Hi.

I’m finally clearing out the dust bunnies and cobwebs from my little food blog, which has been somewhat abandoned on a shelf for a while while my job has been the focus of my creative energy. The last six months have been exhilarating, exhausting, and exciting, but as a result, I’ve felt culinarily dead inside. I’ve been in triage mode: cooking only the fastest and easiest recipes in my arsenal (that is, when I cooked at all) and focusing on meals that made lots of leftovers so I only needed to cook every few days. Finally though, the muse is slowly re-awakening. I am interested once more in trying out new recipes, and more importantly, taking twice as long to make them so I can take pictures of the process to share with you.

But I’m not jumping back into the deep end, exactly. What I needed was some granola, and when I felt pretty meh about the options available in the cereal aisle, I grabbed a canister of oats ran for it, deciding I’d figure something out when I got home. And thanks to my sister’s excellent Christmas present, I found the answer pretty quickly: a ridiculously easy granola recipe with only three ingredients. I decided to add a fourth, but only because I had some cranberries in the pantry.

I’ve made granola before, and I’ll be honest, there are a few reasons I don’t make it very often. First, I go through phases with yogurt, so it’s not something that strikes my fancy very often. Second, it’s kind of a hassle to round up all the ingredients. So this recipe, with only oats, salt, and maple syrup, sounded too good to be true. BUT IT ISN’T.

After a few quick stirs to cover the oats with syrup, the mixture is just spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and baked for less than 20 minutes. The finished product has every attribute I care about in granola: lightly sweet, extremely crunchy, easy to make, and easy to clean up.

You can leave out the cranberries, or swap them for dried apples, or add nuts or sunflower seeds, or whatever. It’s your granola. But there’s really no need for a ton of ingredients, multiple kinds of sweetener, or chopping of anything. This is yogurt-ready in less than half an hour from start to finish.

I honestly don’t know why anyone would ever make granola any other way.

Cranberry Maple Granola
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day

2 c rolled oats
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until oats are coated in syrup. Spread evenly across a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure to limit clumps to a minimum.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, checking it at 10 minutes and every 2-3 minutes thereafter to make sure it doesn’t burn. The oats should be lightly golden brown across the pan, with slightly darker edges. Cool completely on the baking sheet, then remove and crumble up before storing in an airtight container.

It’s funny how things change from when you’re little. As a child, I had a very uncomfortable relationship with eggs. With breakfast in general, actually. At the risk of sounding gross, on school days, I frankly couldn’t eat eggs for breakfast without the risk of them coming back up. Perhaps it was the 30 minute car drive on windy mountain roads. Perhaps it was the vestige of the tendency for nausea that I experienced as an infant. Either way, it took YEARS before I started eating eggs for breakfast on a regular basis.

Now, of course, it’s almost laughable how much I love eggs. For breakfast, as a mid-morning snack, as a burst of protein at lunch, baked or custard-y in desserts. But I especially like them in frittatas.

Frittatas provide most of the benefits of a quiche. Sure, you don’t get a flaky, golden crust to cradle the eggs, but you can also make a frittata in like, 20 minutes. Quiches are great, but they are not quick.

I also like that frittatas hold up well as leftovers. A frittata made on Sunday will feed me a warm, savory breakfast for most of the coming work week. Alternately, they feed a brunch crowd with minimal effort.

The one key challenge Not burning it to a crisp. I broil my frittatas so they have a nice, golden-brown top, but a few minutes distraction is enough to ruin your breakfast and, frankly, your day. I literally sit on the floor and watch mine cook to make sure they don’t burn.

The result Wedges of fluffy eggs, studded with ham and onion, beneath a crispy layer of hot cheese. Mm. I think I’ll go make another.

Ham, Cheddar, & Onion Frittata

1 1/2 T unsalted butter
4 oz diced ham
3 oz diced yellow onion
2 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
3-4 cranks of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven on the broiler setting. Dice ham and onion and grate the cheddar cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper for 3-4 minutes.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch oven-safe frying pan over medium heat. Add the ham and onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onions have softened and are beginning to brown. Spread the ham and onions evenly across the pan. Pour the egg mixture over the ham and onions and quickly stir so they are evenly distributed. From this point on, do not stir the mixture. Sprinkle the cheddar evenly over the top.

