Breakfast Goody: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I love cinnamon rolls. A plate of hot cinnamon rolls is so enticing to me. The tangy, creamy creamcheese on top of spiced nutmeg and cinnamon bread that unravels layer-by-layer is a complete delight!

I make them about once or twice a month but I think I'll be making them less now that I've discovered you can make instant pancakes that taste and feel just like cinnamon rolls!

These were a hit with me and Nick. Despite being a more buttery and sugary breakfast item, it didn't taste overwhelmingly sweet. It stayed solidly on the side of breakfast goody versus dessert splurge :)

These pretty pancakes are just a basic pancake batter and some butter+brown sugar+cinnamon mixture that you pipe onto the pancake before you flip!

The recipe is explained in detailed photos with helpful tips here: http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/03/01/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/

Happy 3-Day Weekend! We are looking forward to two beach day's and a kayaking trip! I can't wait to get off my sedentary architect's butt and get some sun and activity :)

Umami-Flavored Burger

It seems like my burger learning curve is still on the rise! I have not reached a plateau yet, which is exciting. I’m getting better at timing the toasting of the buns, the cooking of the toppings, and the grilling of the patties so that every component finishes at the same time and is hot! I’m getting better at making medium to medium rare cooked patties (versus rare…). I’m getting better at packing the patties so that after they cook and shrink in, they’re still the right/perfect size for the bun. And I’m getting better at flavoring them!

Last night we ate what were probably the best burgers I’ve made at home. Better than the Old-Fashioned, Spicy Jalapeno Kick burgers, the Hoisin burgers, the Tandoori Chicken Burgers, Sticky Lemongrass Burgers, these Umami burgers were seasoned simply with fish sauce as the main ingredient. If you are scared of using fish sauce, stop. It may smell stinky but once it's cooked, it's soooo delicious. It lends a complex salty flavor to many dishes like Pad Thai, Bun Thit Nuong, and I add a dash of it to most of my asian curries. Fish sauce is your friend! 

I also used grass-fed ground beef from Trader Joe’s. Totally worth it. I can definitely tell when I spend money on my meat and this was no exception.

Umami-Flavored Burger

• 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• Toppings (see below for what I used)
• 2 hamburger buns

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together and from into two patties. Marinade for at least 20 minutes.

2. Heat some oil on a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add patties once the oil starts to smoke. Cook 3 minutes and flip. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes with the lid on. 

3.While the burgers are cooking on the second side, saute thinly sliced onions, sliced bell peppers, and toast the buns with cheese on them (I used white cheddar). 

4. Build your burger and eat ravenously! I also topped the burgers with spicy mayo (1 tsp sriracha to 1 Tbsp mayo) and Romaine lettuce. 

Recipe adapted from: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/best-umami-hamburger-recipe/

Saag Aloo

It's surprising to me that I mainly cook Thai, Indian, and Vietnamese dishes. The last one makes sense because I grew up with it but even I never once cooked it until a few years ago when I was living on my own. The Thai and Indian are even more surprising and not what I would expect would be my favorite cuisines to make on a weekly basis. I grew up on excellent Mexican food, and ate out for Italian quite often so it would make sense to gravitate towards the familiar. Granted, Italian makes an appearance quite often on our dinner table in the format of pizza, but pastas are not so regular because they tend to be heavy meals (heavy on the meat and the carbs). And that is precisely why we gravitate towards Indian and Thai and Vietnamese. The cuisines are full of one-dish wonders that are balanced when it comes to food groups (grains, meat, veggies) and full of spice and flavor.

I made this last night for our lunchbox today and was surprised by how tasty it was despite it's simplicity. I event forewent a bunch of steps (and doubled the spices).

Picture from The Culinary Chronicles. I ate mine before I photographed it. Oops.

Saag Aloo

• 1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 thai chile, stemmed
• 8 cups of spinach, chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 pinches of cayenne (about ½ tsp for me)
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

1. Add about 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil to a pan and heat on medium-high. Throw the chile, garlic, and ginger into a food processor and blend until chopped. Add water to create a paste. Throw the paste into your pan with the diced potatoes. Fry until the potatoes appear translucent on all sides.
2. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring continuously. Add the heavy cream, garam masala, and cayenne. Cook with a lid for 10 minutes or until spinach and potatoes are thoroughly cooked through.
3. Serve with basmati rice or naan!

Adapted from: http://theculinarychronicles.com/2011/03/18/saag-aloo-spinach-and-potatoes-curry/

Breakfast Goody: Sticky Lemon Rolls

I’ve wanted to make these sticky lemon rolls for a while but I knew it’d be a process and I haven’t had a free evening in weeks. Some plans fell through at the last minute the other night, and it was definitely a blessing in disguise. I have been missing my daily baking routine so much and leapt at the chance to make something more involved than just cookies or bars or pancakes.

