Pumpkin Waffles

 I made these for breakfast on Saturday to celebrate the canned pumpkin shortage ending! :) So yummy! I added some mini chocolate chips to some of the kiddos.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.

Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks (as in, far softer than the over-beaten whites you’ll see in my picture above). Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Spinach & Bacon Quiche

Another yummy recipe I tried for my friend's baby shower...my very favorite quiche ever! YUM.  :)

½ lb. bacon
10 oz. package spinach
1 c. sour cream (can use light)
salt and pepper to taste
2 unbaked pie crusts
1 onion, minced
½ lb. diced mushrooms
2 c. diced ham
16 oz. Colby Jack or sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
8 eggs
1 c. half and half (can use fat-free)
1 Tbsp. parsley 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown bacon, drain, crumble, and set aside. Saute spinach in bacon drippings ( naughty!). Drain. Saute onions. Add mushrooms. Stir in ham and bacon. Combine spinach, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Add meat mixture. Mix in cheese. Divide into each pie crust.

Mix eggs, half and half, and parsley. Pour over pies. Place pies in oven and bake 45-50 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Each pie serves 8.

**If reheating, cover pie with foil and bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes, checking frequently to make sure it's not getting too brown. **

Zucchini Cheese Quiche

Made this for a baby shower a couple weeks ago...yummy!!
Thanks Best Bites for another yummy quiche.

1 single 9" pie crust
1 lb zucchini, thinly sliced (about 3 small-medium zucchini)
1 Tbs butter
1/2 C diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
kosher salt
black pepper
3 eggs

1/2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbs fresh chopped oregano (or 1 1/2 tsp dry)
1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
5 oz gruyere cheese
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place rolled out pie crust in a 9" pie plate and flute edges.  Place in fridge until ready to use.

In a large skillet on the stove-top, melt butter.  Add onions and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Add sliced zucchini and add a sprinkle of salt (about 1/2 tsp) and a few cracks of black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until zucchini is softened.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs.  Add dijon mustard, oregano, red pepper flakes.  Whisk until combined and then gently stir in Gruyere cheese.

Add egg and cheese mixture to zucchini mixture and toss until combined.  Place mixture in prepared pie crust and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly golden.  Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.  Can be served warm, at room temp, or even cold.

Strawberries & Cream Banana Bread

I needed to use up some more strawberries this week and found this recipe.  LOVED it! I've never tried a strawberry banana bread before, but I'm glad I gave it a try...YUM!!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups plain flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 3 mashed bananas
* 1 cup chopped strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
3. In another bowl, cream together the butter or margarine and sugars. Then add in the eggs, vanilla, sour cream and mashed bananas and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chopped strawberries.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring well as you go.
5. Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf pan and bake on 350F for around 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan before removing and placing on a wire cooling rack to cool fully.

(I also drizzled it with a glaze of 2 c powdered sugar, 2 T butter, 1 T milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla.)

Perfect Pancakes

A favorite from one of my favorite all-time cooking sites, The Pioneer Woman cooks. LOVE her. Everything she makes looks amazing. I'm always looking for the perfect pancake recipe, and I believe I have finally found it!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 cups Milk
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• Extra Butter
• Maple Or Pancake Syrup

Preparation Instructions:

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined. Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.

Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

Twin Oaks Inn Oven Omelet

Another one of my mom's yummy Christmas brunch recipes.

1/4 cup butter
18 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 t salt (optional)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1-2 cans green chilies (optional)
2 oz pimentos, diced (optional)

Heat butter in 13x9 baking dish at 325 until melted. Tilt dish to coat bottom with melted butter. Beat eggs, sour cream, milk, and salt in mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in cheeses, green onion, pepper, chilies and pimento. Pour into baking dish. Cook uncovered until omelet is set, but still moist--about 40-45 minutes. Cut into squares and garnish with leftover pimento or green pepper.

Tips: After pouring into baking dish, you can cover and refrigerate for no longer than 24 hours.

Serves 12.

Sausage Crescent Roll

My mom always makes this as part of Christmas brunch.
We love it!!

1 lb highly seasoned sausage
2 pkgs. Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
small can sliced mushrooms
1 egg white, slightly beaten
poppy seeds

In a medium size skillet, brown sausage, pepper and onion. Add mushrooms. Drain well. While sausage is still hot, add cream cheese. Stir until melted. Let cool. Meanwhile, separate crescent rolls into two rectangles. Form log of sausage mixture lengthwise down center of each rectangle. Fold over the long sides of pastry to cover sausage log. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush with egg whites. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Creme Brule French Toast

Thanks to my friend Kajsa for this super good recipe!! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup half/half

5 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Sauce:

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. white karo syrup

Mix half/half, eggs and vanilla. Pour into bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Lay out uncrusted bread on top of mixture. Combine sauce ingredients over stove and cook until melted. Pour sauce over bread and chill 8-12 hours. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Butterscotch Pull-a-part Bread

One of my very favorite holiday recipes! We have this every year along with our Christmas brunch.

