Roasted Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

Conversation at our house earlier this week...

Me: Look, I made you muffins.

David: Those muffins aren't for me.

Me: Why do you say that?

David: They don't have chocolate.

Me: Oh? Well, they could still be for you.

David: They are pretty. You made them for the blog.

Me: Guilty smile.

Yes, I was busted. These were definitely blog muffins. But, they didn't start out that way. I was just going to make some nice simple rhubarb streusel muffins.
I'm not sure what got into me the day I decided to make these muffins. Somehow I got it in my head to turn them into flowers. I thought that the almond petals would stay in place and the batter would rise up around them. It didn't quite turn out that way. Honestly, they didn't all turn out looking so great. Some were perfect like the one above, but others looked more like coneflowers. They were all a pain to get out of the muffin tin without breaking off the petals. I ended up discovering that they were pretty easy to replace, just stick the pointy end of the almond back into the warm muffin. If I was to do this again I would just toast the almonds ahead of time and then stick them in the muffins when they came out of the oven. I don't see myself having that much patience again for a while. The muffins were really tasty, so I will definitely be making them again. Next time I'm just going to mix the rhubarb in and sprinkle the streusel and almonds on top and maybe then David will believe that I made the muffins for him. I wonder how they would taste with chocolate?

Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones

I see you rolling your eyes. More Rhubarb? More Scones? Eleven scone recipes, and now today there will be twelve! That is a lot of scones. Plus, three Rhubarb recipes in one week. That is the thing about living in Fairbanks. I have lived other places where everyone talks about eating seasonally, but never has it been more of a reality than it is at this point in my life. We have such a limited time with fresh produce, that I try to consume a whole years worth in four three months.

David and I were discussing our pizza stone the other night, wondering how many calories have been cooked on that stone since it was purchased five years ago. I can't even venture a guess. If I had to pick one item that holds the record for calorie content on this blog it would have to be all the scones. My quest for the perfect scone is what drove this blog in the beginning. I eventually branched out to other breakfast items, but it seems both on the blog and in real life I keep coming back to the scone. It is my perfect breakfast food. I'm not sure why I never thought about it before, but rhubarb seems to be the perfect scone pairing.  I can't get enough Rhubarb, that is until the blueberries and raspberries arrive!

Nisu (Cardamom Bread)

I grew up in an area of Northern Michigan with a strong Finnish culture. So strong that the city of Hancock, Michigan has their street signs in both English and Finnish. They even have a Finnish University (Finlandia), which was called Suomi College when I was growing up.

When most people were busy getting ready for St. Patrick's Day, we actually had two days of celebration due to the Finnish holiday the day before (March 16). What holiday you ask? St. Urho's day of course. It is a long story, that you can read here or here, but basically the Finn's created a holiday to upstage the Irish St. Patrick. Hence, St. Urho the Patron Saint of Finnish Vineyard workers was born. This is why the day is celebrated by wearing first green to drive out the grasshoppers (or the frogs depending on the version you read) and then purple to celebrate the grape "juice".
Of course there is a huge difference between the traditions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and those of Finland. It is evident in this cardamom bread that is a tradition in the Finnish bakeries where I grew up. Sunday mornings still find the Suomi cafe packed with old men drinking coffee, eating Nisu toast, and for lack of a better term "shooting the shit".
Nisu is a traditional yeasted coffee bread of the Scandinavian countries, each country calling it something different. Originally, the Finnish called the bread Nisu and the name carried over with the Finnish Immigrants to the United States. Sometime after that the Finn's decided to make their language more Finnish and eliminated words they felt were too Swedish including Nisu, and changed the name of this bread to Pulla. This change obviously did not take place in the Upper Peninsula and all the local bakeries still refer to this bread as Nisu. No matter what you call it, it is a soft and lightly scented cardamom bread that is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning with coffee, no matter where you live or what your heritage.
Baking Note: My version calls for the least amount of sugar, a little less flour and more cardamom than the original recipe. Form me this turns out a ever so slightly sweet, super soft loaf, with a cardamom scent that it present, but not overpowering. Feel free to stick your nose right in (your slice) it after cutting and inhale deeply. Oh, and also adjust the spices, flour, and sugar to your liking.