I loved working with the dough in this recipe. In the moments of kneading and mixing by hand (yes, I still mix by hand) I feel an earthy connection with my food. I can’t explain it very well but it makes me feel very, very happy and peaceful. When I have a stressful day, you’ll often see me in the kitchen baking 3-4 things at once. There is flour everything and I’m running from counter to pantry to fridge in what looks like a harried state but I’m actually in the zone, calm, focused. I wasn’t feeling the least bit stressed the other night but somehow managed to reach another level of calm by making these rolls.

You can see the specks of nutmeg!

Again, these take time. You knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand and let it rise for one hour. Then you roll the dough and cut it into individual rolls and let that rise for another hour. THEN you may bake for 45 minutes. Finally, you top with a creamcheesy icing and some final lemon zest. It’s laborious but the product is pure magic.

They really doubled in size! They get huge :P

There’s a sugary-lemon paste that goes inside the rolls instead of your usual cinnamon-sugar mixture and it was divine. The hints of ginger and nutmeg made it even more nuanced (and not too sweet, mind you!).

The Kitchn does a superb job of illustrating and describing the steps so I totally defer to them.

Recipe from The Kitchn: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sticky-lemon-rolls-with-111307

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Thai Beef Curry and Salted Almond Ice Cream

I make a lot of Thai curry at home. It’s so fast and healthy. You just need the curry paste, a can of coconut milk, and whatever protein and veggies you like! Served with brown rice, it’s hearty, flavorful, and just so satisfying.

I usually just follow the Mae Ploy curry paste instructions of curry paste plus a can of coconut milk and as I said, it’s fantastic. But a recipe I recently found on the side of a coconut milk can really took our usual curry to the next level of greatness. If I plot effort put in to a meal versus enjoyment derived from it on a graph, the slope starts to curve back down once input reaches a certain amount. The pleasure of the finished product isn’t quite worth the effort (hence, I don’t make a lot of fancy meals like coq au vin or other things that require a lot of time. But I WILL make ice cream because I can enjoy it many times after it’s done). The extra effort involved in making Pa-Naeng Neua was quite worth it because the effort was small but the results phenomenal!

This was the best curry I’ve tried at restaurant or home. I hope you’re convinced enough to make it!

Pa-Naeng Neua  (beef curried in sweet peanut sauce)

• ¾ - 1 lb of beef or chicken (I used chicken this time)
• 2 cups of coconut milk (I just use one can)
• 1 thinly sliced thai red chili
• ½ cup of ground roasted peanuts (I skipped the roasting)
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 ½ Tbsp fish sauce
• ¼ cup of fresh basil
• 3 Tbsp of red curry paste
• Veggies of choice – I used 1 bell pepper, ½ onion, chopped

1. Put 1 cup of coconut milk over medium heat until some of the oil surfaces. Add the curry paste and slowly bring to a oil, stirring constantly.
2. Cut the meat in strips and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining cup of coconut milk and veggies.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the kaffir lime and basil leaves. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Add the limes, sweet basil, and remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Taken from a Coconut Milk can :- ) Don’t think that it’s too sweet from the description either; it has quite the kick to it!

Speaking of ice cream, a great ice cream to go with curried beef in peanut sauce was Salted Almond ice cream! The cool taste of ice cream was a perfect compliment to the hot and spicy curry.

I enjoyed this ice cream but will not be making it again. The ice cream base was basically vanilla flavored with a tiny hint of almond from the almond extract. I wanted something more strongly salted like salted caramel. But nothing compares to salted caramel so I shouldn’t have been disappointed. I will, however, make caramelized almonds again to snack on. They are addictive.

Recipe from The Kitchn: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-salted-almond-ice-cream-145399

A Meal to Remember

I’ve made quite a few Thai steak salads before (like this one from the Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/grilled-thai-beef-salad-recipe/index.html) and we’ve always loved them. They’re full of flavor both from the fish sauce-lime-chilies dressing and from the multitude of herbs that are thrown into the salad like Thai basil, mint, and cilantro. Like most Southeast Asian dishes, it’s also very healthy and it’s a great way to eat steak if you’re not in the mood to eat a big, buttery hunk of filet mignon (I can’t think of a time when I would NOT want that though).

