Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

This is an easy, quick way to have a healthy breakfast or late afternoon snack with minimal effort.

Here's what you need:

1 vanilla yogurt, individual serving size
1-2 tablespoons granola, I like Special K
2 tablespoons frozen strawberries w/ sugar, thawed
blueberries

Layer thawed strawberries, yogurt, granola and top with blueberries.

You can change up the fruit and/or yogurt flavors to make your people happy...

Easy, Peasy! 

Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, Ranch Breakfast Tacos

This recipe came about out of desperation! Caleb was home for the weekend and I wanted to send some breakfast items back to school with him. Unfortunately, or fortunately in this case, I didn't have any breakfast type meat. But I did have some leftover Chicken Bacon Ranch from the night before. So, I did what I usually do...I made something up! And it was darn good!

6 eggs, beaten
1 cup, or whatever you have leftover, chicken bacon ranch meat mixture
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
4 flour tortillas, soft taco size

Spray a skillet with non-stick spray, or melt a tablespoon of butter.

Add eggs and let cook a minute or two until they begin to set up a little.

Scramble them around to continue cooking and when close to being done or when they aren't runny anymore, throw in the chiken, bacon ranch mixture and stir it around to heat.

When the eggs are cooked, the meat mixture should be heated through. Remove from the heat and toss in the cheddar cheese, stirring to incorporate it throughout the eggs and meat. It'll melt as you stir.

Warm flour tortillas in the microwave for 10 seconds or until they are easy to handle/fold.

Fill each tortilla with a generous helping of the eggs and meat mixture.

Fold over and enjoy!

French Puffs

Basically a muffin, rolled in butter, cinnamon and sugar! 

Easy to make and even easier to eat!

 Lets make a batch...

Muffins:

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 400*

Grease bottoms of muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Beat milk, oil and egg.

Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix just until flour is moistened, batter will be a little lumpy.

Divide batter in muffin cups.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While muffins are baking, melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine, and in a separate bowl mix cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Remove muffins from oven, and as soon as you are able to handle them, roll in butter then cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Serve 'em up to hungry people!

Source: my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook!

Ham and Cheese Omelete

We had a very large ham given to us at Christmas time. Too big even for a family with 4 guys! I cut it up in different size pieces and slid it in the freezer to use later. I had plans to make Crockpot Ham and Potatoes , but didn't get going earlier enough in the day for it to have time to cook. So I changed last nights dinner plans to "plan b"....Ham and Cheese Omelets. Really easy to put together and we like to change things up once in a while and have breakfast for dinner.

Here's how I make them...

To make one omelet:

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup ham, diced

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 tablespoon red onion, diced very small

In a skillet over medium high heat, rub a stick of butter over the bottom to prevent eggs from sticking. You can totally use a non-stick spray if you prefer.

Pour the eggs in the center of the skillet and if needed swirl the pan around or use the back of a spoon to spread the eggs out in a thin circle. Don't worry if it isn't a perfect circle...it will taste great no matter what the shape is!

Turn heat down to medium and let eggs cook until beginning to set on top. If you have never done this before, don't fret...it's easy and you won't mess it up. 

When eggs are almost set, sprinkle ham, cheese and onions down the center of the omelet. 

Using a spatula, flip one side over the middle, then flip the opposite side over the top of all, creating almost a burrito effect with the ends open. Make sense? 

Let cook for 30 seconds or so until the cheese begins to melt and the ham has had a chance to warm through.

Transfer to a plate and top with a little salsa for a little kick, or a little ketchup if you like.

I served this with some Hash Brown Potatoes and Pumpkin Bread. My Fruit Bowl fruit salad would be a delicious  addition, too.

You could make this a Lenten recipe by using only cheese and onion. Maybe use different cheeses to make a unique flavor...hmmm, I may have to try that this Friday!

Applesauce Bread

When Drew was home a of couple weekends ago, he took some pumpkin bread back to school that I had made ahead and popped in the freezer. He called a few days later to say how much he had enjoyed having a couple slices for breakfast. He likes  being able to have something in his room to eat and not go to the dining hall every morning. So, I decided to get back to baking and make a few loaves to send to him. He can keep them in the freezer until he is ready to cut into them. 

This is a new recipe and I think it turned out great. Wonderful with a cup of coffee, a tall glass of milk or in my case a Green Monster.

1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350*

In a mixer bowl, mix the oil and sugar.

Add eggs and beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Mix in half the dry mixture with the batter mixture, then add half the applesauce.

Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and the last half of the applesauce, mixing well.

Pour into one regular size loaf pan, or two small loaf pans. If using a large pan bake for about an hour. For the smaller pans, about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Banana Bread

A little early in the season for the baking mood to strike, but when you have overripe bananas, you either pitch them in the trash, or bake up some banana bread! I chose to bake and put it in the freezer to take to Caleb next time we see him. He likes it...a lot! It's easy to make and boy does it ever make your house smell good.

1/2 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2-3 overripe bananas, smashed
2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till well incorporated.

Mash your bananas.

Add eggs, banana and vanilla, continue to mix until mixture is creamy and well combined.

Add flour, one cup at a time, along with baking soda and salt, mixing as you go until all dry ingredients are mixed well.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and transfer batter to pan. The batter will be very thick, take a knife and even it out, making sure to get in the corners.

Bake in a 350* for 1 hour or until done. Stick a knife in the center to check for done-ness. Pop back in oven for a few minutes if not completely done.

Slice it up warm for a real treat or cool completely and wrap it up  to share with someone you love!



Baking tip....

