Welcome to my favorite breakfast. I love waffles. I love how they fill the whole house with their unmistakable aroma. I love how pretty they look stacked on a plate. I love how easy they are to make (I read the paper while I wait for each one). I especially love how many flavors you can create from them.
My most recent favorite: pumpkin waffles loaded with spice and topped with fluffy, sweet vanilla whipped cream. Just thinking about them makes me want to run to my kitchen and start making a batch.

They taste so delicately sweet, so light, and so luscious that you’ll want to feel guilty. But you can’t. This bliss is made with “Super Food” pumpkin, healthy whole grains, and lots of joyful spices to make your heart happy.

Made with fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, these spicy waffles will beckon you to settle in for a while. Savor the morning, and the flavors, as you linger with family or friends. Sit back. Close your eyes. And wait for heaven to blanket you in soft, splendid bites of perhaps the best. waffles. ever!

Pumpkin Waffles with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup oat bran
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon spiced rum
¼ cup canola oil

Vanilla Whipped Cream
1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Additional ingredients:
Grade B organic maple syrup

Farmers’ Market Fare: Walnuts, eggs
Local California ingredients: buttermilk, cream
Non-local supermarket ingredients: flours, oat bran, sugar, spices, salt, baking powder and soda, pumpkin puree (unless you can your own), vanilla extract, rum, maple syrup

Preheat waffle iron. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a large, metal bowl in the freezer (to be used later to make vanilla whipped cream).

In a large bowl, combine the flour and the following 11 dry ingredients (ending with baking soda). Stir with a whisk to combine. Form a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, rum, and canola oil with a whisk.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with the whisk until combined. The batter will be thick.

Lightly spray your waffle iron with nonstick spray. Pour about 2/3 cup of the waffle batter onto the waffle iron. Close the lid and cook the waffle according to the instructions in your waffle iron. When each waffle has baked until golden, place it directly on the oven rack in a single layer in your preheated oven.

Remove metal bowl from freezer. Pour heavy whipping cream into the bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until soft peaks begin to form. Add the vanilla extract and sugar. Resume beating on medium speed until firm peaks form.

When all the waffles are ready, serve them with a dollop of whipped cream on top and maple syrup on the side. Try not to die from over-enjoyment.

If you have leftover waffles, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack in a single layer. (If you stack them, they’ll turn soggy.) Store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also store leftover whipped cream in a jar in the fridge for later use.

Makes about 9 fluffy waffles.

Labels: breakfast, California ingredients, farmers market ingredients, pumpkin waffle recipe, pumpkin waffles, Sacramento recipe, vanilla whipped cream, waffle recipe, waffles, whipped cream recipe

Nothing feels more satisfying than waking up on a cold morning and wrapping your hands around a steaming bowl of oatmeal. As your fingers warm, your tummy does, too. It’s the feeling of sitting inside Grandma’s kitchen where the morning isn’t rushed, plans for the day are revealed, and news from the paper is discussed. All this comfort in a cup of oats.

Yet, there’s so much more to oatmeal than mere comfort. It can save you time, money, and improve your health, too. All this in a simple cup of oats.

My husband and I used to dine regularly on cold cereal and milk each morning. I might have slept in while he gobbled down his ingredients. When I was finally situated with my own bowl, he was off to the shower. Since switching to oatmeal, we share our mornings together while reading the paper. To me, that’s worth the extra ten minutes to prepare it.

We switched to oatmeal in a creative move to address two concerns: 1) our household budget in a crummy economy, and 2) a cholesterol test that showed my husband’s points were too high. The easy answer to both these dilemmas: oatmeal!

Thanks to cereal commercials, most folks know about the cholesterol-fighting power of oats. Yet, I never thought twice about its financial benefits when purchased in raw form.

When we were eating cereal, we were paying about $3 per box. My husband would eat two boxes per week, and I would eat one box of my own. Once you factor in the cost of organic milk (a “luxury” item we refuse to skimp on—we don’t want extra hormones and antibiotics floating around our bodies), that’s another $6.50 per week, and a gallon would hardly get us from Monday to Sunday. That’s about $16 each week just on our morning breakfast.

In addition to the high dollar cost, I also noticed that most cereals are loaded with extra sugars and preservatives—even the “healthy” kinds. For example, a toasted rice cereal with zero grams of fiber and no whole grains contains four grams of sugar. When eating cereal, I normally opt for cereals with high fiber and whole grains. Yet, many of these contain 20 or more grams of sugar. They also contain ingredients like “emulsifiers.” I’m not sure how those work inside my body, but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to eat them if I don’t have to.

