{Craypays... er, I mean Crepes}

When I wake up, I instantly head towards the kitchen to whip up something yummy for breakfast, whether it is something sweet like pancakes, crepes, and mini choco chip muffins, or other traditional breakfast food such as eggs and bacon.

To show you what my morning was like today, here is a never-before-seen preview of my new play entitled "The Big Sister Who Asked Her Little Sister What She Wanted For Breakfast, and The Little Sister Who Did Not Make Any Sense When She Said A Word That Her Big Sister Thought Was Made Up And/Or In Another Language."*

*Disclaimer: I am just joking. This is not a real play, and if it were, it would not be too successful. Not everyone thinks that a little sister mispronouncing a word is hilarious.

CAST

Big Sister
Little Sister

Mother

Act 1, Scene 1

(Little Sister goes into the kitchen and sees Big Sister peering into the fridge.)

Little Sister
What are you looking for?

Big Sister
I don't know what to make for breakfast. I'm looking for food to eat.

(Little Sister's face lights up)

Little Sister
I know! Remember before when you made something like pancakes, but it wasn't
pancakes?

(Big Sister looks perplexed and thinks, What is that? Pancakes but not pancakes...)

Little Sister
Remember? It was thin and we put chocolate and syrup on it? What was it called? Hmmmm..... (thinks for a few seconds) Oh! I know now! They were called craypays!

Big Sister
(stifles a laugh) What!?

Little Sister
Craypays? Creepeys? I forgot how to say it, but they were good!

Big Sister
(finally gets it) Oh! You mean crepes! (Bursts into laughter) What are... (giggles) craypays?

Little Sister
(smiles sheepishly) Oh! Ooops! Sorry, I meant crepes....(giggles)....craypays.

(Both sisters stare at each other until they start laughing hysterically on the kitchen floor, which is where they still are when their mother arrives)

Mother
What are you doing on the floor?

Big Sister
We're having craypays for breakfast.

Mother
What's a craypay?

End Scene

Ingredients
1 1/3 C milk
1 C flour
3 Tbs sugar (use less if you want to make savory crepes)
2 Tbs canola oil
2 eggs

To Make the Batter

1. Mix the eggs, oil, and sugar together.
2. Gradually add the flour while you are whisking. You need to have a batter with absolutely no lumps.
3. Keep adding flour until your batter is at a point where in it is thick and hard to whisk. Add milk bit by bit and whisk until all the ingredients in the bowl are mixed. The result will be a very thin batter.

Unlike other batter, like that of waffles and pancakes, you need a very thin batter for crepes.

To Cook The Crepes

You can use a crepe pan, but it is not necessary. You can also use a normal non-stick skillet. You need to make sure that your pan is hot before pouring the batter in. Also, before you pour the batter on the pan, grease it with a bit of butter.

Remember not to use a lot of the batter! All you need is enough batter to be able to fill the bottom of your pan (you can move the pan with one hand in a circular motion). Place your pan back on your stove and wait until the edges of your crepe have browned a bit. The time varies depending on the amount of batter you have, the heat of your pan, and the type of pan that you are using. It might take 30 seconds to cook one side of the crepe, but sometimes it may take more. If you are able to place a rubber spatula under your solid crepe, this means that it is cooked. Flip it so that the other side of the crepe is cooking.

Once you are finished cooking a crepe, you can serve it immediately or place it on a plate so that after you have finished cooking all of your crepes you will have a stack of them. Repeat these steps until you have used up all of your batter.

A crepe with chocolate sauce... yum!

Before I started making crepes, my mother reminded me not to make the crepes too thick, and I have to agree with her. I think that crepes taste better if they are thin, and not thick like a pancake.

After you have made your crepes you should look around your kitchen to see what you can out on top of your crepes. Let's face it, who enjoys plain crepes?

For people with a sweet tooth:
Fruit like strawberries, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. You can use any of the fruit pie fillings or jam for crepes, like peach, cherry, and blueberry. If you want your crepes even sweeter, you can try sifting some sugar on top. Another kind of topping that I like is chocolate sauce. Try peanut butter, whipped cream, or maple syrup with some butter. You can even add some finely chopped nuts, like walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.

