I've been craving gingerbread this week and decided to try and make it into an acceptable breakfast ... other than a cookie dipped in coffee.  I've even been on the hunt for a gingerbread man pancake mold ... but I've only found cookie cutters which are a bit too small. Thanks to the Google Gods I did find eons of gingerbread pancake recipes.  So many I didn't know which one to try.  Some with raisins, some with currants, some with cocoa, but I just wanted to stick with a basic gingerbread pancake.

I eenie-meenie-minnie-mowed and clicked through on one of the first listings that came up.  I found one on CDKitchen.com and gave it a whirl (with a couple of my own modifications and additions  ... please take note).

So here's a holiday breakfast recipe that will be both memorable and delicious.

The full list of ingredients at the bottom of the post.  I later added an additional cup of flour, teaspoon of ginger and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Start with adding your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Next, add your wet ingredients to another bowl and whisk together.

During one of my health nut kicks a couple of years ago I had a nasty introduction to molasses.  You see, I thought it was syrup.  I was going to be healthy and low cal by adding that to my pancakes.  And I drenched my sweet little pancakes in the black, rust-flavored tar.  Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh.

My boyfriend was a champ.  He didn't complain. Ate them all.  Me ... I made some toast instead.

Molasses on milk.

My new art project.

Blend together.  Starting to look like chocolate milk, huh?   Don't drink it though.

Pour wet batter into your large  dry ingredients bowl with the flour, spices, etc.

You may have to scrape the bottom of the bowl a bit.  Molasses doesn't play nice with others.

Blend.

Well bah-humbug.  The batter was runny.  I dipped my finger in and took a taste. This was a no make-up-work-in-my-pajamas day, so I have no photographic evidence of the finger-licking.  But I'll tell you that it tasted like molasses.  Ugh. Now I'm feelin a bit scroogey.

I followed the recipe EXACTLY!   To a T!    (indecently, where does the phrase "to a T" actually come from?)

Anyway, it was a runny, molasses flavored mess.

So, I added a little more love that it needed.

An extra cup of flour.  That helped with the consistency.

Now to put molasses in its place and tweak the flavor.  I added an additional tsp of ginger and a 1/4 cup of sugar.

Mmm.  That helped a whole lot!  Dipped my finger again and now the flavor is more like a gingerbread cookie.  It's ready to go be made into round cake perfection.

A little butter.

A little batter.

A little bubbly.

Flip.

Now that's a leave-for-santa worthy pancake.  I could eat it like a cookie.  But instead of eating with my fingers I'll fancy it up with a bit of butter, maple syrup and festive star fruit.  And of course, a fork and knife.  Still in my pajamas though.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Pancakes

Ingredients

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  (Flour, spices, sugar, baking soda and powder)

2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg  then add and mix together the milk, molasses and oil.

3) Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend until combined.  Using a ladle or measuring cup, scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto  a hot greased griddle or skillet. You can use non-stick spray or butter. (I prefer butter for flavor)

4) Turn when bubbles form on the surface and the edges are golden brown.

5) Serve with butter, syrup and festive starfruit.

###

In my previous post, I mentioned that I needed to get the story about the Blackwater Porter label over a brew.  I do love good tweetable trivia and a good beer!  Well, I got the story and my previous assumptions made for a pretty embarrassing moment!

This weekend, my friend, Janice, was in town and I wanted to share with her my passion for experiencing local flavor. She's typically a SoloTraveler, but was excited to catch up after our trip to Mexico and interested in seeing the side of Orlando that tourists usually don't venture to.  So I drove her off the beaten path a bit to the Tap Room at Orlando Brewing so we could taste some local beer.

Our flight included Blackwater Porter, Eminent Domain, Pompous Ass and Pelican Stout.  My favorite is still the Blackwater Porter.  Light, coffee scented and refreshing.  Janice had a hard time deciding which of the later 3 were her favorite.

Just as we were preparing to leave, John Cheek, president of Orlando Brewing strolled up to say hello.  This was impeccable timing as Janice had a lot of questions about the brewery that I didn't know the answers to.  Who better to ask than the man that started the establishment?

Since I had sipped a few beers, the "think-before-you-speak" part of my brain had been turned off.  I piped in and asked, "So, what's the story on the crazy looking bearded hillbilly on the label of Blackwater Porter?" John says, "Well, he's actually standing right over there.  He's one of the partners here at Orlando Brewing." I immediately bit my lip ... sank into the bar stool ... and tried to crawl under the counter.  (Open mouth, insert foot, chase with a beer.)

His name is Gene and he is a real person, not just clip art used for a label.  Gene's in charge of beer distribution and gave Janice an I the history on all their beer labels.  His story about the gold panning was a fun one.  About 20 years ago he and some friends decided it would be an exciting camping trip.  After buying all the necessary supplies, taking pictures in the depths of some mines, enduring weather so cold that the pillows froze to the side of the tent, they found less than a palm-full of gold nuggets.  If this story were a credit card ad, it would have gone something like this ...

Camping equipment ... $3000

Emergency room visit for frost bite ... $1000

Spending time outdoors with your buds and only finding $30 worth of gold nuggets... priceless.

Well, here's the last little nugget you need to make Biramisu.

Starting with ... the cookie ...