Once the edges of the frittata are cooked (they’ll be lighter in color and look solid), place the frying pan on a middle rack in the oven. Broil for 6-10 minutes, watching it VERY closely. Stay focused: the frittata will quickly burn if left under the broiler for too long. Once the top is golden-brown, solid at the center, and fairly puffy, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. The frittata may flatten a bit during this time.

Cut the frittata into six wedges and serve immediately. This also holds up very well as leftovers.

Comfort food, thy name is Biscuits and Gravy. This is usually my first stop on the menu at a new breakfast or brunch joint, and there’s no way I want it to be anything other than a soft, fluffy biscuit nestled in a wave of rich gravy and crumbled breakfast sausage. Woe to the trendy places that try to gussy it up.

But this hearty meal is also incredibly easy to make at home. So maybe it’s really woe to me for not doing so every damn weekend.

First up, the biscuits. These ones are super easy and super fast. The ingredients are pretty basic, and I keep most of them on hand on a regular basis. No raising, very little kneading, and just a few passes with a rolling pin and we’re on our way to biscuit magic.

Next, the gravy. Which honestly, is even easier than the biscuits. All it takes is a pound of sausage, some flour and milk, and a little seasoning. I love my gravy a little herb-y, so I like adding rosemary or sage, too.

With two recipes so easy to put together, there’s really no reason you can’t start a brunch place in your very own kitchen. I guarantee you it will be a shorter wait.

Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted just a bit from my Grandma’s recipe

Makes 5-6 medium-sized biscuits

2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (2 tsp at high altitude)
1 tsp baking soda (1/2 tsp at high altitude)
1/2 tsp salt
4 T salted butter, cold
about 1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or food processor and mix with a fork. Chop butter into small cubes and add to the bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or by pulsing in a food processor until the mixture is crumbly. Slowly add the buttermilk and mix until slightly sticky. You made need slightly more or less than 1 c of buttermilk.

Place the sticky dough on a floured surface and knead lightly for about 5 minutes. Roll out until about 3/4″ thick. Cut into biscuits using a round cutter, or use a knife if you prefer square biscuits.

Place biscuits on a baking sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

If desired, add a small pat of butter to the top of each biscuit as soon as they are removed from the oven. Serve with gravy, butter and jam, or just by themselves. Store in an airtight bag for up to 4 days.

Rosemary Sausage Gravy
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Enough for 5-6 medium-sized biscuits

1 pound ground breakfast sausage
3/8 c flour
4 c milk
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp ground rosemary

Cook sausage in a large frying pan until browned. Add flour and mix thoroughly so it can soak up any grease. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and set at medium-high. Stirring fairly constantly, cook until the gravy has thickened to the desired consistency. When it’s ready, it should slide off a spoon rather than drip. Add the pepper, salt, and rosemary and adjust seasoning as needed.

Spoon over biscuits and serve.

And it’s not just for dinner! I’ve now become quite obsessed with using corn in breakfast. In this particular one, it joints a few other mid-summer veggies (also bacon) as a really, really good hash.

The corn, green onions, and bacon provide a nice crunch against tender new potatoes, and a soft-cooked egg truly make this a meal worth eating.

So pretty, so tasty, and so much excellent summer flavor!

Le sigh. I just want every morning to be a slow summer morning that starts with this.

Corn & Bacon Hash
Adapted, just a smidge, from Smitten Kitchen

6 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
1 pound red potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 ears of corn, kernels cut from the corn
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until the fat is rendered. Once it is crisp, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the fat in the pan and add the potatoes.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle potatoes with half of the salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork and are golden-brown on the the outside.

Add the corn to the skillet and bump the heat up just a bit. Cook the potatoes and corn together for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the corn browns a bit.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of butter and crack an egg into the skillet, taking care not to break the yolk. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip the egg to cook the other side. Cook for a minute more for an over-medium egg. Remove to a small plate and repeat with the second egg.

While the eggs finish cooking, add the drained bacon and the green onions to the corn and potatoes and mix well. Turn off the heat and season to taste with the remaining salt and pepper.

Serve a couple scoops of hash and top with one of the eggs.

For lots of reasons, I was the lucky winner to set my clock earlier and use the shower first. I like to pack my lunch in the morning, I blow-dry my hair, I could daudle around a bit. And one day, for a treat, I made us a hot, freshly-cooked breakfast. It wasn’t a major affair: there were no biscuits, no gravy, no French toast or quiches. But it was hot, it was savory, and it was DELICIOUS.

