One of my favorite breakfast menu items is bacon. It goes well with just about everything and I can’t ever seem to get enough of it; it’s so bad for my waistline. I prefer hickory smoked or peppered over the sweet apple kind, but really would eat any flavor you put in front of me. Bacon traditionally is added to savory foods, but recently I’ve noticed people trying it in sweet treats like doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies. It’s amazing how versatile this salty breakfast food has become.

I have yet to try the sweet version yet, mostly out of fear that it may not be for me or maybe I will love it too much, but have it on my “foods to eat” list. One of these days I will muster up the courage.

My co-worker said it best when she described yeast as my nemesis. It’s true, years of trying out yeast and I’ve only had flatbreads to show for it (and no, flatbread was not my goal – the bread just never rose). Well after trying a loaf in the good old bread maker, I decided it was time to try making bread the old fashioned way.

So last night, I reached for my Dutch oven and was prepared to make a simple bread. Pouring the warm water into the yeast, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the yeast would react the way it should. When I came back after a several minutes of the yeast sitting in the water, I was greeted with what looked like a science project in progress. The water was a bit murky, something frothy was forming above the water and I could see the yeast bubbling up like little clouds underneath the surface of the water. SUCCESS! I finally figured out what yeast should look like after it’s been dissolved. Ben was even amazed as we hovered over the mixing bowl the last minute or two to see the final sprinkles of yeast dissolve, and I whispered to myself, “They’re alive.” Amazing how something so simple to others has taken me years to figure out, but I’m glad I have.

After hours of letting the dough rise, it was finally time to form the dough into a round ball, wait one last time for rising and then bake away in a steaming hot Dutch oven. Hooray for my first successfully baked loaf of bread – no extra help included!

Recipe courtesy of The Merlin Menu

Photo courtesy of igourmet.com

A lovely friend of mine presented me with one of the best gifts ever this past Christmas – Black Truffle Oil. Eating shaved truffle is like heaven and although I can’t justify purchasing a whole truffle for me to use, I can definitely accept and be more than okay with having a bottle of truffle oil on hand to experiment with new dishes.

But I do have one problem; I can’t figure out what to make with it. Can you help me? What do you think I should make with this delicious bottle of Black Truffle Oil? Please feel free to leave comments and even links to recipes that might inspire the creation of a yummy dish. Thanks so much for the help!

My sweet tooth sure is loving me this week and so is my hubby. With peanut butter in one hand and bittersweet chocolate in the other, I found myself baking away again last night. At first, I wasn’t totally sure what I was making and could only hope the outcome would be a delectable treat. As everything came together, I began to realize I was making somewhat of a dessert bar slash candy bar. Funny how things work out.

So here it is, my Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars. It has all the components of a peanut butter cup, but has been transformed into a dessert fit for adults. The bittersweet chocolate ganache was pleasant alongside the slight crispness of the peanut butter cookie. Typically I would use semi-sweet chocolate, but all I had on hand was bittersweet and I can honestly say I’m glad that bag of chocolate goodness was in my pantry rather than the semi-sweet. It elevated the flavors of the dessert bar and kept it from being predictable. My kind of dessert.

I find that a simple cake recipe can be just as good as a recipe that may take hours to complete. I for one find myself running out of time everyday to complete everything I’d like to and sometimes wondering why there aren’t more hours in the day. These are the days when I could truly use a treat – something that will make me pause a moment to enjoy life in general. But when you add layers and layers of cake plus the frosting…well really, we don’t always have time for that.

The solution: a simple chocolate cake, my Chocolate Yogurt Cake to be exact. This is a no-frills cake that I absolutely love. It doesn’t require a lot of work, just a bit of time to bake. When you eat it, you think there’s something special that is accompanied by the light flavor of chocolate and that special something is a touch of cinnamon. Like espresso and coffee, cinnamon brings out a wonderful taste in chocolate; I can only describe the pairing in this cake to be joyful. Does “joyful” taste like anything? I guess it does now.

So tonight, don’t skip out on dessert. Take a moment to breathe and enjoy the hard work you’ve put into the day with a slice of joyful Chocolate Yogurt Cake.

Adapted from Whole Foods

Besides apples, blueberries are one of my favorite fruits and until now, I’ve never used them in a cookie. Because I know blueberry peanut butter muffins are so delightful, I thought I’d go ahead and try. For people who love Oreos and chocolate chip cookies, I would say this treat may not be for you (I’d love for you to try them though), but for the rest, I think you’ll find them interestingly delicious. Also, there is the added bonus of this being an egg-free cookie – woohoo!

Cookies don’t always have to be sweet and shortbread is a perfect example of this. A simple shortbread recipe is the perfect base for creating a deliciously sweet cookie or a salty and savory treat.

For this cookie, I took the savory route and added the always yummy parmigiano reggiano and paired it with some thyme. The cookie turned out perfectly and was dangerously good I must admit. A wonderful balance of salty, cheesy, flaky and melt-in-your-mouth goodness. This cookie would be a great addition to parties or just to have around for a snack.

Adapted from Cherry Tea Cakes

I love Sunday brunch. The company is always good and the food is even better. A mix of breakfast and lunch means plenty of pastries, small bites and more that is satisfying for all. Try these recipes for tomorrow’s brunch and you’re sure to bring a lot of smiles to the faces of family and friends.

I think I have a running theme of baking a lot of breakfast foods lately, but I suppose it’s not a bad thing because isn’t breakfast yummy any time of the day? My favorite is breakfast for dinner. Anyways, Chinese New Year is this coming Monday and I wanted to make something special to celebrate the holiday and luckily, my slight mess up on a recipe turned out to be great because it created these delicious Ginger Sesame Pancakes.

Ginger and sesame seeds are used in so many Asian cuisines that it just seemed to fall in line with my plans of creating something new to enjoy while welcoming the Lunar New Year. These pancakes are made with egg whites and does not include any ingredients to help with rising so you can expect them to be flatter and denser than the typical American pancake. The ginger gives it a subtle zing while I think the sesame seeds makes the entire dish. It provides a slight nuttiness and crunch that is needed to add interest in every bite.

Because this pancake is so different, I tried multiple syrups to see which one I liked best and honestly, every syrup I tried – maple, blueberry, strawberry – added a different yummy element, so the conclusion: I liked them all. So use your favorite syrup with a plate of these Ginger Sesame Pancakes, but before you do, try a pancake with no syrup so you can enjoy the delicious flavors of this treat.

One of my New Year’s resolutions included eating healthier which is a toughy for me because I love butter, carbs and really, just eating. But as I get older, my body is telling me to keep my health in check so I don’t find myself in trouble later. That being said, I needed to find better snacking options. We are a snacking family and to have some foods that are easily accessible, healthy and still delicious is so very important to staying on track with our goals.

These Sweet Potato Chips were just the answer. Unlike processed chips, you’ll find these to be a little crisp with a touch of chewiness that comes from the slightly thicker cut. These chips truly are a personal preference and for us, we liked the fact that they were homemade, healthy and still quite tasty. With a sprinkling of salt and pepper, these went well alongside our sandwiches.

On a side note, these chips are best served the day they are baked. You can also store them in an air-tight container for a few days, but with each passing day, you can expect the chips to become chewier. So my advice, eat them right away to enjoy them most.