how shockingly good it can be, the look of the dish never crosses your mind. If this were a blind date, the recipe would be described as being “really fun with an amazing personality.”

As far as serving suggestions go, you can’t miss with fresh baked buttermilk biscuits (even though I used store bought, we have a great recipe, which you can see here), but this is also out-of-this-world on things like country-fried steak, and fried chicken. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

8 oz breakfast sausage

4 strips bacon

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/3 cup packed all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

2 1/2 cups milk, more or less as needed

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A Perfect Time for Pumpkin Pancakes

A friend sent me a nice note recently that his wife had made these pumpkin pancakes for dinner, and that they were thoroughly enjoyed by all. I always appreciate those kinds of messages, especially since they often serve as a reminder for doing seasonally appropriate recipe re-posts.

This was the week pumpkin made its yearly appearance into my life. On restaurant menus, on television, in store windows, on neighbors’ steps, and all over our living room…and dining room…and kitchen…and, well, you get the idea. So, to celebrate the beloved American gourd, I decided to rerun this tasty winter treat. Enjoy!

Click here to read the original post, and to get the ingredient amounts.

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Good Morning Sausage! Pork, Fennel, and Orange Breakfast Sausage Patties

I know I say this a lot, but I can’t believe I haven’t done this recipe yet! There are few things as easy and amazing as homemade breakfast sausage, and this is my favorite formula.

The key here is to get some properly ground fresh pork from a real live butcher. The ground pork in the meat case at the supermarket is not going to be coarse enough, not to mention the fact that the meat they used was probably chosen based on it’s inability to be sold in any other form.

Tell the butcher you want a couple pounds of freshly ground pork shoulder, and be sure to use the term “sausage grind.” This means a very coarse grind, and an adequate fat content. Anything less than 30-40% fat is just not going to make a great sausage patty.

Above and beyond the meat, almost anything goes when making sausage patties. I think the fennel, nutmeg, and orange zest (an idea I borrowed from my uncle, and sausage master, Bill) really gives this a breakfast-y flavor, but if you’re not into those ingredients, use what you like.

Lastly, the overnight refrigeration really makes a big difference. All those big flavors need time to meld together, and besides, by making this in the evening for the next morning’s meal, you’ve pretty much assured yourself of some quality sausage-related dreams. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork

1 tsp kosher salt (1/2 to 3/4 tsp of table salt), or to taste

1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs blend (mine has thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano)

2-3 tsps fennel seeds, lightly crushed

2 tsp freshly grated orange zest

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

pinch of fresh nutmeg

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Grandma Kelly’s Good Old Fashioned Pancakes Really Measure Up

I was looking over a list of the all-time most popular recipes posted on Allrecipes last week, and there it was at number one…”Good Old Fashioned Pancakes.” Since I’ve never done a classic American pancake recipe video, despite countless food wishes for just that, I decided it was an omen that could not be ignored.

This is from Dakota Kelly, who claims to have found it on a well-worn card in her Grandma's recipe book. Well, Grandma Kelly, if that is your real name, this recipe makes one fine stack of pancakes. Not too thick, not too thin, tender, light, buttery, and delicious.

I’ve always used those exact same seven ingredients, as do 90% of all pancake makers, but like many “pros,” I simply throw everything in a bowl, and stir in enough milk, until the batter feels “right.” I never bothered to write down the formula.

So, as much as I hate to admit it, it was actually kind of fun to use an exact set of measurements, knowing I’ll now be able to repeat these results again and again. I know that boxed mix is convenient, but every once in a while you need to make this kind of recipe from scratch. I hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 12 small pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

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Does this Hollandaise-less Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict Make Me a Traitor?

I'm probably not the first person you think of when discussing adapting high-calorie recipes into lower fat ones. I know I've done a few, but generally I believe one should make something in its full fat glory, or not at all. I hate to break it to you, but shredded, steamed chicken with fat-free yogurt on quinoa chips isn’t really "nachos."

