Blackberry Buttermilk Popovers

I'm just back from my third (and final!) try for the big bucks at the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off...Holy Cow what an amazing event! No win this time for my Lemon-Poppy Seed Pull Apart Bread, but the whole experience was so over-the-top exciting that I still need to float back to reality.

One thing that I have learned from my experience with the Pillsbury Bake-Off is that most home cooks are looking for something that's not only delicious, but easy to make. Working convenience foods into a recipe and putting a homemade touch on it is a perfectly fine way to make this happen. Did you know, however, that you can make something easy and delicious and from scratch? I'm here to prove it to you with these beautiful popovers!

A few simple ingredients and ...voila!...a beautiful thing!

Blackberry Buttermilk Popovers

Printable Recipe

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 pinch sea salt

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh blackberries

1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a non-stick, 6 cavity popover pan (or muffin tin) with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the buttermilk, granulated sugar, and salt. Slowly whisk in the flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest.

Divide the batter into the popover pan. Add 3-4 blackberries into each well. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden. Cut a small slit into each popover for steam to escape. Dust well with powdered sugar and serve warm with butter and honey, if desired.

Don't have a popover pan? Use a muffin pan.

 Go ahead and sub raspberries or blueberries for the blackberries...

Now the only question is Breakfast or Dessert?

Southwest Eggs and Veggie Skillet

One skillet meals are becoming a favorite way for me to make dinner these days. They are easy, tasty, and it enables me to use up whatever I have on hand. In fact, I made a version of this skillet dish just a few weeks ago. This time, though, I amped up the spices, used some canned diced tomatoes, and nuked the potatoes (to save from using an additional pan). It's a quick recipe and I didn't take very many pictures, but it has to be shared. :)

Southwest Eggs and Veggie Skillet
Printable Recipe

1 pound red potatoes, cubed

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained (may use Southwest flavored)

2 teaspoons Southwest seasoning *

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper and/or paprika for garnish

Place potatoes in a microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until tender; drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the potatoes, onion, bell pepper, corn, and jalapeño pepper and sauté 5-6 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and vegetables are softened. Add the drained tomatoes and seasonings and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Make 4 cavities in the mixture with a spoon. Break one egg into each cavity. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Sprinkle with ground pepper

*Make your own Southwest seasoning by blending together  1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, and 2 teaspoons ground red pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Eggs and Vegetable Hash

Since my husband has become a vegetarian, I have naturally cut back on my own meat consumption. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a nice steak or a burger, but it's easier to cook just one meal at a time. Sometimes it's a challenge, especially since I'm not entirely fond of fake meat products. Yesterday, I took note of the cover of my Vegetarian Times magazine and saw a great pic of a skillet meal of eggs and vegetables. What a tasty idea! So, while I didn't follow their recipe, I did run with the idea and made my own version---Eggs and Vegetable Hash.

Eggs and Vegetable Hash

Printable Recipe

3 medium russet potatoes

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 cup diced sweet onions

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon seasoning of choice* (try combining basil, savory, rosemary, thyme, etc.)

4 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peel and dice the potatoes into 1" pieces; rinse in cold water. Place the diced potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Add the potatoes, green pepper and onions and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low. Make 4 cavities in the mixture with a spoon. Break one egg into each cavity. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Sprinkle with ground pepper.

*I'm kind of lousy when it comes to measuring spices. Usually, I toss in whatever I have. I'm also prone to picking up jars of spices that sound good. What I actually used in this recipe was a hefty sprinkling of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and a few grinds of Trader Joe's South African Smoke (guaranteed to add that "wonderful Umami flavor, which can be elusive"). I am aware that there are those that don't like spice blends, so feel free to use your imagination.

I do love those runny eggs....

Who said vegetarian food was boring?

Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake

After missing last month's Improv, I'm happy to be on track. This month the theme is Peanut Butter and Jelly--the best combination of food since...well...since Peanut Butter and Jelly! I have already combined the two flavors in my PB&J Cupcakes, so I asked my husband what he thought sounded good. PB&J sweet rolls? A good suggestion, but I'm a little over sweet rolls for now, having made several batches of the Sweet Potato Sticky Buns. How about one of those cakes that are all rolled up like a HoHo? A Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake? Why, yes...that does sound good. Thank you, Pete. So, with a nod to Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for hosting our Improv event (go visit her new website--it's very cool), I bring to you my Peanut Butter Jelly Roll creation.

Peanut Butter Jelly Roll Cake
Printable Recipe

Sponge Cake:
5 eggs, separated and brought to room temperature*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup cake flour
* simply place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes

Filling:
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup jam or jelly of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line a 10 1/2" x 15 1/2" jelly roll pan with parchment paper and generously grease and flour it.

Beat the eggs yolks for about a minute, add the sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat until the yolks are thickened and develop a pale yellow color.

Sprinkle the salt over the egg whites and using a clean set of beaters, beat the whites until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the mixture is stiff, but not dry. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolks.

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the egg mixture and fold in with a spatula, being careful as to not over mix. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched.

Immediately turn the cake over onto a smooth towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Starting at the short end, roll the cake up in the towel and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.

To prepare the filling, whisk the flour and the milk in a small, heavy saucepan. Place over medium/low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and place the mixture in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool to room temperature.

Whisking is key here...we don't want lumps.

Place the butter, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat for several minutes until creamy (it may still be a bit grainy). Add the cooled flour mixture and continue to beat until the filling is fluffy and creamy. If thin, refrigerate for about 20 minutes before spreading on cake.

Gently unroll the cake and remove the towel. Spread the jam or jelly over the top, leaving about 1/2" around the edges. Spread the peanut butter filling evenly over the jelly and re-roll the cake. Refrigerate to set the filling.

Before serving, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top, if desired. Slice into one inch pieces and serve.

I used blueberry preserves for this batch...next time I'll try strawberry.

Check out what kind of Peanut Butter and Jelly Creations everyone else has come up with! :)

Eggs Florentine on Golden Polenta (low cal and gluten free)

Last year, when Saucy Mama ran the "Fab with Five" contest, I thought it might be the most difficult contest that I could enter. Create a recipe using only five ingredients, including one of Saucy Mama's delicious sauces or mustards? Luckily, the sauces turned out to be so good, that it really wasn't all that difficult. While I didn't win, I had such a great time coming up with recipes that I was one of the first in line to sign up for this year's contest. This year the theme is "Skinny Mama" and we, some 50 bloggers, are to come up with low cal or gluten free recipes....healthy stuff. Yikes. The last recipe I posted was for Carrot Cake Pancakes. I wasn't so sure I could do this. Then, the box of mustard arrived in the mail.

You can win a selection of three mustard's...see how below!

Holy Cow! We received the three mustards in the picture, plus three others. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard, after all....

Since my last recipe was a rather caloric, albeit tasty, breakfast entree, I thought I would start with a healthier breakfast idea.

Eggs Florentine on Golden Polenta with “Skinny” Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard or Champagne Honey Mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

12 oz prepared polenta, cut into 8 1/2" rounds

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach leaves

8 eggs, poached

Salt and pepper to taste

First, mix the yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice and water together; set aside.

Heat two teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the polenta slices and fry them over medium/low heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.

Add an additional teaspoon of oil to the skillet and add the fresh spinach. Saute for 3 or 4 minutes, or until wilted and heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the spinach from the skillet. Spoon the mustard sauce into the warm pan and cook for about a minute until heated through.

Arrange two polenta slices on a plate. Top each slice with 1/8 of the spinach and a poached egg. Drizzle the sauce over the egg; repeat for each polenta slice. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. This recipe will serve 4, two eggs each.

I love a nice runny yolk, but if it's not your bag, simply cook your egg longer.

Not sure how to poach an egg? Watch Alton Brown do it here:

How easy was that? And thanks to the Saucy Mama mustard, the sauce is tasty, gluten free, and low in calories. In fact, you can eat two of the eggs with sauce for about 325 calories! Not too shabby.

