This recipe goes by many different names, and very few of them make any sense at all. Toad-in-a-hole, egg in a basket, one eyed eEgyptians; where did these bizarre titles come from? In my family it is called a hobo egg. I thought my dad had just made that up one day and we were odd for calling it that, but I just Googled “hobo egg” and apparently other people call it a hobo egg as well! Fancy that.

If you haven’t had this fantastic breakfast staple it is essentially an egg fried in the hole of a piece of bread. You get a runny fried egg and a piece of buttery toast to sop up the yolk all at once.

It may seem like a simple dish, but I thought it was fitting with Father’s Day coming up on Sunday. This was, and still is, one of my favorite quick breakfast meals and was one of my dad’s specialities.

When I was younger only my dad could make the hobo egg, it just wasn’t the same if someone else made it. Our shared love of breakfast is just one of the many things my dad and I have in common. If I had a quarter for every time my dad and I got into such an intense laughing fit simply because the other person was laughing and had to stop ten minutes later because our sides were ready to split open, well you get the idea.

Other than our identical sense of humor and his signature laugh, my dad is my rock. He is smart, generous, sensitive, ambitious and is the person I always look to for guidance. I love our close relationship and am so lucky to call him dad. So happy Father’s Day, dad, and thanks for making me special hobo eggs all those years ago!

Hobo Egg

 

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Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 slice of bread
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Using the rim of a glass or a round cookie cutter with a 2” diameter cut a circle out of the center of the slice of bread. Place the bread in the melted butter and let lightly brown a minute or two on each side.
2. Carefully crack an egg in the hole of the bread while in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes then carefully flip over. Cook until the egg is no longer jiggling, but still feels soft to the touch, about 3-4 minutes. You want to make sure the whites are cooked through, but the yolk is still runny.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I’m not sure why I love pancakes so much. Maybe it’s because you just mix everything in a big bowl, ladle it in a hot pan and next thing you know you’re chomping away on breakfast. Maybe it’s because the flavor combinations are endless and I love the possibilities they present.

But I have a strong feeling it’s because they are basically dessert and there is certainly no question I would eat dessert every meal if I could afford to buy new clothes each month. Think about the word pancakes. See it? Cakes made in a pan. Covered in maple syrup. Also known as sugar. And it’s acceptable to eat these for breakfast! The world is good!

I have several different lemon pancake recipes I enjoy so my love for citrus prompted me to try substituting orange. These orange buttermilk pancakes are light and fluffy with a bright orange flavor from the orange zest and juice.

I wanted a little something extra to complement the pancakes and came up with this toasted coconut butter. So yummy! The orange and coconut together is a tropical explosion of flavor that is so good on it’s own you don’t even need syrup. But go ahead and put some on anyways because when else can you pour sugar on a cake and eat it for breakfast?

Orange Pancakes with Toasted Coconut Butter

 

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Yield: 8-10 pancakes

Ingredients

for the toasted coconut butter

• 3 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

for the pancakes

• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon orange juice

Directions

for the toasted coconut butter

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shredded coconut in a single layer and stir in the skillet until the coconut is mostly browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.

for the pancakes

1. Rub the orange zest into the tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has turned a pale orange. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
3. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and orange sugar to the liquid mixture and stir until just combined. The batter is supposed to be lumpy so make sure you don't over-mix it.
4. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Melt some butter in the pan to coat it. When the butter is hot in the pan add ¼ cup of batter for however many pancakes will fit on your griddle or pan at one time.
5. When the top of the batter has started to bubble all over carefully flip the pancakes and for about 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Continue until all the batter has been used up.
6. Serve the pancakes with coconut butter and maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

The amount of pancakes will vary based on the size you make them.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Coffee cake is one of the many foods that reminds me of my grandma. I love the soft cake, sweet ribbons of cinnamon sugar and the icing coated top of my grandma’s coffee cake. When she lived with me she would make them regularly, even storing big slices in the freezer so I could pull them out and microwave them for 30 seconds for an after school snack. Although I’m reminded of my grandma because she was the one to bake the coffee cakes, I’m more reminded of the morning ritual that would occur.

