Breakfast

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

By in Breakfast, Fall 11 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Now that my family has gotten into a fairly regular routine, breakfast has become a family affair. It”s one more chance for us to spend time together and connect before the day begins. The tastier and quicker it is to throw together, the more likely we”ll be to make the time to sit and enjoy each others company.

The nights are cold – in our apartment we have no control over the heat and it has yet to come on, so I”m bundling the kids up in layers of clothes before they go to bed. We”re all waking up hungry and in need of extra warmth and comfort. Nothing sticks to your ribs and warms you from the inside out, like a big bowl of oatmeal.

This Banana Walnut Oatmeal is even more comforting because as it simmers it fills the house with the smell of baking banana bread. If that doesn”t get the family flocking to the table I don”t know what will.

Sitting around the table with a warm breakfast, fall spices wafting through the air, surrounded by your family, talking about the day ahead – what could be a better start to the day?

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 banana, mashed

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • pinch nutmeg

  • pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Place water, milk, banana, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar (or maple syrup) in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in oats. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir in walnuts just before serving.

Makes: 2-3 servings

This post was featured on Women”s Health Magazine online.

Autumn Sunrise Muffins

By in Breakfast, Fall 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

Autumn Sunrise Muffins

This is a guest post from my cousins Liesel and Rachel. We most often live across the world from each other but our passion for cooking and baking unites us. It”s in the genes! I trust these girls taste buds and know that whatever comes out of their kitchen is going to be GOOD. I hope you”ll give them a warm welcome!

I (Liesel) just returned to college in Canada after a good few years being away. During this time I”ll be spending one night a week at Rachel”s place to cut down on the commute to college. Instead of hitting the books, we”ll be hitting the flour and sugar!

We got into a bit of cooking and baking mischief together last year and would now like to involve Cheri in our shenanigans. This is a flavour combination that we came up with a couple of years ago when Rachel was visiting me in Ireland. Welcome to Cooking Cousins…

Rachel: So, we made some muffins.

Liesel: What was left of summer seems to have dropped below the horizon as quickly as the sun does these days. Although the leaves are turning colour we are grasping on to reminders of warmer weather.

Rachel: They got mangos and cloves in them.

Liesel: Mango and cloves are not regular companions in baking but are the perfect autumn flavour. The mango reminds us of tropical fruit salads enjoyed on a warm day and the cloves of the coming winter nights.

Rachel: I ate mine with butter and cheese.

Liesel: These healthy, sweat, spicy muffins are perfect to enjoy on their own or with your favourite muffin topping at any time of day. I will be enjoying mine for breakfast!

Mango Clove Muffins a.k.a. Autumn Sunrise Muffins

In one bowl mix together:

  • 1/3 cup canola oil

  • 1 egg

  • 1 mashed banana (I defrost mine from the freezer, cut one end and then squeeze the banana out)

  • 1/4 cup milk

  • 1.5 teaspoons vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a second bowl combine:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup oats

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 small mango, diced (use 1/2 a large mango)

Mix wet and dry ingredients until just moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 for 18-20 min.

A Liesel & Rachel creation.

Fruit-Bottom Yogurt

By in Breakfast, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Homemade, Snacks 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

When it comes to packing lunches I”m no great authority on the subject. My husband gets fed lunch every day at work and my son”s barnehage makes him fresh snacks and meals every day. I”m a lucky woman. But, it also means I”m stumped for tips on packing meals to take away. At least for now.

One thing I am getting better at though, is snacks. I eat all day long, especially now that I”m nursing, so snacks is something I”m well acquainted with. And since snacks are usually something thrown into lunch boxes to help round out the meal, I thought I”d share our current favourite – yogurt. And, not just any yogurt, but homemade Fruit-Bottom Yogurt.

“These fruit-bottom yogurts stay good for a week in the fridge, so you can make a batch on Sunday to last the whole week. Throw them into lunch boxes, sprinkle them with granola for breakfast or save them for an afternoon snack that the kids can grab for themselves after school.”

I took a hiatus after my daughter was born but am now back at Simple Bites as a regular contributor. Head on over to find out how you can make your own fruit-bottom yogurt.

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

By in Breakfast, Fruit, Pastries 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

Max started barnehage (preschool) this week. I have to admit it”s been rather rough on me. This is the first time he”s been away from home consistently and the house feels so empty. I”ll admit that more than a few tears have been shed, on my part not his. He”s absolutely loving it and not missing me one bit. How”d he grow up so fast? Sniff.

The weather has cooled off a bit, the leaves have lost a bit of their vibrancy, my little boy is gone during the day. It feels like fall.

But it”s not fall. And I”m not ready for it to be fall. I can”t seem to help my mind from heading in that direction though so I”m trying to bridge the gap a bit and hold on to summer for a little longer.

These Maple Roasted Peach Crisps seemed like the perfect way to switch gears a bit while still enjoying summer fruit. They”re warm and comforting, soft and crisp, tangy and sweet. A good reminder of why I”ll be ready for fall when it really comes around.

