Sundays with Joy/Coffee Bacon

Good morning!  I made you breakfast today.  Sure the eggs are overcooked but the biscuits are fresh and the coffee comes WITH your bacon.  I had heard of people making coffee bacon before.  I didn’t know what for.  I do now.  Oh, and baking the bacon in the oven?  I knew from years of food service that was the way to do it but I had sure forgotten how perfect perfectly cooked bacon can be.

Yo.  I made you coffee bacon on Saturday and I didn’t finish writing the post on it till today, Tuesday.  Which means I totally had to start over.  Mostly, just because I am a procrastinator but also I just think I am having some issues.  Things are going pretty well.  Now, I am not one of those “glass is half empty” type of people waiting for the other shoe to drop but it seems it is worse.  I am turning into a person on the precipice of change and maybe big good things but apparently I run, hide (procrastinate) and maybe even try to sabotage oneself from obtaining said things.  I don’t like it.  I don’t want to be that.  I need to focus on the blog, my future, my writing.  Of course all of that is easier said than done.  Hmm…

Anyways, onto to the bacon.

I love what Joy does here.  I think I would have enjoyed it more if I liked my coffee more.  I just recently switched to a stronger blend because my husband was begging me.  Every other ingredient in this bacon played perfectly but the coffee I used was just too strong for my taste.  I also think next time I’ll up the chili powder just a smidge.

So after I made breakfast and had a hard time eating the bacon plain, I went and made a BLT for lunch with the rest of my coffee bacon.  Um, Best Idea EVER?!  Yup, pretty much.  I used Greek yogurt instead of mayo and mixed it with pinches of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to spread on my bread and the rest is L&T.  So, if you’d like to make your own coffee bacon BLT or just some for breakfast please check out Joy’s cookbook.  Please also check out Bakeaholic Mama for our other variations.

My GeekyLink for this week is well me, kinda.  I did a review a week ago on iGameMom for Teach Me 3rd Grade which is part of a series of apps I love.  One of my other favorite reviews I did was for LEGO App4+.  That was super fun.  I have a new one coming this week but I’m not sure when.  I’ll link to it when it posts.  (Update: Here’s the link for  Toy Story: Story Theater!)   You could also just search for NerdyBaker on the site for my reviews but even though I’m a contributor I am always checking the site for apps I don’t review that I think are good for my kids.

Sundays with Joy/Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

These biscuits were a nice coming back to earth treat after a long and busy Spring Break.  I say busy but really we didn’t do much except get ready for Easter during the week before Easter and then get ready for Justin and Sarah’s birthday party the week after.  I am going to fill you in on some more of those two weeks in a later post (ahem, WonderCon anyone?) but for now (especially since I’m already late)…onto the biscuits.

First off, I love the way the cheese, butter, and whole wheat flour play into this biscuit.  Those are definitely the flavors in this biscuit.  There is honey in the biscuit but the honey that Joy suggests you brush across the tops of these babies?!  Well, that just makes for a whole new ball game and sets these biscuits over the top.  I never understood why people put honey on their biscuits.  I saw my dad do it for years.  I mean KFC gives it to you FOR your biscuits and I still never “got” it, never tried it.  Joy asks me once, I oblige, and of course I am completely smitten.

The dough was super easy to make.  I dropped it from an ice cream scoop onto the warmed, buttered cast iron skillet and baked. It was super easy.  I left my honey out on top of my stove to warm it up a bit and I brushed it on before the biscuits had completely cooled.  Once cool, I grabbed one, and biscuit eating for me was forever changed.  Thanks, Joy!  Please buy her cookbook.  When I think of all the things I would never have eaten if not for this book, I am SO grateful.  Don’t forget to check out variations on Bakeaholic Mama.

My GeekyLink for this week is for anyone who knows how to code.  I have been trying to get my oldest interested in learning how to code and I think I just may have found a way.  There is now a NASA Contest to Help Robot Astronaut See.  While this is a great idea and all, the robot kind of creeps me out.  Let’s just say I wouldn’t want him on the same space station I was on.

Sundays with Joy/Carrot Cake Pancakes

I made these last week and boy were they a treat.  It was a regular Thursday but I got to have these really awesome pancakes in the middle of the week for no reason (well, you know for the blog but my belly didn’t know that).  I just cannot tell you how much I enjoyed these.  They were so sweet and the cream cheese glaze just went perfectly.  I just halved the cream cheese and doubled the milk (I do think it was too much liquid).  It tasted great, looks like a foam, but holds up well and stays pourable for awhile yet stays put without crusting up like a standard glaze can.  I just felt a little less guilt about eating the frosting if it was pourable as opposed to spreading.  I still used the same amount of sugar!  I also used white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose in this recipe.

