Well, this may seem silly to post about something as simple as avocado toast. However, hear me out before you dismiss this. There are so many variations of this and I dare say, this is the best or certainly one of the best I’ve ever had. It is insanely quick and simple to pull together and better than anything you get in a restaurant.

Now, as we all know, the simpler the recipe, the higher quality the ingredients should be. This is no exception, especially when it comes to the bread. If you don’t make your own sourdough, make sure to get a good quality loaf for this. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, you could always give it a try. Although there definitely is a learning curve, the effort is well worth it.

INGREDIENTS
2 slices fresh sourdough bread
1 ripe avocado
2 oz. goat cheese or marinated goat cheese
extra virgin olive oil
pinch of crushed red pepper
fresh ground pepper
kosher salt, any sea salt or fleur de sal

DIRECTIONS
First, soften the goat cheese a bit. Then, mash the avocado with a fork, add a drizzle of the olive oil, a pinch of red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well. Alternatively, you could just slice the avocado, as opposed to mashing it. The choice is yours.

Next toast or grill the sourdough, to your liking, spread some of the goat cheese on the warm toast and then top with the avocado mixture. Finally, top it off with another few drops of the olive oil and a small sprinkle of the salt. Voilà, you’re done! Honestly, this is my all time favorite breakfast, I just never tire of it.

For New Englanders, most need no introduction to this recipe. To those that don’t know, Jordan Marsh was a large department store based in downtown Boston. They had a wonderful in-store bakery and though the bakery had many wonderful items, their blueberry muffins were what made them famous. These treats are overflowing with blueberries and have a yummy, sugar crusted top that makes them absolutely irresistible. Although the Boston store closed in the mid 1990’s, this recipe lives on and is still an all time favorite. Give it a try, I promise it will not disappoint.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2-1/2 cups blueberries
2 Tbs raw sugar (for the top of muffins)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375º.

First, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy; add the eggs, one at time, beating well after each. Then, add the vanilla and mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder), then add to the mixture, alternating with the milk. Do not overmix.

Crush 1/2 cup of the blueberries with a fork, add to the batter, stir to combine and then fold in the remaining whole berries.

Next, spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick spray and I also recommend using paper muffin liners. Because of the volume of blueberries, they definitely tend to stick to the pan and the paper liners just make things easier. Fill the liners with the batter and take note that they will almost be overflowing. Finally, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of raw sugar over the tops. The combination of the very full muffin liners and the additional sugar on top makes a wonderful, crunchy topped muffin when they overflow a bit (and they will). Trust me, that overflowing batter, with the crispy sugar, without a doubt is my favorite part of the muffin, it will become your favorite as well.

Bake at 375º for about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan. After several minutes of cooling, run a knife around the edge of each muffin to release it from the pan and then cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes…if you can wait that long!

NOTES
If you don’t have raw sugar or turbinado sugar, you definitely can use regular granulated with good results. This will seem like too much batter for only 12 muffins, but stick to the 12 muffins, because part of the yumminess is the overflowing, crunchy top. Also, when storing the muffins, do not cover them or they will be too soggy the next day.

I’m not sure what made me try this since I don’t bake too often. However, I had overnight company, I had all of the ingredients and I wanted something for an easy breakfast treat. It didn’t hurt that it could do double duty as a yummy afternoon snack. In the end, I was quite pleased that I gave it a go. This is quite moist, very tasty, a pretty straightforward recipe, and will definitely be on my future baking rotations.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups (9oz./280g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (4oz./125g) butter, room temperature
1 cup (8oz./250g) sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup (8 oz.250g) greek yogurt
1 cup (4oz./125g) fresh or frozen blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º
Grease a 9″ loaf pan or, as I usually use, a 12″ x 4.5″ long loaf pan. I prefer the longer, thinner pan because it makes for more manageable slices. Either size works well and has approximately the same cooking time.

First, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, in a small bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons of this mixture to toss with the blueberries. This ensures that the blueberries don’t sink to the bottom of your cake. In the above photo, you can see that I forgot to do this step and they did, in fact, sink to the bottom. Definitely still tastes good, just looks a bit better, when the blueberries are evenly distributed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Next, beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture, alternately with the yogurt. Finally, gently stir in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife along the inside of the pan and turn out onto a plate. Let the cake cool completely before cutting, otherwise it will be quite crumbly.

I have tried many granola recipes and have combined several here, to bring the best of each, with a good balance of healthy and tasty. Many granola recipes are delicious, but more like candy, this is my attempt to move toward a healthier version and still be delicious  Let me know how you like it.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups whole oats, Bob’s Red Mill is a good one
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, again, Bob’s Red Mill is good
1 cup chopped nuts, I like toasted slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or cherries (my preference)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 Tbs. canola oil
6 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300º
Line two baking sheets with parchment. Toss together all of the dry ingredients in a very large bowl. Combine the oil, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring, just until the mixture is fluid. Do not boil or even simmer, just bring it to a cohesive liquid. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until well coated.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or a Silpat. Spread the granola mixture on the sheet pans in an even layer, leaving a donut hole in the center (see below), for even baking, and bake on the middle and lower racks, without stirring, for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.

Rotate the baking sheets, front to back and top to bottom halfway through. Allow to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.