pickycook.com | steel cut oatmeal

breakfast and brunchbanana sour cream pancakes

i LOVE these banana sour cream pancakes. we have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. even alex, who isn't a big pancake person, loves them.
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berry mascarpone pancakes

these pancakes are so light and fluffy they almost don't seem like pancakes. the mascarpone provides the soft texture that makes these pancakes different than any other. i add lemon zest to the batter which i find enhances the berries. the original recipe says to add copped berries to the pancakes halfway through the cooking - but i found that it didn't work very well - the berries overwhelmed the texture. i find them to be best served with a berry syrup (i use blueberry) and then sprinkled with some lovely fresh berries (i use raspberries or blackberries). Read More

blackberry peach crumb topped muffins

these blackberry peach muffins remind me of those at the coffee shop but better. the muffin is moist, thanks to the milk and sour cream. the crumb topping gives the muffin the texture it needs. the lemon zest brightens up the fruit. all in all - this is one excellent muffin. blackberry and peach is definitely my new favorite fruit combination. Read More

buttermilk berry muffins

these buttermilk raspberry muffins are moist and full of fruit. the orange zest brings the raspberry flavor to life. you could easily substitute blueberries, blackberries or strawberries - or better yet - use all of the berries for a mixed berry muffin! Read More

carrot cake pancakes with cinnamon honey butter

these carrot cake pancakes - oh dear god - they will blow your mind! when i first saw the recipe i knew i had to try it because of alex's great love of carrot cake but i honestly wasn't expecting much. i was blown away. all the spices, orange zest and carrots provide the sweet & spicy flavors that make these pancakes of another world. toasted walnuts and the grated carrots provide wonderful texture to the light and fluffy pancakes. the cinnamon honey butter to slather on top was equally incredible. these would be perfect for breakfast for dinner or a lazy weekend breakfast. Read More

cinnamon rolls with vanilla cream cheese frosting

i don't even want to hear about how long these cinnamon rolls take to make ... THEY ARE SOOO WORTH IT! Read More

french toast

this is another staple that you must make for breakfast. it turns up the volume on french toast. Read More

lemon poppy seed muffins with lemon glaze

these muffins are spring in a muffin cup! i increased the amount of lemon zest and the intensity was perfect. the tiny little specks of blue from the poppy seeds and the vivid yellow flecks of lemon zest are too much to handle - so pretty. These lemon poppy seed muffins are incredibly moist and the lemon glaze is the right amount of sweetness to top them off. Read More

lemon poppy seed pancakes

if you have read picky cook for any amount of time you will know my love of lemon. i know it may seem like a lot of zest in this recipe but trust me - it is perfect. the lemon flavor is strong but not over powering. the poppy seeds are like little surprising pops in your mouth. the pancakes are moist and thick - just the way i like them. i served these lemon poppy seed pancakes with macerated berries (any mix of berries would work). just add a bit of sugar to the berries and let them sit at room temp while you make the pancakes. Read More

meyer lemon and fresh cranberry scones

i first saw this recipe over at smitten kitchen. i was at first taken aback by the fresh cranberries and figured i would use dried - but at the grocery store i decided to take Deb's advice and use the fresh. i am so glad i did! this was my first baking experience with fresh cranberry and it did not disappoint. as a matter of fact - the fresh cranberries MADE these scones. Read More

my favorite buttermilk pancakes

these buttermilk pancakes are a staple for weekend mornings in our house. the recipe is even better if you make them on a well seasoned cast iron griddle. Read More

pear and granola muffins

alex loves pears - he feels about pears the way i do about pumpkin. so when i saw this recipe i knew it had to be made. it needed a few tweaks, but they are excellent. Read More

porridge

this a hearty breakfast on a cold winter morning. it is a staple around our house for football sunday. it keeps will in the fridge and heats well in the microwave. Read More

pumpkin muffins

this pumpkin muffin recipe is one of those staples - a must have for every baker. it is quick and easy and i would bet you always have the ingredients on hand. they are moist and wonderfully spicy. i added more cinnamon because i am a certifiable cinnamon lover. i also changed the amount of sugar and type of sugar. i have recently been adding dark brown sugar to recipes when i can. i love the deep flavor it helps to bring to recipes. Read More

pumpkin scones

i love anything pumpkin and i searched for a long while for the perfect scone recipe. i think this is it. Read More

raspberry crumb cake

the great one (ina garten) does it again. be really careful not to overbake. it happens quickly!

raspberry lemon muffins

the muffins themselves were nice - not too sweet and a hint of vanilla. the lemon flavor came through loud and clear. biting into a whole raspberry was a fun little surprise. i had thought of breaking them up and swirling them through the batter - but i am glad i left them whole. the only thing i would do differently is take them out a bit sooner - they got a little dry on me. Read More

raspberry syrup

definitely the simplest recipe on the site - and it is yummy Read More

raspberry white chocolate scones

i decided this year i would make all my christmas presents. i made these for my brother's fiance. i used more berries than the recipe called for. they seemed fine when they went into the oven - i would even argue they looked damn good. i checked on them halfway through time - and oh my - it was not good. because i used too many berries - they started to "slide" over and just didn't look that great. even though they didn't look perfect - they tasted wonderful (thank god). alex now refers to these scones as "busted scones" - so without further ado - i give you busted scones a la picky cook. Read More

steel cut oatmeala simple yet hearty recipe. it practically makes itself.whole grain pancakes with blueberry maple syrup

these whole grain pancakes are a meal you can feel good about eating thanks to the whole grains. they are a thinner pancake but they are light and fluffy. i was worried about the texture because of the whole wheat flour so i substituted a half cup of all purpose flour. i also added cinnamon because i just love that spice in pancakes. the highlight of the meal was the blueberry maple syrup. the blueberry flavor is bright and vivid and the maple syrup gives it that familiar flavor. Read More