This might just be my favorite scone recipe ever. It’s everything a good scone should be — subtle, but flavorful. Perfect with coffee or tea. And totally memorable.

Scones unfairly get a bad rap, I think. It’s usually with folks who’ve only had the dry, rock-like version that some stores sell. And really, if that’s the only way you’ve had them, it’s not surprising if you groan and turn away when you see someone writing about them. Those scones are an acquired taste, for sure. But I urge you: give homemade scones a chance.

Homemade scones are different. They have a crusty outside, yes, but that gives way to a soft, tender interior. Scones are definitely best the day they’re made, warm from the oven. But they are good the next day too — especially if you warm them up briefly before serving. But you should know that scones won’t last more than two days (they lose that softness after that) … but then again, scones rarely last more than two days in my house anyway. Read the rest of this entry…

Coffee cake is one of those things. It’s comforting and familiar and perfect for breakfast. This one, made from a recipe from the 1930s, has a dense crumb and an irresistible buttery cinnamon sugar topping.

No, it’s not that impossibly fluffy and almost-dessert-sweet coffee cake from the grocery store. But it doesn’t want to be. It’s a totally different coffee cake — one that stands up to the fork without squishing into oblivion and that can be eaten by hand without crumbling all over. And it’s really great with a hot, steaming cup of coffee.

It is coffee cake after all.

Making this, I wasn’t sure if the vintage sensibilities would make it a winner for us. But it was. Hugely.

I whipped it up for a brunch with friends last weekend where the cake quickly vanished. Seriously, not a trace was left behind. Good sign, right? And it was so good that I baked another just for our family.

Back to the brunch for a second. Though I adore brunch, I don’t have people over (or go out) for it nearly enough. So I was thrilled to have a little one at my house. The brunch menu was simple — bagels and lox with all the fixings, scrambled eggs, berry and pineapple fruit salad and this coffee cake. In the course of conversation, I shared that this was a vintage recipe — something dug out of my great collection of early 20th century cookery books, pamphlets and recipe cards.

This recipe comes from the third edition of All About Home Baking, published in 1936 (the original was published in 1933) by the General Foods Corporation, a now-defunct company whose products (Calumut baking powder, Post cereals, Maxwell House Coffee and General Foods International Coffees, to name a few) live on. I bought this hardcover book off eBay a while back. Read the rest of this entry…

These eggs remind me of summer. Sweet fresh tomatoes are encircled with the brilliant flavor of fresh basil. There’s slightly sweet roasted garlic, which I have been obsessed with lately, blended with rich heavy cream — a nod to winter. And the warmth of the baked dish make it perfect for a chilly morning. Or dinner.

I feel in love with baked eggs in tomato-based concoctions last winter. Runny yolks are always a favorite of mine, but even more so when they are paired with flavors that compare, contrast and compliment them. And it’s a great bonus that there are so many possibilities for flavor combinations. This seemed like the perfect dish to make when Betty Crocker and Land O’Lakes recently asked me to create something with Land O’Lakes eggs.

This version is a favorite since it uses so many fresh ingredients (and, of course, fresh flavors). There is just no contest when you start with ingredients in as close to a natural state as you can get. I bet this would be even more amazing in fall, when fresh tomatoes and basil from local farms are available and the air just starts to take on that crisp coolness.

But for now, hothouse tomatoes do the job just fine.

Want to try this for yourself? It’s easy. Read the rest of this entry…

Do you ever peek in other people’s baskets at the grocery store? It’s probably a little voyeuristic, but I totally do. I just find it fascinating what people buy. I notice the folks who buy a ton of frozen meals and the ones who stock up on meats. I notice the ones with tons of snacks, and the ones with just fresh foods. And then there are those who buy like two bananas, a gallon of milk and chips — and then I wonder if that’s dinner.

