Blueberry-Buttermilk-Oat Pancakes

Thank you for three day weekends! I hope you took the time to enjoy it. Most people have a hard time grasping the Art of doing Nothing because they feel guilty for it. We're conditioned to constantly seek distractions. I hate it when I'm in the middle of the day and someone asks, "what do you want to do tomorrow?" Please- let me savor the present.

By no means am I saying be lazy and lack drive. It's important to have a battle plan. If your compass is broken, like mine, and you lack a real direction in life- that's okay too. Never stop growing and work hard-- it will be okay in the end. Promise.

The weekend was blissful and relaxing. Watched Hangover II (pretty good, especially for a sequel)... bbq at the boyfriend's parents house (couldn't help catching some jitters)... taught my gf some break dance sets for her hip hop class... went for a nice long walk... bbq at my brother's... and made blueberry pancakes for lunch on Monday.

If you have not had pancakes for lunch- you aint living.

We've been plotting these Blueberry Pancakes for awhile. The boy wanted buttermilk pancakes but my healthy side bolted when I read all the butter that goes into a BUTTERmilk pancake. The results: buttermilk-oat pancake.

All I did was make a buttermilk pancake with ground up oats to substitute some of the flour. Cut back on the butter. This not a "healthy" pancake, but it is less evil than most. The texture is light and fluffy while the taste is not super sweet. I thought that they were just right with a little bit of maple syrup drizzled on top.

The best part of making these pancakes was being "rescued." I overcrowded the pancakes in the pan and let out a small yelp of panic. That's when He dashed into the kitchen.

Captain Pancake- "King of Flipping Pancakes." He seized the spatula, flipped the pancake, put on his cape (aka my apron from Crafty Bastards), and bolted out the front door. Straight Calvin and Hobbess style.

My hero (?)

:D

Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour*
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Blueberries (as much as you want)
Butter for the skillet

* to make oat flour, use a food processor on oats; nothing fancy- Quaker Oatmeal does the trick just fine

In a small skillet, warm blueberries over medium heat for a few minutes- just long enough to get them hot and gooey, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in a pinch of sugar or honey if you want. Set to side.

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

BBQ Chicken with Blue Cheese Slaw Wraps

The weekend is upon us! Let the angels sing and rejoice! For many of us, it's a three day weekend! My brain just did a back flip like one of those super cute toy puppies you see at the mall.

How are youuuuu going to spend Memorial Day weekend? Whatever it may be, please stay safe and have fun. Remember to R E L A X.

Which is why I'm not going anywhere near the highway. Keeping it fairly local! Screw you 95, 395, 495 and 27. In the words of my home boy Felix, NOT THIS DAY!

Unwind. Believe it or not.... life is beautiful. Put on some music... maybe a lil Jack Johnson or Wutang Clan. Need audio inspiration? Feel free to browse my grooveshark playlists (name: sonharmuito). Once you find that vibe, make something delicious in the kitchen. Might I suggest these quick and easy wraps? They keep with that Memorial Day vibe of the grill... minus the grill!

These take about 40 minutes and the majority is letting the chicken cook. You pick the flavor of the bbq- either make it yourself or buy some. Use as much or as little sauce as you want. The smokey flavor of bbq paired with the blue cheese it quite lovely.

And someone please... teach me how to wrap a wrap. Mine never ever say together. I always need a toothpick! Is it cool if I just hold it together with my fingie? Help!!

Wrap it up in some tin foil, grab a blanket, find a big tree, and soak in some nature. Bring some napkins, it could get sloppy. Don't forget the bug spray.

Alegria!


BBQ Chicken with Blue Cheese Slaw Wraps
by Closet Cooking

3-4 chicken breasts
Quarter of an onion
salt for seasoning
2-3 cloves of garlic or season with garlic powder

1 cup bbq sauce (or store bought, we used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey bbq sauce)

2 cups red cabbage (shredded- buy a tiny head of cabbage)
1 carrot (shredded- I used a zester)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 lemon (juice)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup blue cheese (crumbled)
1 handful parsley (chopped)

4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Makes 4-5 servings

To make pulled chicken... fill a large pan with enough water to submerge the chicken breasts (don't add the chicken yet!). Season water with a little bit of salt. Add a quarter of sliced onion and the garlic. Bring the water to a boil and then add the chicken. Lower the heat slightly. Let it cook for 30 minutes. You'll know the chicken is ready when it's very tender and there is no pink when you cut into it.

Meanwhile, back on the farm....

Make the Blue Cheese slaw. It's simple: combine all the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Done.

Okay, chicken is ready. Drain the water from the pan. Allow to cool slightly before you start shredding the chicken. Shred with two forks.

Mix the chicken and the bbq sauce.

