Peruvian Breakfast Tacos

Really, this is just breakfast burritos with Edam cheese, the only melting cheese here and it is wonderful cheese anyway, and cilantro, and aji, the Peruvian equivalent of jalapenos but even more flavorful and a lovely orange color even though they are called aji verde! Tomatoes, green onions and cilantro round it out! So yummy and such a pretty plate of condiments!

Oatmeal Berry Muffins

I got this recipe somewhere, but I have no idea what blog I pulled it from. All I know is this was adapted from Joy the Baker and that Matt and his coworkers polished off a double batch in record time.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 T canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup frozen berries {I used raspberries, blackberries & blueberries}

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with Pam. {If you want to freeze these, use Pam instead of liners.}

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg and extracts. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in berries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool on a rack.

{These freeze very well. I just let them cool on the rack, then put a dozen into a gallon freezer bag and froze laying flat. I just took a couple out of the freezer and put them in a ziploc the night before and put it with Matt's lunch in the fridge and they were thawed and ready to eat by breakfast time.}

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I don't think I'll ever bother to buy pre-made breakfast sausage again.

2 lbs ground pork*
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; mix well.  Shape into 2 1/2" patties, about 1/2" thick.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Cook half of patties until well browned and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining butter and patties.  Yield: 16 patties.

*You can usually find ground pork next to the ground beef.  Do NOT use lean or extra lean ground pork--it won't have enough fat in it to cook up properly.  You can also check the butcher's counter in your grocery store for ground pork breakfast sausage, which usually has just sage added; reduce the sage in the recipe to compensate.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

The cinnamon flavor in these muffins is very subtle. If you're a big fan of cinnamon, I'd recommend doubling the amount of cinnamon, or using even more than that.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup apple juice
1 egg
1 cup (about 1 large) apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

Preheat oven to 400*F. Grease or line a muffin tin with baking cups.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together the vegetable oil, apple juice, and egg. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture; fold until dry ingredients are just moistened but batter is still lumpy. Gently stir in apple chunks. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one or two of the muffins comes out clean.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with honey-cinnamon butter

For the honey-cinnamon butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the sweet potato pancakes
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, plus more if necessary
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup store-bough pancake mix
1 small pinch ground nutmeg
1 small sweet potato, broiled, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

Beat together the butter, honey, and cinnamon until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Stir in the pancake mix and nutmeg until just combined. Fold in the sweet potato. If the batter seems too thick, add more buttermilk until it reaches the desired consistency (it should be thick but still pourable).

Place a large, greased griddle or pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, spoon the batter onto it and cook until the surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Serve, topped with the honey-cinnamon butter and a little maple syrup. YUM!

from cookie magazine

North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

I made some of this coffee cake for Mom last night to see if it was like the "real thing" that she my grandmother's old Bridgeport Methodist Cookbook, we now have the recipe....it also helps that Imust have guessed right on a few of the vague instructions, like add vanilla....didn't say how much, just to add it!

So, here is the recipe for one and all....

North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients:
4 cups flour
4 Tablespoons of Dry Milk
4 teaspoons of backing powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/3 cup of sugar
12-14 Tablespoons of shortening (I used the butter shortening because I had it open)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla (I used the real vanilla, not imitation)
1 1/2 cups of water

Topping Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

Combine flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

Add shortening and cut in as you would a pie crust.

Add eggs, water, vanilla, and beat (I used my paddle attachment on my kitchen aid and barely had to mix it, just mix until it is incorporated nicely.) The mixture will be fairly thick.

Pour into a greased (I greased my glass 13X9 baking dish with butter because I was out of Pam) baking dish.

Melt butter and pour or brush it on the top. Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the topping and layer on top and pat down a little. You can top with chopped pecans if you like.

Bake for about 55 minutes until a toothpick in the middle comes out fairly clean. This puffs up pretty tall, so it take a while. My instructions said to cook for 35 minutes but I found it needed a lot more, so just keep an eye on it.

This is a great cake for breakfast or a brunch. I am sure it is good with coffee as well but I don't drink coffee so I had it with milk!

Cinnamon Rolls

I got this recipe from my mother, and we love it. Everyone I know who's ever tried it loves it.


