dutch baby pancake

here is another recipe from my childhood, of an abundance of chicken eggs from the backyard hens. the dutch baby pancake! i really took this fluffy, amazing breakfast dish for granted when i was a kid. i think because we ate this pancake about twice a week — at least it seemed that way. my mom was always saying, “we need to use up these EGGS!” and i would groan inwardly, knowing which familiar breakfast would follow. she got the recipe from her Cuisinart Food Processor handbook in like the early ’80s. isn’t that amazing?

its been about a decade since my mom made this pancake for me. recently something triggered this once-common breakfast in my memory, and thought… i might make it for dinner. (i had some eggs to use up, after all.) it’s so much better than i ever gave it credit for! fluffy and tender, this pancake rises super-high in the oven, pop-over style, but falls to fork-appropriate height when brought out. buttery and rich with eggs, it’s what breakfast is meant to be. sprinkle it with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon. yes, breakfast is served!

pros about this pancake!

• cheap ingredients
• super quick to make
• looks pretty
• tastes like home
• like sunny-morning, tired-from-7am-home-school-math-class, hearty-breakfast home
• also, you get to put as much powdered sugar on it as you want! (if my mom isn’t around)

cons:

• yeah right!

adapted from martha stewart, who includes sugar and vanilla in the batter — the recipe i grew up with did not include these, but golly they make it just a little bit more awesomer!

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (any type you like)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
• powdered sugar and lemons, for serving

put the butter in a oven-proof skillet in the oven to preheat (425). in a blender, or food processor, add eggs, milk, flour, salt, and vanilla and sugar if using, and blend until smooth. when the oven is hot and the butter has melted, carefully remove the skillet, making sure butter coats the surface completely. pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and browned. slice and serve immediately with lemon wedges and powdered sugar.

beet-pickled deviled eggs

i am getting excited that spring is on it’s way!

spring and autumn are my favorites because they’re the perfect mild-weather transitions between our rainy season (which lasts about 9 months of the year) and our summer (which people here think is short and cool, meanwhile i nearly die of heatstroke), both of which last much too long in my opinion! spring and autumn are my relief pitches. (not totally sure i used that sports reference correctly.) my motorcycle took a hit in the windstorm we had earlier this week — my landlord called to say it blew over. it survived, with only a few scratches, thankfully. in-between weather is on it’s way, and i’m happy!

my mom’s sheep had their lambs, and daffodils are thinking about breaking through the cold ground at my parents’ farm. aaaand my new niece is on her way! a fresh spring baby niece for me :) i am super excited. so are her soon-to-be-parents and big sister. so i threw a little baby shower for my sister-in-law. of course with a girl on the way, everything had to be pink. that was in fact, the theme.

i made pink-hued roasted red pepper hummus (use your favorite hummus recipe, but add a jarred roasted red pepper or two to the mix), served pink grapefruit sodas and pink cupcakes (that i did not make! they were way too pretty to be my creations), but the pinkest of all were some deviled eggs i made.

you can make them, too! they are delicious and festive. i didn’t notice much of a beet flavor at all (sad for me, i adore beets — happy for deviled-egg lovers everywhere!) or much of a pickled flavor, either. but they only spent a short time in a beet-infused pickling brine to turn them a beautiful hue. i love cooking with beets… i like the red that gets everywhere. so vibrant!

adapted from Gourmet Magazine

• small beet, peeled and sliced
• small onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sugar

mix together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 20  minutes. remove from heat and let sit uncovered until completely cooled. this is your pickling liquid — and it can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge.

add one dozen hard-boiled eggs to the pickling brine in a large, air-tight container. refrigerate for about 4 hours, stirring once.

drain eggs and cut in half lengthwise. mash yolks with 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup dijon mustard. season with salt and pepper. pipe filling into whites.