They create almost everything by hand at The Portobello.  Remember the pasta from Biramisu Part 1?  I asked Chef Steve to tell me how much pasta they make every day.  He said it looked like a 50 1lb piece of chewing gum before they shape it.  My running buds and I could certainly put a dent in that.  We'll have to go there for a little pasta-palooza party before our next long distance run.  And since we're getting up to 18 and 20 miles, I think we deserve a little dessert!  Dessert!  Ah ... back on topic ...

The last part of the biramisu recipe is the lady finger biscuit which essentially includes eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, baking power ... and ... their secret ingredient, orange zest.  The orange zest really brings out the flavor of the beer.

Now, I can't actually *give* you the recipe for their lady finger biscuits.  This is the one part that remains a secret.  So you'll have to go to The Portobello to taste the real thing.  Chef Steve says you can save some time and substitute with store bought lady fingers.

One tip I can give you is to change the shape.  A round lady finger (biscuit) will fit quite nicely into a beer glass for serving.  Use a round cookie cutter to make them the size you need.

Next, play with your food and eat the left over o-rings ...

Using two different sizes helps the biscuits fit the tapered shape of the glass.

Now ... the beer!

Pour the remaining beer reduction into a wide, but shallow, bowl.   (Hopefully you didn't use it all as pancake syrup.)

Place the cookies into the reduction and let them soak for a bit.  They should start getting heavy with beer and start to sink.

When they start to sink, flip them over.

I know, I know, you're jealous of the biscuits that get to swim in beer reduction.

I can only imagine the grunts my beer-loving guy friends are making right now.

Layer the biscuits and cream into the dish you'll be serving them in.  Preferably, since it is BEER-amisu ... a beer glass!

Top it off with some whipped cream and skim off the top so that it looks like a frothy beer.

And there you have it.  Biramisu made with the incredible tasting Blackwater Porter ... slightly coffee tasting ... somewhat malty ... and definitely delicious.

If you're in Florida this month and interested in testing what I keep calling the  "coffee"  beer, then check out Oktoberfest at the Tap Room.  It's the kind of hidden gem that only the locals know about and is a great way to celebrate the Fall season!

I'll be there!  Will you?  If you go ... tweet me @TravelBlggr

If you want to print this recipe without all the photos ... click here:  Biramisu

Do you know which brewer does NOT supply beer for Oktoberfest?  Comment below ...

--Rachelle

If heaven on earth existed ... in my mouth ... it would be this.  The land of milk and honey.  Sinfully sweet and smelling of roses.  I encountered this delightful desert during a dinner at a trendy Indian restaurant, Nirvana Beverly Hills, with other bloggers ... so they didn't mind at all when I whipped out my phone at the dinner table to tweet that I was having some sort of delicious Oh-My-Gawd experience.    It was like falling in love for the first time and I wanted to proclaim it to the World.  You must be thinking that I'm over-reacting to a simple meal.  I admit, it could have been the sensual atmosphere of Nirvana which is candle-lit and oozing not-so-subtle hints of Kama Sutra with their artwork and menu descriptions.  Appetizers are called "Foreplay."  Entrees ... "Loss of Innocence."  And dessert ... "Sensuous Pleasures, Sin committed, but quickly forgotten."  Whoa.  I have to remember, this is Beverly Hills.

But I do believe that even if I wasn't under the glittery influence of LA, upon savoring this treat I still would have closed my eyes, left the earth and had a moment.  The taste of sweet roses ... not the scent of a flower, but it's flavor.  By the time I regained my senses the menus had already been lifted from the table and I didn't know my new lover's name.  I tweeted that I was having a sweet honey and rose flavored dessert.  Someone immediately responded, "you must be having Gulab Jamun."

I tried saying that out loud, but it sounded like I was trying to speak with a mouthful.  (Try it.  Right now.  Go ahead.  Say ... Guuuulaaaab Jaaamuuun.  See?)   So I just made a mental note of the roses and honey.  Later when I went to post about it again, in my insecurity of the language, I described them as honey rose donut holes.  Big mistake.  HUGE!  My Middle Eastern friends quivered at the comparison.  "Gulab Jamun are not donut holes!" they proclaimed.  But ... uhm ... they certainly look like donut holes?  Fancy rose scented ones at that!  Wikipedia describes them as waffle balls.   I once called them O.M.G. balls.  That didn't quite sound right either.  So let's just learn how to pronounce it correctly.  According to MacMillan Dictionary, it's /ɡʊˌlɑːb ˈjɑːmən/.

And here's how to make them ...

Start with some honey, powdered milk, and roses.

I actually used the roses to make tea.  Nirvana did give me a recipe for making rose water at home (posted below).  But I found it at my local grocer in the spice section as a natural gourmet flavoring ... or perfume?

The dry milk I was a little iffy about.  One of my chef friends suggested using  all whole ingredients (i.e. nothing powdered or dried).  So I looked up other recipes online for gulab jamun and all used powdered milk.  So I decided to stick to the recipe.  Doesn't look appetizing ... but works like a charm!

Add a little baking powder ...

As if the powdered milk wasn't enough ... add to that 2 1/2 cups of heavy cream.  Yeah ... these donuts ...I mean .... gulab jamun, are rich and creamy little cakes.

Mix together with a wooden spoon.  It gets a little sticky.