Dough:
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (more or less as needed)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) quick-acting active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract*
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs

Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract*
4 teaspoons milk (more as needed)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast. Heat milk , vanilla, sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon until just warm and butter is just beginning to melt (approx 110*-115*F), stirring constantly. Add milk mixture to flour and stir. Add eggs and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can (dough will be soft). Knead in enough flour to make a moderately soft dough (approx.3-5 minutes). Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half. Shape each half into a smooth ball and then cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each half into a 12x8" rectangle. Spread each with 3 tablespoons of the softened butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half over each rectangle. Roll up from the short side. Seal edges; using a sharp, serrated knife, slice each roll into 8 pieces. Arrange slices evenly in a greased 13x9" baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350*F for 25-30 minutes until browned. Invert at once onto a wire rack and then invert again. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk, adding more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls.

*The point of the clear vanilla is, obviously, color. If you don't have clear, I'm sure regular vanilla extract would work just as well.

Breakfast Tacos

These breakfast tacos are great on the go. I make a huge batch in advance and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap or a baggie and pop them in the freezer. Then, when I want a quick breakfast, I take it out, microwave it for 1 minute (if still frozen, 30 seconds if thawed) and eat! I also will grab one on my way out the door and just pop it in the microwave when I get to work. You can really pump these up with more vegetables or more meat if you prefer...or you could also add potatoes....just throw in there whatever you like.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped (I prefer yellow/orange/or red)
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever you prefer, I used cheddar)
1 hand full of fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
9 eggs
16 tortillas
2 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash
1 tablespoon Oil or butter (I used olive oil)
1/2 to 1 cup of chopped up ham, bacon, or some other breakfast meat, I really like the ham, so I put about a cup in there but for bacon bits I would probably use less.

Place oil in large skillet and melt, then add onions and peppers (and any other veggies you might want to throw in there). Once they have started to get translucent and toasty, add the spinach and stir it around until it is fully wilted, then add the seasonings and continue to stir as needed.

While that is cooking, I will lay out about 5 tortillas and put a little shredded cheddar on each.

Back to the skillet....Crack your eggs into a container and mix them with a fork to break them up, then add them to the skillet. You can also add a little milk here if you prefer...or cream if you want to live high on the hog. Continue stirring to make scrambled eggs until they are done to the firmness that you desire. My husband wants them WAY done...no question on whether they are cooked...so that is how I do it. That is what you get when you have a Poultry Scientist for a hubby.

Once the eggs are done, taste them to make sure the seasoning is right, then just take a large spoon and place the egg mixture down the middle of every tortilla, fold the tortilla in half and then wrap up in plastic wrap or place in a baggie. You can really make these tacos or burritos...its your choice. Then, I usually hold a few out for tomorrow's breakfast and just put those in the fridge, and the rest I place in the freezer individually wrapped.

I love them! I made 16 last time I made them but if you want to bulk them up a bit, you would make less and use more filling. This is a great grab and go breakfast on those busy mornings....and its easy for older kids to fix themselves since it just involved a microwave.

Breakfast Casserole

Here is the Breakfast Casserole recipe that I made for a Sunday lunch (for picture see picture with German Pancakes). It is adapted from a recipe in our ward cookbook.

1 large bag of hash browns (although I bought a large bag and didn't use the whole thing)
1/2 onion chopped (You can add onions or buy hash browns with onions)
12 eggs
1-2 cups of grated cheese
Meat of choice: 8 oz of cooked breakfast sausage crumbled or 1 cup of cooked chopped up ham or
1 pound of bacon cooked and crumbled (I used ham)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 garlic salt
Pepper to taste

Pour frozen hash brown in greased 9X13 pan. place meat in a layer on top of hash browns. In a large bowl beat eggs with a whisk and add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture on to hash browns and meat. Top with cheese. You can now refrigerate overnight if you want to eat it for breakfast or go ahead and bake it now. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, turn oven down to 375 and bake 20 minutes longer.

"Shrek Shakes" a.k.a. Green Smoothie

My sister told me all about these Green Smoothies she makes. And after fighting with my kids each meal to eat their veggies, I was completely intrigued. I tried them, held my breath as my kids tried them and they were in love... which means I was in love too. I don't worry about them eating their veggies so much when they down one of these each morning. And since my kids love Shrek, we call them Shrek Shakes.