Put the health and budget concerns together, and oatmeal is starting to sound like a brilliant solution! My husband and I used to prepare oatmeal on the weekends as a treat like others might prepare pancakes. Adding it to our daily routine would feel special every day of the week.

Although I’m shopping on a budget, I don’t have to skimp on my oatmeal. Here is my comparison of cereal versus oatmeal costs per week:

Cereal:
Milk, $.650
3 boxes cereal, $9
TOTAL: $15.50

Oatmeal:
Water, $0
2-lb package oat bran, $3 (lasts two weeks, so $1.50/week)
Raisins, $2.50 (lasts two weeks, so $1.25/week)
½-lb walnuts from farmers’ market, $3
Brown sugar, $1/week
Cinnamon, $1/week
TOTAL: $7.75

I save $31 each month just by switching to oatmeal. And I consider my oatmeal pretty fancy. Most folks would be happy without the nuts and cinnamon, but I’m just gourmet like that.

Altogether, I’m spending far less money, yet buying high quality ingredients—without any funky preservatives. I control the quality of my breakfast and share a warm meal with my husband every morning.

On top of the savings, we’re starting the day right with lots of healthy fiber. I stay full longer, so I eat a smaller lunch, and I just feel darn satisfied after my breakfast.

I’ve also figured out a way to save time each morning. I don’t wait for oats to simmer on the stovetop, and I don’t have to wash a pan. With oat bran, the steps are quick and easy (instant, really), and breakfast can be prepared right in a cereal bowl (this also makes it easy for folks to individualize their own).

I also love oatmeal because it’s such a versatile canvas. If I’ve made a pumpkin dessert over the weekend and have extra pumpkin puree, I will stir the leftover into my oatmeal during the week. If I run out of cinnamon, I’ll use cloves or cardamom to spice up my morning. I’ve added coconut and ginger for a fresh flavor. I’ve added peanut butter for a heartier morning. I also add slices of whatever fruit is in season. You can throw in wheat germ, corn meal, or any other grain you like. Breakfast is never boring with oatmeal, and it’s extremely hard to mess up.

I would never have imagined so much depth was wrapped up in a cup of oats. Yet, each morning I look into my steaming bowl and feel comfort. I know my husband is healthier (he doesn’t have high cholesterol any more). I am healthier. Our pocketbooks are fuller. And our morning starts off richer. All this in a cup of oats.

Homemade Quick Oatmeal
½ to 1 cup boiling water (depending on how moist you like your oatmeal)
1/3 cup oat bran
¼ cup chopped local walnuts
1 heaping Tablespoon organic raisins
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon—add more if you like it spicier. (I do.)
½ Tablespoon organic brown sugar
Splash of whole grain milk, organic milk, whatever you drink; (eggnog is yummy at the holidays)

The amounts listed above serve one person. If you’re cooking for two, double it. And so on.

First, I boil about two cups of water in my tea pot. The water needs to boil. If it’s just lukewarm the oats won’t set and it will be soupy.

While the water heats, I fill two bowls (one for me, one for the husbo), each with the above-listed amounts of oat bran, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon. I mix the ingredients together in each bowl while they are dry. This prevents the oat bran from clumping when I add the hot water.

I pour the boiled water into one bowl of oat mixture and stir, and then repeat in the second bowl. I top them each with a splash of milk (and sometimes more water) until I get the consistency I like. I sprinkle a little brown sugar on top (add this last, because it can slow the oats from setting if you add it too soon), and we’re ready to eat! No pans to clean up, no time wasted over a hot stove. It’s faster than quick oats and contains a heck of a lot more fiber.

If you’re traveling, you can make this ahead and pack it in individual containers. All you need is boiling water to add, and you’ve got a healthy breakfast no matter where you are!

Labels: breakfast, cereal, cholesterol, fiber, healthy, low-budget breakfast, nuts, oat bran, oat bran recipe, oatmeal, oatmeal recipe, oats, saving money

Christmas eating is best when steeped in tradition! That’s why I woke up Christmas morning and decided to do what I had fond memories of experiencing as a youngin’: eating aebleskivers! These are tiny Danish pancakes that my family (of Scandinavian heritage) used to make during the holidays. Technically, they should be made with apples (hence, the “aeble” meaning “apple”), but that’s not how Grandma made them. Hers were filled with currants and dipped in sugar like a donut hole. Growing up, the family would all crowd around the kitchen table while Grandma and her sister stood over the stove turning out the tiny, warm pancake balls as fast as we could eat them.