I was unprepared to have my photo taken ... against the only wall in my kitchen that is unpainted and undecorated.  Hair tossed in a clip and 70's ring-T on.  Ew.  At least the apron is flirty.  I'm actually standing on a stool to gain some leverage on this counter island for mixing.  Increasing my height by 8 inches also helps me channel my inner Julia Child.  But I digress ... back to the recipe ...

Cover your hands in flour and roll dough into 1 inch balls.

Confession: here's where I went wrong the first time around.

I'm a runner, so I don't cook/eat/prepare fried foods.  Ever.  I don't have a deep fryer.  I'm also the kind of cook that sometimes just throws from the hip and says, "let's try it!" without properly researching.

Google is at my fingertips.  I should have looked up "heating" and "boiling points" of oil.

But instead I followed the advice of Julia Child, "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a 'What the hell?' attitude."

So, "what the heck!"  Let's pour some oil in a pan and turn the temperature up to high!   (By the way, I don't recommend this!)

And the first one goes in ...

(See ... that oil doesn't look hot, does it?)

Pop!  Crack!  Sizzle ...

Insta-Burn!

This happened in all of 3 seconds.  Seriously.  The recipe calls for them to reach a "rich mahogany color."  But somehow I don't think this fits that description.  Especially since it happened so fast that I doubt the inside cooked.  So ... we turned the heat to medium and waited a bit.  Learn from my mistake.

After the oil was at a sufficient "cook-instead-of-burn" temperature , we started getting some golden brown results.  PS ... my whole house now smells like fried gulab jamun from the burn experiment.

Meanwhile ...

The syrup is being made.

This is similar to a simple syrup used in drink making ... only with rose water and honey.  Bring sugar and water to a boil, then add 2 tablespoons of rose water.  I also added two tablespoons of honey after it cooled.

Pour the sugar water over the gulab jamun and let it soak in.

Gulab Jamun

Rose-Flavored Cakes in Sugar Syrup

from the kitchen of Nirvana Beverly Hills

Makes 25-30 Balls

The Sugar Syrup:

2 pounds sugar

2 quarts plus 1 pint water

2 tablespoons rose water***

The Dough:

3 cups dry milk

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 ½ cups heavy cream

3 pints of oil for deep frying

Make the sugar syrup first: In a heavy saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil, then let it thicken by cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the rose water and keep the syrup warm at a low simmer.

In a large bowl mix the ingredients for the dough thoroughly to make a still batter. Let mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to set. Take a pinch of dough a little smaller than a golf ball and roll it between your palms to round it into a neat ball.

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

In a wok or heavy skillet, heat the oil over high heat until a haze begins to form, just before it begins to smoke. Carefully add the balls until the surface is covered. (If necessary cook the balls in more than one batch.) With a large spoon, start turning the balls just as they begin to take on color. After about 3 minutes, turn the heat down to medium-low, and continue to turn the balls until they acquire a rich mahogany color.

When the sweetmeats have achieved a luscious, deep color, turn the heat up to high for 2-3 minutes to add still more color and to firm the crust. Drain onto paper towels.

When drained, put the balls into a large bowl and pour the sugar syrup over them. Let them rest until the syrup reaches room temperature. They can now be eaten – but they will taste even better if allowed to “tighten” until the next day.

NOTE: Gulab Jamun will keep a week or more, stored in the refrigerator.

***How to make Rose Water:

5 large roses

2 quarts cool (not iced) water

Wash roses thoroughly in cold water. Pick off all the petals, reserving a few for garnish; put the remainder in a large ceramic jar. Pour the cool water over them and set them aside in a dark place (away from any sunshine) for at least 4 hours. Strain the rose water and discard petals.

--Rachelle

a.k.a. @TravelBlggr

###

I'm so glad I finished all of my holiday shopping ... ah em ... I wouldn't say "early" ... but at least it's now Christmas Eve and I'm able to spend the day relaxing at home, baking and getting ready for family and friends tomorrow.

This recipe is perfect for enjoying with a cup of hot chocolate and warming up on a cold day.  And, oddly enough, it actually comes from a bed & breakfast in the warm tropical island of Key West, the Grand Guest House.  If you'd like to warm up even more on this cold winter morning, transport yourself to Key West with these two awesome videos by Vanessa ... Grand Guest House Video, and Scott's Sunset ...

On with the bread!

I love to bake.  It's one thing I actually do pretty well.  It also gives me a chance to use my clay baking stoneware which makes me feel more down to earth/natural/eco-friendly in a really weird way.  Especially since the only organic thing I used in this recipe was Cinnamon.  But I digress.  Must have too much Baileys in my hot chocolate this morning.

Here's what you'll need to make a Spiced Apple Walnut Bread ...

Let the butter soften to room temperature and then slice up to make for easy blending.

Add the flour ...

Some cinnamon ... well ... actually ... A  LOT of cinnamon ...

"Mt" Cinnamon ... they don't call it "spiced" bread for nothin!

Little free plug for Arm & Hammer.  Really ... do they have any competition?

Must be nice.  Don't notice any other baking soda's at the grocery store.

Pinch of salt.

Tangent: Now, when I made the breakfast pizza, I asked my boyfriend to pick up a wad of pizza dough from our local pizzeria and he looked at me like I had two heads.  A couple of nights ago, I asked him to put a dollop of sour cream on my chili and, again, he looked at me like I had two heads.

A pinch, a dollop and a wad are all perfectly acceptable units of measure to me.

