Lost in Translation

It is always a risk baking first thing upon rising in the morning as your brain might not be firing on all cylinders quite yet. But what is even more dangerous is attempting to bake with a recipe not written in your first language at the crack of dawn.

Having had several successes and failures with beating egg whites, I felt pretty confident translating -- battre le 3 blancs d'oeufs en neige -- to: beat them until they look like the soft, fluffy snow on mountain peaks. Not that dry, powdery stuff that makes it impossible to create snowballs... Then you've gone too far.

But with the beaten egg whites still standing ready on the mixer podium, I quickly took incorporer le melange avec blancs d'oeufs the wrong way and dumped the melange of mascarpone, sugar and egg yolks into the egg whites and whipped on the mixer. Flat. Splat. Runny whipped topping for my tiramisu. Something was wrong.

Oh yes, you're supposed to carefully, by hand, INCORPORATE -- this shouldn't have been so difficult since we do have a similar word in English, but for some reason I was thinking MIX, the first word I learned to translate from the French word incorporer.....aaaand probably because I do love to use my mixer so -- le melange avec blancs d'oeufs. Not to mention, I had messed up this process before and knew the quick-mix method with egg whites destroyed their foamy peaks.

But, never fear, I was saved by the leftover coffee from soaking les biscuits I had been drinking.

After a split second of panic when I realized that was the only mascarpone I had, I grabbed three more egg whites and beat them en neige, carefully incorporating the two mixtures together.


So I apologize if the tiramisu is a bit eggy and there are no eggs left in the carton for breakfast. I knew there was good reason for taking advantage of that 'buy one, get one free' sale on eggs at the grocery last week....

Pumpkin Protein Bars

A huge fan of granola bars, my only beef with them is the quantity of sugar and the lack of protein they provide. I discovered these tasty bars in a quest for a cheaper and healthier replacement. They keep you satisfied for a long time and the recipe is quite versatile if you want to change up your flavors. I've been making them with pumpkin, but feel free to replace that with plain yogurt, adding also either 1/4 c. canola oil or peanut butter to your batter. You can add dried fruit instead of chocolate (but who wants to do that!), or nuts of any variety. Whatever suits your fancy.

Okay, not the prettiest...but I promise they're tasty! ;)

Pumpkin Protein Bars
Adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe

1 c. soy or whey protein powder (I used vanilla flavored whey)

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. oat bran

1/2 - 3/4 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. salt

1 c. sweetened coconut

1/2 c. brown sugar (to taste)

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. pumpkin

3/4 c. plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a glass 9x13 dish.

Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add to dry and blend together well. The dough will be thick so use those muscles! :)

Spoon into baking dish and distribute evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and cut into bars. Place on baking sheet and bake another 15 minutes or until browned around the edges.

These are hearty bars so lil' ones go a long way. I like to freeze them in Ziplocs and snack on them cold straight from the freezer. They serve excellent as an afternoon snack or pre/post-workout fuel.

Duchess Grey Tea

The latest acquisiton for my tea cabinet is a delightfully citrusy black tea. In need of a refill on my breakfast tea to get my mind and body movin' in the mornin', I happily stumbled across the Duchess Grey Tea on my weekly shopping trip to Trader Joe's. They are notorious for their fresh, new items - I always find something deliciously novel to try when I stop in.

A big fan of Earl Grey -- especially that bergamot flavor -- the "Grey" label hollered to me from the shelf. I threw it into my basket without a second thought. When I first pulled the box out of the cupboard in the morning, the scent that hit me was the citrus notes of lemon and orange. Not normally a huge fan of strongly citrusy teas, I was nearly hesitant to taste a cup. But with my regular added splash of milk, the harmony of bergamot, lemon, and orange sang a beautiful chorus on my breakfast table. Definitely a keeper.

Swedish Pancakes

I love versatile foods. Ones that you can eat any time of day and that can be paired with just about anything. These also tend to be your comfort foods - ones that warm the belly as well as the soul.

Pancakes fall into this category for many people, but this will take you above and beyond this staple of any American diet. Swedish pancakes are a gourmet version of the favorite and, fortunately, they don't take any more time to prepare than your basic pancake. They are cross between a crepe and buttermilk pancake; heavier than a crepe, but thicker than a buttermilk. Their inside is slightly gooey with a warm, milky flavor. I topped one of mine with agave syrup, the other with powdered sugar. Truly, they would be fine with just about any sweet (or savory) topping your heart may desire.

Swedes may not have many a claim to fame, but these definitely put them on the radar for me.


Swedish Pancakes

3 eggs

1 c. flour

pinch of salt

2 T. sugar

2 c. milk

2 T. cooking oil

Mix together ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl. Heat skillet at medium-high heat and melt a dab of butter in the bottom. Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet. Allow to cook until browned on one side, then flip sides in and place on plate to cool.

Serve with yummy toppings.

The Joy of Peanut Butter Cookies

Fathers deserve lots of love. Especially tummy love, since there is no better way to a man's heart than through his stomach -- true for young and old alike. :) When I want to show my daddy how much I love him, I know just the cookie to go to.

My father and grandfather are infatuated with good, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies. The more peanut butter, the better, they tell me.

Another man in my life, who has never steered me wrong when it comes to baked goods, led me to this fanastic cookbook with the best cookie recipes hands-down. (Perhaps there are other good recipes in there too, I just can't seem to make my way out of the cookie section....) If you haven't tried the oatmeal cookies yet, you must. But make sure you double the batch, for you will eat all the batter of the first batch. And, by the way, there is no subsitute for butter...I reluctantly substituted margarine once and it tasted awful.

Oh yes, the peanut butter cookies. (Heh, distractions.) When I was in search of a peanut butter cookie recipe the other day, I knew just where to go. I believe half the dough contains peanut butter so you better be prepared for the peanut explosion in your mouth. Personally, I can't get enough of peanut butter. I mean, they are called peanut butter cookies for a reason, right? These are so good that, although the first round I stuck in the oven got burned, they still tasted good. (Although maybe not as good as the ones correctly cooked....) The plate of them disappeared before dinner even began. Perhaps these need a double batch as well.