Cranberry Orange Muffins

As I mentioned here, Thanksgiving this year was a bit different than in years past. The biggest difference for me is that we didn’t spend it in Winston-Salem. Instead, we spent the weekend at the beach. Because we celebrate the holidays with so few family members - the result of my parents’ siblings and their families living in Australia and Kansas - it was logistically easy to move our five-person gathering to the beach. Jason and I drove down after eating Thanksgiving brunch with his family, making it there just in time to eat, but not prepare, any of Thanksgiving dinner.

We spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing. I wrote several blog posts, baked tasty muffins, finished reading Hotel at the Corner of Bitter + Sweet, ate shameful amounts of food (though in small but frequent meals, as my stomach seems to be getting smaller as quickly as my belly is getting larger), watched two terrible movies, all while continuing to marvel at every kick, and punch, and hiccup that little snow pea delivers.

Several friends and acquaintances, especially of the male variety, have asked me if it is weird or strange to feel the baby moving around. Pre-pregnancy, I would have asked the very same questions but now that I am experiencing it, I have to say that it neither weird nor strange.

Instead, it is a little frightening, as every single movement is a reminder that this is real. And each shift in position leads to another question: Will she inherit my impatience? What about my haphazardly wavy hair? What kind of baby, toddler, adolescent, and adult will she be? Will we have a strong relationship?

It is also awe-inspiring. There is child - a daughter - that has grown from a tiny single-digit mass of cells into a human being that has bones and muscles and is able to kick me square in the ribs on a daily basis. Someone that we will finally get to meet in less than six weeks (if she is on schedule).

But mostly these bumps and turns and pushes are comforting. If she is kicking and rolling around in there, she must be thriving, right? And the physical discomfort I experience must be indicative that she is growing into a healthy, ready-to-be delivered baby.

In the last week or so, these movements have grown a little more predictable, a little more persistent. If I’m stressed, she moves less. When I am ready to go to bed, she moves more. And about five minutes after I’ve eaten, she moves most! Given the holiday that celebrates thankfulness through the abundance of food, it should come as no surprise that I experienced quite a bit of movement this weekend. These muffins specifically got her tossing and turning!

Cranberry Orange Muffins
adapted from Obsessed with Baking

Makes 14 muffins

Preheat oven 400º

In an electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
Beat for 1-2 minutes.

Mix in:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange juice
zest of one orange

Mix in until just incorporated:
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Line muffin pan with liners.

Fill each halfway with batter. Add 1 teaspoon leftover cooked Thanksgiving cranberries.* Use a skewer to swirl in the cooked cranberries. Fill to liner’s rim with the remaining batter.

Bake 17 minutes. Once toothpick comes out clean and tops of muffins are golden brown, remove from oven. Remove muffins from pan and place on cooling rack.

Prepare orange glaze and orange-zest sugar.

*If you don't have leftover cranberries, add 1/2 cup raw cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup orange juice to a small saucepan and let simmer covered 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

Orange Glaze
In a small cereal bowl, combine:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
Microwave 90 seconds.

Orange Zest Sugar
In a medium cereal bowl, combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon minced orange zest

Hold muffin upside-down and dip the top of the muffin in the orange glaze. Let excess glaze drip off and then dip the top of the muffin in the orange zest sugar. Repeat. Serve warm with a dollop of butter.

Eat up!

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

Thanksgiving 2012 was a different affair than in years past. Instead of eating Thanksgiving lunch AND Thanksgiving dinner - both with turkey and all the fixings, we debuted Thanksgiving brunch with Jason’s family. I wasn’t exactly sure what dishesThanksgiving brunch would yield but it ended up working out wonderfully. I was a bit afraid that folks would try to make turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, etc. into a brunch meal but thankfully, we ended up with some brunch favorites like Eggs Benedict, pancakes, and fruit with yogurt and granola, along with autumnal Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Country Ham

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Makes 16 biscuits

Preheat oven 425º

Prick all over with a fork and then place on a microwave safe plate:
~2 pounds sweet potatoes
Microwave potatoes for a total of 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and cut each potato in half. Let cool for about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh.

Measure out 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Reserve any leftovers for another use (like adding to traditional mashed potatoes).

Mix into the potatoes:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the potatoes to continue to cool.