Pour in the applesauce ...

"Technically" the directions say to pulse this all in a food processor.  My food processor is only big enough to make a small bowl of pesto ... definitely not big enough for bread dough!  Don't know how that changes things.  Maybe it wont rise or be as fluffy.  Still tasted pretty darn good though.

Blend ... breathe in the scent of cinnamon and apples ... Mmm ...

Scrape the bowl to make sure you get all the chunky bits ...

Add the walnuts ...

Blend again ...

Lick the beater, the spoon, the spatula, the bowl, your fingers ...

Dress up your bread pan with some oil, flour and sugar.  A bit more than a pinch, more like a dollop.  Except sugar really doesn't dollop ... so it's more like a large sprinkling.  Again, an acceptable unit of measure.

Another free plug for Dixie Crystals.  See ... this is why I usually pour out all the ingredients in dishes first!  But I was feeling a little lazy today.

Tangent: I had a cat named Dixie Crystals once.  A pretty white Siamese with blue eyes.  I was working in marketing for agriculture at the time and had a meeting with some sugar farmers.  She was a little kitten they had on the farm that jumped in my lap at the meeting, so they thought I should take her home.  My apartment at the time didn't allow me to keep her, so my parents adopted her.  After climbing curtains, bookcases, tv stands, and human legs ... she's been re-named Punky.  I shall start my own brand of sugar one day with a cool cat logo and call it Punky in her honor.

On with the bread ...

Make sure your pan is well sugared ... it creates nice sweet crispy bits on the crust.

Once your bread pan/stone is nice and sugared-up, fill it with your batter and bake at 375 for an hour.

Yes, that is a polka-dot apron and knee-high striped socks that you see on the left.  I guess I was just having a "Punky" kind of a day ... not normal for me at all.  I'm usually more of a conservative kinda gal.

Mmm ... warm, butter-meltin, spiced applesauce walnut bread.

Spiced Applesauce Nut Bread

from the Grand Guest House, Key West

Ingredients

1/2 cup safflower oil OR 1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/4  cups applesauce

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

Directions

1) Place rack in center of the oven and preheat to 375.  Grease and sugar 6 1/4 cup (1.5 L) loaf pan.

2) Process all ingredients in food processor for 5 seconds.  Scrape work bowl and pulse to combine 1 or two times.  Do not over process.

3) Transfer to prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.  Leave in pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

###

Flour ... Butter ... Eggs ... Milk ... Sugar ... Oh, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways ...

It never ceases to amaze me how many different things can be baked from just tweaking a combination of the above ingredients.  I'll have to have a marathon-list-making post of all the different creations.

For this morning, I'm going to make a traditional chilly-morning-gooey-cozy-comfort-food favorite ... cinnamon rolls.  I have to confess, I usually make these by popping open a cylinder can with a certain giggly dough boy gracing the label.  The orange icing was my favorite.  Artificial ... yes, I know.  But quick and easy.

This recipe is not a quick one.  But it is easy.  Nothing artificial here.  And they taste soooo much better with the added ingredients of time and love.

There are a lot of different variations of recipes for cinnamon rolls, but this one in particular comes from Anchor Inn on the Lake in Branson.

Here's what you'll need ...

The magnificent 5 ... flour, sugar, milk, butter, eggs ... with cinnamon, brown sugar and yeast.  I know, yeast is the only one that doesn't sound yummy.  It makes them big and soft and gooey though.

Add the yeast to a mixing bowl with just a little bit of water, about a 1/2 cup.  As the yeast dissolved into the water, you may need to mix it up just a bit to make sure there are no big clumps of yeast.

Scald the mild and melt the butter into it.  Do NOT boil.  This is on low to medium heat.

Break the egg into a separate bowl and beat with a whisk.  Sounds a little like punishment for the egg, doesn't it?

My friend Jim gave me another reason/need to break the egg into a separate dish ... it is so that you don't ruin your whole recipe in case the egg is bad.  Luckily I've never encountered a bad egg.

Add the eggs to the milk/butter mixture and mix.  Then add the milk/butter/egg mixture to the yeast absorbed in water and mix.  Then add the flour and white sugar to the wet mixture and lightly mix with a spoon, just so that all the flour/sugar is wet.  Cover with a towel and put it in a warm place (I place it on top of my heating oven) to let the dough rise for an hour.

In the recipe, Dee suggests turning the dough out onto a floured surface and kneading for 5 minutes, THEN setting it aside to rise.  I followed this instruction making my first batch of cinnamon rolls, and the dough never rose.  But I'm pretty sure that had a lot to do with the fact that it was a hot humid sticky sauna outside that day.  Even in my second batch, it did rise, but it didn't double in size.  As much satisfaction as I would have received from punching down the dough, I didn't want to fight mother nature.

Plop the dough out onto a floured surface.  (I probably have a little too much flour there!) Also flour your hands up pretty good, work into a ball and then roll it into a rectangular shape.

Spread on melted butter ... about  3/4 of a stick, and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll into a tight roll and pinch the edge together at the end.  Some cinnamon sugar gooeyness might ooze out.  That's okay.

Then slice into 1 inch think rolls and place onto a greased/floured cookie sheet or baking dish.

Mm

Next batch, I think I'm going to try adding the orange glaze from The Old Hen  Bed & Breakfast.  Then I'll have the full homemade version of my dough boy childhood favorite.

