Mothers Day

Kids in the Kitchen: No-Fail Crepes for Mothers Day (video)

By in Breakfast, Kids, Mothers Day No Comments Tags: , , , ,

no-fail crepes

My husband doesn’t get to cook in the kitchen much. Give him a grill and a slab of meat and he’ll whip out one mean steak that’s perfectly charred and melt in your mouth tender. Since I love cooking so much, there aren’t many reasons for him to get in the actual kitchen on a regular basis, but one thing he can crank out like a pro is crepes. He is the crepe master. And, it’s one recipe that I know he can easily make with the kids without my interference. In other words, it’s a win for Mother’s day.

Crepes are not usually something that you think of for beginner cooks. And, with Mother’s Day coming up I think it’s safe to say that there will be a lot of beginner cooks in the kitchen this weekend. This recipe is for them. And for you, Mom.

No matter who’s making these crepes they turn out fabulous every time. When little hands are pouring the batter or swirling the pan they will more then likely come out in all sorts of funny shapes and sizes, but they will be just as tasty. Besides the most important thing, that makes them taste the best, is that they’re made with love. (Awww.)

These aren’t as fragile as a lot of crepe recipes are, so they won’t be as paper thin, but that’s what makes them have such consistent results. I think they’re just as delicious as a wispy thin crepe but there’s none of the heartache of throwing out the ones that don’t work. Win. Win.

I’ve included a video at the end of this post that me and my son created together to show just how easy it is for kids to make these crepes (with adult supervision of course!). Granted, it won’t win any awards for cinematography, but it was a fun little project for us to do together and he is so proud that those are his fingers in the video. And his little sister always cheers “Ma! Ma!” (Max! Max!) whenever we watch it. So with all that sweetness I couldn’t really resist sharing it with you. A visual always helps when you’re getting started in the kitchen right?

No-Fail Crepes

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil (olive oil or canola)

Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Ladle 1/4 cup batter into the pan while you tilt it in a circular motion to spread evenly. Cook until the edges start to curl up, flip and cook until both sides light golden brown. Set prepared crepe on a plate and continue with remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of each other (you can keep them warm by placing the plate in an slightly warm oven). Top with desired toppings and roll up to serve.

Makes: 9 crepes

Filling Ideas
  • peanut butter + banana + honey
  • ham + cheese + mustard
  • berries + whipped cream + chocolate sauce (for dessert!)
  • cooked apple slices + cinnamon + maple syrup
  • almond butter + sliced peaches + maple syrup
  • butter + cinnamon sugar

Video

No-Fail Crepes for Mothers Day from Kitchen Simplicity on Vimeo.

Southwestern Breakfast Skillet

By in Breakfast, Main Dish, Mothers Day, Pork 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

southwestern skillet

Going to a diner for breakfast has always been one of my favourite meals to eat out. Nothing like a plate full of grease to get you going in the morning! :) It’s actually been forever since I’ve gone out for breakfast. Somehow getting young kids ready and out the door with grumbling tummy’s just isn’t so appealing. I can’t even remember the last time we went out for breakfast but, I do remember that my favourite thing to order has always been breakfast skillets. And, if given the choice – southwestern please!

Since it’s been so long, I figured it was about time to recreate one at home. They’re so easy to make and since there’s no reason to get dressed before devouring it, you can enjoy your “diner” breakfast in your pj’s, bed head and all. Bonus!

The great thing about these kind of meals is they make quick dinners too. Breakfast for dinner is definitely one of our fallbacks when things are busy.

If you wanted to make this in true diner style you could top it with some homemade nacho cheese sauce. I think that would take it over the top in a major way.

Have a great weekend!

Southwestern Breakfast Skillet

If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet you can assemble to whole thing in a casserole dish before baking.

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 pound spicy italian sausage
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 3-4 tablespoons oil
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • salsa and sour cream, to serve

Whisk together eggs and milk, season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into preheated 12 inch skillet, coated with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just set. Place eggs in a dish and cover with tinfoil. Set aside.

Wipe out skillet with paper towel, place back over heat. Add sausage, cook until starting to brown then add the onion and bell pepper. Once the sausage is cooked through and peppers are tender scoop into a plate and cover with tinfoil. Leave drippings in pan.

