Strawberries and Cream Scones

Man this blog is such a dusty site these days!  Life is full in our neck of the woods and blogging has definitely taken a back seat.  Oh well, I'm happy when I can get on here and write, because it inspires me to get back sooner!  I found this recipe for scones last year and have already made them a lot!

The last time I made them I used boysenberries instead of strawberries and they were SO GOOD!  Definitely a versatile scone recipe, so feel free to play around with fruit or even some chocolate chips...I love a good chocolate chip scone.

I found this recipe HERE and although she calls them Strawberry Shortcake Scones, I played with the name because the main ingredients are Strawberries and Cream...so it only seemed fitting :)
I doubled the recipe which is why in my pictures I have 2 baking sheets of scones!

Strawberries and Cream Scones {makes 12 scones}

INGREDIENTS FOR SCONES: 

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 3 T. sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 T. chilled salted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (freeze butter for 30 min. and it's easier to cut)
• 2 small baskets of strawberries, hullled and quartered 
• 3/4 cup cream or half & half 

FOR GLAZE:

• 3 Cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cream or half & half
• 1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line large baking sheet with parchment; set aside. 

(*To freeze scones see note below)

In a mixing bowl, or food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Add butter and cut in with fork, or pulse with food processor until mixture resembles crumbs.  Be sure not to over mix as you don't want the butter to soften.  Toss in strawberries and coat lightly with mixture.  Add cream and fold together gently until mixture just begins to come together.  

Turn dough onto floured surface and gently pat together into a 1-inch thick rectangle.  Using a sharp knife, cut dough into six squares then cut the squarers on the diagonal to make 12 scones.  They don't have to look perfect, because they will taste amazing!!

Place scones on prepared baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes or until scones are slightly golden on top.  Place a cooling rack on top of a sheet of parchment or foil.  Once scones are finished, place them on the cooling rack for about 10 minutes.  They don't have to be completely cool before glazing.  

To make the glaze, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, cream and vanilla.  If the glaze is too thick you can add just a little more cream OR if it's too thin, just add a little more powdered sugar to find the right consistency.  

To glaze, take a large tablespoon and drizzle glaze over each scone, OR you may take each scone and dip the top of the scone into the glaze and return it to the cooling rack to set.  The parchment or foil will catch the drips.  The glaze will set when scones have cooled.  

Serve the scones warm or at room temp.  ENJOY!

*If you want to make the scones the day before, just make the 

dough, cut into shape and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Place foil on top of scones and put in freezer.  Remove from freezer just before baking and bake for about 18-20 min. or until golden on top.  

Potato-Crusted Quiche with Bacon, Mushrooms and Spinach

I'm a HUGE fan of quiche!  I could eat it any time of the day...unfortunately my family, not so much.  Which means I only get to make quiche when I'm going to a bible study, or a brunch, or hosting something at my house.  I have seen this potato crust before but never tried it.  Will definitely be doing this again, it was easy and really yummy!  If you're not into making a pie crust or have some extra potatoes lying around, give this a try.  Really sorry about the picture...I was in a hurry to take this to bible study and I didn't have time to take a decent picture!

Potato-Crusted Quiche with Bacon, Mushrooms, Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
 {recipe adapted from cookincanuck }


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. potatoes, unpeeled, cut into really thin 1/8 inch slices {I used Yukon gold potatoes}
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (packed) Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup (packed) fresh baby spinach, torn roughly
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk {I used 1/2 cup low fat milk/1/2 cup half & half}
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded {I used Parmesan/fontina blend}
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch strips

DIRECTIONS:

  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  

In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, melted butter, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.  

Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and arrange the potatoes in concentric circles on the bottom and sides of the dish.  Be sure to overlap the potatoes to avoid gaps between the potatoes after baking.  Bake until the potatoes are light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and lay on paper towel.  Pour out all but 1 tbsp. bacon drippings.  To the pan, add the mushrooms and saute about 4-6 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until barely wilted, about 30 seconds.  

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in the cooked mushrooms and spinach.  Pour the egg mixture into the potato crust.  Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes and cooked bacon evenly over the egg mixture.  Bake the quiche until the eggs are set and golden brown, 30-40 minutes.  