This particular recipe was stellar. Nick and I thought it was one of the Top 10 dishes I’ve made at home. It was super spicy and tangy but oh so flavorful. I liked that the dressing was a mixture of fish sauce-lime-vinegar *and* the meat’s juices after the steak had been seared. Definitely a genius idea. I followed the recipe exactly and I was impressed that the steak turned out perfectly medium rare without having to go into the oven as well. Oh, and roasted garlic slices – that’s something I want to top ALL my salads with (and eat as a snack if only it didn’t give me such terrible breath)!

Thai Steak Salad

·         3 Tbsp brown sugar

·         3-4 Tbsp of fish sauce, to taste

·         2-3 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or more to taste

·         Two 1-inch thick hanger steaks about 7 oz each

·         Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         2 Tbsp of Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

·         4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·         1 ½ inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

·         6 fresh Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

·         2 fresh long red or green chiles, such as Anaheim or Hungarian Wax (I used Anaheim)

·         1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

·         ½ cup of Thai basil leaves or 1/3 cup mint leaves and 2 Tbsp of small basil leaves

·         ½ cup cilantro

1. In a small bowl, stir the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice together. Adjust to make it sweeter, saltier, or tangier. I thought it was just right.
2. Generously season each side of each steak with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it’s smoking or about 2 minutes. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the steaks. Cook for 10 minutes or until browned, then flip and cook another 6 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add rice wine, and use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape up the browned bits. Add the garlic ginger, and chilies, return the pan to the burner and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
4. Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain (about ¼” thick). Toss the steak with the pan sauce and the sugar-lime sauce. Add onion, cilantro, and basil and toss.

Delicious!! http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/chefs_recipes/8335

I thought a fun drink was quite appropriate for the spectacular dish and this lime-based cocktail with basil was a perfect partner to the salad.

Blueberry Basil Margaritas

• 2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 oz fresh blueberries
• 4 basil leaves
• 3 oz reposado tequila
• 1 ½ oz triple sec
• 1 oz agave syrup

1. Mix juices and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Muddle with 4 blueberries and the basil leaves. Add tequila, Grand Marnier, and agave.
2. Pour into a shaker and fill with ice and shake.
3. Strain into a glass filled with ice and garnish with more blueberries and basil.

Adapted from: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Blueberry-Basil-Margarita

Finally, dessert. I LOVED this recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream because I didn't need to labor over a custard (egg yolks, cream, and milk being stirred continuously over low heat); I simply mixed creamcheese, lots of fresh strawberries, milk, sugar, etc. in a blender and tossed that into an ice cream maker! Fast and easy and delicious with bits of fresh strawberries and crushed graham crackers in the mix as well! :D

I followed the recipe below without chocolate-fying the graham crackers (just threw them in in their purest form). 

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/strawberry-cheesecake-ice-cream/

Ah, a meal I will look back at fondly for a long while yet :) What a delight!

Breakfast Goodies: Lime Poppyseed Muffins and Breakfast Bars

Lately, our mornings have been hectic. We typically have one or two mornings that are not filled with workout class or coffee dates with our friends, and we treasure them. It's a time for Nick to make his delicious bialetti coffee and for me to make fried egg sandwiches. We have been running out the door at different times more often than not, and I've had to rely on muffins and breakfast bars as more than just an afternoon tea time snack. They really do need to tide us over for 6 hours until lunch!

Suffice it to say that these Lime Poppyseed muffins didn't fill us up as much as the breakfast bars but they were awesome nonetheless. They remain one of my favorite muffin flavors!

Lime Poppyseed Muffins

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup of butter, melted and cooled
• 1 Tbsp lime zest
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 Tbsp of poppyseeds

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together including the poppyseeds. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together. Beat in butter, zest, and juice. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.
3. Divide evenly into prepared muffin liners and bake for 15-18 minutes.

Adapted from. http://bakingbites.com/2009/01/lime-poppy-seed-muffins/

I've mentioned before that I didn't like peanut butter for a looong time. Until I was 24. I never had the need to eat peanut butter because my mom prepared all my meals growing up including gourmet snacks (so I didn't need a quick peanut butter and celery snack or a PB&J sandwich). I didn't feel like I was missing out until I had a grilled PB&J sandwich with natural peanut butter, fresh strawberry jam, and whole grain toast. Then, I was in love and ate that same sandwich in the morning for months. 

This is a great, portable, easy-to-make version of that sandwich. It's filled with oats and mashed bananas and is pretty light yet filling. 

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Bars

• 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats     
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/s tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup of soy milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large mashed banana
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in vanilla, milk, and egg. Combine with mashed banana and peanut butter.
2. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. 

Recipe from: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2012/07/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-breakfast.html#.UDKtN6llRlQ

Easy! I kept these in the fridge since it's been warm and breads are getting moldy easily. Ew. 

