Double Chocolate Muffins

Dear 15-year-old Abbi,
Hi.  It's me, your 12-year older counterpart.  You don't know me, but I am intimately acquainted with you.  When you're 27, you are going to do things you never thought possible.  You're going to be married to a man (with facial hair!  And chest hair!  A real manly dude!) who encourages you to learn Spanish and gets you to eat mushrooms with gusto.  You will eat out at restaurants where you willingly order braised goat and boar jowl.  You will give up bacon and brie for an entire year, subsisting on tofu, tempeh, and kale juice (among other things).
One day, you will come across a double chocolate muffin recipe that requires no butter or eggs, instead using coconut oil and beets (yes, beets), and you will think to yourself, "I want to make these for myself and my bearded husband."  You will bake these with your own baby next to you in a high chair, giggling at the pink veggies being pureed.  You'll eat 4 in one sitting while that baby blissfully naps for a few minutes next to you.
I know you're shaking your head right now, but I know this for a fact.  You will use 'vegan' and 'delicious' and 'chocolate' in the same sentence.  I promise.

Double Chocolate Muffins (with Beets!) via Minimalist Baker
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal and 5 Tbsp water)
1 c. beet puree or applesauce (for beet puree, just toss 4-5 small roasted beets into a food processor and pulse until smooth)
1/4 c. agave syrup
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. melted coconut oil
1/4 c. almond milk
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 c. flour
1/3 vegan chocolate chips (I found some great ones at Target!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line 12-muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Add pureed beets (or applesauce), oil, agave, sugar, baking soda, salt, and whisk for 45 seconds.
4. Stir in almond milk and whisk until smooth.
5. Add cocoa powder and flours and stir with spoon until just combined.  Batter will be scoopable, not pourable.  If it's getting too thick, add more milk.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Scoop batter into tins (should make 10-12 muffins) and bake 17-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.  Let cool, then remove from muffin tin, and enjoy!

Quick Broccoli-Red Pepper Frittata

Think of this frittata as a crustless quiche: all the deliciousness of a classy egg dish without the hassle of pre-baking a pie crust!  I've made this recipe from Eating for Pregnancy, by Catherine Jones and Rose Ann Hudson, RD, LD, several times over the last couple of months, and am totally satisfied each time.  You're getting lots of good protein from the eggs, plus it's packed with veggies: onions, bell pepper, broccoli, and tomato.  It's kind of like throwing a salad into an omelet and making it look pretty.
Feel free to substitute another quick-cook veggie for the broccoli; I'm looking forward to making this with summer squash when the weather gets warm enough!
Last week I served this with a green salad and some bread with a bell pepper/eggplant spread.  Heavenly.

Quick Broccoli-Red Pepper Frittata, from Eating for Pregnancy, Catherine Jones and Rose Ann Hudson, RD, LD, 2009
Supposedly serves 4-5, but I've been hungry lately, so let's say 2-3

5 large eggs
1/4 c. whole milk (I used soy)
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 c. very small broccoli florets
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
1 small tomato, thinly sliced, with seeds removed
1/3 c. grated cheese (I used Gruyere; the recipe recommends parmesan)

1. Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil and all of the butter in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat (this is a good time to break out the cast iron).  Add onions and bell pepper, and sautee until light golden, about 4-5 minutes.  Add broccoli, 2 Tbsp. of water, and continue to cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in parsley during last minute of cooking.
3. While broccoli is cooking, preheat broiler to highest setting.
4. Add remaining olive oil to skillet, then pour egg over veggies.  Don't stir at this point!  Cook for 2 minutes, until the eggs are set on the bottom.  During this time, arrange tomato slices on top and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Move skillet to broiler for 4ish minutes, until top has set and cheese is golden.  Serve warm.

Everything Bagels (from scratch!)

Lovelies, I have discovered the trick to impressing people: make bagels from scratch.  I've made the recipe below, from A Beautiful Mess, on 4 different occasions now, and their minds are blown every time.  No one needs to know that the whole process takes less than 2 hours, and one hour of that is just dough rising.  And definitely don't confess that the hardest part of the whole thing is just not eating all 8 bagels as soon as they come out of the oven.  I have also discovered that the best way to face crazy compliments from something homemade is just to say, "Thank you so much!  Now if only I could make homemade cream cheese..."
These come out fluffy on the inside, with a firm and well-toasted crust.  They may be a bit smaller than the bagels you'll buy at the store, but that just means you can slather them with more toppings to make up for it!