Fresh Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

I've been craving something like this for a while and it did not disappoint!  My parents have an orchard full of lemons, oranges and limes.  Sometimes we get overloaded and I end up having citrus fruit coming out of my ears!!  My mom and I are always searching for citrus recipes and after she made a lemon cake last weekend, she spurred my desire to make this!  I knew this recipe was a keeper the minute I took a bite.  It's moist, not too sweet, and bursting with fresh blueberries.  The glaze on the top just makes it complete.  I modified it just slightly, but the original recipe says it will also yield 12 standard muffins {baking time adjusted}, or the recipe can be doubles and baked in a bundt pan {baking time adjusted}.

LEMON-BLUEBERRY YOGURT LOAF {recipe slightly adapted from Sweet Peas Kitchen }


INGREDIENTS: {yields 1 standard loaf pan}

For the loaf:

• 1 12/ cups + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tsp. grated lemon zest, set 1 tsp. aside for the glaze {approx. 3 lemons}
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed if using frozen {I used fresh}

For the lemon syrup:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

For the lemon glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

  preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bottom and sides of 9 inch loaf pan, or butter and flour.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  

To a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a paddle attachment {if using a stand mixer}.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping sides often.  Add the yogurt, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla.  Mix well.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, gently toss the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, remove bowl from stand and gently fold the blueberries into the batter with a spatula.  

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing loaf from pan to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.  While loaf is baking, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes.  Remove from the heat; set aside.

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf {after it's cooled 10 minutes}.  Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup.  Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again {I didn't quite use all of the syrup}. LET THE CAKE COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE ADDING THE GLAZE.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2-3 Tbsp. of the lemon juice and the lemon zest.  The mixture should be thick but pourable.  Adjust measurements if mixture is too thick or too thin.  Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides.  Let the glaze harden about 15 minutes before serving.  

Buttermilk Waffles

Made these the other night for dinner.  Served them with a side of bacon and we were all very happy.
I love making homemade waffles and this recipe has just become my favorite!  It was pretty simple even though it required whipping the egg whites. The big plus was that it makes a lot of waffles, so I was able to use up all of the batter and freeze at least 2 ziploc bags full of waffles.  Makes for the perfect quick breakfast on school days!


BUTTERMILK WAFFLES { recipe slightly adapted from And Then I do The Dishes }


INGREDIENTS: {makes about 18-20 waffles}

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 6 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

  In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda.  In another bowl combine the egg yolks, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

Preheat your waffle iron and if needed, spray with cooking spray.  While the waffle iron is preheating, beat the egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form.   Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk together.  Gently fold in egg whites.

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the batter into your waffle iron.  Be careful not to add too much...the batter will spread once it hits the hot iron...if you add too much batter, it will spill out the sides of the iron.

I like to preheat my oven to 250 degrees and have a baking sheet ready.  After the first batch of waffles are done, place on baking sheet and put in oven.  Keep making waffles until all batter is used, placing waffles on more baking sheets as needed.  

Serve immediately...we like good old syrup and powdered sugar :)

**To freeze waffles, place on cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Once frozen, put in ziploc bags and place back in freezer.  Waffles should last up to 1 month in the freezer.  

To heat frozen waffles, place in microwave for 30 seconds, then put in toaster to get crispy.

Apple Bourbon French Toast Casserole

Happy New Year!  I'm going to try to start off this new year with more recipes than I ended last year with. I took a much-needed break from my computer, but I still did a lot of cooking and baking!
New years day was so relaxing...got up late, turned on the parade and made this easy and delicious french toast casserole for my family.  It can definitely be made the night before and the recipe below shows both ways of preparing it, but it took very little time to whip up that morning!
The brown sugar sauce is a little thin when the casserole comes out of the oven, but let it sit about 10 minutes or so and it will thicken up a bit.  It was super delicious and I will definitely be making it again!  Enjoy!

Apple Bourbon French Toast Casserole ( recipe by Bake.Eat.Repeat )


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Bourbon
• 3 large apples, cored, peeled and sliced (I used granny smith)
• 1 loaf challah, or french bread, sliced in 2-inch thick slices ( I used challah, got about 6 slices)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if baking immediately).  In a small pan melt butter and sugar together.  Whisk to combine and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add bourbon, whisk and cook about 1 minute.  

