Breakfast Foods

Egg Sandwich–To Go, Please

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I’m sure many families have their own version of an egg sandwich, and we have more than one. This particular version is more truly a sandwich. I adapted it a bit from our English muffin version with an egg over easy so it could be eaten “on the go.” It can be made in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 slice American cheese
2 slices bread (I use Arnold whole wheat)
Butter, to taste (we love Brummel and Brown)
1. Spray small skillet with cooking spray, even if it’s a non-stick skillet. Crack eggs into skillet (they should touch) and begin cooking between medium & medium-high heat (the higher the heat the closer you will need to watch to avoid burning). Add salt and pepper.
2. When you notice some bubbling in the egg whites and browning around the edge, add cooking spray to the top of the eggs and see if your non-draining spatula will allow you to CAREFULLY flip the eggs over, picking up the skillet and tipping it a bit so the yolks don’t have as far to “flop” and are less likely to break. (If the egg’s not ready, try again in a bit.)
3. Add salt and pepper to this side. Put the slice of cheese on top (eventually melting it).
4. Put the bread slices in the toaster. (My toaster toasts plenty on its lowest setting; you may need to adjust the time at which you toast according to how toasty you like your bread.)
5. Break the egg yolks so that you don’t have to worry about them dripping while you’re eating on the go (they will get a chance to cook just long enough during the next step…). Why bother not breaking them until now? –I guess I prefer the slightly different taste, so I avoid “overcooking” the yolk.
6. Add butter to one side of each bread slice (butter sides in once the sandwich is made so you don’t get it on your hands).
7. Add the eggs and cheese (maybe doubled over to fit the bread) to one bread slice, flip the other bread slice on top, and voila! Grab a paper towel and go! [I mean, enjoy your lovely protein-packed sandwich?… 😉 ]
Source: adapted from joint effort by the hubs and me (Ok, mostly the hubs. And then I adapted it to make this version.)

German Apple Pancakes

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This here, is another way of saying, “Guess what, kids! We’re having dessert for breakfast!”…And was also a tradition in my husband’s family growing up.  It’s a bit time consuming, but well worth it!  We love enjoying it for birthdays, holiday breakfasts and sometimes when we all just have a major sweet tooth.

Pancake Ingredients:
5T butter (to melt in bottom of pan)
6 eggs
1c All-purpose flour
1c milk
pinch of salt

 
*Featured above is my lovely Pampered Chef apple peeler which quickly 
peels, cores and spiral slices the apple! 
  1. Preheat oven to 400*, cut butter into chunks and put in a 9×13 pan, melt the butter in the oven while it is preheating.  In the mean time, make the pancake batter (keep an eye on that butter).
  2. In a medium or large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, milk and salt.  It will get super lumpy and thick.  Just keep whisking!  Sometimes I even use my blender for the pancake batter. 
  3. Take the pan out of the oven when the butter is just beginning to brown and sizzle.  Pour the pancake batter into the center of the pan so the butter spreads evenly to all sides. 
  4. Carefully put it back in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.  (Towards the end of baking time, the sides of the pancake rise above the pan forming a puffy bowl-like shape, But don’t be alarmed when it begins to deflate a bit after a minute or so…this is completely normal =) 
  5. While the pancake is baking, make the sauce:
 
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2c white sugar
1T corn starch

1tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
2T butter
1c boiling water
1/4 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (other apple varieties will work, but just like a good apple pie, the tart ones are best)

  1. In a medium or large sauce pan, stir together the sugar, corn starch, cinnamon and salt.  
  2. Add butter and boiling water and bring the whole mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken.  
  3. Fold in the sliced apples until covered in sauce.  Lower heat.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the apples are tender.  
  4. Remove sauce from the heat and stir in the vanilla and orange extracts.  
  5. The sauce can be poured directly into the puffy pancake or on individual slices.

*For my family of 6, we double the whole recipe!
*Leftover sauce goes great over a toasted English muffin!
*Hope you’re not on a diet today 😉

Source:  Adapted from Masterpieces From Our Kitchen: Virginia, MN High School Choir 1999

Classic Waffles

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A few years ago, Mr. Blue Eyes gave me my most prized kitchen possession. My Waffle Iron. “Why in the world is a waffle iron your most prized possession?” you ask. Because it’s not just a waffle iron. It’s a CIRCUS waffle iron. Made by Williams-Sanoma. And they don’t make them anymore. AND it is TOTALLY Awesome. What other waffle maker can make an Elephant, a Big Top, a Clown, and a Lion? None. I mean, check this out!