If you were to check out my grocery cart, you’d think I love yogurt. Like totally adore it. On any given week, I buy at least three varieties of yogurt — Greek fruit on the bottom yogurts for my husband, those little yogurts with cookie crumbles to stir in for Will and yogurt drinks for both Will and Paige. Sometimes there is even more yogurt since Paige adores yogurt too. Sometimes I eat some of the ones with the mix-ins too, but more often I leave the yogurts to everyone else.

But with the new year here, I’ve decided to give Greek yogurt another try. In the past, it just didn’t appeal to me with its thicker texture and tang. But things change. We grow, adapt, live and learn … and guess what? When I decided to use Greek yogurt in the parfait I have been thinking about for days … I really liked it. The whole dish is just delightful … like a chocolate covered strawberry and strawberries and cream all wrapped up into a single guilt free package.

And hey, if I can add a little healthy decadence to breakfast, it’s totally worth it. Read the rest of this entry…

It’s a muffin! It’s a corn muffin! It’s a maple corn muffin! And it’s amazing.

Filled with maple-y goodness, these easy muffins aren’t overly sweet, which makes them so versatile. You can enjoy them warm with a pat of butter (my favorite way!) for breakfast or a snack. Who doesn’t love butter? They are tender and a little crumbly, a nice combination. But, I keep dreaming of enjoying these with chili too. Maybe tomorrow?

Making these is easy. First you grab your ingredients — you may even have them all right now. See? I told you they were easy. Read the rest of this entry…

Biscuits didn’t make frequent appearances on our table when I was a child. No, we were more of a grocery store bakery Italian bread family — always purchased fresh that day with a crusty outside and a soft, airy inside. Since I wasn’t a fan of the crusty outside, I would tear out the insides of the bread, roll it into a doughy ball and eat it that way. Odd, I know, but it was the way I enjoyed it.

Don’t worry, I don’t eat bread that way anymore. Just can’t get away with that at 31.

This isn’t about my bread eating habits though. We’re here to talk biscuits. Though I didn’t eat them much as I child, I actually love them and make them often in the winter. Delicate, fluffy biscuits are a dream. Read the rest of this entry…

When I look at this photo, all I can think is good morning. It’s so inviting. All the contrasting textures and flavors … Wait. Let me tell you about it. Looking is one thing, but hearing is a whole other.

The simple roasted potatoes — both russet and sweet varieties — seasoned only with a little salt and pepper have a slightly crispy outside and silky inside. They’re mixed with rounds of sweet-slightly savory chicken apple sausage, which has such a warm flavor. Then it’s all bound together by the perfect runny poached egg — the kind that has a velvety ooze of yolk that spills out when you dig your fork into it.

I love poached eggs. They are blissful, compact, perfect lumps of egg that spill over so willingly when you dig in. Oh, the joy.

And it was the thought of poached eggs and roasted potatoes – no two kinds of roasted potatoes – and chicken sausage that got me so excited to get to work. In fact, I was so busy mentally calculating the recipe that I nearly missed the exit I needed to take on the highway. Yes, really. But it was totally worth it. It’s the kind of dish that wraps its arms around you and makes everything okay again.

This dish seemed perfect for a blogging gig I was recently given. My friends at Betty Crocker asked me to create an eggy recipe using Land O’Lakes eggs, and I jumped at it. Eggs are huge in our house — a favorite of my breakfast-devoted daughter. We go through about two dozen eggs every week in my house.

Breakfast in our house is kind of a big deal. I mean it should be, being the most important meal of the day and all. But it is really something in our house. Epic, at times, which is surprising since I was a reluctant breakfast convert. Will started the breakfast change in our house — but it was Paige who brought a deep breakfast devotion to the house.

She loved this one, by the way.

Having breakfast has become so important, so crafting balanced meals like this is a must for me. This one is best for weekends (it takes about 40 minutes), and is worth every cooking second.

Do you love breakfast? How do you take your eggs?

Read the rest of this entry…

When my power went out on Sunday and I couldn’t work on Monday and Tuesday, it wasn’t a restful few days vacation. There was the stress of having no power and no running water, the worry about the kids safety and health and the extreme concern over my job and freelance writing. It was unsettling, to say the least.

