Tattie Scones

I had never heard of these Scottish favorites until they came up on my YouTube feed.  I made a double batch of mashed potatoes for a cottage pie just so I would have leftovers to try the recipe.

They're super basic.  Potatoes, butter, salt, and flour.  If you don't use self-rising flour, then baking powder.  The recipe I'm using from Christina's Cucina has it as a simple ratio.  I ended up with 3/4 pound of mash, which made 12 scones the size I cut them.  Maybe they're supposed to be smaller.  Dimensions were not given.  I'm calling a pound of potatoes 8 servings.  So, cut this in half if you want four servings.  I put the rest in the freezer.

As for the taste, they're a lot like pan-fried gnocchi, or very soft naan.  The limited gluten keeps them from being too much like a biscuit.  You can definitely taste the potato.  I wouldn't call them scones in the traditional sense.  They're more like a great way to turn leftover mashed potatoes into a breakfast bread.

1 lb russet or Yukon potato
1/2 C self-rising flour, or A.P. flour + 2 tsp baking powder, plus more for the board
2 Tb unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in cubes
1/2 tsp kosher salt 

1.  Peel the potatoes.  I don't peel anything unless I have to, but this really does help the consistency.  Cut into 1/2" cubes and place in a saucepan with water to cover.  Bring to a low boil, lower heat to just over a simmer, and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Drain.

2.  You can rice the potatoes if you want, but I always mash as whipped potatoes in the stand mixer with the paddle.  This can even be done by hand, if the potatoes are done enough.  Add the salt and butter and mix until smooth.  If you want to add any seasonings or herbs, this is the point you would do it.  I made this first attempt plain.

3.  Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, stir in the flour (and baking powder) until incorporated.  Knead slightly to create a smooth dough.  Divide into 4 portions and start heating a dry skillet over medium-high.

4.  Lightly flour a work surface.  Roll each portion out into a disc 1/4" thick, sprinkling with flour as needed to keep the rolling pin from sticking.  Cut each round into 4 or 6 pieces, according to your preference.  Carefully move the wedges to the skillet and cook in batches, about five minutes on each side, until golden.

5.  You can serve the tatties as is, but it is traditional to reheat them in the grease from your breakfast meat.  I put a dab of bacon grease in the pan in the morning and reheated them that way.  Simply toasting is fine.

Serves about 8

Difficulty rating  :)

Piña Colada Pancakes

I had an idea, googled it, and there was a recipe.  There were a lot of recipes, actually.  This offering from Hilah Cooking was closest to what I had in mind.  I just tweaked it to use an 8 oz can of crushed pineapple.

I'm trying to avoid ultra-processed foods now, but there are some in the house.  Done with bacon, and I rarely buy deli meat, but there were two packages of sausage links in the freezer.  As far as bread products, there's one pack of Chips Ahoy! and the last of a box of Wheat Thins.  I can't give up entirely on sauces or creamy salad dressings.  Either they're impractical to make myself (soy sauce), or the preservatives mean I can finish the batch at leisure.  Regular processed foods, like using flour in home-made goods, isn't something I'm ready to give up yet.  On the plus side, the doctor said I should work more salt into my diet, as long as it doesn't cause migraines.

I have a few weeks of frequent breakfasts at home before the schedule changes again.  A couple of days are early baking shifts, so those are at work.  The extra physical workout of baking means I can get away with pancakes the other days.  And I am definitely out of shape.  The first two baking days kicked my butt.

1 egg
*1 C coconut milk
1 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple with its juice
1-1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
*1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted if desired
oil for the griddle
*1/2 C maple syrup
1/2 tsp rum extract or 2 Tb dark rum

1.  Empty out can of coconut milk, whisk to combine solids and liquids, and measure the one cup.  About 3/4 C will be left if you used a 15 oz can.  I made decaf, stevia-sweetened chai, then turned it into popsicles.  Next time I'll blog it, because they were yummy.

2.  Whisk together the coconut milk, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Separately, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and coconut flakes.

3.  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Stir in the can of crushed pineapple.  Allow to sit about five minutes as you warm up a griddle over medium heat.  Lightly oil with just enough to cover the surface.

4.  Spoon out pancakes about 1/4 C, or 4".  I tend to make mine closer to 3 Tb.  This is a very thick batter.  It will spread slowly.  Allow to cook until bubbles stop breaking on top and the bottom is a medium brown, about 3 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side.  These are kind of fluffy.  If they're cooking too quickly, lower the heat so the middle cooks through.  Remove to a warm plate, re-oil the griddle and repeat as necessary.