If you are not really fond of sweet crepes, than you can try some savory crepes.

For people who prefer things savory:
Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, ham and cheese, and mushrooms and cheese

These are just some suggestions. Look around to see what you like - you might come up with a new delicious topping for your crepes.

{Mmmmini Choco Chip Muffins}

Recipe Adapted from Bakerella

This morning I woke up and felt like baking something for breakfast. I have made pancakes and crepes in the past (I will post something about how I make my crepes soon), but I have a soft spot for these mini muffins because they are so minuscule and adorable and I could not help myself to just one.You can even bring them with you whenever you go somewhere so that you always have a little snack on hand (I can just pop them in my mouth).


Some of you may find them sweet, and I can see you crinkling your noses when you imagine adding even more sugary goodness to these mini muffins - maple syrup. It is so sweet, but I always find myself reaching for it whenever I devour breakfast food like pancakes, waffles, or crepes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (and more if you want to drizzle it on top of your mini muffins after they are finished baking)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (these can be the miniature kind if you prefer)


*After a few minutes of searching online, I quickly found out that you can make a buttermilk substitute if you do not have any buttermilk. The ways to make the substitutes sound interesting, but I have never tried making a buttermilk substitute. If you like using these methods, you do not have to run to the grocery store just to buy buttermilk!

If you want to try and make a buttermilk substitute, all you need are milk (slightly less than one cup) and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice

1. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk.

2. Let this stand for five minutes.

(Yes, that's it! It is that easy)

Also, you use plain yogurt or sour cream instead of buttermilk.

If buttermilk is not available at your supermarket, you can try and search for powdered buttermilk. All you need to do is to add water to it.

1. Set oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius).
2. Mix the first five ingredients together (the dry ingredients) in a bowl. Set aside.

Make sure you have greased mini muffin pans nearby.


3. Mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and butter, and then pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.





4. Mix until they are well incorporated.



5. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into your mini muffin pans.




6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

A lot of them looked plain on the outside, but it was okay since you can taste all the chocolate chips that were hidden inside.

I hope these give a fantastic start to your day!

{Happy Father's Day Scones}

Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from Hershey's

A few days before Father's Day, I asked my dad what his favorite treats were. After a bit of questioning, I asked him an extremely baffling one (but it might be hard just for me, in my opinion): Do you prefer cupcakes or cookies? He opted for the latter, because he said that he did not enjoy sweet things (if you ask me, I probably would have declared that I couldn't choose just one of them!) He never wondered why I was asking him all of these questions, which gave me great relief, because I knew that he would not assume that I planned on making a special treat for him for his Father's Day present. I have made cookies before, and I wanted to try something different. After looking through different recipes on the Internet, I found a great one about chocolate chip scones from Hershey's.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 cups cold whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*

*Note: The Hershey's recipe requires dark chocolate chips. You can use dark chocolate chips if you like, but all I had were semisweet chocolate chips (although the scones tasted good with them too).


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the chocolate chips.
3. Pour in the whipping cream and keep on stirring until the mixture becomes moist.

4. Add flour on top of a board or a flat surface like a counter.

5. Put the mixture on the board or flat surface and knead until you make a soft dough. This will take about two minutes of kneading.

6. With this dough, you can make three equal sized balls that will become seven inch circles after you flatten them with your hands.

7. Cut the dough into eight pieces.

8. Place the pieces on cookie sheets (about two inches apart).

9. Melt some butter and brush it on top of the scones.

10. Add some sugar on top.

11. Bake this in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

These scones taste good with many different things, like milk, ice cream, and tea (but not all of them at the same time!).

What mattered to me the most was what my dad thought of the scones. I knew he really liked them, because he said that they were really good. He was going to eat them for breakfast the next day, and bring them with him to work also! I think that this was my best Father's Day gift for him so far.

{W is for Wacky Winsome Whimsical Wonderful Walnuts}

Wacky

Winsome

Whimsical


Wonderful


Walnuts!


A basic cookie recipe



+ chocolate chips + walnut chunks


=

Delicious Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Growing up, there were many things I avoided at all costs, like spiders, flies, and walnuts. My parents adore nearly anything with walnuts in them, from crisp salads to warm and chewy cookies. I refused to swallow anything that contained walnuts, because I always thought that they would alter any type of food to become bitter and revolting. I was really obstinate, and I stayed like that for years, until the day my mom told me to try a cookie that she had made.

It was a really different cookie - I had never tasted anything with such a distinct flavor. I asked my mother what it consisted of, and she told me it had - surprise! - walnuts. I was appalled. I thought that walnuts made any treat worse, when in fact I really enjoyed the walnuts that were added to the cookies! My parents told me that I should consume more walnuts, since they are beneficial to your health too. They contain plenty of fiber, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and magnesium. They may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

These batch of cookies were marvelous; the chocolate chips melted in my mouth, and the walnuts added extra and sought-after flavor and crunch.

Here is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I used.

Father's Day is coming up soon, and I am planning on baking something special for my dad!

{Attack of the Cheese!}

It's effortless, it's delectable, and it's...

really cheeeeeesy!

Yes, it's coming for you. It knows that you can't resist it (I know I couldn't).

Yum. Served cold with blueberries on top? Of course. You are probably wondering how many slices I ate. Don't ask. Too many to count.

The thing that I like the about this cheesecake is that you can really taste the cheese. Some people add gelatin and other ingredients to their cheesecake, and there is more of that flavor than of the actual cheese in the cheesecake.

This blueberry pie filling was excellent, but the cheesecake also tastes good without it.

Ingredients:
1 Graham Pie Crust (I used the Keebler Ready Crust)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (21 oz.) blueberry pie filling (optional)

1. Beat the cream cheese using an electric mixer until it becomes very soft. Add the lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until they become incorporated. Add the egg, and beat it until it is combined thoroughly with the other ingredients.

2. Put the graham pie crust on a baking or cookie sheet, and pour the cream cheese mixture inside the crust. It is important to put the pie crust on a baking sheet because the aluminum that the pie crust is in will fold over on itself when you take it out of the oven.

Bake this at 350°F (180°C) for 20 - 25 minutes. Once you take it out of the oven, cool it for 1 hour over a wire rack.

3. Put the blueberry pie filling on top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 2 hours.

CAST

Me
My Younger Brother
My Younger Sister

Scene 1

BROTHER
Is the cheesecake ready yet?

ME

Sorry. After I take it out of the oven, it has to cool for one hour. Then I have to refrigerate it for at least two more hours.

BROTHER
(disbelief washes over his face)
What? NOOOOOOOO!


(Brother exits kitchen, and Sister enters soon after. She peers in the oven.)


SISTER
Is it finished now? I waited so long.

ME
Ummm.... I just put it into the oven.

SISTER
(dramatically) How long do I have to wait? I'm hungry here!

ME
After I take it out of the oven, it has to cool for one hour. Then I -

Sister
Never mind! It's too long! I'll just eat it tomorrow!

(Sister leaves and sulks in her room)

End Scene

The good news is, they really enjoyed the cheesecake (which they had to eat the next day, since they fell asleep while waiting for it).

{Peanut Butter Experiment}

The chocolate chip cookie recipe is very simple, but you can add basically anything you want to your list of ingredients. Here are a few to get you started: Nuts (walnuts and pecans make my mouth water), candy (M & M's are good, but I know some people who have tried other types such as caramel or gummy bears!), and peanut butter (you can add peanut butter chips with your chocolate chips, but you can also just use chopped up Reese's pieces).

I have been baking chocolate chip cookies a lot lately, so I decided to add peanut butter chips to my cookies today to add more flavor to them.

(Sorry for the blurry picture)

Here are some of my ingredients.

The first recipe that I posted was about chocolate chip cookies, and I used that recipe for these cookies. I added 1 cup of the peanut butter chips, and you can lessen the quantity of chocolate chips if you desire. I decided not to do that, due to the fact that my family members usually like chunky cookies.

(If you have read my previous post on cookies, then you will know why I scattered the cookie batter on the tray!)

I will always be partial to chocolate chip cookies, but whenever I want to spice things up, I'll be sure to use peanut butter chips.

To view my original chocolate chip cookie recipe, click here.