Little JJs visit

It has been so fun having our friends visit with additions to our family, and R and J’s visit was no different.  R had given birth to little JJ more than 2 years ago, and before I knew it, he was already a toddler before I even met him.  Mom and dad are thrilled that JJ will soon have a little sister.  I am thankful that they decided to visit us before she makes her debut.

With JJs visit and the recent birth of a little girl to B’s best friend, we found ourselves talking about where we stood on the baby front….we’re hoping for a 2013 baby!

crispy oven baked fish

Usually I prepare fish simply with salt, pepper and dried herbs. But I wanted to try something a little something new. This recipe turns out a crispy coating that was tasty and didn’t fall apart. It was simple, easy and didn’t require much clean-up.

I gave a healthier twist using the whole grain bread and whole wheat flour I had in the pantry

INGREDIENTS

2 white fish fillets, about 5-6 oz each

1 egg,beaten 1 tbsp mayo 1 dash of hot sauce bit of cayenne and paprika to your taste pinch of salt and pepper 1-2 tbsp flour

2 slices of sandwich bread of your choice 1 tbsp melted butter dried oregano salt and pepper

flour for dredging, seasoned with salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Prepare the breading. Pulse bread crumbs, oregano, butter, salt and pepper in a food processor until wet crumbs are formed. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until golden brown and dry, turning the bread crumbs twice whille baking. Remove bread crumbs from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 425 to bake the fish.

Prepare the batter. Whisk egg, mayo, hot sauce, cayenne, paprika salt and pepper together in a flat bottomed baking dish. Add flour to thicken slightly

Place the seasoned dredging flour in a separate baking dish

Cut the fish fillets into 4 equal pieces. Pat dry. Dredge in flour, then coat with egg mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs. Place on a greased wire rack for baking.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of fillets.

Serve immediately.

Cherry Crisp

INGREDIENTS-FILLING
8 cups pitted cherries
1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

INGREDIENTS-TOPPING
1/4 c flour
1/4 c oats
1/4 brown sugar
4 tbsp cold butter
1/4 c sliced almonds
Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS
Combine the filling ingredients and pour into a 7X9 baking dish
Combine all the ingredients of the topping except for the butter and almonds in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until. The topping resembles coarse sand. Mix in the almonds, then top the filling completely
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until filling is bubbly and topping is browned and crisp

Blueberry banana peach kiwi smoothie

So we continue with the utilization of all the summer fruits in our fridge! We enjoyed these with our Sunday breakfast of scrambled eggs, salami and cheese on whole wheat English muffins.

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS

In a blender, combine:
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1 peeled kiwi
1 peeled peach
Agave nectar to desired sweetness

Blend until smooth
Yields about 2 1/2 cups

Pizza Dough and Topping Ideas

B has been working on making pizza dough from scratch. He has come a long way from wet sticky globs of goo to tight little balls of dough. In the past month we’ve also tried different toppings, primarily inspired by left over ingredients. We’ve made some very standard pizzas like spinach, basil, mozzarella, pepperoni and mushroom which we had tonight. Some more memorable pizzas include:

Sausage, mushroom, provolone, pecorino and caramelized onion – our favorite thus far. Can’t go wrong with pork!

Mashed potato, roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower, sautéed spinach, ricotta, pecorino – this one was screaming for some bacon, and my original plan was to add it, but I chickened out last minute. Still not accustomed to using it as an ingredient in my cooking yet. I know I’m crazy!

I would love to play around with figs and more roasted vegetables. Next pizza will be sausage, roasted bell pepper, basil for tomorrow night.

As for the dough, we tried a mix of white whole wheat flour and all purpose flour which actually produced a more flavorful crust in my opinion. To make the dough:

Mix 3 3/4 cup of flour (try using half whole wheat and half all purpose flour)
1 1/2 cup water (room temperature)
1 packet of dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt

Stir and combine a sticky ball is formed. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set at room temperature overnight.

Divide into 3 equal portions and form them into balls using generous amounts of flour to prevent sticking and for improved manageability.

Wrap 2 of the balls in plastic wrap and keep in fridge got later use. May be kept in the fridge for 3 days or frozen.

Form the remaining dough into a flat surface approximately 8-10 inches in diameter. If the dough starts to recoil, let dough rest for a bit to allow the gluten to relax.

Coat bottom with cornmeal

Transfer dough to pizza pan (ours is cast iron) and add toppings

Season with salt and pepper along with s good drizzle of olive oil if desired

Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes in middle rack until crust is golden brown and cheese melts

Let pizza rest in pan at room temperature for about 10 minutes to allow the cheese go set

Slice and enjoy!

Whole wheat blueberry almond pancakes!

One of the best things about summer are the wonderful fruits in season. This past week, we’ve font through pints of blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. My mom sent homegrown cherries, we harvested THREE peaches from our backyard, and B’s parents sent us home with some more exotic fruits-rambutans and cherimoyas!

This morning, I treated B to some special pancakes after our trip to the gym. They turned out light and fluffy with just enough butter flavor that there was no need to spread any extra over the finished pancakes. I prefer to add the blueberries and almond to each individual pancake to ensure more even distribution

DRY INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

WET INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

PANCAKE FILLING
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl
2. Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with spatula to combine. The batter should stay lumpy and be slightly thickened
4. Using a 1-oz scoop, add the batter to a buttered griddle. I used an electric griddle set at 325 degrees. Add a few blueberries and a sprinkling of almonds to each pancake. Flip pancakes when the bottom has browned. Keep on a warmed plate and cover with foil until serving
5. Serve with blueberry maple syrup (recipe below)

Yields 16 4-inch pancakes

INGREDIENTS FOR BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP
2 cups blueberries
1/3 c sugar
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS FOR SYRUP
In a small saucepan, heat blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Mash blueberries with the back of a spoon and cook till reduced to about 1/2-3/4 cup. Turn off the heat and stir in syrup. Serve warm