Whole30

I haven't been taking photos of the food we cook. I do take lots and lots of photos when we go out to eat, but that's a different story.

I am in the middle of a Whole30 round. It has been an...interesting and enlighting... 10 days so far. The biggest challenge has been cooking a dinner we all can/will eat.

Biggest hits have been:

• Nutpods. I resisted buying them, but I found it harder to give up half and half in my coffee than it was giving up sugar; who saw that coming? After trying my coffee black for something like 2 weeks, I'm glad I caved and now I'm on the hunt for the best price on these little cartons of joy.
• Whole30 BBQ Sauce from Jay's Baking Me Crazy. When I made this, I was confident my family would not like it, but they all gave a big thumbs up to the recipe I made that used this (next bullet).
• Hawaiian Chicken Meal Prep Bowls. I didn't expect them to like this, but we all did. Husband was upset I took the remaining chicken as my lunch.
• Sloppy Joe Bowls We tried this before I was even on a Whole30, and my husband requests it for dinner throughout the year.
• Coconut Shrimp Taco Bowls This was a huge hit for the whole family. I took leftovers for lunch, and even the shrimp was good straight from the fridge. Major keeper!

I've enjoyed:

• Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl has been a great and easy breakfast, so long as I remember to cook the sweet potato the night before.
• Burrito Bowl Stuffed Peppers
• Egg Roll in a Bowl
• 30 Minute No Bean Chili
• Roasted Breakfast Potatoes and Veggies This has been a great make ahead breakfast item. It tastes great, and keeps me satisfied, along with scrambled eggs or a hard boiled egg or two, until lunch time.
• Cottage Pie This was delicious (without peas, of course), and most of my family enjoyed it. It made me several days' worth of leftovers, but it was definitely time consuming to make.

Peaches and cream crockpot oats

Making oatmeal in the crockpot has made mornings around here substantially less crazy.  The boys enjoy it and I know I'm giving my kids (and self) a hearty and healthful breakfast with little work on my part.  It takes a little bit more prep work than the little instant packets I had as a kid, but is surely much better for all of us than those were and less costly too.

The first time I made steel cut oats in the crockpot, I made a gigantic mess.  The cooked oats stuck to the crock and it required much elbow grease to clean the mess.  I've since discovered a much easier method:  place all ingredients in a bowl that will fit inside your crockpot, and fill the crock around that bowl with water.  Cook as directed.  If there's any mess, it's confined to the small bowl, but I've found it doesn't get stuck on the way it did that first time.

The original directions for this Peaches and Cream Oatmeal suggest using canned peaches; I used frozen since that's what I have on hand, but the flavor just wasn't there without the juice.  My boys didn't notice or mind, but I (of the instant preference) wasn't really nuts about this.  That's not to say I won't make them again, the boys enjoyed and I didn't mind enough to not eat them, but I will probably add some honey or sugar to my bowl in the future.  I'll share the original recipe for you to try either way!

Peaches and Cream Crockpot Oats Source:  Eat at Home

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in light syrup
• enough milk to bring liquid to 4 cups
• dash salt

Instructions

1. Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Put steel cut oats in crock.
3. Drain can of peaches, reserving juice.
4. Slice peaches in bite size pieces. Add to crock.
5. Add milk to peach juice to make 4 cups. Pour into crock.
6. Add dash of salt and stir to combine.
7. Cook 3-4 hours on low. You can cook up to 7-8 hours, if needed.
8. Serve with extra milk, if desired.

Apple and Cranberry Baked French Toast

I'm having some trouble with my camera and flash; sorry this looks so terrible.

In my attempts to get back to this blog, I committed to the Recipe Swap hosted by Sarah again (check out her blog, http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com, to see the full recipe swap roundup).  This go around was Blogger's Choice, which is always so much fun.  I was again assigned The Jey of Cooking, and when I saw this yummy looking concoction, knew I'd be making a fancy breakfast.

This week, my husband and son have been on spring break.  My amazing husband has been waking up early in order to make breakfast for me before I leave.  I knew he (as well as the kiddos) would love this sweet breakfast.

I started by making Hawaiian bread in my bread machine (I used this recipe and will blog about it soon!), because despite seeing Hawaiian bread in stores often, I could not find it in two different grocery stores and it was way cheaper to just make it I'm sure!

