Buttermilk Waffles (or Pancakes) with fresh Strawberries & Cream

 

 

 

NOTES

• This is my go-to recipe for waffles and pancakes. Its my grandmother's recipe.
• I often substitute half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat will also work fine but I have found they are lighter if you use the whole wheat pastry flour.
• Add a touch a cinnamon if desired.
• The recipe below will make approximately 4-6 regular sized waffles so double as necessary.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. flour (see NOTES above)
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 4 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Fresh, sliced strawberries or other topping as desired

Sweet Cream topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat waffle iron and combine all dry ingredients for waffles/pancakes in a large bowl and whisk.
2. In another medium-sized bowl, combine wet ingredients.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir with a wood spoon or spatula until just mixed and no dry flour remains.
4. For topping, whip cold heavy whipping cream with the whisk attachment on your stand mixer until starting to become stiff. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until hard peaks form (when you lift whisk attachment up out of the cream, a peak of the whipped cream forms and stays).
5. Serve warm waffles with a large dollop of cream and sliced strawberries

Pecan Maple Scones with Maple Glaze

 

NOTES

• Very holiday tasting! These were easy to put together (15 min prep and 15 min bake) and make for a quick "what do you want for breakfast?" choice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned), processed in food processor until finely ground (took a few minutes in mine)
• 1 c. all-p flour
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 1/2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. half-and-half
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 c. chopped pecans (I didn't toast them but the scones would have had a more nutty flavor had I done so. To toast, heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast nuts, turning them over by shaking the pan several times until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Do not let burn).
• Icing: Mix in a bowl: 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, and if needed, a little bit of milk or half-and-half. Keep it pretty thick (doesn't run off a spoon when lifted).

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, finely ground oats, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter with two butter knives or a pastry blender until butter is in very small chunks.

3. In another bowl, beat egg with half-and-half, vanilla, & maple syrup. Add to dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just mixed.

4. Add pecans and mix just to incorporate.

5. Place dough on a floured surface, knead a few times then pat into an 8 to 10-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges using a pizza cutter or dough/pastry scraper. Transfer to a baking sheet (I line mine with my silicone baking mats) and bake 10-15 min or until bottoms are just lightly browned (my tops did not brown at all when bottoms were lightly brown so watch carefully).

6. Remove scones to a wire rack and let cool 5 min before glazing. Mix the glaze ingredients and then spread over top of scones, topping with 1 pecan. Eat right away or let sit 15 min for glaze to set.

Cranberry Scones

NOTES

• These were delicious! They spread out a bit in the oven for me so I might add a bit more flour (1-2 tbsp) or reduce butter by 1 tbsp next time. I left the original recipe below.
• Modified from Annie's Eats

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. plus 3 tbsp sugar, divided
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 c. chopped fresh cranberries (chop by hand or pulse in your food processor)
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• Additional sugar for sprinkling (I used a course raw sugar but regular white sugar would be fine)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or two butter knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. In a small bowl, toss chopped cranberries with remaining 3 tbsp sugar then stir into the flour-butter mixture.
4. In another small bowl, combine egg, egg yolk, and heavy cream; whisk to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until dry ingredients are just moistened. Knead gently to be sure dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.
5. To shape scones: either drop into heaping mounds onto a baking sheet, pat into a 8 to 10-inch circle on a floured surface and cut into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter or pastry/dough scraper, or scoop dough into a 2 1/2 or 3-inch biscuit cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round.
6. Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake about 15 minutes or just until lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.

Festive Cranberry Orange Bread

NOTES

• This is really really good and pretty too! Perfect for a holiday playdate, breakfast, brunch, etc. I'll be making this again soon. The first two iPhone pics above don't do it justice so I added the pic that I modified the recipe from (Taste of Home). I had pulled the recipe out of the magazine from the October/November 2009 issue and have never made it until now!
• The original recipe calls for fresh or frozen cranberries along with golden raisins. I did not use the raisins because I didn't think it sounded good and I'm glad I didn't - it was great with just cranberries!