5.  While the pancakes are cooking, make the syrup.  In a small pot, stir together maple syrup and rum extract.  Heat on low until it just starts to bubble.  If desired, bring to a full boil for one minute to boil off alcohol.  Serve syrup warm for better rum flavor.

6.  Serve up warm pancakes with rum syrup, and butter if you like it.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Millet and Sweet Potato Porridge (Congee)

I spent a couple of weeks mixing up my breakfast routine.  I did some overnight steel-cut oats in the Crockpot, then wondered if I could do something similar with millet.  Turns out it's an Asian recipe, though often made with rice.  Most recipes for it are Chinese, but even Google's AI didn't want to commit to that.

Looking at the recipes, I was skeptical about the amount of water to millet.  Then I checked on the pot in the middle of the night, and you really do need a minimum of four times the volume of water to grains.  If you want it more soupy, it's going to take at least three cups, plus the liquid from the can of sweet potatoes.

*1/2 C millet
*1 15 oz can sweet potatoes with their liquid
2 C water, or to desired consistency
1 Tb brown sugar, or to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir to combine.  Set to the lowest setting, which is "keep warm" on a Crockpot, for 8 hours as an overnight thing, or Low for 4 hours if you will be tending it.

2.  Stir, add more water or even milk as necessary, and turn up the heat to Low for an hour if you did the overnight version.  This will make sure the millet is fully cooked and break up any remaining chunks of sweet potato.  Serve hot.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty rating  π

Cucumber and Melon Salad

Second salad in a week.  I'm really trying here.  I even got down Salad Freak and flipped through half of it before finding a version of this recipe.  I knew it was in there somewhere.  I'm making this recipe less fussy, aside from using the V-slicer on the produce.  Because, seriously, it's just sliced cucumber and cantaloupe with lime juice.  Any herbs or seasonings are just to make it more interesting, and can be altered to suit one's taste.

Once it was on the plate, I added "breakfast" as a label.  A scoop of yogurt and a pastry would turn this salad into brunch.  That's pretty much what I did with the other half of the melon.  You could even serve this salad as a diabetes-friendly dessert.

1 large cucumber or one package of Persians
1/2 of a cantaloupe 
*2 Tb lime juice
Handful of fresh or dried herbs such as mint, basil, or tarragon
Lemon or lime zest, optional
Sprinkle of sumac for a floral hint, or chili powder for bite
Salt to taste

1.  If using a regular cucumber, peel first and seed if desired.  Slice cucumber thinly.

2.  Cut melon in half and remove the seeds from one piece.  Reserve the other half for another use.  Cut off the end and remove the peel with a knife, leaving just the fruit.  Cut in quarters or smaller wedges, then slice each wedge thinly.  I used the thinnest setting of the V-slicer for the cucumber, then flipped over the plate to get slightly thicker melon slices.

3.  Plate the cucumber and melon slices however you like.  I tried different designs each night.  Drizzle with lime juice, then garnish with herbs, spices, and salt.  Add a bit of citrus zest if desired.  Serve chilled.

Serves 4-6, depending on produce size

Difficulty rating  π

Pumpkin and Date Kugel

I needed a portable breakfast for work during Passover.  Just the last two days of the holiday.  One manager was out and I couldn't get off the full week.  At the last minute, I tossed a bag of Passover noodles into my cart.

Kugel is just a casserole.  In this case, it's a noodle and egg casserole.  I tend to call any noodle "pudding" a kugel, because that's how I was raised.  They're all super easy to make and can be sweet or savory.  I was debating making this a broccoli and cheese one, then decided I didn't want that for breakfast.

I used the potato-based Passover noodles, but there's nothing wrong with using wheat-flour noodles every other week of the year.  Or any other pasta you choose.  I also used coconut milk because I had half a can left from the sweet potatoes.  Cow, oat, almond, whatever milk you choose is fine.

8 oz noodles or pasta of choice
2 eggs
*1 C coconut (or other) milk
*1 C pumpkin purée
*1/2 C pitted, chopped dates (about 8 deglets)
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash salt

1.  Start cooking noodles according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 350º and grease an 8x8 baking dish, 9" cake pan, or any other casserole that can handle 1-1/2 quarts.  I used olive oil to make this klp and pareve.  Nothing wrong with butter, shortening, or pan spray.

