My friend Maile asked me to make peach muffins like the ones she discovered at her local grocery store’s bakery years ago and hasn’t seen since. That’s all I had to go on. “Can you make me some peach muffins like those? They were sooooo good!” Um, okay? I’ll try?

I have no idea if these muffins are exactly what Maile wanted me to replicate, but I do know that these have passed the “everyone loves them” test. I took them to a party and they vanished. It was like a Harry Potter trick, but in real life and without wands. I made them again today to share the perfected version with Maile. I sent her the above picture and her response was “YES!” so I think maybe we’re onto something.

Here’s to you, Maile. May it be the peach muffin of your dreams!

My apologies. I had NO IDEA that I had not posted this recipe yet. I’m so glad an observant reader brought this to my attention as I thought I had posted this recipe ages ago. While I love my yeasted waffles recipe for Saturday morning simplicity, I’m always so disappointed when they go limp minutes after taking them out of the waffle maker. Pam Anderson’s recipe for super crunchy waffles that stay crunchy for up to an hour after taking them out of the waffle maker is my new favorite. The secret is the corn starch and the 5 minutes in the oven. I absolutely adore these, topping mine with syrup, fresh berries, and whipped cream. Give them a shot and tell me if they don’t become your new favorite waffle recipe too!

Continue reading: super crunchy waffles that *stay* crunchy

When my husband decided at the last minute to go out for Vietnamese food for dinner, I decided to treat myself to a special meal including recipes that I knew that Brant might snub. Brant is skeptical of most biscuit recipes except this one, so I took advantage of his absence to make these white cheddar biscuits. Oh, and how delicious they were! My dad stopped by the next evening and I toasted one for him and covered it with slabs of butter. He devoured it it in no time… and then asked for a second one!

These aren’t your traditional biscuits. They’re more like a cheese bread shaped like a biscuit, and that makes them all the more delicious to me! I loved the subtle rosemary and cheesy tastes and thought that the biscuits were delicious both plain and smeared with salted butter. Try them alongside a hearty stew and let me know how you like them!

First off, I see a new trend. First, there were mufcakes. Now there’s muffin cake. I promise. I’ll make something that doesn’t include “muf” in it at some point.

Secondly, I don’t want you to make this. Nope. No sirree. Because then you’ll buy more blueberries, which will mean fewer for me. The last time I checked, my Costco had PLENTY of frozen organic blueberries in stock. If I go tomorrow, I will buy some before you catch onto this craze. At the worst, I did plant 9 blueberry plants a couple of years ago. Come June, there is no stopping the blueberry madness in my house!

Third, if you do make this, you’ll want to hide it from yourself. Probably in a high place behind a heavy box. It’s delicious, but with a stick of butter in the ingredients list, it really can’t be considered a health food (although, I think that with two cups of blueberries, I could be convinced otherwise).

Eat this warm out of the oven or reheat it a bit. Either way, slather some salted butter along the middle or the sides (not the top! don’t ruin the perfectly crunchy top!). And enjoy!

Continue reading: blueberry muffin cake

Oh dear. I thought I had shared these with you earlier. I cannot believe I have been holding out on you for so long! These are so, so delicious. At first when I made them I wasn’t sure they would be as fabulous as I wanted them to be. I had no idea how wrong my initial judgment was. A friend stopped by just as these came out of the oven and I gave her some to take home and share with her husband. I also shared them with my students. We all loved them! Better yet, they are best a few hours after baking because the chocolate has a chance to set up a bit, so these are the perfect muffin to make and take to a brunch or dinner or even to have ready a couple of hours before the kids come home. As for breakfast the next day? They are not quite as healthy as these oatmeal chocolate chip muffins, but they are just as tasty. Make these. You won’t be disappointed!

Continue reading: chocolate chip muffins

I have a confession to make: I did not make this bread. I had to commission my mom to do it for me. When I was assigned to Kate’s blog I was *super* excited. Kate has tons of amazing looking recipes with beautiful pictures and I immediately selected a few that I wanted to try. My intention was to prepare these recipes for a baby shower that I was hosting this weekend. Then I got *super* sick on Friday morning and ended up in the ER on Saturday for extreme dehydration. The doctors loaded me up on fluids and meds and told me to go home and rest. No baby shower. No cooking. No Food Babbles blog recipe. I was bummed. Not wanting to leave Kate orphaned, I texted my mom and asked her to do the baking honors for me. She agreed and then came over today to drop off this gorgeous Lemon Blueberry Loaf for me to taste and share with you! Three cheers to mom for helping me ensure that my Secret Recipe Club post came together just in time for the big reveal on Monday!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted on Facebook asking the question, “What in the world should I do with the swiss chard growing in my garden?” Boy, oh boy did my readers have soooooo many suggestions! Eggs to soups to lasagnas to pizzas… the list goes on! I whipped up this scramble for lunch that day and I was surprised. I liked it! I really liked it! I liked it so much, in fact, that I made it a week later as a special breakfast for my husband. He loves anything savory for breakfast, so eggs doused in cheese is a real winner. I encouraged him to try these even though his negative sentiments towards swiss chard surpass mine! Brant loved this egg scramble and gobbled it up, swiss chard and all! And so we have a swiss chard winner!

Is your ideal breakfast sweet or savory? Because I’m *totally* a sweet person. In fact, I couldn’t eat this scramble for breakfast. For lunch? Divine. For breakfast? Ick. I gave my portion to Brant and reheated a strudel topped peach muffin for myself. How about you? Sweet or savory to start your day? 

Continue reading: egg, cheese, and swiss chard scramble

I never thought I’d find a blueberry muffin recipe that could compare with the one that I posted earlier on my blog. I don’t even know why I tried this muffin recipe since my usual motto is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but I’m so glad that I did try these because they are incredibly delicious! These were so moist and tender and the crumb topping was crunchy (just like I like it!) and if served with a pat of cold butter it deserves at least 5 stars!

Try both recipes and let me know what you think. Lemon-sugar topping or streusel topping? Or both?

Despite the fact that the pancakes in the above picture are obviously overcooked, let me tell you how satisfying these were for breakfast. Unlike my usual blueberry pancakes, these felt healthy. (Well, they felt healthy until I topped them with a slab of butter and a hefty dollop of whipped cream. ) With all those oats and whole wheat flour, I was full after only one pancake. And don’t fear; these aren’t healthy in the “gosh, these pancakes are as dense as bricks” sense. I wouldn’t do that to you, I promise.

Blueberries and lemon are a classic combination. I think you’ll like their flavors in these pancakes. It tastes like summer no matter what time of year you serve them!

I have two new favorite waffle recipes and I have been debating which one to share with you first. This yeasted waffle recipe is quick and easy – just stir together a few ingredients and let them sit overnight and voila! The waffle batter is ready in time for an early morning breakfast! The other recipe requires a lot more prep work but produces waffles that really, really do stay crispy even hours after taking them off the waffle iron (and if you hate soggy waffles as much as I do, you know that this is a big deal!). I decided that it’s summer and we’re all feeling a bit lazy, so we needed a quick-and-easy waffle recipe that stays relatively crisp. I’ll feature the other recipe soon too, though!

yeasted waffles
from www.annies-eats.net

note: this makes a lot of waffles If you don’t have a large family or gathering, try halving the recipe

½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. active dry yeast (I use instant – either is fine)
2 cups whole milk, warmed
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ tsp. baking soda

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  (If using active dry yeast, let stand to dissolve 5 minutes before proceeding.)  Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar and flour to the bowl.  Whisk until well blended and smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When you are ready to make the waffles, preheat the waffle iron.  Preheat the oven to 200˚ F.  Just before making the waffles, whisk the eggs and baking soda into the batter until smooth.  The batter will be very thin.  Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Cook until crisp and golden.  Transfer finished waffles to the oven while you cook the rest of the batter (note: I like to put my finished waffles directly on the oven racks as they stay crisper that way : )).  Top as desired with butter, syrup, etc.