French Crullers

Happy Fat Tuesday! I was raised in a family of donut lovers. My Grandpa would take me with him to the dump every Saturday morning when I was growing up. Some of the highlights of the trip were him singing "To the dump, To the dump, To the dump, dump, dump" in the tune of the Lone Ranger. The second was the one "tickle belly bump" in the road. Finally, the best part of the day was stopping at the local bakery for donuts. Growing up I was a jelly filled girl all the way. My Grandpa was a fan of the basic raised glazed. My Mom on the other hand (she inherited the donut gene) loved the French Crullers. I always remember thinking how boring their selections were. Now, in my adult years I realize how wrong I was. These light and airy donuts made with Pate au chox are so amazing in their simple flavor and texture.
The first time I made these doughnuts I had some trouble with the edges splitting. They would look great, but then the whole side would just bust open causing the filling to ooze out. I tried taking them out of the oil before they split, but then they were doughy in the middle. I also tried making the oil hotter and cooler, but didn't have much luck. I found if I flipped them several times during the cooking it lessened the splitting, but didn't totally prevent it.
I wrote to Lara Ferroni asking for assistance. I honestly didn't expect a reply, but I figured it was worth a try. Lara wrote back almost immediately and was so kind to offer her advice. I thought I would share this with you in case you had the same problem.
Here was her reply:
Crullers are a bit trickier to fry than the other types (of donuts). It's easy to undercook because they will look done, and then they go and collapse on you a few seconds out of the oil.
The splitting you describe is caused by the interior cooking and expanding, letting out the air. It's what creates the nice airy holes. If the "crust" is already firm, it will instead of just puff as you note and that can let in too much oil. Slightly lowering the oil temp and as you mention below, flipping after about 30 seconds the first time should help. Another thing you might do is to let them sit just a few minutes after piping... I usually "accidentally" do this because the oil isn't quite hot enough. Mostly, I don't worry too much if they split on one side, but just flip it over and cook it more on that side after the other side has crisped up.

Meyer Lemon Muffins

It is funny this time of year, Karen thinks I kid when I say her lemons bring sunshine to Fairbanks. If you look at these photos you will see it is true! I look forward to each and every box. Ever since I learned how well lemon zest and juice freezes I usually don't stress about using all my lemons right away. Of course there are always things that I want to make including Lemon Bars when they first come in.
I went and picked up my most recent box from the post office Saturday morning. When I opened the box I knew I had to have some lemony goodness right away!  I thought about making the lemon scones that I usually make for breakfast, but I was feeling like a change. A pure lemon muffin, nothing else to mask that lemony goodness. These muffins fit that description perfectly.

Hey Hey Hazelnut Scones

Did you know that this coming Saturday is World Nutella Day? Guess what, I'm calling it Hey Hey Hazelnut Day instead. Doesn't that sound a lot more fun? I think so. I made these scones from Askinosie chocolate Hazelnut spread. On the side of the jar it says Hey Hey Hazelnut. Go ahead, say it out loud. You can't help but smile can you? These scones are rich and indulgent and I made them even more so with the addition of bittersweet chocolate chips. The original recipe comes from Baked Explorations. Those guys at the Baked Bakery really know how to make a scone. Perfect for the chocolate lover in your life, they would make a great Valentine's breakfast.  The great thing about scones is that you can make them up ahead of time and freeze them, then just pop them in the oven the morning you want to eat them. So make them on a weekday or for Hey Hey Hazelnut Day this Saturday.

Oat Scones

In my quest for the perfect scone  there is one thing I have learned over the last couple of years, a scone is not necessarily a scone. I have had a very hard time accepting this fact. You may remember I was so challenged by this fact that I actually re-named one recipe and called them Blueberry Biscuits because they were not my idea of the perfect scone. I recently ordered the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook. My main reason for ordering the book was for the multitude of scone recipes included. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that it was not a book full of recipes of my ideal scone. I have come to accept that my scone might not be everyone's scone. Some people like them more cake like, others more dry. Sometimes I actually like the scones that aren't scones. The truth of the matter is that these are really good, even if I don't want to call them scones.

