Foodie Friday--Strata or Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is called Strata—no, I have no idea where the name came from—or breakfast casserole, or simply baked eggy-bready-cheesy-goodness-made-from-refrigerator-leftovers.

Whatever it’s called, it’s yummy.

The beauty of this breakfast casserole is that you can make it any way you want. If you want to go a little Italian, then brown Italian sausage (mild or spicy) and add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Or make it using diced ham or bacon, instead of sausage. Add browned onions, or grape tomatoes, diced poblano or jalapeno peppers, or sauté spinach, drain and chop it. If you want more smoky spice then add chipotle powder. Or if you want a herbier type of casserole, add dried sage. Use whatever you happen to have on hand, it doesn’t matter. All you need is the basic eggs, milk, bread and cheese, leave the rest to your imagination.

This recipe calls for white bread slices, but I don’t like white bread, so I used a ½ loaf of French Country bread (weighed—about 8-10 ounces), or use Italian bread, or French bread, it doesn’t really matter. The staler the better since the eggy mixture is absorbed into the bread, like soaking French Toast.

The cheese can be whatever cheese you like. If you don’t have any idea what to use, use a sharp cheddar as the flavor will be a little stronger. And no, the cheese quantity is optional. Personally, I use far more cheese in my strata recipe than recommended . . . like two or three times the amount. This recipe is the perfect way of getting rid of those little chunks of random cheese left over from other recipes. I used a white cheddar cheese and a Mexican cheese blend, but I plan to use my leftover Gruyere and Fontina cheese the next time I make this recipe, which will be Christmas day . . . er, actually, I’ll make it Christmas Eve, but it will soak overnight before I bake it on Christmas day.  

Enjoy!

 

Strata or Breakfast Casserole

8 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. white pepper

2 cups milk

1 lb. bulk sausage, browned and degreased

6 slices of bread, cubed, about 8 cups

2 cup cheese, grated 

Fry sausage, breaking apart until cooked. Drain fat, blot excess fat with paper towels. Set aside. Cube bread. Set aside.

In large bowl, whisk eggs, salt, mustard, and pepper. Whisk in milk. Fold in grated cheese and bread.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake Strata for 35 minutes until browned and set.

Serve immediately.

 

Tips & Tricks

·         Use LARGE eggs

·         I don’t drink regular milk; 2% milk works fine. I added a little cream to the milk to give it a slightly higher fat content.

·         Use spray oil for the pan. It’s easier

·         When I baked this for my work gang, I put the casserole in a cold oven and turned it on to 350 degrees while I showered and dressed. I wasn’t about to putter around while waiting for the oven to preheat.  I added 15-20 minutes to the stated baking time and kept an eye on it toward the end.

·         The dry mustard and white pepper give the casserole a little zing. Put your own spin on the basic recipe. Add whatever seasonings you feel like.  

 

Foodie Friday -- Crockpot Oatmeal

I found this recipe on Facebook, but I tweaked it numerous times to make it a thick-and-gooey oatmeal instead of runny oatmeal.

Super easy to throw the ingredients together the night before, set the temperature to “Low” on the crockpot, and go to bed. Breakfast is ready 8 hours later.

Sorry, no picture. Since we tend to like lots of cinnamon in our oatmeal, it didn't take an appetizing picture. 

Crockpot Oatmeal

4 Granny Smith apples, cored and peeled, chopped into large chunks

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 heaping Tbls cinnamon

1 tsp Kosher salt

2 cups oatmeal

3 cups water

Place chopped apples on the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon and salt on top. Add oatmeal and water. DO NOT STIR. Plug in crockpot and set timer to low.

Next morning, stir and adjust seasoning (more salt/cinnamon/sugar). If too runny, add ¼ cup instant cook oatmeal. 