Try leaving a batch of these for Santa instead of cookies ... I'm sure he/she will be pleased!

Cinnamon Rolls

from Anchor Inn on the Lake

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Water

1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Butter

1 tsp Salt

1 Egg

4 1/2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Sugar

Filling

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cinnamon

2 tbsp Butter

Directions

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 Cup warm water in a large mixing bowl.

Scald mild and melt butter in it.  Add sugar and salt to milk mixture.  Let cool to 120 degrees and add beaten egg to milk mixture.

Add mild mixture to yeast and mix well, then add flour.  Let dough rise until double.

Punch down dough and roll out into 9x13 rectangle

Spread butter or margarine across rolled out dough

Cover with brown sugar and cinnamon

Roll up dough lengthwise into tight roll.

Slice dough into 1 inch slices

Place slices cut side up on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

###

At the end of Thanksgiving weekend, I hold onto the last little bits of fall before the holidays kick in.  It always seems that Christmas comes too early.  Even though Winter doesn't "officially" begin until December 21st ... snowflakes already grace store windows as garland.

So, in my last little ode to fall, I went on a little day trip with fellow Innkeepers Jim & Ana with the Mount Dora Historic Inn to a local corn maze.  A maize maze.  I thought getting lost in 6 acres of corn would be a great way to get outdoors, enjoy the weather and walk off all the tasty holiday indulgences.

It sounded quite easy, like kids play that we adults were just entertaining ourselves with.  Perhaps the gps in my car has made me too confident in my wayfinding skills, but that all changed when the stalks were 2 feet over our heads and every corner and twisted turn looked the same.  We really did get lost.  Good conversation with friends was the only thing that kept me from screaming out in a claustrophobic fit.  We got to talking about jobs we had before innkeeping and becoming serial entrepreneurs.  One of my first jobs was working in marketing for an agricultural association, so being ear-deep in corn (hehe) shouldn't have been so out of place for me.  One of the stories I shared with them was the time I was introduced to red-eye gravy.  It's a country thing, I guess.  Bacon grease and black coffee.  To be honest, I never actually tasted it.  I love bacon ... on my plate.  I love coffee ... in my cup.  But bacon and coffee mixed together.  Ew. I wrinkle my nose at the thought.  Perhaps I should be more open minded.  It is breakfast, after all.

Jim took this as a "challenge."  Picture an Einstein-mad-scientist-type, crazy hair, tongue sticking out with a wild look in his eye, groovy 70's music blaring, things bubbling, steam rising.   Now, picture that scientist in a chef's coat  and replace the lab with a kitchen ... except with clean cut hair ... but his tongue still sticking out.  Yeah.  That's Jim.  He loves experimenting a creating new things.  Especially when it comes to baking.  And I had just given him an idea.  A bacon and coffee infused dish.  Since were were lost in the middle of a corn field, I threw in the added ingredient of corn.  Poof.  Bam.  The idea was born.  A savory corn cupcake with bacon and coffee.  I didn't know whether to be intrigued or grossed out.

My first experience with a savory cupcake was in Oklahoma.  Yup.  Not some culinary capitol like Chicago or NYC.  The heartland.  Oklahoma.  So the fact that this idea was born in the middle of a farm shouldn't have surprised me at all.

The cupcake place we found in Oklahoma City was an adorable little cottage with the most perfect little cupcakes I'd ever seen.  They had red velvet, chocolate and classic vanilla.  They also had green tea cupcakes and a savory egg-y breakfast cupcake.  They were delish, so I unwrinkled my nose and accepted the bacon-coffee-corn-cupcake challenge.  It was a bake-off between me and Jim.  And I have to tell you in advance, his cupcake won!

The stars of this show ...

Do you hear the StarWars-like music?  Duuuuuun ... Dooooooon ... Da-DOOOOOON.  Bom Bom Bom Bom Bom Bom.

Corn ... check.

Bacon ... check.

Coffee ... hmm ...

Recently Marx Foods offered to send some free salt samples to food bloggers.  I sent in my info and got a little box of all kind of chef-y sounding flavors of salt.  Things I would never in a million years find at my local grocer.  My homesick NYC neighbors squealed in delight  that they could order gourmet-to-go direct to their doorstep as flavorful reminders of home.  I was just excited and inspired to try something new.

One of those flavors happened to be ... espresso salt.

Using espresso salt in a breakfast recipe may be uncreative or cliche ... but I'm a breakfast girl so that's the first place my mind will go.  I think my neighbors used it to season their steaks.  Yum.

On with the bake-off.

First, REAL bacon bits ...

Then, fresh white sweet corn from our local farm.  Did you know that corn has one "silk" hair per kernel?

Yup.  I learned that in the corn maze.

Also learned that it kinda looks like blonde barbie doll hair.

Or nose hair.  See ... this is why I'm no chef-y.  I get distracted and play with my food.

My mom says when I was a kid I used to call this "corn on the NOB" instead of "corn on the cob" because of the little corn nobs stuck into the ends.  Again ... playing with my food.

Hmm. Perhaps I should have pulled out a bigger cutting board?  Ya think?  Naaaah ... would of spoiled the fun.

This little bow saw knife made me feel like I was playing a violin ... again ... playing with my food.

CORN!

Fresh.  Uncooked.  Do not try to adjust the color on your screen.  This is not yellow corn ... but sweet white corn.

Mix together the dry ingredients (full list and recipe at the bottom of the post)

Now... I have a question for you.

I looked it up.

My photographer friend Jim looked it up.

We Googled it.

Still ... no answer ... on the history ... of what in the heck is a "Clabber" girl ... as opposed to just the name of some baking powder.  Looks like there'd be some historical story to it, but we couldn't find it.  If you know ... PLEASE TELL US!

Add your wet ingredients to a separate bowl ...

Oops.  I lied.  One "dry" ingredient goes into this "wet" bowl.  Sugar.

Some eggs.  Some Buttah'.  Some sour cream.  Jim added a lot of creamy things to this recipe.  Gives it a moist cake texture.  No classic cornbread here.

A spoonful of bacon grease.

A cap full of vanilla.

Blend.

Pour into dry ingredient bowl and "mix" ... not too much ... or they'll be tough.

Add the corn last.

Dollop into your cupcake/muffin pan.  This is where I went wrong.  I always use paper cups for easy servings and even easier clean up.  But these suckers stick to the paper like glue, so I would grease your cupcake/muffin tin and skip the paper.

Sprinkle with bacon bits and espresso salt to taste.  A sort of "red eye gravy" topping.  They're both SALTY SALTY SALTY ... but it contrasts nicely with the sweet and creamy cupcake.

Then bake!

This is also where Jim's cupcakes beat mine.  He made 6 big poofy ones.  Like a cupcake should look.  I made 12 ... so they came out kinda teeny.

And voila.  A savory corn red eye gravy cupcake.  It was EXCELLENT hot with eggs over easy.  However, I didn't like it cold.  This is not a cupcake to keep in a pastry display for everyone to grab on the go at room temperature.  This is an eat it hot and fresh for breakfast in the morning kind of meal.  A little weird, I do admit.  But it was fun to make!

Savory Corn Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

8 strips bacon, cooked, crisp & crumbled

1 1/2 cup corn

1 cup buttermilk

8 oz sour cream

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 stick of butter, melted

2 large eggs

1/4 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp bacon grease

1 capful vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 360 degrees.  Yes, that is 360, not 350.  Grease muffin pan.

2) Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt

3) Cream together eggs & sugar, then add bacon grease, butter, buttermilk, softened cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice.

4) Add to flour mixture along with corn and fold together until well blended.  Do not whisk.  Do not overmix.

5) Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and sprinkle with espresso salt and crumbled bacon.

6) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

7) Serve with eggs and enjoy!

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I love everything and anything orange.  It's my favorite color.  My favorite flavor.  My favorite scent.  I love it so much so that I can even be found popping up in an orange juice commercial for about 3 seconds.  If you see an ad for Florida's Orange Juice, don't blink, you'll see me!

So, when I opened up Pioneer Woman's new cookbook and found Marmalade Muffins, I nearly fell off the bar stool in my kitchen I was so excited.  Pairing my favorite flavor with a sweet morning breakfast treat ... now THAT's a happy moment.  Pioneer Woman is pretty much a household name in any food bloggie's world, but for those of you that have not yet had the delightful opportunity, click here for an introduction.  PW is one of the first blogs I ever read (if not THE first blog) and I always find her writing makes me smile.  I had the awesome opportunity to meet her live and in person at the BlogHer Food party in San Fran during our recent trip to the west coast.  Her new cookbook was a gift to attendees and between BlogHer and driving through Napa my waistline has grown at least an inch since that trip.  Good thing I've got  marathon training to slim it down again!

What was I saying before that long tangent and reminiscing about San Fran?  Ah ha!  Back to the orange muffins ... I was all ready to make them that very instant until I read an ingredient that I never keep in the house ... buttermilk.  I had a bad experience with it as a child.  When I was a little girl, I used to love drinking my grandmother's coffee cream.   She would keep it in a little tin creamer jar in the refrigerator and I would always sneak in a sip or two off the refreshing cold spout.  That is ... until she discovered what I was doing and realized my little 4 year old lips had inadvertently graced every single cup of coffee poured in the house!  Then she started putting the little tin creamer just out of my reach.  I thought I had outsmarted her once when I found what I thought was cream, but then took a big swig of buttermilk.  BLAAAAH!   After that, until I out grew my cream addiction, I only drank cream from the individual plastic thimble-sized versions in restaurants.

So, needless to say, buttermilk has never been a staple item in my refrigerator.  Now, Ree includes instructions for how to "make" buttermilk, or a substitute if you don't have it.  But I thought it was time I made amends.  Besides, I needed to get some fresh oranges.

Florida navel oranges are what's in season, and if you've never had a navel orange allow me to introduce you.

Some have "innies"

Some have "outties"

(And this one has a honker of one for sure.)

And that's why they call them "navel."

You'll notice that they're a little blemished.  Florida oranges usually are.  But what they lack in exterior skin perfection on the outside compared to their California cousins, they more than make up for inside with juicy sweetness.

While my grandmother was over at my house teaching me how to make Rhubarb Jam, we made a batch of these muffins too.

Here we go, starting with blending together the butter and sugar.  Nearly all of  PW's recipes have butter in them.  Quite frankly, I don't know how she stays so fit and trim.  But she does  live on a ranch and has 4 kids to raise ... so I imagine there is a lot of calorie burning opportunities there.