Everything Bagels, from A Beautiful Mess
makes 8
1 1/4 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. (one package) active dry yeast
3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds 
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt (regular is definitely good, too!)
1 egg


1. In a bowl, combine the water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour in the yeast and allow this to sit for 6-8 minutes. In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Once the yeast mixture has had time to activate, pour it in to the flour mixture and stir until a crumbly dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-7 minutes until the dough begins to become elastic-like. You can also do this in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.  (It will be infinitely easier using a dough hook, and I actually haven't done this part by hand.) Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into eight equal pieces. Shape into a ball and press your finger through to form the center hole. Once you have shaped all the bagels, allow them to rest for 10 minutes or so. Now place them into a large saucepan of boiling water. They should float. Let them cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side, then remove to your prepared baking sheet.
3. Whisk the egg plus 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and brush this over each bagel. Sprinkle on the seeds! (The egg wash will help them stick as well as add a pretty brown sheen to your bagels.)  Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. If you don't eat them all in one day, store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

I'm back, lovelies!  You'll have to excuse my absence last week, although I certainly appreciate the phone calls from my dad and mom making sure everything was okay throughout the lack of postings.  We finally moved in last Monday, and I spent the rest of the week unpacking boxes.  It's all done now, and looking more like a home than just an empty house.  Yay!  There is so much to share on here, so come back on Friday for a full update on the life of Abbi as a new Georgia girl.
Momentous occasions like the last cardboard box being cleared from the kitchen deserve some sort of celebration.  Yesterday morning, our first Sunday in the house with our copious amounts of stuff, I broke out my favorite pancake recipe.  Of course it comes from Joy the Baker, and is light, fluffy, and delicately flavored with lemon sugar.  These lemon poppy seed pancakes are a perfect foil for lots of syrup and a side of melon.  If you're truly celebrating something, you should probably serve these with a mimosa or bellini; alas, I had just a side of orange juice.  Still delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes from Joy the Baker

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 c. buttermilk (in a pinch, combine 1 Tbsp. white vinegar with 1 c. milk, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes.  This will give you 1 c. buttermilk)  

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Butter or vegetable oil for frying

Maple syrup for serving

1. In a large bowl combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers until sugar is fragrant.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk to combine.  

2. In a separate bowl (or you can use a large liquid measuring cup), whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients. Add the poppy seeds and stir to combine. If a few lumps remain, that’s no problem.

3. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes while the griddle heats.

4. Place a griddle, or a nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add a bit of butter or vegetable oil to the pan. A teaspoon of fat will do for a nonstick saute pan, a bit more fat may be necessary for a griddle. 

5. Dollop batter onto hot pan. For small pancakes, I use about 2 tablespoons for each pancake. For larger pancakes, I use about 1/4 cup of batter. Cook until golden brown on the bottom and and bubbling on top. Flip once and cook until golden brown on each side.

6. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate and place in a warm (about 150 degrees F) oven until all pancakes are cooked and ready to serve. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Healthy(er) Breakfast Muffins

I know all of you will agree with me when I say, "That Martha really knows what she's doing".  I mean, she really, really knows.  I got this recipe from her website, and have made them three times in the past two weeks, and one of those batches was a double batch.  The original recipe makes about a dozen muffins, which is just not enough.  

You can find the recipe here, but the way I made it doubled the recipe, and I made some substitutions (as I always do).  Ready?

Here is something you may not know about me: I don't grate.  I got my thumb once, and that was the end of that for the rest of my life.  So, you can, of course, grate up eight carrots and mash two ripe bananas; you could also just run the lot through the food processor with a grater attachment.  

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together.  I didn't have nutmeg, so I used cinnamon, and I only used half the required amount of brown sugar.  My bananas were prettyyyy ripe, so I didn't need that added sweetness.

Now add in the carrots, bananas, oatmeal, eggs, milk, and oil.  I substituted coconut oil for olive oil, and soy milk for real milk, but that's your call.  Oh, and I used dried cranberries rather than raisins. (The first time I made these were for Mommi and Brent, and Mommi does not eat raisins.  I think the cranberries give a good kick to the otherwise sweet muffins.)  Scoop by 1/4 cups into greased muffin tins, and cook at 400 degrees for about 23 minutes.

Hello, Beautifuls.  

I eat these on the way to work in the mornings (because I have a job now), and they keep me good and full until its time for lunch.  I also may have eaten one or two for dessert, but that's neither here nor there.  