Maple Walnut Muffins

What makes a cookbook kitchen worthy? I have been thinking about this a lot lately. You see, I have a very small shelf in my kitchen where I keep all the cookbooks that I actually use regularly. It is what you see at the bottom of this page. Those are not all the cookbooks I own. The shelves in the living room are  filling up as well. In order to grant a cookbook precious space in the kitchen, another one must be sent around the corner to the living room. I usually don't buy a cookbook unless I think it is going to be worthy of the kitchen space, but looking in the living room you will see I have made a lot mistakes. This is not to say that I have not had great joy from those cookbooks, many were great reads. There are so many that I marked up to 50 recipes, yet somehow never got around to making one. Then there is what I call cookbook sudden death. I am totally excited about a new cookbook and then the first recipe I make doesn't turn out. It doesn't matter if it is totally my fault, or I had some bad ingredients, or my new crock pot made the dish taste like plastic. This is an automatic move to the living room.
As soon as I looked inside Sarabeth's Bakery, I knew it had potential. I liked the photos. They provide good instruction in the places you need it, but it is not step-by-step which can be overkill. She includes tons of tips. The recipes are so well written, explaining the areas that might be confusing. The thing I like the most is that unlike many cookbooks, the recipes are all different. Many cookbooks have ten muffins recipes that are all the same, just one has blueberries and the other banana. After making these maple walnut muffins, I also made the blueberry ones. They were equally good, but very different. The direction and the clarity the recipes provide make me feel as though it could be possible to cook every recipe successfully, even the croissants. These muffins turned out just as described, nice and brown on the outside and full of maple goodness on the inside. This book is definitely kitchen worthy. Now to decide which one is moving to the living room.

Pannukakku

Still looking for something delicious and super easy to make Christmas morning? Pannukaku is a traditional Finnish Breakfast dish usually served with jam. It is related to crepes, swedish pancakes, and I believe most resembles the Dutch Baby. It is definitely more buttery (making it good for special occasions as you might only want to eat it once a year) and a little more custardy. Although I never had it growing up it was very popular where I lived. They even serve it at a local restaurant, The Suomi Cafe where the pronunciation sounds more like Bunn-oo-guck-oo. The pronunciation is probably more Yooper (a person living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula) than Finnish.Now, I have to stop in for breakfast and Pannukakku every time I visit. Traditionally, I believe it is supposed to be served with Lingonberry Jam. The Suomi Cafe serves it with Raspberry, and David eats it with Maple Syrup. I say make your own traditions. We will being eating our traditional cinnamon rolls, but if I thought I could get away with something this simple I would! Happy Holidays everyone.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

It has been many years since I lived near Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was only a short time that I was there, but each fall I still think about the apple orchards. One of my favorite's was a place close by our house called Robinette's Apple Haus. We used to ride our mountain bikes on their trails. All I could think about the entire ride was getting back for warm Apple Cider and Donuts. When I received the new book Doughnuts from Lara Ferroni about a month ago, the first thing I looked for was an apple cider donut. Sure enough, there was one. The original recipe states that these won't turn out as golden brown if you bake them instead of frying. I could barely tell the difference between this and a fried donut. They turned out nice and crisp on the outside and light on the inside. I also loved the addition of graham flour, gave the donuts a great texture and lots of added flavor. If you can't find graham flour, you can just replace it with all purpose.

