Butterscotch Sticky Buns - Christmas Breakfast

- 15 frozen Rhodes rolls, cut in half
- 1 small box cook and serve butterscotch pudding
- 1/2 Cup melted butter
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- 1/4 Cup milk
- Cinnamon to sprinkle
- Optional: 1/2 Cup chopped nuts

Spray bundt pan with cooking spray, cover bottom with nuts. Place rolls around the pan. Sprinkle with butterscotch pudding powder. Combine butter, milk, and brown sugar and pour over rolls and butterscotch. Sprinkle cinnamon to taste. Let rise over night. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Best Ever French Toast

French Toast

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Revised Edition

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Many types of bread can be substituted for white sandwich bread, including cinnamon-raisin bread and challah.  The recipe can be doubled and the cooking time sped up by preparing batches simultaneously in two skillets or by using an electric griddle.

8 slices of high quality white sandwich bread

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 cup milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1.   Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.  Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.

2.   While the bread is in the oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk it together with the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.  Pour the batter into a large shallow dish. 

3.   Transfer 2 pieces of the bread from the oven into the batter and soak both sides, about 30 seconds per side.  Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan.  Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay in the hot skillet.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.  Transfer the French toast to the wire rack to keep warm in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining butter, bread and batter.

Test Kitchen Tip: Flour does the trick

            All too often, French toast is as soggy on the outside as it is on the inside.  To remedy this, we experimented with a number of techniques.  In the end, we found that adding flour to the batter, although a bit odd, was a highly successful solution.  It lends crispness to the French toast that milk and egg alone cannot provide.

Jen’s variations:

            I use my multigrain bread and skip the drying in the oven.  I also use my electric griddle to cook 4 at a time. I use a shallow baking dish that can accommodate 4 pieces of bread soaking at the same time.

*** I would 1 1/2 the batter because I ran out of batter when it came down to my last 2 pieces of toast! 

***We used this buttermilk syrup from Linsy on top...so GOOD!

Pistachio Granola

I love this granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. I am a huge pistachio fan and got the idea to make this after I had an amazing pistachio granola yogurt parfait one morning following a crazy night in Vegas.

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 2 cups regular oats
• 2/3 cup chopped pistachios
• 2/3 cup nutlike cereal nuggets (such as Grape-Nuts, Kashi 'Go Lean Crunch')
• 2/3 cup dried sweet cherries (or cranberries)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Combine sugar and cider in a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until granola is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to a week.

Rather than combining in a skillet, I combine all ingredients and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. Also, I'm sure honey could be substituted for the sugar, although I haven't yet tried it.

Sara K's Breakfast Casserole

• 12 Eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 cups cheese
• 2 cans diced chilles
• 2 cups diced ham (sausage, bacon)
• 1/2 cup butter

- beat eggs until yellow and frothy.

- mix in baking powder, flour and salt/pepper

- mix in cottage cheese (getting most lumps out)

- Add butter, chillies and ham

- stir in cheese

- bake @350 for 35 min or until the top is lightly browned in 9x13 greased pan

Thank you Sara K for this amazing recipe! It was delish at a ladies brunch a few weeks back and I can't wait to make it again!

Dessert for Breakfast

My magazine arrived yesterday and I had everything in the cupboard- we had the simple crepes with chocolate-hazelnut and bananas this morning. They were a hit. Can't wait to try them with goat cheese and roasted veggies!

Simple Crepes (Everyday Food, Martha Stewart, Jan/Feb 2011)

1 cup flour, spooned and leveled

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

1 ½ cups whole milk

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a blender, combine above ingredients. Puree until mixture is smooth and bubbles form on top, about 30 seconds. Let batter sit at least 15 minutes at room temperature (or refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 day; whisk before using). Heat a 12” nonstick skillet over medium. Lightly coat with butter. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to completely cover bottom of skillet. Cook until underside of crepe is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Loosen edge of crepe with a rubber spatula, then with your fingertips, quickly flip. Cook 1 minute more. Slide crepe out of skillet and repeat with remaining batter.