And yesterday and today? It’s been a relief to be back to work and back on track … but there is still so much stress. My week’s worth of work has been condensed into a mere three days. And the recipe development work that was due this week? Hard to do when the grocery store is still restocking after losing power themselves. Tomorrow will be a whirlwind of finishing recipes, processing photos and writing. Oh, the writing I have to do still. It’ll be something.

So tonight’s post? We’re keeping it simple. I’ve been meaning to talk a little about my new favorite way of making bacon: in the oven. What I love about it is that I can minimize the mess (no splatter on the stove! Easy grease disposal!).

You start with good bacon. This is Nodine’s Apple Smoked Bacon, which I totally teased you with yesterday. I discovered this bacon a few years back when I first got interested in eating locally. It’s meaty and filled with a lovely sweet smokiness — perfect for a great brunch or making a killer sandwich. We’re huge fans, and I love buying it even more because it’s made here in Connecticut in the town where I first worked as a newspaper reporter post-college.

But if thick bacon isn’t your thing (and it’s not always mine), don’t worry. These directions for baking bacon can be used for both thick and thin styles.

Read the rest of this entry…

The days are quickly ticking by until school begins again. And while I am excited for the start of school — all the new supplies, the fresh start, the new teachers — I am sad that this summer is almost over for us. I am mourning a little.

But, there are highlights … the kids can’t wait to start school. And Will is psyched to have soccer again (this season will include his first games!). Paige is starting a dance class in September as well, which she is proudly telling anyone who will listen about. So it’s good too.

And with school approaching, I am also starting to think about food for the school year. Mornings are a mad, crazy rush since Will’s bus comes very early — earlier than we actually wake up in the summertime. So, breakfasts need to be quick, efficient and filling.

Now, I know you are wondering what this has to do with pancakes … Pancakes aren’t exactly fast (or at least fast enough for a school day) when made from scratch. But they can be totally school-day friendly when you freeze homemade pancakes for reheating later. That’s exactly what I did with the leftovers from this pancake batch.

Hint: To reheat leftover frozen homemade pancakes, preheat oven to 325. Place the frozen pancakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Done.

In the meantime, we are enjoying ourselves and tucking into maple syrup drizzled stacks of pancakes like these Banana Toffee Pancakes — a perfect treat breakfast (no, these aren’t for everyday). The sweet bits of toffee and chocolate melt into the soft, fluffy banana pancakes. It’s heavenly. Like dessert masking as breakfast …

What do you serve your kids for breakfast?
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Whenever my daughter and I walk by the bakery area of our local grocery store, she always says the same thing: “Mommy, can I have a muffin?” For someone who really isn’t into sweets (she turned down a slice of cake for dessert last night. It wasn’t the first time), her love of muffins is staggering and consistent. Sometimes I say yes. Other times I don’t.

This week I said no, instead opting to make my own homemade blueberry muffins.

These aren’t ultra-fancy, over-sized or bathed in butter and sugar, though any of those things can make muffins delightful. Instead, these are just a really good, homemade muffin. Tender, not too sweet, moist … all the important parts.

Sometimes what we really want is ultra-simple: a hug, a thank you, a smile … and the same goes for food. Sometimes, it’s not about the daring combination of flavors but rather the simple ones. The ones that hearken back to the foods we grew up on. The things that are comforting and remind us of home.

This recipe for blueberry muffins definitely falls in that that simple, homemade, comfort food category. They’re easy — just a one-bowl preparation and about 25 minutes in the oven. You’ll be eating them before you know it.

And then, you’ll make ‘em again. Because they really are very good.

P.S. My first book review for the BlogHer Book Club went live yesterday. I read and reviewed The Beach Trees by Karen White, a great book about friendship, family, loyalty and the ties that bind us. It’s a perfect summer read, and one that I really enjoyed. Please hop over and check it out.
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