It all started with rum raisin ice cream. A few weeks ago, I learned that rum raisin is a popular ice cream flavor in Japan, and because I found this to be an interesting fact, I’ve been thinking about this ever since. Having never tried rum raisin ice cream before, nor seen it at the grocery store or ice cream counter, I was intrigued. I decided it was a flavor from another era, because when I did ask some folks about it, they said, “Oh yeah! Rum raisin ice cream!” like they were recalling a fond memory from long ago. If rum raisin was something familiar, and yet, something that hadn’t been around in a while, I was bringing it back. Continue reading
Breakfast
Celebrating summer with blueberry pancakes
My favorite blueberry memory isn’t a special dish or preparation, but eating blueberries straight from the bush. When I was growing up, we would always visit Sweden in the summer, and picking fresh blueberries was one of my favorite activities. We had these special blueberry pickers that you were supposed to use to collect the berries. Except somehow, mine would never end up full, and my face and mouth would end up blue.
It’s a little easier for me to contain myself when I’ve got a plastic container full of blueberries from the supermarket (sadly, too hot for them to grow here). And while I still enjoy them plain, I also love making cakes and muffins with them. Without baking, pancakes are the quickest way to enjoy them for breakfast. I’ve added them to my mom’s pancake recipe, which incorporates oat bran for pancakes that feel both simultaneously lighter and heartier than your standard buttermilk pancake.
Basic pancake recipe
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups milk
Directions
Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Cook pancakes over an oiled pan or griddle on medium heat. For blueberry pancakes, drop blueberries onto the pancakes just after ladling onto the pan. Flip when bubbles cover the surface of the pancake. Serve with butter, plain or vanilla yogurt, and maple syrup.
Breakfast in bed
Jan brought me breakfast in bed, and what I loved even more than waking up to the smell of bacon cooking and the amazing fruit and breakfast sandwich he prepared, was the fact that, unbeknownst to me, he photographed the plate before serving it to me. The next day, he asked me if I had looked through the pictures on my camera. I hadn’t, and there it was again for me to enjoy.
I was worrying that my increased photographing of our meals and their preparation was bugging him. After all, I do sometimes make him stop what he’s doing so I can adjust the light and arrange some of the elements in the background of the picture. Turns out, he just wanted to get in on the action as well. Photo by Jan.
Not your average egg McMuffin
The “thin buns” bought last week have been put to a few good uses. Last week, when I was craving a cheeseburger, Jan and I went to the store for some ingredients. Often we buy two rolls from the supermarket bakery since we hardly have a need for a six-pack, but they were out, so I went to look through the bread aisle. I’d seen the thin buns before and wanted to try them, especially since each bun is 100 calories, compared to the 250+ calories of the regular hamburger buns. Less bun equals more bacon in my mind. There were a few varieties, we tried EarthGrains’ 100 % Whole Wheat, which were a hit with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and of course, bacon.
This morning we cooked bacon and eggs, placed them on the bun, topped it with sharp cheddar cheese and put it in the toaster oven. Excellent! I will be finding more uses for the thin buns.
Our Life in Meals 