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Banana Crepe

After flipping crepe in the skillet, top with 2 tablespoons (I used half that amount) chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella and ½ banana, thinly sliced. Cook until spread melts, about 1 minute. Fold into quarters.

Crepes with Vegetables and Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place 4 crepes on a rimmed baking sheet. Place 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese and ½ cup roasted vegetables such as bell pepper, eggplant, mushroom and onion, down the center of each crepe. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Fold edges over filling. Bake until cheese softens and filling is warm 5 minutes. Makes 4.

Gingerbread Waffles

I'm getting excited just thinking about breakfast on Christmas morning. We tried these last spring although I have to admit I thought it was a strange time of year for gingerbread. Nevertheless they were delicious. With Amy's buttermilk syrup they would be fantastic. Sort of like eating a gingerbread house first thing in the morning! If you don't want the work in the morning, you can make them in advance and even freeze them. While frozen you can put them into your toaster and they come out tasty and your home will smell like heaven.

Gingerbread Waffles (Family Fun Magazine, April 2010)

4 eggs

½ cup sugar

1 cup molasses

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Fresh whipped cream and fruit, optional

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they’re light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, molasses, and buttermilk and mix until blended about 1 minute. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the butter. Cover and refrigerate the batter overnight or cook immediately in a waffle iron until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with whipped cream and fruit, if you like. Makes 14.

Buttermilk Pancakes and Syrup

Best. Pancakes. Ever. I didn't even like pancakes before I tried this recipe. And now this is my favorite breakfast to cook on the weekends. Amazing. Recipe is from Danielle's cousin.

Buttermilk Pancakes

- 2 C flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp soda

- 3 Tbsp sugar

- 3 C buttermilk

-2 large eggs

- 4 Tbsp butter

Buttermilk Syrup

- 1 C sugar

- 1 C butter

- 1/2 C buttermilk

- 1/2 tsp soda

- 1 Tbsp white corn syrup

- tsp vanilla

Boil all ingredients except vanilla for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and then add vanilla (or other flavor like maple).

Creamed Eggs on Toast

This is a great way to use-up the boiled, decorated eggs and make them into a delicious breakfast Easter morning.

5-7 hard boiled eggs, cut up into small pieces

3 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Flour
2 Cups Milk
Salt and Pepper generous to-taste

Melt butter; add flour, blend well. Cook over low heat until bubbly. Add milk all at once; cook, stirring constantly until thickened throughout. Add cut-up eggs and salt and pepper then heat through. Serve hot over buttered toast.

The BEST Blueberry Muffins Ever!

I found this recipe several years ago and I'm telling you they are not only absolutely delicious, they are beautiful too! This only makes 8 muffins, trust me you'll want to double this recipe. Also, I have used frozen (thawed out) blueberries too. Nothing beats fresh but it was still really, really good with the frozen berries.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups (This usually doesn't work too well for me) or line with muffin liners.
- Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
- To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Take a bite of heaven.

Banana Crunch Muffins

I love muffins so this is a favorite. They remind me of banana nut bread but way better. They are really moist and the coconut makes it so yummy!

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound butter, melted and cooled (I actually use a little less)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (calls for whole, but I use whatever is on hand)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium diced bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small diced walnut (can be omitted if you do not like walnuts)
1 cup granola
1 cup shredded coconut


Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an an electric mixer. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas in a separate bowl. After combined, add to the flour/butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, granola, walnuts and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into muffin tin, filling each one to the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins depending on oven. Keep checking until the tops are light brown and the toothpick comes clean. Cool slightly and serve.

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.

Waffles

I am not the biggest lover of waffles or pancakes but these are to die for! They are my mother-in-laws special recipe and I am not even sure what makes them so tasty but trust me they are.


2 eggs separated-beat the egg whites forming peaks and set aside
6 Tb. margarine, melted

Mix together:

1 cup flour
1 Tb. sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Add and beat: 1 1/2 cups buttermilk to dry mixture.

Then add: 2 egg yolks and melted margarine

Beat until smooth.

Fold in egg whites.

Spray/grease waffle iron before cooking each waffle.