As the first two people awake every morning my grandma and I would get to share some alone time. It was different than the alone time we would spend in the car on the way home from field hockey practice and different than the alone time we would spend during our weekly mall trips. The business of the day had not yet begun; the house was quiet and the mood in the kitchen was serene. Now when I go down to visit my grandma we usually get a little alone time, but it’s not that the same as those early kitchen mornings we used to have. The minute I tasted this pomegranate molasses coffee cake loaf I knew my grandma would approve.

Baking this coffee cake loaf could not be easier, but even if it required expert skill and extreme brain power I would still implore you to bake it because it is just that amazing. The cake is moist and perfectly spiced. And the crumble, yes please. I love my grandma’s icing, but I must confess that this crumble takes the cake. Literally. I could eat a plate of just the crumble topping.

I will have to bring my grandma a loaf the next time I visit, but in the meantime I will enjoy it myself and squirrel away big slices in the freezer for midmorning snacks.

Pomegranate Molasses Coffee Cake Loaf

 

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Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

for the cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the crumble

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper, lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil, molasses and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
4. Carefully stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the melted butter until just combined.
5. In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Using a fork of pastry blender cut in the butter until well combined.
6. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan then top with half the crumble mixture. Pour in the rest of the batter then top with the rest of the crumble mixture. Bake for 55 minutes or until the top is golden.
7. Remove the loaf from the oven then let cool in the pan for half an hour. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack for another hour.

Notes

*If you don't have buttermilk put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup then fill the rest of the way with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Any milk from skim to whole will work.
*Although the cake won't cut as well while it's still warm it's worth to cut a messy slice just to taste this baby while it's warm!

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I have a confession to make. I have never made french toast. Well, before today’s post of course. It had been sitting on my kitchen bucket list of fifty things I want to conquer in the kitchen for quite some time now so when Matt suggested making it I decided to rise to the challenge. Except it wasn’t a challenge at all! French toast is so simple that I cannot believe I put it off for so long.

Today’s creation is Nutella stuffed french toast with vanilla pecan butter. I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in. I had a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread sitting in the cabinet after making some other sweet treat I will be sharing with you in a few weeks. I was wondering how we should use it up so I wouldn’t succumb to eating the whole jar with a spoon and asked Matt what he thought we should do with it. Without hesitation he suggested making Nutella french toast and using up the leftover vanilla pecan butter from the pomegranate brussels sprouts. Genius! See why I love this guy? Well also for other reasons besides his knack for all things delicious and resourcefulness in the kitchen, but that’s not important right now.

What is important is that you grab some Nutella, crack a couple eggs and start making this french toast right now. Unless of course you’re at work or it’s the middle of the night and you are fresh out of chocolate hazelnut spread. Otherwise you have no excuse! At a friend’s house? They won’t mind if you borrow their kitchen for this dish. Dinnertime? Hello, ever heard of breakfast for dinner? In a canoe in the middle of a lake? Well what the heck are you doing reading my blog right now?

I used challah for my french toast, but you can really use any type of bread as long as it doesn’t have a lot of holes. Brioche is a popular choice because it has a high butter and egg content so it adds a nice richness to the dish. The thick slices of french toast slathered with creamy chocolate hazelnut spread and then griddled until crispy on the outside while still soft on the inside was enough to make me swoon. But then I added the butter speckled with real vanilla bean seeds and crunchy toasted pecans and I was in heaven. Complete breakfast or snack-time-dinner-time-just-not-canoe-time heaven. Enjoy!

