hot cross buns

We saw some hot cross buns at a local gourmet grocery store last week.  I’ll call it gourmet due to the fact that even if I check out in the 15 and under lane, the total is always over $100.  The bag of 6 buns was $4.99, which I scoffed at.  I’m willing to shell out money for some things, but it felt like a challenge.  I knew if I made it myself it would most likely be tastier, not to mention, actually “hot” out of the oven.

My husband’s one request was to use a light hand with the icing on the top.  So imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe from bakingbites.com.  It uses a paste of flour and water to make the crosses, instead of more sugar.  And frankly, who needs more sugar around this holiday?  One look at a Peep and my blood sugar spikes.

The house smells delicious from the baked buns.   It was a welcome for my husband when he walked in from work. Since he didn’t mention a thing about the absence of icing,  I quizzed him on what made them special .

Silence.  Mainly due to the fact that his mouth was full, but we’ve been together for 24 years, so I’ve seen him talk with his mouth full plenty of times.

He didn’t even remember making the request.  “Well, the most important thing is that YOU remembered.”

Maybe I’m not the one with the memory problem after all.

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, as the cross is a symbol of the crucifixion.  Happy Easter!

Hot Cross Buns

• 2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup currants or raisins
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cold water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes (until foamy).  Stir in 2 cups flour, buttermilk, egg, spices, and salt.  Add an additionally cup of flour and the butter and stir until the dough starts to come together.  Add remaining cup of flour and dried fruit.  Knead for 5 minutes.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead several times until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate by pressing gently.  Divide into 16 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and place in a lightly greased 9×9 baking pan.  Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Right before putting the pan in the oven, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup flour and cold water.  Scrape into a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut a small hole in the corner.  Pipe continuous lines vertically and horizontally through the rows to form crosses.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until buns are dark golden brown and an internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.  Cool in pan.  Makes 16 buns.

Recipe barely adapted from Baking Bites.

Using the Weight Watcher Recipe Builder, each bun has 5 PointsPlus.

 

potato and egg breakfast casserole

You know that hash brown casserole that you find at brunch potlucks?  The one with the corn flakes on top?  I have good news and bad news for you.  I calculated a random hash brown casserole from allrecipes.com and came up with a total of 99 PointsPlus for the 9×13 pan, with each serving having 22 grams of fat!  That’s the bad news, for both you and your cholesterol level.  The good news is that I have a lightened up version that will satisfy the “I need something cheesy and potatoey for breakfast” craving.  The whole recipe has 39 PointsPlus, and each serving has less than 3 grams of fat.  Yeah!

The only down-side to this recipe is that it needs to cook for a little over an hour in the oven.  Not the most convenient weekday breakfast.  Lucky for me, we have a new “houseguest” named Wilbur who gets 5 am walks with my daughter and husband.  I assembled the dish the night before and then had Marc put the casserole in the oven before their walk.  The rest of the house woke up to a hot breakfast an hour later

I made mine pretty plain, with just sautéed onions.  Try adding a cup of mushrooms or red peppers (sautéed with a little non-stick spray).  The PointsPlus don’t change!  Or add 3 ounces of turkey bacon, crumbled (will increase the PointsPlus by 1 per serving).

Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole

• 16 ounces frozen hash browns, thawed
• 12 ounces fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, sautéed in non-stick spray until browned and soft
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 8×8 pan with non-stick spray.  Layer hash browns, sautéed onions and cheese (and other vegetables or turkey bacon if using).  In a small mixing bowl, combine evaporated milk, egg whites, and salt.  Pour evenly over ingredients.  Cover and bake for one hour.  Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until top is slightly browned.  Makes 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Heart Healthy Recipes.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

8 servings= 5 PointsPlus

6 servings= 6 PointsPlus

4 servings= 9 PointsPlus.

 

baked oatmeal

I’m blaming the absence of posting to my recovering from my “birthday weekend extravaganza”.  42!  Usually I get all my ducks in a row and plan out my posts for the upcoming week on Sunday.  Instead, I was busy having fun at the Tacoma Glassblowing Studio!  Each of us got the chance to work with a glassblower and create our own glass piece.  This is Alex starting his creation:

And here is his finished product, a “clamshell”.  We plan on using it to hold napkins on the dining room table.

Here is my creation:  a candle holder!

Nic also made a candle holder….

And Anna made a vase….

And keeping this family running during the week is a full-time job, so I’m a little behind in my blog, hobby, creative pastime.  But I had to find time to tell you that I have jumped on the baked oatmeal bandwagon!  It’s almost too good for breakfast (you could definitely make this for dessert and no one would be the wiser).

Baked Oatmeal

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat the bottom of a 7×11 glass pan with non-stick spray.