Overall, I would say the kids liked them.  My oldest, no question, LOVED them.  Can you believe I actually got the super picky one, the one that looks in her food to look for things she doesn’t like, to eat half of one after putting some syrup on it?  She did end up noticing the carrots but for her to eat that much of it before becoming suspicious is a really big deal around here.  My little one ate his fair share.  Let’s just say the plate in the picture wasn’t the end of my consumption of carrot cake pancakes that day either.

Also, with these and her Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes (also in the cookbook), I am becoming a BIG fan of raisins in my pancakes.  Who knew?  Check out Bakeaholic Mama for other variations.  Carrie has a cream cheese “syrup” that looks nothing like foam if you wanna check it out and someone else has made a chocolate glaze.  It’s the season for carrot cake and if you just want a taste without making a whole cake, I highly recommend giving these a try.

My GeekyLink for this week is well, Doctor Who, of course.  The Doctor comes back on Saturday so not only am I preparing for Easter, I am preparing for the day before as well.  I need to get all my Easter stuff prepped before the episode starts.  I usually watch as I DVR so that if the little ones interrupt an episode, I am covered.  Then I’ll watch again once they are asleep.  Then there is Gallifrey 2014 that sold out in less than a month.  I am so glad I was on the ball with that one!

Sundays with Joy/Toasted Coconut Dutch Baby with Banana and Pineapple

I made this WAY earlier in the week because I wanted this post to be on time but Friday I was writing an igamemom post, Saturday I was baking for my niece’s birthday, and Sunday was her party.  So…the post comes today.

That’s 1/4 cup of butter we bake this in folks!

Anyways, this dutch baby was a LOVELY way to start the week.  It was one of the mornings that my baby had preschool.  I came right home and whipped this up.  The great thing about being alone to make something is well, for it being my first time making one, it took me no time at all.  I took uninterrupted pictures (well kinda, at that point it was getting close to pick up time so I had to speed it up).  But the worst thing, I was the only one home to eat it.  I usually make the kids wait to eat my stuff till after I take pictures but no one was home so I got to eat a piece first!  Plus, obviously, warmer is better.  My son did have a piece when he got home, though.

I used unsweetened coconut just because that is what I had on hand and aside from that I didn’t change a darn thing.  It looks like a complicated food but it was really quite simple.  I totally went with the whole wheat flour just like Joy said and I was not disappointed.  It went very well with the browned coconut.  I already have a variation I might want to try.  We’ll see.  I did try to make something for you this week and it didn’t go so well.  Out of the oven perfect but overnight, not so much, and it was supposed to be a snack that lasts a few days.  Back to the drawing board for that one…

Yum!

Anyways to see other variations on this check out Ellen at Indigo Scones.  She has some great pictures of her dutch baby all puffed up.  I can’t believe I didn’t think to take pictures at that point!  It looks pretty cool.  Also if you’d like to try this buy Joy’s cookbook!

My GeekyLinks for today were this app I just bought and something a friend wrote.  The story of this app is that it helped a documentary filmmaker finish his movie.  It makes video look like it was filmed with actual film from like 20 years ago.  I have big plans for this one during the summer when the kids are playing in the yard.  The best thing about it is that you can mute the sound of whatever it is your taping which helps make your film believable as something from a bygone era.  I tried it with the kids talking but it was kinda weird.  My other link is for those of you that remember the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where people that were frozen and sent to space were picked up and “thawed” by the Enterprise.  First off, you’re awesome and you might want to read Waking Up in the Future.

A lovely (yet lonely) brunch if I do say so myself.

Sundays with Joy/My Top 5 So Far

This week on Sundays with Joy was a catch up week.  We keep getting more and more people in our group and they need some time to catch up on a few recipes.  So I decided I would take the time and give you my top 5 recipes from the Joy the Baker Cookbook so far and why and with a few honorable mentions.

Number 5–Blueberry Orange and Almond Pancakes with Orange Maple Glaze

This recipe was one that I headed into with some trepidation.  It just seemed like so much for a little pancake to handle.  However, this recipe turned out to be a revelation.  All the flavors just went SO well together.  We had this for dinner initially and even my 9 year old was completely won over.

Number 4–Perfect Kettle Corn

I am wondering if this is low on my list because it is SO simple.  It made the list though, because it is simplicity at its finest: sweet and salty and quick and yummy.

