Ever tried buckwheat pancakes? Sure, they aren’t the prettiest pancakes around, but they make up for their humble appearance with wonderful flavor and texture. Buckwheat, a gluten-free relative of rhubarb, has a delicate, almost nutty flavor all its own.

Thanks to the buckwheat flour, these pancakes are naturally gluten free! These pancakes possess a light and airy consistency that quietly surrenders to the pressure of a fork and soaks up maple syrup like a sponge. I just love them.

This recipe was originally adapted from a fun cookbook called Pancakes, by fellow food blogger Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen. I visit Adrianna’s blog any time I need some creative recipe inspiration or a laugh, which is often.

It’s been eight years, so I’m revisiting this recipe to update the photos. I also tweaked the recipe a bit to work even better with 100 percent buckwheat flour. I added another egg and a smidge more flour. Hope you’ll give them a try soon!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Buckwheat Pancakes appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Let’s hear it for French toast! The best French toast is seared golden on the outside, tender in the middle, lightly sweet and deliciously custard-y. This French toast recipe meets all of those qualifications with flying colors.

This recipe bypasses all of the common French toast downfalls. Perhaps your previous attempts have yielded soggy, falling apart, eggy toast—never again! I’ve studied French toast techniques and this recipe will not let you down.

French toast, known as pain perdu in France, is one of many brilliant uses for stale bread. It’s true that French toast turns out best when made with stale bread. However, you can absolutely make French toast if your bread is still fresh. The trick is to quickly dehydrate sliced bread in the oven so your French bread doesn’t turn out too soggy—I’ll walk you through this step below.

This French toast is perfect for a special brunch at home. Make some for Mom tomorrow? (Here are more Mother’s Day recipes.) The recipe is simple enough to make on a regular weekend as well. Let’s make some!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Foolproof French Toast appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Meet my go-to side salad recipe. I hope it becomes yours, too. This simple salad features fresh arugula and the world’s easiest homemade balsamic salad dressing.

This salad truly could not be more easy to make. In fact, it’s so easy that I’ve hesitated to share it with you. It’s hardly a recipe, but one that I make constantly. It’s about time that I bring this method to your attention, you say?

Side salads should be easy to prepare, and this one is so delicious that it doesn’t taste like an afterthought. It goes with just about everything—think Italian entrées like lasagna, sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and even holiday meals.

You can use this salad formula with any type of leafy green, but arugula is my favorite. You’ll eat more healthy greens if you keep this recipe in your back pocket. Here we go!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Super Simple Arugula Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

How about some pancakes? Like, right now? These are the easiest pancakes I’ve ever made because they come together in the blender! Now you can enjoy pancakes on a weekday morning.

Plus, these pancakes are made with healthy whole grains—oats—and other wholesome ingredients. They’ll actually keep you full until lunchtime. While they are not decadent buttermilk pancakes, they’re entirely delicious in their own right.

More reasons to love this recipe: These pancakes are the perfect use for a lone over-ripe banana, and they’re enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Freeze any leftovers for a super simple breakfast or snack at any time of day. Let’s make some pancakes already!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Blender Oatmeal Pancakes appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Ever roasted cabbage? If not, meet your new favorite side dish! If you enjoy roasted Brussels sprouts, you’ll surely love roasted cabbage, which offers similarly irresistible crispy-caramelized-tender bits.

Roasted cabbage has a lot going for it, and it’s about time I shared my go-to roasting method. Cabbage is easy to prepare for roasting (much easier than Brussels), very inexpensive, and lasts quite a while in the fridge.

Plus, roasted red cabbage adds an eye-catching purple hue to the dinner table. It’s fun, right? This dish would be a vibrant addition to your Easter meal.

Keep cabbage on hand in the vegetable drawer and you can turn it into a simple and nutritious side dish in twenty minutes. I’ll show you how!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Perfect Roasted Cabbage appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

These roasted beets are for everyone! If you already love beetroots, I think you’ll be a big fan of this foil-free, no-peeling-required roasted beet recipe. If you don’t enjoy beets (yet), this roasting method just might change your mind.

These roasted beets feature lightly caramelized, tender-but-not-quite-crisp exteriors and deep, condensed flavor. I don’t love beets in all applications, but these? I have to stop myself from devouring the whole pan before dinner.

With this method, simply scrub the beets well before baking. No need to peel before or after baking. The skin, which is perfectly edible, just seems to disappear during the baking process.

The trick to pan-roasted beets is to drop the temperature a bit. I always roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and pretty much all the other veggies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For beets, since we don’t want crispy outsides (tender is nicer), we’ll roast at 375 degrees. Easy!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Perfect Roasted Beets appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

These lava cakes are rich and decadent, with cakey outsides and irresistibly gooey chocolate centers. They’re like a warm mug of hot chocolate in romantic dessert form.

These chocolate lava cakes look and taste impressive, but they’re pretty quick and easy to make. You don’t need any special equipment—no mixer, just a couple of bowls and a whisk. Unlike most lava cakes, you don’t even need ramekins to make this recipe. I scaled it down to fit perfectly in your muffin tin!

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten popularized the lava cake in the 1990s, so this recipe concept has been around for a while. I’m excited to report that the ingredients are simple (you probably have them already) and the muffin tin technique works like a charm.

This recipe yields two small lava cakes, perfect for two individual servings. They’re rich enough that you could also serve four people who are willing to share. I never manage to polish one off on my own.

You’ll find step-by-step photos and a detailed recipe below. Let’s make some lava cakes!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Mini Lava Cakes for Two appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

What if I told you there’s a better way to make oatmeal? Forget the instructions on the back of the bag. It’s about time I highlighted my go-to method for homemade oatmeal.

This oatmeal is extra flavorful and fluffy, not mushy. It’s miles better than packets of instant oatmeal or standard stovetop oatmeal. I really look forward to these oats in the morning, and they make great leftovers.

The trick is to toast old-fashioned oats in the pot first, before adding any liquid. This brings out their inherent nuttiness. You’ll find the rest of the details below, but it’s very simple to do and absolutely worth the extra few minutes.

You’ve heard me talk about what a difference toasting oats makes in my steel-cut oat recipe and toasted muesli recipe. Now we’re applying the same principle to rolled oats. Try this delicious and healthy oatmeal for breakfast!

Continue to the recipe...

The post How to Make the Best Oatmeal appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Confession: I brought a sad cheese plate to last year’s Friendsgiving, and it went ignored in the corner. It was an embarrassing moment for a cookbook author, and I’ve been determined to improve my cheese board game ever since.

I walked into the party to find a gorgeous and elaborate cheese board nearly spanning the full length of the dinner table. My friend Jordan has a degree in sculpture, and she can sure put together a beautiful cheese board.

I took the opportunity to study her design. I can’t say that my efforts are quite to her level yet, but I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to share with you today.

Building a beautiful cheese board feels like a fun art project. We’ll mix different flavors, colors, shapes and textures to build an enticing appetizer board. Give yourself some time to put it together, and you’ll enjoy the process all the more. The trick is to fill every little space on the board with nuts and fruit so it looks completely abundant.

A cheese board is the perfect excuse to break out your special serving items. If you don’t have a dedicated cheese board in your cabinets, though, don’t fret. For your base, you can use a nice wooden cutting board, a large serving platter, or even a tray or baking sheet covered with parchment paper. If you don’t have a set of cheese knives, offer butter knives, cocktail forks, cocktail picks or toothpicks.

Basically, anything goes, and no occasion is too minor for a cheese board. You just might have everything you need at home already. How about a cheese board with your French 75 this evening?

Continue to the recipe...

The post How to Make a Cheese Board appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Olive lovers, tapenade is for you! Tapenade is an olive spread or dip hailing from the Provence region in France. It’s bold, zippy, briny and salty, though we’ll be sure to keep the salt level in check.

Served with crostini or crackers, tapenade is a wonderful appetizer with drinks. It offers some welcome contrast when served with creamy dips, like hummus or spinach artichoke dip. You can also spread it onto sandwiches, dollop it onto salads, and more. Tapenade will keep for a week or two in the fridge, so you’ll find many uses for it.

Tapenade is named after the Provençal word for capers, tapenas. Over the years, olives have become the predominant ingredient, and I used capers as a subtle accent. Similar olive spreads have been served in the Mediterranean for ages, which is why tapenade is a natural pairing with your favorite Mediterranean flavors.

Traditional tapenade also includes anchovies, but being vegetarian, I omitted them. This dip is loaded with complex flavor regardless, and it’s suitable for vegans and those with shellfish allergies as well.

To make this easy tapenade, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients and a food processor. It comes together in about 10 minutes with mostly pantry ingredients! You’ll need Castelvetrano and Kalamata olives, fresh parsley, capers, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Let’s make some already.

Continue to the recipe...

The post Easy Tapenade appeared first on Cookie and Kate.