It's been 2 weeks of eating them everyday and they still love them and ask for them each morning (at least Ava does, Nolan still doesn't talk - so he grunts for it)! If you can brave gulping down something green, give it a whirl. They're really good - especially considering how good they are for you!

This is how we make our Shrek Shakes...

Put in your blender...
1-2 T. flax seed
{{contain high levels of lignans and Omega-3 fatty acids. Lignans may benefit the heart, possess anti-cancer properties, may also lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels. Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure. It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.}}
{{blend}}
1-2 bananas
(make sure it's ripe and not green... this should not be where the green comes from! ;)
2 handfuls of frozen strawberries
(probably 1 cup - like 6 or 8)

**blend these together first, smoothie will be creamy pink

huge handful of spinach
(1 1/2 to 2 cups)
{{rich source of iron and calcium; an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, protein, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin E. In addition, it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, niacin and selenium.}}
3-4 large kale leaves
{{considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.^[1] Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium}}
3-4 collard green leaves
{{good sources of vitamin C and soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties.}}
**submerge and blend, smoothie turns green!
6 or 8 baby carrots
1 scoop of soy protein powder
then I add some ice to make it cold
**blend and Voila!!

How's that for some nutritional value before 9am?!?
And here it is from the original Green Smoothie Lady... GENIUS!!

Double Chocolate Muffins

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (no substitutions)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Let all ingredients come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper/foil cups. Melt unsweetened chocolate and let cool.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add brown sugar, beating on high speed until lightened in color and texture, about 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg. Add melted chocolate and beat in until just blended.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat in thoroughly, then 1/2 of buttermilk mixture and beat in. Continue until all of flour mixture and buttermilk mixture have been fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into one or two of the muffins comes out clean. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan before removing; serve at room temperature.

Spanish Frittata

This is such a pretty dish, and I wanted to make it something special. So when we had a brunch theme for my future sister in law's shower... I thought of this dish. It was awesome, and I got asked for the recipe many times.

"You can make this great meal in either a pie plate or a cake plate, whatever you've got lying around. If you want to entertain with this dish, line your pan with some heavy duty aluminum foil that hangs over all the edges, that way you can just lift it out when it's done baking and serve it on a nice cake stand or serving plate – so fancy!" ~Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound pre-cooked chorizo, casing removed and meat chopped
1 jar whole roasted red peppers, drained
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes, defrosted
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
A few dashes hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (about a small handful) parsley, chopped
1 cup Manchego cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Sauté the chorizo in the hot pan until it's crispy, 5-6 minutes. While the chorizo is cooking, prepare a pie plate by lining it with the roasted peppers -- if they're not already broken open, run a knife down the side of them to open up the pocket, just like you're butterflying a chicken breast. Slightly overlap the edges of the peppers so you don't see the bottom or sides of the pan. Put your pie plate onto a baking sheet so it's easier to move later on. When the chorizo is crispy, transfer it to the pepper-lined pie plate, spreading it out to evenly cover the bottom. Sprinkle the chopped onion and potatoes over the chorizo, spreading everything out evenly.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the parsley into the egg mixture at the last minute, give it a quick stir, then pour the mixture slowly into the pie plate (it may take a second for the liquid to settle into all the nooks and crannies of everything already in the pie plate, so wait for it to settle before adding the rest of your egg mixture). Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the frittata until the eggs are slightly wobbly in the middle and the cheese is golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Cut the finished frittata into 8 wedges and serve.

Rachael Ray

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour, unsifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries (fresh or drained frozen)

STREUSEL TOPPING
Blend w/pastry blender:
1/2 C flour
1/2 C quick oats
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Cut in 6 tablespoons butter. Blend until coarse.

Prepare streusel topping. Set aside.

Grease 12 3-inch muffin pan cups.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl, w/electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until well blended.

In medium bowl, combine flour and other dry ingredients.

In small bowl, combine milk, sour cream and vanilla.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating just until batter is combined.

Gently fold in raspberries.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; sprinkle tops generously with streusel topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; sprinkle w/confectioners sugar.

Recipe from my Aunt Vicki... she's also done a variation by substituting the sour cream with raspberry yogurt.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 egg
1 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 T. butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 T. for the skillet

1. Preheat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. In a bowl, stir together all dry ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg for 30 seconds. Add yogurt, pumpkin puree, and 2 T. melted butter and beat well.

