Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanks, Hungry Girl!

"Hungry Girl",
one of our favorite must see programs
on the Food Network,
has some crazy, super-easy, and healthy recipes
for the whole family!






Thursday, December 9, 2010

Basic Crepes




In our family, crepes are a staple at every New Years Eve Brunch. 
We always serve them sweet with
strawberries, freshly whipped cream, and a dusting of powdered sugar. 

It doesn't stop there though. 

Some of the best crepes I've had are savory-including the Turkey & Pesto crepe at Pier 39 in San Francisco.  Delicious! 

Whether sweet or savory,
it all starts with the basic crepe,
and here's how...

Basic Crepes
Recipe from Cooking Light

Makes 13 crepes

Ingredients

1 c all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c low-fat 1% milk
1/2 c water
2 tsp butter, melted
2 large eggs


Directions

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.

Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender.
Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth.

Cover the batter and chill for 1 hour.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat.

Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan
and quickly tilt the pan in all directions
so the batter covers the pan with a thin film.

Cook about 1 minute.
Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness.
The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan
and the underside is lightly browned.

Turn crepe over,
and cook for 30 seconds or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towel and cool completely.
Repeat procedure with the remaining batter,
stirring batter between crepes.
 
Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

Crepes can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to one month.

Nutritional Info (one crepe):
62 calories; 1.6 fat grams

{Notes}

Alton Brown of the Food Network
suggests a slight variation for sweet versus savory crepes. 
Savory:
Add 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 c chopped fresh herbes, spinach, or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

Sweet:
Add 2 1/2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, in addition to other "flavorings".

Note:
He opts for 2 tbs of flavored liquor,
however since we don't drink,
I'd opt for 1 tsp of orange or raspberry flavored extract!

Enjoy!





Sunday, October 3, 2010

Conference Sunday Brunch & Learning What Matters Most







When Conference Sunday rolls around,
everyone gets excited.

Yes, it means p.j.'s and a delicious brunch,
but above and beyond that is the opportunity to squish
into the couch with notepads and pen
to listen and learn at the feet of
modern day prophets.

This time around,
I was really struck by President Uchtdorf's remarks
regarding what matters most.


As we turn to our Heavenly Father
and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most,
we learn over and over again
the importance of four key relationships:
with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves.

As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind,
we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way.
The eyes of our understanding will be opened,
and we will recognize what needs to be done
to purify our heart and refocus our life.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints


His counsel to,

"...slow down a little,
steady the course,
and focus on the essentials
when experiencing adverse conditions..."

Hits the nail on the head.

I like to think I'm level-headed and very "even-keel",
but unfortunately I know
I'm passionate and extremely emotional about
even the tiniest of things!

To say this throws me off-balance occasionally
is a huge understatement!

So what to do?

Take this counsel and run with it! 
Okay, since we're "slowing down",
how about we walk with it?

Try it on for size,
and see
what happens!

The scriptures exhort us to:

...awake, and arise from the dust,
O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments,
O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes
and enlarge thy borders forever,
that thou mayest no more be confounded,
that the covenants of the Eternal Father
which he hath made unto thee,
O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

Yea, come unto Christ,
and be perfected in him,
and deny yourselves of all ungodliness;
and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness,
and love God with all your might, mind and strength,
then is his grace sufficient for you,
that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ;
and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ,
ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ,
and deny not his power,
then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God,
through the shedding of the blood of Christ,
which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins,
that ye become holy,
without spot.


I want to arise,
be strengthened,
perfected,
and certainly without spot!

And it IS possible,
through faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ,
and through following him.

...

If you'd like to check out other Conference highlights,
please visit here!








Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Broccoli & Parm Strata



Okay.
Before I get started...

{Take Note}

When I die I want to be rolled in this panko bread crumb mixture. 

Seriously.

And make sure you slather it on real good because honestly,
it's amazing!

{Alright, back to the story...}

Yes, stratas are favorites for  baby or bridal showers,
but really,
when I haven't a clue what to make for dinner or I don't have meat readily defrosted,
this is my go-to meal for something light and delicious!

Please experiment using what you have on hand.  It's an extrememly versatile recipe that can accomadate a variety of different cheeses, vegetables, and even meats like chopped ham or sausage.

Broccoli & Parm Strata
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

6-8 slices of soudough bread, torn
2 c frozen broccoli, steamed until al dente
1/2 c parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 c 2% shredded mozzerella cheese
6 large eggs
1 1/2 c 2% milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c Japanese Panko bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper

Directions

Generously butter an 8 x 8 glass pan and pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until combined and set aside.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the bread crumbs and half of the parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Using your fingers, combine well and set that aside too in a very special place.  That's important.  It's your pièce de résistance and you don't want anybody walking away with it...
Now your on to making your layers. 
Place half of your bread in the pan and top with half of the broccoli mixture.  Top that with half of your mozzerella and parmesan cheese.  That's layer one!

Repeat with the reamaining ingredients to make layer two and you are almost done!

