Coffee & Cinnamon Toast by the Beach, San Francisco

Life's pretty good when there's good coffee and cinnamon toast to be had from Trouble Coffee Company in the Outer Sunset area (next to the beach) in San Francisco. Discovered this place after visiting the San Francisco Zoo a couple miles away.

I would say the latte was pretty decent though it only comes in 1 size and with whole milk, but what really makes the coffee here is the cinnamon toast. 

It's almost a heart attack waiting to happen, but it's worth it. Every "toast" is made to order with a thick slice of white bread (delivered daily from Just For You Cafe in the Dogpatch), toasted till a crunchy crust happens, then generously slathered with layers of butter and cinnamon sugar. There is a process of literally stabbing the bread to make sure the buttery cinnamon goodness gets all the way through. 

The result? A cinnamon bun like flavor but with a lot more crispy edges to enjoy, minus icing (but trust me - you don't need it). Next time, I'll have to go back and try the "build your own damn house" which apparently is cinnamon toast with the addition of young coconut.

If you're in the area, don't miss out on the toast and a chat with the folks who run the place. It's a fun little neighborhood place to visit if you need a break from the city.

Tip: Cash only

latte and cinnamon toast cut to share from Trouble Coffee Company

Lowfat Apple Banana Cherry (ABC) Mini Muffins Recipe

I've always loved applesauce banana bread but recently received a 4lb bag of dried cherries and have been trying to figure out how to go through them all (I also made homemade rum cherry ice cream).

Lucky me, I just happened to have 2 leftover ripe bananas and my snack standby -unsweetened applesauce. That's about all you need to make this easy, no-guilt muffin recipe with applesauce, bananas, and dried cherries. There's no butter and no oil in the recipe, with the only fat coming from the eggs. I added a touch of nonfat Fage greek yogurt to add a touch of richness - but that's healthy too!

I guess I could have made full sized muffins, but the mini ones are so much cuter and easier to share. Hope you enjoy these reduced fat ABC mini muffins (applesauce, bananas, & cherries) - they're a healthy snack!

Lowfat Apple Banana Cherry Mini Muffins: bananas, applesauce, dried cherries, nonfat greek yogurt, eggs, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg

Lowfat ABC (Apple Banana Cherry) Mini Muffins

Yields: 48 mini muffins (2 pans) or 12 regular sized muffins

Ingredients

• Dry
• 1 3/4 cup (219 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (67 g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp saigon cinnamon (or regular)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/2 tsp salt

• Wet
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas mashed (a little less than a cup)
• 2 tbsp nonfat Fage greek yogurt (or your brand of choice)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• Stir In
• 1 cup dried cherries (can substitute other dried fruits like cranberries, blueberries, etc. I add a lot because I like the chew but feel free to reduce)
• (Optional - 1/2 cup nuts of your choice)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add in mixed dry ingredients and mix together well. 
4. Stir in dried cherries
5. Spray mini-muffin tins with non-stick baking spray with flour
6. Pour batter into muffin tin - about a tbsp each so that batter comes just under the edge
7. Bake for about 16-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted is clean.

Note: These muffins can be frozen and defrosted, just like your favorite banana bread recipe.

The Best Breakfast Egg Casserole - Texas Eggs Recipe

Texas Eggs are a Thanksgiving tradition in our household passed down over the years. You make it the night before, and bake it the morning of Thanksgiving for a fuss free, filling breakfast that keeps the kitchen clean for Thanksgiving cooking. Another bonus is that it gets the oven warm and prepped!

Now, this 16 egg casserole recipe may look like a heart attack on a plate, but having this once a year is so worth it. Just invite more people over to help feast on the rich, savory, creamy goodness of the egg casserole. But don't forget - the reheated leftovers are EVEN BETTER so don't worry if there aren't many to enjoy together.

Texas Eggs Recipe 
Ingredients

¼ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 qt whole milk
3 oz dried beef*, diced
½ lb bacon, fried & crumbled (make sure this is crispy)

16 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 c evaporated milk
¼ c butter

Sprinkle of paprika

Directions - Day 1

• Cook the butter, flour and whole milk until thick. It should be thick enough to coat a spoon and it will look sort of like gravy.
• Add the dried beef & bacon and set aside

• Whip together the eggs, salt & evaporated milk.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the egg mixture and scramble eggs until they just start to set.