Maple Pumpkin Scones

Many years ago a friend told me that I should always mention that I like to cook in job interviews. Although I have thought about it, I never actually have done it. Well, I didn't have to when I interviewed for my present position. One of my references actually mentioned it for me. I'm not sure if it was that or the fact that I sent a thank you note after the interview. Did you know that hardly anyone does this anymore? Those who do are almost guaranteed the job.
I have made Maple Walnut Scones for my office a few times now. I even did a little scone making workshop at our staff retreat this fall. Now several of my co-workers are making their own scones. My supervisor has  made the lemon and the maple walnut, not long after she asked if I had a recommendation for pumpkin scones. I searched for a while on the internet and the only ones I could find were the Starbuck's knock off scones. So, I decided to try and make my own version. I did a test run last week and brought them into the office. My first version had oats and pecans. I felt they didn't have quite enough pumpkin and spice. This past weekend I went back to the drawing board. I upped the pumpkin and the spice and took out the oats and pecans. I liked this version quite a bit better, more pumpkin flavor. These smelled like pumpkin pie while they were baking, perfect for a snowy fall morning.

Swedish Pancakes (Pannkakor)

I had never had a Swedish Pancake until I made these ones. I don't know how someone who loves breakfast as much as I do has gone so long without ever having one. I love crepes and all other versions of pancakes. It's just that the opportunity to eat Swedish Pancakes has never entered my life until now. I recently purchased a Swedish cookbook. So many of our wild ingredients such as cloudberries, and lingonberries are shared with Sweden. There are so many similarities that I thought having a Swedish cookbook would help me make better use of some of our local bounty. Even though this recipe doesn't exactly require local goods, I did use my local raspberries for the warm jam on top. They are quickly making their way to the top of the most requested list for weekend breakfasts.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Biscuits

I'm still researching that perfect cross between a scone and a cinnamon roll. This is very hard work, not only for me but my  taste testers. They cry out and beg me not to make them eat another warm, light, flaky, cinnamon filled breakfast pastry. I continue on with the punishment, I'm cruel like that! These things are torture. I hope you can all sympathize.

Monday Morning Musings

There are chives in my garden already. I swear it was last week that there were barely buds on the trees. If I lived in Fairbanks for forty years I don't think I would get used to how quickly things happen around here. This summer I am working four days a week, which gives me a lazy Monday morning to gather my thoughts and get the house tidied up a bit for company (ok, the place looks like a tornado touched down and I am bracing myself for the scrubbing and vacuuming ahead). I sat down with my cup of coffee and the computer and a pile of cookbooks to compile my grocery list and think about what I wanted for breakfast. That is when I found scrambled eggs on toast with goat cheese on Smitten Kitchen. Really there is no recipe, just goat cheese smeared on toast with scrambled eggs and chives. It really is lovely, I don't know why I never thought of it before.

I also came across a quote this morning on Jamie Smith's Ink and Snow Blog. I went to his site in hopes of a morning chuckle (which I found), but I also found a post about cheesecake that I really enjoyed along with this quote:
"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music." - Julia Child
I also wanted to announce that I am combining my blogs. I have wanted to for a while, but had a hard time taking the plunge. You may have noticed that earlier this week I imported all the posts from the other blog on to this one. For now, the other blog will stay up. I am just finding it challenging to expand this blog beyond food when I have the other blog, it is much easier to say this blog gets all the recipes and that one gets everything else. Now, it will all be here. I promise I will try and take it easy on the dog photos...

 Sometimes, no matter how hard I try they still end up in the picture.

Almond Poppyseed Pancakes

Pancakes are my absolute favorite breakfast food (ok, they tie with scones). The problem is that I am terrible at making them. Either they are burned on the outside or gooey on the inside. I am always in awe of a good pancake, but I must say I am pretty pickey about the ones I like. When I lived in Cincinnati (in another life, or so it feels)I worked at a place called First Watch. Primarily a breakfast place, they made pancakes that I still dream about. My favorite was the Wheat Germ pancakes topped with sliced strawberries and banana, topped with whip cream. When I drove from Michigan to Florida a few years ago I purposely drove through Cincinnati to go to First Watch.
In my own kitchen I am still trying to perfect pancakes. These pancakes from the Mother's Best cookbook are really good. I loved the idea of poppy seeds in pancakes and the almond paste sends them over the edge. Mine were just a wee bit gooey on the inside, but probably my best attempt at pancakes so far. Anyone have any suggestions for cooking the perfect pancake? continue to the recipe...