In a food processor, combine:
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Pulse together until the ingredients form a coarse meal.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the refrigerator and add the meal to the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the potatoes into the flour to form a moist dough. Invert the bowl onto a clean, lightly floured counter. Use hands to create one cohesive ball of dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 10 turns.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out dough so that it is about 1” thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a round water glass (2 1/4” in diameter) to cut out biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used, making 16 biscuits.

Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, melt:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Brush butter over tops of precooked biscuits.

Bake for 18-22 minutes so that the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

Cool 15 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooling, prepare 1/2-3/4 pound country ham.

Cut ham into biscuit-sized pieces.

Place in a skillet over medium heat, 60 seconds on each side.

Remove excess fat.

Cut biscuits in half and place 1-2 pieces of country ham on each biscuit.

Eat up!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

On Friday morning, we had a mandatory meeting at work. I am lucky in that meetings at work are not particularly common; however, because I had Friday off, I wasn't super interested in seeing the inside of my building! I probably could have just skipped it and waited to be filled in until Tuesday, but I figured attending was the good employee thing to do.

I also figured that a mandatory Friday morning meeting could only be made better if it included a delicious snack! So I decided to make a coffee cake and bring it into the office. The irony is that I ended up waking up earlier than usual to get to work at the same time I normally do on my day off! Oh well...I think cake for breakfast is its own reward.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven 350°

Coffee Cake
In an electric mixing bowl, beat together on medium for 2-3 minutes:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Beat in:
2 eggs

In a small bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the electric mixing bowl and beat on medium until just combined. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture and beat on medium for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture.

Pour into a greased 12x8" glass pan. Set aside and prepare the streusel topping.

Streusel Topping
In a food processor, add:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pulse together to form crumbly mixture.

Sprinkle evenly over the coffee cake batter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares and plating. Serve warm.

Eat up!

Pumpkin + Goat Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Pumpkin + Goat Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Kelley Gondring

Serves 4

Preheat oven 400°

Grease a small casserole dish.

You'll need:
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and scalloped
4 tablespoons sweet onion, finely diced
24 heaping teaspoons pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

To assemble, spread 1/2 of the potatoes evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons onion. Plop 12 heaping teaspoons of pumpkin sporadically on top of the onion. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of goat cheese. Dot with half the butter. Repeat to make a second identical layer.

In a large cup, combine:
8 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2-2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Pour over layered potatoes.

Bake for ~45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with breakfast meat and fruit.

Eat up!

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

I am always on the search for a great biscuit recipe. I found this one in my borrowed copy of The Bread Bible and decided it must be tried. The method behind it is much different than other recipes because the dough is so moist that the dough isn't rolled out. They amazing right out of the oven.

Southern Biscuits
taken from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Preheat oven 500°

Using Crisco, grease bottom and sides of an 8" round cake pan. Dust pan with flour.

In food processor, pulse together:
1 1/2 cups Lilly White flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening

Transfer to a large bowl.

Pour in:
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
With a fork, mix together completely to form a very wet dough. Let sit for two to three minutes so that dough stiffens a bit.

In a smaller bowl, place at least:
1 cup Lilly White flour

Coat hands with flour. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop up dough and place in the middle of the bowl with flour. Cover the top of the dough with flour. Then use your right hand to cup underneath the blob of dough, making sure to get both flour and dough. Move the dough back and forth between your right and left hands until most of the excess flour has fallen back into the bowl, shaping it as you go.

Place biscuit in greased cake pan. Repeat 6-7 additional times.

Bake for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to 475. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Two minutes before removing biscuits from the oven, brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Remove from oven. Let cool for several minutes before removing from the pan.

Separate biscuits and use a fork to split in half while they are still warm. Spread butter and jelly on each side of the biscuit.

Eat up (immediately)!

Pecan Pumpkin Granola Bars

I promise that my next post will include nothing pumpkin! But I had nearly half a can of pureed pumpkin left over from making White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies, so I figured I'd better use it before it went bad.

On our way home from a very fun weekend in the mountains with friends, Jason and I talked about how expensive granola bars are given how itty bitty they are. That, of course, got me to thinking about making my own granola bars. I've made plenty of granola but I've never bothered to form it into bars. Because tomorrow night we have our weekly birth class and it is our turn to bring the snacks, I thought I'd give it a go.

As I was getting ready to put the granola in the oven, Jason dubiously asked how I was going to get it to be hard. My response shows you how confident I was! Well, I'm gonna bake it. I dunno if it will work -- maybe it will, maybe it won't. I guess we'll find out...

