Small Kitchen College Re-Post: The 5 Best Birthday Breakfasts

<<Note: This is my latest post for Small Kitchen College. For the full post and other fun tidbits, head over to http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/05/the-5-best-birthday-breakfasts.html!>>

The 5 Best Birthday Breakfasts

by Lexi Cotcamp

When it comes to food (and hey, just about everything else), holidays are kind of a big deal.

However, the truth is, not all holidays are created equal. Christmas may be the main squeeze, but I can guarantee you that few people know the date of Columbus Day or the story behind it (#occupyNorthAmerica?).

But there exists one holiday that each individual holds in higher regard than Santa Claus himself.

Birthdays.

Birthdays are the icing on the cake of a year—an ingenious moral holiday of shameless self-promotion celebrating the one and only Y-O-U. From candles and cakes to singing and toasts, birthdays are the crème de la crème for a foodie in particular.

Posh lunch date? Sure thang.

Classy dinner bash with a friend group the size of Jamaica? Obviously.

Dessert? Is that even a question?

Amidst the delicious food coma that is a birthday though, the best meal of the day is often mercilessly thrown to the wayside. Breakfast gets relegated to the birthday backseat—smushed somewhere in between “whatever” and “ehhh.” Eager to begin the day’s festivities, one often forgets about the humble mindblowingness of breakfast.

But worry not. I’m here to tell you that breakfast can still be part of your own little individual anniversary. I’m here to tell you that a glorious breakfast is like the trailer of a great movie—just a peek of what is to come. I’m here to tell you that breakfast is one birthday present to which you shouldn’t forget to write a thank-you note.  So close your eyes; make a wish; and get ready to celebrate your birthday, a friend’s birthday, or any birthday…with breakfast shenanigans. Because you really can have your (pan)cake(s) and eat it too.

**5 Best Birthday Breakfasts**

1. Pancakes. I am wholly convinced that there is no better birthday present in this world than a heaping stack of buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup. To jazz up your hotcakes for a birthday, simply get creative with mix-ins. Treat your ‘cakes like a real birthday cake, and find your favorite flavor. Try adding nutella and  strawberries for a Parisian flair or apples and cinnamon for an all-American twist. And if some cake batter happens to get thrown in the mix? Well, I won’t tell. Don’t forget a candle in the middle for a true birthday (pan)cake experience!

But wait, there’s more….!

Single Serving Honey Wheat Pancakes

Last night, I made H and myself pancakes for dinner.

Because breakfast for dinner ROCKS, right?

(Ya’ll are jumping up and down in choruses of yes right now, I presume.)

Beautious.

What were these?

Single-serving honey wheat pancakes (x2) with warm blueberry sauce.

OMG. I decided to “wing it” and was happy that I did. These were absolutely scrumptious. They were dinner but breakfast, breakfast but dessert. And they were AH-FRICKIN-MAZING.

And because you guys have been awesome, I even have a recipe.

Whole wheat pancakes for one?

Well, ain’t that something.

Single Serving Honey Wheat Pancakes

I love my roommate. I also love Fridays. The product of these two facts resulted in me doubling this recipe to make pancakes for two. But if you’re rocking the single lady jam, I totally got your back. By all means, make these pancakes for the sexiest, snazziest, wittiest, awesomest, crazy coolest person you know—namely yourself! Oh, and feel darn good about it because these pancakes are filled with good-for-you ingredients and just happen to be vegan.

Serving: About 5 silver dollar pancakes

Notes: Vegan, if using oil / non-dairy margarine & milk

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour, heaping
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour, heaping
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp warm water, combined (optional, but it helps make these fluffy!)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil, butter, or margarine (melted)
3/4-1 cup milk of choice (I used soy)

Directions:

1) In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a whisk, until all dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
2) Make a small well in the middle of your dry ingredients. To this well, add the flax mixture, honey, butter, and milk of choice.
3) Gently stir all ingredients with whisk until no lumps remain. Be very careful not to overmix. (The fluffiness of the pancakes depends on you being gentle with the batter.)
4) In a heated, greased skillet, use a 1/4 cup measure and pour three inch circles of batter. Cook until golden brown on each side.
5) Enjoy!

(Hint: You can make the batter in advance too! Just keep it in the fridge and then take it out about 10 minutes before you’re ready to use it.)