INGREDIENTS

Bread:

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 c. cold butter
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c. orange juice
• If you like your bread really "orange-y", feel free to add 2 tsp. grated orange peel (I did not do this as my husband complains when there is citrus zest of any kind in a recipe!)
• 1 1/4 c. chopped (use a food processor if you have one) cranberries

Streusel:

• 1/3 c packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp all-p flour
• 2 tbsp cold butter

Glaze (optional but good!):

• 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
• 2 tsp orange juice

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients then cut in the butter until crumbly (if you don't have a pastry cutter, use two forks or two knives).
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and orange juice then stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. 3. Fold in cranberries and transfer to a greased loaf pan (8 or 9-inch by 4 or 5-inch).
4. For streusel, combine brown sugar and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Don't let it overcook or burn so watch carefully starting at 40 minutes. For high altitude, I bake at a little higher (at 360 or 365) and for less time (around 40 minutes).
5. Remove to a wire rack to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife if necessary then remove from pan to wire rack. Let cool another 15 minutes and drizzle with glaze if desired.

Holiday Gingerbread Waffles

NOTES

• Got these from Annie's Eats but original recipe is from Martha Stewart. Didn't get a picture of these for some reason. See here for Annie's picture.
• I modified several things in the recipe so I included original recipe ingredients in parenthesis behind my edits.
• These taste like Christmas. Serve with some real whip cream (mix in a little cinnamon and a little sugar (3 tbsp per 1 c. cream) in with the cream while whipping it for a real treat). Also taste delish with maple syrup.
• We always make extra pancakes or waffles and freeze. They make for another great breakfast or easy snacks. If eating them for breakfast and you are thinking about them the night before, set them in the fridge to thaw overnight then bake on a baking sheet at 350 for just 5 minutes. You can always defrost them a bit in the microwave directly from the freezer then toast or put in oven.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• ¼ c sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 4 large eggs
• 6 tbsp cooking oil (or 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled)
• 1 3/4 c. buttermilk (or 1 cup milk & 1/2 c. sour cream)
• 3 tbsp unsulfured molasses

DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and molasses and whisk to blend well. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk to combine until all the dry ingredients are incorporated (it's ok if there are some lumps)2..
2. Preheat a waffle iron. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until golden but still a little soft. Serve immediately with desired toppings (see NOTES above).

Crusty Dutch Oven No Knead Bread

 

NOTES

• Don't be scared! It's a bread recipe but it literally requires NO kneading!
• I've been wanting a dutch oven for a long time and finally used a birthday gift certificate to Amazon and bought a middle-of-the-road cast iron, enamel coated dutch oven. It goes from the stove top (think stews, roast, etc.) directly to the oven but more importantly bakes this AWESOME loaf of crusty-on-the-outside, soft, chewy, and delicious-on-the-inside-bread. I made this simple bread for the first time mid-October and have probably made more than 10 loaves since then. It's that good.
• Go ahead and double the recipe. Whatever you don't eat fresh will make great french toast!
• Found the recipe on a blog called Alaska from Scratch

INGREDIENTS

• 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. warm water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and stir with a wooden spoon until flour is mixed in (mixture will be sticky; this is what you want). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours (up to 24).  I have found that 12-16 seems ideal

2. Preheat oven to 425. Place a cast iron dutch oven with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  While the dutch oven is getting hot, dump/scrape the risen dough onto a heavily floured surface (mixture will be sticky) and lightly shape into a round loaf (you can knead it here a few times if you want). Cover the bread with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for at least 20 minutes.

3. After dutch oven has been preheating for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and carefully set in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove bread from oven and from pot and place on a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese-Filled Muffins (a must make!)

 

 

 

NOTES:

• These are so worth it!! A friend (thanks Emily!) brought these over along with dinner after having my second baby last fall and I have been wanting to make them since!
• The recipe makes 24 regular size muffins but if you're up to it, double the recipe and make enough to freeze. They are great thawed and then reheated just for 10 seconds. Keep them around for the holidays and special mornings....they are so good!
• Recipe from Annie's Eats
• For muffins at high altitude, I have been successful following the recipe exactly but baking at 10-15 degrees hotter and removing from the oven 5-15 minutes sooner.

INGREDIENTS

 

For the filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. powdered sugar

For the muffins:

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1¼ c. vegetable oil

For the topping:

•  ½ c. sugar
• 5 tbsp flour
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare filling: combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours. The other option, as read in the reviews of the recipe, is to fill a baker's decorating bag with a regular round tip (or use a ziplock bag then cut the bottom corner off) with the cream cheese mixture...I think this would be much less time consuming than the freezing method.
2. Make muffins: preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda and whisk to blend.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
4. Make topping: combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
5. To assemble muffins: fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter (like 1-2 tbsp). Slice the log of cream cheese into 24 equal pieces and place a slice/chunk into each muffin well (or squeeze about 1 1/2 tbsp from your baker's bag or ziplock bag into each muffin well). Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are just golden.Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes

NOTES

• Yum! Perfect for this time of year. Make a double batch and freeze leftovers once cool. To reheat, thaw overnight in fridge, then heat on a baking sheet for 5 minutes at 350.
• Serve with butter and syrup or try beating on high 1 c. of heavy whipping cream mixed with 3 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Beat until stiff peaks form and it has the consistency of whipped cream (about 2-4 minutes).
• Recipe modified from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 1egg
• 2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 c. all-purpose flour (or use 1 whole wheat and 1 all-p)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, vanilla and vinegar.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Mix dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle, electric skillet (my personal favorite for cooking pancakes!) or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Best Blueberry Muffins (with Streusel topping, of course)

NOTES

• Recipe from Better Homes & Garden Cookbook
• Recipe makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS

Muffins:

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. cooking oil
• 3/4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts or other nut

DIRECTIONS:
1. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper cups and set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
4. Make streusel by combining all ingredients except butter and nuts in a bowl then cutting in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the chopped nuts.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with topping and bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Do NOT overcook. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

10-Minute Homemade Granola

NOTES:

• No need to buy granola! It's so expensive and doesn't taste as good as this!
• I can assemble this granola in 10 minutes or less. Then it bakes for 20 minutes or so. Cool and then store in a ziplock or airtight container. Eat it with yogurt or milk!
• After you've baked and cooled the granola, try adding 1 c. of chopped dried fruit and/or 1/2 c. flax seed meal. I like this recipe so much I've made it 3 times now and haven't wanted to switch it up yet!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 c. regular (or old-fashioned) rolled oats
• 1.5 c. chopped nuts (I do 1/2 c. sliced almonds and 1 c. chopped walnuts)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c. wheat germ
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. oil
• 3/4 c. honey
• 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix first 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, heat oil. Stir in honey and vanilla off heat. Pour over granola and mix well.
3. Spread into two large baking pans with edges. Bake at 300 degrees, stirring every 4-6 minutes for about 15-25 minutes (depends on your oven). You want it lightly toasted (it won't be crisp to the touch until after it cools).
4. Let granola cool then store in an airtight container at room temp. It will keep for about a week.

Peach French Toast

I forgot to take a picture when it's topped with lots of whipped cream!

NOTES

• When peaches are in season, I try to get them in at every meal and this makes a great breakfast treat for a weekend morning.
• Modified from Real Simple

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 3 ripe peeled peaces, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp plus 3/4 c. heavy cream (or if not making your own whip cream, substitute 2 tbsp whole or 2% milk plus Cool Whip)
• 8-10 slices (for serving 4-6 people) sourdough bread (preferably day old bread)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large skillet over medium low heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter until it foams. Add the brown sugar and stir for 30 seconds. Add the sliced peaces and raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of cream (or milk) and simmer 1 more minute. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Place half of the sliced bread on a work surface and dived peach mixture evenly among the slices, leave a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Top with another slice of bread and press gently.
3. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and cinnamon. Working in batches dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture.
4. Melt remaining butter in a large skillet (or heat your electric skillet and coat with butter). Fry sandwiches until golden brown on both sides.
5. If making your own whipped cream, beat 3/4 c. heavy cream with the wire whisk attachment on your standing mixer until soft peaks form. Sprinkle each sandwich with powdered sugar and whipped cream.