I have some really good Thai recipes to share this week so check back soon! 

Chicken Pesto Tart and Mint Juleps

This is a low-hassle dinner that tastes pretty gourmet. The hulk of the labor is taken out because of the frozen puff pastry (only available during the holidays at Trader Joe's, sadly).

Chicken Pesto Tart

• 1 package of frozen puff pastry
• 1 chicken breast, diced and cooked (in salt and pepper and a little olive oil)
• 2-3 Tbsp homemade or storebought pesto (I always have some from Trader Joe's for my fried egg sandwiches in the morning) 
• 1 cup of mozzarella
• 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan
• 1 bulb of garlic or 1 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1. Remove puff pastry from freezer and set at room temperature 30 minutes prior to cooking. 

2 Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast the garlic cloves on a tray for 20 minutes. 

3. Lay puff pastry onto parchment lined pan and press seams or edges to create one smooth crust. Spread pesto over tart, sprinkle garlic cloves, top with chicken, and then evenly sprinkle the cheese.

4. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned. 

That's it, folks! We used both sheets of puff pastry and it made enough for 2 meals for both of us. Very tasty! You can add more veggies on top (heirloom tomatoes anyone?) to make it a little less heavy. 

I served these with some mint juleps because we've been having some really hot evenings. It was perfectly easy and cooling! 

Mint Julep

• 4 fresh mint sprigs
• 2 1/2 oz of bourbon whiskey (we used Bulleit)
• 1 tsp of powdered sugar
• 2 tsp of water

1. Muddle mint leaves, water, and powdered sugar in a collins glass (if you have one but any glass will do). 

2. Fill with shaved ice. Top with whiskey. Garnish with mint leaves.

We love enjoying a cocktail or two with dinner. Feels so classy and refreshing! I highly recommend it :) 

Orange Sesame Stir Fry Noodles

This was an easy dish to make for our lunchboxes one week. It’s very similar to one of Nick’s favorite dishes (Spicy Orange Noodles).

Orange Sesame Stir Fry

• ½ lb rice noodles
• 1 cup of cooked chicken
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbsp tamari
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ¼ purple onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup cilantro

1. Cook rice noodles according to package (I cook it on the lower end of the suggestion…if it says 6-8 minutes then veer towards 6 so the noodles are al dente).
2. Mix orange zest, juice, tamari, honey in a bowl. Heat 2 Tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and add green onions, onions, red bell peppers and lightly brown. Then add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Mix in the orange sauce. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
3. Remove from heat and pour over the noodles. Top with cooked chicken and cilantro. 

Recipe adapted from: http://adrienneats.blogspot.

com/search?updated-max=2012-
03-23T08:32:00-04:00

You can use whatever veggies you want for this stir fry. I thought it could use a little spice from sriracha so feel free to add that or red pepper flakes (or if you’re really looking for some heat, thai chilies)!

Breakfast Goody: Peach Oatmeal Muffin

Happy Friday! We have white water rafting and a beach day ahead of us :) What's on your plate?

Here are some simple, not-so-sweet, rustic peach oatmeal muffins. I used white whole wheat flour from Trader Joe's. Filling!

Peach Oatmeal Muffins

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup of oats
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 peaches, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the dry ingredients and stir in oats and peaches.
2. Mix together eggs, oil, and milk and stir in flour gently until just combined.
3. Pour into muffin pan lined with muffin paper cups.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Adapted from: http://www.food.com/recipe/peach-oatmeal-muffins-272309

Pork Meatballs Banh Mi

There are a few homemade meals that stand out above the rest for me. Shortcut pork banh mi from New York Times was one of them and I was delightfully surprised to find that the pork meatball banh mi recipe I used for our housewarming party was a close second. The meatballs are moist and full of flavor (thanks to garlic, cilantro, basil, fish sauce, and more Vietnamese goodness) and my mom brought me some headcheese, cha gio (Vietnamese pork sausage), pickled carrots and radish, French butter, and freshly made pate to add even more items for our guests to build their Banh Mi with. Add some final accoutrements like cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeno and we had some LOADED, fresh, brightly flavored, and delicious sandwiches.

I made 5x as much as the recipe calls for (makes about 3 trays) and bought Lean Ground Pork from Ralph’s for $5/lb. There was plenty to go around for 20 people (I expected 25 to come so it probably would have been just enough if everyone showed up).  The Ralph’s packaged ground pork was organic but I wonder if I could find it somewhere else for slightly cheaper and more fresh. I still haven’t located a new butcher on the west side and occasionally go to The Grove during my lunch break for quality meats. If you know of any in West LA, let me know!