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks:

• ·         Stick with a tart apple. Granny Smiths are awesome for cooking. My chunks were ½ -3/4  –inch thick. The first time I made this I diced the apples. They were too small and simply melted into the oatmeal. We like the chunks.
• ·         We like cinnamon, so I added quite a bit. The original recipe only calls for 1 tsp. which isn’t nearly enough.
• ·         We used a mixture of dark brown sugar and light brown sugar (it was what was left in the bags). My hubby didn’t care for the slight molasses flavor that the dark brown sugar leaves. Your choice.
• ·         The first time I made this, I couldn’t figure out what was missing the next morning . . . until I added a couple of large pinches of Kosher salt.  Err on the side of less salt and adjust the seasoning the next morning when you taste it.
• ·         This time I used a mixture of steel-cut oats and regular quick oats. The steel-cut are supposed to be healthier, but I don’t think they cooked down as much as regular oatmeal would, as there were tiny bits of chewiness.
• ·         The original recipe called for 3-4 cups of water, but it was too runny. If you have some quick oats you can use them to thicken it up, or go slightly less with the water. It’s hard to tell how much the apples will juice.

Foodie Friday -- 7-UP Biscuits

Today was a snow day and all the schools were out, so I decided to try this biscuit recipe I saw on Facebook.

Now, I will mention that numerous people would post recipes on FB, but they were encrypted and you had to 'share' the recipe to get it. Well, my friends, home girl here doesn't play that game, and I found a way around this trick. This technique is right up there with chain letters, "SHARE" unless you want to go to He%%, or other such crap that people come up with.

Oh, and I found a way to copy the recipe . . .

I will also mention that I've made biscuits about three times in my entire life. Usually, I buy a can from the store and pop it open for fresh biscuits, or even buy the little hockey pucks in the freezer section.

This is a simple recipe requiring only four items. You might need to tweak the oven temps depending on your oven.

Makes 20-24 biscuits depending on thickness.

7-UP Biscuits

4 cups of Bisquick

1 cup sour cream

1 cup 7-UP soda

1/2 cup melted butter

 

Melt butter in two 9 X 13 pans.

 

Mix Bisquick, sour cream, and 7-UP. It will be very soft and loose. Knead and fold dough on flat surface using Bisquick to keep it from sticking. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using round cutter. Slosh melted butter around pans and pour excess into bowl. Place biscuits in pan and brush with excess butter. Bake 400 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes.

 

Tips & Tricks:

• I used glass Pyrex pans
• I made these biscuits 2 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/2-3/4 inch deep
• I ended up with 22 biscuits using these measurements
• Don't over crowd the pans. 12 biscuits per pan ended up being a good amount.
• The original recipe called for the oven to be 425, but I thought it would brown too quickly . . .it did one of my batches. 

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday -- Monkey Bread

I've been wanting to make Monkey Bread for a long time, but I've always been missing the key ingredient--Biscuits.

I never buy biscuits, but when I do, I buy the expensive, overly large, flaky ones. You don't need those biscuits for this recipe. Any old cheap cans will work quite well.

And if you trust your kid with a knife, this is the perfect recipe for them to bake.

Monkey Bread

4 cans biscuits

1 cup sugar

1 Tbls cinnamon, or more

2 sticks butter (16 oz)

½ cup brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Prepare tube pan by coating inside of pan with vegetable spray (Pam).

Place sugar and cinnamon into resealable plastic bag (Ziploc). Shake to mix. Set aside.

Place butter and brown sugar in heavy saucepan.  Turn on low to melt butter.

Open two cans of biscuits, separate biscuits and cut into quarters. Place cut pieces into bag, seal and shake bag to coat each piece of dough. Shake excess sugar off dough pieces and evenly place into prepared pan.

Repeat above with remaining biscuits. I added about another teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture before tossing the biscuit pieces. 

Turn up heat on sugar/butter mixture on stove. Boil 2-3 minutes, until foamy. Immediately pour over dough.

Place pan in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  When brown, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Place large plate over top of pan and flip over to remove monkey bread . . . allowing ooey-gooey goodness to roll down the sides of bread.

Rip apart and devour.

Hints & Suggestions:

·        Find the cheapest cans of biscuits you can. They don’t need to look pretty if you’re cutting them into quarters.