Number 3–Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Pops 

I made these with banana chunks but I am sure they would have been just as great with raspberries.  I ate too many of these to mention and I LOVED every bite.  These are definitely going to be a summer staple treat for the kids.  Very simple, very yummy and the kind of treat that if the kids forget about them you may feel guilty for finishing them off but the moment passes quickly.

Number 2–Kale Spinach Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

I put this recipe high because no one believes me when I tell them that after a sip or two (to get used to the green in it), it turns into a FANTASTIC peanut butter banana smoothie.  The bonus is the charge of energy after you have finished it.  It tastes good, and is good for you.  It is a few more steps for me since I don’t like to use my blender but I have made this a couple of times since the first time and the extra steps are worth it!

Number 1–Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

I actually made these muffins for the blog long before I joined this group.  This is one of the few recipes that Joy has on her blog and in her book.  These muffins are life changing and unbelievable!  The best blueberry muffin recipe hands down that the world has to offer.  For the top slot on this list, this was a NO BRAINER.

Honorable Mentions

Coffee Vanilla Ice Cream Pie–I love that this lasted so long in my freezer.  Even though, after the first time the crust was a little hard to get out of the pie pan (next time I won’t use glass, that should help) the crust was the best thing about this recipe.  I had never made a meringue crust before and the citrus in it played off the vanilla and coffee ice cream so well, I couldn’t even believe it.  Sometimes its the simplest things…

Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroon Ice Cream–Even though it was a pain for me to make because I couldn’t get a hold of an ice cream maker, it was so worth it.  Up until this recipe, I tolerated coconut.  This recipe made me LIKE it.

I hope you like this list.  If you disagree or agree, let me know.  Do you have the cookbook yet?  What are your favorites?  Don’t forget this is just based on what we have made so far.  I have made one or two things that we haven’t blogged about and I may already have a contender for the next list.

My GeekyLink today has to do with food.  I must admit I throw whatever in my refrigerator drawers and don’t move the dial at all.  I wouldn’t know what I was doing.  Now I do.  From The Kitchn comes The Proper Way To Use Your Refrigerator Humidity Drawers.

Sundays with Joy/Cheddar, Chive, and Jalapeño Biscuits

This was one of those recipes that I bookmarked inside Vroman’s bookstore waiting for Joy to speak.  It was one of two that jumped out at me because they were perfect for my husband.  The other was Baked Chili Cheese Fries, which we get to do in two weeks!

These biscuits…I mean, I don’t eat “hot stuff”.  I will cook with peppers of almost any kind but I don’t really eat them.  I am a picker.  Yup, I pick all that stuff out.  But I do like the flavors so I figured I would go with the recipe as is and try not to be a big baby.  They were SO buttery and flaky.  I still picked out a few jalapeños but only when I ate the biscuit by itself.  The cheese was amazing.  Why cheese isn’t a requirement for all biscuits is beyond me.

Pretty!

I wanted it as a breakfast for my husband and made him some biscuits and gravy today.  Tomorrow, I think I am going make him a breakfast sandwich. You should have seen the look on his face when I walked upstairs and gave him his breakfast.  I only make breakfast on the weekends and sometimes not even then, and when I do it is usually pancakes, waffles, or french toast because that’s what the kids like.  A completely savory breakfast for daddy is the rare occasion (not counting breakfast for dinner nights).  So I make up for it by making sure that on his birthday and Father’s day he gets his favorite, eggs benedict.  He didn’t care that the reason he was getting served breakfast was for purely my selfish blogging reasons.  He was getting a purely savory breakfast just for him.  I even picked him up some orange juice.  As it is every Sunday, please buy Joy’s wonderful cookbook for the recipe and check out Bakeaholic Mama for a few other takes on the recipe.

Yeah, we are back to Doctor Who for my GeekyLinks today people.  And you’d better get used to it because the new season is starting in a week and I am trying to plan my trip for Gallifrey One next year.  And I am not going to stop talking about it until every last person is a Whovian and I have evidence that I might be succeeding (one friend said that she might check it out)…so we shall proceed.  First off, Pond Life will premiere tomorrow on BBC One and run for five days with mini episodes showing the struggle of being a newlywed and a friend (well, inlaws) of The Doctor.  Also, Rory Pond (AKA Rory Williams, Rory the Roman, the Last Centurion, the Boy Who Waited) and MY FAVORITE is going to be at Gallifrey One this year.  So yeah, I am buying my tickets this week.  Second, I will not stop talking about Doctor Who because I am not alone in my quest to turn everyone into a Whovian.  Chris Hardwick tweeted the other day, “We have a RESPONSIBILITY to sire new Whovians!” along with a pretty funny video and a challenge.