I think these turned out pretty well for a first time shot. The toughest part of this recipe is cutting the granola into bars. Keep in mind that they aren't going to be perfectly shaped like the ones you'd buy in the store, so don't stress when they fall apart a bit. For the best results 1) use a really sharp knife, and 2) cut them as soon as you take them out of the oven.

Pecan Pumpkin Granola Bars
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

Line 13x9 inch casserole dish with aluminum foil. [For crispier granola bars, use a larger casserole dish - or two, if necessary - so that the granola is not as thick.]

In a large bowl, combine:
4 cups oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup butterscotch chips, chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Mix so that the all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

In a medium skillet, bring to a simmer over medium heat:
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 scant cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon molasses
Once all of the ingredients are incorporated, pour over the oat mixture. Use a spatula to evenly coat the oats. Pour into the lined casserole dish. Again using spatula, evenly spread in dish.

Bake 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Use the aluminum foil hanging over the edges of the casserole dish to remove the granola from the dish. Immediately place on a cutting board and use a large butcher knife to cut into bars.

Place back in lined casserole dish (I used fresh aluminum foil) and bake for an additional 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Transfer to wax paper and let cool completely.

Decorate with melted white chocolate and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. (I melted 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, put it in a plastic bag, and cut a little hole in the corner.)

Let cool completely on wax paper.

Eat up!

Baked Eggs w/Goat Cheese + Herbs

The first time I had baked eggs I was visiting Catherine in New York. I can't remember the name of the place, but I certainly remember those eggs! I knew that eggs were one of the most amazing foods on the planet, but I had no idea they could be baked. As far as I was concerned, breakfast eggs were either scrambled for an omelet, fried with a side of bacon and a biscuit, poached for Eggs Benedict, or mixed with spinach and cheese for a delicious quiche. But baked? No way.

A baked egg is much like a fried egg. The longer they're baked, the less runny the yolk becomes. And just like a fried egg, the trick is finding the happy place where the whites are cooked through but the yolk is still runny. A lot of this depends upon oven temperature and the size of the ramekin used. I only have six inch ramekins, so they're what I use; however, it's easier to strike the aforementioned balance with a larger ramekin simply because there is more surface area.

Friday morning I chose to make baked eggs simply because of timing. Cooking eggs on the stove is faster, but they require a constant supervisory eye. With baked eggs, I prepare them in less than 5 minutes, set the oven timer, place the ramekins on the rack above the baking bacon, and leave them while I shower. Baked eggs are also great to make when serving a larger crowd. Breakfast is one of the tougher meals to make for guests, as everyone wants to eat together, yet there are only so many eggs one can fry at a time. With baked eggs, the cook can pop bake all the eggs in the oven at the same time as opposed to having to fry eggs in batches.

So if you've never baked eggs, give it a try. Just like anything else, it takes practice to get them right. But once you do, you won't be disappointed.

Baked Eggs w/Goat Cheese + Herbs

Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 375º

Lightly grease the inside of each ramekin with olive oil.

Pour 1 tablespoon heavy cream into the bottom of each ramekin.

Crack two eggs into each ramekin.

Place 4-5 1/4 teaspoon-sized chucks of goat cheese into each ramekin.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dill (or rosemary).

Place on top rack of preheated oven.

Bake 12-15 minutes. (The cream will float to the top giving the impression that the egg whites are runnier than they really are.)

Serve immediately. (Remember that the eggs will continue to cook once removed from the oven.)

We ate our eggs with fresh strawberries and bacon.

Eat up!

Shrimp + Grits

Several of my friends have encouraged me to get on Pinterest, and after much procrastination, I finally succumbed. I arrived at Kelly's Game Night excited to report of my internet savviness. But when I told Kelly and Traci that I'd joined "Pin Interest," instead of the congratulatory and "it's about time" sentiment I expected, I received a giggle. "Pin Interest, Kelley? You mean Pinterest, right?"

Rightttt...that's what I said.

Note to self (and all other uneducated readers): it's one word, pronounced "Pin.trest."

Apparently, the pronunciation of this site has been somewhat elusive to many a user, as is evidenced by my google search of "How do you pronounce Pinterest?" that yielded many a result. Vindication!

At any rate, now that I'm using it, I enjoy easily browsing through various boards and find many interesting things that would have remained undiscovered by yours truly. This recipe for Shrimp + Grits, for example. But beware! Just like Facebook (not The Facebook), a quick perusal can unexpectantly cause the loss of an hour of life that can never be recovered.