A few years ago, Grandma sent me one of her aebleskiver cast iron pans as a Christmas present. Recreating the tradition always seemed daunting. What if they didn’t turn out right? What if I burned them and ruined the memory?—on Christmas morning, no less! Fear prevented me removing the pan from its box… until this year.

On this Christmas morning, the warmth of the memory and my need to recreate it were stronger than my minor fears. I pulled the heavy box down from storage, confidently scanned the recipe, and began to measure my ingredients.

But wait? Having lived in Denmark for a year, I know that “aeble” means “apple,” but I didn’t recall Grandma’s recipe using any applesauce, which the recipe with the pan required. Was my memory foggy? I seemed to remember bits of raisin in there. I dug in my recipe box, the sacred place where I keep all the hand-written recipes passed down from Mom and Grandma. Her aebleskiver recipe was nowhere to be found.

Puzzled, I grabbed the phone and called Grandma.

“Oh, you’re making fudgins!” she exclaimed. I hadn’t remembered calling them that. It’s funny how memory plays tricks on you.

Grandma confirmed my hunch about raisins in my pastries. However, she explained that they had been currants, not raisins. That actually made more sense, because I remember the pancake being generously studded with them, and I wasn’t sure how many raisins would realistically fit in such a tiny golf ball-sized treat.

Grandma also confirmed that I should use a fondue fork to flip them over, and that they ought to be dipped in sugar before serving. The pan should be “as hot as you would heat a pan for pancakes.” And one final tip from the aebleskiver pro: “Be sure you use plenty of whatever fat you’re going to use, or they’ll stick when you try to flip them.”

With my to-do list now complete, I hung up, promising to report back after my aebleskiver attempt.

As I gathered the ingredients according to the recipe, plus Grandma’s additions, I decided to jazz it up with my own twists. I added cinnamon, ground ginger, and the zest from an orange. Without any currants on hand, I went with my plain raisins.

With my pan hot and my batter mixed, I dropped a dollop of butter into each tiny hole in the cast iron pan, and then gently dropped a large spoonful of batter into each. Just like pancakes, the batter began to bubble, letting me know clearly when these tiny treats were ready to be flipped. Using my fondue fork, I used the technique I learned by watching Grandma in her kitchen all those years ago.

Surprisingly, these donut-hole-like pancakes seemed foolproof! The center hole seemed to bake a lot faster than the outer holes, but other than that, it was a seamless process, and before I knew it, I had a large bowl full of the cute treats.

With our first bite, my husband and I found comfort and delight in my aebleskivers. The orange zest was a bright and welcome addition to an otherwise utterly cozy breakfast treat. When you eat memories, you’re bound to be filled with warmth and satisfaction.

If you want to try making these tasty treats, you’ll need a cast iron aebleskiver pan. Nowadays, they even sell them at Target! (However, Grandma's was made in Cincinnati, Ohio back in the day--before cheap China knock-offs.) Feel free to dress them up as you please. You can use wheat or white flours, fill them with nuts, fruits, or jams, and roll them in sugar, powdered sugar, or maple syrup to serve. The possibilities are truly endless.

Grandma Betty’s Aebleskiver

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tablespoon orange zest (or zest from one large orange)
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups dried currants or raisins
1 cup organic granulated sugar in which to roll finished pastries

Instructions:
Heat the aebleskiver pan over medium heat.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk. Add the brown sugar, buttermilk, and orange zest and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a second large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in the beaten egg whites with a spatula.

Drop a small dollop of butter into the bottom of each aebleskiver hole in your hot pan. Next, add a large spoonful of batter into each hole, filling to 2/3 full. Throw a few currants or raisins into the wet batter in each hole. The batter will begin to bubble. When the bubbles begin to subside, use a fondue fork to gently flip them over so that the unbaked side is in the bottom of the aebleskiver hole and the golden side is facing up. After a few minutes, check to see whether the bottom side has turned golden brown—when this happens, remove the aebleskiver from the pan.

Be sure to check the center hole first; if you are using a gas stove, this will probably finish before the others. You can also use a toothpick inserted into the center of each aebleskiver to check whether it’s done. Sometimes, if your pan is too hot, the outside will heat too quickly, leaving a gooey middle.

Fill a large bowl with a small amount of the granulated sugar. As you remove each aebleskiver, drop it into the sugar and roll to coat. Serve warm.

Servings: Enough for a large, hungry family to eat about five per person! This is a big batch. Cut it in half (at least) if you're only cooking for two.

Labels: aebleskiver, aebleskiver pan, aebleskiver recipe, breakfast, cast iron pan, Christmas morning, currants, Danish pancakes, donut hole, orange zest, pastry, Scandinavian, tradition

Labels: berries, breakfast, buttermilk, french toast, maple syrup, recipe, walnuts

I hate eating out. When I travel, dining out is always a gamble. Often, I end up settling for artery-clogging fare that I would never considering cooking for myself at home. Such indulgences are fine as a rare treat enjoyed sporadically throughout the year. But when I travel, and good food is hard to find, I end up feeling like I’ve gathered rocks in my gut by the end of the week.

Not so in Seattle! Good food is always easy to find here.

Portage Bay Café
“Grains”—there is an entire section of the menu dedicated to this king-of-the-food-pyramid. Even though the USDA recommends we consume tons of grains in our daily diets, they are often hard to find on breakfast menus, save for the bland, goopy oatmeal served at typical diners. (In fact, I have often had to settle for this. Once, I even paid a whopping $7 for a bowl of the cold, paper-machete-like stuff.)

You can imagine my delight upon discovering multiple varieties of porridge at the Portage Bay Café: chai spiced, fruit-studded, and nut-filled. My stomach growled with anticipation!

Other menu items included hearty grain flap jacks in every variety—including one for vegans. These all came with access to their topping bar, complete with fresh berries and fruits.

The first-rate menu also contained smoked salmon omelets, breakfast scrambles served up with veggies, and oodles of other enticing dishes. White bread was nowhere to be found—only wheat toast prevailed. And every table came adorned not with tiny packets of fruit and corn syrup wrapped in plastic. Instead, we enjoyed heaping containers of homemade preserves with chunks of fruit.

Our party of six waited over an hour to be seated, but some things are well worth the wait. Portage Bay Café is one of them.

Piroshky Piroshky
Speaking of waiting… don’t expect good food to come easy in Seattle. Piroshky Piroshky is no exception. You can smell the fresh flavors around the block as they lure you closer and closer to their source. There’s an air of sweet, spice, and haunting that plays tricks with your nose. But when you find the shop, there’s no denying you’ve come upon something special.

The street-side display case reveals dozens of pillowy pastries, each filled with a different treat. From potato to cardamom, you’ll have a hard time selecting just one. I’ve tried my share over a series of trips to Seattle, and I loved each one in its own special way.

The potato and onion warms the belly and satisfies all needs for pure comfort and savory bliss. The cinnamon, cardamom and raisin twist causes you to lick, lick, lick until every last bit of spice and sweet are removed from your fingers. The rhubarb surprises your mouth with its array of experiences—from the tart of the fruit, to the sweet of the custard-like filling, to the crunch of the sugar topping. And all are surrounded by a golden melting, wispy, buttery dough.

Hale’s Ales
Come hungry!—and thirsty. After an eight-hour hike, I was ready for some serious food. As I ordered a red ale, nachos popped off the menu. Minutes later, a plate of gooey, cheesy tortilla chips piled high with olives and jalapenos appeared along with our beers. The amber ale was smooth and rich with flavor while quenching my thirst. The nachos were pure salt, crunch, and chewy cheese—just like I like them. Slathered in hot sauce, chased by the freshest of ales, this was the perfect post-hike snack.

The most difficult part of the night was not my eight-hour hike. Indeed, it was selecting from the fulfilling menu. Eggplant lasagna, enchiladas, portabella mushroom burgers, classic three-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches, and pizzas studded the menu. This was bar food at its best, yet with the welcome twist of multiple options for vegetarians, including veggie chili.

Always in search of the best pie, I ordered their veggie pesto pizza. It arrived piled high with roasted bell peppers, olives, onion, and tomato atop a gooey cheese and salty, rich pesto sauce. The crust was cracker-crisp—my favorite! Every bite was the perfect combination of chewy cheese, crunchy crust, and tangy vegetables. We left, bellies full (but not sickeningly bursting), and taste buds deeply satisfied.

Labels: beer, breakfast, diners, Hale's Ales, oatmeal, Piroshky Piroshky, pizza, Portage Bay Cafe, restaurant reviews, Seattle