These pancakes are ever-so-subtly sweet and great topped with butter + maple syrup. You can nix the all purpose flour and sub more whole wheat flour and/or the flax meal. However, I would recommend trying it with them first because they both lend to the leavening of the ‘cakes.

Either way, they’ll make you feel awesome on a Friday.

Actually, either way, you are awesome. On every day of the week.

And the best way to celebrate?

Pancakes. Lots of pancakes.

This Stuff Will Change Your Life – Recipe: Walnut Butter

You think I’m kidding…………..

But I’m not.

This stuff is like crack. Only better.

Why are we talking about drugs? Let’s talk about walnut butter.

It’s easy. Like super dee duper easy. There’s blades involved, so leave the kids at home for this soiree. That means more crack for you anyway.

The story begins something like this.

Walnuts. Get ‘em from Costco or a bulk bin or online or from the walnut dealers in the back alleys. Just get ‘em, and I won’t ask questions. Kay?

Now, onto the salt. Move over sugar, there’s a new lover in my life. Look at those pearly whites.

Can we have some honest dialogue about salt? It’s important.

I know it’s tempting to use regular ‘ole salt—like the kind that comes in Big Gulp-sized containers, but please don’t. You’ll break my heart.

This isn’t even food snobbery; this is me telling it like it is. Plain table salt will make your beautious nut buttah taste kinda like well, crap. We don’t want that. Crap is already plentiful enough in this world anyway.

You don’t have to buy salt that is worth more than diamonds, just something a little classy.

I went with Trader Joe’s coarse sea salt. Apparently it’s from off the Atlantic coast of France. Buttttt, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

If you prefer mountainous salt not from Europe, that’s none of my business.

All I ask is that you try to get the good stuff.

Please? Do it for me.

Okay, now grab your walnuts and salt.

Take a deep breath. And get ready for this WILDDDDDDDD ride.

Nothing (or should I say nut-thing?) but smooth sailing from here.

Walnut Butter

This stuff is magical. Like all your dreams came true in one fell swoop. Somehow, the simple combination of walnuts and some good (sea) salt makes for an absolutely euphoric combination. The walnuts impart a buttery flavor and velvety smooth texture, while the sea salt provides an intricate end note. Let’s just call it peanut butter’s sophisticated older sister.

Yield: 2 cups walnut butter

Ingredients:

3 cups walnuts

3/4 tsp coarse sea salt or 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (USE GOOD SALT!)

Directions:

1. In a food processor or high speed blender, add the walnuts and salt.
2. Process for 10-15 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary.
3. Pour nut butter into a jar and refrigerate.

It really doesn’t get much easier than that, but just in case you’re feeling frisky today, how about a little photo tutorial?

Combine nuts + salt in your food processor.

I use a Cuisinart that might as well be classified as a “dinosaur.”

(P.S. I still love you, Dino.)

Can’t you almost make out the word Dino? At least it’s a plus…

I digress. I need to get my priorities straight.

.

Snap on your lid, and start the blending.

Wheeeeeeee..kinda like a county fair ride that would make you puke.

Sorry, bad visual. Like I was saying…

After a few minutes, it begins to look really crumbly.

Similar in texture to wet sand. Only much better tasting.

As you continue to blend, the nut butter may start to climb up the sides. Just stop processing for a moment and scrape down the sides before continuing to blend.

In the next few minutes, it should begin to look a lot like cookie dough.

Did someone say COOKIE DOUGH?!?!!??!!?

That’s another story for another day.

Soon, the butter will get to be more liquid-y but still really thick. Keep chuggin’ along.

At last, you’ll start to get a smooth-ish consistency. You’ll be tempted to stop and to ignore these very words, but trust me, keep going. The nut budd-uh will thicken when placed in the fridge.

Finally, it should come to a semi-drippy consistency. For me, this is perfect for drizzling over oatmeal or a sweet potato, but if you’d like it a bit thicker, stop a couple minutes early.

Now for the best part—licking the food processor!

Don’t look at me like that. I know you’ve done it (or at least thought about it) too.

Just please, for the love of the world, do NOT leave the blade in.

I don’t think insurance covers “food processor incidents.”

Whew, what a marathon post. If you’re still reading this, I have two things to say to you:

1) Kudos for making it all the way here!