Whole Wheat Apple Oat Muffins

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to decide what to make for breakfast. David requested some "whole wheat" muffins. It was his way of asking for something a little more healthy than the usual weekend butter filled scones. I had some apples to use up, so a quick google search produced these muffins from King Arthur Flour. I added some oatmeal to give them a little more texture. It was a good decision as I think they would have been a little too cake-like without it. Well sealed, they keep really well. I recommend baking up a batch on the weekend and having them for breakfast all week long.

Whole Wheat Apple Oat Muffins
adapted from King Arthur Flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup oats (not instant), +2 tablespoons for topping
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
2 apples peeled cored and chopped into chunks

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 12 cup muffin tin.

Whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the regular white sugar with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; scrape sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix in the milk (the mixture may curdle, but still turns out fine) Stir in the dry ingredients and the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups., Mix the remaining brown sugar and oats, sprinkle on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing from tin.

Coconut Muffins with Streusel Topping

Wow, the weeks are just flying by. It is the first day of spring! Winter feels like a memory........

Oh sorry, I had to get off the floor from laughing so hard!!
I have really been craving coconut lately. I have been looking at making some coconut cupcakes. Last Saturday morning I really wanted those coconut cupcakes for breakfast. Of course you can't have cupcakes for breakfast, but you can have muffins!! I am a master of the art of dessert for breakfast. I found a lot of recipes for banana muffins topped with toasted coconut. I wanted the Coconut to take center stage. So, when you can't find the recipe you want just make one up...

INGREDIENTS
For Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut flakes
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon coconut flavored rum, or coconut extract
1 cup Coconut Milk

For Coconut Streusel Topping:
In a small bowl mix together 1/4 cup coconut flakes, 1/4 cup brown sugar,1 teaspoon cinnamon, and1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 12 cup muffin pan. (You may use paper muffin cups.) In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add 1/2 cup coconut. Mix together. Set aside.
In a bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add banana, vanilla extract, and coconut rum. Beat in well. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Beat until just smooth. Do not over mix. Add the remaining flour mixture alternately with the Coconut Milk. Beat until just incorporated. Do not overbeat or your muffins will be tough. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
Generously sprinkle with Coconut Streusel, at least one teaspoon per muffin. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.

These muffins are great when they are a little warm and fresh out of the oven. So, eat them right away!

Creme Brulee Oatmeal

Warning: Decadence ahead!! That is the warning that should come with this oatmeal. Seriously, isn't most breakfast food just dessert in disguise? Creme Brulee seems to be popular for breakfast food these days. Just last weekend David was reading that a Creme Brulee French Toast won a breakfast food contest in Maine. Of course, I have thought about nothing but Creme Brulee since. I stumbled across an article in the New York Times about restaurants making breakfast themed desserts. Then I thought why not warm Oatmeal Creme Brulee for Breakfast? There are actually a lot of recipes out there already. After reading through them it seemed that the majority were just baked oatmeal with a crunchy burned sugar layer on top. I wanted more than that!! I decided just to take my normal Creme Brulee recipe and add oatmeal to see what would happen. With a few small changes and shorter baking time, my instincts were right on. This was rich and wonderful. This recipe only makes two small servings, but it can easily be doubled, or quadrupled! BTW...that is not chocolate drizzled on top (I do have some restraint), I used muscovado sugar. I really liked the flavor in the oatmeal, but next time I'll just use regular brown sugar on the top as I think it would melt better.
Creme Brulee Oatmeal
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon brown sugar (dark brown or muscovado is great depending on your preference)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup old fashioned oats (not quick cooking, I use Snoqualmie)
additional brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 325 degree. Lightly oil two ramekins, 6 or 8 ounce. In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar until eggs become light in color. Add heavy cream and vanilla, whisk until blended. Stir in oats. Divide between ramekins and place in a larger baking dish. Fill baking dish halfway up the side of the ramekins with water. Place in oven for about 45 minutes. You want the oatmeal to be light brown on top and the the oatmeal set. Do not overbake as the top will be burned after you add the final brown sugar layer. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar. Set broiler to high and move oven rack to highest position. Remove ramekins from water bath and place on cookie sheet under broiler. Leave door open slightly and watch closely and remove when sugar has melted (2-3 minutes). Let sit for 3-5 minutes for sugar to harden up. Serve with berries and/or yogurt on top.