I”ve always been a big fan of individual desserts. They are so much prettier to plate and everyone gets the same serving sizes so there”s no fighting over the biggest piece. ;)

These are actually a lot less work then a regular crisp because you don”t have to chop the fruit and toss it with other ingredients. Not that, that is hard to do but less work is less work. :) It feels and tastes healthier too, which is the way I like to enjoy my desserts in the summer.

Note: If you don”t want to make the whole batch at once you can make the crumble topping and store it in the fridge. When you want a couple fresh crisps: make as directed below and put the remaining crisp topping back in the fridge.

Maple Roasted Peach Crisps

For an indulgent breakfast serve this on its own or with a spoonful of yogurt. For dessert: a dollop of whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Peaches

  • 4 peaches, halved and pitted

  • maple syrup

Crisp Topping

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch salt

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

  • 2.5 tablespoon butter, melted

Place peaches in a rimmed pan, brush with maple syrup.

Combine crisp ingredients until evenly moistened with butter. Carefully place 2 tablespoon topping onto each peach halve.

Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until peaches are tender and topping is browned. Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes: 8 servings

Guest Post: Cherry Vanilla Bean Clafouti

By in Breakfast, Fruit, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

clafouti

This is a guest post from Theresa of The Craving Chronicles. I’ve been wanting to make Cherry Clafouti for a long time so I was very excited when Theresa shared this recipe. I’ve tried a few recipes from her site and they were all spectacular, and I know this will be no different. Make sure to take a peek at her site to get your drool on and give her a warm welcome here on Kitchen Simplicity.

Every summer I go a little bit nuts when cherry season rolls around. I buy pounds of the sweet red fruits at a time and spend hours pitting them, leaving my kitchen looking like a crime scene with cherry juice splattered everywhere. They’re well worth the effort though. Cherries are one of my favorite fruits.

Instead of just stuffing them in my face this year, I decided I wanted to bake my bounty of cherries into something. As I was paging through the June issue of Bon Apetit, the cherry clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) caught my eye. Fresh cherries baked in a custard like batter? Yes, please!

Once the cherries are pitted, clafouti bakes up quickly and easily. Since I’ve never tried clafouti before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The custard was eggy and smooth and the baked cherries were bursting with sweetness. It makes a fantastic summer time dessert! I think the eggy-ness works in clafouti’s favor too, making it a versatile dish that could be served as a sweet breakfast or brunch item as well as a dessert.

Cherry Vanilla Bean Clafouti

Clafouti is traditionally served warm or at room temperature, but I found I actually preferred it cold, straight from the fridge the day after it was baked.

  • 1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch round baking pan or pie dish with baking spray.

In a small saucepan, add milk and cream. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. add bean and seeds to pan. Heat until warm and just starting to simmer. Remove from heat, and set aside. Discard vanilla bean pod.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar & zest until fragrant. Add eggs, flour and salt. Add hot cream mixture gradually, whisking, until smooth. Arrange pitted cherries in an even layer in prepared pan. Pour custard over cherries.

Bake for 35-45 minutes at 375°F, or longer until custard is set in the middle and top is browned.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

(Alternately, clafouti can be prepared in 8 3/4-cup ramekins and baked about 30 minutes.)

Serves:8

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Guest Post: Strawberry Scones

By in Breads, Breakfast, Easter 10 Comments Tags: , , ,

strawberry-scone

This is a guest post from Karly of Buns in My Oven. If you don’t follow her blog yet, you should. It’s full of drool worthy eats that will get your tummy grumbling. Plus she’s tons of fun and you’re guaranteed to have a laugh while you’re there. I can´t wait to try these Strawberry Scones for myself. Welcome Karly!

When Cheri asked me to guest post on her gorgeous blog, I cried a little. I mean, seriously? Have you seen this woman’s gorgeous photos? And her scrumptious food? How the heck was I going to create something pretty enough and tasty enough for her blog?

Well. I don’t know about the pretty part, but these strawberry scones are outta this world good. They are perfect for a summer breakfast. Ask my son, he should know. He ate them all in about 5 minutes flat.

Side note: Growing boys are kind of scary. I have this fear that one day he won’t find anything that looks good in the fridge and he’ll just eat his family instead. Seriously, bottomless pit doesn’t even begin to describe tween boys.

Back to the scones, these were super quick to prepare and full of great strawberry flavor. While the scones are baking, the strawberries cook down a bit, so each bite has the taste of fresh strawberry jam, minus all the work of actually, you know, making fresh strawberry jam.

If you could take a bite out of summer, I’m pretty sure it would taste like this. At least, I hope it would taste like this. In truth, summer probably tastes a bit like stinky shoes and dirt. But, maybe that’s just the mom in me talking.

Strawberry Scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of your mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Beat in the cold butter until you have a coarse, crumbly mixture. Combine the egg and cream and slowly pour into the flour mixture with the mixer on low. Mix until just blended. Add the strawberries to the dough until combined.

Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and work into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inches thick. Flour a 3 inch round or fluted cookie or biscuit cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a pan lined with parchment. Gather the scraps to re-roll and cut more scones.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Scones should be lightly browned and feel firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Whisk together the confectioners sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the scones.

Recipe from Le Petit Brioche.

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