Baked Oatmeal

NOTES

• This is a really easy and delicious breakfast and the leftovers are great too. Just reheat and mix with milk.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans, a different dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, apricots, cranberries, etc.) to change up the flavor.
• I set out my casserole dish and oil spray, mix the dry ingredients together & wet ingredients together the night before and even pre-set my oven to 350 degrees 10 minutes before I'm going to get up. Then I roll out of bed, mix the dry ingredients with the wet, spray my casserole dish with oil, pour the oatmeal mixture into the casserole and pop in the oven. Then I jump in the shower and when I'm out it's ready!
• Sorry, no pic to post with this one. Both times I've made it it's been super early in the morning and still dark outside which does not make for a good pic.
• Adapted from Simply in Season

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. rolled oats (use the old-fashioned kind, they're more nutritious)
• 1/3 c. brown sugar (or try maple syrup or honey)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 c. raisins (or other dried fruit - see NOTE above)
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg (beaten)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine dry ingredients (through raisins) in a large bowl (can do this the night before).
2. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl (can do this the night before & store in fridge).
3. Bake in a greased round casserole dish (about 2-L), covered, for 25 minutes.
4. Serve hot with milk.

Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones

NOTES
• Recipe from Martha Stewart
• I still have frozen blueberries from this summer so this was a great way to use them!

INGREDIENTS
•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
•3 tablespoons granulated sugar
•2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•3/4 teaspoon salt
•4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
•1 cup (1/2 pint) blueberries, fresh or frozen
•1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
•1 large egg, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash
•1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Turbinado sugar, for toping (tubinado sugar is a large-crystal sugar)

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Stir in blueberries.

3.Whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg, and the vanilla. Drizzle over flour mixture, and stir lightly with a fork until dough comes together but a small amount of flour remains in bowl. The dough will be crubmy and you'll wonder if you did it right but don't worry. 

4.Turn out dough and all the crumbs onto a work surface, and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate flour & crumbs. Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8-12 triangular wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool. Scones are best served immediately but can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw, and reheat in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Festive Cranberry Orange Pancakes

Taste of Home Photo

NOTES:
• The original recipe calls for a cranberry syrup that involved more work than I wanted to put in on a Saturday morning. So you could 1) use regular maple syrup for a topping, 2) use whip cream and powdered sugar or 3) use a pre-made cranberry sauce or other fruit syrup.
• I was worried the pancakes would be too “orangey” but they had just the right touch.
• Recipe modifed from a Taste of Home recipe.

INGREDIENTS
• 2 c. biscuit/baking mix (like Bisquick)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 c. evaporated milk
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp grated orange peel
• ½ c. chopped fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries
• Syrup or topping of choice (see Notes above for ideas)


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the baking mix, sugar, and baking powder. In another bowl, shisk the eggs, egg yolk, milk, orange juice and peel. Stir into dry ingredient just until blended. Batter will be thin. Fold in chopped cranberries.

2. Drop batter by ¼ cupfuls into a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with desired topping.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

NOTES:

• We made the dough and frosting on a Saturday night and put both in the fridge. In the morning, I preheated the oven, set the pans of rolls on the stovetop to warm to room temp then baked for about 15 minutes and topped with the frosting. What a delicious Sunday morning treat!
• Use the same recipe to make dinner rolls (follow through the beginning of step 4). Form balls with hands and place in greased cake pans, leaving about 1 inch between balls. Let rise again in pans like recipe below before baking.
• I use a butter cream frosting for my rolls but feel free to use your favorite frosting or icing.

INGREDIENTS - Rolls
• 1 pkg yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
• ¼ c. warm water
•1 skim or low fat c. milk, scalded (heated over medium heat until bubbles form at edges)
• ¼ c. shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ c. sugar
• 3 ½ c. flour
• 1 egg
• ¾ c. packed brown sugar
• ¼ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 c. butter, softened or melted

INGREDIENTS – Butter cream frosting
• 1/3 c. butter, cold and firm
• 2 c. sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp cold milk or cream

DIRECTIONS - Rolls
1. Soften yeast in ¼ c. warm water for a few minutes. In a large bowl, combine scalded milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Add about ½ of the flour and mix well.

2. Add softened yeast and egg and mix again.

3. Stir in remaining flour to make moderately soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat surface of dough then cover lid tightly and let rise in a warm place (turn on oven to 200 degrees for a few minutes then turn off and set bowl in oven) about 30 minutes or until double.

4. Punch dough down, shape into a bowl and let rise 10 minutes. (Roll into balls and place in greased cake pans, leaving 1 inch apart if making dinner rolls). While rising, mix softened or melted butter, brown sugar, ¼ c. flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Remove dough from bowl and on a floured surface, flatten slightly with hands. Roll into a large rectangle with a rolling pin to about ¼ - ½ inch thick and spread with brown sugar filling. Roll up dough tightly, starting with one long side of the rectangle and rolling towards the other long side. Seal seams and cut into 18-20 rolls using dental floss (unflavored) or thread (side thread/floss under long roll and bring up then cross and pull to pinch dough without smashing it). Place rolls in lightly greased cake pans, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in fridge overnight (or until double at room temp if making right away).

5. To make frosting (whether the night before or the morning of), beat cold butter with electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar, about ½ c. at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla then milk and beat again. Store in air-tight container and whip again before using. It can also be frozen.

6. When ready to bake rolls, remove from fridge (if making overnight) and let sit at room temp for 20 or so minutes. Preheat oven to 375 and bake rolls 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned (if necessary, cover with foil to prevent tops from burning the last few minutes). Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes in pan then invert onto cooling racks then flip onto serving plates. Spread frosting over warm rolls and serve warm.

Sweet Potato Waffles with Sweet Nut Topping

Photo from Taste of Home

NOTES

• PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE! If your kids are like my son, he wants to eat soon after getting up. On weekends we try and make fun breakfasts and save cereal for weekdays. In order not to make weekend mornings full of crying, I prep all that I can before I go to bed on Friday/Saturday night. Mix the dry ingredients in large bowl, prepare your sweet potato (I usually will cook several at a time, puree, then freeze in ½ c. portions; if you don’t feel like doing this use sweet potato baby food!) and set out your eggs, milk, butter in the front of the fridge to easily grab in the morning. I even go as far as prepping the mixer to beat the egg whites, setting out the waffle maker and the utensils I’ll need. Then in the morning it only take a few minutes to mix the batter and get a waffle cooking!
• If the sweet nut topping doesn’t appeal to you or seems like too much work (although it’s really easy), top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and whip cream or butter and maple syrup – equally as good!
• This recipe is a combination of several – waffle recipe modified from wholegraingourmet.com and topping modified from Taste of Home.


INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (this is a bit lighter than whole wheat and no one will notice you used ZERO white flour!)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients:
• 1 cup milk (use whole or 2% if you have it)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mashed/pureed baked sweet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Sweet Nut Topping (optional):
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ c. chopped pecans
• ½ c. chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla
• Dash salt
• Dash nutmeg
• Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat your waffle iron.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until well combined.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, putting whites in your mixing bowl and the yolks in a large bowl.
4. Add the milk, sour cream, mashed sweet potato, & melted butter to the egg yolks. Whisk until well combined.
5. Beat the egg whites at a high speed for about two minutes. Stiff peaks should form when you lift the beaters. Set aside.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined, but do not over mix. The batter should be nearly smooth.
7. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
8. The batter is now ready for your waffle iron. I usually spray mine lightly with oil before dropping in the batter. The amount of batter and cooking time will vary according to the size and temperature setting of your waffle iron.
9. If doing the Sweet Nut Topping: in a small skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat and add pecans & walnuts. Cook a minute or two until nuts are lightly toasted. Add remaining ingredients and cook just 30 seconds or so until sugar is dissolved. Serve over waffles with maple syrup.

Week 3, Recipe 5: Breakfast Burritos (for dinner!)

INGREDIENTS
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp veg. oil
• 6 oz chorizo sausage or hot Italian sausage
• 1 red onion, chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
• 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 c.)
• 3 green onions, sliced thin
• 6 8- to 9-inch flour tortillas
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. salsa, jarred or fresh

DIRECTIONS1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until shimmering then add sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 min. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and continue to cook until they are beginning to brown, about 5 min. Transfer the sausage mixture to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
2. Wipe the skillet clean and return to the heat. Melt the butter in the skillet, swirling to coat the pan. Add the eggs, and cook while gently pushing, lifting and folding them from one side of the pan to the other until they are nicely clumped, about 2 min. Quickly fold in the cheddar and green onion then remove the mixture from the pan. Fold in the chorizo mixture.
3. Place the tortillas in a stack wrapped in a moist clean towel and microwave until warm - about 30-45 sec. Distribute the eggs evenly among the tortillas and roll into burritos (Spread a portion of the filling in a line across each tortilla, just off center. Fold the sides of the tortilla over the filling, then roll the bottom edge of the tortilla tightly up over the filling and continue to roll into a burrito). Slice the burritos in half and serve with sour cream and salsa.