2.  While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the milk, eggs, pumpkin, chopped dates, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

3.  When noodles are al dente (aka about 80% done), drain.  Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir until evenly coated.  Transfer to prepared dish.  It's going to look soupy, but the noodles will soak up the liquid.

4.  Cover with foil or a lid and bake until set, about 30 minutes.  For a crispy top, remove cover for the last 10 minutes.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving, and an hour or overnight in the fridge if you plan to slice it.

Serves 6-8

Difficulty rating  π

Tortilla de Patatas Vegana (Spanish potato omelette - vegan version)

I've been watching a little of Spain on a Fork.  Most of his recipes are more than I feel like making, and tend to be potato-heavy, but this looked like something We Cook Vegan would make.  With fewer ingredients.

Basically, it's a chunky latke.  This version uses a chickpea batter in place of eggs, making this version vegan and slightly less expensive.  I had been thinking of making a socca that day, so I was already in the mood for something like this.  I made it as part of dinner, but it really works any time of day.  Hot for breakfast.  Leftovers would make a great cold lunch.  A small slice at tea time.

It does take time to make.  Potatoes have to be thoroughly cooked, and this one doesn't use the oven.  You could make the onion and potatoes ahead of time, then mix with the batter when ready to cook.  All in one shot, you're looking at a minimum of an hour.

1 C diced onion (1 small or 1/2 large)
1/4 C olive oil, plus more as needed for the pan
1 lb dense potato, such as Yukon or red
salt and pepper to taste
*1 C chickpea flour
1 C water

1.  Stir together chickpea flour and water until most of the lumps are gone.  Set aside while you prepare the rest, or up to 8 hours.  For longer, refrigerate.

2.  Warm the oil in a 12" skillet that has a lid over medium heat.  Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir often so it doesn't get fried and crispy.  You may need to turn down the heat.  We're going for a slow caramelization.

3.  While that's happening, peel potatoes if desired.  I skipped that.  Slice into bite-sized pieces about 1/4" thick and uniform size, so they cook evenly.  I chose to set the cut potato in water because I didn't know how long it would be sitting around.  Not a necessary step.  Add to skillet and turn up heat to medium-high.  Lightly fry potatoes with the onions until cooked, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  This will take up to half an hour.  Once easily pierced with a fork, remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes, or refrigerate as a do-ahead.

4.  Stir together potato mixture with its oil and the chickpea batter.  Season with salt and pepper.  I used about half a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, but these are the only seasonings.  Use your best judgment.

5.  Place the skillet back over medium heat and lightly coat the bottom with more oil.  Add potato batter and arrange in a neat layer.  Cover and cook until set, about 10 minutes.  The top can still be a little uncooked.

6.  Use a spatula to loosen the pancake from the bottom of the pan.  Keep going until you can shake it.  If it's really stuck, it probably isn't cooked yet.  Set a plate on top of the pancake, commit to the flip, and turn everything over.  Place the skillet back on the stove, coat with a touch more oil, and slide the tortilla back into it.  Cover again and cook another 6-8 minutes.

7.  Transfer to a serving pate and cut into wedges, with anything from sour cream dip to hot sauce as a dressing.

Difficulty rating  :)

Millet and Pumpkin Kasha

I have wanted to make this since I first saw the video on Tasting History with Max Miller.  It has taken me this long to find the millet.

Millet is a lot less common in the stores than it was the last time I bought it, which was 2018 according to my blog posts.  You can order it on most of the grocery apps as a ship to store, and of course you can order it on Amazon or Bob's Red Mill.  Whole Foods carries it, but I know it isn't supposed to cost what they're asking.  Finally, I found one Sprouts still carrying it in their bulk grains section, for $1.99 per pound.

That Sprouts happened to be down the road from Super Sun, so I stopped in.  Ended up not buying the favas.  For that price, I'm just going to use the big limas.  They did have the dried tabouli in a box I like and thought had been discontinued.  When I'm more in the mood, I'll go back with a cooler and stock up.

Squash is a lot easier to come by.  I had roasted pumpkin from last year in the freezer, so that's what I'm using here.  Any yellow-fleshed winter squash will work for this recipe, including acorn, butternut, and kabocha.  Theoretically, if you cut them the right size, they will cook in the same half hour as the millet.  Mine was already cooked, so I skipped to the "add millet" step once it was warmed up with the milk.

Max wrote this as a one-pot meal, but I don't think my pot is oven-safe and transferred it to a casserole.  That was fine, since I needed a pot to cook my side greens.  I have enough chard to start harvesting!  Not frequently, but more than zero.  I don't think I'll have enough to serve at Seder, but hope springs eternal.

