British Flapjacks - Not to be confused with American Flapjacks! Oh, and some local wildflowers for this Spring...

Saturday mornings is not only my chance to catch a few extra winks of sleep-- it's a morning I set aside to make something special for breakfast.  Sometimes I like to whip up a quick batch of muffins, or homemade waffles.  Eggs are a favorite, too. Heck, Craig and I just enjoy our leisurely Saturday morning breakfast! In the March 2010 issue of Bon Appetit, Molly Weizenberg (of the very success blog "Orangette" and a recently published author, published this recipe.  I was definitely intrigued. My definition of Flapjacks, for all of my American life, has been pancakes. But these are different in the US...they are more of a bar cookie.  Molly's version of British Flapjacks requires an ingredient I had never heard of before-- Golden Syrup.  I filed this recipe in my "gotta try" part of my brain that reminded me to scout out this elusive ingredient. At last!  I found Lyle's Golden Syrup at my local World Market for less than $4.00.  Gripping my new treasure, I was ready to give this recipe a go.

Golden Syrup is made from Cane Sugar.  What is the bottle set in? It's my 8x8 pan, which I have lined with a parchment paper "sling".  I read the reviews from folks who made this recipe.  Several complained that they couldn't get the bars out of the pan. Problem solved...

You need a 1/4 cup of Golden Syrup.  TIP: Anytime I need to measure sticky syrups or honey, I wipe a little olive oil in the measuring cup-- it helps the syrup to slide right out.   If you cannot find Golden Syrup, some reviewers said that Maple Syrup worked great. But please-- no pancake syrup.  I never buy the stuff anymore-- don't get me started on the ingredients in there!  The rest of the ingredients are, unsalted butter, brown sugar, Quick Oats (big no-no on Old Fashioned Oats, Molly says) and a pinch of salt.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a pot, melt the butter, brown sugar and Golden Syrup (see how it slides right out...clever, eh?) until melted, stirring constantly.  Remove the pot from the heat, and add the oats and a pinch of kosher or sea salt.

Pour the mixture into the pan...

An off-set spatula makes flattening the mixture easy.  Bake for about 25 minutes...

The aroma will get anyone's attention... I'd check these at about 20 minutes.

I let these sit for about 5 minutes.  Using a bench scraper tool, made it easy work to cut these into fourths, then each fourth in half-- like a triangle.  Molly's version cut eat square into four small wedges.  I went for BIG! After cutting them, they sling lifted right out!

  I didn't let these cool completely. 

VERDICT:  These are definitely sweet and we really liked the chewy texture.  The balance of butter, nuttiness of the brown sugar and oats made us each go back for seconds. Craig took a few nibbles and commented that they remind him of something.  "Granola bars?", I suggested.  "That's it",he exclaimed  I have a really healthy version of granola that is a one of my family's favorite breakfast snacks that I make.  This version is a little naughtier because of the full stick of butter.  I brought my son two of these, and he devoured them.  These are super simple to make, and I will definitely try them again.  I would definitely want to add some dried fruit and maybe even almonds... for sure, I think cinnamon would raise the flavor bar on these just a little higher.  If you make these for your kids-- they might have a sugar rush going on for a bit.  Overall, I say "try these" if you like sweets. I think these are more of a dessert/snack than a breakfast item.

LOCAL WILDFLOWERS

Today, Craig and I drove about 90 minutes south of where we live, to the Lake Nacamiento (California) area.  The wildflowers were in full swing-- I wish I could share the fragrance of the purple lupines.  It was great to get away and enjoy a drive in the country.  I'll leave you with a few images of our day, and the printable recipe on the bottom of this post.

  Gotta love Spring!

Greek Zucchini Fritters – Kolokithokeftedes with Tzatziki Sauce

Last weekend, I got a little carried away grating fresh zucchini to make a Pineapple-Zucchini Cake-- which my husband and son ate with great relish!  I don't like to waste food,  so I pondered what to make with the leftover grated zucchini.  I must read dozens of recipes a week, so my subconscious mind reminded me of "zucchini fritters".  I've never made them, but it seems like a great idea.  My google searched found several versions for Greek Zucchini Fritters.  Some of my favorite Greek ingredients are feta cheese and lemon.  I try to keep Greek Yogurt in my fridge, at all times.  I zeroed in on a new blog (to me) called "Whipped".  I love this version, because of the panko crumbs.  That was it!  I began by making my tried & true very quick Tzatziki Sauce.

Mix Greek yogurt ( find that the nonfat version works great), a grated clove of garlic, cucumber, the juice of 1 lemon and ½ teaspoon cumin. That's it!  I do add fresh dill-- but I held back on that because I was putting it into the fritters.   I also serve this sauce with my Ground Gyros recipe-- which is also very flavorful and one of my husband's favorite quick week night dinners.

I show you how I grate zucchini in a food processor, and how I use a ricer to drain all the excess water right here.  Otherwise, use a box grater for the zucchini, and it's important that you squeeze the excess water with your hands, or by wringing it with a tea towel or cheese cloth.  Soggy zucchini makes soggy fritters and that is not very appetizing!  Chop some green onion.  Add some Feta Cheese. For the herbs, you can use fresh mint and fresh dill.  My husband doesn't like mint, so I cut fresh dill (from my Spring garden) and flat leaf parsley.

Add one beaten egg, about 1/2 cup of flour (I added less, figuring I could add more if I needed to), 3-4 Tablespoons Japanese panko crumbs and combine this with a fork.  Easy!  The batter should be wet enough to bind together. I didn't need a full 1/2 cup of flour.

I like to use an ice cream scoop to make my patties even.  There!

I heated enough olive oil* to evenly coat the skillet-- make sure the oil is very hot and shimmering. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  *For those of you who fear cooking with oil as being "fattening"-- olive oil is the healthiest choice because of the Omega-3 in it. It's my #1 choice of cooking oil.

Flip them over and cook for 3-4 additional minutes.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate....

Serve with a dollop of Tzatziki Sauce...

Mmmmm...  the creaminess of the feta cheese, subtle flavor of dill... and a refreshing and tangy tzatziki sauce...wow!  Craig and I enjoyed these as our TGIF Happy Hour.  We washed it down with an ice cold beer.  These were great appetizers, but they'd also be a nice side dish.  These are fast and easy to make.  Scroll to the very bottom of this post for a printable recipe.

I am linking this recipe to Lori at All That Splatters. She is hosting this week's Saturday Blog Showcase. I am happy to participate in this great way to give a shout to bloggers whose recipes have inspired us to make.

I am really glad that I stumbled across "Whipped's" food blog. I love her photos and I've bookmarked several of her recipes.  Please come and see who else is being showcased for this week!

Enjoy!

Eatin' My Daily Fruits & Veggies: Pineapple Zucchini Cake

Let's face it-- the The Pioneer Woman is cooking for a brood of active kids, and hard-working cowboys.  Craig and I are living in an empty nest, so we both want to limit how much butter and heavy cream we consume, on a regular basis. So, my good mood turned cranky-- and there's a reason I am admitting this to you.  I just couldn't find a dessert recipe that was hitting the visual taste bud meter for me.   Finally, I decided that Ree's Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting looked easy enough to make-- and I had everything in stock.  The only thing I was not going to tempt myself into making was the frosting--  and not because I wouldn't like it.  On the contrary, I didn't want the temptation to eat it.

You need two cups of grated zucchini.  If you've never had zucchini cake, I can promise you that it doesn't taste like zucchini.  I would venture to guess that this squash vegetable has a lot of moisture-- and that's one of the keys to this very moist cake.  You can use a box grate, but my food processor makes it so easy.  These are four average sized zucchini's (turns out I only needed two).  You want to squeeze out the excess water-- and I use my ricer for this. It's super easy and it works great for spinach as well. Otherwise, squeeze it out in a towel.

 There we have two cups of dry, grated zucchini.  The remaining two cups are in my fridge-- and I have an idea with what to make with them. But, back to dessert...

Drain a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, and reserve the juice.  The juice is to be used if the batter is too thick or for the ream cheese frosting. (I'll explain that later.)

The dry ingredients are easy-- all-purpose flour, sugar, 3 tablespoons of canola oil and two large eggs. You might not have whole wheat pastry flour, so it's okay to us regular flour.  Fortunately, I had a bag of pastry flour, and I was glad to finally be able to use it.

You don't even need to drag out the stand mixer. This is all easily mixed by hand. Simply add the wet ingredients to the dry, add vanilla (I added a bit of my Bakery Emulsion that I'm fond of).  Fold in the zucchini and pineapple.  NOTE: Do you see pineapple in here?  This is where my grumpy mood comes in to the story line.....

Because I didn't want to frost this cake in a sheet pan, I chose this cake pan that dates way back to my mom's kitchen.  I cut parchment paper (because it's good insurance against cakes getting stuck),  and greased the pan well.  I poured the batter into the pan...and then saw the can of drained pineapple.  (Dark words of expression are omitted here).  Being grumpy means that I didn't give 100% into setting up my mis en place. Serves me right... so...

I added the pineapple, and folded it in as best as I could.  The batter did not need the reserved pineapple juice at all.  In fact, I thought 20 oz. of pineapple seemed like a lot.  Into a 350F oven, I placed the cake pan and set the timer for 35 minutes.

As expected, the cake smelled wonderful.  I allowed it to cool for a few minutes...then removed the cake...and promptly dropped it. Yep, it slipped out of my grasp, hit the edge of the cooling rack-- to my utter horror!  (More dark and colorful words are not listed here.)

As you can see, there's a lot of pineapple on top and the cake is denser on the bottom.  I think this is because I spaced out on folding the pineapple and zucchini together. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

You would think that the missing piece of cake was devoured...but, no, I removed the evidence of my slippery fingers! 

Go ahead, make the cream cheese frosting!  I'm sure it's fantastic.  I simply dusted the cake with powdered sugar (or, is it confectioners sugar?)  Craig was skeptical of the little green bits.  He likes this.  Your kids would never know there's a green vegetable in it. 

There are a few reasons why I'm a loyal fan of The Pioneer Woman-- she's funny and she writes really well. She's real. She also knows how to pick great recipes.  This is one of them. If you want to see her high-caloric version, it's on her blog.

VERDICT: Even without the frosting, I loved the moistness of this cake.  It's terrific as a snack cake, or even with a morning cup of coffee. I'll bet this will taste even better tomorrow. This is a classic cake recipe that deserves to be made.  There's no butter in this-- just 3 tablespoons of canola oil.  It's got the perfect balance of spices. I think I'd reduce the pineapple by half.   Oh, and you can use shredded carrots instead of zucchini and get great results (as the original recipes says).

As for my cranky  mood... it's dissipating!

I have to think of this place-- this is where I spend most of my lunch breaks. This is Lover's Point, at Pacific Grove in my home state of California-- just a few minutes away from where I work.  This photo was taken just last Friday-- and it was 72 degrees outside.  Not a bad place to enjoy a lunch, is it?  It's where I go to de-stress from work.  I just wish the weekend didn't go so fast!

I cannot wait to share with you some healthy recipes I've been making. It's definitely grilling season in my neck of the woods.  I'll try and post them this week.  The recipe for this cake is at the bottom of this post. I included the frosting recipe, for those of you who want to make this.  It's a keeper!

Two more weeks until Spring Break!

Creamy Asparagus Soup: A Soup of a Different Color, from Cook's Country

 Today, being St. Patrick's Day, I've seen so many beautiful "green" dishes.  It's is purely, by coincidence, that I have this vibrantly green, beautiful (and very tasty) Creamy Asparagus Soup to share with all of you.  This recipe is in the April 2010 issue of Cook's Country-- one of my favorite recipe magazines. I took these photos on Monday night, shortly before all my natural lighting was gone.  For that reason, you can't really appreciate what a verdant green this soup turned out to be. There are two secret ingredients, that the test kitchen of Cook's Country (same owners as Cook's Illustrated) added that delivered surprisingly great results. What are they?  First, let's start with the basics-- fresh asparagus.  This bunch is from Mexico, but today I see that locally grown California asparagus has hit the markets at $1.97 a pound. I'm so happy, because we love asparagus.

 TIP: I save these blue bands. They are perfect for tying bouquet garni (herbs for seasoning soup stock and stews).  Kitchen twine is great, but these hold up really well in hot liquids.

Prepare the leeks, but washing and cutting them and washing them well.  If you are unfamiliar with how to prep leeks, click here. Cut tips off asparagus spears and chop stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter (I used a combo of olive oil and unsalted butter) in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Right here, I could have eaten all of these. OK. I ate one. It was delicious. 

Add remaining butter and asparagus, leeks, 1/2 tablespoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.The secret ingredients are about to be revealed...

Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan. Peas and Parmesan?  Yes, that's right. Cook's Country found that the peas gave a vibrant green color to the soup, but taste testers couldn't detect the peas.  The Parmesan's slightly nutty flavor was a good balance to the asparagus, the article said. Now, to make the soup creamy....

Puree soup in blender in 2 batches and return to pot. However, kudos to you if you have an immersion blender. I've written this dozens of times-- I find it so much easier to puree my soups right in the pot! Why bother pouring soups, in batches, into a blender and then back into the pot?  Whatever floats your boat. Last, stir in cream, lemon juice, and asparagus tips, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. 

 This is the truth-- I made this soup in less than 30 minutes! Of course, how did it taste, you wonder?

Winner, winner, winner!  Craig and I both loved this soup a lot.  The first thing we commented about was the pretty color.  We do taste with our eyes, don't we?  The balance of asparagus flavor was perfect.  Craig didn't taste the peas nor the Parmesan cheese.  These surprising ingredients complemented the overall flavor of the soup.  I think you could easily substitute the heavy cream for half and half, or even milk.  To us, 1/4 cup of heavy cream for six servings isn't too big an indulgence.  

This soup is worthy of company.  It's elegant, flavorful and not too heavy. It's a perfect Spring Time Soup. 

Spring has arrived in my hometown!