Double Cranberry Muffins

Cranberries have been one of my favorite dried fruits to snack on during my pregnancy. I’ve put them on everything- salads, pork stuffing and I really like these healthy cranberry muffins from the recipe archives of What to Expect!

Yes, the muffins are a sweet treat, but they are very healthy. Notice the ingredients! I like to have a muffin for breakfast with a tall glass of milk! Enjoy...

Double Cranberry Muffins
From What to Expect.com

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup ground flaxseed or oat bran

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1½ cups old-fashioned oats

2 large eggs

1 cup white grape juice concentrate

½ cup all-fruit cherry or raspberry preserves

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a standard-sized 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In large bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in oats. In another bowl, combine eggs, juice concentrate, preserves, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly stir into flour mixture; be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in all the cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely. Store muffins at room temperature in tightly sealed container for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

Cranberry Lovers Muffins

Who doesn't like cranberry muffins for a nice morning treat! Pair up these muffins with a cold glass of milk, add a little butter to the muffins when they come out of the oven- and you can't go wrong!

Don't like cranberries substitute for blueberries.

Cranberry Lovers Muffins
¾ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup ground flaxseed or oat bran

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1½ cups old-fashioned oats

2 large eggs

1 cup white grape juice concentrate

½ cup all-fruit cherry or raspberry preserves

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a standard-sized 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In large bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in oats. In another bowl, combine eggs, juice concentrate, preserves, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly stir into flour mixture; be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in all the cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely. Store muffins at room temperature in tightly sealed container for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Makes 12 muffins

Chocolate Lava Muffins

My good friend Danni passed along this recipe to me the other day. If you are looking for a chocolate rush here is the perfect recipe for your taste buds...

Chocolate Lava Muffins
From Dunn Bros Coffee

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon Dunn Bros Coffee espresso blend beans ground to a powder
Butter to coat muffin tin

Preheat oven to 375degrees F.

Place a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water or use your double boiler. Melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Stir in vanilla. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, flour and salt. Sift these into the chocolate and mix well with electric hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Beat at high until batter is creamy and lightens in color. Approximately 4 minutes.

Chill mixture. Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter. Dust with the cocoa powder and shake out excess. Spoon mixture into pan using a 4-ounce scoop or ladle. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and center should be gooey. While muffins are in oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan. Stir in the Dunn Bros Coffee espresso powder. Serve over warm muffins.

If you are preparing these for an event you can complete the last step right before serving.

Is a Crepe a Pancake

Yes! Crepes are one of my favorite breakfast treats. You can fill them with some many different fillings including fruit, whipped cream, chocolate…

If you are wondering exactly what a crepe is: Crepes are thin pancakes, which originated in France.

Crepes also make a wonderful dessert treat after dinner…give them a try this weekend…I promise you’ll be truly satisfied!

Homemade Crepes

1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
A pinch of salt
2/3 cups flour
¼ tsp. of vanilla
1 ½ cups oil

Make the batter at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook.

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until combined. Place batter in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Cooking Crepes:
In a very shallow pan, heat a small amount of oil. Ladle in some of the batter into the pan and begin to tilt around the pan so that the batter evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip. You want the crepes to be a golden brown, like a pancake.
Fill your crepes with whatever you choose. I like to fill crepes with whipped cream and strawberries.

Something Fun for the Weekend

Blueberry desserts are one of my favorite indulgences. I love to make blueberry muffins for breakfast or breads when company comes a’knocking.

One of the websites I go to quite often for new dessert recipes is Joy of Baking. I love the set-up of the website. It’s organized so that you can easily search through the wonderful assortment of recipes to find what “tickles your fancy.”

I found this recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake a couple of months ago and tried it about two weeks ago. It’s very yummy and makes a great addition to a weekend breakfast or brunch.

I’m making this cake tonight to take over to my friend Kala tomorrow night.

Blueberry Coffee Cake
From Joy of Baking

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cake Batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch spring form pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

For streusel topping: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined. Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.

Evenly arrange the blueberries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Do you call yourself a Southern?

How many of you have had the opportunity in indulging in one of the true southern staple foods: GRITS?

Well, if you haven’t had the chance to sample this great side dish I’ve got a great recipe for you to try out in your kitchen.

Growing up a southern, when I went to college to the University of Missouri-Columbia, I found that not many people knew what grits were. I would tease and call some of my friends Yankees (meaning this in only a teasing and kidding way) because they had never eaten or even heard of grits.