This was OUTSTANDINGLY good.  So sweet and delicious, though definitely a once in awhile kind of breakfast, but such a nice treat.

I ran into a few troubles, not due to the recipe, though.  My husband has been home all week for his spring break, which means he's been doing some baking and breakfast making.  So nice of him, but it also meant some supplies ran out unexpectedly.  I only had 2 apples when I went to make this and two eggs; I made it anyway.  It was completely fine on the apples side, but definitely needed more eggs--I don't know if SIX is necessary, though!

The Hawaiian bread was perfect here and I feel so accomplished having made it myself!

Thanks again to Sarah for hosting the swap and to Jey for yet another great recipe!

Here's Jey's take on the recipe!

Apple and Cranberry Baked French Toast as seen on The Jey of Cooking

Apple and Cranberry Baked French Toast.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, melted
• 3 tsp. Cinnamon
• 3 Apples, peeled, cored and finely diced (I used Golden Delicious)
• 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 Loaf Hawaiian Bread, torn into pieces
• 6 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla

Instructions

In a 9x13 baking pan, combine brown sugar, butter and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Add the diced apples and cranberries and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan. Arrange torn bread pieces on top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tsp. cinnamon. Pour over the bread, making sure it is completely soaked.

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Bake covered for 40-50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal

Breakfasts are hard for me.  You probably have the same problem; you're rushing out the door or have limited time to get ready and just don't want to have to make something for breakfast.  Cold cereal fits the bill perfectly, but you know it's not that good for you and you're hungry by 10 anyway.

I found this recipe while browsing on Pinterest; it was originally posted on The Yummy Life.  It fits the bill perfectly; not only is it pretty good for you, but it also kept me full until nearly lunchtime.  I really enjoyed it, and my four year old loved it so much that he remembered to tell me about it when he got home from school.

I used blueberries that I had bought fresh and frozen, and they worked perfectly.  They defrosted overnight and were the perfect texture; I don't know if store bought frozen blueberries would become too mushy in this or not.

The only problem with this recipe is remembering to make it the night before (The Yummy Life advises not making it more than 2 days in advance).  Otherwise, it's a perfect solution to our breakfast problem!

Pardon the poor photography.  Many shots and this was the best.  Thanks, Picnik, for helping it look a tiny bit better.

Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal Source: The Yummy Life

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup blueberries (or enough to fill jar)

Directions

In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined; give it more than you think--the yogurt stays pretty clumpy. Remove lid, add blueberries and stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled.

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

I have a problem with breakfast.  The problem is that I love breakfast and that I have not a whole lot of time in the mornings.  So, it's not unlikely that my breakfast is Lucky Charms.  Or cinnamon buns, which, of course, are not homemade.  Totally good for me, and totally going to keep me full from 6 till 11.

So, when I stumbled across this recipe for homemade Egg McMuffins, something I've been wanting to try anyway, I decided the time was right and made them right away.

This seemed like a great and yummy solution to part of my breakfast dilemma.  I've made it three mornings and haven't yet had success following the directions.  Rather than do the prewarming in the whole oven (adding another 10-15 minutes to the morning rush), I made it in the toaster oven.  Our toaster oven is generally wonky, so why I thought this would be successful, I'm not sure.

So, on day 1 I followed Macheesmo's directions exactly.  The result was a rock hard muffin.  On day 2, I dropped the temperature to 325 for 20 minutes, and the muffin was still pretty hard.  Tomorrow I'll try an overnight defrost before putting it into the oven for a little while.

I think part of hte problem was my overcooking the eggs and maybe the muffins from the beginning.  I wonder if the egg should be frozen separately, warmed in the oven with cheese on top, and the muffin toasted separately....

Anyway, here's Macheemo's directions.

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches Source:  Macheesmo

6 English muffins
6 eggs
Butter (optional)
Shredded Cheese
Spray oil

1.  Lightly spray a muffin tin with oil.  Crack an egg into each muffin spot.  Bake 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven (these should cook out of the oven, which I didn't do and so, overcooked).
2.  Meanwhile, grate your cheese.  Lay slice English muffins on a baking sheet and pop in the oven along with the eggs, about 10 minutes.
3.  Remove the eggs (I used a silicone "Spoonula" with great success).  Top each muffin with an egg, top with cheese, add muffin top.
4.  If eating now, bake another 5-10 minutes.
5.  If freezing, place unwrapped sandwich on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about an hour.  Wrap each in foil and put them all inside a freezer bag.  When you're ready to eat, bake frozen sandwich in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes (watch it... mine was really hard and sorta burned!)

Overnight Egg Casserole

When it comes to breakfast, many of us just grab and go.  Fast is the name of the game, but we know that fast generally results in the hungry monster making an appearance at 9 (oh wait, is that just me?).  Something that can be made ahead and baked  while doing other things or fully cooked and heated in the microwave is a perfect solution.  I've recently learned that protein helps keep that monster at bay by making us feel fuller longer, so I've been looking for ways to incorporate "The incredible, Edible Egg" into my morning routine.

This meal, made for our Breakfast for Dinner New Year's Eve party, is a perfect solution.  It combines carbs in the potatoes with protein in the ham and eggs, plus is adaptable enough that one could easily add some veggies--broccoli seems the perfect fit here.

I made it yesterday morning, baked it around dinner time, and it was really good.  This morning, I warmed it in the microwave, and it was still just as good.  So the only time you'd need in your manic Monday morning is to slop it on a plate, nuke it for 30 seconds, and eat it.  It's not the most grab and go of breakfasts, but it still is really fast.

A little secret; it made me so happy to have a use for my leftover Christmas ham!!

Overnight Egg Casserole Source:  Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious March/April 2006.  Online here.

Ingredients

• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Salsa, optional

Directions

• In a greased 8-in. square baking dish, layer the hash browns, ham, chilies and cheeses. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and pepper; pour over the casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Serve with salsa if desired. Yield: 9 servings.

Bacon and Cheese Strata

Continuing the Breakfast for Dinner we had for New Year's Eve, I also made this Bacon and Cheese Strata from Delish.com.  I ended up not having a 9x12 pan, so made it in two 8x8 pans; this meant I had one for NYE and one for today! 

It looked so pretty when it came out of the oven.

and was really delicious too.  The Dijon mustard was a really interesting twist, and it was cheesey and gooey and so yum.  So easy to put it together, and so tasty too!

Bacon and Cheese Strata Source:  Delish.com

• 6 slice(s) bacon
• 2 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard
• 12 slice(s) firm white bread
• 6 ounce(s) Gruyère cheese, shredded
• 9 large eggs
• 3 cup(s) whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground black pepper

---

Directions

1. Lay strips of bacon on a foil lined baking sheet so that they don't overlap.  Bake for 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let cool and coarsely crumble bacon.
2. Meanwhile, grease 13" by 9" ceramic or glass baking dish.
3. Spread mustard on 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange 6 bread slices, mustard side up, in bottom of baking dish, cutting slices to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with all but 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon, then remaining bread slices, mustard side up.
4. In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until blended. Slowly pour egg mixture over bread slices; press bread down to help it absorb egg mixture. If necessary, spoon egg mixture over any uncoated bread. Top with remaining cheese and bacon. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake strata 40 minutes or until puffed and golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Syrupy Banana French Toast

We had some friends over for a very low key New Year's Eve gathering.  We've done this since 2007 when our first son was born, and invited others interested in a low key, bring along the kids, night.  On the evite, I asked everyone what their preference for dinner was--Mexican or Breakfast?  Breakfast was the winner, and so I turned to the internet to find make ahead breakfast dishes that would be kid friendly and delicious.  I came across Good Housekeeping's recipe site Delish and found many recipes that seemed perfect.

First up is the all around favorite, Syrupy Banana French Toast.  This was so easy and so yummy.  I put it together on Saturday morning and it was ready to go for dinnertime.  The brown sugar and butter "crust" caramelized so that it didn't even need the addition of syrup.  I used a French baguette, which meant that the 1" slices of bread were way too much for this dish; next time I'll either use thinner slices of baguette or a loaf of French bread.

I toyed with the idea of throwing in some chocolate chips, because banana chocolate chip pancakes are so yummy, but instead made the recipe as written.  One note is that this does not reheat well.  We tried to have it this morning for breakfast and found it was pretty disgusting.