Now, just because they're described as "mini" muffins doesn't mean I had to pull out such a small bowl.  I probably just pulled it out of the cabinet because it was orange.  Sheesh. Have to transfer to something larger.  My grandmother is shaking her head giggling at me at this point and mouthing off some thing in French I can't understand.  :oP

We mixed together the dry ingredients ...

Added the buttermilk and other wet ingredients ...

Zested up some navels ...

And WOOOOOOW.

I've never worked with batter so "fluffy" before.  It's light and whipped and soft and creamy.  I'll have to try buttermilk in place of regular milk in some other recipes now too!

My grandmother couldn't help taking a taste ... caught orange handed!

Now, since PW made mini muffins, I thought I'd try out a new iron pan that my mom gave me over a YEAR ago!  Now so new, huh?

They look delish, but my grandmother shook her head and said, "Rachelle, there is too much in those."  I thought, how could a tablespoon of batter possibly be "too much?"  She was right though.  They sort of exploded into a gigantic pancake completely covering the pan and dripping over onto the bottom of my stove.  Thank goodness I had a cookie sheet there to catch the drippings!

So, we poured another batch in regular muffin cups and THOSE turned out delish!

Drizzled on top is a quick and easy topping of orange juice and brown sugar.  Next time though, I think I'll try this  citrus glaze that I used on scones before.  After all, you can never have enough orange!

In case you were wondering if you've ever seen me blip across your tube in an OJ commercial ... here's photographic evidence!  Just please don't associate me with flu season.  LOL!

This is me with Dave.  And yes, he's a real live bonafide Florida citrus grower.  SERIOUSLY!

And there's me.  In my orange shirt.  Told you I love the color.  But if I ever dye my hair carrot red/orange please tie me up and smack me silly.

Here's the scoop for PW's Marmalade Muffins!  I cant' wait to try the other comfort food yummies she has in her book. Yum!

Marmalade Muffin's from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

2 oranges

2 sticks of butter, sorftened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Directions

1) Grate the zest from both oranges.

2) Mix the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

3) Crack in the eggs and mix until well combined.

4) Sift and add your flour into the bowl and stir together using as few strokes as possible so the muffins aren't tough.

5) In a small cup or bowl, combine the buttermilk and baking soda.

6) Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin batter and mix until just combined.

7) Add the zest and mix until combined.

8) Grease 24 mini muffin tins (or 12 regular muffin tins) and fill 2/3's full with muffin batter.

9) Make for 12 to 17 minutes until golden brown.

10) While muffins are baking, prepare the glaze.  Juice the 2 oranges and add to the brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir until combined but don't worry about dissolving the sugar completely so that it will give it a grainy texture.

11) Drizzle the glaze over the muffins as soon as they're done.

Oooh and Aaaah.

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I had lunch with my friend Jimmy recently where we were both talking about our marathon/half-marathon training schedules.  I made the decision to make running a habit when I started baking and re-creating these fabulous (but sometimes fattening) breakfast recipes from Inns.  Jimmy decided to start running when his roommate moved in. You see, she's an aspiring pastry chef.  The girl can do things with fondant that I could only DREAM of trying out for pretend with playdoh. Oh, yeah, and she can make her own peanut butter cups ... from scratch!

Jimmy shared some of her fabulous photos (click here) with me and I invited her to write a guest post for Inn The Kitchen.  Something breakfasty, fall-related, and easy to make.

She sent me the following recipe and photo nibbles for her Apple Crostata.

ENJOY!

Yvie's Apple Crostata

Ingredients:

Dough

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Tbsp Granualted Sugar

¼ Fine Grain Salt

1 Stick Cold Unsalted Butter – Cubed

2 Tbsp Ice Water (possibly)

Filling

2 Large Apples (whatever you have on hand or prefer)

¼ tsp Orange or Lemon Zest

¼ Cup Flour

¼ Granulated Sugar (I used Vanilla Sugar that I’ve made)

¼ Fine Grain Salt

¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Dash of Allspice

Freshly Ground Nutmeg

4 Tbsp ( ½ stick) of Cold Unsalted Butter – Cubed

*1 Egg beaten w/ a tbsp of water for egg wash

Directions (For the Dough)

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Once mixed add cubed butter and pulse until the butter is combined and the dough resembles peas.

SLOWLY add the Iced Water – you may not need both tbsp.

Use just enough to bring the dough together.

Once mixed, turn dough out unto a floured surface and form into a disc.

Cover and refrigerate until firm (at least 1hour).

Once the dough has become firm, roll out into a 10 or 11-inch disc. Place this on parchment paper in a shallow sheet pan.

Directions (For the Filling & Crumb Topping)

While the dough is chilling – make your filling and crumb topping. Dice the apples and toss with the zest – place in refrigerator until ready to use.

In the food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg until all mixed. Once mixed, add the butter and pulse until just crumbly. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the dough has become firm, roll out into a 10 or 11-inch disc. Place this on parchment paper in a shallow sheet pan. Place the apple/zest filling in the center while leaving a 1 ½ - 2-inch border (this can be smaller or larger depending how thick you like your crust).

Top with crumb topping.  Fold crust over -- it's okay if some of this covers the apples at the edge. Brush the crust with the egg wash and then bake the crostata in a 450° oven for 20-25 minutes – just until the crust is golden brown.