3. Stir in dry ingredients and beat just until combined.

4. Grease skillet lightly with butter. Pour 1/4 c. batter per pancake; flip with spatula when tops bubble and edges are slightly dry. Cook until other side is golden brown, 2 minutes per side.

Keep pancakes warm until ready to eat. I like to add chocolate chips if my kids have been good and if I've got the craving for chocolate - which is usually the case.

Yield: 4 servings
Parenting Magazine, October 2006

Whole Wheat Hotcakes

This is from my Aunt Marilyn of the Marilyn's popcorn recipe fame! She is a great cook.

2 egg whites, beaten stiff
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
3 T. raw sugar or brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I use whatever % I have which is never whole)
3 T. vegetable oil

In a small bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks. In larger bowl, combine ingredients in order given EXCEPT leave egg whites until last. Mix briefly, scrape sides and bottom of bowl and stir, and then fold in egg whites by hand until just incorporated. Cook like normal and enjoy!

Mom's Carmel Twists

Hi, I am Tiffany Sheppard from Mandy and Jen's ward. Jen asked me to join, so here I am. This is one of my favorites.

Sweet Dough

4 1/2C Flour
1/4C Sugar
1tsp salt
3/4C margarine
2 eggs
1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/4T) dissolved in
1 1/4C hot water

Cut margarine finely into dry ingredients. Add eggs and dissolved yeast mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. Divide into 3 parts. Roll each part out on a floured board into 9x18 inch rectangle. Fold in thirds to make a 3x18 inch rectangle. cut into 1 inch strips. Twist strips and place side by side on the caramel mixture. Let rise for 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Invert immediately onto cookie sheet. Makes 54 rolls.

Carmel
2/3C margarine
1/4C light corn syrup
1 1/2C brown sugar
1C nuts (ground)
Bring to a boil and add 1T water. Stir and pour evenly onto 12 x 18 inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle nuts on top.

Rinda's - Cinnamon Roll - Bread

2 Tbsp dry yeast (or 2 packages or 2 yeast cakes)
½ c lukewarm water
½ c sugar
½ c butter
3 tsp salt
2 c scalded milk
2 beaten eggs
8 c flour, more or less

Softened butter
Cinnamon sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve about 3 tsp of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle dry yeast into the water and let stand until dissolved and bubbly.
In the meantime, add butter, salt and the rest of the sugar to the hot milk. Stir until melted/dissolved, and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Stir flour before measuring, then place 4 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl. Pour in yeast mixture and milk mixture and stir. Add beaten eggs and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add remaining flour, one cup at a time until mixture makes soft dough. Change to dough hook. Dough is ready if it is relatively smooth and barely sticky, and pops back if you poke it with a finger.

Place in large, well-greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double, approx one hour. Punch down dough, then divide into three equal pieces. Roll out into a 10 x 15 rectangle. Liberally coat with softened butter, and then very liberally sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Use more than you think is enough. Starting from a short end, roll up dough and place edge down in to a greased bread pan.

Allow to rise until double, then bake for about 25 minutes on 350. Brush butter on top, then remove from pan and cool.

This is compliments of our Bishop's wife, Rinda.

4th of July Breakfast Casserole

This is the casserole my Mom would always make for the 4th of July breakfast with our church. Just eating it makes me want to hop on my decorated bike and cruise around the park in parade fashion with the other kids.

K, not really... but it's good and super easy. And SO good when you're feeding a large group for breakfast.

1 ½ lbs. sausage
9 eggs
Grated cheddar cheese
3 c. milk
3 slices bread, cubed
1 t. salt
1 ½ t. dry mustard
Pepper
1 can chopped green chilis (optional)

Brown sausage. Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.

Scones

Using basic roll dough, roll very thin and cut into 2.5" triangles. Fry in skillet filled with 1/2 cup hot oil, turning once. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Rolls

Use 1/2 recipe basic roll dough and roll 1/4" thick. Spread all over with softened butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture consisting of 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 4 T. cinnamon. Roll up and cut into 1/2" thick slices with serrated knife. Let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 18-25 minutes. Can drizzle with water/powdered sugar glaze.