Tofu Scramble with Roasted Red Potatoes

The last few weeks have been crazier than expected. Yes, I knew the puppy would be a handful. What I had not expected was to spend the majority of the week before we got the puppy between the Emergency Room and doctor's offices followed by surgery two days after Arrluk arrived. I feel kind of strange sharing such personal information, but I had Gall Bladder surgery last Monday. The reason I share is to let you all know that one week ago I had surgery and today I feel pretty much back to normal with the exception of five small holes in my abdomen. If you are like me I had just a small clue of what my gall bladder was or what it did. Also, if you are like me, getting an organ removed sounds pretty serious and scary. I will tell you this, I had no idea until the last two weeks how many people I knew who were living very normal lives without a gall bladder. So, if it ever happens that you find yourself in the situation I can assure you the whole process is fairly painless. Believe me, the surgery was far less painless than the attacks I was having leading up to it.
Even though things went pretty smoothly, I always feel after any sickness or medical incident it is time for a fresh start. Not that this recipe is exactly healthy, but it does have a lot of veggies, and at least it isn't a scone! This is from my new favorite cookbook Mother's Best. Just to prove that I haven't lost my touch I'll let you know that my favorite thing about this cookbook is that there is an entire chapter dedicated to Macaroni and Cheese Recipes. Note that this recipe starts by making roasted red potatoes. This makes far more potatoes than you need for the Tofu Scramble. We like snacking on them for a Saturday lunch. It is also a great idea to make the Roasted Red Potatoes for dinner the night before so they are ready to go for breakfast the next morning.
Tofu Scramble with Roasted Red Potatoes
adapted from Mother's Best

To make the Roasted Red Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Clean and scrub 1 1/2 pounds of small red skin potatoes. Cut into quarters and place in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil to potatoes. Toss to coat evenly.
Oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread potatoes in a single even layer over pan. Bake for 1 hour, rotating ever 20 minutes for even cooking.

For the Tofu Scramble:
5 tablespoons vegetable oil or clarified butter
1 14 oz. package of soft tofu (not silken) crumbled into large 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 medium onion finely diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 cups diced Roasted Red Potatoes (see above)
2 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (cheddar, monterey jack, swiss, provolone, or feta)

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a large heavy oven-proof skillet over high heat for several minutes. When very hot add oil and heat until shimmering. Add the tofu and cook over high heat until golden. Add mushrooms salt and pepper and cook over high heat until mushrooms are golden. Lower heat to Medium-high and add the onions, stirring occasionally saute until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes and saute for about five minutes. Add spinach and cover until spinach is wilted (this should only take a minute or two). Stir in spinach and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Christmas Morning Muffins

These were not our Christmas morning muffins. This was a trial run for a possible Christmas morning muffin that I made a few weeks ago. I noticed David had barely touched them. This is when he decides to tell me he doesn't really like cranberry muffins and he affirmed this by letting the remainder of the muffins sit on the plate long after breakfast was over. Blueberry muffins would have been nothing but a few crumbs by dinner. Please, do not let this stop you from making them. I thought they were delicious, perfectly spicy and tart. They would be lovely on a New Year's Day brunch table as well. You can find the recipe in Nigella Lawson's new Christmas cookbook. It is well worth the investment, I have already made several recipes and all have been a hit. Nigella's Chocolate Chip Chili from the same book earned me third place at our chili cook off at the Wood Center.

So, what did we have for our Christmas breakfast? Just a light breakfast of fruit...
and well, some Cinnamon Rolls too. It was Christmas after all!!
But sadly, no Nigella's Christmas Morning Muffins...

Hope your holiday is filled with all the goodness of the season!