I chose to make mine with brown sugar, and add a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon.  When I reheated the leftovers, I drizzled date syrup on them to pick up different notes.  This isn't a dessert, but it makes a decent porridge for breakfast.  I happened to have it as a vegetarian main.  And after some of the more heavily seasoned recipes I've been making lately, my Eastern European stomach really needed this dish of its homeland.

1 sugar or pie pumpkin; or kabocha, acorn, or butternut squash 
3 C milk, whole preferred
1 C dry millet
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Dashes of nutmeg and cinnamon, optional

1.  Cut the pumpkin into quarters, peel, and scoop out the seeds.  Weigh out 1 lb of the flesh and find something else to make with the rest of it.  Chop it into 1" cubes.

2.  Place the pumpkin in an oven-safe pot at least 2qt in size and add the milk.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  I would stir frequently to avoid scorching the milk.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

3.  While the pumpkin is cooking, rinse the millet until the water runs clear.  Add to the pot with the sugar and salt and stir to combine.  Cover and simmer until the millet is softened, about 15-20 minutes, stirring often.  The pumpkin should be breaking down by the time the millet is done.  You will notice that it is absorbing the milk, but it's still soupy.

4.  Preheat the oven to 275º while the stew is simmering and place a rack on the bottom rung.  Transfer the covered pot to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until all of the milk has been absorbed.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Kale and Tomato Quiche

No, seriously, this kale is never going to die.  I thought a week of 90º was going to take care of it.  I have four gallon bags of it in the freezer.  I did find a recipe for canning greens, but the point of freezing is that it takes the place of kneading the tough kale to break down the fibers for raw eating.  There is one salad recipe I want to try which will use at least half a bag.

If kale isn't your thing, this works with fresh spinach or other greens.  It will taste different, but the general idea and quantities are the same.  You could also defrost leaf spinach if you squeeze it dry.

I had really hoped I would be using my own tomatoes for this.  How did 90º not ripen them faster?  Well, I have more recipes coming up that incorporate them.  I did get some gorgeous Campari salad tomatoes that I hated cooking down for this, but they were yummy.

1 Tb olive oil
*3 C chopped kale
1/2 lb tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp celery salt
*1 tsp dried herbs of choice (I used thyme and savory, but I get that it's hard to find savory)
1/4 tsp white pepper
*1 unbaked 9" pie crust
3 eggs
*1 C milk
*3/4 C shredded Swiss or havarti cheese

1.  If you bought a frozen pie crust, start defrosting it in the fridge.  If you made your own or use refrigerated, put it back in the fridge to keep firm.

2.  Heat oil in a medium skillet.  Add kale and cook over medium heat until it starts to wilt.  Add diced tomatoes, garlic, celery salt, white pepper, and herbs and cook until all the veggies have given up their water, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Preheat oven to 375º.  In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Place pie pan on a lined baking sheet in case of overflow.

4.  To assemble the quiche, spread cooled vegetable mixture on bottom of pie pan.  Top with cheese (yes, I used sliced instead of shredded, because that's what I had).  Pour egg custard into pie shell and allow it to settle a moment.

5.  Bake 40-45 minutes, until custard is set and crust is a medium brown.  Set on a rack to cool at least 15 minutes to serve warm, or an hour to serve at room temperature.  Quiches can also be served cold.

Serves 6-8, depending on sides and whether this is for a smaller meal like brunch or tea

Difficulty rating  :)

Omelet Muffins

I've been wanting silicone muffin cups for several months, just to make these.  I wasn't seeing what I wanted at Michaels, though they did have one mold that makes 3-tier cupcakes that look like mini wedding cakes.  Then I found a six-cupcake one at the 99¢ Store for $2.  Sold.

While these make excellent pieces for a brunch buffet, my intent was for meal prep.  Some mornings, I would rather stay in bed ten more minutes than get up to make a hot breakfast.  Once baked, these can be popped out and frozen, then nuked as needed.  That was the point behind the silicone molds.

Like a quiche, you can put whatever you want in them.  I had some latkes left in the freezer from Christmas, so they went on the bottom.  You could use cooked hash browns.  Or not, if you aren't a hash brown person.  I added some cheddar and a little bit of veggies I scrounged up.  You could do sausage or bacon.  This is very much a build your own thing.

Does it work in a regular muffin pan?  I'm not brave enough to find out.  You would have to grease the heck out of it.  There's a reason quiches have a crust.