Nutella Stuffed French Toast with Vanilla Pecan Butter

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

for the french toast

• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
• Cooking spray or 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 slices thick cut bread, challah or brioche suggested
• 6 tablespoons nutella, divided

for the vanilla pecan butter

• ¼ cup pecans
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Directions

for the french toast

1. In a shallow bowl large enough to fit the slices of bread beat the eggs with a fork or whisk. An 8” x 8” Pryex pan works well.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg then mix or whisk to combine.
3. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray or the tablespoon of butter.
4. Make a sandwich with 2 slices of the bread and 3 tablespoons of the nutella. Lay the sandwich flat in the prepared egg mixture and let sit for 1 minute. Flip the sandwich and let sit for another minute. Pick up the sandwich and let all the excess egg mixture drip off. If there is a lot of excess egg mixture that won’t drip off push off with the fork or whisk.
5. Place on the heated griddle or skillet. Let cook for 4 minutes, or until brown, then flip. Cook the other side for 4 minutes, or until brown. Remove from the heat and top with the vanilla pecan butter.
6. Repeat for the remaining serving.

for the vanilla pecan butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Evenly spread the pecans on a baking sheet and place in the oven until toasted, about 5 minutes. Once toasted, remove from the oven then chop once cool.
3. In a small bowl combine the butter and vanilla bean seeds then add the pecans. Stir until combined.

Notes

This makes a lot of extra vanilla pecan butter. Use it for more servings of french toast, to top pumpkin pancakes or to make the pomegranate molasses brussels sprouts posted a couple weeks ago.

3.2.1263

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

When weekdays often consist of grabbing a bagel on the way out the door or eating a yogurt at the office there’s something so satisfying about sitting down for a hearty Saturday breakfast. Growing up, weekend family breakfasts consisted of bacon, eggs and homemade pierogies. If you haven’t had the fortune of tasting a pierogi it is an outrageous potato and cheese dumpling, but that’s a story for another day.

Unfortunately, since living on my own I don’t have my grandma to stock my freezer with homemade pierogies and for the sake of my recently acquired slow adult metabolism I try to only keep bacon in my apartment for special occasions. But sometimes I wake up on a Saturday morning with an urge that can only be satisfied by a grand mid morning meal and pancakes have become my new savior.

Do you have some eggs, milk and a few essential baking ingredients? Boom! Pancakes! I tend to have leftover ingredients from my different kitchen experiments and I always end up having to be creative about using them. A few Saturdays ago I was staring at a half empty container of light sour cream in my fridge when a light bulb went off. I ran to my bookcase (okay, I probably walked), pulled out my Pioneer Woman cookbook and there it was: “Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes.”

If you’re sitting here reading this thinking, “Yuck! Sour cream pancakes?”, shame on you! These golden discs from the heavens are crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and have a nice lightness about them that you don’t get from regular pancakes.

More fridge staring inspired the addition of the blueberries. Berries are expensive so I didn’t want to just plop them in the pancake batter. If I was going to use these berries I was going to make them shine. This blueberry syrup is laughably easy, but the tartness of the berries mellowing out the sweetness of the syrup will take your pancakes to the next level. I used a combination of fresh and frozen blueberries so feel free to use whatever is staring at you from your fridge or freezer.

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

for the pancakes

• 1 cup sour cream
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries
• Butter

for the syrup

• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1½ cup blueberries

Directions

1. Put the sour cream in a medium mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
2. Stir together until just combined. The batter will be lumpy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the two eggs with the vanilla.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the sour cream and flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
5. Place a frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot melt a tablespoon of butter and wait for it to bubble.
6. When the butter is bubbling, pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Try not to overcrowd your pan; the amount of pancakes you can fit will depend on your pan's size. Leave some space between the pancakes as they will expand when you add the blueberries.
7. As soon as the batter is in the pan, place a small handful of blueberries on each pancake.
8. Cook until the pancake is covered with tiny bubbles on the top, then flip. Cook for another two minutes then remove from the pan.
9. Add some more butter and repeat with the remaining batter until you have cooked all your pancakes.
10. While the pancakes are cooking, make the syrup. Put the syrup and the blueberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let the syrup boil for 3 minutes then remove from the heat. Slightly mash the blueberries with a wooden spoon or potato masher, keeping some of the blueberries whole. Pour the syrup into a small pitcher and place on the table with the pancakes.

Notes

I add my blueberries to each pancake individually as I have noticed when I add them to the mixing bowl they all sink to the bottom. Adding individually means you get to be more precise, but it also does spread out the pancakes quite a bit so be cautious when determining how many pancakes will fit in your pan.

3.2.1255

Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments