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.

I grew up eating crescent rolls out of a can. You know, the ones made by the company whose name rhymes with Phillsbury? Yup, those are the ones! And those are good, but nowadays they are a special treat because they are loaded with calories and a host of other unpronounceable ingredients. I wanted to make a dinner roll that was lighter in calories, tasted great, looked beautiful, and was easy to make so that I could share it with you. Let me introduce you to these wonderful low-fat, golden, light and airy dinner rolls. I think you’ll become fast friends.

crescent dinner rolls

As I already mentioned, my zucchini plant is smaller than most peoples’ zucchini fruits. I don’t know what happened to the garden bed where I planted all my squash. It’s like someone sprinkled Miracle-Gro’s evil twin sister on it. My parents’ 85 year old friend stopped by today remarking about how disappointed he was with his zucchini this year because he’s only gotten a few fruits. I showed him my 6-inch plant with all four of its leaves and he literally could not believe that it was really a zucchini and not some impostor. I think that in all 85 of his years, he’s never seen anything so preposterous. There you have it. I’m 28 and I’ve seen everything.

On the other hand, my other friends’ zucchini plants are producing more fruit than any sane person would know how to use, so I’ve become the universal zucchini deposit box. I now have more zucchini on my counter than I ever could have grown on my own and I’m searching for more and more creative ways to use it. I have made chocolate chip zucchini muffins before. I decided to try the same recipe in a loaf pan and was glad that it worked out perfectly.

Note: I had enough batter here to make a loaf of zucchini bread and 6 additional muffins. This was perfect for me! I was able to gift the loaf of bread and hoard the muffins for myself.

chocolate chip zucchini bread

this makes enough for one large loaf and several muffins that you can cook for 15-20 min

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup applesauce for a healthier slant… after all, we’re using zucchini here, folks. We are obviously trying to be healthy. )
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or you could use walnuts or a combination)

When my aunt and grandma visited a couple of weeks ago, they were adjusting to the three hour time difference and awoke daily at 5:30 in the morning. We Wongs don’t do 5:30. Nor do we do 6:30 or even 7:30 or 8:30. Sleeping in is what we do best. We couldn’t let our guests go hungry while we snoozed, so we always set out a list of breakfast items for them the night before. Grandma likes toast. Aunt Debbie likes yogurt. I don’t usually eat yogurt for breakfast, but was inspired by my aunt to create this fabulous parfait using some leftover graham cracker crust that I had on the counter. Oh my gosh! So absolutely delicious! I’ve always added granola to my oatmeal, but this was so much better. It felt like I was eating cheesecake for breakfast!!!!

This parfait is simple to make and it is beautiful to serve. You can serve it as a fancy breakfast or even as a light dessert on a warm summer night.

yogurt parfait with graham cracker crunch

a Dishing the Divine original, with help from the author of Pie and Strauss Family Farms

organic plain yogurt, sweetened to taste with maple syrup (I prefer to allow my yogurt to sit overnight in a strainer layered with paper towels – in the morning, the resulting yogurt cheese is thick and rich… if it is too thick, I add back in some plain yogurt until it’s the consistency that I like)

fresh fruit (any fruit except melons will do – I love berries the most!)

graham cracker crunch: 

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• large pinch salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 6 tbsp melted butter

Combine the ingredients for the graham cracker crunch in a medium bowl.

To make the parfait, place some of the yogurt in the bottom of a small bowl. Add some fresh fruit. Add additional yogurt. Add some graham cracker crunch topping. Repeat these layers until you have enough for a typical serving. Alternatively, for a quick morning breakfast, just pour some yogurt in a bowl and top with with the fruit and graham cracker crunch. It may not look as gorgeous, but it will taste just as delicious.

strawberry rosewater pancakes
adapted from www.acozyktichen.com

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamom

2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rosewater
3 tbsp yogurt or milk (I add this only if the batter looks a little too thick for my preferences)

2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
additional butter or oil for the pan

Preheat oven to 200.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients thoroughly and then add them to the dry ingredients, stirring with a spatula until just mixed. Do not over-mix. It is okay if there are some lumps.

Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast iron skillet slowly and brush with butter or oil. Once the batter is done resting, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle or cast iron skillet. Scatter several strawberries across the top. Dab with more batter to cover the berries. Cook until bubbles form along the sides, about 3 minutes. Flip. Then cook until bottom is browned and pancake is cooked through in the middle.

Place pancake on a plate in the warm oven and repeat with remaining batter. Top with butter, warm maple syrup, and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

oatmeal chocolate chip muffins
heavily adapted from www.101cookbooks.com

crumble topping*

scant 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

muffins:

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
scant 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup agave syrup or honey (I actually might add a bit more next time, but I prefer sweet muffins!)
2 large eggs, whisked
2 large handfuls chocolate chips

*I did not use all of this crumble topping. I put the rest in the freezer for the next batch of muffins!

Preheat oven to 350 with rack set in the middle of the oven. Butter muffin pan generously. Do not use cupcake liners.

To make the crumble: Use a fork to combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Divide the mixture into three portions and use your hands to form the portions into three patties. Place the patties on a plate in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

For the muffins: In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the sugar and whisk in the yogurt and agave, followed by the eggs. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until it’s almost completely mixed. Add in chocolate chips and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle with a few additional chocolate chips if desired. Break off pieces of crumble and add about one tablespoon to each muffin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool almost completely before serving. If you have leftovers, heat them for about 10 seconds in the microwave so that the chocolate chips soften slightly.