A few weeks ago, my new friend Amy shared this recipe with me. We were talking about breakfast fatigue. I definitely get in breakfast slumps. For a little while, I’d pretty given up on making breakfast and kept a well-stocked dry cereal shelf the kids could reach themselves. They started getting their own cereal (dry) before we got up. Too bad that only lasted a few weeks. Oatmeal, breakfast burritos, quesadillas, smoothies, bagels, cinnamon toast, baked oatmeal, muffins, waffles, pancakes. What else is there? Finnish pancakes! These are nothing like your typical lumberjack pancakes. Think: popover.

While this is easy to make, it is not a “last minute” breakfast item. You need to let the batter sit for about 30 mins and you also need the baking time – about 15-20 minutes. I have a feeling after you’ve made it a few times you can get it going first thing when you wake up or hopefully, do it in your sleep!

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c all purpose flour (I used 1/2 c flour & 1/4 c whole wheat flour)
3/4 c milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
optional: I added a TBSP milled flax seed & 1 TBSP chia seeds

TOPPING (optional)
powdered sugar
whipped cream
fresh fruit

**NOTE: This is half the original recipe. I used (1) 9″ pie pan but it’s supposed to be enough for (2) pie pans. I just didn’t have 2!**

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and salt until smooth. Let stand for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Add butter to a 9″ pie pan or I think you could use a cast iron skillet or a 9″ skillet as long as it is oven safe (and NOT Teflon coated!) I used a 9″ glass pie pan. Anyway, add the butter to it – yep, just PLOP it in there and place in the oven. When butter is melted, remove from oven, brush butter to coat entire pan and add batter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Edges should be puffed and rise quite high.

Whatever you do, find a way to resist the temptation to open & close the oven to see how high it is!!

Dust with powdered sugar.

And slice!

Adapted from:”The Great Scandinavian Baking Book” by Beatrice Ojakagas

We hosted our 3rd Annual Cox-Fitz Egghunt & Brunch this year!

Like the wreath? So did about 7 people at the Farmer’s Market. I think they assumed it was artisanally made or somethin’ because they kept asking me where I bought it.

TJMaxx. That’s where I bought it. HAHAHAA!!!

This is our third year having a yard and our third year hosting Easter. The kids were barely ambulatory when we started this so I’ve had to adjust every year. It’s really the most fun holiday for me, a non-religious person. I love it because:

a. It’s warm & sunny out.
b. You can decorate in pastels without receiving too much criticism.
c. Little girls in pastel dresses are soooooo cute no matter how anti-princess I am.
d. There are flowers everywhere.
e. The kids have a ball!

On Saturday night I was up till 2:00AM cooking & prepping. I woke up at 5:30AM (thanks a LOT, Bea!) and decided to stay up and let everyone else sleep. Around 6 I heard some tiny footsteps and an “Ohhhhhh WOW!!!!”

She had that bunny unwrapped and an ear bitten off quicker than I could say “April Valley.”

Then Bea woke up.

I distinctly heard Maddie exclaim, “This is REALLY GOOD!” while she looked through her basket.

Pure joy!

These pix were all taken with my phone and are a tad blurry. But still capture that golden halo of baby hair.

Meanwhile, I was cooking!

The Menu:
1. Sunshine Dazzler
2. Orange juice
3. Coffee
4. Cheese Grits
5. Summer Vegetable Torta (gluten free)
6. Coffee cake
7. Asparagus gruyere puff pastry (forgot to make until half the guest were gone & I’d had too many Sunshine Dazzlers.)
8. Fruit Salad (two kinds)
9. Lemon-Blueberry scones (scrapped these as I decided to have fun instead of keep cooking!)
10. Earth Wind & Fire Salad

Brooke brought cupcakes & Lyn brought some brussel sprout/walnut salad. YUM!!

This torta was really pretty and amazing!!! It’s gluten-free as well (not that I’m on a gluten free diet but just thought you’d be interested…) Here’s a link to the recipe.

These roasted potatoes look better than they were. I made some EXCELLENT ones this past week that were part of a broccoli gribiche recipe, soon to be shared. So if you come over again & see these, they’ll be WAY better!!

The kids’ fruit salad.

The adults’ Kir Royale Fruit Salad.

I quartered these for the Sunshine Dazzler cocktail. Love those blood oranges!!! Btw: I somehow neglected to take pix of the Sunshine Dazzler AND the Earth Wind & Fire Salad again. I got busy.

Suffice it to say, the Sunshine Dazzler (photo from blog.teroforma.com)

is a VERY easy, excellent brunch beverage. It totally beats a screwdriver or a mimosa in my opinion. Though it actually is a sort of combined mimosa/screwdriver with some mango juice. And you can make a big pitcher of it and just let guests get their own ice. YUM! Very pretty with sliced citrus floating on top.

Here’s the table in the early morning – still missing a few dishes but you can see the Earth, Wind & Fire Salad, the Sunshine Dazzler is in the glass pitcher way in the back and there was the most excellent coffee cake in the world under the foil. However, I made that around 1AM and I totally forgot a minor ingredient, baking powder. So I had to add it late and it was too late. Enough said, this wasn’t the best coffee cake in the world but here is the link to the BEST Coffee Cake in the WORLD.

Oh, there are the cheese grits too.

Lovely Lyn & Maddie pre-egghunt.

Guests melting in the hot driveway as the backyard was still verboten at this time.

LET THE EGGHUNT BEGIN!!

Bea’s first “walking” egg hunt. Lyn served as her butler.

Ava:

Frog Pillow oversaw the hunt:

This egg was empty.

I really don’t think I look like Mama Cass in real life. Or do I?

M’s basket at the end of the hunt. She is so non-competitive.

We only have good-looking friends.

Love. My own children don’t hug me this much.

My friend made these adorable cupcakes with rainbows & clouds on top. Email me if you want the “how to” and I’ll get it for you. I think the rainbow is some candy and the clouds are white frosting. Soooo cute!!!

We had so much fun and loved having our friends over!

If you drop two scoops of French vanilla ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge and fresh whipped cream atop a bed of mixed baby greens, does that make it a salad? OF COURSE it does!! Same with this ravioli “salad.” Nobody’s going to waste away during this salad month…

This recipe, although it has fresh pesto, is simpler than the Orzo Salad of the last posting. And the crazy vibrant green of the cilantro makes it extra gorgeous!!!

**WARNING: Cilantro haters – do NOT read on!!! This recipe is not for you! However, check back this weekend for something cilantro-free…**

I couldn’t help it – I got a MASSIVE bush of cilantro at the Farmer’s Market for $1.00

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c toasted pine nuts
1 c lightly packed cilantro leaves & stems
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 TBSP lemon juice
2/3 c olive oil
sea salt
16 oz fresh or frozen ravioli
1/2 c oil-cured black olives, pitted and torn or chopped
OPTIONAL: thyme or chive flowers, to garnish

This was about 1/4th of the amount of cilantro I got!

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Toast pine nuts: Pre-heat oven to 400. Spread pine nuts evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes.

Ugh!@!! Someone PLEASE clean out my toaster oven?

3 minutes would have been perfect. I did 4 and they got a little dark but still tasty.

2. Make cilantro pesto while water is heating. In a food processor or blender (I only have a blender) add cilantro, parmesan, salt, garlic, lemon juice and a generous splash of olive oil.

Blend until you have a gorgeous electric green sauce. Wow! Taste and add salt, lemon juice or olive oil to your taste.

How does SO much cilantro become so little sauce? Magic!

3. Salt boiling water & add ravioli. Boil until they float and are cooked through. (Follow package directions on this.) Drain immediately and, while still hot, add a large spoonful of pesto. Toss gently and let the pesto soak into the pasta.

Add most of the remaining pesto and olives and toss gently.

4. Gently pour onto a platter and drizzle remaining pesto, sprinkle remaining olives, pine nuts and (optional) flowers atop.

(I opted OUT of the flowers as I did not have them but they would be a pretty addition – especially if this were served at a special event.)

Maddie professed to loving this.

However, Maddie lied. (That was the only bite she took.)

A Word about my Adaptations:
I respect the original recipe and its ingredients very much but, sometimes I don’t have all the ingredients and I still want to make the dish. For this reason, I adapt the ingredients to make them less particular and hopefully more accessible. My adaptations involve using ingredients I have. For example, I didn’t have any pepitos (not only did I not have them but I’d never heard of them!) and wasn’t about to make a trip with 2 kids to Whole Foods or the CO-OP to find them. Also, if you have olive oil but not extra-virgin olive oil, that doesn’t mean you can’t make this dish. That said, I find that using the best ingredients I can get (and afford) makes a difference in the dish.

Do you think I used the word “dish” enough?

This is what I call a First World problem. Most of the people reading this blog (you two know who you are! HAHAHAAH!!!) have more than enough to eat. If we can be aware of where we are getting our food from to be more environmental/humane, than great. Otherwise, I don’t want to get caught up in “I can’t use regular olive oil, it has to be extra virgin.” to the point you drive yourself nuts.

Slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day. (Can you tell I LOVE this cookbook??)