What is your early morning treat of choice to leave for Santa? Are you team cookies or team scones? A few years ago my son and I made Christmas Tree Cranberry Pecan Scones during the holiday season. We fell in love with these scones, made with Real California Milk dairy – butter, buttermilk, heavy cream… yes, they are fluffy and absolutely perfect to serve for breakfast.

As we sat there eating our delicious Christmas Tree Cranberry Pecan Scones, my son asks if we could leave a batch out for Santa instead of our traditional cookie. I explain to him this is more of a breakfast treat, and he says to me “Perfect, Santa comes in the early morning hours to drop off my gifts he can have an early breakfast!”

From that point on we started leaving Santa a small plate of scones and a glass of milk. I make a batch on Christmas eve to leave a plate for the man in red and the rest for my family to enjoy Christmas morning. I feel like a good samaritan knowing I’m doing my part by using #RealCaliforniaMilk products – they are made with sustainably sourced milk from California dairy families, and when I see that seal I feel confident I’m giving Santa pure quality.

Happy Breakfast together + Holiday Season = Building Memories! #MorningsMeanMore

On Dia De Los Muertos I honor my dearly departed with Chocolate Calavera Cake made with my family’s favorite Abuelita Chocolate! I know my tio’s and tia’s are sure to come when I put these cakes on the altar. The lovely scent of marigold and chocolate is the welcome they have been waiting for. I pay great attention to the ornamentation in decorating the lovely calveras with royal icing, as my tio was an artist and will appreciate the small details. I pick up all my ingredients at Northgate Gonzalez Market and a bundle of Flor de Cempasuchil to decorate my ofrenda just so. My tia will be thrilled to find her mini skull chocolate cake and that’s enough for me to feel at peace.

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been dreaming of this recipe, Arroz Con Leche Brûlée. Several months ago I created it in my head, and even wrote it in my notes of things to do. I started making my vamped up extravagant version of arroz con leche and found it to be so creamy and decadent in the same vein as crème brûlée… Thats when I imagined my arroz con leche topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar and adorned with fresh fruit.

I usually repurpose one of my senior pie photos on #PiDay because I make pie all year round. I felt this year deserved a brand new photo and something a little fantasy and hopeful. Mini apple pies seem to be a good portrayal of how I’ve been feeling. It’s almost as if I could touch the beginning of Spring and am anticipating some happy changes in the next couple of months. Fingers crossed. To be completely honest, I’ve hit the pandemic fatigue wall and know we are in the final stretch… just gotta hold on tight a little longer.

I’ve been making Fried Bean And Cheese Empanadas for a while now. When I first started sharing my food creations back in 2011 I made a potato corn and cheese version of these empanadas… at the time I was calling them ‘Presley’s Pantry Veggie Gourmet Empanada/Pockets!’ – I know that’s a mouth full. I had decided to share them back then after hosting my extended family over for dinner one night. It was something to document since they had been a huge hit.

Dear Valentine,

I am so grateful for your existence, and feel super lucky to call you my partner.  I wanted to surprise you with a special breakfast, and I know that pizza is your favorite.  Since you are my warm and fuzzy I desired to do something sweet for you.  I ordered everything I needed from Northgate Market so I could give you my Cupid’s Arrow Breakfast Pizza. I made it with Mozzarella cheese, papas, roasted red peppers, and jalapeños. Each time you tear into this heart-shaped pizza pie remember how much I adore you.  Thank you for putting a smile on my face, and for being so supportive always.

xoxo – Presley’s Pantry

Ingredients for Cupid’s Arrow Breakfast Pizza:

• a batch of pizza dough – Click here for recipe
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 4 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper
• 2  potatoes, cooked and cut into heart shapes and arrow
• 4 eggs

Directions:

Bring dough to room temp

Rub a baking sheet lightly with olive oil an hour and half before you’re ready to bake.  

Pull plastic wrapped dough out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.

45 minutes before ready to put your pizza in the oven, place a pizza stone on rack 1/4 of the way up from bottom of oven.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the ingredients

Fry your potato hearts and arrow pieces. Set to the side.

Take one of your dough balls and place on a lightly floured surfaced and shape into a disk.  Then continue to pull out into the desired size of your pizza by draping it over the back of your hands, and continue to rotate dough with the back of your hands in a clockwise motion with the aid of your thumbs.

Sprinkle your lightly olive oiled baking sheet with a pinch of cornmeal then lay pizza dough directly on top to form shape.  Continue to go around the edges forming a slightly raised rim with the tips of your fingers by pinching and gathering the dough. Then shape into a heart.

Drizzle a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil on the inside of the heart and then spread it around the inside with you fingers avoiding the rim.

Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese,  a few jalapenos, red roasted bell pepper, and a few potato hearts. Break a raw egg in the middle and place pizza in oven for 11 minutes or until crust is golden!

Bake

Bake each pizza one at a time. Place your heart shaped  pizza on a plate and decorate with potato arrows, and serve with coffee,  fresh fruit, a little salad.

It’s New Year’s Eve, and tonight I will be staying home in my pj’s ushering in the New year with this Starry Sourdough Snacking Board. I’m gladly saying goodbye to 2020 and tip toeing into ‘the 2021 unknown’ full of HOPE for a better year.