breakfast – T.W.O.

Peanut Butter Granola

Published on February 7, 2014February 5, 2014 by twinswithoriginality2 Comments

T.W.O. has enjoyed starting our mornings off with fruit and yogurt- either Greek or Icelandic yogurt. But there has been one thing missing- granola! So we decided to make out own, healthy version of the nutrient-rich topping! And guess what they decided to flavor the oats with? Yes, that is right- Peanut Butter! It’s just one of the items always in our cabinet- and restocked very often! This dish is not only great to top your yogurt with, but also a great addition to smoothies, cereal, ice cream or just as it is! Plus, it is so easy to make!

Ingredients

-4 cups rolled oats
-1/2 cup chia seeds
-3/4 cup peanut butter*
-1/4 cup coconut oil (melted/liquid)
-1/2 cups of agave syrup

*T.W.O. loves using Justin’s original peanut butter- so delish!

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, place peanut butter, agave syrup, melted coconut oil and heat up for 15 seconds in a microwave. Mix until the peanut butter mixture is smooth.

Place the oats into a large size bowl and stir in the peanut butter mixture. Combine together (using your hands might make it a little easier!). Make sure to leave some big clusters.

Spread out the granola on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Place into the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. (The granola might feel soft at this time, but it will harden up once you leave it out at room temperature) Make sure to mix up the granola while in the oven so it bakes evenly. You don’t want just the edges to be brown!

After the granola has reached room temperature and harden, you can enjoy it the way you want! Store the granola in an air-tight Ziploc bag or container.

Enjoy!

T.W.O. Orange Drinks

Published on January 24, 2014January 23, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

I don’t know what’s in T.W.O.’s family’s soil, but our orange tree is producing a ton of oranges. Like our lemons, we have more harvest than usual this year and don’t want our oranges to go to waste- must be the warm weather! Let’s get creative. T.W.O. will feature two recipes that include oranges, both drink recipes.

Orange Smoothie

Ingredients

-4 orange ice cubes *
-1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1 banana, frozen
-4 strawberries, sliced
-1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
-3 blackberries

*Freshly squeeze orange juice using a juicer. Add liquid to an ice try and freeze to make the cubes.

In a blender, mix together the orange cubes, yogurt, banana, strawberries and orange juice. Make sure all the ingredients are blended well. You might have to stop the blender and mix the fruit to ensure that there are no chunks.

Pour the liquid into a cup and top with blackberries. There you have it- breakfast, snack or even a dessert! Sometimes T.W.O. adds some dark chocolate chips to satisfy their sweet tooth!!

Citrus Wine Spritzer

Ingredients

-4 lemon ice cubes*
-White wine**
-Pellegrino
-Orange Pin Wheel Slices
-Wine Glass

*Recipe HERE.

**We like to use a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for our wine spritzers

Begin by places 3 orange ice cubes into a wine glass. Next add your wine and Pellegrino. Ratios of wine to Pellegrino vary depending on the person pouring, but T.W.O. likes to use a ratio of 1:2, wine to sparkling water. Got to stay hydrated! Add 2-3 slices of orange and you have yourself a wine spritzer! It’s a perfect drink to enjoy on a warm day!

Smári Yogurt – It’s Icelandic

Published on January 20, 2014January 19, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

As Smári would say, its thykk, organic and Icelandic! What more do you need? T.W.O. discovered this fabulous new yogurt at Whole Foods and gives it two thumbs up. There is no doubt that we are going to incorporate Smári into our weekly grocery shopping trip. Smári has more protein per serving than any other yogurt in the United States and it doesn’t stop there…its fat free too! You would never think this delicious, creamy yogurt is actually good for you- it tastes like dessert! In each cup of yogurt, there is four cups of whole milk. Most the water is strained, leaving the yogurt one of the most concentrated yogurts on the market. Oh, and don’t panic…its organic too!

Smári comes in 4 flavors – Pure, Strawberry, Vanilla and Blueberry. T.W.O.’s favorite flavors are vanilla and blueberry. They both have this ‘thykk’ texture, with just the right amount of fruit and flavor that will make you want even more! Smári yogurt makes for the perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert. What flavors do you like?

Overnight Oats…Oh, Oh!

Published on December 24, 2013December 23, 2013 by twinswithoriginalityLeave a comment

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But many people often skip breakfast because they do not have time to prepare it or are just too lazy. Don’t let yourself be categorized as one of these people. Start your morning right by preparing your breakfast the night before! Overnight oats is a simple, healthy breakfast option that makes skipping breakfast impossible! All you got to do is let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then heat it up in the morning. BAM! Now you are off to a great morning start!