You have chicken. You have slaw.

Assemble wraps and enjoy!

Healthy Strawberry-Banana Smoothie!

Kick back with this delicious summer smoothie! It's healthy and happy. Strawberries blended with bananas, yogurt, ginger, and honey served over a few ice cubes... really, there is no going wrong.

Of course, throw in some additional berries if you so desire. Mmmm blackberries.... I think this needs to be done.

The flavor of this smoothie is very mild and natural. You feel good drinking it!

I love it for breakfast. You can prep it the night before- just dump everything in a blender and refrigerate over night. When the morning sunshine hits- hit the pulverize button!

Make some delicious Blueberry muffins on the side and have a BERRY yummy morning. Okay that was painful to type. You get the idea!

Plus, Starbucks has these awesome Grande Cups for $5.00. That's 16 ounces of cute.

Natural and simple.

: )

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
by What Katie Ate

3 chopped bananas
Handful of hulled strawberries
2 cups milk
4 heaping tablespoons of natural yogurt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon honey

Put everything in a blender. Blend! Pour into a chilled glass with a few ice cubes.

Best Blueberry Muffins. Ever.

The alarm goes off. You grumble slightly because you JUST found the perfect sleeping position about 5 minutes ago. Get some pep in that step, time for the commute. Great.

Hold the phone people... breakfast! There are blueberry muffins waiting to be eaten. Suddenly- the morning just got a little more awesome. Does that sentence sound pathetic? One of those, "you know you're a foodie when...."

We are not judges here. It's okay to be excited for blueberry muffins.

Especially when they're the Best Blueberry Muffins.

What makes them the best? Well for starters, they have blueberries in them. Fresh, natural blueberries. Blueberries are the best fruit you can add to any baked good. YUM!

Secondly, it's not JUST fresh blueberries. These bad boys have home made blueberry jam swirled into them. Super simple and heavenly. All you have to do is throw some blueberries tossed in sugar on the stove top. Let it get mushy. No problem!

Third, the batter is soft and thick. This is perfect muffin batter because it can support the weight of the fruit. You don't want your blueberries sinking to the bottom. You want to be able to tear this sucker apart and see a blue spots everywhere.

Finally... the sweetness on top. There is no crumble to this muffin. Instead, you sprinkle a mix of lemon zest and sugar. This adds a delicious dimension because the humble flavor of the blueberry is articulated by the zing of the lemon.

The result?

The best blueberry muffins. Ever. And remember to pack more than one in the morning. They disappear quick. Like ninjas. Ninja blueberry muffins.

Note: If you want cut the calories, skip the buttermilk and use regular milk!

Best Blueberry Muffins
by America's Test Kitchen

Lemon-Sugar Topping

1/3 cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest

Muffins

2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces), divided
1 1/8 cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk OR 3/4 cup plain whole-milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the topping... stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.

As for the muffins.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 12 standard muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.

Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.

Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Hot Chocolate Popovers

My intent was to bake a batch of cookies; something simple for the end of a busy weekend. Then I saw this recipe and threw cookies straight out the window.

What the heck is a popover....

And why was it not in my kitchen?

Turns out, popovers are like "donut pancakes." They remind me of a Portuguese dessert known as a Cavaca, but with chocolate and a more cake-like texture. They are light, hollow rolls made from an egg batter. Get creative with the flavor!

The popover part comes from their appearance- they balloon slightly up and over the baking tin, leaving a hollow center. I was tickled by this funny looking creation.

The taste of this recipe is brilliant because it is not super sweet- it's perfect for my palette. You can have it with a cup of coffee for breakfast or save it for after dinner as a little treat. I felt zero guilt chowing down on these because they have so little sugar and butter. The marshmallow and chocolate chips add warmth and flavor.

Best part is, they're stupid easy to make. You mix the dry ingredients. You mix the wet. Combine! Done! Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top while they're warm to glue on a marshmallow and toast lightly in the broiler for not even a minute. It's amazing how simple things can be so wonderful.

PLUS! I FINALLY had an excuse to use these super adorable marshmallows the boyfriend picked up. They're gluten free and fat free. He saw them at Whole Foods and knew I would flip over the packaging. We didn't need fancy marshmallows but they're just so darn cute! Trust, I'm still in shock a man that would stand in line and pay for these exists.

What are you waiting for? It's Monday! You deserve a lil sweet sophistication. Go go go!

Hot Chocolate Popovers
by Joy the Baker

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for greasing the pan
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 large marshmallows

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease 12 individual cupcake tins with butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, instant espresso powder, salt, cocoa powder, and flour.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated and no lumps remain. Fill cups one-half to two-thirds full. Place pan in the oven and set timer for 30 minutes.

Don’t open the oven.

