Breakfast Enchiladas

Okay. You need these in your life. These were a hit. Completely satisfying. Easy to make!

1 lb. pork sausage
Red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
10 flour tortillas
2 cups half and half or whole milk
7 eggs
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Black pepper to taste
1 T flour
Good salsa and sour cream to serve
In a skillet, cook sausage, onion and bell pepper till onion is soft. Fill tortillas with 1/3 cup filling then sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place tightly in 9x13 dish. When all tortillas are filled in dish, whisk eggs, flour, season salt, black pepper, and half and half, and pour over enchiladas. Cover and put in fridge overnight. To bake, heat oven to 350. Bake 45 mins till eggs are puffed and golden brown. If top darkens too fast put foil over top. (I baked mine closer to an hour). You can add any remaining cheese to top for the last 10 mins of baking. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa if you wish!

Baked French Toast

This is the best one I've tried! Mom made this one famous in the fam! Serve with Buttermilk Syrup drizzled over top. Could also be served as a dessert!

1 large loaf dense white bread, cubed
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbl. pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch nutmeg
1 stick butter, cut in small pieces
Grease 9x13 dish. Put bread in dish. Mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour over bread. Cover and store in fridge till ready to bake (overnight is great). Mix topping with a fork till crumbly. Sprinkle over top and bake 350 45 mins to an hour. Serve hot with syrup, fruit or whipped cream.

Pumpkin Waffles

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup plain pumpkin
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix and cook on hot waffle iron. Top with favorite syrup or fruit and cream.

Eggnog Pancakes

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 cups eggnog
1/4 cup oil
Mix and cook on greased griddle or pan. Serve with butter and syrup or buttermilk syrup found on this blog! (Can also use Krusteaz or other mix and swap out the water for eggnog. I found it needed to be thinned out with milk though.)

Help U Sell Apple Fritters

2 eggs
1 T sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup flour, plus 1 1/2 more for dredging
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 pound apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into rings 1/4" thick
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting
Cinnamon
Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, 1/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add apple rings, pushing down to soak up liquid. Put 1 1/2 cups flour in a bowl. Add 3 inches oil to pan, heat. Working in batches, dredge rings in flour and fry till golden, 1-2 mins. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Can mix cinnamon in first if you like! To serve, stack in a little pile on the plate. Serves 4-6.

A Better Granola

This is the heavenly granola that Mom has at her house. It's from the magazine Bon Appetit. I found this online because I lost the recipe Mom copied for me.  I love this stuff. The hubby and kids love this stuff. It is the best. We eat it with milk or yogart or just by the handful. Enjoy!

• Preheat oven to 300°. Combine 1 large beaten egg white, 3 cups old-fashioned oats, 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (such as almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts), 1 1/2 cups coconut shavings, 1/2 cup agave syrup, 1/4 cup olive oil or warmed coconut oil, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a large bowl; toss to combine. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake granola, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and dry, 40-45 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet (it will crisp as it cools).
• Mix in 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries. DO AHEAD: Granola can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

• Coconut shavings (chips) are strips of unsweetened coconut and are available at many natural foods stores and some supermarkets.

Customize it

• Swap maple syrup or honey for the agave to get a subtle flavor shift.
• If chocolate chips mean your kid will love it, throw ‘em in at the end.

This granola's great out of hand, but for added protein, serve over low-fat yogurt. Or layer it in a glass with yogurt and fresh fruit

Baked Oatmeal

If you love oatmeal, you have to try this! Like a warm oatmeal cookie in a bowl.

3 cups oats ( old fashioned )
1 cup brown sugar
1 cube melted butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients well using a spoon. Spread into a greased 9 x13 pan. Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 mins till golden brown. Serve immediately in a bowl with milk poured over it. Awesome with fruit too.

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

I got this from my Pillsbury Cookbook.  They are sooo good!  Everyone loves them and they have apples sneaked in them!  No one will ever know.

