Puffed Full of Love

Puff Pancake, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

I know I have taken a sabbatical without telling anyone. For the past month I have stepped up my hours for the Not-for-Profit that I do part-time work for (add that on top of Seminary, being 9 months pregnant...). I never work when my kids are awake so my "down time" at night has not been "down time." Hence, no time for posting on the flog.

I used to think Valentine's Day was so cheesy. Why should you have a day to tell those you love how you feel when you should do so everyday? Now I know why--for an excuse to go out to dinner without the kids. B. said that maybe next year we could all go out for dinner for Valentine's Day. I explained that we love her and Little Man, but sometimes it's nice for mommies and daddies to go out alone, too because we love each other.

This Valentine's Day was one to be remembered--S. got me a Pampering Prenatal Massage. It was a nice surprise. He had his mom (THANKS, MOM MUD) come watch the kids so I could go. It was so relaxing, and it even helped with my back pain for a few hours. He made sure there wasn't a limit to how far along you were. I wonder if they'd let me have one now that I am officially past my due date (BOTH due dates). And a thanks to my sister for watching the munchkins while we went to dinner.

S. had to settle for a combined birthday/V-day present of the Wii (I had been searching for one for weeks and finally found one in stock on V-day) and breakfast. Here's the recipe for the breakfast Puff Pancake I made. It is so easy. I found it years ago in Parenting magazine.

Puff Pancakes

1/2 stick butter (divided)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

Toppings: (your choice)
1 lemon, sliced in half
powdered sugar
Strawberries
Peaches
Buttermilk syrup

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Divide the butter between two 8-inch round cake pans, and put them in the oven to melt. Mix eggs, milk, and flour in a blender until smooth.

Remove pans from oven and pour half the batter into each pan. Return pans to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until pancakes are very puffy, firm, and golden-brown on edges.

Add desired toppings and serve.

Banana Nana Fo Fana

WW Banana CC muffins, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

My kids tend to go through phases of what they will gorge themselves on. Example: Little Man will eat 2 bananas in two minutes, but will not want any the following day. Boo will eat a heap of green beans one night, but another night she won't have touched them. They are good at trying new foods, yet have their favorites. Still, sometimes they don't even want their favorites if they are not in the mood. Hence, sometimes I don't have any bananas when we need them, other times they just sit on the counter getting brown and black. Here's my cure for not wasting those "nanas."

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/4 cup olive oil
4 T softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease muffin tins.

Combine olive oil, butter and sugar and mix until combined well. In another bowl combine flour, soda, and salt. Add eggs, applesauce, bananas and vanilla to butter mixture. Add dry ingredients and combine. Mix in chocolate chips by hand.

Place batter into muffin tins (I use a cookie scoop so they are the same size). If you are using miniature muffin tins cook for about 20 minutes, if you are using regular muffin tins cook for 25 minutes.

Can we still be friends?

Gma's Orange Rolls, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

We went to see Jim Gaffigan last night. One of his jokes was about when you haven't returned someone's telephone call for so long, what do you do? You think, "we weren't that close anyway" and do you just end the friendship because it would be so awkward once you called? Made me think of my food blog (flog) which I have neglected for so long. Want my excuses like I would give you if I hadn't returned your phone call? Well, for starters--teaching seminary at 6am, but still getting to bed at 11:30 and being over 6 months pregnant, a funeral, family in town (both sides)... But, can't we just be friends the way we used to be?

My grandmother recently celebrated her 99th birthday (yes, I know I already wrote about it on my family blog). For just about every family get-together that I can remember she was the one who brought the rolls. Our favorites were the Orange Rolls. I would eat about 5 within a couple minutes of dinner starting. Now that she is 99 she would have still made the rolls for Thanksgiving, but she had a cold that knocked her out (hopefully not from my kids!). I made them instead. I made them for both families (yes, we eat 2 Thanksgiving dinners--and I am wondering why my belly is getting huge). My mother-in-law gave me a recipe she had of Martha Stewart's. I made a batch of each, and I have to say, my grandma's are better!

These are fabulous because you make the dough the night before and put it in the fridge. It made my morning go a lot smoother (especially since S. was playing tag football for three hours and I had pies to make, too with the kids running around). I have only changed the recipe by using butter instead of shortening (does shortening freak anyone else out?).

My two year old definitely takes after me as he ate 5 rolls within minutes. And I'm pretty sure his cousin, Michael had even more than him.

