My Christmas Brunch

As I had mentioned previously, I was asked to make brunch for my family get together as we opened presents! What a joy it was!!! Making breakfast is absolutely my favorite thing.

It was, of course, quite a bit of work throwing together this meal. I had spent a good part of a week putting together different recipes to make what turned out to be such a fun meal! My sister was kind enough to have the brunch at her house and allowed me to take over her kitchen! What a blast my family had!

(Linus and Lucy came on the radio, naturally my sister, my dad, and I started doing our favorite Peanuts character's dance).

It all began late Christmas Eve's eve! My dear friend Liz and I stayed up very late making Mazurek, a Polish breakfast cake (which is like the Polish version of biscotti, I think!). This turned out to be such a fun little treat! The dough is a little tough to work with, as a fair amount of Eastern European dough is! But this definitely was a fun and sweet treat that fueled my family's Christmas Eve Day festivities and also that I gave away as baked presents!

Christmas Eve came and went in a blur! I spent my evening with my fiance's family and had a fantastic feast full of steak, green beans, and twice baked potatoes. Delish! After leaving the fiance's side, he and I drove out to my parents' house where I began my near-24-hour bake-and-cook-a-thon. I began making the dough for the Gingerbread Waffles. What a great recipe this turned out to be (all thanks owed to Rachel Ray!). My parents and fiance all tucked away for the evening, as it was after midnight, I continued prepping for my big brunch on Christmas Morning! I put together all of the dry ingredients and measured out the wet ingredients (keeping them stored in the refrigerator) for the cranberry muffins. After this, I had decided to allow myself to go to sleep, eagerly setting my alarm for 7:00AM to continue cooking and baking!

As I had intended, the alarm sounded off at 7 o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day. Yes!!! The day had finally come! I, then, went down into my mom's kitchen to finish what I had started the night before, the muffins! They were so easy and such a joy to make, and so so tasty!

Once the muffins were finally complete, it was time for myself, the fiance, my parents, my dog Daisy Mae (who was- of course- there for the festivities), and all of my ingredients to pile into the car and head over to my sister's house!

It was at my sister's house that I prepared the baked home fries, kielbasa and eggs, and gingerbread latte.

I was so pleased with how everything turned out! Lots of laughs and smiles surrounded the table filled with love! The day went by so quickly! I can't wait to do this again! How many days until Christmas?

Baked Home Fries

Home Fries, lightened up! Also from the Christmas Brunch I made!!! Not bogged down with oil (although, some days that is just the ticket for a great breakfast!), but crispy and guilt free!!


BAKED HOME FRIES
Serves 6
6 russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 TBS canola oil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Scrub and dice the potatoes into very small pieces (approximately 1/2")
3. Place a greased aluminum foil on a baking sheet.
4. Place your spices, canola oil, and potatoes into a Ziploc bag. Shake to evenly season potatoes.
5. Place the potatoes flat on the greased and foiled baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Mix and flip the potatoes to cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Kielbasa and Eggs

You will never have a better, more filling egg scramble than this one. I promise you. It is unbelievable what smoked kielbasa can do for your breakfast.

Breakfast. Polish style.

Kielbasa and Eggs
Serves 6

1 lb smoked kielbasa, sliced to about 1" thick pieces (try and get the real deal from a good neighborhood deli, stay away from prepackaged, if you can!)
1 dozen eggs (I figure 2 eggs per person!)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Add your scrambled eggs to the kielbasa in the pan. Scramble the eggs, trying to keep it in sections. Here are some pictures of the stages from runny eggs to ready to eat eggs.

When serving it for breakfast this Sunday morning, I also wanted to make some home fries because my husband always likes potatoes with his eggs. I wanted to bake them because I hate frying in oil. So here's what I threw together.

Christmas Cranberry Muffins

Also in my Christmas Brunch Menu. Such a great way to start any morning, but especially one during the Christmas Season!!!

Christmas Cranberry Muffins
Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com
Yields approximately 12 muffins

1 cup cranberries
2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Chop the cranberries coarsely; place them in a small bowl, stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and let them sit for 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a second bowl beat together milk, vanilla, melted butter and eggs. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix with a few strokes, only enough to blend.
4. Fold in the cranberries (and their juice, if any).
5. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Gingerbread Waffles and Cranberry-Maple Syrup

Another thing that I made for my family Christmas Brunch, thanks to Rachel Ray's awesome recipe! They are absolutely delicious and the cranberry-maple syrup really complements the taste of the gingerbread!

Make and ENJOY!!!!

Gingerbread Waffles, with cranberry maple syrup
From Rachel Ray

Directions

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron

Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice

Syrup:

* 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
* 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
* 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
* 2 cinnamon sticks

In a medium saucepan combine the syrup, cranberries, orange zest and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Gingerbread Latte

I adore Starbucks' Gingerbread Latte. For Christmas, I decided to make a knock-off version!

Starbucks Gingerbread Latte
Yields one serving (very easy to quadruple!!)

1/4 cup of instant espresso
2 tbs gingerbread coffee syrup
1/2 cup of milk steamed and frothed
1 tbs candied ginger
2 tbs caramel sauce
Fresh grated nutmeg

1. Place your milk in a saucepan and steam over medium-high heat until bubbly. In another saucepan, add your espresso, syrup, caramel sauce, candied ginger, and nutmeg.
2. After well-combined, place into a mug and add your milk

Homebaked Christmas Gifts

Merry Christmas to you and yours during this lovely time of year!!

This Christmas, the gifts I gave to loved ones were made with love! The gifts I made were pancake mix, roasted blanched almonds, and mazurek.




Mazurek (Polish Breakfast Cake)
(from Allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 T. cream
2 cups flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp.salt

Sift the dry ingredients. Cut butter into flour with knife until crumbly. Mix beaten egg with cream and add to flour. Mix lightly by hand and spread on buttered cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Remove from oven and quickly cover with the almond glaze (recipe below). Bake 20 minutes longer. Cut into small 1 x 2 inch pieces.

Almond Glaze
(from cdkitchen.com)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk, more as needed
1/2 cup shaved almonds for garnish, toasted dry in a 300-degree oven


I also gave out the pancake mix that I had made this weekend as I was snowed in!!!

Lastly, I made roasted blanched almonds!! Yum!

Roasted Blanched Almonds
Recipe from Love to Know Gourmet

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cover an entire cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread almonds on baking pan
With a brush spread canola oil over almonds
3. Bake for eight to 10 minutes, remove pan from oven and sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Whole Grain Pancakes

Considering that I am still snowed in from this big snowstorm, I decided to continue baking. This morning I made whole grain pancakes, with the help of a King Arthur Flour recipe.

I'm going to break this down into the recipe for the pancake mix, and then also the recipe for the pancakes, using the mix!!


Whole Grain Pancake Mix
3 1/2 cups quick oats
4 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 TBS sugar
3 TBS baking powder
1 TBS salt
1 TBS baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBS vanilla
3/4 cup vegetable oil (plus some on reserve)

Place your oats into a food processor and grind them until chopped. Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a mixer, combine the dry ingredients. While the mixer on low, slowly add the oil. Grab some of the mix with your hand, if you are able to have a clump hold together, then the mix is good to go! (if not, slowly add more oil- I had to add about 2 TBS more to get the mix to hold).



You will only need 2 cups for the pancakes. Place the rest of the mix in a sealed container or freezer bag and store it in your freezer.




Whole Grain Pancakes, using mix from above
yields, 12 pancakes

2 large eggs
2 cups of milk (I used soymilk)
2 TBS orange juice
2 cups pancake mix

Combine the wet ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Then whisk together the wet ingredients and the pancake mix. After well combined, let the batter sit for about 15 minutes to thicken. Butter a pan or skillet, cook panckes over medium-high heat. These pancakes will be thinner than most pancakes, so make note that they will cook quickly. As soon as the batter bubbles, flip the pancake over!

Enjoy these great, light pancakes!! Serve with your favorite syrup!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies




Today has been quite the snowy day in the Greater Philadelphia area. The fiance, doggie, and I decided that my parents' country house (about an hour and a half outside of Philadelphia) would be the best place to get snowed in!!! It has been snowing since the middle of the night and now, at 4:30PM, there seems to be about a foot and a half of snow covering the ground and it's still really coming down!!






After a little frolicking in the snow with the hound dog, I decided today was a good day to scrounge around my mother's pantry looking for good ingredients for a good cookie recipe. After some research on the internet, I found this recipe on online and am so pleased with the results!

This makes for a GREAT cookie around Christmas-time on a snowy, cold, Pennsylvania country day!!


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 cup butter (or 2 sticks), softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.
5. Mix in the quick oats, pecans, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
8. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lachowicz Polish Market

Good morning all!!!

Today, the fiance and I took off of work and have a big day ahead of us! We are going to be hiking along the Wissahickon Trial of the beautiful Fairmount Park in Philadelphia with Daisy Mae, our beautiful dog!! And also stopping by the famous Lachowicz Polish Market in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. This will be my first time venturing up to not only this neighborhood (I know... I know...) but this market. I have heard such great things about this place, the quality of their foods, and their KIELBASA. Oh man. So pumped!!!

I'm headed to get a pound of smoked kielbasa for my kielbasa and egg scramble I am making for Christmas Brunch


Stay tuned for details on my experience today!!!



And also, side note, this day- one year ago- Timothy and I got engaged and I got Daisy Mae out of the whole engagement deal :-)

The Menu for Christmas Brunch

Similarly to Thanksgiving, my family will be doing a Christmas Brunch! My mom and sister asked if I would do this again. Of course I have said YES! Breakfast is, by far, the best meal of the day. My dream is to build a career around my love for breakfast (owning my own cafe). I have been brainstorming for quite some time and have settled on a Christmas Brunch Menu! Very excited! It will probably result in two days of baking.

For Christmas Eve Morning:
I will be baking Mazurek Krolewski (A Polish Breakfast Cake) during the early hours of Christmas Eve so that my family can take it along with us (with some hot coffee of course!) when we decorate loved ones' graves.

For Christmas Morning Brunch:
My version of a gingerbread latte (I'm going to attempt to recreate Starbucks' Gingerbread Latte, with which I am infatuated)
Hot cranberry tea (for those who aren't coffee lovers)
Kielbasa and eggs (oh yeah, Polska!)
Home fries (because it's just not a good breakfast without potatoes)
Gingerbread waffles with a cranberry-maple syrup (I am "Christmasing up" my pumpkin waffles and cider-honey syrup from Thanksgiving, the recipe found here)
Christmasy Cranberry Muffins (eh, why not?)

I am going to do a trial run of the gingerbread latte tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that recipe, as I will post it probably by Thursday or Friday!


Stay tuned, my friends, for the posting of these recipes on, or around, Christmas Day!

Apple, Cranberry, Spiced Walnut Salad

Tonight, I was so happy to be invited to a friend's house for a dinner party! What fun it was! (and great food... thanks so much Lisa!!) I was asked to bring a salad! I was trying to go through my mind and figure out what salad would be a really great tasting and unique salad that would be great for this time of year! I came up with this Apple, Cranberry, Spiced Walnut Salad.

About a month ago, I was at a dear friend's bachelorette party where one of the BEST salad's I have ever had in my life was served. It had candied walnuts, dried cranberries, pears, mixed greens, and a delicious vinaigrette. It was really unbelievable (I ate more of the salad for dinner than the incredible lasagna that night). I decided to try to develop a salad of my own similar to the one I had at the party. I perused the internet for different kinds of salads using these kinds of ingredients and developed one that I think embodies the spirit of Christmas! It is pretty darn close to being a clean recipe, with the exception of the sugar and cheese used. So close! But an easy way to "clean" up this recipe would be to ditch the sugar and cheese! (Although, perhaps not as delectable of a dish to take to a dinner party. So allow this to be a splurge!)

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice Walnuts
(stolen from epicurean.com)
*One thing to note before making this recipe, you will have TONS left over, which is a plus, but you don't need all of these walnuts for the salad*

1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
5 cups walnut halves or pieces
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Beat together egg white and water in a large bowl with a fork.
3. Add walnuts; toss to coat (I used my hands, it made it much easier to spread the egg mixture throughout, and be sure that all of the nuts were covered).
4. In a small bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Sprinkle sugar mixture over walnuts and toss to coat.
5. Spread nuts on a greased baking pan.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Transfer to waxed paper to cool. Break into clumps. Makes 7 cups.

Apple Cranberry, Spiced Walnut Salad with a Parsley-Basil Vinaigrette
(made possible by combining about 4 different recipes!)

For the salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 gala apple, cut into 1 inch pieces
Lemon juice (to put on the apples, so that they won't brown after chopping)
About 1 handful of gorgonzola cheese
1 and 1/2 cups of spiced walnuts (recipe above)
1 cup of dried cranberries

For the salad dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1. After slicing the apples, squeeze some lemon juice from a fresh lemon onto the pieces, so that they won't brown. Combine apples, walnuts, cranberries, and romaine, so that it is evenly mixed.
2. Combine the ingredients for the salad dressing. Slowly drizzle the dressing onto the salad, mixing as you drizzle. You may find that you won't be needing all of the salad dressing (which is great, even though the vinaigrette has a light taste to it, you don't want to overpower the awesome flavors of the salad)!
3. After the salad and dressing are well combined, crumble a handful of gorgonzola to dress the top of the salad!

Serve and enjoy!

A Christmas Meal to Remember

Hello all!

It is hard to believe that today is already the 14th of December!! I would really like to know where all of the time goes. As yesterday was the 3rd Sunday of Advent, we are truly in the midst of our Christmas preparations. I have found that during this time of year, wonderful traditional recipes- ones which have been handed down from the matriarch/patriarch of the family to the next generation- dominate the Christmas Dinner menus. It is a time of year for familial traditions, old and new. Joy and love fill each kitchen as flour, rolling pins, and baking sheets decorate counter-tops, and laughter and old family stories fill the air.

Yesterday, I got a glimpse of Christmas recipes that I will be sure to hand down. In a quasi-trial-run, my mother put together a festive Christmas menu so wonderful that I find myself counting down the days and hours until I can once again partake in this Christmas Feast!! It consisted of smoked ham (that she and my father smoked earlier that day in their smoker), scalloped potatoes to die for, and baked turnips/carrots concoction. Even though my mother just created this in one day, it exudes of a menu from Christmases past. To me, this is what makes Christmas so joyful.

The meal my mom prepared last night, and will be preparing Christmas Day (sorry I have no pictures)!:

Smoked Ham with Whole Cloves
(My mother's recipe)
1 large ham (pre-cooked)
Whole cloves
8 oz dijon mustard
1/2 lb dark brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Score the ham with a sharp knife. Use a skewer to make holes in the ham and insert the cloves.
2. Smoke the ham indirectly for approximately 4 hours.
3. Mix remaining ingredients and brush them on the ham at the 4 hour mark. Cook/smoke for another 2 hours. Reapply the glaze in 1 hour, if necessary.

Scalloped Potato Gratin
(from Tyler Florence)

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Butter

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic, and nutmeg.

3. While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Sprinkle on some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

A Colonial-Inspired Parsnip and Carrot Side Dish
(adapted from Danny Boome)

1 lb carrots

1 lb parsnips

3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

3 TBS brown sugar

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut them in half lengthwise, larger ones can be quartered. Place them on a large rimmed baking sheet.

3. Drizzle the carrots and parsnips with the olive oil and brown sugar. Season with Salt and pepper and toss to coat. Scatter the thume sprigs on top. Place them in the preheated oven.

4. After 10 minutes, give the veggies a toss and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized. Serve Warm.

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Christmas traditions of my family mean so much more to me as I am getting older, getting married, and starting a family of my own. Simple things such as: spending the morning of Christmas Eve with my mother and my sister visiting the graves of dearly missed loved ones, while feeling emotions of happiness for cherished memories and sadness over how much we wish we could still hear their laughter (ja cie kocham, Poppy, love you Nana and Poppop); hay on the table for the Christmas Feast (a wonderful Polish tradition); after opening presents, eating a Christmas brunch full of amazing foods you would not normally eat for breakfast; watching A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (of course!) ; tons of pie baking and peanut brittle making; Nutcrackers, in the ballet and decorative forms; and last, but certainly not least, small tokens of those family members who have passed- special recipes, china, etc.

I will do my best from this day forward, with each holiday, to absorb as much family tradition as possible so that when I have children, I can create such meaningful memories for them, as my family has done for me.

*Please share some of your favorite Christmas memories in the comment section*

Happy December!

Hello friends!

It is so hard to believe that today is the first day of December and this past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. My goodness! Where does the time go? Yesterday was the 5 month mark until Timothy and I tie the knot. Talk about time flying!!!! On December 18th, it will be a YEAR that we have been engaged. I really feel like that special day was last week, not a year ago!

I am ecstatic to say that I have officially taken the day off from work December 18th to move into the house (as construction is to be completed by then!). Oh boy, am I thrilled! No worries, when the time comes, I will post before and after photos of the house!

Okay, now that it's the Christmas Season, it is time to start gearing up for Christmas baking (and we all know I am quite the beginner in this arena). I am tackling biscotti this holiday season. Hopefully with the help of the fiance!! There is nothing more cozy in the wintertime than a hot cup o' Joe with some fantastic biscotti. I am compiling a ton of recipes that I will be playing around with, and fortunately for you, you get to watch the process unfold and hopefully see more of my successes than failures!

...More to come boys and girls!!! :o)
Please stay tuned!