Tear off a piece of foil and place over your strata carefully pressing the mixture into the pan.  You want to condense the ingredients slightly so that when you add your egg mixture you've minimized the number of air pockets in the dish.

Carefully pour the egg mixture to cover, and top with that irresistable bread crumb mixture.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown.  Cover with foil and allow to cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  


This custardy mix of bread, eggs, & cheese is to die for,
and served with a dollop of sour cream (I like light!), 
it's ready to...

Enjoy!




Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Berry Cream Purses



I remember when I was just a girl...

{yes, I'm thirty plus years now and can legitimately "reflect" on my "youth"}

...my mother would gather up my sister and I on cold winter mornings and we'd slosh up the steps to the La Bou bakery.  It's still around, franchises all over the city, but back then, it was a small hole-in-the-wall establishment that specialized in simple french pastry. 

She always ordered the same thing, and I smile just thinkig about it:
 
"One ham & cheese and one chocolate-filled crossaint, please." 

We sat,
looking out the rain-streaked window,
huddled over scalding hot chocolate and those irrestisable french pastries.

We warmed from the inside out.

And you know what?

The morning wasn't so dreary anymore.

In fact, it was WONDERFUL!

{Thanks Mom.}

You could say I'm a sucker for crossaints.

Can you blame me?

Here's a simple rendition that can be served for brunch, light dessert, or just because...

 Berry Cream Purses
Serves 5

Ingredients

1 roll of crossaint dough
1/4 c light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs sugar
3/4 c frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Cinnamon-sugar
Powdered sugar

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll the crossaint dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Line up the seams and roll out thinly until it's one large sheet of crossaint dough.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 10 roughly equal squares.

Lift the squares gently from the cookie sheet, being mindful that the dough will still try to separate at the seams, and evenly space the rectangles on the cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, & sugar until combined.

Spoon evenly into the center of each rectangle.


Top the cream with 3-4 frozen berries, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.


Gather the rectangles into a purse, and pinch slightly to hold.

Bake for 11-12 minutes until golden brown and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!




Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Chocolate Zucchini Bread



Zucchini is one of my all-time favorites, and a classic preparation that never fails is fat slices sauteed in olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper and served with a generous sprinkle of mozzerella cheese!  Sigh.  Heaven! 

But an experiementer I am, and as I've never tried my hand at zucchini bread before, it was my time.  Since I'm a little bit of health nut, the use of vegetable oil, which seemed to be a common demoninator in most recipes, wasn't at all appealing to me.  So I did what I enjoy best, which is to tweak things until it's to my liking!

I hope you enjoy it too!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Makes 36 mini-muffins

Nutritional Info (3 muffins):
211 calories; 5.5 fat grams

Ingredients

1 c plus 2 tbs, sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 c applesauce
2 tb unsalted butter, softened
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs dutch processed cocoa powder
2 medium zucchini, shredded and strained of excess moisture
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pam Cooking Spray

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini-muffin tray generously with Pam Cooking Spray.

Trim the squash on both ends and grate in it's entirety.  Place the zucchini in a fine mesh sieve and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can.  Toss the squash with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and place in the strainer over a bowl for 15-20 minutes to draw out any additional liquid.  Squeeze the zucchini once more and then set aside. 

 In a mixer and usig the paddle, set to low and cream the sugar, eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and butter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and then slowly incorporate into the wet ingredients.

Add the zucchini and the chocolate chips and mix on medium for several minutes.

{Resist the urge to lick!  But I don't always!}

And place approximately two tablespoons of batter into the mini-muffin tins, and bake at 350 degrees for approximately nine minutes.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread



I love chocolate!
And this recipe, tweaked from Cooking Light, pairs bananas and chocolate in an irresistible way!

Here's a quick tip for you: 
Make a double or triple batch and freeze the finished product in your freezer.  After a quick defrost, this bread is piping hot and just as fresh as when it popped out the oven! 

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

Nutritional Info (one slice):
Calories: 183; Fat: 4.7 g 

Makes one loaf, 18-20 muffins, or 32 mini-muffins.

Ingredients

2 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c ripe bananas, mashed (about three whole bananas)
1 large egg or 1/4 c. egg substitute*
1/2 c plain low-fat or fat free yogurt*
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

*I use a whole large egg and fat-free yogurt
(non-fat vanilla yogurt is excellent too!).

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about one minute).  Then add the banana, egg, and yogurt and beat until blended.  Add the flour mixture and beat at a low speed just until moist.

Place the chocolate chips in a a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for one minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth.  Cool slightly.  Add one cup batter to the chocolate, stirring until well combined.

{Loaf Pan}
Spoon the chocolate batter alternately with the plain batter into a 8 1/2 x 4/1/2 inch loaf pan coated with the cooking spray.  Swirl the batters together using a knife and bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out just clean.   Be careful not to over bake!

{Muffins}
If making muffins, gently fold the chocolate mixture back into the plain batter, and use a knife to swirl the batters together.  Then, spoon the batter into a muffin pan sprayed liberally with Pam, and bake as directed above for approximately half of the cooking time.  Note:  The mini-muffins will cook even faster, at approximately 12-15 minutes (oven times will vary).