That’s right. That’s a waffle Elephant. And it is Totally. Freakin’. Awesome.
I did find out that you can get other circus waffle makers here. And while they’re not the same, and totally not as cool (no Big Top), I’m sure they do just fine…maybe. (And now you know what a snob I really am! 🙂 )
However, this post is not about my waffle maker. It’s about the fact that since we got this waffle maker, we are Waffle SNOBS. No more Krusteaz mix-the-water-in mix for us. It’s all about homemade goodness.
This recipe came from the Williams-Sanoma booklet that came in the Circus Waffle Maker. It is the recipe that brought us down (or shall I say, UP?) to our waffle-snobby selves. I’m not going to lie: these waffles are not for a morning where you need to whip up a quick breakfast. But they don’t take all morning to make either. Trust me when I say, the time is well worth it. Nothing says, “I love you, Family,” more than these light, fluffy, waffles.
Enjoy this recipe. I also have a few other waffle recipes that have passed the waffle snob test. Stay tuned for more.
Classic Waffles (aka: The Waffle Snob’s Beginning)
1.5 Cups Flour
1/2 Cups Cornstarch
1 Tb Baking Powder
2 Tb Corn Meal (that’s right, corn meal. Gives it a special little bite!)
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, melted
3 Eggs, separated
1 3/4 C Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tb Sugar
1. In a Large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, corn meal, and salt. This is also when I put my butter in the microwave to melt and plug in my waffle iron.
2. In two small/medium-sized bowls, separate the egg yolks from the whites.
3. Add the milk and the vanilla to your egg yolks and whisk together. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites till soft peaks form. Add sugar and then beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until everything is wet and all the large clumps are smooth. Don’t over mix!
6. Stir in the butter.
7. Fold in the egg whites. Don’t over mix! (This is key to the fluffiness. But I’ll tell you, I’ve over mixed a couple of times…and they still turned out!)
8. Pour into your hot waffle iron (don’t forget to spray it if needed) and… Voila! Totally Awesome Waffles.
9. Top with your favorite toppings: syrup, Peanut Butter, jam, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Whatever suits your fancy!
Source: Williams-Sanoma
~Kara

Orange Biscuits

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Ingredients:

Glaze:
1/2 cup cold butter (1/4 cup for the orange glaze and 1/4 cup for the bicuits)
1/2 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)
1/2 cup sugar
2 t. grated orange zest

Biscuits:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 to 2 T. butter for brushing on the uncooked biscuit dough
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (mix about 1/4 cup sugar with about 2 t. cinnamon)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12 muffin tin. (Note this recipe does not work with muffin liners.)
2. To make the glaze, combine 1/4 cup of the butter with the orange juice, sugar, and orange zest in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and then cook for 2 minutes.
3. Divide among the muffin cups.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium size bowl. Cut in the remaining 1/4 cup of butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
5. Add the milk, stirring with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Turn it onto a counter, knead it briefly (4 turns or so), and roll it out into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, roughly 12×8 inches.
6. Brush with the softened butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
7. Four your hands and roll up the dough, jelly roll style, then cut it into twelve 1 inch slices. Place a slice in each glaze filled muffin tin.
8. Bake for approx. 18 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Run a knife around each biscuit, then turn them out, glazed side up, onto a cooling rack with a baking sheet or waxed paper below. Makes 12 biscuits.

Source: familyfun.com

Whole Wheat Waffles

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Even picky eaters will eat these and they are so easy to make. I usually make several batches at one time so that I can have something quick to warm up for breakfast. Since they’re made with whole wheat they are very filling so it doesn’t take many to make a meal!

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I’ve been using white wheat)

2 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. baking powder

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. oil or melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

**Spoon the whole wheat flour into the measuring cup-that will prevent it from “packing” and making the waffles too dense.

1-Sift the dry ingredients into one bowl.

2- In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients.

3-Combine & cook.

A treat at our house is to get a can of cherry pie filling and whipping cream to go on top of the waffles. What’s some of your favorite waffle toppings?

Recipe source: unfortunately I’m not sure where I got this from. I had it up on another blog of mine with a link (the link is no longer valid). Searched a few I know have whole wheat recipes on them with no success. If anyone has used this recipe and knows where it’s located please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due!

“Lower Fat” Spinach and Bacon Quiche

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In honor of an overnight stay from my mother, I would like to dedicate this quiche to her. My husband and my dad have not, and will never enjoy one bite of a quiche. “Bless their hearts.” Since the boys were out of town and I was cooking for just my mom and myself, I decided to make her favorite and alter the ingredients (just a bit) for a lower fat version. By lower fat, I mean that there is no crust.

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk (because that’s what we keep in the fridge)
1 cup ricotta cheese (you may use part-skim if you prefer)
1/2 cup Swiss cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Half of an onion, chopped
6-ounce bag of baby spinach

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.

Cook bacon in a pan until done and crisp. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
Saute onion in grease until tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and continue cooking until just wilted and liquid is evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs in a bowl until lightly beaten. Add milk and ricotta and whisk until incorporated.
Stir in spinach mixture, Swiss cheese and bacon until combined.
Pour into greased pie plate. Bake until top, center is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

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blueberry muffins

 

Originally posted on July 26, 2011.

These. Are. So. Good. I’ve tried a few different blueberry muffin recipes and so far this is my favorite. They are so moist (even without the crumb topping) and freeze well (you are going to find this is one of my favorite things!). This recipe makes 12 regular-sized muffins, but believe me, you’re going to want more than that.

Muffins:
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 C milk
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries (I usually add a little more-my children LOVE blueberries)
 
Crumb Topping:
1/2 C white sugar
1/3 C flour
1/4 C butter, cubed
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1. In a medium sized bowl the dry ingredients.
2. In a small bowl whisk the wet ingredients together.
3. Combine wet and dry mixtures. Stir just until incorporated, don’t over mix. It may contain small lumps. That’s not the end of the world-they’ll still bake up fine.
4. Carefully fold in the blueberries.
5. For the crumb topping mix the flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a small bowl. Cube the cold butter into the dry ingredients and mix with a fork or a pastry blender to form a crumb-like mixture.
6. Line your muffin tins with liners. Fill the liners 3/4 of the way full, then sprinkle with the crumb topping.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes (for regular-sized muffins).

**For the children I like to make mini-muffins. Bake mini muffins at 400 degrees for about 14 minutes or until golden brown.
Most of the time if I’m freezing these I don’t put the crumb topping on (and it helps cute back on some of the sugar-they’re plenty sweet enough on their own).

Source: Jamie Cooks It Up! blog