Cheesy Breakfast Muffins

Long ago and in another apartment, these muffins were inspired by Fig’s Cheese Muffins from The Pioneer Woman--but since then they’ve changed pretty drastically. We’ve played around with the cheese, added new herbs, onions, and ham or bacon, to create the most delectable breakfast-lunch-or-dinner muffin this side of the Rocky Mountains. Try to stop at just one--we dare you.

Ingredients
2 cups colby jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup each sharp cheddar and Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
2 strips bacon (or 2 thick slices ham)
1/4 cup onion, diced (about 1/2 small onion)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
2 good shakes garlic powder

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a skillet, cook bacon (or fry ham). Remove bacon from skillet; let cool on paper towels. When cool, dice into small pieces. (If using ham, you may wish to dice before frying.)

Grate cheese into a medium-sized bowl. Add onion and cooled bacon. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add to cheese mixture.

Whisk together melted butter, milk, and egg. Add oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Combine liquid ingredients with dry; stir gently to combine. Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake until golden-brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

We love these muffins. You don't have to get fancy with the spices or the bacon/ham--go ahead and follow the original recipe. It is every bit as delicious.

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

It was snowing today when I left for school, and it wasn’t much warmer when I came home for lunch and paper-writing. On such a grey day, I needed something warm and colorful--and the answer came in the form of this delicious vegetarian chili, thrown together from whatever I had on hand. It’s packed full of vegetables and protein, with two kinds of beans as well as quinoa, a South American grain that’s becoming more and more popular lately. For good reason: quinoa has tremendously high protein content (12%–18%), is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus, and is high in magnesium and iron. It’s gluten-free, too! In its natural state quinoa has a bitter coating that protects it from birds, but most quinoa sold in North America is pre-washed (you may want to rinse before using anyway, just to be sure).

I used an assortment of whatever vegetables and spices I had on hand--often adding a seasoning just because I could. I’ve starred the spices I consider essential. Pick and choose which seasonings you like, tasting frequently.

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper (red, green, yellow)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can sweet corn
*Cumin
*Red pepper flakes
*Ground chili powder
*Ground mustard powder
*Paprika
Cinnamon
Ground ginger
Dried basil
*Ground black pepper
*Kosher salt
Celery salt
Mesquite seasoning

Instructions
in a large pot, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions 1 - 2 minutes. Add garlic and chopped bell pepper and continue to saute until onions are soft and translucent. Meanwhile, rinse quinoa if desired. Add quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1 can diced tomatoes. Simmer about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and corn; add to pot. Add seasonings as desired and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili has thickened and quinoa are transparent in the center, about 10 - 20 minutes.


Serve with grated cheese, small cubes of avocado, crumbled cornbread, or Fritos corn chips.

Servings: around 6.

Zucchini & Mushroom Udon Soup

In September I went back to Oregon for my sister Mandy's wedding reception. It was lovely, of course. I also made the time to jaunt up to Uwajimaya, a wonderful Asian food grocery store. It is there that I bought some difficult-to-find-in-normal-grocery-stores ingredients, and that is what made this delicious meal possible.

This recipe is modified from The Essential Asian Cookbook. The original called for pork and leeks, and I had neither. (I also lacked spring onions and shimichi togarashi, but who's counting?) Instead, I substituted zucchini and mushrooms, and the results were divine.


Zucchini & Mushroom Udon Soup

Ingredients
6 1/3 oz dried udon noodles
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp dashi granules
1/2 small zucchini
2 large mushrooms
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp non-alcoholic mirin

Instructions
Slice zucchini into thin strips. Slice mushrooms in large, but thin, pieces. Set aside.

Follow instructions on udon packaging to cook. Do not rinse. Drain and cover to keep warm.

Bring water and dashi to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add zucchini and simmer for five minutes. Add mushrooms, soy sauce, and mirin and simmer for two minutes.

Divide noodles into three medium bowls. Spoon soup over noodles and serve.

I have been craving Japanese food lately, and this made my evening. Udon is readily available at most competent grocery stores. The dashi (dried fish granules) and mirin (sweetened rice wine) are harder to come by, and they are absolutely essential to this dish. The non-alcoholic mirin was especially difficult. I went through an entire display of bottles at Uwajimaya until I found one that said non-alcoholic in English.

But now I have an entire liter of the stuff, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to post many more Japanese cooking adventures in the future.

Cheddar and Apple Scones

When I read The Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for apple and cheddar scones, I knew I had to try this gorgeous fall recipe. Last month I did, with Tillamook cheddar and Gala apples. They were wonderful, but they weren’t quite perfect. So for a couple of weeks in a row I tried again, picking my favorite elements from Deb’s recipe in my quest to produce the perfect Apple and Cheddar Scones. I found it at last, with a riff off King Arthur Flour’s scones recipe. These scones are tender, flaky, and delicious, with a perfect mixture of sweet and savory.

Roasting the apples adds a little time, but it’s mostly a hands-off process--perfect for a Saturday studying at home. Peel and slice the apples on your study break, pop them into the oven while you go back to the books, and then take another quick break to assemble the scones themselves. At the end of an hour or two you’ve not only read several chapters on Church and State in American History, but you’ve got glorious scones to snack on while you study for the rest of the day!

Apple and Cheddar Scones

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pats
2 large eggs
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup milk, or 1/2 cup milk and 2 Tbsp apple cider
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 Granny Smith or other sweet-tart apples, peeled and sliced thickly
1/4 tsp thyme
1 egg, beaten
Coarse raw sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions
Heat oven to 400°F. Peel, core, and slice apples and spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes, until apples are starting to brown at the edges and are dry to the touch. Eat a few and let the rest cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (You can also do this a day or two in advance; simply seal the cooled apples in a sandwich bag or other airtight container and keep until ready to make the scones.)

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, a pastry blender, or two knives; alternatively, pulse ingredients in a food processor until butter chunks are no larger than pea-sized. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, cider, roasted apple slices, cheddar cheese, and thyme. Add liquid ingredients to dry and mix until just barely combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a large, thick round about 1/2 inch thick. Using an overturned glass, cut out circles of dough and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Carefully fold leftover dough together and shape into a circle; cut into quarters. (Alternatively, you can shape the dough into two circles 6” in diameter and slice into sixths. Either way you’ll get about 12 scones).

Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse raw sugar. Chill in refrigerator or freezer at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 475°F. Bake scones for about 20 - 25 minutes, until tops are firm and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool briefly before serving. These scones are best on the day they’re baked but will keep for a few days in an airtight container.



Note: Chilling the dough is the vital step in the perfection of these scones. It will contribute to a high rise and limited spreading, meaning your scones will be tall, flaky, gorgeous--and delicious! You can even freeze the dough and just cook one or two at a time, though you’ll need to increase the cooking time to compensate.

Our Favorite Pizza

Everyone has a favorite kind of pizza. As far as the made-from-scratch-and-deliciously-crispy variety goes, this one is my favorite.

It's really easy and quick to make. Including rising time, it takes just an hour and a half until you have pizza-induced bliss.


Thin Crust Pizza
Ingredients
4 cups flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Various toppings

Instructions
Mix water and yeast together. Set aside.

Mix flour and salt. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, stirring all the while. (This step is easier to do in a stand mixer than by hand.) Pour water and yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until combined.

Coat a bowl with cooking spray. Place dough inside bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for up to three days, if desired. If you want to use the dough the same day, keep it out the counter for an hour of two so dough can rise.

Divide dough in half. On large cookie sheets, press dough into a thin, roughly rectangular crust. Cover with your favorite toppings. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or until crust is gold brown.

Our favorite combination of toppings so far are tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, bell peppers, and red onions. (This is why it's good to have a stock of frozen, already-diced pizza toppings in the fridge.) From time to time we mix it up--you can see that in the above picture we went for freshly diced tomatoes instead of  sauce and threw in some leftover colby-jack cheese for variety's sake. We've had some very tasty success with pepperoni, olives, and other toppings.
 

Really, it's hard to go wrong with pizza. Wouldn't you agree?