Slice the bananas and place evenly on the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle half the blueberries over the bananas.

In a separate bowl combine oatmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, and half of the chopped pecans.

In another bowl, combine milk, egg, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla.

Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture evenly over the bananas and blueberries.  Pour milk mixture over oatmeal, trying to wet all oatmeal.  Sprinkle remaining blueberries and pecans over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Serves 6.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 6 Points Plus.  I’ve also used dried blueberries.  Using 1/3 cup keeps the Points Plus value the same.  Using 2/3 cup increases the value to 7 per serving.

 

upside-down pear pancake

We’ve finally thawed from our “extreme weather” and “ice-apocalypse” (apologies to my North Dakota relatives).  We had lots of broken tree branches, power outages, and a large section of our backyard fence fell down.  Not good considering I need a containment field for the dogs and chickens, but it could have been much worse!

This has been a favorite breakfast of the kids for as long as I can remember…though admittedly the early years are a bit of a hazy blur.  It is frequently a request for our “breakfast-in-bed on your birthday” tradition.  The caramelized pears are delicious!  You could use fresh, but I find that the canned are so much easier and convenient.

Upside-down Pear Pancake

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 cans of pears in juice, drained

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 Tbsp. sugar.  In cast iron skillet, melt butter and remove.  Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and 1 Tbsp. melted butter.  Add to dry ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Saute pears with remaining sugar and butter until caramelized.  Pour batter over pears.  Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake 10-15 minutes, or until golden.  6 servings.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 7 PointsPlus.

 

orange-scented olive oil sticky buns

My husband was very impressed with these sticky buns.  He said the dough was similar to focaccia.  The orange flavor could have been more pronounced for him, so next time I will add an additional tablespoon of orange zest.  He seemed to really like them, since he ate four!

Orange-Scented Olive Oil Sticky Buns

Dough:

• 1 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup good, fruity, olive oil

Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• zest of 2 oranges
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
• 1-2 drops Fiori di Sicilia (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, warm water, and 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and half of the flour.  Turn the mixer on to low and continue to add the remaining flour.  When all the flour has been added, drizzle the olive oil into the dough (continue to stir as you do this).   Knead for 4-5 minutes.  When the dough is smooth and satiny, turn it into a deep, oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (mine took 2 hours).

While the dough is rising, make filling.  Combine the cup of sugar with the orange zest.  Let sit for several minutes, then stir until it is well mixed and slightly moist (the zest will have released some oils).  Add orange juice, a little at a time, stirring until you have a thick mixture that looks like wet sand.

Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.  When the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll it out with a rolling-pin until it is approximately 10×15.  Spread the filling onto the dough, leaving a half-inch border clear along one of the long edges.  Roll up the dough tightly, starting with the long end without the border.  Crimp the edge to seal into a long log.  Slice into 12 equal pieces.

Fit the slices into the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 45-60 minutes.  Or, place in refrigerator overnight, and let them stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before putting them into the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until the rolls are nicely browned on top and baked through, about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Make glaze by stirring powdered sugar, buttermilk and, if using, fiori di sicilia.  Spread the glaze on the warm buns.  Makes 12.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food52.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each sticky bun has 10 PointsPlus.  Without glaze, each has 9 PointsPlus.

 

cinnamon oatmeal with pear

Another quick breakfast!  Oatmeal seems like a no-brainer, but I thought I would post it anyway (plus I liked how the picture turned out).  I hear so many people say that they don’t have time for breakfast.  Oatmeal literally takes 4 minutes in the microwave.  I love oatmeal, so I will have this for lunch or a mid-afternoon snack (since I normally have my Greek yogurt for breakfast).  I also adore hot fruit!

One of my favorite breakfasts (before Weight Watcher’s) was a serving of oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter swirled in at the end.  The peanut butter would get all melty and it was soooo good.  But it was also 9 PointsPlus and I wasn’t willing to start my day that far in the proverbial Point hole.

 

Cinnamon Oatmeal with Pears

Combine 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats with 1 cup water in a large microwave proof bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.   Add 1 diced pear and microwave for an additional 2 minutes.  Add additional time, if needed, to reach desired consistency.

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, dry:  4 PointsPlus
• Pear:  0 PointsPlus

Yummy additions:

• 1 Tbsp. chopped pecans:  1 PointsPlus

 

eggs florentine

I have mastered the poached egg with a little help from a silicone cup.  I’ve tried several times in the past to poach eggs and they never come out as pretty as the cookbook pictures.  Usually mine have wispy egg whites throughout the water.

