Croatian Cinnamon Walnut Swirl Breakfast Bread

Bread or cake? Who knows. I got this recipe from Saveur and LOVE it. We often had cinnamon bread for breakfast when we were growing up and there's nothing like cinnamon toast soaked with butter. This bread is almost like a pastry and the nuts in the swirl give it a little extra something. It's a fairly hassle-free bread - two rises, each for an hour...

For the dough:
1 1/4-oz. package of active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour

For the filling:
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites

1. Combine yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, and half the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Let sit until foamy, about 10 mins. Add the remaining sugar, milk, salt, butter and egg. Blend, then while still blending, add flour and beat until smooth. Cover with plastic and put in a warm place for an hour and doubled in size.

2. Puree the walnuts, sugar, butter, milk, and cinnamon in a food processor until smooth. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into walnut paste.

3. Grease a 9x5x2.75" loaf pan with butter. On a floured surface, roll dough into 10x4" long oval, about 1/16" thick. It won't be a firm dough - at all. Spread the walnut mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/4" of dough around borders. Starting at the narrow end, roll dough tightly. Trim ends and place in loaf pan. Set in a warm place until doubled in size - 1 hr.

4. Heat oven to 350 and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about an hour.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

For a girl who never ate a bean until college, I sure do love me some beans. Baked, sauteed, pureed...whatever. I had roasted chickpeas at a restaurant a few years ago, they were served at the table instead of bread and I loved them. I only recently made my own and they're really easy. And a really yummy, healthy snack.

2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Pour the drained chickpeas onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels and pat dry. Let them sit for another 15 mins or so - make sure they're dry.

3. Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl and mix with olive oil and your seasonings.

4. Pour the chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so that they're evenly roasted. Make sure they're crunchy before they come out...err on the long side, you don't want them to be mushy or gummy.

Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs with Hummus and Pine Nut Raisin Relish

Chicken thighs get a bad name. I guess you either like dark meat or you don't, but I happen to love thighs and the extra fat doesn't bother me at all :) This recipe is adapted from Food and Wine and is a flavorful way to dress up another night of chicken. Don't forgo the bones or the skin - you need both to make this crispy and juicy. (You can skip #2 and buy hummus already made...)

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1.5 tsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and pepper
1 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
2.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water 30 mins, then drained
1/4 pine nuts, toasted
Small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
Splash of white wine vinegar
1/2 plain Greek yogurt

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and coat, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt and pepper. Process until smooth and add a little water if it's too thick.

3. Preheat the oven to 450. Heat a cast iron skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade and scrape off any solids. Add chicken to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until skin is browned and crispy. Turn the chicken over and put the pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes or until juices run clear.

4. In a bowl, combine the onion, raisins, pine nuts, cilantro, vinegar, and the rest of the lemon juice.

5. Heat up the hummus so that it's warm - you can microwave it for 30 seconds or so. Place a mound of hummus on the plate, top with a dollop of yogurt, the chicken and the relish.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup comes from Ree Drummond. Do you ever watch the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network? I swear, this woman is a whole lot of perfection. Always smiling, so easy going, and the food! All on an isolated ranch with a cowboy husband and a handful of kids...who she home schools, by the way. Not sure how this woman pulls it off. I tried her tortilla soup last week and it was delicious - it took us a few days to eat and that was ok with us!

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 cup diced onion 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel tomatoes and green chilies 
3 tbsp tomato paste 
5-6 cups chicken broth 
1 can black beans, drained 
3 tbsp cornmeal 
4 whole corn tortillas, cut into 2 inch strips
1 avocado
Sour cream
Cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

2. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

4. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

5. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

6. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream and diced avocado.

Poulet Yassa

In Senegal, there are a few dishes that you will see on every menu - at restaurants and in homes. Poulet Yassa is an oniony, stewy dish that is glorious over white rice. Everyone makes it a little differently - from light and tart, to an almost sweet, rich sauce in which the onions are caramelized. Either way, crack the windows and put on some goggles.

1/4 cup peanut oil
3-4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
6 onions - halved and sliced
8 tbsp lemon juice
8 tbsp vinegar
1 bay leaf
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Green olives (optional)

1. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add the onions to the pot and saute on low to medium heat until soft and translucent - this will take a while and let them cook slowly.

3. Add the remaining ingredients. If too dry - add a little chicken stock but be careful not to make it soupy. Then add the chicken back to the pot and cook with the onions until cooked through.

Serve on white rice or couscous.

Salted Caramel Apple Cake

It's apple season! I made this delicious cake a few weeks ago when Paddy and I visited Reebs and Andy up in Rangeley, ME. It was dessert and breakfast all in one weekend...the best kind of cake. Also great about this cake - the salted caramel sauce. I may have saved a little extra to put on ice cream the following week...

This recipe comes from Pinch of Yum, one of my new favorite blogs.

2 cups thinly sliced apples - slice on a mandolin to get them as thin as possible.

For the sauce:
1/2 cup salted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the cake:
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

1. Generously grease a round 9-inch baking pan.

2. To prepare the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla. Keep over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes until smooth and thick. Pour the caramel into the greased cake pan but reserve a little - around 1/4 cup. Layer the apples on top of the caramel.

3. To prepare the cake batter, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and milk and beat to incorporate. Stir in teh flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Pour the cake batter on top of the apples.

4. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate and tap the top until the cake comes out on a plate. Pour the remaining caramel on top.

Spicy Sausage Soup

This is one of those recipes that shouldn't even be a recipe. Empty out the crisper drawer in your refrigerator and cover your eyes and pick about 4-5 spices from the cabinet...there's a whole lot of everything in this soup so a substitute here and there definitely won't kill it. It's a great soup for the winter - hearty, full of veggies and with a little heat. It's one of Paddy's favs.

PS - more soup recipes coming soon!!

1 package of ground spicy Italian sausage - remove from casings
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 handful of cremini mushrooms, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 14 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can chick peas, drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup pasta, shells work well

1. Saute the sausage in a dutch oven until completely cooked. Break down into small pieces. Remove from pot and drain most of the fat.

2. Add the carrot, onion, garlic, mushrooms and zucchini and saute until tender.

3. Add the spices and mix well with the vegetables. Add tomato paste and mix well.

4. Add the tomatoes, broth, and sausage and bring to a boil.

5. Add the shells and cook until tender.

Serve with grated Parmesan.