It was this breakfast burrito. Don’t be afraid! These take about 10 minutes to make, start to finish, and they take fairly basic ingredients. Sure, you can gussy up a breakfast burrito with sausage, bacon, peppers and onions, all kinds of things: but the basics are utterly delightful and allow for quick, weekday breakfasting.

Can I ask you to do something DON’T BEAT THE EGGS. I like my scrambled eggs with some texture and variety of color, so I add them to the pans straight out of the shell and let the whites cook up a bit before scrambling. I also ask you to put your cheese right in with the eggs rather than lining the tortilla with it. It’s so good!

Salsa is something I require in basically all scrambled eggs, so that comes next. Add this last so it doesn’t destroy the texture of your eggs as they are cooking early on. Use whatever dang salsa you like, but USE IT.

Once the eggs are cooked, they are split up and added to two gently-warmed tortillas. I warm mine in a second frying pan on the stove, but you can also microwave them, though it really doesn’t save much time.

And there you have it! Two little burritos that will give you a warm, flavorful breakfast that’s not a total gut-bomb. And because this is a one-egg-per-serving recipe, you can make it just for you or you can feed a crowd. I usually eat mine right after it’s rolled, whereas Brad’s gets wrapped in foil so he can eat in the car on the way to work. Both methods make for a lovely breakfast – hooray for flexibility!

Workday Breakfast Burritos

Makes 2 burritos

2 medium-sized flour tortillas (I use Mission Soft Taco size)
1/2 T unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/3 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated or roughly sliced
seasoned salt and black pepper to taste
2 heaping T chunky salsa

Heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat and an 8-inch frying pan over medium heat. Place one tortilla in the 10-inch frying pan. While you cook the eggs, flip over the tortilla so it warms on the other side. Then, repeat with the second tortilla.

Melt the butter in the 8-inch frying pan. Once it begins to sizzle slightly, add the eggs and cheese. Season lightly with seasoned salt and black pepper. Scramble the eggs and cheese with a wooden spoon or a spatula until mostly cooked. Add the salsa and mix well. Allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes until some of the liquid has cooked down (if you add the eggs when they are too runny, your burrito will be very drippy).

Once the eggs are cooked and both tortillas are warmed, add half the eggs to each tortilla and roll them up. Serve immediately, or, if you’re taking yours to go, wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.

But on super-special mornings, I’ll buy a precious avocado and smear it across toast to a beautiful, green canvas for a gently fried egg.

I’ve loved avocados for a long time, but I was previously skeptical of their ability to translate to breakfast. Lord, I was so wrong. The flavor and texture of the avocado and the egg together are fantastic. The avocado needs no additions, though admittedly, I did try mixing in salsa one day, and while it was delightful, I still preferred it all by itself.

The eggs, while you’re smashing avocado, fry gently with their yolks unbroken. If you’re not a fan of runny eggs, don’t worry, just break the yolks with a fork and cook them a bit longer on the second side for a firm yellow center.

This simple breakfast is super-quick for rushed weekday mornings when you want to pretend, just for a minute, that it’s already the weekend. And it’s fancy enough even for the weekend. Why go out for breakfast when you can stay in your pajamas and have this?

Egg & Avocado on Toast

Makes 2 servings

1/2 an avocado
1/2 T butter
2 eggs
seasoned salt
black pepper
2 slices of bread

Scoop the avocado out of the skin into a bowl. Crush the avocado with the back of a fork until it is mostly crushed. Heat a frying pan  over medium heat. Once warm, add the butter to the pan and coat the bottom of the pan as it melts. Crack the eggs into the pan without breaking the yolks, keeping the eggs separate. Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt and black pepper.

While the eggs cook, toast the bread and smear avocado evenly over both pieces. After eggs have cooked for about two minutes, flip carefully with a spatula and sprinkle the opposite side lightly with black pepper. After about 30 seconds, gently lift the eggs onto the toasts, placing them on the avocado.

Serve and enjoy immediately.

It’s entirely possible that I’m the last person to arrive at this party, but these days I find I really, really like soft-cooked eggs. Growing up I thought I only liked scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and deviled eggs (who doesn’t?) but recently, I’ve discovered the pleasure of the slightly runny yolk.