 

Freshly Picked Blackberry Scones

My husband hates where we live.  He thinks it is too hot and that is about his only complaint but I guess, for him, that is enough.  We used to live further north along the coast where I could probably count on two hands the times it got above 85 degrees.  The same could be said for when we used to live south of here, also along the coast, except I would move that to 95 degrees.  I am not sorry that we have handfuls and handfuls of those days now.  I live 15 minutes away from my dad and my sister and that is all I need and that is that.  Get over it honey.

Sure, sure, beaches are great and we still live close enough that we can go whenever but you can’t forget the mountains.  Now, my husband would have you believe that mountains are for camping in the WINTER.  I beg to differ.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a camping girl but the last time I went camping in the winter I almost shivered to death and I was pregnant.  My husband says I exaggerate but whatever, I vowed NEVER again.  Anyways, I think the mountains are great for well, not really the mountain part.  I LOVE the flats at the bottom where you get all the runoff from the snow.  My parents took us a few times when we were kids but my favorite memory is when my mom took us once after school (I wasn’t in school yet but it was after we picked up my brother and sister).  I don’t recall her even bringing towels or swimsuits.  The water is sometimes so cold you can’t get in past your feet anyways.  That was when I knew that I would try to do awesome stuff like that with my kids and surprise them when I could.  She also tried to surprise us once with an after school trip to Disneyland but some little munchkin that couldn’t keep her mouth shut, spilled the beans.  My mother was not amused and yet she brushed it off because well, we were Disneyland bound!

Hey little girl, stop looking so cute. The berries are to your right so get to picking!

Anyways, the flats we go to have lots of blackberry bushes around and we knew it was just about time for them to be ripe.  So before we left for home, after enjoying the water with the kids we made sure to pick some.  I went with my 5 year old and just as we were about to get in the car, my husband got the itch and picked for awhile.  A few were a bit underripe but for the most part they were perfect.  I knew exactly what I was going to bake with them when we got them home.  My husband (and I) were surprised by how much we liked the scones I made before and I knew I wanted to make some again so that was that.  All the scones I had ever eaten before must have been day old or older.  NOTHING compares to fresh scones.  Nothing!  Now get to baking…or wait till it gets cooler and then bake.

Now, for some GeekyLinks.  I am so NOT sorry about the GeekOut that I subjected you to on Sunday.  My daughter and I watched the Curiosity landing live on our computer on Sunday night and it was spectacular!  I was on the verge of an anxiety attack before it landed and tears afterward.  You can relieve those moments here.  And yes, now this household has two ladies obsessed with this man.  And this tumbler page is almost as awesome as the pictures coming from Mars.  I just love that this next generation of kids will have a new cool science guy to look up to, maybe not as cool as Bill Nye, but cool nonetheless.

Sundays with Joy/Blueberry Orange and Almond Pancakes with Orange Maple Glaze

The members of our group had been making these all week.  I had heard such good things that I thought they couldn’t live up to the hype.  Plus, the last few recipes were not just good but out of this world and I didn’t think the streak could continue.  Now you could see that as lack of faith in Joy, but everyone also said to make a double batch so I did.

So glad I did!  Everyone was right.  These are awesome!  These are in my top three of the Joy the Baker Cookbook recipes so far.  I eat blueberries but am not their biggest fan, I like almond extract but only in the “right” recipe, and I don’t tend to bake or cook with orange that often so I was skeptical.  However, I didn’t want to adapt because Joy said that it “must” be this flavor combination.  Next time I might want to switch it up with a little white whole wheat flour but that is just my preference.

If you look closely, you can see the orange zest!

Onto the glaze… One of our group members called it “liquid crack” and she couldn’t have been more right.  It is super duper sweet but at the same time TOTALLY and COMPLETELY complements the orange and the blueberry.  It makes the flavors pop SO much.  So much so that you keep adding more…and more…and just a bit more.  I even ate my sausages with it.

Now onto the kids’ verdicts.  The 9 year old loved them and ate everything I gave her.  She said that I put a few too many blueberries in it and she was right but there was only so many left in the container after I put the rest in the batter that I just ended up putting them all in.  The 3 year old didn’t eat them but I think it was just the look of cut up blueberries on his plate.  Onto the biggest critic and pickiest eater, my 5 year old, I made her one that didn’t have any blueberries in it because I knew that was an automatic no go for her.  I still wasn’t sure how she would react.  She ate it and she ate it quick.  Yay!  Now I can make these, leave out the blueberries for my crazy babies and my oldest and I can eat till our hearts’ content.