·        I used a pretty Bundt pan instead of a boring old tube pan.

·        I added more cinnamon to the sugar before tossing the second batch of cut biscuits because the previous biscuits had removed almost all the cinnamon.

·        If you need to bake longer, then do, but you risk the ‘sauce’ caramelizing and burning in the bottom of the pan.

·        I didn’t have a plate large enough to place over the Bundt pan, so I used a Christmas tray. J

Enjoy!

Later, Peeps!

 

 

 

Weighty Wednesday -- Bueno for Breakfast

As I'm sitting at my computer, with a fresh cup of coffee, to write my Weighty Wednesday post, the house is quiet, but thunder is booming outside and I'm thankful my hubby mowed the lawn last night because it will soon become a mucky mess with all this rain.

I'm pondering the day as the kidlet wants to swim this morning, but the swim team certainly won't be swimming outside at McClure, and I am highly doubtful that I'll be getting a walk in anytime soon!

I don't have a treadmill, you know. I love walking. I love walking outside. Walking in thunder, lightening and pouring rain . . . not so much.

Which brings me back to my cup of coffee. I take a cautious sip. It's cooled off enough for me to drink and write this blog.

I'm hesitant to write this blog.

Not because I've gained some weight back -- because I have.

Or because I'm quitting Weight Watchers -- I have NOT.

But because I'm not as tuned into this particular WW-related, just discussed topic. I think I'm stuck on the semantics of the topic, not the underlying idea behind their reasoning for this convo . . .

BREAKFAST

When I was growing up, breakfast meant a small glass of orange juice and a bowl of Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms cereal. Or if you were very unlucky, Wheaties, with their tiny flakes of cardboard.

The thought of breakfast conjures up these images.

Though I might like eating Lucky Charms marshmallows, I'm not as much of a fan of cereals as I used to be.

So, what's the dealio with eating breakfast?

The whole idea is to break your fast, thus the name. But what if you aren't hungry? Or you don't want to immediately eat when you wake up? Or the thought of trying to make a full breakfast is overwhelming?

Here's my interpretation of the situation:

• Americans tend to starve themselves and then gorge on food--This forces the body to make constant and HUGE adjustments with insulin and other regulatory hormones.
• We tend to eat more highly processed foods, read simple "carbs" here -- simple carbs simply do NOT stick with you for very long. Ever eat a huge pancake breakfast but find yourself starving only hours later?
• Or we skip breakfast, substituting a cup of coffee or whatever --skipping is just as bad as eating the wrong thing because the body goes into 'starvation mode'.

Just because it's called a 'meal', it doesn't have to be a major undertaking. The key is to have something with staying power, in other words--protein.

Now, many WW suggestions involved more than one healthy guidelines food choices, such as:

• Fat free Greek yogurt mixed with fresh fruit and a little granola -- the yogurt gives you the protein and dairy, the fruit provides the carbs and sweetness, and the granola a little bit of grain. Be careful with granola--it tends to be high in fat and carbs along with the fiber.
• Whole wheat low carb tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, veggies and some cheese -- same situation here. A little bit of food from every food group to give you something to hold you until lunch.

I'm a fan of bananas. Many times I'll drink my coffee and go for my walk before I come home to eat something. I almost always eat a banana. And if I'm still hungry, I'll eat about 1/2 cup of Fat Free Greek yogurt with cinnamon added. Or make a strawberry-banana smoothie with fat free milk, some yogurt, frozen strawberries and a banana. And if I want to add more protein, I'll add some Greek yogurt.

The key is to get some fuel into your system.

One a totally different, and yet related note--Have you ever watched a slender person eat?

Many times you will see them constantly eating. They also stop eating when they are comfortably full, but then you'll see them eat two hours later.

So how do they do it? How do they stay skinny if they are eating all the time?

Notice it's what they eat along with HOW they eat.

