Zucchini Muffins

Making just 12 standard size muffins, this recipe is scaled especially perfect for harvesting zucchini early. These one-bowl muffins are as delicious as zucchini bread but cook much quicker, making them perfect for summer breakfast.

Zucchini Muffins

• Spritz the 12 cups of a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

To a medium mixing bowl, add:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/16 tsp cloves

Sift together. Add all of the following to the dry ingredients before mixing:

8 oz zucchini, finely shredded

1/2 cup yogurt (plain recommended)

3 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Fold all of the ingredients together. Initially it will appear too dry. Keep folding. The movement of the ingredients will cause the zucchini to release sufficient liquid to incorporate everything.

Set aside, resting batter ~5 minutes. Then stir in:

1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Divide batter between 12 standard muffin cups (it will seem very liquidy, don’t let that worry you). Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: 12 standard muffins

• These muffins work best if muffin/cupcake liners are NOT used

• This recipe can be doubled

• Substitute 1/4 cup sour cream + 1/2 cup milk for the yogurt if needed

• Brenda is a strong proponent of delicious flavor, recommending that zucchini squash is harvested when it’s about 8” long and the diameter is equivalent to a quarter

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

HOW TO: Egg Sandwich

Scrambled egg on wheat toast was my mothers solution to breakfast on the run. Particularly for her daughter who was perpetually rushing to catch the bus to head to school! There’s no record of the number of sandwiches consumed, but it’s gotta be in the hundreds.

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HOW TO: Egg Sandwich

• Preheat cast iron skillet over medium heat.

• Preheat a second skillet over medium heat.

To a small mixing bowl, add:

2 eggs

Using a fork, whisk until the eggs are beaten. Set aside.

To the first skillet, add:

2 slices bread, buttered side down

• Best bread recs: No-Knead Bread, French Bread, Pretzel Buns

Cook until toasted, flip and add:

1 slice cheese (optional)

Allow bread to toast on the second side while preparing the eggs.

To the second preheated skillet, add:

1 tsp butter

Using a knife or heat-proof spatula, spread the melting butter over the full cooking surface of the hot skillet.

Pour in the whisked eggs. Sprinkle lightly with:

Salt

Pepper

Don’t touch the eggs until the edge barely begins to set.

Here’s how to form a delicate egg scramble patty: Use a heat-proof spatula to gently push the section of eggs that has set to the side, allowing more of the un-cooked egg to flow across the surface of the hot skillet. Repeat until the egg doesn’t run into the void from pushing aside the set eggs. Flip egg patty. Continue cooking until eggs reach the desired doneness.

Load the cooked eggs on the toast and cover with the second slice. Serve immediately.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: 1 sandwich

• Add meats or veggies to dress up this great breakfast sandwich

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

HOW TO: Breakfast Burritos

Brenda is a big believer in breakfast, ideally mostly carbs. John also enjoys breakfast, but prefers a breakfast that prioritizes protein. The breakfast burrito, in all it’s many iterations, brings both. Along with the added benefit of “grab and go” since time always seems to be tight in the morning.

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HOW TO: Breakfast Burritos

Identify & set aside desired additional ingredients for the breakfast burrito filling, here are some suggestions:

• Bacon, cooked and chopped

• Sausage, cooked and drained

• Ham, cubed or deli-slices

• Mushrooms, chopped

• Onions, finely diced

• Bell peppers, diced

• Potatoes, cooked (hash browns, tots, fries, etc.)

• Rice (leftover fried rice is especially delicious)

• Corn, steamed

Place a non-stick skillet on the stove and set to medium to preheat skillet.

Place a second skillet on the stove, adjust heat to medium-low, and immediately add:

1 flour tortilla

Brush lightly with:

Butter

Flip. Add:

Cheese (sliced or shredded or crumbled)

Allow to cook so the cheese slowly melts and tortilla stays soft. While that cooks, prepare the following . . .

To a small bowl, add:

2 eggs

1 tsp water

Whisk until well blended.

Grease the first skillet with:

~1 tsp butter (or bacon fat)

Ensure that full surface of the skillet is covered. When butter has completely melted and sizzles, pour in:

Whisked eggs

Additional Ingredients (~ 1 Tbsp of each)

Using a heat-proof spatula,* scrape mixing bowl. Use the spatula to cook the eggs, lifting and stirring, while keeping the eggs & additions together as a single patty. Flip the egg patty over to cook on the other side. DO NOT allow the egg to brown.

Once cooked through, transfer the egg patty to top the melted cheese on the tortilla.

Add any fresh ingredients:

• Tomatoes, diced

• Avocados, sliced (or guacamole)

• Green onions

• Micro greens

And condiments:

• Sour cream

• Taco sauce

• Salsa

• Horse radish

Roll up and serve hot OR wrap in a sheet of aluminum foil for breakfast on the go.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: 1 burrito (multiply as desired)

• Delicious with Brenda’s Tortillas: Tex-Mex Style

• *Brenda’s favorite heat-proof spatula to cook eggs: Williams Sonoma Silicone Spatula with Stainless-Steel Handle

• This is the best carry-along breakfast and can be tailored to individual preferences

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Avocado Toast

Brenda’s fresh French Bread makes this Avocado Toast recipe even better!

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Avocado Toast

Slice & toast:

2-4 slices of bread (Brenda’s French Bread recommended)

Select a perfectly ripe:

Avocado

• Cut in half, open, and remove the seed.

• Using a knife, slice the fruit inside the shell and then scoop out with a spoon.

Place ~1/4 of the avocado on each slice of toasted bread.

Optional: Smash lightly with a fork.

Sprinkle with:

Salt

Pepper

Serve immediately.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving size: 2-4

• Variations:

  • Top with a poached egg

  • Sprinkle with other herbs & spices, such as crushed red pepper

    • Chelsea likes to use Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning

  • Garnish with fresh microgreens

  • Add a slice of smoked gouda cheese

  • Add bacon strips or crumbles

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Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Set non-stick skillet or griddle to medium heat. 

While heating, add the following to a mixing bowl:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside.

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine:

1 cup pumpkin pureé

1 cup milk

4 Tbsp brown sugar

Heat in microwave for 15 - 25 seconds, heating to ~70F. The warm liquid will help the brown sugar dissolve and improve the final texture. Don’t make it too hot or the eggs will curdle.

Then whisk in:

2 eggs

2 Tbsp oil

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. If too thick, add milk in 1 Tbsp increments until desired consistency reached.

Grease heated skillet or griddle, spoon batter onto the cooking surface. As it cooks, bubbles will form on the pancake's surface. Turn the pancake after the first bubbles burst.

Cook about 2 minutes on the other side and then remove from the cooking surface.

Serve hot.

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: 15-20, 4” pancakes.

• Substitution recommendation: replace the milk with whey from straining yogurt.

• Brenda likes to set cooked pancakes on a cooling rack as she cooks the batch. This keeps the surface from getting steamed from stacking on a plate.

• For fluffy pancakes: separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the batter in place of the whole eggs. Whip the whites until stiff peaks form and then fold into finished batter.

• Delicious with home-prepared Pumpkin Pureé

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Window to B’s kitchen…

Reminder: bubbles in the pancake batter indicate it’s time to flip the pancake. The end result will be a delicious and perfect cooked pancake.

Popovers

Popovers are one of those obscure breakfast delicacies that tend to be overlooked . . . They are very similar to German Pancakes aka Dutch Babies aka Hootenanny Pancakes. The difference? They’re cooked in ramekins, making them individual portions. Translation: perfectly crisp and tender. {Kinda perfect when social distancing is required??}

Some things you must know before you begin the recipe.

Popovers reportedly have a low success rate. Increase the odds by doing the following:

• Grease ramekins with butter or shortening (a muffin tin can be substituted)

• Warm the milk: 25 seconds in the microwave will bring the milk to ~80F

• When pouring batter, only pour once into each receptacle

• Do not open oven while baking - truth is it might not make them crash . . . but why risk it??

• Once baked, pierce each popover with a butter knife while still in the oven

• Bonus: not quite ready to serve? Keep in hot oven for a few more minutes and they’ll stay perfect

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Popovers

Using butter (or shortening), grease entire inner surface of 8 ramekins

Place ramekins on a cookie sheet, slip into oven. Set oven to 400F.

While preheating, mix batter:

Into a medium mixing bowl, crack & then beat:

3 eggs

Add, whisking together well:

1/2 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup flour

Batter will be thick, but smooth. Continue whisking while adding:

1 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)

Remove tray of hot ramekins from the oven, immediately distributing the thin batter equally among them:

• 8 ramekins: use a 1/2 cup measuring cup, fill it just less than full (1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp)

• Pour only once into each (don't go back and top off to even out)

• Immediately return tray of filled ramekins to the hot oven

Bake at 400F for 40 min (muffin tin 30)

• Don’t open the oven until done (use the light and look through the glass doorway)

• Pierce each with a knife immediately upon opening the oven

• Once pierced they can continue to crisp in a hot oven but will burn after ~8 min

Serve hot.

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Recipe makes 8 (8 oz) ramekins or 12 regular muffin sized popovers.

• You can use a wire whisk, hand-mixer or stand mixer.

• Both butter and shortening work equally well to grease the pans, while non-stick pan spray often results in a lower "pop" rate.

• Popovers rely on the steam created by the liquid to cause the "pop," while the gluten + protein prevents the steam from escaping. Once cooked, piercing each to release the hot steam will prevent steam having a negative reaction to room-temp air, causing an imbalance of pressure . . . aka collapse. 

• Delicious with homemade jam = Strawberry Freezer Jam.

• This is a deep-dive into various methods to improve the pop in a popover - Serious Eats: the Best Yorkshire Pudding

Crepes

During the 10 years Brenda lived in NYC she quickly gained the reputation as “The Baker.” Any get together, party, church function, or work potluck she’d show up with an incredible dessert. She also has the sweetest sweet-tooth known to man. She once ate over half of an 8“ round chocolate-chocolate cake in one sitting (it was a competition, yes she won). And, she’s eaten an entire pan of brownies in one day multiple times.

Since leaving NYC, marrying John (who doesn’t have a sweet-tooth), and starting a family in Victor, ID she’s begun cooking more savory dishes. She’s also keen to create dishes like Crepes. That way, her and her family can make them any way they’d like. Sweet. Savory. And everything in between.

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Crepes

Set non-stick skillet to medium heat. 

While heating, add to the pitcher of a blender:

2 eggs

1/2 cup cold water

2/3 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Blend until smooth. Grease skillet with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup batter in, swirling the pan to thin out the crepe, cook 30-60 seconds, flip over and cook an additional 30 seconds. Repeat. Serve hot.

Delicious additions....

• Cheddar cheese, ham & poached egg

• Sautéed zucchini with pepperoni & cheese

• Chopped chocolate & salted caramel sauce

• Berries & whipped cream

• Bananas, whipped cream & caramel drizzle

• Butter & syrup

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Brenda's Tips:

• Serving Size: 6-8, 9” crepes

• Refrigerate crepe batter for up to 48 hours.

Pumpkin Brownies (or Bread)

Happy Halloween, friends!

If you’ve ever lived in/visited New York City during Halloween you know it’s a treat. From the Village Halloween Parade to endless parties, this is when New Yorkers truly play. Brenda even dressed up every year! One would think that Brenda’s fashion design bachelors degree, and experience working in the University’s costume department would mean her Halloween costumes were always incredible. The reality? Every year she dressed up as a witch (a costume she purchased at a Halloween store) because all of her time went into making delicious Halloween treats for parities.

Pumpkin Brownies (or Bread)

In a small mixing bowl, sift together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

Set aside.

To a medium mixing bowl, add:

3 eggs

3/4 cups oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

Beat together until smooth, then stir in:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée 

Fold in:

Dry ingredient mixture 

Stir together until smooth.

Pour into greased 13”x9” baking dish. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until tests done with a toothpick. Cool. Frost. Serve.

Recommended Frosting: Cream Cheese Frosting

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: 12-24 slices

• If you live more than 3k above sea level, review Brenda’s High Elevation Adjustment chart to adjust for altitude impacts.

• Brenda uses this recipe for pumpkin bread - makes two 12”x4” loaves. And obviously add chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes.

• Technically this can be made in one bowl, but Brenda prefers the two-bowl method.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Brenda didn’t like to explore unfamiliar places in NYC … unless … it was part of a running route or involved food.

My first brunch experience in NYC is also the earliest memory I have of Brenda venturing outside of her Wall Street bubble. She invited me to a girls’ brunch at Clinton Street Baking Company. I was told they served the best pancakes in the city and we had to arrive an hour before they opened their doors to beat the rush.

Once seated, each of us ordered a different flavored stack of pancakes. We rotated the plates between the four of us. Each stack was heaven. It was then that I understood why Brenda would go out of her way for delicious food.

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Buttermilk Pancakes

Set non-stick skillet or griddle to medium heat. 

While heating, add the following to a mixing bowl:

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

Sift dry ingredients together.

Note, little lumps add to the final pancake's texture. 

Stir in:

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp oil

Grease heated skillet or griddle, spoon batter onto the cooking surface. As it cooks, bubbles will form on the pancake's surface. Turn the pancake after the first bubbles burst. Cook about 2 minutes on the other side and then remove from the cooking surface. Serve hot.

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Brenda’s Tips:

• Serving Size: 18-20, 4” pancakes.

• No buttermilk? Make a good substitute by first adding 2 Tbsp of lemon juice to a container and then add enough milk to make two cups. Let stand for 5 minutes and use in place of buttermilk.

• Brenda likes to set cooked pancakes on a cooling rack as she cooks the batch. This keeps the surface from getting steamed from stacking on a plate.

• For fluffy pancakes: separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the batter in place of the whole eggs. Whip the whites until stiff peaks form and then fold into finished batter.

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Window to B’s Kitchen…

When to flip a pancake: