Category Archives: Breakfast

“Smoozy”

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My Mom and Dad sent money for Christmas – always a good gift! I had a lot of fun choosing new kitchen toys that will make my life a little easier. With my portion, I bought two new loaf pans (I can’t wait to use these), a new cooling rack and a stick blender. Oh, how I love you stick blender…I have so far only used it to make smoothies, but if that was all it was good at making that would be just fine with me. It’s a lot less hassle than dragging out the blender every morning, and I have even had time to make the kids one before school too. The clean up is so easy too which is always a plus. Anyway, here’s my tasty, super simple, healthy, basic smoothie. Enjoy!

Morning Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/8 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
  • 5 slices frozen banana ( the secret to a thick smoothie )
  • 4 frozen strawberries
  • 10 frozen blueberries
  • 5 frozen peach slices
  • squeeze of honey

Directions –

Place all ingredients into the mixer beaker and blend using an up and down motion until ingredients are combined.

Big ‘ol Breakfast

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What started off as an idea to make buttermilk pancakes became so much more. Once I decided to have the SIL over for breakfast, I thought fried apples would be a good addition to the pancakes, but that still might not be enough food for us all. Then I thought “what else goes well with pancakes?” That question led me to think of my favorite side dish at Cracker Barrel, (which costs a ridiculous $2.59 for a dinky serving – seriously, the plate is the size of a saucer) the super yummy-not-so-good-for-you hash brown casserole! I did a naughty thing by adding some leftover bacon to the mix of ingredients, but I did leave out lots of the butter that the recipe called for. Also instead of cheddar cheese, I added a full 8 ounces of Colby Monterey Jack cheese. I did M a favor by sautéing the onions until they were soft and translucent – he really doesn’t like the strong flavor. In addition to these tasty vittles, M requested biscuits and sausage gravy! Who does he think I am?;o) The night before I browned the breakfast sausage, made the buttermilk biscuits and readied the casserole for the oven. In the AM, all I have to do is cook the apples, make the gravy, put the casserole in the oven and cook some scrambled eggs! Whew!

Wow – this breakfast was delish! The casserole was the bomb – sorry to use such a stupid word to describe it but I couldn’t think of a better one!;o) I will make this again and everyone will love me for it! The biscuits and sausage gravy came out really well – so much better than Cracker Barrel’s salty mess they call gravy…and the baked scrambled eggs weren’t bad either. Baking them created a light and fluffy finished product and it was so much easier than cooking 10 eggs on the stove. This is the largest breakfast I have ever taken on, but it was so much easier because I planned ahead and didn’t have to make all these in the morning. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

*Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole – adapted from Tablespoon

  • 2 pounds frozen hash browns, thawed
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted (*I used around a TBSP total, maybe two)
  • 1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of chicken soup
  • 1 pint sour cream (I used about 1/3 cup less)
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped (I softened these in a couple tsp of butter)
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (*I used Colby Monterey Jack)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions –

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then grease one 13×9 inch baking dish.

2. Combine all the ingredients together and pour into prepared pan. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

*Sausage Gravy – adapted from Taste and Tell

  • 1 – 16 oz. tube of pork sausage
  • Additional fat if needed: bacon grease or butter
  • 4 TBSP flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste – don’t skimp!


Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and break it up into bite size chunks, but don’t break it up too much, you want nice cocoa puff sized chunks. Brown the sausage and get some fond on your pan.
Turn the heat down to medium. Remove the sausage and drain, reserving the fat. Return about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the rendered sausage fat into the pan. If you don’t have enough fat, add a little bacon grease or butter to bring it up. Add the flour and cook while whisking until the roux is golden brown. Keep stirring and slowly pour in your milk, making sure to whisk out all the lumps. If it looks too thin, don’t worry, it’ll thicken once it simmers. If you like your gravy super thick, use less milk (2 or 2 1/2 cups). Once you added all the milk, return the sausage back to the skillet, add herbs if you want to get fancy, and season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Simmer the gravy until it’s thickened and serve it over your split biscuits.

*Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs – adapted from One Perfect Bite

Ingredients for 6 or 12:

  • 3 to 6 tablespoons melted butter
  • 12 to 24 large eggs
  • 1 to 2-1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 to 2 cups milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 11-inch glass pan with cooking spray if using 12 eggs. Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass pan if using 24 eggs. Pour butter into baking dish.
2) Beat eggs, salt sour cream and milk in a large bowl. When completely blended, pour egg mixture into pan.
3) Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir well, folding sides and bottom toward center and top of pan. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until eggs are set but still soft. Fluff with fork to form curds. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 to 12 servings.

*Fried Apples – adapted from La Fuji Mama

  • 2 medium apples ( I used three small Fuji apples)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (I used a little less)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (I used about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt

1. Peel and core the apples and then slice them into 1/4-inch wedges.

2. Melt the butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.  When the butter has fully melted, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and then quickly place the apple slices in a single layer on top of the brown sugar.  With a wooden spoon, stir the apples to coat them in the butter and brown sugar.  Continue to stir the apples.  When the butter and brown sugar have formed a syrup, sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over the ingredients in the pan and stir to incorporate.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir the apples until they are fork tender and the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly.  Remove the skillet from the heat and let the apples cool for several minutes.  Serve alone, or as a topping for ice cream.


Southern Biscuits

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It’s been pretty quiet in my kitchen this past week. M got rear-ended on Monday and the weekly routine was effected by it. I have done some cooking here and there, but no pictures. Last night I decided that I would try to make some biscuits for breakfast to sit along side some scrambled eggs and bacon. Pretty simple, but that’s all I had in the fridge. I haven’t gone grocery shopping all week, but I knew I had the ingredients to make some of these. I found the recipe this morning on Food Network’s website. It seemed simple enough and I was happy to see that the recipe wouldn’t yield a ton of biscuits! I don’t have anything to compare these to but they are nice and light. Speaking of light, you don’t want to over work the biscuit dough and your wet ingredients should be pretty cold. While I prepped the dry ingredients, my buttermilk, butter and shortening were chilling out in the freezer. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Southern Biscuits Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Directions –

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.


Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

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I love being able to make treats like these! I haven’t made them in at least a couple months…for good reason. They are too darn good! What I love about this recipe the most is that you prepare the dough the day before you want to bake them off, because who wants to wake up at 4am to have fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls at 10am?? Not this girl! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – adapted from Alton Brown

Dough:

  • 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 large whole egg, room temperature
  • 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
  • 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
  • 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
  • 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
  • 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Vegetable oil or cooking oil

Filling:

  • 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch salt
  • 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing –

  • 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions –

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.


Banana Bread *UPDATE*

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I found this recipe in a Peter Reinhart book called Crust and Crumb…I think. Anyway, it’s pretty fantastic banana bread – I only wish that my baking soda hadn’t expired! Both loaves sunk in the middle and I was so bummed. I warned M that the loaves didn’t look pretty but they tasted good. The next time I have at least 3 good sized bananas languishing away on my counter top, I will be sure to make this bread again. I stupidly made this the afternoon after I sprained my ribs – you’d be surprised how often  you move your rib cage around just doing subtle movements. Isn’t that the way it always is with an injury? It’s so easy to take your healthy, pain free body for granted until it’s not so healthy anymore. Thankfully the pain has subsided and I’m feeling a little more like myself everyday. The only thing I’m waiting on is this annoying cough! Anyway, this recipe says it makes two 8×4 loaves – it lied. I made two 9×5 loaves out of it. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

*UPDATE: I made this again March 17th with the following (successful) modifications. Two sticks of butter is an awful lot, so I tried using 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter instead. My other mod was to use 10 ounces of brown sugar and only 5 ounces of white sugar. I know these aren’t major changes, but when modifying any baked item you want to try small changes first. Baking is a science! These loaves looked better than the original recipe usually turns out. The top didn’t sink as much either, which was a nice surprise. It tastes sweet enough to me, and even M didn’t notice an objectionable difference – it’s still his favorite banana bread:) Thanks for reading!

Banana Bread Ingredients – adapted from Crust and Crumb

  • 16 ounces all-purpose flour (3 1/2 cups)
  • 1 TBSP baking powder
  • 1/2 TBSP baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 20 ounces brown sugar, packed (2 1/2 cups)
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 20 ounces mashed, ripe bananas (2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions –

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. Using a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy – about 2 minutes.

