Category Archives: breakfast

Apple Crisp Muffins

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Apple Crisp Muffins 1 - My Daughter and I

These muffins are delicious, hearty and not too sweet. We made ours using green apples, if you used a different variety of apple, they would be sweeter. I wouldn’t say they are exactly health food, but with the addition of unsweetened applesauce you use less fat and less sugar than some muffin recipes. They are great for breakfast on the go. The topping is crunchy and sweet and delicious!

Apple Crisp Muffins 2 - My Daughter and I

Apple Crisp Muffins
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups chopped apple, about 2 medium

Crisp topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Line muffin tin with liners and then lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl mix together butter, oil, sugars, and applesauce until combined, mixture will look curdled. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Remove 2 T of the flour mixture then toss with the apples in a separate bowl to coat.

Add remaining flour mixture to wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Fold in the apples. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups filling them 3/4 of the way full.

For the crisp topping: mix the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon on top of each muffin and bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until done. Let cool in the tins before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes about 15 muffins.

 

Cindy & Jordan

Frittata with Potatoes, Cheese and Veggies

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My Daughter and I Frittata 1

Hey! The other day I decided to make breakfast for dinner. This is actually a favorite meal in our household. We do this from time to time, especially when we have an over abundance of eggs, like we do right now. Our chickens have been on strike for several months and we were considering the stewpot for the whole flock and then about two weeks ago we got a couple eggs, then a couple more – now we are back up to getting about 12 a day! Yay! Frittata time!

I have made plenty of quiches, which I love, but I didn’t have any pre made pie crusts and I didn’t want to make my own, so this seemed like a good alternative. I have only made a frittata a few times, but I assure you it is not difficult and it looks sort of impressive in the pan. Speaking of pans, it truly is a one pan meal. But be sure you have a skillet that can go into the oven- that’s what makes this dish different from scrambled eggs. You start it on the stovetop and finish it in the oven.

My Daughter and I Frittata 2

Let’s get started. I had some leftover roasted red potatoes, sweet potato and butternut squash from dinner last night, so I decided to use what I had, but you could use frozen potatoes, leftover baked potatoes, or you could even slice a few potatoes up and cook them in the pan, just allow enough time for the potatoes to soften up. I also had several bell peppers that were getting near the end of their life expectancy, so I sautéed those up with an onion. I then added the chopped kale and cooked it a bit. You can add meat if you want – but I didn’t think it was necessary. But do what sounds good to you. This recipe is extremely flexible- make it your own creation.

Here is the recipe for what I made:

Frittata
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
About 1 cup of chopped kale
Approximately 2 cups of some sort of potatoes; if frozen, thaw a bit. If raw, cook in microwave a bit before.
10 to 12 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups cheese, grated. Use whatever kind you like. I had some Colby Jack and some Cotija cheese, which is a crumbly white cheese, made from cow’s milk. It originates from Mexico and has a delicious salty flavor.
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375*
In oven proof skillet pour in about 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter, next add in onions and peppers and cook until mostly softened over medium heat. Add in pre cooked or frozen potatoes and cook a bit more. Add in the kale, or spinach or broccoli, or whatever sounds good to you. Let ingredients heat through. Now it’s time for the eggs and cheese. Crack your eggs into a bowl, using a fork, beat until frothy. Add in the cheese of your choice and mix again. Set aside for a minute. Using a spatula spread veggies out evenly on bottom of pan and now pour in the eggs and cheese. Do not stir. Turn heat up to about medium high and let cook for about a minute, you want the bottom to get a little brown. Now pop the entire pan into the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. The eggs will puff up a bit. Cook until no longer jiggly, but watch that they don’t get too brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute or two and then slice into wedges. We served ours with salad and fruit.

Cindy

Green Breakfast Smoothie

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green smoothie 1 edited

Awhile back, Jordan posted the purple breakfast smoothie that she drinks every morning for breakfast. She got me on board and now it’s my favorite breakfast too.

green smoothie 2 edited

Recently we started adding even more fresh spinach to the smoothie and omitting the mixed berries.  It looks a bit like guacamole, but once you get over the color it is the perfect breakfast.  The measurements below are not exact, we just keep adding and mixing until it seems like a good consistency and flavor.  The recipe below fills our blender and makes two large glasses.  It’s not necessarily low calorie (or low in sugar), but it’s definitely filling and you end up eating a ton of fruits and veggies. If your New Year’s resolution is to get more fruits and veggies in your diet, than this is an easy and yummy way to do it.

Green Breakfast Smoothie

1/4 cup quick oats

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

1/4  cup vanilla yogurt, we just started adding Greek yogurt to up the protein

1 to 2 bananas, sliced and frozen (we slice several bananas and store in a baggie in the freezer)

1 large handful of fresh spinach, approximately 3 cups

1 whole orange, peeled

1 whole apple, cut into chunks, core removed

1 whole pear, cut into chunks, core removed

1 cup of frozen chunk pineapple

Juice from a lime, just squeezed in (if desired)

Sometimes we add in about 1 T of almond butter

Place quick oats and milk into the bottom of the blender first, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend together until smooth. Continue to taste and add what you think the smoothie is missing as you go.

Cindy

Leftover Ham and Potato Bake

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leftover ham and potato bake 1

Raise your hand if you have leftover ham. Now raise your hand if you’re sort of tired of cooking.

I’m not completely sick of cooking, but at times like this I sure wish we had pizza delivery available. This super easy recipe came from my desire to use up leftover ham from Christmas dinner, and my desire for an easy dinner. I also had to consider the fact that we had 6 people to feed, 4 of whom are big eaters. We served ours with asparagus, salad and rolls.

leftover ham & potato bake 2

Leftover Ham and Potato Bake
1 – 32 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes, I used the southern style
2 – 10 3/4 ounce cans Cream of Potato soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
1 cup diced red and/or green peppers
4 to 5 diced green onions
1/4 tsp black pepper, more or less to taste

Topping
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375*
Mix together all the ingredients, except the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Pour into a greased 9 x 13″ pan. Mix the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese together and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake at 375* for approximately 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly.

Cindy

Christmas Morning Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

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shortcut cinnamon rolls 1 editing final

In case you’re looking to finish up your Christmas Day menu, here’s the accompanying recipe to our Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole. We actually just recently posted this cinnamon roll recipe, but we thought that we’d post it again because of Christmas being so close.

shortcut cinnamon rolls 2 edited final

Shortcut Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients:

16oz frozen bread loaf
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel bits
1-1/2oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 Tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons milk (or more or less)

Directions:

Thaw bread dough using the refrigerator method indicated on the package (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight.) Let dough come to room temperature for 25 minutes then lightly flour a clean, dry surface and roll dough into a 12×8″ rectangle. Combine sugars and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then spread melted butter over bread dough, and then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle on caramel bits (if using) then roll dough into a log, pinch seams to close, trim ends off, and then cut into 8 equal slices.
Spray a 9″ round baking pan very well with nonstick spray then arrange slices inside. Cover with a tea towel sprayed with nonstick spray then let rise until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes, in a warm place (I placed the pan in a warm oven.) Preheat oven to 350* then place baking pan on a baking sheet and then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth then slowly mix in powdered sugar. Add vanilla then beat to combine. Add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until frosting reaches spreadable consistency. May need up to 2 teaspoons milk. Spread frosting on warm caramel cinnamon rolls then serve immediately.  Makes 8 rolls.

Cindy