After 30 minutes, remove the popovers from the oven and immediately set oven to broiler.

Carefully add a sprinkling of chocolate chips into the center of the popover, and top with a marshmallow. If you have to press the chocolate in and deflate the popover a bit, use the back of a spoon.

Place pan under the broiler and barely close the door. Keep and eye on the toasting marshmallows. They’ll only need about a minute under the broiler. Feel free to rotate the pan as necessary.

Remove toasted popovers from the oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to gently remove the popovers. Serve warm.

Popovers are best the day they’re made, but they also freeze just fine. Place in the freezer and reheat wrapped in foil, in a 350 degree oven. I think they're delicious even at room temperature!

Quick and Easy Meal: Lemon-Pepper Chicken & Couscous

Raise your hand if you were stuck in that GOD AWFUL traffic this past Thursday in Northern Virginia. We're talking such a CF of cars that even WTOP said "damn." 395 and 495 joined forces to create a nightmare commute. I get depressed just remembering it. This area seriously cannot handle the population increase and it's makes going anywhere miserable.

Usually this sort of thing does not phase me.

Usually.

This time- little burnt out. As I stared at the car ahead, trying to will myself to teleport, the thought of dinner whispered in my ear. Well, more like my tummy growled. Didn't want to pick anything up nor did I want to slave away in the kitchen.

Instead, this super quick, healthy, and tasty meal came to mind. It's very "Mediterranean" and light. I cannot give precise measurements- but be brave! Taste as you go along and you cannot fail!

The main entree is lemon-pepper chicken prepared on the stove-top. This is much quicker than baking and you can keep an eye on it. You don't want dry chicken so keep the heat on medium-low!

The salad- just go to the salad bar at your grocery store. Not only can you customize it, you pick the portion. Be cheap and only get toppings you need. There were carrots, peppers, and onion at home so I refrained from adding the extra weight to my grocery receipt. The dressing was standard issue from my childhood: a little bit of salt, a splash of olive oil, and a bigger splash of vinegar. It should be just enough to coat the leaves- not soak them!

For the carbs- there was some left over bread and I made a small pot of couscous on the side. This was the first time making couscous and it's ridiculously easy. It's a very light side and is like popcorn rice. Drizzle the left over lemon-olive oil juice and throw in some raisins or dried tart cherries for dimension!

This meal was designed for a 2 person serving size.

Oh... and don't forget the booze. Just a little sip of a mudslide won't hurt. Gotta love Kahlua!

Enjoy!

Lemon-Pepper Chicken

Chicken Breasts or Chicken Tenderloins, cut into bite sized pieces (standard package of chicken tenderloins for about $5.00 at Giant)
1 Lemon, halved
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)

Place the chopped chicken into bowl and drizzle half the lemon juice on top. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Coat a medium saute pan with olive oil and add chopped garlic. Optional: add some grated lemon zest for a strong lemon flavor. Cook on medium heat until very lightly browned to infuse the garlic. Lower the heat and add the seasoned chicken- do not dry out the chicken!

Taste test- if you want more lemon, squeeze the remaining half in. Cook until all pink is gone. Top with fresh rosemary and give one finally stir in the pan.

Couscous

1 1/4 cup water
1 cup couscous
1 teaspoon butter
Dash of salt
Raisins or dried tart cherries to garnish

Bring the water to a boil with butter and a dash of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon). Add couscous and give a good stir. Immediately remove from heat and place lid on top. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Couscous should be fluffy and absorbed all the water. Add garnish (optional) and drizzle some of the lemon-oil from the chicken on top.

Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

Appreciate what you got, before it's gone. Mother's day was this past weekend and though it's a Hallmark holiday- it's important to acknowledge your roots and pay respect where it's due.

Know your roots. But don't be rooted in them. You are your own person.

My mother plays a key role in this never-ending development. Obrigada por todo minha mãe. Te amo muito.

To celebrate, the brother and I made brunch at her house. I didn't make anything new- poached eggs (which apparently she doesn't like), drunken french toast, salad, and mimosas. Joey made some yummy home fries and adorable mini flans.

For dessert... Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes with Buttercream frosting. This was my first step into the land of VEGAN- zero animal products. I learned two things from this experience:

1. Vegan cupcakes are DELICIOUS
2. Just because it's Vegan... doesn't mean it's any healthier

These cupcakes are rich and delicious. The chocolate is bold and dark! It's kind of like Black Bottom cupcakes. When they come out of the oven, they're a lil crispy on top. Don't worry- that will calm down once they've cooled. This cupcake has a slight crumble but that certainly doesn't mean it's dry! This cake is soft and delectable. LOVES!

To add dimension, sprinkle in some semi-sweet chocolate chips and dried tart cherries. Tart cherries and dark chocolate are made for one another! Don't go crazy though on the cherries- just a few make a statement! Their flavor is vibrant.