Yummmmmmmm

Syrupy Banana French Toast Source:  Delish.com

• 6 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 5 large ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1  (12-ounce) long loaf French or Italian bread, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cup(s) milk
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

---

Directions

1. In microwave-safe small bowl, heat butter in microwave oven on High 1 minute or until melted. Stir sugar into butter until moistened. With fingertips, press sugar mixture onto bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish. (It's okay if mixture does not cover bottom.) Spread fresh or dried fruit over sugar mixture; top with bread slices, cut sides down.
2. In medium bowl, with whisk, beat eggs; whisk in milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slowly pour milk mixture over bread; press bread down to absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until bread is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
   
   Note: If you don't have bananas, substitute 3 to 4 very ripe pears or peaches (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced; or 1 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins.

Cranberry Orange Scones

My sons' daycare provides them with lunch, snacks, and if we'd like, they'll give them generic Cheerios for breakfast.  While this is certainly the most convenient solution for their breakfasts, the idea of giving them the same exact thing for breakfast five days a week isn't appealing.  So, I've started baking.  I had grand plans of getting a ton of baking done before school started and getting it into the freezer for stress free mornings.



While this was a fantastic plan, in reality, it fell through.  Hurricane Irene being the biggest wrench in my grand design, we spent the time allotted for baking cleaning the basement and getting everything water would damage up off the floor.

So when this easy looking scone recipe from Brown Eyed Baker turned up, I figured it would be an easy solution to the morning rush dilemma.  I've never made scones before, largely because I'd always heard they were really difficult to do well and very easy to make rock like.  So, I was wary.

This, however, was so darned easy.  And so darned tasty.  And so darned foolproof!  Set aside half an hour and make these lovelies.  Make a double batch; you'll be happy you did!

Cranberry Orange Scones from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: 8 scones
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15-20 minutes
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons orange zest
1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup dried cranberries
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Place the granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and, using your fingers, rub the orange zest and the granulated sugar together until the sugar is uniformly moistened with the orange zest.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Stir in the cranberries.
4. Pour in the cream and, using your fingers or a fork, stir together until combined. Dump mixture onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead to bring dough together. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 triangles and place on baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the melted butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones are just turning lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature.

What's the story, Morning Glory?

I love that song.  You know the one by Oasis?  And, if I'm being honest, the one from Bye Bye Birdie too.

I'm not sure why these are called Morning Glory Muffins, but they sure are tasty.  It was a lot of work putting them together, but it's probably worth it to have something different in our breakfast list of oatmeal with fruit, Cheerios, and waffles.  In the future, I will double the recipe and freeze some.

My husband kept saying, "there  XX in it?  And YY??  That can't be good," but he really enjoyed them too.  We all really liked them!

Morning Glory Muffins from Cook's Country April/May 2011
3/4c unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2c chopped walnuts, toasted
2-1/4c all purpose flour
3/4c sugar
1-1/2t baking soda
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t baking powder
3/4t salt
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs
1t vanilla extract
3 medium carrots, shredded
1c raisins

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.  Grind coconut and nuts in food processor, and transfer to stand mixer.  Add flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and combine. 
2.  Put pineapple and apple in a strainer over a bowl; squeeze all the juice from the fruit until you have about 1c of juice.  Boil juice in a large skillet over medium-high heat and reduce to about 1/4c, about 5 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Combine cooled juice, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine.  Add in all fruit and veggies and mix well.
3.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.  Bake 24-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.

It may not look pretty, but whoa was it yummy!

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

 

A few years ago, it seemed everyone was nuts for Meyer Lemons.  At the time, I had no idea what they were, but after reading up on them, I was intrigued.

Fast forward to the other day, when we were in the "awesome" grocery store, and I happened to spot a bag of them.  Of course, I no longer remember all the awesome things I then wanted to make.  I turned to the internet and let my fingers do the walking.  One recipe I found was this one from The Novice Chef.  Sounded delicious, and since we were all home for breakfast today, I made them.

First, I didn't realize we didn't have any raspberries.  Luckily, I found a bag of frozen strawberries leftover from berry picking in June.  I sliced them up and tossed them right in still frozen (I read somewhere, I think in Cook's Illustrated, that doing so helps stop the berry's colors from running into the cake).

The flavors were really nice and light; somewhere in my research, a blogger said it was a nice combination of summer from the berries and winter from the Meyer lemons.  It did take a longer time than I expected to get these cooked, probably because of the berries inside.

So, if you find yourself with a Meyer lemon and some berries, make yourself some pancakes!