Again as always, if you want the recipe buy the Joy the Baker Cookbook and please check out our other members efforts by clicking on their links over at Bakeaholic Mama.

My GeekyLink has to do with the most awesome thing coming up next week!  We are going to land on Mars.  Hopefully… Giant rover to make ‘terrifying’ landing on Mars tells how this landing is different and more difficult and how by the time NASA gets the signal that the rover is beginning its landing the mission may already be a failure but there will be nothing they can do about it.  I hope they pull it off.

 

Sundays with Joy/Kale Spinach Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

I know what day it is.  This past Sunday I was recovering from the last night of my daughters’ dance recital and getting ready to go camping later that day for three days.  So unfortunately for me there was not much time for smoothie making or blog posting.

I know for some this post might not be for you.  Fortunately for me, I know that green things can taste good.  This tastes frickin awesome!  I finished this (really big) smoothie a lot quicker than I thought I would.  I was drinking it while I was taking pictures. You can taste the “green” to a certain degree but after a few sips it feels like you are cheating and just having a peanut butter banana smoothie.

Getting ready to chop the kale.

I am not sure how much banana I used because I just had a bag of cut up banana in the freezer and I used about half of that so I am assuming that was about one.  I did use a bit more peanut butter but it was really just a smidge.  I think I could use a bit less honey but I really just eyeballed everything except the kale and the spinach.  I also used less milk because I used the rest of my almond milk and I had to use cow’s milk for the rest.  I think it all turned out great!  I really want to make this again.  It really filled me up as well.

My chopped kale and Joy’s smoothie.

Also, I didn’t use a blender.  I have one but I HATE getting it out.  I HATE cleaning it.  And I just don’t think mine works very well, so I just didn’t use it.  I used my mini chopper for the kale and spinach and then used my immersion blender to mix in everything else.  I thought it worked just great!  I figure if I can chop up the kale and spinach ahead of time, it would really take NO TIME to make this.  I think momma found her new power breakfast for the fall!

As always if you want the recipe, BUY JOY’S AWESOME BOOK!

My GeekLink this week is from The Mary Sue.  They posted My Dream Cast For A Star Trek The Next Generation Reboot last week and it is completely AMAZING!!!  I don’t have issue with anyone and in fact I think Q and Captain Picard choices are inspired and my absolute FAVORITES!!!

Sundays with Joy/Leek and Asparagus Quiche

This Sunday, for Mother’s Day, our little Sunday’s with Joy group is tackling her Leek and Asparagus Quiche from the Joy the Baker Cookbook.  I must admit that neither of these vegetables I have ever eaten before.  I have always wanted to try leeks but I have never wanted to eat asparagus.  I also must admit, that if I hadn’t been in the group, I probably wouldn’t have tried this recipe.  Working with the puff pastry, making a quiche in and of itself, and working with these veggies that I had never eaten before let alone worked with.

Leeks, asparagus, gruyere, O my!

Well, boy o boy, was I totally off, wrong, an idiot or whatever!  This was so freaking good!  My storebought puff pastry didn’t puff as much as I would have liked but I do think I rolled it a bit thin.  However, I was not even disappointed about that because it gave me lots of scraps to make a mini quiche that I didn’t have to wait as long to eat (you are supposed to let your quiche cool for an hour).  The leeks gave a flavor as good as I thought they would be, I was surprised at how much I liked the asparagus, and the gruyere… What can I say about the gruyere?  So nutty and buttery and rich.  Kind of expensive but it more than made up for that in the awesomeness of this quiche (and the tomato/avocado grilled cheese that I made with the leftovers).

Partners in crime, waiting for the rest of the filling.

The only change I made was that I didn’t use whole milk.  I used what I had on hand which was 2%.  I was thinking about changing the asparagus but I am really glad I didn’t.  It is not that I felt the need to absolutely follow the recipe but I felt it was more important for me to expose myself to something that I haven’t eaten before.

Also before I forget, Happy Mother’s Day to all my fellow mothers out there in the blogosphere!  I actually got a present this year that I know my husband put some thought into.  He has been planting (food, grass, trees) all over our yard the last few months and yesterday he put in a yellow rose bush for me.  Yellow roses are my favorite!  We had them in our wedding and I even have one tattooed on my back (my only one).  He hates giving them to me because they mean friendship but I always tell him, “Isn’t that the point?  You are my friend too and that is most important.”  Now he got me some that I will always have.

No GeekyLink today.  It has been a long weekend.