So I decided to try the silicone poaching cups that I have been seeing everywhere lately (okay, maybe not at the 7-11, but you know what I mean).  Ureka!  Here are some tips from the latest Weight Watcher’s Magazine about poaching:

• use fresh eggs
• keep the water at a simmer, not a rolling boil
• don’t stir or swirl the water while the egg is poaching

Place the silicone cup in the simmering pot, making sure the cup is filled with hot water.  Carefully crack the egg into the cup and wait until the egg white is set and the yolk begins to thicken but is not hard.  Mine took 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, lift the silicone cup out of the water.  I used a large metal serving spoon to remove the egg from the cup.  Blot with a paper towel and you are ready to go!!

This recipe is fantastic!  In the past 3 days I’ve made it for breakfast twice and for a quick and nutritious vegetarian dinner for our daughter.

Eggs Florentine

• 1 poached egg
• 1 slice toasted low-calorie whole wheat bread (I used Sara Lee’s 45 calorie/slice)
• Misto filled with olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
• salt and pepper

In a small nonstick skillet, spray Misto for 1 second.  Add onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and a tablespoon of water.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place toast on a plate.  Top with spinach mixture, followed by the poached egg.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Magazine.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, this recipe has 4 PointsPlus.

 

yogurt parfait

Happy New Year!  Here’s a toast to 2012!!

We had a great Christmas vacation with the kids.  I told the boys yesterday that I was considering home schooling because I have enjoyed them so much during the past weeks.  My 13-year-old was all for it.  I questioned if he would miss his friends, but he assured me he would keep in touch through his new Xbox 360.

Now that the Christmas caloric excess has come and gone, it’s back to basics.  I actually did a fine job considering all the temptations, but it’s good to refocus and get back into a routine.  Here’s how I start every morning.  Fage 0% Plain Greek yogurt topped with unsweetened mixed berries (I buy the big bag at Costco which contains marionberries, blueberries, and raspberries).  It’s a bowl full of protein (six ounces of yogurt has approximately 17 grams), fiber, and antioxidants.

According to the Weight Watcher’s calculator, you can eat 5-7 ounces of Fage 0% for 2 Points Plus.  Eight ounces brings it up to 3 Points Plus.  Of course, the unsweetened berries are ZERO!!

 

maple butter nut granola

I find myself wandering around the house, filled with unfocused energy.  Frankly, I’ve been grumpy (to which my husband can attest to).  I’ll have a great idea to bake something (cornbread to go with crockpot chili) and start to assemble the ingredients, and then I come to the sinking realization that I can’t make it.  My creative energy is being stifled.

I think I’m addicted to my oven.  And the withdrawl is a bear.

This recipe has been in my queue to post for a while.  (I’m viewing this post as a bit like Nicorette gum.  I just can’t go cold turkey from my baking obsession.  If I can’t do it, I can damn well write about it!)

My husband was requesting a granola with some added fat.  He finds my “no added fat granola” a bit hard on the tooth.  I have made this recipe several times, and it is delicious.  I had been focusing more on recipes that didn’t have butter or nut butters, since I figured they would have less Weight Watcher points.  So imagine my happy surprise, after entering the ingredients into the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, to see that the points in this recipe are the same as my ”no added fat” pumpkin granola, blueberry coconut cardamom granola.

 Maple Butter Nut Granola

•  3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 up almonds, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. nut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, seeds, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix well.

In a small pan melt butter.  Add maple syrup and nut butter and stir to blend.  Remove from heat and add extracts.

Slowly pour wet ingredients oven dry ingredients and stir to coat evenly.

Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake until granola is dry and golden (45 to 60 minutes), stirring every 15 minutes so that it toasts evenly.  Store in an airtight jar.

Makes 8 cups.  Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each 1/4 cup serving has 4 PointsPlus.

Recipe from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

 

cranberry almond streusel muffins

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are doing things a little different this year.  We usually make a pilgrimage to Long Beach and celebrate the 4 day weekend with my mom and our extended family.  However, my sister is 39 weeks pregnant with her third child and my mom and I can’t be 4 hours away!  So we are home and I am feeling thankful to not be driving in the mass exodus that begins today on the freeway.

Here is another recipe I found to use up my big bag of cranberries!   Warning: this streusel is very crumbly, so make sure you aren’t leaning over your computer keyboard when you are sampling them :/

Cranberry Almond Streusel Muffins

Batter: 

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. Fiori di Sicilia

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line muffin tin with liners.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.  Set aside.  In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, milk, egg, and Fiori di Sicilia.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in cranberries.  Fill muffin cups evenly.

To make streusel topping, combine all ingredients into a mini food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse, wet sand.  Sprinkle evenly on top of muffins.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 12.  Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each muffin has 6 PointsPlus.

Recipe adapted from A Cup of Sugar….A Pinch of Salt.