3. Mix in eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next. Mix in vanilla and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

4. Mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then 1/3 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of the mashed bananas. Continue in this manner until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Stir in walnuts.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9×5 loaf pans. Fill the pans 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 45 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until baked through. The safest way of knowing if they are finished is to test them with a probe thermometer. The internal temperature should be 180 – 185 degrees.

6. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out on a rack to cool for at least one hour before slicing.

Overnight Apple Pie Steel Oats

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I bought a container of steel cut oats last week at Publix after seeing a Good Eats episode that featured oats. I have never eaten steel cut oats, so I hope these turn out to be worth the $4.99 I paid for them! I forget how I found this recipe at goodLife eats, maybe via blogger’s Facebook page. I love the warm flavor of cinnamon, brown sugar and apples and I needed to find a recipe that sounded tasty to use these new steel cut oats, so this recipe certainly sound perfect to me! Thankfully I had all the ingredients on hand, except for the cardamom – but I don’t even know what that tastes like, so I don’t think I’ll miss it. Also, I omitted the pecans, because I don’t have any of those either – I’m not much of an “add- nuts-to-my-breakfast” kinda gal! Also, these require an overnight soak or up to 24 hours, so plan accordingly.

This turned out really good – it’s definitely a keeper. I love the crunch of the fresh apple and the spices are just right. I did add a little more brown sugar to mine and then a touch more of cinnamon before I scarfed it down. If you have never tried steel cut oats, this is an excellent recipe to try! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Overnight Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats – adapted from goodLife Eats

 

  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used two TBSP)
  • 6 ounces all-natural applesauce (my little cup only had 4 ounces)
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cardamom (I didn’t have any)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large apple, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/3 cup pecans, chopped (I didn’t have any)

Directions –

In a nonmetal bowl combine oats, brown sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Stir in milk; cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.

To serve, transfer oatmeal mixture to a medium saucepan. Stir in 1 cup of apples, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for garnish. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until oatmeal is done, adding additional milk if desired and stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Spoon into 4 bowls; sprinkle with apples and pecans. Serve with additional milk, if desired.

French Toast

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If there is ever a good amount of bread left over by the weekend, I plan on using it for French Toast. The first time I made it, even M noticed a huge difference in flavor and texture. In three months, this is the second time I’ve had a chance to make this…which is a good thing. I use three to four eggs and half and half! If you’re going to make comfort food, you might as well take it to that level of decadence!  This recipe is something I have developed over the years and we’re always happy with the results. Also, I recommend that you prepare the custard and that you leave the bread out to dry the night before. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

French Toast Ingredients –

  • 8 to 10 thick cut slices of bread, Challah or brioche would be tasty
  • 3 to 4 eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 TBSP sugar

Directions –

1. For the custard: Combine all the ingredients minus the bread in a bowl or measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. This helps the flour absorb the liquid and eliminates any lumps and allows the ingredients to meld together.

2. In the morning, preheat your skillet to medium low. Be sure to add some unsalted butter to the pan to keep the toast from sticking…also, butter makes everything better! Pour the custard in a shallow baking dish and soak the first slice of bread. If you didn’t leave your bread out over night, be careful not to over soak your bread – it will just fall apart. Place the soaked bread in your preheated skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side – depending on thickness and how much custard the bread absorbed. Once the French toast is finished, pour some warm maple syrup over the top and enjoy!

Arroz con Leche

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I love arroz con leche. It reminds me of my  Grandma Tavita, my childhood and simpler times. This recipe isn’t exactly like my Gram’s but it’s pretty similar. It’s good, comforting and creamy – and not exactly health food. That’s why this is only my third time making it this year…and I eat it all by myself! M and the kids wont touch it – maybe when the kids are older they might want to. But, I think for some people, if you didn’t grow up eating something you may never like it. I love Mexican food, because of course I grew up eating it and it always reminds me of my Gram 🙂 I miss her! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Arroz con Leche Recipe – adapted from Ingrid Hoffman

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice ( I use Jasmin rice)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 whole cloves (I omit these)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional

Directions –
 Soak the rice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and whole cloves in the water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour.

After soaking, bring the rice mixture to a boil on high heat, uncovered. When it starts to boil (about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes or until water is almost evaporated.

While rice is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and stir well to mix. Add the egg mixture, vanilla extract and condensed milk to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until it thickens slightly or until desired consistency, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Let cool uncovered.

Note: be aware that as the rice cools it thickens. The finished product will be thinner than traditional rice pudding.