I really don't know if this serves the same purpose as sifting, but when a recipe calls for sifted flour, this is what I do....I grab my wire whisk and "whisk" the flour in the canister. It becomes much lighter and  is so much more simple than actually sifting, which I can  make a mess with! And it's kinda fun...okay, maybe I need to get out more!

Breakfast Bowls

Not the best photo, but if you click on it you can get a better idea what it's like.

This summer has been largely spent in the kitchen for me. The boys, and Doug, have had different work schedules and keeping them fed has been quite a job! Caleb leaves before 7 am and needs a hearty breakfast since he is doing physical work outside all day. This is something I came up with after seeing something similar in the pre-made section at the store. I make a couple at a time and pop them in the refrigerator and all he has to do is warm them up and he has a homemade breakfast that is going to stick with him longer than sugary cereal...not that I haven't had cereal around, cause sometimes this cook is sick of cooking!

Here's what I do to make these little puppies...

1 envelope of gravy mix, made to package direcitons,
you could totally make your own, but for me this is fool proof

4 sausage links, cooked (you could use any breakfast meat)

1 1/2 cups of frozen hash brown potatoes, cooked

3 large eggs, scrambled and seasoned to your liking

Once everything is cooked, I assemble them in a small tupperware type container, potatoes, eggs, sausage and then top it all with about 3/4 cup of gravy.

Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

To heat, remove lid and microwave 1 minute. Check to see if heated through, if not, put it back in for 30 more seconds and check again. Repeat if necessary.

These amounts make 2 bowls.

Cinnamon Rolls = Comfort Food

This past weekend, our parish/school community lost a beautiful young soul.
Tyler Jeck was Drew's age, just finished his first year of college and was home for the summer. Tyler was our neighbor when the boys were younger. His older brother and he would come over to play with Drew and Caleb and Jonah. We carpooled with them for the first few years of school. Tyler was a parents dream. He was an easy going kid, always nice to everyone, a good example to others as a student and an athlete, but more importantly as a person. Tyler drowned in an accident at the lake this weekend. He dove in to cool off and never resurfaced. To make this story even more heartbreaking, the authorities are still searching for him, 3 days later.  His parents are as good as gold, and I wish they didn't have to endure this.
When Dave, Debbie, Stuart and Tyler were our neighbors, we would exchange a little Christmas gift to each other.  I always made them a big pan of cinnamon rolls and some homemade hot chocolate mix. Dave in particular loved it. So today as I wondered what I could do to try to lessen the pain, I thought of the rolls. I  made them and have them ready to deliver. I hope they can find some comfort in knowing they are loved and their Tyler was loved as well by so many others. So I wanted to share this story and the recipe...maybe you know someone who could use a little comfort.

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm milk.

Add the rest of the ingredients in order and mix well until a nice dough ball forms.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size.

When dough is ready cover your surface with flour and roll dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, in a rectangle.

Spread with filling:

1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons cinnamon

I spread the butter on the entire surface,  then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a long log.

Slice in 1 inch slices.

Place on greased pan.

Let rise.

Bake in 400* oven for 10 minutes.

Frost when rolls are hot:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy, spread on hot rolls.

Rest in peace Tyler...

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
3/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup (8ounces) sour cream
1 cup fresh blueberries (can use frozen, also)

In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix and 3/4 cup sugar.

In another bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream; stir into the dry ingredients just until combined.

Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These are sooo yummy and sooo easy. I use light sour cream and it works great! 

This recipe is from Quick Cooking, June 2003.

Coffe Cake from Starbucks

Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325* Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with non stick cooking spray.

Make topping by combining all topping ingredients. Mixture should have the consistency of moist sand.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture to the moist mixture a little at a time. Add milk and mix well.

Spoon half the batter into a 9 X 13 inch pan, spread out evenly.

Sprinkle 1/2 the topping mix over.

Top with second half of batter and smooth out.

Sprinkle remaining topping mix over all. Be sure the topping mixture covers all the batter.

Bake 50 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool on a rack.

This is actually one of Caleb's recipes. He is great at finding recipes on the internet from his favorite places. Starbucks has nothin' on my boy!

Pumpkin Bread

a great mid morning or after school snack...yummm!

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, soda and salt, stir until well blended.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add remaining ingredients; mix well. I find my large wire whisk works well to do the mixing. Pour batter into two greased (or sprayed)regular sized loaf pans, or 4 small loaf pans.

Bake in 350* oven for 1 hour for regular size and 40-45 minutes for the small pans. Check done-ness with a toothpick inserted in the middle. Bread is done when it comes out clean.

Everyone except Jonah likes this bread....he just hasn't come to appreciate a warm slice on a cool morning....I have hopes he will one day!

Poppy Seed Bread

2 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use canola)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons poppy seeds (in the baking aisle with the spices)
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon butter extrat

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients until blended.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk just until moistened.

Spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour batter onto pans. Bake at 350* for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm loaves.

Cool 10 minutes until removing from pans to wire racks.

No Bake Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups rice crispies
2 cups uncooked quick oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with non stick spray.

Combine first 2 ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

Bring brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil, stirring constantly, remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla.

Pour over dry ingredients and stir until well coated.

Let stand a few minutes to cool slightly.

Stir in mini chocolate chips and then press into a 9 X 13 inch pan. Cool on a rack, then cut into bars and serve with a tall glass of cold milk.

Breakfast Casserole

1 # ham, cubed (may substitute bacon or sausage, cooked and drained)
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bread, cubed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I have omitted this and it still turns out fine)
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and add to meat. Bake at 350* for 35 to 45 minutes.

Can be made before and refrigerated to bake the next morning.