2) Stop reading this, and go make walnut butter already. Top one of these with a spoonful and die of the euphoria.

It’s pretty much life-changing.

You still think I’m kidding…………………..but I’m not.

You can thank me later.

Recipe: Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding

<<Note: This is actually also serving as the Dining Hall DIY sample post that I’m submitting as a part of my Contributing Writer Application for Small Kitchen College!>>

You skip into the dining hall, waltzing with excitement after your latest encounter with “The Cute Boy Who Shalt Not Be Named.” And then you stop in your tracks—hit by the tsunami of sloppy joe aroma that, unfortunately, you know a little bit too well.

Le sigh.

After finishing your dreaded, wannabe (wo)manwich, you stare ruefully at the empty plate before you.

At this point, you’ve come to accept that there is only one type of food that can possible cheer you up: dessert.

Oh yes, dessert—da King Kahuna, the Elvis, the knight in shining armor, the love of your life and perhaps mine as well. But which dessert to pick?

Cake? Not New Year’s resolution approved.

Cookies? You can do better.

Soft Serve? Problem: Nameless cute boy does not dig ice cream mustaches.

Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding? Oh *&%#! Swoooooooooooooooooooon.

Innocently sexy. Gourmet and guaranteed mustache free.

Oh, and did I mention perfect for sharing with “The Cute Boy Who Shalt Not Be Named”?

Lexi is a freshman at Georgetown University, where she is considering an International Business/Management double major and proving that not all business school students have to end up on Wall Street. A nutrition aficioncado and laid-back vegetarian, she is a connoisseur of healthy baked goods, lover of farmers’ markets, and expert in freakishly cheesy puns and one-liners.

Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding

Serves 1

Sweet, gooey, and banana-y, this rice pudding will surprise your friends with its simple deliciousness and impressive nutrition profile. Because it combines whole grains, potassium-rich fruit, and healthy fats/protein, it also makes a wonderful breakfast that will keep both your snobbie inner foodie and stomach going for hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
• ½ cup milk (Note: I use almond or soy milk, but feel free to use any kind you like!)
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon plus extra for topping
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp nut butter (e.g. peanut butter), for topping

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except nut butter.

2) Microwave for 2 ½ minutes on high. Remove and mash until the mixture is mostly smooth. (Some small banana bits are okay, but try to mash the big chunks.)

3) Microwave for additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until mixture is warm and pudding- like. Add an extra drizzle of milk and stir, if the mixture is too thick for your liking.

4) Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nut butter, and enjoy!

When I’m not away at school, most of my rice puddings begin more like this…

The almighty to-go box.

After our family goes out for Asian food of some sorts (usually Thai), we end up with a heaping box full of brown rice leftovers. By that, I mean we always seem to end up with a disproportionate amount of rice: curry.

Thanks family…

And let’s be real now—a girl can only pretend she’s Mulan eating plain rice for so long.

Then again, I guess that means more Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding for me!

Mwhwhahahaha

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve!

Recipe: Orange-Yogurt “Tyler Place” Pancakes

I woke up this morning and realized that wisdom was finally upon me.

As much as I would like to say I was spiritually enlightened, nothing of that sort happened.

In fact, there’s very little that is enlightening about the fact that as you read this, I’m uncomfortably squirming in a chair while I get my wisdom teeth yanked.

Thanks…I didn’t want that wisdom anyway. In fact, the only thing I really wanted this morning was pancakes.

Problem: Not allowed to eat breakfast before the surgery.

Solution: You can go make them instead. A wise decision, I promise!

When I was a kiddo, my family used to vacation at a small, family resort on Lake Champlain in Vermont with friends. I can’t remember everything from our trips, but I do remember one thing for sure: I loved it. I loved spending time with my family and hanging out with kids my age, playing games, swimming in an amazing indoor pool, and laughing and running around like a maniac, swimming in the lake, and enjoying some really darn good food.

Oh the food. The “kids’ food” was good, but the “grown-up food” was swoon-worthy. Intricate and gourmet but still home-cooked and prepared with love.

In truth, I don’t even remember all of the food. But I do remember the pancakes.

Ah yes, the pancakes. As if breakfast/brunch wasn’t already my favorite meal, they hooked me in with pancakes. And not just any ordinary pancakes—orange-yogurt pancakes. Heaven on a plate.