The meatballs take a bit of time with the searing and the time in the oven but it went by faster than I expected! I was glad to see everyone go for the weird Vietnamese cold cuts (namely the headcheese and the pork sausage). I have always enjoyed eating them but didn’t expect everyone else to be so adventurous! Yay for foodie friends in LA who embraced our Build-Your-Own-Banh-Mi Bar! 

I followed the recipe exactly from here: http://notwithoutsalt.com/2011/04/13/banh-mi-with-pork-meatballs/

Oh, and if you really want to know what headcheese is, go here: http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2010/02/gio-thu-vietnamese-head-cheese.html

A Twist on Classics: Lemon Cranberry Bar and Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts because they’re so refreshing, light, and fruity (probably my top three criteria for desserts (salted caramel bars are a total outlier)). Until now, I spent time fine tuning my lemon bar recipe by creating the ideal ratio of shortbread to curd (1:1 in my opinion) and creating a lemon filling that was more tart than sweet. Then I stumbled upon this rather ingenious twist on the classic lemon bar that has a layer of cranberries in between the shortbread and the lemon filling. Fantastic idea. It adds a very welcome and natural layer of deliciousness without being intrusive.

Martha Stewart's Lemon Cranberry Squares

http://www.marthastewart.com/313179/cranberry-lemon-squares

I like to make Zingerman’s Funky Chunky Dark Chocolate cookies for Nick almost every week. They’re his go-to lunchbox dessert and even though I’ve probably tried at least 2 dozen other chocolate chip cookie recipes (New York Times, David Leibovitz, Tollhouse, Real Simple, All Recipes Soft Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies, JacqueTorres, King Arthur Flour and many more!), they’re still the household favorite. Salty and sweet, soft on the inside yet sturdy and cracked on the outside, with a 1:2 ratio of chocolate to dough, Zingerman’s trumps other cookies by a longshot. However, this twist on the chocolate chip classic comes close! It’s made entirely with whole wheat flour which helps it fall into the category of not too sweet and more rustic and hearty. It’s still a little sweeter than Zingerman’s but I bet I could adjust the recipe. A definite keeper. It makes a lot too – I was able to freeze 16 and hope Nick doesn’t find them after he finishes the other 16. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Amateur Gourmet:

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2011/10/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Gourmet Breakfast Treats: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread and Strawberry Nutella Pop Tarts

The older I get, the more I realize I'm not actually a dessert fan, despite worldwide beliefs to the contrary. I am far and away a breakfast-dessert person. I love the occasional fancy dessert like tiramisu, fruit tart, macaron, or pavlova but I don't indulge in those more than once a week since they're a bit difficult to make or locate. On a more regular basis, I'll overdose on rice krispies treats and frozen yogurt but my dessert repertoire is conservative compared to my breakfast-dessert vault. For breakfast, teatime snack, AND for dessert after dinner, I tend to drift towards things like muffins, scones, sweet breads and rolls, and I'll even eat a leftover pancake or waffle when I come home from work and wait for Nick to arrive. Breakfast goodies, as I like to call them on this blog, totally satisfy my carb cravings.

Lately, I've been eating cinnamon raisin swirl toast with butter and sugar on top and some Strawberry Nutella pop tarts. These are definitely "gourmet" snacks for me and I love having them around the house. The cinnamon raisin toast is actually not that time-consuming (most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to double in size) and makes two long-lasting rolls. And the Strawberry Nutella pop tarts were a cinch with pre-made pie dough. 

One of the rolls before it goes in the oven! So plush and cute! 

Toasted and delicious! 

Again, as is often the case with The Kitchn, there are no better instructions than theirs. See pictures and detailed instructions here: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-cinnamonraisin-swi-156018

The pop tarts recipe is my own and super easy.

Strawberry Nutella Pop Tarts 

• One package of frozen pie crust (from Trader Joe's)
• Jar of strawberry jam
• Nutella 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp water 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Unfreeze dough according to package instructions. Roll on a floured surface to a rectangle about 1/16" thick. 

2. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles (I did 2 rows of 3). Repeat with other piece of dough. 

3. Place half the cut pieces onto parchment-lined baking trays. Scoop about 1 Tbsp of jam and 1 Tbsp of nutella onto each rectangle and spread on each rectangle, leaving about 1" border around the nutella/jam mixture. 

4. Lay another rectangle on top and lightly seal the edges with your finger by pressing down. Use a fork to crimp the edges and further seal the pop tarts. 

5. Mix egg and water together and brush generously on top of each pop tart.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

Voila! Yummy pop tarts. I made 12 that disappeared super quickly at a movie picnic we went to. Will have to make some more for a secret stash at home :)