Soft Scrambled Eggs and Creamy Leeks

Lately, I've been craving comforting foods, ones that require a few simple ingredients and fill the kitchen with homeyness.  This particular meal, from The Sprouted Kitchen, is perfection.  Leeks, the most beautiful and sensual of the onion family (mostly because they don't make me cry!), are combined with butter and a bit of cream until they reach the consistency of silk.  Eggs are scrambled softly and slowly in a cast iron skillet.  Both are put on a plate, and are delicious when served half-and-half on the same fork.
If possible, watch your determined husband create two baguettes out of thin air and serve this meal with  the fruits of his labor.  The only thing that smells better than caramelized, buttery leeks in the kitchen is freshly baked bread.
Oh!  And this meal is equally delicious when served for breakfast.  Just throwing it out there.

Soft Scrambled Eggs and Creamy Leeks (from The Sprouted Kitchen, Sara Forte, 2012)
Modified for a late-night dinner for two people who had a massive lunch; just multiply as needed depending on your own hunger
3 eggs
5 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
4 leeks, cleaned, halved, and sliced into thick half-moons

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.  Stir in 3 Tbsp. cream, and continue cooking until all liquid is absorbed.  Divide between two plates.
2. Whip eggs with remaining cream until light in color.  Add some salt and pepper.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add eggs.  Allow eggs to set on the bottom, then use a wooden spoon to pull in uncooked portion to the middle.  Keep doing this until all eggs are set, then immediately put onto plate with leeks.
4. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Muffins

Winter, you have completely overstayed your welcome.  I realize DC is not NYC, that we haven't  had a blizzard of epic proportions, we haven't even gone into negative temperatures- the fact remains.  Florida girls do not tolerate puffy coats and breath we can see for very long.  Cold weather, I banish you!
Ah, if only I had the power.  Instead, I've found solace in baking brightly flavored breakfast pastries.  Take these muffins, for instance: soft, moist, tangy dough spotted with juice blueberries and topped with a crumble topping that will rock your world.  It takes the muffin from tasty to mmmm...
Lemon and blueberries won't bring me back to the sunshine state.  They may, however, give me hope that spring is just around the corner!

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Muffins (from Joy the Baker)
Makes 12 muffins
(Original recipe calls for 1/3 c. whole milk, but I found my batter was way too thick with that amount.  I added another 1/3 c., and it became much more manageable.)

7 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 c. whole milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
For the Topping:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a muffins pan with paper or foil liners, set aside.
2. To make the muffins:  Melt butter in a small silver-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter.  It will melt, froth, and begin to crackle; that’s the water cooking out of the butter.  The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly.  Remove from heat when butter solids become a medium brown color and butter smells slightly nutty.  Immediately pour hot butter into a small bowl, or the butter will continue to cook in the hot pan.  Allow to cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add browned butter and whisk to combine.
4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add milk mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the lemon zest, poppy seeds, and blueberries.  Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
5. To make the topping: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and rub together with clean fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the muffin batter in cups.
6. Bake muffins 18 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool muffins in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Biscuits

Happy 2013, lovelies!  I hope you're off to a wonderful start this year.  As you may have heard, by other half on this blog will be on a bit of a hiatus for the next couple of weeks while she organizes her new life in South Florida with her handsome fiancee and sweet Layla.  We'll miss her, but I'll do my best to keep you occupied with my usual three posts a week.  Good luck with you new home, Haley; we can't wait to see pictures of it!
Now, let's start things on the right foot, shall we?

Try baking up some of these whole wheat honey and goat cheese biscuits from Joy the Baker.  There is actually only a small amount of butter in them (only 1/2 stick), whole wheat flour (none of that refined nonsense), and honey for sweetness (get out of here, white sugar!).  Indulge a bit without feeling like you're completely back to square one with your resolution to exercise more and eat healthy.

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 c. (1/2 half stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, plus more for the pan

4 Tbsp. crumbled goat cheese

1 c. buttermilk, cold

2 Tbsp. honey, plus more for topping

Instructions

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven as it preheats.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With your fingers, quickly incorporate the cold butter and goat cheese until the flour resembled coarse meal. Some of the butter and cheese chunks will be the size of small pebbles, others will be the size of oat flakes. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
3. Whisk together buttermilk and honey. Honey may not completely blend into the buttermilk; that’s okay. Pour the buttermilk into the well of the flour mixture. Use a fork to blend together the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated and no dry flour remains. Set aside.
4. Remove the hot skillfrom the oven and add 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl the butter around the bottom and sides of the pan until butter is melted and pan is coated.
5. Spoon batter by the 1/4 cupful into the hot skillet. About 6 biscuits will fit into the 10-inch skillet. Biscuits should have about an inch of room separating them, but will bake up to touch one another. That’s great!
6. Place in the oven to bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden and tops appear dry and slightly firm. Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. For a glossy finish, brush the biscuits with slightly warm honey. These biscuits are best served imediately, but will last for up to 3 days, well wrapped, and at room temperature.

Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chip Scones

Happy holiday season, y'all!  You're probably planning on bringing treats to your office, or will attend some sort of potluck event during the coming weeks.  Rather than bringing some Christmas-themed sugar cookies, why don't you try something new?  How about some sophisticated pastries with roasted pears and dark chocolate?

Try Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones!  They're wonderfully flaky and just barely sweet.  The pears add some moisture, while the chocolate chips get all melty and gooey.  I made a few changes; mostly added more flour, and used half-and-half instead of heavy cream.  Cut the dough into 8 triangles, and you can freeze any unused dough overnight and throw it in a bag until you're ready to bake them up.  Just do the egg glaze before baking, and add a few more minutes to the cooking time.

Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones by Smitten Kitchen

3 firmish pears
3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/4 c. granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated or coarse for sprinkling
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 c. half-and-half
1/2 c. chocolate chips
2 large eggs, 1 for dough, 1 for glaze

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Peel and core pears. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pear chunks on parchment and roast until they feel dry to the touch and look a little browned underneath, about 30 minutes. Slide parchment paper with pear chunks onto a cooling rack (or onto a plate in the fridge or freezer to speed this up) and cool to lukewarm. Leave oven on. Line baking sheet with another piece of parchment.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Toss in cooled pear chunks, bits of butter, half-and-half and 1 egg. With the paddle attachment, mix the dough on low speed until it just comes together. Don’t overmix. Add the chocolate chips and mix for 5 seconds more.

3. On a very well floured counter, pat out dough into an 8-inch round. Cut into 8 generous wedges and transfer to baking sheet at least two inches apart. Whisk remaining egg in a small dish with 1 teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush each scone with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

4. Bake scones until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. 

Bacon and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

 

This will be a quick post, because all I did was take a delicious recipe from Smitten Kitchen and, somehow, improve upon it.
Do you have a meat-eater in your life?  S/he probably likes bacon.  Everyone likes bacon.  I try to eat a lot less meat (like, hardly ever), but this crispy, salty treat is not easy to give up.  We made br(eakfast d)inner recently and had some leftover.  Our fridge also had some goat cheese from paninis a few weeks ago.  I took these two things, added some buttermilk and flour, and threw a scrambled egg on top.
Use this recipe (the original is amazing, but not super-breakfasty), and just sub the cheddar cheese and scallions with 2 slices crispy bacon and 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese.
Your meat-lover will love you.

Oatmeal Raspberry Scones

What are you doing right now if you're not making these scones?!  You're wasting your life!  Annie's Eats posted Joy the Baker's awesomely tart and slightly sweet breakfast pastry, and you've just got to make them.
Go ahead.  I'll wait.

These scones come together really easily; I actually just used an ice cream scoop to get the dough onto the baking sheet (rather than rolling it onto a floured surface), which made it a bit more simple.
They feel so fancy and end-of-summer appropriate.  You'll love them.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Last week, JP and I were feeling lazy.  We were dangerously close to ordering Thai food, but I checked out this recipe and dashed the ideas for take-out.  Can anyone pass up fried sweet potatoes?
This recipe is super easy, and at least the fried part is paired with a spinach salad to up the health factor.
This recipe comes from Cooking for Two by Jessica Strand (2009), and it's a wonderful date night meal.  Have your boo deep fry the pancakes, though, because that oil gets hot.  I took care of the potato prep, and salad, so we each had our dinner duty.  All in all, Monday night had a bit more pizazz than the pad thai we would have ordered for the 50th time.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Spinach Salad
1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 large egg whites

1. In a medium bow, combine the sweet potato, garlic, and salt, then add the cornstarch.  Using a standing or hand mixer, whip the egg whites on high speed with a tablespoon of water until soft peaks form, 2-3 minutes.  Fold the egg whites into the potato batter.
2. Fill a heavy pot or deep fryer (who has one of those?) halfway with oil (we used peanut).  Heat oil to 350.   (It shouldn't take too long).  Place a cooling rack on the counter next to the stove (or fryer), and arrange a layer of paper towels beneath the rack.
3. Drop large tablespoons of the batter into the oil; to avoid overcrowding, fry only about 3 fritters at a time.  Fry until golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes, turning once or twice while cooking.  Place fritters on the rack when done and cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.  Continue process until batter is gone.

Spinach Salad
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. zested orange peel
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups spinach
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1/4 slivered red onion

In a medium bowl, combine first 6 ingredients and whisk the dressing until emulsified.  Add spinach, tomatoes, and onion, and toss veggies until coated.  Serve half salad to each person, and top with 2-3 pancakes.  If you're like JP, add a little sour cream to the pancakes; it can only help!

Mom's Oven Pancake

These oven pancakes are the basis for any wonderful morning memory from my childhood.  I remember my mom (it's easy enough that my dad could have made it, but somehow it's always Mom) blending a few ingredients in our blender, pouring the batter into a hot skillet, and letting it bake to fluffy, eggy perfection.  She would top it with a bit of melted butter and some powdered sugar and serve with some fruit on the side if we were still hungry. 

This breakfast is simple, and it's meant to be shared, making it perfect for a couple or trio (let's be honest- any more people than that, and you should just make two).  I always liked getting a part with a batter bubble in it, where the pancake puffs up makes a perfect piece for you to pinch off and eat with your fingers. 

JP and I have oven pancakes every once in a while, and he generally goes nuts with the toppings: pumpkin butter and maple syrup, three different jams, etc.  We bypass the melted butter on top, but never the dusting of powdered sugar. 
It keeps life sweet.

Oven Pancake
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. milk (animal milk or any alternative works great)
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
dash of salt

1. Place medium, heavy, oven-proof skillet with butter in oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Blend ingredients until smooth, about 45 seconds.
3. CAREFULLY remove skillet from oven with oven mitts, pour batter into skillet, and return to oven.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until puffy and set.
5. Remove, cool for 2 minutes, dust with 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar if desired. 

Banana Oatmeal Bars

As much as my sister and I love food (between the two of us, we could probably eat the entire contents of both our kitchens in one day flat.  Haley, should we try this?), we don't often swap recipes.  There's no hard feelings behind this, just that we don't really cook for each other as we did back in Florida.  At college, Haley was a frequent visitor at my apartment during junior and senior year, and we would spend lots of time looking through cookbooks, trying out baked goods, and eating lots of pasta together.  Living in two separate time zones has really put a kink in that, though.

She did, however, pass this recipe on during my recent bachelorette weekend, and I knew I would have them waiting for John Paul when he got home.  I used her suggestion of substituting applesauce for the vegetable oil, and also added 1/4 c. melted peanut butter for a little nuttiness. 

HOLY BANANAS.  Just make them.  They're gooey, soft, and unbearably decadent for a dessert with no butter.  And Haley, keep those recipes comin'.  You've totally proven your worth in the baking department, yet again.

Beet-Apple-Carrot Juice

This picture brings several thoughts to mind.  Here are a few of them:
-Wow, it looks like I'm drinking blood.  Do people think I'm a vampire?
-I can't believe I'm drinking something that has beets in it.  If only 15-year-old me could be here to witness it.
-What will my dad think when he sees this?
-Wow, this juice is surprisingly tasty.

Whatever this picture may make you think, I'll give the recipe below.  Try it out before judging; you may be a juicer at heart!

Beet Apple Carrot Juice
3 small beets, peeled (I used some from a pre-packaged, pre-cooked container)
1 green apple, peeled and chopped into thick cubes (I used granny smith)
4 carrots, peeled
Combine everything in a juicer.  Alternately, blend until smooth, then put through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of excess pulp.
Serve with ice and a straw!

Pancakes a l'Abbi

I love Sunday mornings.  It's perfectly lazy: I get to sleep in, we let Mia hop up into bed with us because it's laundry day, not too many plans.  I like to include some pancakes with my Sunday mornings, as it's easy to customize to the season (pumpkin in the fall, strawberries in the spring), and can tailor to everyone's taste (buttermilk, vegan, floppy, fluffy).  While browsing through the internet for a new recipe, I decided to be creative and come up with a great basic pancake recipe for what I was feeling in the moment.  The result?  Vegan milk, but full-fat butter.  Whole wheat flour with sweetened shreds of coconut.  What's your favorite Sunday morning meal?

Pancakes a l'Abbi
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. raw cane sugar
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk.

2 eggs
1 3/4 c. sweetened vanilla almond milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Whisk together in a small bowl, then pour into dry ingredients.  Whisk to combine, and add more milk if your batter is too thick.

1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. toasted almond slivers
Add to batter, and stir.

Heat griddle or frying pan to medium, grease with butter, and drop 1/3 cups of batter onto pan.  Cook until bubbly on top and golden and dry on the bottom, then flip.  Pancakes are done when both sides are golden brown.
Serve with blackberry jam, butter, and maple syrup (me) or maple syrup and pumpkin granola (John Paul).  Enjoy!