Now, how about that giveaway? Saucy Mama is generously giving away a three pack of mustards to one of my readers. Simply leave a comment telling me what kind of recipe you would use your Saucy Mama mustard in and you will be entered . On Wednesday, February 29th, Saucy Mama will open the voting polls on her Facebook page, and you, our readers, will decide which 10 recipes will be in the final judging. For additional entries, simply vote for the recipe that you like best, and come back here to let us know you voted for your favorite. Winners will be chosen using Rafflecopter on or about March 7th, 2012. Good luck and enjoy all of the creative entries!

Disclaimer: I was given a Saucy Mama box of condiments in order to create this recipe. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Egg in the Hole

I thought I was being so clever the first time I made this. Use a biscuit cutter to cut a perfect circle in a slice of bread and then fry an egg in it. Ha--as it turns out, people have been doing this forever. Of course, it's called different things, depending on what area of the world you're in. Egg in the Hole, Toad in the Hole---I don't know what else. It's so simple, I actually felt a little weird about posting it, until I saw that The Pioneer Woman posted it and had over 1400 comments. People like stuff like this. Reminds them of their youth, I think.

Today, I had some eggs to try. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received coupons for some free Land O Lakes® Eggs. With the holidays at hand, those coupons came at a great time.

First, I had to find the eggs. They looked a little fancy to me, what with the packaging and the Omega 3 claims, so I was looking at the high-end grocery stores at first. As it happens, I found them at my usual grocery store. I would have known this if I had used their store locator. Duh.

Of course, I knew that Land O Lakes® had a quality product. I use their butter all of the time and I love it, not only for the superior flavor, but for the packaging. Each butter quarter is wrapped in a flavor sealed wrapper, so the butter doesn't absorb all of those other smells in your fridge. Really, who wants onion flavored butter? The egg packaging was interesting--the plastic outer cover (and inner cover) certainly protected the eggs, but I wondered about all of the plastic on a "natural" product. No worries, however. Land O Lakes® is all over it ---beginning in January 2012, all Land O Lakes® eggs will be packaged in a new pulp carton made from 100% recycled material.

The Omega 3 claim confused me at first, but it simply means that the hens are fed a natural, vegetarian diet that includes flax seed. This means that these eggs have an additional 160 mg of ALA omega-3 fatty acids per egg. You can read all about it on the Land O Lakes® website.  You can also choose to buy the eggs in the Natural, Cage Free, or Organic varieties.

Back to our recipe: 

I chose a Tuscan bread...just make sure your slices are big enough for your biscuit cutter.

Put plenty of butter in your skillet. You want the bread to absorb it and get nice and toasty brown. Don't forget to fry your "circles". They make good dippers.

Oops. I fried the first two a little too long. The yolks weren't runny enough. I gave these to my husband. :)

Much better. I love me a runny yolk.

Disclaimer: While I was given free product in order to make a review, all opinions are my own.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Last weekend was the official start of my Fall baking season. It was cold and a little rainy...perfect weather to stay in and bake. Really, I should have been at the apple orchard on Saturday, but that will keep for this weekend when the weather will be back in the 70's......

One thing I made that I haven't made for a while was a batch of cinnamon rolls. In fact, I fully intended to post a how-to on the making of basic cinnamon rolls, but I got a late start. It was a pretty good batch, too. I added some apple pieces instead of pecans, and put some cinnamon in the icing....not fancy, but pretty darn good. My cinnamon roll recipe turns out 12 relatively large rolls....too many for us, now that my daughter and her boyfriend are at school. And those homemade rolls get stale pretty quickly, no?

Day-old cinnamon rolls make might fine bread pudding.....

What to do? Well, I was born and raised in the Midwest, where no self-respecting home cook wastes anything. Stale bread makes great French toast. Stale cinnamon rolls make great bread pudding.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Printable Recipe

6 stale cinnamon rolls

6 eggs, beaten

3 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spray a 2 1/2 QT casserole dish with cooking spray.

Crumble cinnamon rolls into the casserole dish.