They are eating the same amount of food in very small doses. They are keeping their blood sugar levels at a 'steady state'. Now, this doesn't mean it's at one level constantly, what this means is that they don't have the extreme highs or lows.-- they are constantly fueling their engines, like you do when you drive a car for long distances.

You don't gun the car to accelerate to 70 mph, only to coast down to 0 mph and then gun it again, do you?

No, it isn't efficient. Once you accelerate to 70 mph, you keep your car at that speed by constantly giving it fuel.

Think about it.

Later, Peeps!

Foodie Friday -- Blueberry Buckle

Yes, I'm off a day, so sue me.

Next year, I'll have random Foodie days, instead of just Fridays. Well, that's just one of the concepts that I'm thinking of changing on this blog. Gotta switch it up every now and then, right?

I'll be spending the next few days revamping my blog and updating the links, etc. It won't be too drastic, but I want to be ready to ring in the New Year with a new attitude!

 

Today, I'm posting a recipe for Blueberry Buckle. I had totally forgotten about this recipe until I realized I had a passel of mushy blueberries. They just weren't that tasty, so I needed to do something about it, thus this recipe. Yes, it's my mom's recipe. No, I have no idea where it came from.

 

Blueberry Buckle

 

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup shortening
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 cups well-drained blueberries

Mix sugar, shortening and egg thoroughly together. Stir in milk. Sift and stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Carefully fold in blueberries. Spread in a greased and floured 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes.

Topping:

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup soft butter

Mix together.

Easy to throw together at a moment's notice . . .and the baking time gives you enough time to cook some bacon, make some cheesy eggs, orange juice and whatever else your heart desires.

Enjoy!

 

Weighty Wednesday -- To Have or Have NOT, Breakfast, that is

Okay, what I'm about to tell you goes against everything you've heard for years, and what the media is brain-washing you into doing.

It's radical thinking, but I think y'all can handle the concept.

Let's start with the concept that I'm sure we all grew up believing. When we get up, we were told that we must eat a breakfast meal.

First let's break it down. The term breakfast is made from two words, break + fast. To break your fast from your previous meal. I don't know about you, but from the time I last ate until I get up in the morning, there isn't must fasting going on. Oh, there's a lack of eating, but nothing that would indicate a fast.

I'm certainly NOT HUNGRY when I wake up.

And for those of you who haven't had your morning cup o' Joe, I highlighted the key words in the previous sentence.

Now, let's break down the next word in the term breakfast meal. A meal indicates you should have products from all food groups. The last time I saw a commercial that advertised a balanced breakfast, the plate held an egg, bacon, bowl of fresh fruit, two slices of whole wheat toast with a pat of butter, a bowl of cereal AND a glass of orange juice.

Personally, I don't even want to think about how many calories, or Weight Watcher points, in THAT particular combination. I'd be busted for the rest of the day and hungry about three hours later.

Look at the commercial with the lady on the couch with her husband and her two taste 'buds' trying to get her to eat fattening donuts. She picks up a bowl of cereal and then appeases her 'buds'. Okay, fine, it's a commercial trying to get you to buy their cereal . . . but did you really look at the serving size of that bowl?? Easily 2-3 servings.

This is where it pays off knowing correct portions.

For over a century, companies have been trying to get you, the consumer, to buy their products, i. e. breakfast cereals. Yes, even I ate Lucky Charms as recently as last year, but when I started eating the marshmallows out of the box in the middle of the day, I knew it was time to get rid of the boxes!

Companies hire health gurus--not naming any names here, but keyword is 'oatmeal'--to push their products. If so-and-so eats it, it must be good for me.

For years I worried that I could pinch more than an inch, therefore I need to buy this other cereal product . . . for the record, I'm at my healthy weight and I can still pinch more than an inch.

Even farm families don't sit down to a big meal when they first get up. They have chores to do. Besides, if they ate when the first got up, who do you think would have to get up an hour earlier to start the biscuits?? Mom. And I don't think that's fair at all to poor old mom! The animals have to be fed, milked, and stalls mucked out. Once the chores are through, it's time for the humans to eat. By that time they've worked up a hunger because they've been burning calories.