Pour butter mixture into a 9 by 13 inch pan. Arrange apple slices on top.  Arrange bread slices on top of apples (**See note below) 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pour mixture over bread and slightly push down on bread.  Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, place casserole dish in oven, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until apple slices have softened and bread is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve by scooping out a piece of bread and flipping over onto plate.

**Note: if you are preparing the casserole the morning you are serving, dip bread slices into egg mixture before putting them into the pan.  Pour remaining mixture over the top of bread slices, bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  

My favorite Fall recipe...Pumpkin Bread

In the midst of my busy week, I got to take the time today to go on a field trip with my 3rd and 4th grade boys.  We saw A Christmas Carol.  Once we all got settled I thought, oh this will be nice to relax and sit for 2 hours...no excuses!  I can honestly say, it was REALLY nice to relax, let my guard down and watch a great play.  But the play wasn't just entertaining, it was actually beautiful.  To hear the voices singing about Christ being born to save us from Satan's power.  To hear Scrooge finally profess that he was willing to do what it took to become a changed man, and to see the redemption at the end.  To hear "God bless us".  It's a wonderful thing to hear when so many are afraid to utter those words in that they might offend someone.  It was a great day...

On to the recipe...The smell of this bread baking to me is what Fall is all about.  Being at home, spending time with family, staying inside on rainy days and baking some of this bread, then eating it right out of the oven!  I can honestly say, it's one of those things that when I eat this bread, it takes me right back to when I was a little girl.  My great-aunt and my mom baked this bread all of the time and I can remember my mom putting thick slices into the toaster for me, getting it a little crispy on the edges, then slathering it with butter.  It's comfort to me.  I know it's kinda silly, but it's true.  Such fond memories of holidays growing up and so thankful to have those special memories.


Pumpkin Bread {family recipe}


INGREDIENTS: {makes 2 loaves}

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 can {15 oz.) pumpkin puree
• 3 Cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Cup chopped walnuts {optional...I sometimes make 1 loaf with nuts & 1 loaf without}

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat together the first 5 ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk the next 7 ingredients.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.  If desired, add chopped nuts.  

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour.  Check for doneness at about 50 minutes...toothpick should come out clean.  You don't want to over bake.

Remove from oven, let cool in pans about 10 minutes, then pop out of pan onto a cooling rack.  Now you can take a nice big slice for yourself!  Once they are completely cooled, wrap tightly in foil.  The loaves freeze well too.  I used to freeze one and eat one, but now we eat them both too fast to freeze!  Warm slices in toaster or in microwave.  

Fresh Cranberry-Blueberry Crumble Muffins

I love it when the fresh cranberries start showing up in the stores!  Gets me excited for the holidays and I start anticipating what new recipes I'm going to try this year.  I couldn't resist putting a bag of cranberries in my basket the other day, but then I needed to figure out what I was going to do with them.  Muffins are always a hit with the kids, so I figured I'd not only put fresh cranberries in them, but also some big frozen blueberries.  I wasn't sure how that would work, but they turned out super delicious and moist!


Fresh Cranberry-Blueberry Crumble Muffins
{recipe adapted slightly from Keep your diet real}


INGREDIENTS: {makes 12 muffins}

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt, or milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal {optional}
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• small amount of flour & sugar to toss berries in

For Topping:

• 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• zest of 1/2 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Melt the butter in microwave and let cool slightly.  In a medium bowl, combine the chopped fresh cranberries and blueberries and toss with a couple tablespoons on flour and sugar.  This will help keep the fruit from bleeding into the muffin. Whisk yogurt, egg, yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then add cooled butter.  Whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the yogurt mixture and stir until just combined {don't stir too much}.  Gently fold in the cranberries and blueberries.  Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups.  

Combine the crumble topping in a separate bowl and rub with fingertips until it resembles "crumbles" then gently press down on muffin tops before placing into the oven.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool slightly before serving.

Nectarine Oatmeal Coffee Cake with Brown sugar Topping

Well, we got through our first two days of school!  The kids started school on Thurs. which is really foreign to me, but I have to admit, it was nice to welcome the weekend yesterday!  I now have a 4th grader, 3rd grader, and a 1st grader (sniff, sniff).  It blows my mind to think of how fast my little ones are growing and makes me realize more and more that every day with them counts!
I have bittersweet feelings when school begins, but seeing how much they enjoy their teachers, friends and school, it gives me a huge sense of relief.