Also... when making a Vegan cupcake... splurge on the cocoa powder. If you have the means, get something a little better than the generic brand. The cocoa really stands out in this recipe.

Love goes out to a girlfriend of mine. Her mother passed from cancer the day before Mother's day. I never met the woman, but from what I have experienced of her daughter, she must have been a pistol. My heart goes out to her and the family. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup turminado sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup coffee

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

some bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)

chopped dried tart cherries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 12 cupcake tins.

Sift together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, coffee, coconut milk, vanilla, vinegar and water. Add optional chips and cherries. Mix together until smooth.

Pour into lined pans and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Butter Cream Frosting
by I am Baker

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 fluid ounces heavy cream (or 1 fluid ounce regular milk if you're in a pinch)-- Go Vegan and use Soy Milk!

In a large bowl, cream shortening with mixer until fluffy. Add confectioners sugar until well blended. If the frosting gets to thick at any time you can add some heavy cream/milk.

Add salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and blend until combined, then blend on high until frosting is light and fluffy.

Rose Covered Cake

Mom is a special lady. I am thankful for her every day even if I don't always show it the best. Anything that requires gift giving puts this sentiment on the spot. She's hard to shop for and I want to get something meaningful. Her tastes are simple and honestly, she never "wants" anything. In typical mom fashion, all she requests is others happiness and time with her kids. Gee mom, way to be difficult.

Her birthday and Mother's day are about 2 weeks apart.

Great.

We're all grown ups and not materialistic. It's the thought that counts. Last year, I went with one of her favorite flavors: tiramisu cake. It came out pretty well but visually it was lacking panache. Pretty sure I over mixed the frosting.

This year, I went for the wow factor: a Rose Covered Cake. She loves roses. If you ever go to her house, you'll find there is no front yard- just a sea of roses. They're out of control. As far back as I can remember, the Mr. Lincoln rose is her favorite.

You can imagine the excitement when I stumbled upon this ridiculously easy frosting technique on I am Baker. Rose frosting? Heck yah!

Rose Frosting requires 3 basic elements:

1. A good layer of crumb coating. Crumb coating is simply a preliminary layer of frosting that packs down any stray bits of cake in the decorating process. You can use the same buttercream frosting used in step 2.

2. Frosting that can hold its form like buttercream. <- This recipe is simple and sinful! Everyone loved it! You can also use the store bought stuff, just mix in some additional confectioners sugar to thicken it up.

3. The most important part: A STAR FROSTED TIP. The one recommended is the 1M Wilton tip. You can find this at Michael's craft stores.

After you frost your crumb coating, place the 1M tip on a piping/ziplock bag. Slowly swirl around a starting point- the center of the rose. Do a few practice ones on the side and reuse the frosting! It's just drawing a dizzy circle. The star tip creates this simple, basic rose effect. Don't be scared- you can't mess up.

If you want to add some color, add food coloring to the white buttercream. Or, you can go hard and get food coloring spray paint! Honestly, I liked my white version better but it felt too much like a wedding cake.

Now... the cake.

Vertical Layered Cake vs Checkerboard Cake

To make things super fancy, I made a single layer vertical cake. For the detailed tutorial, check out I am Baker's post.

I made one plain batch of batter, divided as to avoid too much extra batter. It's only one layer of cake! In one half of batter, I added coffee extract and unsweetened cocoa. The other half, I added almond extract with a little red food coloring.

Then, I did the vertical method and realized... I was creating an unstacked checkered cake. Damn it.

The vertical layered method requires two different flavors of cake. You have to make two cakes and merge them. This means making the cakes, leveling , freezing, cutting it into circles, and freezing again with some simple syrup for glue. It's time consuming because the cake must be totally chilled. Make the actual cakes the night before!

The old fashioned checkered cake method entails making one batch of batter and dividing it. You make the other half a little different- either add cocoa, food coloring, jello, etc. Then, you pipe (or use the checkerboard cake set) into the pans alternating circles of batter.

The only issue I foresee is if you're doing the checkerboard method of piping in the batter (as opposed to buying the pans), the layers may not be as thick as you want them to be for a single layer of vertical cake.

Why do the vertical method? Guaratneed, thick even layers and the flavor combination is endless. I'm very curious now-- can you use the checkerboard method with wildly different flavors?

Oh well. Another lesson learned in the kitchen! The cake was delicious! You couldn't really taste the individual flavors unless you ate small bites of each- everything blended together so well! Coffee and almond flavors with cocoa? Plus, the delicious, rich butter cream? It was well worth the effort- especially since it was for someone so amazing. Mom enjoyed it- and that's all that matters.