2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour, I use whole wheat
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted, or oil
1 peeled shredded apple
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat waffle iron. Place egg yolks in large bowl; whites in small bowl.  To yolks add buttermilk;beat well.  Add flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; beat until smooth.  Stir in melted margarine. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.  Bake in hot waffle iron until steaming stops and waffle is golden brown.  Serve with syrup of your choice.  I like real maple and you only need a little bit!

Side note:  If you don't always have buttermilk in your fridge, powdered buttermilk is a great alternative.  It is actually the real buttermilk.  The stuff we have now is like thin yogurt, which isn't really buttermilk.  I got my stuff at Walmart, so you can find it almost anywhere.  And isn't expensive.  Mine takes 4 tsp powder and 1 c water to make 1 cup buttermilk.  Mix the powder in with the flour then add your liquid.

Hashbrown Quiche

8 or so frozen hashbrown patties
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
10 eggs
2 cups cream or milk or a combo of the two
1 cup cubed ham
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped and cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
Place hashbrowns in a greased 9x13. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 20 mins at 350. Sprinkle with ham, bacon and cheeses. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over top. Bake another 40-45 minutes. Comfort food all the way!!

Syd's Pancakes

1 1/2 cup flour (awesome with half wheat too)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 large apple, peeled and grated
a little cinnamon-optional
Mix all together and cook. Makes 12-16 pancakes. Serve with buttermilk syrup!!

Buttermilk Syrup

This will make you never want maple syrup again!!!! And you will find yourself day-dreaming about it's sweet goodness.
1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp corn syrup (optional, use it if u have it, if not dont stress)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla (use pure vanilla bean paste if you can find it!!)
 Melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup and buttermilk. Bring to boil, cook 3-4 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well- it will foam up a little. Serve over pancakes, waffles etc! Store in fridge. Great with a pinch of cinnamon too.

Breakfast Tacos

We have been obsessed for a while now with mexican tacos.  We eat them several times a week, whether it's for breakfast or dinner.  Here is the breakfast version.  (we eat it at any meal time, too)  They are cheap and so filling and satisfying.

Start with some Chorizo in your pan. It comes in a tube, maybe 1/4 of the tube.
Saute til almost done.  If desired, add real bacon bits.  We buy the giant bags of the Kirkland Signature brand at Costco.  Cook a minute more.  Add desired amount of eggs.  For my family of 6 I usually use about 10 eggs.  (from our own chickens! yay!)  Add salt and cook til done.

In the meantime, start cooking your tortillas.  White corn are what we prefer.  My favorite brand is Juan Valdez, Pepe's variety.  They are a local company,  so I don't know if they are sold everywhere.  If you have this brand, BUY THEM!!  You can cook them in a little oil or just spray each side with Pam and cook them slightly on both sides just to soften them up.  You can cook them til they are chewy, if you like.  I usually just lightly spray with Pam and stack them in a paper towel and microwave for maybe 30 seconds.  This makes them REALLY good and it's so fast to do a big stack.  My friend told me this little time saving trick!

Take your tortilla and add the egg mixture and salsa and devour!  We love avocados on these, too.  We also add a handful or so of hashbrowns to the egg/chorizo mix sometimes, too.

I have been perfecting salsa.  When I'm done, I'll share it with you.

Oatmeal Cinnamon waffles

These are the hearty-ist waffles I've eaten, and they are so good.
1 3/4 cups wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups quick-cooking oats (I used reg.)
2 T each cinnamon and packed brown sugar
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl mix wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to wet, and then add oats, cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix till just combined. Spray hot waffle iron with oil. Cook waffles like normal. Serve immediately. I love eating these with a sliced fresh banana on top and a drizzle of Mrs. butterworths.

Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix

I decided I wanted to make my own pancake mix. Since I have a wheat grinder, I thought I should be thinking of more ways to use it.  I am also interested in fresher, more quality foods. These are just under 90% whole grain!  This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour Company's website.  It is SOOOO delicious!  This stores in an airtight container at room temp for 2 weeks, or indefinately in the fridge or freezer.  Everyone gave these a thumbs up tonight.  This will be really fast to whip up before school! 