In my opinion, it should be quality over quantity my fellow pinners! What is the point of pinning 1000s of items without actually making the recipes, creating the craft projects, going to on the shopping trips, or reading the books? It's not about pinning -- it's about all that pinning leading to doing. That's what makes memories, after all. To that end, we shared this delicious dinner with our friends, Tommy + Jessa. Tommy said the it was better than the Shrimp + Grits at The Fourth Street Filling Station, and Jason said they were the best grits he'd ever had. If that doesn't make you want to get busy in the kitchen immediately, there's no hope for you ;)

As I mentioned above, I found this Shrimp + Grits Recipe on Epicurious via Pinterest. It's from the Sept. 2011 issue of Bon Appétit and was created by chefs Preston and Ginger Madson at Peels in NYC.

I adapted the recipe in several ways:

Grits
1. I used white corn grits instead of yellow corn grits.
2. Instead of one jalepeno in the grits, I used two.
3. I added 2 1/2 pieces of coarsely crumbled bacon to the grits.
4. The recipe calls for one cup of sharp white cheddar cheese; I used 8 ounces, which is technically one cup in weight but not in volume.

Shrimp + Sausage
5. Because Jason is allergic to shrimp I cooked them separately using a 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup beer, and 2 cloves garlic.
6. Apparently, the Whole Foods in Winston-Salem only carried Tasso once year (boo!) so I used andouille sausage. I used about 2 cups to make up for the fact that Jason couldn't eat the shrimp. I browned the sausage in a skillet on high heat and then cut them into bite sized pieces. I drained most of the grease from the skillet and then sautéed 1/2 of a diced white onion and 8 large cremini mushrooms, sliced. I then added 1/2 cup beer, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 cloves garlic, and then it simmer for several minutes.
7. I skipped the extra tablespoon of butter altogether.
8. I substituted thyme for tarragon.

Egg
9. I fried my eggs over medium instead of sunny side up. Sunny side up presents better, but I don't like my whites runny. And given the fact that Tommy had never had a friend egg (!!), I suspect easing him into over-medium was the right way to go.

Pin it and Eat up!

Sunday Morning Buttermilk Pancakes

One of my favorite things as a kid was weekend breakfast. Mom and Dad both helped make these weekend breakfasts happen, normally choosing between waffles, pancakes, and country ham biscuits. All three of these recipes came from a tattered paperback copy of Betty Crocker's recipes. At some point the book's bindings came apart, leaving it in two pieces with neither a front nor a back cover. Though I transcribed the recipes for both pancakes and waffles onto recipe cards prior to moving into my first apartment and haven't opened that beat-up recipe book in over 10 years, I am pretty sure that the page number for one of these recipes is on page 82. That's how often we made them.

My friends loved Sunday morning breakfast, too. Apparently, making pancakes from scratch as opposed to using Bisquick was a foreign concept to most of them. If you've never had a made-from-scratch buttermilk pancake, make these. Even if you're not a cook, this basic recipe is tough to mess up. If you have issues, let me know what they are and I'll see what I can do to help.

Buttermilk Pancakes
taken from Betty Crocker Cookbook

In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup veggie oil
Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. The batter won't be completely smooth, but that's okay.

Heat on medium a large skillet or griddle.* If you're using teflon, there is no need to use oil, though I always do because I like the edges slightly crispy.

Pour 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. Cook on one side until bubbles form in the top of the batter. Flip. Cook 30-60 seconds more.

Place on a cookie sheet and into a warm oven (~200º) until ready to serve.

*Using high heat is probably the place where most people mess up pancakes. Using high heat will cause the outsides of the pancakes to burn while the insides never cook all the way through. Err on the side of lower heat; the worst that can happen is the pancakes take a little longer to cook.

[While plain buttermilk pancakes are my personal favorite, I'd have to say that one of the best things about pancakes are the numerous variations you can create. Here are three favorites:

For German Chocolate Pancakes, sprinkle shaved chocolate, finely diced pecans, and sweetened shaved coconut on top of the pancakes as they cook on the griddle.

For Blueberry Banana Pancakes, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup mashed banana to the batter. Drop 5-6 blueberries on top of the pancakes as they cook on the griddle.

For Pumpkin Pancakes, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves, and 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin to the batter. If you like nuts, sprinkle finely diced walnut or pecans on top of the pancakes as they cook on the griddle.]

Serve with powdered sugar, syrup, and/or fresh fruit.

Eat up!