So here's my radical thought:

If you wake up and you aren't hungry, DON'T EAT.

Yeah, crazy-talk I know.

And who says you have to eat breakfast immediately? Oh, yeah, "they" do.

And who says you have to eat oatmeal, yogurt, or a bowl of cereal? Oh, yeah, "they" do.

And who says you have to eat a meal for breakfast, other than your mom because she was brain-washed a long, long time ago? Oh, yeah, "they" tell you.

And who are "they"?

Paid endorsers, manufacturing companies, the government, etc.

All I'm saying is that you need to pay attention to the signals your body is giving you. If you're hungry, eat. But if you aren't hungry, wait to eat until you are hungry.

And just because you grew up eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast, it doesn't mean you have to now. Many times, I'll eat a banana for breakfast and be fine. Sometimes I'll eat a little 0% fat Greek yogurt with a touch of brown sugar Splenda. Or you could make a single egg omelet with veggies and a touch of cheese, or a smoothie made from skim milk and fruit/veg.

And many times my breakfast comes after I finish my morning walk and shower . . . at 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning. And I'm awake between 5:30 and 6:00 every day. Oh, I do have a morning cup of coffee with a touch of artificial sweetener, but I don't eat.

I don't eat because I'm not hungry.

This is one of America's biggest problems. We eat because it's 'time' to eat. We need to start to take cues from our bodies and not the clock on the wall, or the commercial on the TV.

And those are my radical thoughts for the day.

Later, Peeps!

Breakfast Apple Cake--redo

I woke up at the abominable hour of 3:20 AM. I lay in bed until I decided that I wasn't getting back to sleep again and proceeded to haul my sorry a$$ out of bed at 4:05. After a cup of coffee, a little FB surfing and email reading, I decided to read a couple of chapters of THE HOBBIT. This is about the gazillionth time I've read this story, but I needed to read my new copy prior to the release of the first movie due out in Dec 2012. I also organized my WW blog posts so I can get to town on my non-fiction story.

Sometime during these last two hours, I decided to make Breakfast Apple Cake for the family. Usually, they wake up around 8:00-8:30 and want a coffee cake for breakfast. I usually have to break it to them that coffee cake tends to take 45-60 min. to bake, then they opt for pancakes. This time I'm thinking ahead! I had everything on hand, except raisins, but I'm not much of a raisin fan so no loss.

Plus my poor kidlet has been fighting a cold all week and this was the first day she could actually sleep past 6:10.

When I went to link the recipe to the title, I realized that the one posted was the lower calorie one with Splenda and applesauce. If you want that recipe, here's the link.

Erm . . . here's the real recipe.

Breakfast Apple Cake

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick-nuked in 30 second intervals until melted)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup raisins (omitted)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)
2 1/2 cups peeled apples, small diced (2 med. Granny Smith's green apples)
1 Tbls. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 x 8 square pan with cooking spray.

Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Add melted butter (cooled), eggs and raisins. Fold in vanilla, nuts, and apples. Pour into prepared pan, spread flat. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in center of cake.
It took about 35 min. in a glass Pyrex dish in my gas oven.

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Cheesy Eggs and Ebelskivers

Last Sunday morning, I came up with the best plan EVER!!  After church--we go early to an 8:30 mass--I told the family that I would start cooking brunch if they changed the sheets on the beds and started cleaning the house . . . and they BOUGHT IT!!

Yes, my friends, I cooked. But then again, I thoroughly enjoy cooking, but hate housecleaning. So while they slaved away upstairs, I diced an apple and made a filling for the ebelskiver batter, cooked some bacon and made cheesy eggs while the ebelskivers cooked.

Win-win . . . for me, even with cleaning up the dishes.

What was that?

You don’t know what ebelskivers are?