In large bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the cinnamon rolls. Let mixture sit for about 20 minutes to allow the eggs/milk to soak in.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Easy, right? I didn't actually have 6 cinnamon rolls left...I only had 5. So, I just adjusted. Think one egg and 1/2 cup milk for each cinnamon roll. 

Just crumble it all up and pour the egg/milk mixture over it.

Pull it out of the oven when it's all set...then eat it warm or cold.

To make it even better, pour a boozy sauce over it....

Butterscotch Hard Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cream

3-4 tablespoon Butterscotch Schnapps

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar, beaten eggs, and cream whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in Butterscotch Schnapps to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth. 

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Spanish Omelette (Tortilla de Patatas) with Chipotle Tomato Sauce.....Another Saucy Mama FabWithFive

Sometimes the best food is the easiest. When I was growing up, my Dutch mother used to make a simple meal out of fried tomatoes and onions. We would dip our fresh, buttered bread in it and practically lick up any remnants from the plate. So, when presented with a challenge like the one Saucy Mama gave me--to make up a recipe using a Saucy Mama product and only use 5 total ingredients--my first thought went to that simple meal of tomatoes and onions. A Spanish omelette seemed very fitting. It turns out that a traditional Spanish omelette is not only simple to make, but combined with the Southwest taste of Saucy Mama's Sante Fe Creamy Chipotle Dressing, a trendy, plate-licking, worthy appetizer or main dish.

Speaking of trendy, I'm sure you have all heard of Spanish tapas--little snacks that are found all over Spanish restaurants. You can order one or two for an appetizer, or several for a meal. Well, it seems that the Spanish Omelette, or Spanish Tortilla as it is also known, is considered to be a very common tapas. So now we have a little fusion, a little tradition, a little trendy, and a whole lot of tasty!

Spanish Omelette (Tortilla de Patatas) with Chipotle Tomato Sauce

Printable Recipe

5-6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5 medium Russet potatoes, thinly sliced and lightly salted
½ large sweet onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Saucy Mama Sante Fe Creamy Chipotle Dressing
5 large eggs

I used a food processor to get the potato slices nice and thin. I also kept the slices in cold water until I needed them. This keeps the potatoes from turning grey from the starch. Be sure to dry off the potatoes with some paper toweling before adding to the oil.

Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in a 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat; reduce heat to medium and carefully add the sliced potatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In the mean time, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Lower the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft, another 8-10 minutes. Lower the heat to simmer and stir in the chipotle dressing. Heat through and remove from heat.

I resisted the urge to salt my onions and tomatoes. The Saucy Mama Creamy Sante Fe Chipotle Dressing has plenty of spices--the sauce is well-seasoned.

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and, using a whisk, beat the eggs until frothy. Carefully pour the potatoes into the eggs, reserving the pan for the omelette, and stir until well mixed.

Be sure to keep stirring the potatoes--you want them to be soft, but not brown and crispy.

Add an additional tablespoon of oil to the reserved pan and reheat. Pour the egg and potato mixture into the pan, reducing the heat to medium. Cook the eggs, shaking the pan frequently, until the eggs are half set. Cover the pan with a large plate and carefully flip the omelette onto the plate. Add additional oil to the pan, if needed and slide the omelette back into the pan with the uncooked side down. Cook until entirely set, about 5 minutes more. Allow the omelette to cool slightly before cutting into wedges. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the tomato sauce over each wedge before serving. The omelette may be served warm or at room temperature.

Getting the omelette onto the plate the first time is a little tricky. Be careful not to spill hot oil on your hands....ouch!

The sauce looks a little like tomato soup. I used some of the leftovers as a chip dip--it was outstanding!

Hubby tried it plain, but decided it was best with the sauce!

Not sure where to buy the Saucy Mama products? I haven't seen them in Minnesota, but with the wonder that is the Internet, we can buy all of the Saucy Mama we want on line. Just click here to see what they have to offer: Saucy Mama While you're at it, go ahead and give them a quick "like" on their Facebook page.

Don't forget to enter to win a selection of Saucy Mama product. Just leave a comment under my first Saucy Mama recipe, Tri-Tip Hoagies with Sweet Heat Slaw.