• Butter a 9x13 pyrex pan and layer as follows:
• First a thin layer of sauce
• Next all the eggs
• Top with the rest of the sauce
• Sprinkle with paprika
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

Directions - Day 2

• Bake 275°F 1 hour – let stand at least 5 min before cutting

*Dried beef can be found in the grocery aisle usually near the canned goods like canned tuna in regular grocery stores (eg Safeway, Walmart, Lucky, etc. NOT organic places like Whole Foods) The brand that is usually available is Hormel's, or you can order it online. There is no substitute so make sure you find it!

Low (er) Fat, Tender Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

I won't pretend that these biscuits are without fat, but given that they are made with 1% buttermilk, it makes me feel better that they are "low fat" biscuits :) More importantly, others won't be able to tell that they are "healthier", and an added bonus is that they are very easy to make! 

Adapted primarily from a highly rated Cooking Light biscuit recipe, I added additional best practices from other biscuit experts that I incorporated. I learned that making good biscuits is all in the handling of the dough, so hopefully these tips will help you avoid dry and crumbly biscuits.

Tip: While these are very easy to consume, I highly recommend eating these in moderation as your belly will get full from them! My friends and I love these and hope you do too :)

Lowfat Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Makes approximately 12 2-inch biscuits
(recipe easily doubles to make ~12 3.5" biscuits)

• 9 oz all-purpose flour (I highly recommend weighing this as extra flour makes for dry biscuits!)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp chilled shortening, cut into small pieces (I use Crisco)
• 3/4 cup 1% buttermilk (make sure you shake before measuring)
• 3 tbsp honey

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (425 if you are making 3.5" biscuits)
2. Prepare butter & shortening into small pieces and refrigerate to ensure they are chilled.  (Note: you can use all butter or all shortening but I like the combination of both. The shortening creates a flakier biscuit)
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

MIXING

1. Cut in butter & shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. It's ok if there are a little pebbles of fat left. Chill for at least 10 minutes.
2. Whisk buttermilk and honey until well blended (Note: I do this in a 2-cup Pyrex so it's easy to measure and pour), then place in the fridge to chill as well.
3. After ingredients are chilled, create a crater in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture all at once into the crater.
4. Use a fork to mix everything together as quickly as possible, starting from the center and bringing flour in, until just moist. It's ok if there's a little flour left, but you don't want a lot.

FOLDING & CUTTING

1. The next few steps are critical. Do not overwork the dough or else you'll get less tender biscuits. I also think this folding method from Cooking Light is the easiest to follow.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to make sure any extra flour is incorporated.
3. Pat dough with your fingertips into a 1/2" thick 9x5" rectangle (18x10" if you're making larger biscuits). Dust surface lightly with flour.
4. Fold dough into thirds, as if folding a piece of paper to fit an envelope.
5. Pat dough again into 1/2" thick 9x5" rectangle (18x10" for larger biscuits). Dust surface lightly with flour.
6. Fold dough into thirds.
7. Pat dough to a 3/4" thickness into a shape where you can maximize the number of biscuits, depending on your biscuit cutter size. 
8. Cut dough with your preferred biscuit cutter. Make sure to press straight down, and do NOT twist the cutter. You can also cut your dough into squares if you prefer.

BAKING

1. Place dough rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet with the edges just touching. This helps the biscuits to rise and also helps them to stay more tender. (Note: you can reshape the scraps and bake, but these won't be as tender)
2. Bake for approximately 12 minutes on the top oven rack. For larger biscuits, rotate pan about halfway through. The biscuits should be cooked after ~12 minutes, but check a scrap to be sure. If the biscuits are cooked inside but not quite golden on top yet, use the broiler for 1-2 minutes (while watching carefully!) to create the color.
3. Remove from pan and cool 2 minutes on wire racks before serving.

These biscuits are really best on the same day, but are still pretty tasty the next if you store them in a ziplock bag. I have also freezed them after bake for future consumption. Enjoy alone, with jam, or get creative! I served these with a homemade Korean-inspired fried chicken slider.

Homemade Lowfat Buttermilk Biscuits

Lowfat Buttermilk Biscuits: all-purpose flour, 1% buttermilk, butter, crisco, baking powder, salt, honey

East Meets West Fried Chicken Slider on a Biscuit

East Meets West Fried Chicken Slider: fried chicken, homemade Korean inspired  bbq sauce, homemade pickles & fresh lettuce on a biscuit