Add a bit of oil to skillet, turn up heat to medium-high and cook hash browns in skillet until brown and crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Once potatoes are ready remove from heat, layer sausage mixture and eggs over top then top with cheese. Bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and food is warmed through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Serves: 4-6

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

By in Cakes, Chocolate, Creamy, Mothers Day, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , ,

mocha chip cheesecake

In all my time in Norway not once did I see a block of cream cheese. Spreadable cream cheese was everywhere but the one time I tried to make a cheesecake with it (in my desperation) it did not end well. Three years is far too long to go without a slice of cheesecake!

So you can imagine that it was at the top of my list of things to make when we moved to New York. And, I can now say, it was worth the wait! It was pretty hard to decide which one to make first but I’ve been craving coffee lately (I credit that to the exhaustion of furnishing an entire house from scratch in one week. Whew.) so I decided to go with Mocha Chip. It was a great choice.

On a whim I added a mocha fudge topping because I thought it might pretty it up a bit. In the end I can’t imagine the cheesecake without it. It gave it a much more intense chocolate flavour that I think would have been lacking without it. I don’t think I need to go into much description about how good this tastes. Mocha. Fudge. Cheesecake. Enough said right?

In order to help myself have some self-restraint and not be wasteful (who wants to waste cheesecake?), I decided to slice these into individual servings and freeze them. That way if we’ve got company, or are craving an indulgent dessert, I can just pull out as many as we need, let them thaw and then serve. I love the idea of having something in my freezer to serve guests that doesn’t take any work but is more special than just cookies (although there’s nothing wrong with “just” cookies).

I was a little nervous about making cheesecake again. It had been such a long time that I’d built it up in my head as something difficult. But it couldn’t have been more easy. I hope you try it soon.

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

My springform pan is almost 10 inches and it worked fine for this recipe. I just didn’t press the crumbs as far up the sides of the pan.

Crust
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine cookie crumbs and sugar, stir in butter until evenly coated. Press into the bottom and approximately 2 inches up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Mocha Chip Filling
  • 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in flour until well combined. At low-speed, beat in eggs just until combined.

Mix together cream and instant coffee. Let sit for 1 minute, stir to dissolve. Add to cream cheese mixture along with vanilla. Stir just until evenly distributed. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake at 325ºF for 50-60 minutes or until centre is almost set. Let cool completely at room temperature.

Mocha Fudge Topping
  • 6 oz. (1/2 of 12 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Put all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 50%. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Spread on top of cooled cheesecake.

Cover cheesecake with foil and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Warm a sharp knife under hot tap water, wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut one slice. Rinse it clean under hot tap water and repeat.

Makes: 14 servings

Adapted from TasteofHome.

Quick Waffles with Vanilla Pudding and Blueberry Syrup

By in Breakfast, Mothers Day, Valentine's 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

quick waffles

I bought a waffle maker for my birthday a couple of months ago. We used to make them all the time in Canada but I had to leave my waffle iron behind in the move and I’ve been waiting to get one every since. I think we had forgotten just how much we loved waffles and now we can’t seem to get enough. In fact, we have now started a new Sunday morning tradition. Waffles. With vanilla pudding and blueberry syrup.

My husband’s family has a tradition of eating their waffles with homemade vanilla pudding. It’s a common thing to do in the community that he grew up. And, I accepted it readily because who doesn’t want their waffles covered in warm vanilla pudding? We’ve since added the blueberry syrup because it’s such a great compliment and adds a punch a flavour and color.

I’ve tried numerous waffle recipes on my husband but this one is always his favourite. And who am I to complain? It’s the most simple to make! The vanilla pudding is my mother(or sister)-in-law’s recipe and the blueberry syrup is my mom’s. I’m in love with every aspect of this dish and each of us waits eagerly for Sunday morning to arrive so we can have it again.

I couldn’t figure out a way to take a photo of this without it looking messy. But to me it looks like a tasty mess. One that I would happily clean up with my fork and mouth. :) Full disclosure: I do not actually put that much pudding or syrup on my waffles. It was for the sake of the picture because it looks so much prettier messier this way.

This is also wonderful topped with sliced strawberries in place of the blueberry syrup. Just toss them in a little bit of sugar and let sit for a couple of minutes and you’ll have softened strawberries in a syrupy sauce. Yum!