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

from The Novice Chef

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

zest of 1 Meyer lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup fresh raspberries

oil or butter for cooking

In a small bowl rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until pale yellow and fragrant.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and butter.  Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir until just combined.  The batter may be a bit lumpy.  That’s better than over-mixing the batter.  Fold in the berries with a few strokes.  Not much stirring necessary.

Heat a griddle pan or a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add a teaspoon of oil or a dab of butter and heat through.  Add 2 heaping tablespoons of batter to the pan.  Heat until bubbles form and start to pop.  Carefully flip over and cook through.   Place cooked pancakes on an oven proof plate and let rest in a 200 degree F oven while you fry the rest of the pancakes.

Top pancakes with maple syrup.

Adapted from: Joy The Baker

Nutty Granola

I love yogurt.  My favorite lately has been Greek yogurt, which rocks so hardcore because not only is it loaded with protein, but it also needs no sugar added (yep, even plain no fat Greek yogurt).  One day, I'll try making yogurt.

But for now, I was thinking about things I could mix into my yogurt.  GRANOLA!  I've seen so many times that it's so easy, but am only just now getting around to it.



I looked high and low for a recipe that would use things I have in the house.  Many included wheat germ or other stuff that I didn't feel like buying, but Elly had this version of an Ellie Krieger recipe and it looked perfect!

I have two kinds of oats right now:  Quick cooking and Steel cut.  From the bit of research I did, quick cooking oats aren't good for granola, but I found here that steel cut oats will work.  Mind you, I've had these steel cut oats in my cabinet for so long, but have never tried them, largely because I'm overwhelmed at how long they take to cook.

I tossed in some pecans, but they are old and didn't look so hot.  I picked out what I could and replaced with chopped peanuts.  I also had some Craisins on hand, so used those too.  The  only ingredients I measured were the oats, syrup, honey, and spices.  I eyeballed the nuts and used about half a handful of the dried fruit.

So, here's my version, adapted from Elly Says Opa, Adapted from Ellie Krieger

Nutty Granola

Adapted from Ellie Krieger
Makes 9-10  1/4 cup servings
1.5 cups steel cut oats
1/4 cup unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup peanuts,  coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup Craisins
Preheat the oven to 300 and spray a large baking sheet with cooking oil.
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well to  be sure everything is coated with the syrup and honey. Spread the mixture onto the prepared sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden  brown. Let cool completely before storing.


The verdict on this is that this is pretty crunchy.  It reminds me of a Nature Valley granola bar.  I'm sure it's because of the oats I used.  I'm not quite sure if I like it.  I do wonder how it would work with the quick oats, and maybe I'll try it that way one day, but steel cut oats might not be the way to go in granola.

Waffles

I've long coveted a waffle iron.  I've hemmed and hawed because how often would I really make them?  How much room would it take up in the cabinets?  Is it really worth it?

My grandmother gave me her waffle iron!  So all my my hemming and hawing was for naught.  It is a Mad Men era waffle iron.




It took me three times to get this to work, finally following this recipe's instructions to wait till the steam stops (I had previously tried ATK's recipe, which required beating egg whites) but also turning the temperature down to about 2 or 3.  What a mess all that was to clean up, at least until I figured out the plates were removable.

Another tip that makes that all easier... spray your pan.  This is something that people must know but is never listed in the recipe.  I also think it contributed to the wonderful crisp on the waffles.

So, these were really tasty.  They had a nice crispness to the outside, which I don't think I've ever experienced in a waffle, but was perfectly soft on the inside.

This was in my Betty Crocker's Cookbook, Bridal Edition, but I also found it online here.

BETTY CROCKER WAFFLES

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour (or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup of melted margarine or butter, or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1-3/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp sugar (or brown sugar, which I used)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (1/4t in my recipe)

Beat eggs. Add in the rest of the ingredients and combine until smooth. Pour batter into heated waffle iron. Bake according to manufacturer directions or until steam stops, about 5 minutes.

The ATK failed me!

For the very first time, I had a not successful, picture perfect meal from the ATK.  I decided that since it was just the boys and me for the morning, I would make pancakes.  To my trusty ATK I ran, and began whipping away.  My pancakes ran ran ran across the pan pan pan, and were thin and kinda blah.

 

I happened to have a Mickey Mouse mold for just such a purpose, which really helped things out; it contained the spread so the pancakes were more contained.  It also took a ton more time to do the whole batch, which of course erupted in baby screams.  Joy.