4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

To Make Mix
1.Grind the oats in a food processer until they are chopped fine, but not a powder. (I just use quick oats and don't bother grinding. One less step.)
2.Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.
3.Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
To Make Pancakes:
1.Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (you can use soured milk, but buttermilk gives noticeably superior results; a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk also will do), and 1 large egg. Don't worry if it seems thin at first: the oats will soak up the milk, and the mix will thicken a bit as it stands. Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
2.Heat a lightly greased griddle to 350°F (if you've got a griddle with a temperature setting; if not, medium-hot will do).
3.Drop the batter onto it in 1/4-cupfuls (a jumbo cookie scoop works well here) to make a 4" diameter pancake. If you have English muffin rings, use them; they make a perfectly round, evenly thick pancake. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface without breaking (after about 2 minutes, if your griddle is the correct temperature), turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side, which will take about 2 minutes.
4.Serve pancakes immediately, or stack and hold in a warm oven.
Yield: a batch using one cup of the mix will make about eight 4" pancakes.
Note: If you don't have buttermilk in the house, try the yogurt and milk combination first; if you happen to have buttermilk powder, try this: In place of the buttermilk, add 1/4 cup buttermilk powder to 1 cup of dry mix, then stir in 1 cup water and 1 large egg. The results won't be as magnificent as using liquid buttermilk, but you'll still have very tasty pancakes.
Variation: Add 1 tablespoon orange juice to the dry mix along with the buttermilk. We've found that the acidity and sweetness of the orange juice helps mellow the tannic taste some people perceive in whole wheat flour; while the pancakes won't have any orange flavor, they may taste slightly milder to you, if you're not a fan of whole wheat flour (but still want to get more whole grains into your diet).

I didn't use their brand of flour.  I ground my own WW flour and I only use unbleached anyway.  I only had quick oats on hand, so I used those instead.  I only had the mixture sit 10 minutes.  It seemed fine.  I also didn't have buttermilk, so I used the sour milk.  Whenever I do this in a buttermilk recipe, it makes a thinner pancake. (we call the too thick ones 'sinkers'--they sink to the pit of your stomach and stay! My dad always made sinkers growing up!!)  I don't mind the thinner, but it is different with the real stuff.  I would say they are better with buttermilk , but still delicious no matter what is used.  They also said you can freeze buttermilk in 1 cup portions to use at later times.  I will definitely do this, because I don't often have a need for buttermilk otherwise.  Also, these are fabulous with berries in them.  And my kids loved jam on them.  They were nervous to try the syrup I made. (see comments below!)

Here is a syrup recipe I found on Rumble in the kitchen blog.  It doesn't taste like Mrs. Butterworth.  Chris thought it tasted "boozy" with the rum.  I liked it.  Not sure what that says about me...  I think you just need to use a little.  Chris always dowses his pancakes, I am a minimalist!  See what you think, and let me know!

Homemade "Mrs. Butterworth's" Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp rum flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1.Put the brown sugar & salt into a medium saucepan. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl or cup and drizzle with about 2 tbs. of water. Stir or whisk with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add it to the saucepan along with the rest of the water.
2.Stir or whisk constantly over medium-high heat, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, still stirring.
3.Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let the syrup cool completely. When it's cool, stir in the extracts.

Ebelskievers

Translation: Danish pancake-light and cakey in the middle, crispy and buttery on the outside! SOOO good and fun for a special breakfast or brunch! (or dinner!) Need special pan.

1 3/4 C flour

3/4 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 1/2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

3 egg yolks

1 1/3 C buttermilk

1/2 C sour cream

5 egg whites

5 T butter, melted

Mix dry ingred. Set aside. Mix egg yolks, buttermilk, sour cream together. Fold in dry ingred. Whip egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold into batter. Heat pan, pour in maybe a 1/4 t melted butter in each well. Pour 1 T batter into well, then add 1 teaspoon jam or other filling, then another T batter. Flip with chop sticks or skewers after about 3 minutes or until golden on the bottom and crispy. Then 3 minutes more to finish. Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. *When I'm lazy I just put the jam on the plate with the pancakes instead of filling them! I love homemade raspberry jam on these! Whip cream with a little syrup added while whipping is really good. Nutella filled with diced bananas on top. Blueberries would be good! You could also roll them in cinnamon and sugar! The cream cheese or mascarpone cheese whipped with lemon curd is my very favorite! Sky's the limit! Have fun!

Fillings:

1/4 C Mascerpone cheese at room temp. or cream cheese

1/4 C lemon curd

Whip together (add a little lemon zest to batter for extra lemon flavor!)

Cinna-bun:

1/2 C sugar

2 T flour

1 1/2 T cinn.

1/4 t salt

4 T unsalted butter cut into cubes and put at room temp.

Frosting for cinnabun:

3 oz. cream cheese-room temp

4 T unsalted butter-room temp.

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

3-4 T milk

Lemon-Poppy Seed Waffles

Don't these waffles look so refreshing and delightful? Well they certainly are! I'm a big fan of anything with poppy seeds in it and anything lemon, so to me this is the perfect waffle! I got the recipe from Betty Crocker. The good thing about these is you can make them totally healthy by using the Fiber One mix and by topping with fat-free yogurt instead of butter and sugary syrup or jam. And of course the fresh fruit will make it feel like it's Spring! (anyone else have spring fever?)

2 c Fiber One Complete pancake mix (or any other mix)
2 T sugar
1 T poppy seeds
1 c cold water
1 T grated lemon peel
1/4 c FRESH lemon juice
2 containers (6 oz. ea.)Yoplait light fat-free lemon cream pie or very vanilla yogurt
Fresh fruit--berries, peaches, anything!

-Heat waffle maker.
-In medium bowl mix first 6 ingredients with wire whisk until smooth.
-Spray waffle maker with Pam and pour batter onto center. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops.
-Serve waffles topped with yogurt and fruit.
-Makes 8 (4-inch) waffles

Mini Breakfast Quiches

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. They are just awesome and the two girls who run it are so sweet. January is health month on their website, so all their recipes are healthy ones. They also include nutritional information, Weight Watcher points, and South Beach information on most recipes. I'm always looking for different ways to eat eggs and this is a great recipe! I also like the fact that you can freeze these babies and just nuke them when you want one.

4 eggs
1 c egg substitute (Eggbeaters Original)equivalent to 4 eggs if you're doing all eggs
3/4 c shredded low-fat sharp cheddar
1/4 c fresh shredded parmesan
1/4 c cottage cheese, low-fat
1/2 a box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1/3 c roasted red peppers, diced (I like Vlasic)
1 oz finely diced ham, canadian bacon, or crumbled bacon (I used Hormel's pre-packaged real bacon bits to save time)
1/4 c finely chopped onion (green would be great too)
1/4 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper
a few drops of Tobasco
foil muffin tin liners

-Mix all ingredients well. SPRAY TIN LINERS WITH PAM! Scoop 1/4 c for each muffin tin. They can be filled to the top.

-Bake 350 for 20 minutes or so, depending on your oven. I baked mine for 22 minutes. Don't overbake. You don't want them to get too brown.

-Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. When heating in microwave, remember to take foil liner off!

-Makes 12.

Coconut Syrup

I was in the process of making syrup for french toast this weekend, only to unfortunately discover that I was all out of maple extract! So as a substitute I thought I'd try coconut extract. The results were wonderfully delicious! It's not quite like the stuff you get in Hawaii, but just as good to me!

1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c water
3/4-1 t coconut extract

-Bring sugars and water to a boil. Remove from heat and add extract. Stir well and serve.

Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast

'Knead' I say more??? So lucious and delicious! Great for the holidays. (overnight recipe)

1 loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread cut in 8 slices (or Great Harvest)
8 eggs
3 c milk (I like 2% or richer)
1 T brown sugar
3/4 t salt
1 T vanilla
2 T butter

-Butter a glass 9x13 generously. Place the bread flat in the dish. Mix all remaining ingredients, reserving the butter, and pour over the bread. Cut butter into pieces and dot over the top. Chill overnight or at least 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Serves 8.

CARAMEL SYRUP
1 c brown sugar
1 c heavy cream
1 c light Karo syrup

-Blend together and heat on stovetop until sugar is smooth and blended. Serve warm.