I’d love to know, what’s your favourite topping for waffles?

Quick Waffles

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Beat eggs until thick. Whisk in milk and oil. Add dry ingredients, mix until smooth. Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturers instructions.

Makes approximately: 6 waffles

Vanilla Pudding

  • 1 1/4 cups milk, divided
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Bring 1 cup milk to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat.
  2. Meanwhile mix together flour, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup milk, making sure there are no lumps. Whisk in egg yolk.
  3. Slowly whisk flour mixture into boiled milk. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm.

*If doubling you can use one whole egg instead of two egg yolks.

Blueberry Syrup

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
  • 2.5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Place blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, crushing berries as they cook. Let boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

 

Rhubarb Crisp

By in Fruit, Mothers Day, Pastries, Sweets 31 Comments Tags: , ,

rhubarb crumble

Now that spring is around the corner the fruits will be plentiful and begging to be used in our favourite desserts. I love making crisps because they’re so easy to throw together and the flavour of the fruit always shines through. I came across a crisp recipe a year or so ago that has been my go to for all my crisp toppings. In fact I like to make dry batches and keep them on hand so that if I have some fruit that needs using up or we’re just in the mood for a crisp, I can whip one up with even less hassle. It stays true to it’s name and stays nice and crisp for days after. With the crunch of walnuts and warmth of cinnamon I could seriously eat the topping all on it’s own.

The weather has been so glorious this week. It actually feels like spring! These warmer days and melting snow can’t help but lift your spirits. Max has been enjoying splashing in the puddles and streams that are flowing down the hills. And, I’m enjoying getting out of the house. Can you say cabin fever!

I’m also enjoying being in the kitchen more. I strap Alli in her baby carrier, put some music on for Max to dance to and get to work. The rocking motion and occasional hip wiggle seems to lull her to sleep. This week the weather inspired me to get in the kitchen and make my favourite Rhubarb Crisp.

Rhubarb will be starting to make it’s appearance soon in most of the world. Here we don’t get it until the beginning of the summer so I used up the last of the stuff that I froze in August. It definitely got me in the mood for Spring. And, now I can’t wait to see the fresh stalks at the grocers again.

What is your favourite springtime dessert?

One Year Ago: Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb Filling
  • 4 cups chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) rhubarb
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Place rhubarb in an 8×8 pan or divide between 6 ramekins.
  2. Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan, stir in water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over rhubarb.
Crisp Topping

adapted from Fresh with Anna Olson

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Stir in melted butter until even distributed. Crumble over filling.
  2. Bake at 350ºF for 45 min or until rhubarb is cooked through and filling is bubbly.

Makes enough for an 8×8 inch square (9 inch round) baking pan or 6 ramekins.

To Make Crisp Topping Ahead
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and nuts.
  2. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. (If you’re worried about the nuts going rancid before use, you can store the mixture in the freezer)
  3. To use: Mix in melted butter and crumble over top of fruit.

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Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

By in Breakfast, Cakes, Chocolate, Mothers Day, Sweets 21 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

I was debating whether to call these muffins or cupcakes. But I think anyone that eats chocolate muffins for breakfast understands that, that distinction is always hard to make when your having chocolate for breakfast. The only real reason I’m calling these “muffins” is because I took my Blueberry Sour Cream Muffin recipe and altered it slightly to make it Double Chocolate Raspberry. Can I get a whoop whoop?

My husband isn’t really a fan of raspberries but he devoured these for breakfast, snack and dessert, so I’m guessing he thought they were pretty good. I’m a die-hard chocolate-raspberry fan so these were pretty much heaven in cupcake form for me. A moist chocolate batter with gooey chocolate chips and fresh bites of sweet and tangy raspberry. Mmm.. what could be better?

Whether you decide to call these muffins or cupcakes I advice that you make them a super-indulgent breakfast sometime soon.

What’s your favourite breakfast splurge?

Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl.
  2. In another bowl whisk together oil, egg, milk and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
  3. Stir in sour cream until combined. Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips.
  4. Pour batter into 12 paper-lined or greased, regular size muffin cups.
  5. Top with additional chocolate chips and raspberries if desired.
  6. Bake @ 400ºF for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Makes: 12

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