This hollandaise-less smoked salmon eggs Benedict, however, has me on the other side of that argument. As promised, here is a video recipe for the plate you saw in the How to Poach Eggs demo. You'll have to take my word for it when I say that despite the absence of the traditional hollandaise sauce, it was really, really good.

As I explain in the clip, the dill butter spread, and the yolks from the poached eggs combine to form a fine substitute for the world's highest calorie sauce. I think this idea can be adapted to feature any number of compound butters and meat combinations, and I'd love to hear about any such breakfast experiments. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Dill Butter:

1/2 stick butter

2 tablespoons dill

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt, fresh ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

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How to Poach Eggs - Better Late Than Whenever

I mentioned in the recent Roasted Asparagus with Fried Prosciutto and Poached Egg video post that I'd be doing a new and improved "how to poach eggs" technique demo. I said I'd be doing it "soon," which to me means sometime this year, but apparently to many viewers that meant in the next day or two.

So, it's safe to say, this video recipe was truly "by popular demand." And by "demand" I mean constant harassment, and good-natured threats, or at least I hope they were good-natured. The lesson here is to never promise anyone anything.

In related news: I'm not saying exactly when, only that it will be in the future, but the breakfast I used as a destination for my poached eggs will also be turned into its own video recipe for a sort of hollandaise-less eggs Benedict, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, this is fairly straightforward stuff, except for the fact that the really, really fresh eggs I bought to show how amazingly well they hold together in the hot water, were anything but. As you'll see, they spread out faster that a group of food bloggers in a free grand tasting tent. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For 2 quarts of water

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh eggs!

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Top Chef Fabio Viviani Makes Me Breakfast in Aspen

Last year, while at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, I was invited to a private, early morning cooking demonstration by Fabio Viviani, one of the most popular and entertaining Top Chef contestants of all time.

For obvious reasons (including, but not limited to, long nights of drinking, eating and more drinking), early morning events at the Aspen F&W are usually not high on my list, but despite a pretty impressive hangover, I decided this up-close and personal demo was too good to pass up.

By the way, In case you're wondering why I'm posting this now, I thought I'd lost this footage in a hard drive crash shortly after the event, but just recently found the files on a memory card.

The event was sponsored by Bertolli, and Chef Fabio was there to show us the differences between, and best practices for, using their three main styles of olive oil; light, classic, and extra virgin.

When I heard "breakfast," I was thinking something like a simple frittata, but we were treated to a beautiful plate of food featuring a seared beef tenderloin filet, with an avocado feta salad, pan-roasted tomatoes and green onions, finished with aged balsamic.

This was shot on my cell phone, so please pardon the sound and video quality, but I think any fan of Fabio's will still enjoy this glimpse into what a private class with the gregarious Italian chef would be like. He's one of those teachers that no matter how much fun you're having listening to him, he's having twice as much fun explaining it.

If you happen to be in Southern California, Viviani is the chef and owner of Cafe Firenze in Ventura Country, and Osteria Firenze in Los Angeles. As I mentioned in the video, he also teaches private cooking classes, and if you'd like more information, you can check out his official website for details. Enjoy!

Bonus Italian Chef Coverage: Victor Casanova’s Spaghetti Alla Chitarra Recipe by Average Betty

Since we have an Italian chef theme going on today, I thought I'd add this great video recipe from Average Betty featuring Chef Victor Casanova from Culina in Beverly Hills. Thanks to my buddy Sara for sharing, and for providing the written recipe here! For the original video post, click here. Enjoy!

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Just Ham and Eggs

Hello from Atlanta, where I'm hard at work eating and drinking my way around the 1st Annual Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. Been having a great time, and can't wait to share some of the great things I've tasted with you, hopefully in video form.

In the meantime, here is a little Ham and Eggs video I did before I left.  Sure it tastes the same as if you cooked them separately, but that's really not the point. This looks cool, and besides, you only need one pan. Enjoy!

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