-- I will preface this discussion by saying that I have virtually every kitchen utensil known to mankind . . . and duplicates of many of them, but I had never heard of ebelskivers before. Until I needed to use a Williams-Sonoma gift card and couldn’t find anything that I had to have, thus the ebelskiver.

ebelskiver pan

An ebelskiver pan has seven rounded indents. You heat the pan and add the batter, add a little filling, when it puffs up, it’s flipped and the other side is cooked. Basically, it’s like a small--filled or unfilled--round donut or pancake.

This week’s bonus is THREE recipes for the price of one: Cheesy Eggs, Apple filling and Ebelskivers.

Oh, yeah, you don’t pay for these freebies, do you?

Enjoy!

Apple Filling

1 Granny Smith apple

water
Sugar
Cinnamon
Corn starch

Peel, seed and dice apple into small pieces, about ¼ to 1/3-inch square. Toss into a pot and add enough water to cover apples. Add about ¼ cup sugar and about ½ tsp cinnamon. Simmer apples until soft, about 10-15 minutes, adjust sugar and cinnamon to taste. IF there is too much liquid in the apples, then make a slurry (cornstarch ¼ tsp. and small amount of water) of cornstarch and add to apples. Stir and cook until thick. Turn off heat.

NOTE:  Filling needs to be almost dry to be used in ebelskivers.

Basic Ebelskiver batter

1 cup flour

1 ½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk ( I only have 2% milk, so I used ¾ cup 2% milk and ¼ cup heavy cream)
2 Tbls. butter, melted and slightly cooled

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until just blended. The batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain.  Use the batter immediately.

ebelskiver flippers

Heat ebelskiver pan over medium heat and add about ¼ tsp butter to each well. When butter is bubbly pour 1 Tbls into each well. Add 1 tsp of filling to the center of each pancake, top with another 1 Tbls of batter. Cook each pancake until bottom is crispy and brown, about 3-5 minutes. Using 2 skewers, or ebelskiver turners, flip the pancake and cook an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and continue cooking rest of the batter.

A couple of years ago, I started making cheesy eggs after we went to Disney World and my daughter ate the eggs at the character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s. They were called Minnie’s Eggs and this is my interpretation. This recipe serves three.

Cheesy Eggs

4 large eggs

¼ cup heavy cream (@ 1-2 Tbls per egg)
Salt ¼-1/2 tsp
Pepper (not too much--if you have a kid who won’t eat eggs with pepper, add about ¼ tsp. WHITE pepper. J They won’t be able to see it.)
Shredded cheese (Colby/Monterey Jack or Kraft Mexican blend)

Beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper in small bowl. Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a dab of butter. When butter is melted, add eggs. Using a rubber spatula, push the eggs from the bottom of the pan, allowing the liquid to flow onto the pan’s surface. When eggs are almost finished (soft, but not liquid) add about ¼ -to- ½ cup shredded cheese. Stir into eggs until melted. Serve.

Bacon

I usually cut my bacon slices in half, for easier cooking. I started and finished cooking the bacon while I made my batter. I cooked it until crispy and then drained it on a paper towel and placed it in the oven on warm. You can also put the plates in the oven at the same time. A warm plate will keep your food warmer longer.  

I never said it was a healthy brunch, but at least we didn't eat anything until dinner. You'll have to wait until next week to see what the hubby made for dinner. I'll give you a hint: Macaroni and cheese. Considering how many calories there are in each serving (around 900!), you know this isn't no stinkin' Kraft Mac-n-Cheese!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Breakfast Apple Cake

Today I’m posting another breakfast item. I cut this recipe out of the newspaper in 2007--I actually wrote the date on the silly thing this time! Yay! And I have “Rachel loves it!” written on it. So if you have kids who are finicky, then this recipe might work for you!

I ran it through the Weight Watcher points plus recipe cruncher, using Splenda instead of sugar--the numbers are the same. Remember one of my blog posts where I said it didn’t matter if you used zero calorie sweeteners your body still gives the same insulin push? Well, the WW conversion proves that is true. So this has fewer calories, but your body will react as if it has had a shot of sugar.

I lightened up the original amount of butter by substituting half with applesauce.

Breakfast Apple Cake

1 cup Splenda

1 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup applesauce
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)
2 ½ cup peeled and chopped apples
1 Tbls. vanilla

1. Mix together Splenda, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.

2. Add melted butter, applesauce, eggs and raisins
3. Fold in nuts, apples and vanilla
4. Pour into 8 x 8-inch greased square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Easy-peasy--enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Margaret's Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was requested by Bob P.  Thanks for joggin’ my noggin’!

As with all my recipes, there is a story behind this one, too.  It simply took a little bit of time to search for some pertinent information—such as the year that I WON THE YEAST BREAD COMPETITION AT THE TULSA STATE FAIR, and place third overall in the Culinary Arts category. 

Uh-huh, it was a biggie! *doin’ a little dance here*

So I dug through my box of ribbons—to be honest, most of them are horse show ribbons--and discovered that it was in September of 1993 when I won my category.  I think I also won $5.00 and a bunch of Red Star yeast and maybe some flour.  Nothing big, but it was fun, and I got a big fat ribbon.

This recipe was originally from a Bon Appetit magazine.  At that time, I simply hand-copied the recipe (no computer), so I don’t have any more info than that. I personally think it’s the icing that makes the recipe . . . though I don’t think they allowed icing on the cinnamon rolls when I entered the competition.

Margaret’s Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

¾ cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

2 envelopes dry yeast (4 ½ tsp bulk dry yeast)

1 2/3 cup warm half-and-half (105-115 degrees F)

¼ cup solid vegetable shortening

¼ cup sugar

1 Tbls. salt

6 ½ - 7 cups sifted all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

¾ cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup raisins

2 tsp. cinnamon

Oil large bowl and set aside. Pour warm water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and stir to dissolve. Blend in milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Add 3 cups flour and beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form workable dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to oiled bowl, turning to coat all surfaces. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.

--I usually put the bowl in the over-the-stove microwave with the stove light on. This allows the microwave to stay a nice warm temperature.

Grease two large baking sheets. Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll out into 12 X 18 inch rectangle. Spread with butter (use clean hands). Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar, nuts, raisins and cinnamon mixture. Start from one long edge and roll dough up as for jelly roll, keeping out air pockets. Cut into slices slightly over 1 inch thick. Arrange on prepared baking sheets, tucking ends of dough under. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes (turn the oven to 170 degrees F, and the TURN IT OFF) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls until golden, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare icing.

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

¼ to 1/3 cup orange juice

¼ cup butter, room temperature

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. almond extract

Combine all ingredients in small bowl of electric mixer and beat at high speed until smooth, using only enough orange juice to form spreadable icing. Frost rolls while still hot. Serve rolls warm or at room temperature.

Mom's Pancakes

And just in time for Saturday morning, my mom’s pancake recipe. Though this is my recipe, I think that I’ve made it only a handful of times in all the years that I’ve been married (since 1992). This recipe easily feeds three with a few leftovers.  Double ingredients, if needed.

Pancakes

1¼ cup flour

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

3 Tbls. sugar

¾ tsp. salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

3 Tbls. butter, melted

Heat griddle over medium-high heat, until a piece of white paper turns brown.  Sift dry ingredients together. Beat egg; add milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Add melted butter, mix.  Ladle pancakes onto griddle, making them about 3 inches in diameter. When pancakes bubble, flip them and cook on the other side. 

While cooking pancakes warm maple syrup.

I do make a blackberry sauce that's awesome, but I wing it, too.

Blackberries

Sugar

Cornstarch mixed with a little lemon juice

Cook blackberries and sugar with a little water until mushy, about 15 minutes.  Add small amount of cornstarch mixture to thicken.  Pour mixture through strainer, squishing the fruit against the sides to remove the seeds and skins. Pour into a squirt bottle and use it for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, etc. Store remainder in refrigerator.

Cook sausage or bacon to round out the meal.  It adds protein and fat, which stays with you longer than just the carbohydrates from the pancakes and syrup.