A few years later, we stopped going to Tyler Place due to a combination of factors. It was expensive, and my parents wanted to travel elsewhere once we were older.

Tyler Place faded into my memories, and everyone forgot about those delicious pancakes. Until one morning.

I came downstairs to my dad buzzing around the kitchen, a sly grin on his face. Minutes later, I was greeted by a strangely familiar sight: Tyler Place Pancakes.

One bite sent me straight to pancake nirvana, and I quickly consumed my weight in those fluffy cakes. They’re easily my favorite pancakes and probably the favorite of everyone else in my family as well.

Divine. Moist. Dense, yet fluffy with a hint of orange. Always lovingly filled with memories of childhood summers.

Tyler Place Orange-Yogurt Pancakes

These pancakes will forever remind me of their namesake—Tyler Place, a family resort located on the banks of a lake in Vermont. Unlike their buttermilk or blueberry counterparts, these orange pancakes get a perfect hint of fluffiness from the combination of baking powder and soda, while remaining incredibly moist and dense due to the yogurt. If you’re a pancake aficionado like myself, these pancakes are simply a must. Perfectly acceptable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or really, anytime.

Adapted from Tyler Place

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fresh orange zest
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is a must, even if it means juicing 1 orange)
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs (Don’t use a vegan sub. These pancakes really benefit from the eggs)
• 3 tbsp melted butter (or margarine)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1) Combine orange zest, yogurt, eggs, sugar, orange juice, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until well-combined.

2) In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add yogurt mixture, and stir well just until a smooth batter forms. Do not overmix!

3) Heat a griddle and cook pancakes, flipping once each side is golden brown.

I can just about promise these pancakes will not disappoint. No wisdom required.

Think of somewhere tropical, somewhere homey, somewhere warm and comforting when you eat them. Think of Tyler Place or Dad or Sunday mornings. Or think of me, wriggling around like a Mexican jumping bean and hoping you like these pancakes.

Yes, do that. And cross your fingers and hope that I don’t come back looking like too much of a chipmunk..

At least I’ll still have my sarcasm teeth

Recipe: A Light, Rustic Treat: Whole-Wheat Apple Tea Cake

When I wake up in the morning, I usually find myself already sorting through the options of what to eat. Because breakfast is usually my favorite meal of the day, I take care to consider my options.

Oatmeal, pancakes, smoothies, fruit + yogurt bowls, cereal, an omelet, a bagel?

Truly, the possibilities are endless. 

But to make such a weighty decision as what one is to have for breakfast (serious first world problems here…), brain power is needed.

Uh, that’s the problematic part—brain power…in the morning.

Brain power? Well, that requires food. Fast.

Sometimes, I’ll just munch on a piece of fruit or some cereal, while I plan. And then other times, I’ll mosey over to the cake server that sits in our kitchen and peer inside, as if it’s a crystal ball. A magical crystal ball that tells me what scrumptious delight I’ll be consuming in the next 3.67531 seconds.

3.67531 seconds later, I find myself happily eating a piece of homemade cookie or muffin, or in this case….a square of rustic apple tea cake.

Let’s just call it a breakfast appetizer. Can we swing that?

I’ll take that as a yes.

Whole-Grain Apple Tea Cake

Naturally sweet from the apples and apple sauce, this cake is perfect for an afternoon snack or light breakfast with a cup of tea. My family enjoyed it, but I also forewarned everyone that it was more of snack cake than a sinful dessert. If you would prefer such a dessert, I would recommend a frosting, icing, or perhaps even a scoop of ice cream. As for me, I’ll stick with the breakfast appetizer.

Adapted from "The Realistic Nutritionist"

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or more oat flour)
• 1/2 cup oat flour (or more whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium apples, finely diced (I left the peel on)
• 1 egg (a flax egg would probably work as well)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans (or other nuts)
• 1/4 cup organic applesauce
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 8-inch baking pan.

2) Whisk flours, baking soda, spices and salt with a whisk in a small mixing bowl.

3) In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, apples, chopped nuts, egg and applesauce. Slowly add in dry mixture, mixing gently just until well-combined. Mixture will be thick.

4) Pour batter in greased pan, and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.