Ingredients:

24 frozen yeast rolls (frozen Rhodes dinner rolls will also do)
1 small package instant butterscotch pudding
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 stick melted butter
chopped nuts (as desired)

Direction:

Grease bundt pan, place rolls in bottom of pan. Sprinkle dry pudding over rolls, then sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Pour melted butter over all.

Let set overnight at room temperature, uncovered. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until done. Let set 10 minutes, then turn over on plate.

Looks and tastes wonderful and is easy to prepare the night before. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal 1

Another favorite breakfast recipe. This one is really good too, I like how I can make it ahead of time and cook it in the morning.

Ingredients:

2 c. milk

1 c. quick oats

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/2 c. raisins or craisins, or both!:)

Mix well. Put in 9 x 13 in. pan and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Raspberry Cofee Cake

Made this to go with our brunch on Sunday...although it really should be a dessert! :)

Recipe originally found here.

1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. shortening
1/2 C. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
3 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 can raspberry pie filling (can substitute with cherry, strawberry or peach...but raspberry is our FAVE!!)

Mix first 8 ingredients.

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Press 2/3 of batter into bottom of pan. Spread pie filling evenly over batter.

Dollop the rest of the batter over the top. (It's pretty sticky, so I take little balls of it, smash it flat like a pancake and then lay it on top. I do this over the entire surface so that it covers more space than just dropping little drops here and there.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Drizzle runny icing over the top as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Icing:

Mix 3 C. powdered sugar, 1 cube margarine (melted), 1 tsp. vanilla & milk - prepare it RUNNY so that it pours easily over the top of your coffeecake.

Enjoy WARM with a tall glass of milk or orange juice!

Best Breakfast Casserole EVER.

I made this twice this past weekend! Once for a little get together with friends...and then again on Sunday morning for a brunch with my family...it was THAT good. :) Enjoy!

1 large bag of frozen hashbrowns (with or without onion and peppers), thawed
1/2 cube of butter, melted

Spray 9x13 pan, spread THAWED hashbrowns in pan. Pour butter over top of hashbrowns. Salt & Pepper to taste. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes. (This can be done the night before and you can refrigerate hashbrowns after cooking them and then continue with the recipe the next day.....or you can do it all at once.)

Mix 8 oz. shredded Cheddar Cheese & 8 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese (THIS is the secret ingredient.....YUM!)

Spread cheeses over the top of hashbrowns.

Choose ham, bacon (cooked and crumbled) or sausage (cooked) - desired amount - spread over cheese layer. (Or leave a part without the meat for your vegetarian husband... :)

Mix 5 eggs & 1 C. milk - pour over entire casserole. Salt & Pepper to taste. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Homemade Coconut Syrup

Try this one!! So good.

-1/2 c. buttermilk
-1 stick butter
-1 c. sugar

Bring to boil and remove from heat.

Add:
-
1 tsp. coconut extract
-1/2 tsp. baking soda

Buttermilk Syrup

I just had it this weekend on some blueberry pankcakes and it is soooo good!! Once you try this you won't ever want to use plain old maple syrup again!

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cube butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Bring sugar, butter and buttermilk to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir well.

* Mixture will foam up when you add the soda so use a large pan.

Blueberry Sourcream Pankcakes

Thanks Camilla for this recipe! We loved them!

Syrup

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 c. cold water

4 c. fresh or frozen bluberries

Pancakes

2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water until smooth. Add blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cover and keep warm.

2. For pancakes, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the eggs, milk, sour cream and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

3. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown. Serve with blueberry topping.

Side note...you can use any fruit you have, we just love the blueberries. Also, you don't have to put the blueberries in the batter. Enjoy...these are so good.

Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins (Puffins)

I found these on Bakerella. Love everything she comes up with!



1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
• In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.
Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

Make Ahead French Toast II

Overnight French toast I
• 12 slices day-old bread, cubed
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, diced
• 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained
• 12 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups milk
1. Place half of the bread cubes into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Scatter cream cheese over bread; sprinkle with blueberries. Place remaining bread cubes over the blueberries.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, maple syrup and milk. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes. Cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.

Make Ahead French Toast

Make Ahead French toast
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
•
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 cup chopped pecans
1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and vanilla. Dip bread slices into egg mixture and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, maple syrup and pecans. Spoon mixture over bread.
4. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
NOTE: If you like firmer French toast, cut back on the milk