4 eggs
1/2 C milk
*about 1 C of fillings like sausage, potatoes, cheese, veggies, etc. Meat and potatoes should be pre-cooked
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 325º and get out a 6-count silicone muffin pan.  Whisk together eggs, milk, and a little salt and pepper.  I also added paprika.  Set aside.

2.  Evenly distribute fillings between the 6 muffin cups.  If you have an ingredient that tends to be greasy, like sausage or fried potatoes, put that at the bottom to help release.

3.  Pour egg mixture into muffin cups, trying to get all filled the same amount.  It helps to jiggle them a little, to settle out any air pockets.

4.  Bake about 30 minutes, until eggs are set.  Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out to cool completely.  Don't worry if they deflate a bit or shrink up.  Eggs do that as they cool.

5.  Serve warm or cold.  If freezing, refrigerate before wrapping in plastic and sealing in a baggie or container.

Makes 6, or 3-4 servings

Difficulty rating  π

Slow-Cooker Overnight Oats

I promise, this will not become a Crockpot blog.  I just really liked the texture and wanted to post it.

Steel-cut oats don't actually require any cooking.  You can soak them overnight and get a lovely, nutty texture.  Cooking them on the stove for at least half an hour retains some of the whole-grain mouthfeel.  Leaving them in the slow cooker overnight gets you just the kind of pudding mush I was in the mood for.

This one is definitely in the porridge family.  You're getting mushy, pudding-like oatmeal out of this.  Full disclosure.  I wanted that, and was very pleased with the result.  Some other day, I might want a different result.  But the slow cooker was on the counter and I was really hoping for this texture.

*1 C steel-cut oats
3 C water
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 C raisins
milk as needed

1.  Place oats, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins in slow cooker.  Stir to combine.  Set heat to "keep warm" and go to bed.

2.  In the morning, stir mixture and turn up heat to Low.  Stir in milk (or water) to desired consistency and let it come up to temperature while you take a shower and make coffee.

3.  Ladle up warmed oatmeal into bowls.  Top with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, or any other garnish as desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

 

I had just a bit of roasted pumpkin in the freezer from my home-grown pumpkins last year.  I've been having more breakfasts at home lately, choosing to get up a little early and eat a small something before a 5am shift, in case my first break isn't until after 8.  My weekly challah doesn't always make it the whole week because of that, so I needed something else.

Sally's Baking Addiction had a pumpkin coffee cake recipe without eggs, which has knocked it way up on searches.  Pumpkin is one of those ingredients that works as an egg or oil replacement, like applesauce or banana.  This recipe also uses very little butter.  I needed the 8x8 casserole for something else that day and cut the recipe in half to fit in a loaf pan, which also makes it four breakfast-sized servings.  The recipe acknowledges it makes a lot of crumb topping, so I cut that in quarters.  I like crumb, but not as half the cake.

This version is going to simplify the spice listing by calling for pumpkin pie spice.  Most bakers with extra purée in the freezer to use up also have a half-used jar of pie spice.  If you are using defrosted pumpkin, make sure to mix the water back in.  Some will have separated from the purée while it was in the freezer.  I drained mine off, which might have made it too dry, but fresh is different than canned.

Crumb

2 Tb flour
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tb cold butter

1.  Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

2.  Cut in butter until mixture kind of looks like rolled oats.  Chill until ready to use.

Cake

1 C flour (125g) spooned in, not scooped
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
*1/2 C pumpkin purée
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 Tb maple syrup
*2 Tb milk or buttermilk

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Coat a regular loaf pan with baking spray.

2.  In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pie spice.  Sally was serious about not overdoing the flour.  If in doubt, weigh it.  In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together remaining ingredients.  I was using powdered buttermilk, so that went in the dry and the water for it went in the wet.  Also note, since I was using roasted mashed pumpkin instead of commercial purée, the consistency and water content will be different than what you get out of a can.

3.  Stir wet ingredients into dry.  It will form a thick batter, almost like a scoopable cookie dough.  Mine was very thick, so I added another tablespoon of milk just so I could work with it.  Again, because the water content of the pumpkin was not regulated.  Spread in loaf pan.  Sprinkle top with crumb.

4.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan, then serve.  If desired, you can glaze it with a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze or even just powdered sugar.  I was happy with it being a little less sweet than the average coffee cake.  If I had made the full amount of crumble, it would have been too sweet.

Makes 4 breakfast/dessert servings or 6-8 snack slices

Difficulty rating  :)