And THIS, it turns out, is the best way I’ve found to enjoy it. I feel a little generous even calling this a recipe because it’s SO quick, SO easy, and amazingly, deliciously good.

I’ve seen this recipe with a number of different names. Egg in a Hole, Frog in a Hole, Egg in the Middle… but the principle remains the same. You take a piece of bread. And you punch a hole in it. And then you put an egg in the middle and cook. Simple!

I like using a round cookie cutter for this, but you could get cutesy and use a heart, a square, or whatever shape you want. The important thing is to not make it too small. Trust me, if there isn’t enough hole, the egg will just overflow and not cook and you won’t be able to flip it and all will be ugly for your breakfast.

Another tip: as you can see, this was a one-serving situation for me this morning. But you can make it just as quickly for two! You might even be able to make more servings, I just haven’t tried more than two at a time. The bread can’t slope up the sides of the pan or the egg will escape, and you must leave room to flip the bread!

Once you have flipped it over, you can determine how runny or not runny your yolk shall be. The firmer the egg is when you press it gently with a fork, the firmer the yolk will be. You’ll want to aim for something between jiggly and rock-solid. Which is probably no help at all, but in truth, that’s part of the joyous mystery.

Because there’s only one way to find out what your yolk will look like… dive on in! And whatever happens, you’re in for a crisp piece of grilled, buttered toast surrounding a gently-fried egg. Add this to  your breakfast routine STAT.

Egg in a Hole
Adapted just a smidge from The Pioneer Woman

Note: Obviously, this recipe can be adapted for as many servings as you want. Just make sure you leave enough space in the pan between pieces that you can flip the bread easily.

1 T salted butter
1 piece of whole wheat bread
1 large egg
salt & pepper

Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Use a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut a hole out of the bread. Once butter has fully melted and has begun to bubble slightly, place the bread into the skillet and the center piece to the side.

Carefully crack the egg into the hole in the bread. Sprinkle a TINY bit of salt and also some pepper on the egg. Cook for about two minutes, then carefully slide a spatula under the bread and flip. Sprinkle a bit more pepper on the second side, then flip the cut-out circle to grill the other side. For a runny yolk, you’ll only need to cook the second side for about 30-45 seconds. Use a fork to gently press on the cooked side of the egg: it should be soft but not jiggly.

Lift the bread onto a plate and eat. Use your little center circle to soak up the warm, luscious yolk!

I don’t eat a lot of sandwich bread. Brad can finish off a loaf of bread in three or four days, even faster if he’s trying to eat at home. I, on the other hand, have a tough time getting through even half a loaf before it takes a turn for the moldy.

I’ve always tended to prefer my breads in other forms. Tortillas, bagels, biscuits, cornbreads, and baguettes are much more likely to appeal to me than a loaf of sandwich bread. And more recently, English muffins.

Considering that I love finding ways to replace my store-bought staples with homemade versions, I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I really haven’t spent a lot of time focusing on breads. I do have some go-to recipes for quite a few quick breads, but not many that I cook on a regular basis (the dramatic exception being my favorite, favorite cornbread, which ends up on my menu quite frequently).  So when I ran across a recipe for this, my current bread-of-choice, I decided it was time.

To bulk up the nutritive value of these muffins a little bit, I swapped out about half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. I don’t like baking with ONLY whole wheat flour because the final product is incredibly dense, but I was really happy with the balance on these. The whole wheat flour adds a nice nuttiness, as well as some darker color and texture. Aside from the flour, the only ingredients needed for the dough are salt, yeast, and water.

The dough starts off sticky but after several minutes of vigorous kneading turns into a soft, smooth ball. Magic!

Now here, perhaps, is the hardest part of bread-making: the wait. This particular recipe has two raises: one overnight for the unshaped dough, and one shorter one, about two hours, once the muffins have been formed. If you take out the waiting time, though, it really doesn’t take long to make these muffins. You just have to plan.

Once the dough has raised overnight, it will be really easy to break it into muffins. This recipe makes ten muffins. To make sure I had all of mine the same size, I used my kitchen scale to weigh each tenth. Once measured, each wad of dough is formed into a muffin-shaped disc for the final raise.

And then! My favorite part of baking English muffins was the discovery that they aren’t even baked. Nope. These little guys are actually cooked on the griddle (or in my case, in a frying pan), which gives them nice crispy crusts and a chewy, porous center.

Cool, huh I had no idea!

Once they’re done cooking, these muffins can be sliced open immediately, stored in a bag on the counter for 4-5 days, or frozen for about a month. Perhaps, this will mean for you ten days of  muffins sliced open and served warm, slathered in butter and jam for those of you who like your breakfasts sweet.

Or, if you’re more like me and prefer a savory, protein-filled breakfast, these make the perfect foundation for your very own homemade breakfast sandwiches. How about ten days of a toasted muffin featuring a gently fried egg topped with cheese and a thin slice of Canadian bacon?

SIGN. ME. UP.

Whole Wheat English Muffins
Adapted from Tasty

1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 c warm water, divided
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp coarse salt
solid vegetable shortening
cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c warm water. Allow it to sit for a few minutes until it’s somewhat frothy in appearance. Combine flours and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a fork. Add the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 c water. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon to make a dough. Dough will be fairly sticky.

Empty the bowl onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to create a smooth, firm ball of dough. Clean out the mixing bowl and grease with shortening. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, grease a large cookie sheet with shortening and sprinkle generously with cornmeal. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove from the bowl. Punch it down on the counter and divide into even tenths. I weigh the whole ball of dough on a kitchen scale and then divide by ten, weighing each piece to ensure the muffins are the same size. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten between your palms, forming a disc about three inches across. Place each disc on the cookie sheet at least an inch apart. You should just barely have room for all ten muffins. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.

Heat a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, scoop about a tablespoon of shortening into the pan and tilt it so it melts evenly over the pan. Carefully slide a spatula under the muffins and place cornmeal-side down in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for about 8 minutes. Check the underside of the muffins every few minutes to ensure they are not burning. Flip the muffins over and press down on them gently with the back of the spatula. Cook for another 8 minutes. Once the first batch is done, add a bit more shortening and continue with remaining muffins (I could only fit four muffins in my pan at a time).

Muffins can be served immediately, and they are truly delicious when fresh! However they also store well. To store, cool completely and store in a zippered bag with the air squeezed out. Store on the counter for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

The internet is full of food blogs, and though I’ve been a bit busy for leisurely reading lately, I read quite a few of them. I love to see what other bloggers are cooking, writing, and photographing; each one is hugely inspiring. One of my favorites — I adapt quite a few recipes from her posts — is Smitten Kitchen, crafted by the clever, snarky, and talented Deb Perelman. Her site is gorgeous, her archives well-organized, and if you’ve never taken a look, I highly recommend it. In fact, Smitten Kitchen was the first food blog I ever read, and was a major source of inspiration for me to start a food blog of my own.

Today is a special day here at 30 Pounds of Apples… it’s my two-year blogoversary! And to celebrate, I have a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook — signed by Deb Perelman herself — to give away to one of you!

Last fall, Deb’s work jumped out of the internet and onto my bookshelf when she released a cookbook. After receiving a copy as a Christmas gift from my fabulous sister, I spent quite a bit of time and many post-its paging through her book marking up recipes I wanted to try. And this one, for these luscious, savory breakfast buns, was at the top of the list.

These buns. Whoa. A combination of soft bread dough, sharp, bubbly cheese, and zingy onion, these are PURE delight. Admittedly, the dough is a little time-consuming due to the lengthy raises, but the wait is totally worth it.

Rather like a cinnamon roll, these buns wrap filling up in a swirl of soft dough. Though the original recipe makes larger buns, I wanted to make batch of mini cheddar buns. The primary difference Rather than rolling out a large square of dough, I rolled out a long, narrow rectangle. Then, the best part: the FILLING.

Once the filling is spread out, it’s just a simple matter of making one long, skinny log roll of cheesy goodness. Start on the long edge and carefully inch your way across until you have a perfect spiral of bread and cheese. Then, using a serrated knife, the log is chopped into little buns.

After a ride in the oven, the little buns pop out puffy, warm, and bubbling with cheese.

The magic of this filling is the union, really, of the cheeses and onions. As the buns cook, the onions caramelize slightly as the cheeses melt, giving a sweet but zingy flavor that sets these apart from other cheese breads I’ve had before.

This was the first recipe I tried from the gorgeous Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, but if this one is any indication, the rest of her recipes are likely to be pretty darn good.

In February, Deb made a stop in Raleigh for the second leg of her book tour, and I went with a couple of friends to hear her chat about her book, answer questions, and sign books. And guess what Not only did she sign my copy (squeee!), but I bought another copy that she was gracious enough to sign for one of you!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: How to Win The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

1. Leave one comment on this post to answer this question: What is your favorite breakfast food?
2. BONUS! To enter twice, head on over to 30 Pounds of Apples on Facebook and like the page. Then, come back to this post and leave me a comment saying you liked the Facebook page, and you’ll be entered twice. Fancy! (New likes only, but thanks to all the early adopters!)
3. Enter before 11:59pm EST on Sunday, April 28. Winners will be announced on Monday, April 29.
4. Open to US residents only (sorry to my international readers, shipping is so dang expensive!)

Mini Cheddar Swirl Buns
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 T granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 c milk
1/4 c melted butter, cooled to the touch
3/4 c grated onion
3/4 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 c grated asiago cheese
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
additional 1 T melted butter for brushing

Combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with a fork. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yeast and milk until yeast is dissolved. Pour the yeast mixture and melted butter into the mixer bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until loosely combined. Place the dough hook on the mixer and knead on low speed for 6-8 minutes until a smooth ball of dough is formed. You can also knead by hand on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest until it doubles, about 2 hours.

When the dough has about 15 minutes left to raise, combine grated onions and cheeses, dill weed, sea salt, and black pepper and mix well. Remove dough from bowl and roll out on a floured surface into a long, narrow rectangle about 8-by-24-inches in size. Spread filling evenly across the dough, leaving a half-inch border on all sides. Carefully roll up the dough along the one of the long sides to form a long, narrow log. Cut the log into 3/4″ segments using a sharp serrated knife, which should yield 32-36 pieces.

Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan and an additional 8-by-8-inch pan with cooking spray.  Place the pieces into the pans leaving about 1/2″ of space between them. Melt butter and brush the tops of the buns. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to raise for about an hour in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from pans and bake for about 25 minutes until tops are golden and the cheese is slightly bubbly.

Best served immediately, but they also reheat nicely for several days after baking.

There are some foods that have always been magic to me. Tortillas, croissants, tortellini, cream puffs… those dreamy little bites that all seem borderline impossible for a person in a home kitchen to make. Incidentally, jam also mystified me. Perhaps it was really the canning part that seemed so out of reach, for until a couple years ago, I never canned my own.

I’ve learned, however, that jam is actually quite simple to make, and it doesn’t necessarily require large batches and canning. It seems you can boil together almost any fruit and have jam in a matter of minutes, ready to serve warm or to store in the fridge for many days.

This treat is a celebration of quick jam, a blend of two early harbingers of spring: strawberry and rhubarb.

While bundled stalks of rhubarb have graced the tables of the farmers market since early February, strawberries have only recently returned to the scene. Last week, a few pints of these precious red fruits have appeared between towers of broccoli and leafy greens, and just like every year, I could hardly wait to get my hands on some.

Last year, I triumphed in making a strawberry rhubarb pie (though not without a disastrous first attempt), but I wanted to try something quick, something easy, and something delightfully simple this year to celebrate the return of this masterful pair. A baguette and block of goat cheese seemed like the perfect vehicle for a gently cooked blend of the fruits.

These little toasts would be welcome at numerous occasions. A quick breakfast, a lengthy brunch, or even dessert are excellent venues. The barely sweetened jam is nicely balanced by the creamy goat cheese and a crisp bite of bread.

In a way, I can hardly believe I’m posting this as a recipe. But sometimes it is the simplest combinations of food that are the most satisfying. And a delicious way to welcome in the spring

Strawberry Rhubarb & Goat Cheese Toasts
Adapted generously from Rock Recipes

2 c chopped strawberries
1 1/2 chopped rhubarb
1/2 c sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 baguette, thinly sliced
1 T unsalted butter
4-5 oz goat cheese

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Stir often and boil gently for 10-15 minutes. To test set, spoon a few drops of jam onto a plate and place in the freezer for a few minutes. Quick jam should be runny but not fluid. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for a minute more, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 250°F. Thinly slice baguette at an angle, each slice a quarter of an inch. Spread slices out on a cookie sheet. Melt the butter and brush it lightly over each slice of baguette. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Serve warm toasts with goat cheese and a spoonful of quick jam.