Anyway, I figured I'd dust off my cooking skills and make something yummy for breakfast this morning!
I had a few nectarines on the counter and thought a coffee cake would be good and some nice thick cut bacon to go along with it!
I actually altered this recipe quite a bit.  It was originally a muffin recipe, but thought I'd pour it into a 9 inch square pan.  Then I added a brown sugar topping that made this coffee cake extra special!
A couple of tips:  use any fresh or frozen fruit you'd like...blueberries, peaches, raspberries, etc.
Also, if you'd rather make muffins, I think they would turn out great and they'd freeze well too!
Last, be sure not to mix the batter too much.  This was a very fluffy cake, but if you mix it too much it will change the texture.  Just fold lightly!

Nectarine Oatmeal Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Topping 
{adapted from Easy Breakfast and Brunch cookbook}


INGREDIENTS: {Makes one 9-inch cake or 12 muffins}

• 1 1/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour {you can easily substitute 1/2 wheat flour}
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 almost ripe nectarines, pitted and flesh cut into large chunks 

Brown Sugar Topping:

• 4 Tbsp. butter, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

*Mix together with fingers until it becomes a crumbly consistency

DIRECTIONS:

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch baking dish {I used my pampered chef stoneware}.  

Put the rolled oats and buttermilk in a large bowl and let soak for 10 minutes.  Add the egg, melted butter, and sugar and mix well.

In a medium bowl whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Pour the flour mixture into the soaked oat mixture and stir briefly.  Quickly fold in the chopped nectarines.  The batter should look streaky...DO not over mix or the cake will become tough and dry!  

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the brown sugar topping all over.  

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, checking after 20 minutes with a toothpick.  Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into large slices and serve with some crispy bacon and a big cup of coffee!

Frittata Caprese

Frittata's are fun and easy.  Any combination of vegetables, or meat, or cheese can work in a frittata.  There's no rules...which can be really freeing for someone who doesn't do well with following a recipe {like me}.

I wanted to use the basil from my garden, which is growing in abundance, along with my zucchinis.  A little mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and voila...it tasted like a caprese salad, only warm.  Which is why I named this frittata caprese.  Frittata's are great to make for breakfast, lunch or even dinner.  I made this frittata with my blueberry buckle and it made for a perfect lazy saturday breakfast.

Frittata Caprese {serves 4}

INGREDIENTS: 

• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk or half and half
• 1-2 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 Tbsp. fresh basil, divided and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 oz. mozzarella, cut in chunks
• olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

  Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set aside.  Heat a 10 inch non-stick {oven-proof} skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Once pan is hot, add zucchini and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and let cook about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and stir until tomatoes have softened, just another minute or so {you don't want tomatoes to get too mushy}.  Remove the vegetables from pan and place on a plate.  Add 1 more Tbsp. of olive oil to hot pan.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add whisked egg mixture.  Let eggs cook for a couple of minutes and then place the sautéed vegetables and mozzarella chunks evenly into the eggs.  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of the fresh basil and then place in oven.  Cook in oven 5-10 minutes or until eggs have fully set and feel slightly firm to touch.  You don't want the top to brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. fresh basil.  Slice into large triangles and serve warm.  If you have leftovers, it also tastes great re-heated for lunch the next day!  

  

Blueberry Buckle. Summer is here.

I couldn't resist.  Our first official day of Summer vacation and I'm in the kitchen making breakfast.  I had to celebrate with something that we love...food.  More specifically...breakfast!  I rolled out of bed at the crack of 8:30 {a miracle for me}and came into the kitchen with an idea.  Blueberries and cake. 

Fresh blueberries are one of my favorite fruits.  They have to be nice and firm with a tiny bit of tartness.  I bought a pound of organic blueberries at one of our local grocery stores to use for baking.  

The smells throughout the house were amazing!  I made a frittata {I'll blog about that later}, a big pot of coffee, and sat down with my plate of food.  What a nice way to start off our vacation! 

Blueberry Buckle {recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour}

INGREDIENTS: 

Topping:

• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/2 Cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into chunks

Batter:

• 2 Cups All-Purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk {you can use regular milk instead}
• 2 cups fresh blueberries {you can use frozen too}

Directions:

  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter and flour 9 inch square baking dish or a 9 inch cake pan.  

To make the topping, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add cold butter chunks and crumble with your finger tips until the mixture becomes very crumbly.  Set aside.