Cool the loaf for ten minutes in the pan on a wire rack, and then remove from  the pan.  For the muffins, cool for just a few minutes in the pan before removing (I find that they stick if you leave them in longer).  Once on the rack, cool slightly longer and then serve!

Enjoy!



Thursday, December 31, 2009

What Does Your Wii Face Look Like?

In reviewing my pictures for our families annual New Years Eve Party, that's the question you absolutely have to ask.
Take a peek below and you'll see some good ones...
 
Rachel & Houston
 
Joe & Rachel
 
Clista & Jacob
 
Bill & Ava
And then there was the non-Wii player, Jessica, who took a blessed night off thanks to the bun in her toasty oven!
The kids did their own Lord of the Flies thing that they usually do.
Sword-fighting and what-not is a must!
And of course then there's the midnight movie feature, complete with stadium seating.
 After the big countdown it's outside for some fireworks action!  Oddly enough, this year it wasn't too cold for being as late as it was.
  
 My beautiful Bella...
 
 My sweetheart Ava...
 
 Princess Iris...
  
 ...and of course, our Rascally Owen!
  
 And then, the biggest goober of the bunch, my heart, my love
...my Samuel.
  
 After all the hoopla everyone finally heads home for a few hours of sleep before we're back at it again with a hearty breakfast composed of everyone's favorites.
Here you see the kiddie table...
  
 ...and the adult table.
  
 The meal is always amazing!
  
 I think everything tastes better after a super-late night.
  
 Houston determined to make faces in EVERY photo...or is that just how he really looks all the time?
You judge!
  

  
Families are such a blessing.  And as I stand at the close of yet another year, poised to start a new one, I am grateful for new beginnings.  

Elder Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke to this effect in his talk entitled:  


Regarding the past, he encourages us to:
"Dismiss the destructive, and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family, your friends, and your neighbors."

"This is an important matter to consider at the start of the a new year-and every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life.  Such is the wonder of faith, repentance, and the miracle of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"Faith is for the future.  Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there.  Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the "high priest of good things to come."

"Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever.  That is a New Year's resolution I ask you to keep."

Truly words to live by!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

My Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day!

I'm always allowed to sleep in as late as I want, and when I make my grand entrance it's to a breakfast menu of my choice.

This year, I selected:

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan cheese
&
Scrambled Eggs
Ham & Cheese Croissants
Chocolate Muffins
Orange Juice


This year, Samuel could only find a 6-pack of assorted muffins (poppy-seed, blue-berry, & chocolate), and of course, everyone's favorite is the chocolate. Because it was my special day, I was alotted one whole muffin to myself. However before I could take my second half, Iris scooped it up and licked it!

Where did she learn such a thing?


And not only did she lick it, but she proceeded to thoroughly enjoy it!

That little rascal.


Look at my beautiful family!

I could not be happier on this Mother's Day!

I hope you had a wonderful day too!


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Valentine's Traditions: Part III

Family Breakfast

I hate breakfast! It is seriously my least favorite meal of the day, but I will admit that if you throw in strawberries and whipped cream I'll probably like it!

Hence, to Sam's delight, breakfast has weaseled it's way into our family traditions in the form of egg bakes, chocolate croissants, crepes, orange juice, fried ham, and yes, waffles with strawberries and whipped cream!


Usually we serve a cinnamon-peach topping with all of our waffles (it's so good!), but for Valentines Day, how can you not spring for strawberries? I start off with 2 pounds of frozen berries that I drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sugar. Toss to coat and then let the fruit macerate while you turn your attention to the waffles.

Note: This topping can be served cold or warm, though we prefer it warm for the toasty waffles! Don't forget the whipped cream and always, always sprinkle with powdered sugar. It's a rule!


Our waffle recipe comes from one of the best cookbooks ever: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. And what I love best about this recipe is the folded in egg whites. The resulting batter is almost like a foam, and the waffles turn out so beautifully.

Buttermilk Waffles
6-8 waffles
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons fine-ground cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
  • Pinch of Cream of Tartar
  1. Heat the waffle iron.
  2. In a large bowl whisk flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, butter, and buttermilk.
  4. In an mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (approximately 2 minutes).
  5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in buttermilk mixture. Whisk gently until just incorporated (batter will be lumpy).
  6. Fold the whipped egg whites gently into batter.
  7. Ladle mixture onto waffle iron.
  8. Top with syrup or fruit topping.
Buttermilk Substitute: For the buttermilk I always substitute 2% milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I just don't use buttermilk enough to justify buying a carton from the store for a single recipe.

Waffle Warmer: Because our waffle maker turns out one waffle at a time, the cookbook has a brilliant solutions for holding your waffles until all are cooked. Heat your oven to 200 degrees, and place several baking sheets with wire racks in the oven. As the waffles are done, place them on the racks and cover them with a cotton towel. When the final waffle is in the iron, remove the towel to let the waffles crisp for a few minutes. This works great every time. No more soggy or lukewarm waffles!