Grandma's Orange Rolls

Rolls:

2 T. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (melted)
3 well beaten eggs
4-4 1/2 cups flour

Orange filling:

1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup sugar
rind of 1 orange (about 2 T)
1/2 tsp almond extract.

Orange glaze:

Juice of 1 orange
1 lb powdered sugar

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water. Set aside. Combine sugar, butter and salt with hot water and stir. Add beaten eggs and 1 cup flour. Mix well. Stir in dissolved yeast thoroughly. Add remaining flour and stir until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turn dough onto a floured board. Divide into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick and spread with half of orange filling. Roll up as for a jelly rolls and cut into 1 inch slices and place in buttered muffin tins. Let rise until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Pour orange glaze of the top of rolls.

Taco Zucchini Bread

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

My brother, Craig grew some huge zucchini in his garden this year and I finally got around to making zucchini bread with it. I love zucchini bread. It is connected to my childhood--my mother would always make multiple batches to give away and freeze the rest and I would sneak them for breakfast. Mmmm, cold zucchini bread with cold milk.

My father made one thing for dinner when I was growing up--Soft corn tacos with meat. He would heat oil and fry the corn tortillas just until they were soft. Afterwards he would pore the oil back into the original bottle before getting rid of it. Enter, my sister, Jeannie. She decides to make some zucchini bread. She grabs the bottle to put the required oil into her recipe. The hot zucchini bread comes out of the oven and we all dig in. And we all quickly spit it out. Jeannie had used the taco oil in her zucchini bread on accident--not a good combination. It's a wonder I still eat zucchini bread today.

I have come up with a recipe that is yummy and healthy and I can rationalize eating it for breakfast with that big glass of milk. When we were making it Boo asked me when we eat it. She didn't know if it was a dessert, bread that goes with dinner, or what. My answer? ANYTIME!I

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

2 cups whole wheat (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use kosher)
1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 small bread pans (2 1/2 X 5 1/2--you could use one large pan, but I love the crusty parts so the smaller the better).

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl combine oil, sugar, zucchini, eggs, and zest and mix. Add dry ingredients just until combined, add pecans, if desired. Pour into bread pans. Cook for 35-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean (If you use a large bread pan you will need to up the cooking time to 55 minutes).

Store in the fridge, if you like it cold. If you prefer it hot, you can put a slice in the microwave for 25 seconds.

The sweet smell of dirty little kids

Wheat Pancakes w/ Buttermilk Syrup, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

A roommate of my sister's was an Elementary Ed. major. After working with kids for a while she came to the conclusion that all little kids smell like pancakes. Oh, come on, you know the smell: that sticky smell of Aunt Jemima syrup, left over from breakfast mixed with the "outside" smell that kids get. After having kids, I fought hard to make sure my offspring didn't get that smell--even if it meant avoiding eating pancakes.

When my first child was 1, we were visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Boston. We had pancakes for breakfast. Uh, oh. My daughter would now have her first taste of pancakes. But, to my surprise, we didn't have that normal, fake-tasting syrup. We had homemade buttermilk syrup. I discovered the secret to letting my kids eat pancakes without smelling like syrup (B. still didn't get syrup on her pancakes until she was 3 years old, but her brother has already been destroyed by 1).

The buttermilk syrup was delicious. I have passed on the recipe to my sister and she came up with the great idea of putting orange zest in it. It is so good, not just on pancakes and waffles, but crepes and ice cream, too. I tried it with lemon zest and it makes a great combination with blueberries and raspberries.

So, here's to helping your kids smell like roses...

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (can subsitute regular milk w/ 1 tsp lemon juice--let sit 5 minutes)
1 T light corn syrup

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Combine. Add 2 teaspoons orange or lemon zest, if desired.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

1 cup wheat flour (I love King Arthur's)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar
1 egg
1 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 T oil
1/8-1/4 cup milk

Heat a skillet to 350 degrees (or on stove heat over medium-low heat).

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar in a bowl. Combine egg, yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla, oil and milk in another bowl and mix. Add dry ingredients until combined.

Pour the pancake batter on the hot skillet using a 1/2 measuring cup (add more milk if it thickens too much). Cook until pancake bubbles. Using a spatula, flip pancake over and cook for another 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Keep warm in a preheated 200 degree oven or tortilla warmer. Serve with buttermilk syrup and fresh berries.