To make the batter, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk thoroughly.  In another bowl, or your electric mixer, combine butter and sugar.  Beat until nice and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until creamy.  Alternately add the milk and flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture.  Mix gently, just until combined, ending with the flour mixture.  If you used your electric mixer, you will want to do the rest using a spatula.  Add blueberries and gently fold into your batter, making sure not to break up any of the fruit.  

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle crumble topping evenly over the entire cake batter.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit at elate 5 minutes...if you can wait that long!

Caramelized French Toast

I know I've mentioned before that I have a deep love for breakfast.  The smells, the comfort, it's all there for me!  With this being spring break week for us, the joy of cooking a nice breakfast for my kids is that I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to prepare it, and we don't have to shove it down our throats before we rush out of the house.  It's more relaxed...the way I like it!
So I bought 2 loaves of Challah bread from Trader Joes over the weekend.  This bread is delicious all by itself, but it makes the perfect french toast as well.  The buttery texture and sweetness of the bread makes it easy, because there's not much that needs to be added to make it a perfect french toast.
I made an overnight baked french toast with the first loaf for Easter morning and this morning I made the caramelized french toast.  Very quick and easy and the raw sugar gives the french toast this wonderful crunchy, chewy, caramely texture.


Caramelized French Toast {my recipe}

INGREDIENTS: {serves 4-6}

• 1 loaf Challah bread, cut into 1-1/2 inch slices {or any other french bread}
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk {I used half and half }
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup raw {turbinado} sugar
• butter for skillet

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pie plate, mix together the eggs, milk, salt, and vanilla.  In another plate, mix the raw sugar and cinnamon.  

Heat a large skillet to medium.  Add butter {generously}.  Dip the bread, one at a time, in the egg mixture, then sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the bread {both sides} and rub it around with your fingers.  You don't want too much of the sugar mixture on your bread, because it will burn in the pan and give you "burnt sugar" french toast.  Place the bread on the buttered skillet and cook until golden brown {watch to be sure the sugar doesn't burn}, then turn and cook a little longer {about 1-2 min. per side}.  

Place finished french toast side by side on a large plate.  Do not stack them because they will stick to each other.  Serve warm with syrup or berries. 

Challah bread sliced up

eggs, milk, salt, vanilla

Here's the raw sugar and cinnamon mixture

frying em up...

Fresh Cranberry-Lemon Scones

  I've been on a scone baking kick lately.  I just can't get over how easy they are to make!  I made these up a coulee days before hosting a brunch at my house.  I did a quick freeze, then put them in a ziploc freezer bag and pulled them out 2 days later when I was ready to bake them.  I'm learning how to manage my time better when I'm having company over, so I can enjoy more of the day and not be so consumed by the mess I'm making!  These are such a great thing to make right now with the fresh cranberries being in season.  

Fresh Cranberry and Lemon Scones {adapted from Smitten Kitchen}

INGREDIENTS: {makes 12-15 scones}

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest {from about 2 lemons}
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 3 Tbsp. additional for fresh cranberries
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 stick {6 Tbsp.} cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped if desired
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a zester, remove zest from lemons, reserving lemons for the glaze.  In a food processor, pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.  {You can also do this by hand, fork, or using a pastry cutter}.  In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 Tbsp. sugar and stir into flour mixture.  In another bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.  

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough int a 1-inch-thick round {about 8 inches in diameter} and with a 2-inch round cutter dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, re-rolling scraps as necessary.  {I chose to cut mine into triangles to make the most of the dough}.  Arrange rounds or triangles about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden.  

***If you choose to freeze the scones before baking:  Cut out dough and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Quickly place in freezer until hardened.  Once hard, place scones in a freezer bag and put in freezer until you're ready to bake.  Bake them right from the freezer, adding 3-5 extra minutes baking time.  

To glaze scones:

Remove scones from oven and place on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath. 

Whisk Together:  1 Cup powdered sugar, 1-2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice and enough zest to equal about 2 tsp.  **You don't what the glaze to be too thin, so add more powdered sugar if it becomes too thin.  Using a spoon, drizzle glaze over each scone and allow to harden about 5 minutes.  Serve while still warm!

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

I've never been much of a scone kind of girl.  They're usually loaded with calories and fat, which I'd much rather use up on a piece of chocolate cake, or a brownie, or yes, even an occasional donut!  Then I found out that there are actually ways of making a "healthier" scone without compromising taste and flavor...who knew?!!  I found this recipe at multiplydelicious and with a little tweaking of my own, I was totally satisfied!  I happened to be going to a friends house that day, so I took some with me.  I love trying new recipes out on my friends!  This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze {makes 10-12 scones}
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour {or you could use 1 cup white/ 1 cup whole wheat}
• 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup canned organic pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 large egg

Maple Glaze:

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS:

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or pulse in food processor until crumbly; set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, syrup, milk and egg. Fold pumpkin mixture into flour and stir until combined.  Don't over-mix!  At this point, if you have the time, it would be best to place the dough in the refrigerator {covered in plastic wrap} for about 10-20 minutes.  It's really sticky dough and will help with the rolling process.  If you don't have time, it will still work fine!  

Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick circle.  Use a round cutter or the edge of a round glass to cut circles out.  Re-roll any extra dough and make more circles.  Place circles on prepared baking sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.  

Place the scones on a wire rack to cool.  While scones are cooling, mix glaze together by combining powdered sugar, maple syrup and 2 Tbsp. of milk in a small bowl.  Mix together and add more milk until glaze comes to a drizzling consistency.  

Once scones have cooled slightly drizzle icing over.  Serve warm!

Raspberry Bars

We love raspberry jam! We usually eat it on sourdough toast in the morning for breakfast, but lately I've been thinking about doing more with that raspberry jam then just spreading it on toast. So, I browsed some recipes the other day, but ended up making up one of my own. Not that this same thing hasn't been made before, but I figured I'd base the recipe on that crumbly topping you make for a fruit crisp. Nothing compares to that buttery, crispy topping!

So, I got out what I had in the pantry (which is why I like this kind of recipe) and went to work.

They smelled soooo good while they were baking and they're WAY too hot to eat right out of the oven...trust me, I tried and I burned my tongue!

Truth be told, I made these on Saturday night so we could grab them on our way to church Sunday morning. They may not be the "healthiest" breakfast, but they do have oats AND whole wheat flour! Make these bars the day or evening before, let them cool then cut into squares and grab one in the morning for breakfast or pack them as a snack for your kiddos!

Raspberry Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in 1 in. cubes
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 jar (13 oz) Raspberry Jam (I used Bonne Maman Brand)

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 in. pan with parchment paper, allowing sides to hang over (to easily lift out bars). Butter parchment paper then set aside. Measure ingredients and in a large food processor add flour, oats, brown sugar, salt & cinnamon. Pulse until combined then add in butter cubes; Pulse until small crumbs form.

Set aside 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Dump remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of buttered 9 by 13 pan. Press lightly. Open jam jar and heat in microwave for 20 seconds, just to soften the jam a little. Pour the jam onto the bottom crumb mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cup crumb mix on top of jam. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25 min. Let cool completely in pan then lift out of pan using the extended parchment paper and place on cutting board. Cut into squares.

Summer Vegetable Frittata

IT'S VACATION TIME!!!! It's finally hit me that we will be in Maui very, very soon! Sunscreen and bathing suits are on the checklist...oh, and cleaning out the refrigerator too. I can't stand coming back from a trip to find soggy vegetables in the fridge. That's why this weekend I woke up with an idea of what to do with all of the farmer's market finds from this week. Seriously, this recipe can be made with any combination of vegetables, meat, cheese that you like. I had all of my favorite's on hand, along with a fresh log of goat cheese! So, if you're heading out of the house for a summer trip and need to get rid of those veggies, do yourself a favor and cook up a frittata. Super easy and delicious!

Cleaning out the fridge...

INGREDIENTS:

• 8- large eggs, well beaten
• 1-small bunch asparagus spears, tops trimmed. Cut into 2 inch long spears.
• half pkg. button mushrooms, sliced
• 3-scallions, sliced. Reserve 1 Tbsp. for garnish
• 3-Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, chopped
• 1-cup fresh baby spinach, washed & torn
• 1/2-log goat cheese, crumbled
• 2-Tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• 3-Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
• 1/2-cup shredded parmesan cheese for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10 inch OVEN PROOF saute pan, heat olive oil to medium. Add asparagus, mushrooms & scallions and toss until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and stir until heated through. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour beaten eggs into pan and cook for just a few minutes, gently lifting up edges for egg to set. Crumble goat cheese on top and using hot-pads, transfer to oven. Cook 8 minutes, or until eggs are set. Garnish with reserved chives, parsley and parmesan cheese. Cut into wedges and serve immediately or at room temperature.

Baked Oatmeal...oh so good!

Oh soooo good!!!! I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this recipe! This warm & cozy breakfast/snack recipe comes from a cookbook that was put out by our church, which has recipes compiled from many of the women (past & present). A sweet lady submitted this recipe and I've been eyeing it for a while. We've had a lot of fog & cold mornings here on the coast lately, so I decided one morning to bake this oatmeal up for my kiddos. It was super easy and I fell in love with it instantly. The kids really enjoyed it too (no mushy-ness).

I mean, regular old oatmeal can get pretty boring sometimes, but Baked Oatmeal will never be boring in my book! Try it on a cold morning and then heat up leftovers for a snack or for the next morning.

INGREDIENTS: (adapted recipe)

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

Mix eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the egg mixture; stir in milk. Bake in a greased 9 by 13 baking dish at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with a little milk & maybe a sprinkle of brown sugar on top or some fresh berries.

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

This is a recipe that my mom has been making for a really long time! I've always loved this cake because it smells soooo incredibly good as it's baking!! As I got older and started making this cake on my own I realized how incredibly EASY it is also! There aren't many ingredients, so it's quick to prepare. I have made this cake for breakfast, brunches, dessert, pretty much for anything.

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:

• 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (I use good old betty crocker)
• 1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 1/3 Cup water
• 2 eggs

INGREDIENTS FOR STREUSEL:

• 1/2 Cup flour
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

INGREDIENTS FOR GLAZE:

• 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS:

Beat cake ingredients together with mixer for 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread 3/4 of the batter in greased & floured (or sprayed) 10 inch Bundt Pan.

Combine streusel ingredients. Sprinkle 2/3 Cup streusel over batter. Spread remaining batter over streusel and top with remaining streusel. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool 25 minutes then remove from pan by inverting onto serving plate.

Whisk together glaze then drizzle over cooled cake.

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

All I have to say is A-MAZING! This recipe came from The Pioneer Woman http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/petite-vanilla-bean-scones/and they do NOT disappoint! If you make these, you will want to make them over and over and over! Yes, vanilla beans are a little pricey, but they really make these scones taste amazing!!

I made them up the night before then threw them in the oven the next morning. Or you could probably even freeze the cut dough and then bake them whenever you want.

Here's the recipe from The Pioneer Woman:

INGREDIENTS:

• SCONES
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• ⅔ cups Sugar
• 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
• 1 whole Large Egg
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans
• GLAZE
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean
• Dash Of Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Epic Cinnamon Rolls

EPIC CINNAMON ROLLS (*Taken from Gold Medal Flour Recipe)

*This recipe is for Bread Machine...I really hope you have one so you can give it a try! These may seem difficult, but if you have time to do them the day before, then once they have doubled in size, you can pop them (covered) in the fridge overnight. Next morning just throw them in the oven!!

YOU WON'T BE DISSAPIONTED!!

ROLLS:

• 1 Cup warm Milk (105-115 degrees)
• 2 eggs (room temp.)
• 1/3 Cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 2 pkgs. quick active dry yeast

FILLING:

• 1 Cup packed brown sugar (I used Organic)
• 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/3 Cup butter, softened

FROSTING:

• 3 oz. Cream Cheese, softenend
• 1/4 Cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar (I used Organic)
• 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

*Select Dough cycle on your bread machine. Once the breadmachine is done, remove dough onto lightly floured surface. Cover & let rest 10 min. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

*Grease bottom and sides of 9 by 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Roll dough into 20 by 16-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 Cup butter over dough; sprinkle evenly with brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough, beginning at 20-inch side; pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Cut into 12 slices. Place in pan. Cover and let rise in warm place 35-45 min. or until almost doubled in size.

*Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in med. bowl, beat all frosting ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and spreadable. Let rolls stand 5 minutes before frosting. Spread frosting over warm rolls.

Ingredients for Rolls

Dough, rolled out with butter & brown sugar mixture

Rolls just sliced (Once they have doubled, they will fit tightly in pan)