Orange Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce.

I don't have a picture of the final product because, um, well, we ate it too quickly. These were so, so good.

Sometimes my favorite recipes come out of necessity - I will have a certain ingredient in my refrigerator or pantry that I used for one recipe, but it isn't something that I use in my everyday cooking, so I go searching.

In this case it was ricotta cheese, that I used to make a lime tart for Easter. I have pasta recipes that use ricotta, but I wasn't in a pasta mood yesterday. So I hunted. I remember seeing recipes for lemon ricotta pancakes and thought that sounded like a good place to start. So I Googled around and found one from Two Peas and Their Pod with a blueberry sauce that looked great.

However, I had a bunch of oranges from my in-laws' tree and fresh strawberries that needed to be used, too. So I improvised and made a couple changes. And now this will be a recipe we make over & over again, for breakfasts on the weekend or breakfast-for-dinner, like we had last night.

Orange Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

For the sauce:

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

2 C fresh strawberries

3 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp water

Splash (3 Tbsp or so) fresh orange juice.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, water, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

For the pancakes:

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 C ricotta cheese

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1/2 C fresh orange juice

2 tsp grated orange zest

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp milk

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, orange juice, orange zest, canola oil, & milk. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don’t over mix; the batter will be quite thick.

Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with strawberry sauce.

Easy Granola.

Greek yogurt + granola + a drizzle of honey is one of my favorite breakfasts. I'm not quite sure why, but I have always bought my granola - in the form of a cereal or in the bulk section of my local market.

I had pulled a granola recipe from Real Simple a while back & finally decided to make it. It was easy, easy - although I wish I would have stirred a little more carefully midbaking, as I got oats all over the inside of my oven. And it was good too - not too sweet (maple syrup is the only sweetener), good crunch, and yummy chewy bits of dried fruit.

Stored in an airtight container, the granola will keep for 3 weeks.

Easy Granola

Real Simple, April 2010

4 C old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1 C sliced almonds

1/2 C shredded coconut

1/4 C unsalted pepitas or shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 C pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 C dried fruit (I used a berry blend)

Heat oven to 350° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the oats, almonds, coconut, and pepitas with the maple syrup, oil, and salt.

Bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 25-30 minutes.

Add the dried fruit and toss to combine. Let cool.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars.

My husband asked me if I would make a treat that he could take over to a couple families he visits monthly for our church. Since we take goodies to these families frequently, I often use it is a chance to try new recipes, so that we don't have massive amounts of baked goods sitting around our house.

Since I made brownies last month, I decided to do something non-chocolate & lighter this month. This recipe for Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars I found months ago sounded perfect. Admittedly, they are probably a better spring/summer treat, but living in San Diego, I can almost always get good quality fresh blueberries, and after a very rainy weekend, a splash of springtime sounded just perfect.

These were easy to make, especially using a food processor to combine the dough. I have made bars that have a similar base in the past, but this recipe produced a dough that was much more dry than I had used previously & I tripled checked to make sure that I used all the exact measurements. However, once I started patting the dough into the pan, I quickly realized the dough was the perfect consistency.

These bars were a really good, light treat. And because they were not too sweet, I think they would be perfectly acceptable as breakfast, too. My only complaint was that I didn't really taste the lemon zest, so next time, I think I will add more, because I really love citrus.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

My Baking Addiction

1 C white granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 C all-purpose flour

1 C unsalted butter

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

zest of two lemons

4 C fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 C white sugar

3 tsp cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, salt, lemon zest and baking powder.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together until combined.

Use food processor to blend the flour mixture with the butter and egg/vanilla mixture. Dough will be very crumbly.

Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together 1/2 C sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting.

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Technically, I made these in February (the 28th!), but since Trish already did her round up & I didn't get my post finished until this morning, it's going for March.

Cinnamon-Buttermilk Muffins.

The date-stamp on the bottom of this printed recipe? 12/11/2005. This one wins for oldest recipe in my stash (cookbooks excluded).

A friend of mine, back in college, made these for a game night. I think I consumed three on the spot. I went home & printed out the recipe. And it sat. And sat. I have looked at it over the years numerous times and thought about making them, but it just never happens. Thank you Whip Up Something New for kicking me into gear on these little wonders.

And they are SO easy and SO yummy. They remind me of a little cake doughnut. But not overly sweet, so you don't get that sugar slump feeling, like after eating doughnuts, and the cinnamon on top is just perfect. We actually had them as a treat after dinner & they did just the trick. They are definitely going to be a new staple around here. And who knows...maybe for a game night with friends?

The recipe for the topping makes more than you need for the nine muffins. I halved the cinnamon/sugar mixture (although, if you make it all, the extra would be divine on toast!), but melted all the butter & had extra. I would say that I used more than half the butter, so maybe cut it back to 4 - 5 Tbsp?

Cinnamon-Buttermilk Muffins

Williams-Sonoma

For the muffins:

7 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving. Makes 9 muffins.

Scrambled Egg Enchiladas with Black Bean Sauce.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals to make. But during the week? It just doesn't happen. I look forward to Sundays, where we sleep in just a little bit and I can make and enjoy a good breakfast, without having to run out the door.

Most of my breakfast recipes are of the sweet variety, because I have found that good savory breakfasts recipes are harder to come by. So I am always on the lookout for them.

This recipe for Scrambled Egg Enchiladas with Black Bean Sauce seemed right up my alley - I love Mexican food and black beans are one of my very favorite things to eat.

The original recipe makes six (small) servings. Since there are only two of us, I adjusted things slightly, with my changes noted in parentheses in the recipe below.

Both my husband and I really liked these breakfast enchiladas. They filled us up, but I didn't feel so full after eating them (the lack of tons of cheese probably helped), like I often do when I have enchiladas. The one thing that was lacking though, was spice. The recipe calls for one chipotle pepper to be blended with the black beans to make the sauce, but I tasted zero spice in the finished dish. Next time, I will add two (or three!) chipotles, so the sauce really has a kick. But that, of course, is just personal preference, and if you have a low heat tolerance, stick with one.

Scrambled Egg Enchiladas with Black Bean Sauce

Prevention Magazine, Summer 2009

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 small onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 15 oz can black beans, with liquid

1 C water (1/2 C)

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt, divided

6 corn tortillas (5)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

7 large eggs (5)

3 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed (cream cheese)

3/4 C shredded Mexican Chihuaha or Cheddar cheese (pre-shredded Mexican blend)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Warm 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion. Cook until golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Scoop into blender, leaving oil. Set pan aside. Puree onion and garlic with beans, water, chipotle pepper, and 3/4 tsp salt until smooth. Season with more salt, if desired.

Lay tortillas on baking sheet. Lightly coat both sides with oil. Bake until pliable, about 3 minutes. Remove, stack, and keep warm.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and scallions. Cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk eggs and 3/4 tsp salt. Add to pan and stir every few seconds until eggs barely set. Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese.

Put 1/2 C sauce in a 11" x 7" (8" x 8") baking dish. Fill tortillas with eggs, roll up, and put in dish. Pour the rest of sauce over enchiladas, covering completely. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until hot, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.