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Here's another make ahead recipe I found for our NYE extravaganza. Again, the kids ate it, but I was the only adult who did. This was delicious and so easy. I really loved that I didn't even have to defrost the blueberries!! It was a little crisp, but this was even great on the second day.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6 eggs
• 10 slices french bread, cut into 1" cubes
• 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, diced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts Omitted
  
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

Generously grease 13x9" glass baking dish. Beat flour, milk, 2 Tbsp. sugar, vanilla and eggs in large bowl until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until well coated, then pour bread mixture into prepared pan.

Top evenly with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. In small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and toss to mix. Sprinkle over blueberries and cream cheese. Cover casserole tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake casserole, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 8

Make Ahead scrambled eggs

For the under 10 guests, I couldn't think of what to serve. I didn't want to go for chicken nuggets, but figured breakfast for dinner would be a big hit. Wanting to get as much done the day before NYE, I sought out a few make ahead breakfast recipes.

First up, I made scrambled eggs, according to this recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Beat eggs with cream in a large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Pour eggs into skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are scrambled and just set, but still moist.

Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. Spread eggs into a greased 12x7" glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the baking dish and sprinkle eggs with pepper and salt. Stir gently, then bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggs are hot, at least 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. 8 servings

This made way more than we really needed, since NONE of the adults had any (save ME)!! It was really good though! My son ate a good amount, and we both had some more the next day too--still great. This is a very rich recipe, as you can tell from the use of sour cream AND heavy cream, but it made some delicious scrambled eggs!

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I saw this mentioned on A cookie a day... a long time ago. I had planned to make it for the hubs for Father's Day, but then ended up being away on business for Father's Day. I finally got around to making it for Valentine's Day. I could only find a baguette type loaf of French bread, which was totally unsuitable for this! What I could do with it was good and tasty, but it would have been so much better with a larger slice of bread. Maybe next time, I'll make the bread fresh too in the bread machine and see how that comes out (haha, who am I kidding??).

Anyway, this was really good. I just realized, looking at the recipe, that I completely forgot to add sugar, and it was still really tasty. What we had was plenty for the two us, so next time I will probably make no more than half--maybe even bring it down to 1/4 (although who knows how much filling I will use when I have a normal sized slice of bread).

Definite keeper!!

1 (1 pound) loaf sourdough or French bread
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
2 tablesppons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped strawberries
*powdered sugar and real maple syrup to finish
Mix the cream cheese, sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and strawberries together in a bowl, set aside. Slice the bread on a slant, giving each side of the slice a nice surface area. Make a slit in each slice of bread through the crust to form a pocket. Place the cream cheese in a plastic or piping bag and pipe about 2 tbsp of the mixture in each slice of bread.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs,1 tsp vanilla, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg
Melt butter in a griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Briefly dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and place on the griddle. Brown on both sides and serve warm with sliced strawberries, powdered sugar and maple syrup

Cherry Breakfast Cake

I got this from Rachael Ray Everyday magazine, but the original recipe can also be found here.

This seemed like a great breakfast recipe for us on a weekend morning. It was, sort of. I had a bag of frozen raspberries and a bag of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, I believe). I also didn't have buttermilk, so used 1/2c of skim milk and 1/2T of lemon juice.

I had a really hard time getting the topping to crumble, so after hand blending it for what felt like 15 minutes, I stopped and moved on. It didn't want to crumble, but it sure smelled great!

I made the recipe and then stuck it in the oven. It came out and while it wasn't as crumbly as the picture, it looked pretty darn good. The first pieces we had were good too; both of us went back for seconds.

Alas, my second piece was still batter on the cake portion. We are still trying to figure out the intricacies of the oven in our new home. In short, the outside edges were cooked just fine, but the interior spaces were not done at all.

But this is not the recipe's fault, but rather mine in not knowing how our oven works well.... We'll definitely be trying this one again.

Ingredients:

• 4-1/2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Two 10-ounce bags frozen cherries, thawed and drained

Make it your own
Replace the cherries with your favorite fruit.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, using your fingers, combine 3 cups flour, the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in all but 2 tablespoons butter until large crumbs form; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the egg and the buttermilk.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the egg mixture and stir to form a thick, smooth batter. Fold about a third of the reserved crumb mixture into the batter; spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
3. Scatter the cherries over the batter; sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. Bake the cake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.