Ingredients

-1/2 rolled oats
-3/4 cup almond milk
-1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

Place rolled oats, almond milk and Greek yogurt into a jar. Mix well. Close the jar and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, place oatmeal into a bowl. You might need to add a little more almond milk if you like your oatmeal on the “soupier “side. Heat up oatmeal for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Add in anything you like- brown sugar, agave, fruit, vanilla extract, peanut or almond butter, dried fruit, etc.! T.W.O. added brown sugar, bananas and peanut butter to their oatmeal this time. Get creative and start your morning with a tasty, healthy meal!

Cheese-Filled Pastry

Published on December 5, 2013December 4, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Waking up in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee along with a fresh piece of pastry is typical of the European lifestyle. T.W.O. would love to take on that same tradition and bring it to the States. Every day is a vacation, right? Well not exactly, but T.W.O. can help out in the pastry department. Learn how to make this scrumptious cheese pastry that will “WOW” a crowd!

Ingredients

For the Dough:
-2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
– ¼ cup water, lukewarm
– ½ cup 2% milk, lukewarm
-¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
– ¾ cup granulated sugar
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
– 1 egg
– 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Filling:
-8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchâtel, room temperature
-½ cup granulated sugar
-1 egg
-1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
– 2 teaspoons lemon zest or orange zest
-3 Tablespoons flour
– 1 cup of your favorite fruit jam or chocolate chips*

*T.W.O. doubled the recipe and made 3 large braids. They used apricot jam, boysenberry preserves and chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, mix the lukewarm water and the yeast together. Set aside. Mix all the dough ingredients together in a large bowl. (It’s best to use a mixer or a pastry blender) Mix in the water/yeast mixture. The dough should form a soft, smooth ball. Set aside and cover for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, start making the filling. Using a KitchenAid or handmixer, mix the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the egg, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Finally, add the lemon/orange zest and flour. Place the filling in the refrigerator to chill.

After the dough has doubled in size, place the dough on a floured surface and divide in half. Roll each dough out into a long rectangle making sure it is rolled out evenly.

Spread the cream cheese filling in the middle of the dough. Top with your favorite jam or chocolate chips. Cut 1 inch wide strips around the edge of the dough. Fold the strips towards the middle to create a lattice top.

Click the thumbnails for a larger photo

Once completed, cover the pastries and set aside to rise for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350ᴼF.

Right before the pastry is ready to go in the oven, brush the dough with egg whites. Sprinkle with sugar. The pastries will bake for about 30 minutes, but watch them closely so your dough doesn’t get brown.

Ready yet? I think so! Now it’s time to pour yourself some coffee and enjoy your pastry! T.W.O. suggests eating the pastry warm. If you want to reheat the pastry, cover it with foil and place it in a 200ᴼF oven for about 15 minutes.

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Published on November 19, 2013November 17, 2013 by T.W.O.4 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Greek Yogurt…why not add Pumpkin Coffee Cake to the mix? T.W.O. just did that. Check out this savory coffee cake recipe that tastes like the holiday season in every bite! It’s a moist cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack and even dessert!

Crumb Layer
– ½ cup sugar
– 2 teaspoon cinnamon
– ½ teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– Confectioner’s sugar (optional, to sprinkle on top of the cake when done)

Cake Layer
– 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
– 2 teaspoons baking powder
– ½ teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 teaspoon cloves
– 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 cup sugar
– 2 eggs
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-½ cup sour cream
– ¾ cups Libby’s canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350ᴼF.

To Make the Crumb Topping:

Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Slowly add the melted butter and flour into the mixture. Mix well and set aside.

To Make the Cake:

Cream the butter, sugar in a bowl. (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid mixer!) Add the eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and sour cream. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well before adding in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Once combined, get ready to assemble!

Pour the cake batter into a greased 9” round pan (or a spring-form pan, which makes for a better presentation of the cake!). Make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Add the crumble to the top of the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.

Is it done yet? Sure is!!!!

Grab yourself some coffee, tea or even a glass of vino to enjoy this delectable, seasonal dessert!

Cheers

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Published on October 17, 2013October 15, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Don’t throw away those brown bananas you have sitting on the counter; instead make chocolate chip banana bread! And T.W.O. did that exact thing for a Sunday afternoon project. It’s a great recipe for breakfast, a snack or even a sweet tooth craving after dinner.

Ingredients

– 2 ½ cups flour
-1 cup sugar
-3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-¾ cups milk (or almond milk)
-1 egg
-1 cup mashed bananas, ripe (~2 to 3 medium bananas)
-2-3 cups Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350º. In a mixer (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid), cream the oil, sugar and egg. Once mixed, add the mashed bananas and milk.

Next, slowly add the flour and the baking powder. The batter should be thick, but not sticky. After about 4 minutes, stop the mixer. Slowly fold in (or on low speed in the mixer) the chocolate chips. Depending on your love for chocolate, feel free to add more or less!