I do NOT like them, Sam I am.

Tomato, Yellow Squash Tart, originally uploaded by One of the many Mudricks.

Introducing new foods to kids can be a battle. When our kids turn their noses up at something new we always say, "Sam I am." B knows she has to try it AND swallow it. She may not eat it AGAIN in "a box with a fox," but she has given it a chance. "Try it, try it, and you may" get your kids to eat something new.

Speaking of Dr. Seuss, B just went to Seussical the Musical with her Grandma M on Friday. She loved it. She was singing songs from it the following morning and was ecstatic that she got to shake hands with the Cat in the Hat. I think she is officially cooler than me. This is incredibly embarrassing to admit (well, it would be if I got embarrassed), but I have only seen two concerts: 1) Whitney Houston and 2) Hootie and the Blowfish. B has already seen High School Musical, Disney on Ice and now Seussical the Musical. (She was disappointed she missed seeing Wicked with us). Sure, I have seen a plethora of Broadway shows, but somehow I missed out on cool concerts like U2, Dave Matthews and such. What was I thinking? I have only met one person with a concert record that rivals mine. I won't say WHO it was (but you know who you are, Robert F. Schwartz), but the concerts were 1) Peter Breinholt and 2) Amy Grant. Can YOU beat those?

Back to Green Eggs and Ham...I hate eggs. Seriously. I would never tell that to our kids, but it is true. I remember dry-heaving when my mom would make me eat them. I have only known one other person with this weird loathing towards huevos--my oldest sister. Frankly, I think it's genetic.

However, I will eat THIS egg dish. Maybe it's because I call it Yellow Squash, Tomato and Mozzarella Tart. I have made this for baby showers, brunches, and even dinner. We had it yesterday morning when we had brunch with one of S's friends from high school and his sister. I made it a couple weeks ago for a playgroup and had many requests for the recipe, so here it is.


Yellow Squash, Tomato and Mozzarella Tart
Adapted from Bon Apetit September 2004

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tomato, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)

For crust:
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter. Using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Add 4 tablespoons ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 14 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in; press to form double-thick sides. Push sides up until 1/4 inch higher than top edge of pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze 10 minutes.

Line dough with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 15 minutes. Transfer crust to rack; cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

For filling:
Heat olive oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add squash and thyme. Sauté until squash is just tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Whisk eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in bowl. Arrange squash over bottom of crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 mozzarella, place tomato rounds on top, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Place tart on a baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into crust, filling completely.

Bake quiche until filling is golden and set in center, about 35 minutes. Transfer quiche to rack; cool 15 minutes.

I have used fat free half and half instead of whipping cream, added asparagus, fresh spinach and Parmesan cheese. You can mix and match for your personal tastes. Now eat THAT "on a train in the rain."

Top of the muffin to you!

Pear Granola Muffins, originally uploaded by One of the many Mudricks.

Have you ever seen that Seinfeld? You can relate almost every incident in life to a Seinfeld episode, so here I am doing it. Basically the episode talks about how good the top of the muffin is and they open a store just selling the tops, but they have issues figuring out what to do with the "stumps". Well, let me tell you the tops of these muffins are DELECTABLE! (the stump is pretty good, too). Yesterday we had a playgroup at our house with about 10 moms and 17 kids. Of course I made food. It wasn't anything extravagant because I wasn't sure what the snow prediction would amount to. We settled for: Chocolate Croissants, Pear Granola Muffins, Squash, Tomato and Mozzarella Tart and Fresh Fruit. The kids downed the croissants, fruit and muffins. I think the moms horded the tart for themselves. B didn't get any muffins so we decided to make some more. They were still delicious.
Here's the recipe. I adapted it from Martha's Food magazine.

Pear Granola Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (this is just what I had--the original recipe had plain)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 D'Anjou pears, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1/3 cup granola (I had vanilla almond from Trader Joes so I used that)

For Granola Crisp Topping: (or use 3/4 cup plain granola)

1/2 cup granola
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin (I used some mini--just be sure you dice the pears smaller)with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well, and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the granola and pears.

Make Granola Crisp Topping: In a bowl, toss together 1/2 cup granola, 1/4 cup each all-purpose flour and packed light-brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter into pieces; add to granola mixture, and rub in with fingertips until clumps form.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle with granola topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.


So, enjoy! But I think you should all try cutting off the top and eating it separately, just for Elaine's sake.