You can serve the crostata as is or drizzle with a glaze – I drizzled some slices with a vanilla bean glaze and others with homemade caramel sauce. Yummy!!!

Check out more of Yvie's Treats here.

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I have several variations of pancake recipes in my inbox and it occurred to me that I need to add some instructions for making a classic pancake.  No, you don't need to run to your local grocer and buy some shake and pour.  Everything you need is probably already in your cupboard.  Take a look at how easy and simple it is to make a classic pancake.

Grab the following items out of your pantry:  Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.   Open your refrigerator door and pull out one single egg and your carton of milk.  Get a big mixing bowl out of your cabinet and let's get started.  This will take 5 minutes, tops.

First, pour all your dry ingredients into the bowl.  About 1 1/2 cups of flour, 2 tsp of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp of baking powder.

Then add the wet stuff ... about 1 1/2 cup of milk and an egg.  It makes the pancakes a bit fluffier when you beat the egg with a whisk ... you can do this quickly in a small bowl.

Mix together and pour onto a heated and greased/pammed/sprayed griddle.  In about 5 minutes, you'll have breakfast.  Got your syrup ready?

Let the pancakes get a lot of bubbles coming up to the surface and slightly cooked/dry around the edges before flipping.

And there you go.  Nice fluffy golden brown hot pancakes.  There are many, MANY variations.  I'll always refer back to this basic batter to start.

Classic Breakfast Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg (beaten)

1 1/2 cup milk

( A note about flour.  you can also nix the baking powder and use self rising flour for fluffier pancakes.)

Directions

1) Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  (Flour, baking powder, sugar, salt.)

2) Whisk egg in a small bowl and add to the above flour mixture along with the milk.

3) Stir together until well blended and pour onto a hot greased griddle.

4) Wait until pancakes are bubbling and cooked around the edges and flip.

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During the fall, I'll probably post several different variations of pumpkin flavored yummies. It's my favorite fall ingredient ... and my favorite color so I never tire of it. Each variation is a tad different. The Sweet Potato Muffins I posted earlier can also be made with pumpkin. They're a little more hearty and healthy, where this one is moist and decadent.

Inez with Christopher's Inn gave this recipe to me a few years back.  Her inn sort of becomes a factory for these things in October as she bakes them for her family, friends, church and anyone smart enough to take a loaf.

It has to be one of my favorite recipes because it's so easy.  Mix all the ingredients in one bowl and you've got a rich moist pumpkin bread without a whole lot of clean up.  I used to buy pumpkin bread mix at the store and just doctor it up with a few ingredients.  But no more!  Once you try this recipe and see how easy it is you'll add it to your seasonal holiday recipes too.

Here's what you'll need:

One can or about 14 ounces of pumpkin, 1 cup of oil, 3 cups of sugar (yes, I said 3 cups.  I didn't say this was healthy!),
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, one cup of chopped walnuts and  one cup of raisins.

This is just a little honorable mention to what makes this sooooooo good.  Spices. Mmm. Here's my little mountain range of goodness.  Don't sneeze.

Mix it all in one big ole bowl.

Big.

HUGE.

GIGANTIC.

If not, you're gonna have spillage.  Start with the dry stuff.

Flour ...

Sugar ...

Watch out ... you're getting ready to move mountains here ...

Gasp!  Huh!  What's this?  A second boooowl?  I lied!  This is supposed to be one bowl bread!  Well DARN!  I learned through making this a dozen times that whisking the eggs first helps them mix in a little easier.  But ... if you want ... you can just plop the eggs into the flour/sugar bowl and make it truly a one bowl recipe.  Just be sure to mix real good.  Like, until your arm falls off or your mixer smokes.  But I digress ... add the eggs whisked or not.

Then add your other wet ingredients including the pumpkin and oil.

See!  Even with one extra bowl for whipping eggs ... little mess.

Mix all your ingredients together before adding the walnuts and raisins.  They're a little chunkier, so we'll fold them in.   Just don't call them "chunky" to their face.  Food does have feelings too ya now.

I like to scrape the side with a spatula to make sure it's well blended and there are no powdery bits hanging out on the edge.  Look at that cool yin yang symbol I made!  Must be some left over zen from this morning's yoga class.

Next, add in your crunchy chunky bits ... the raisins and walnuts.  I started out with some finesse and then just ended up dumping the bowl into the batter.

Some may be asking ... what exactly is "folding."  Well, basically you scoop up the batter from the bottom and bring it up to the top/middle and squish it in. Repeat.  Repeat. Repeat. Until the raisins and nuts are pretty evenly dispersed.

Next, scoop into greased/floured bread pans.  I used one large bread baking stone and two little tin bread pans.  If I were only using the tin pans, it would make 4 loafs.

Good thing I had some help in the kitchen today 'cause my "big ole bowl" was a bit to heavy to lift when full of batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

This is the best part.  Singing loudly to Van Halen and "pre-washing" the bowl and utensils.

This is me catching my friend Beth stealing the spatula and keeping it all to herself.  What a mischievous little kitchen helper.  Or, she could just be flirting with her husband ... he's the one behind the camera.

This is my baby girl also doing a "pre-wash" of the floor.  No wonder she's turned into such a beggar!

After baking, let cool on a wire rack.

Slice thick portions and serve with butter.  This is almost like dessert.  YUM!

Ingredients & Directions

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