If I say grits and a person knows that they are and how to fix them, then I call them a true southern.

Here is how Wikipedia explains this southern dish: Coarsely ground meal of dried and hulled corn kernels which is boiled and eaten, primarily in the Southern United States.

For you all who don’t know the south but do know your cooking, grits is what Southerners have while the Italians are fixing to eat polenta.

Now, a better question would be what the heck is hominy, because that’s what grits are made of and if you’re going to try to speak the language, you might as well get your facts straight. Hominy is the dried kernel of corn, after the hull and germ have been removed. Hominy is a native American food dating back at least 5,000 years, and was one of the first foods the Indians gave to the colonists. (The Italians, by the way, only got their corn meal for polenta by way of the Indians and colonists, so grits has at least a 4,500-year head start on polenta.)

Grits are always present at breakfast, and also very popular as a side dish of a main course at other meals. I’ll admit, grits are pretty bland, but they are rarely served plain. They come with sausage, eggs, biscuits and red-eye gravy for breakfast. They’re mixed with eggs, cooked with grated cheese or garlic, or baked into a casserole. Southern cooks also sauté shrimp and bacon and scallions and serve it on a bed of grits, or serve a spring chicken on grits, or quail on grits, etc.

Today I’m going to use this fine southern food in a casserole. Now, this recipe is not from my kitchen, but from one of the true southern ladies herself, Paula Deen. I caught up on all my Food Network shows this past weekend, over the New Year’s break, and saw Paula make this and I just had to try it!

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits
By Paula Deen

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups regular grits
16 ounces Cheddar, cubed

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish. Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

Iowa Farmer Today Article

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas over the weekend.

We got back late last night from southern Missouri after visiting our families and friends. It was a long holiday trip, but a much needed one. Spending time with our families during the holidays is what we look forward to the most. Presents are great, but it’s family time that makes your holiday memories.

When I arrived at work this morning a saw a copy of Iowa Farmer Today (Missouri Edition) on my desk. I was reading through the most recent edition and came across the interview I recently took part in with the paper for the Farm Cook section.

I got a call from the paper the beginning of December about my cooking blog and my recipes. McKenzie Keedy Disselhorst, the Director of Communications for the Missouri Cattlemen Association had submitted my name to the paper as a great cook. Thanks McKenzie!

Mindy Ward of IFT Missouri Edition came to visit me at my home on December 5th to take some photos and interview me about Home Cooking is What I Like. The article that Mindy wrote, "Cook archives family recipes" is very good. I thank her for bringing a simple story to life like she did.

Now to some recipes from some of my co-workers. I love quiche and I really enjoyed making Karla’s Quiche Lorraine. It’s a fairly simple recipe that can be prepared in a snap. I’ve also included a great pork chop recipe from Clarice that dresses up your traditional pork chop recipe.

Quiche Lorraine
by Karla Mantle

Pastry for a single-crust pie
Dash ground nutmeg
3 eggs, beaten
6 slices bacon, fried crisp & crumbled
1½ C. milk
1½ C. shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 T. bacon drippings
1 med. onion, sliced

Prepare pastry for single-crust pie. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes more or until pastry is nearly done. Remove from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium heat until tender; drain. In a bowl stir together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss together shredded cheese and flour. Add bacon-onion mixture to Swiss cheese-flour mixture to egg mixture; mix well. Pour egg mixture into hot pastry shell.

Bake at 325 degree for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent over-browning. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Pork Chops Teriyaki
by Clarice Brown
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 boneless pork chops, ¾ inch thick
½ cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
¼ cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sesame seed, toasted
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
½ cup finely chopped green onions and tops
Drain pineapple; reserve juice. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on both sides in hot oil.

Combine reserved juice, Teriyaki sauce, ¼ cup water, garlic, sesame seed and ginger; pour over chops and simmer, covered 30 minutes. Turn chops over and continue cooking, covered 30 minutes longer, or until chops are tender. Remove.

Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water and stir in pan juices. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in pineapple chunks and green onions, cooking until pineapple is heated through. Return chops to pan and coat both sides with sauce.

Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits

Happy Monday everyone!

I’m so excited to share a great recipe with you from Ms. Paula.

My mother spent all weekend with me, as this was our yearly holiday shopping outing. Every year, during opening gun season my mother retreats to my house to get away from all the men folk who come to my parent’s house for deer season. My brothers, father, husband and all their friends travel to my parent’s farm for opening weekend every year. It’s a big event for us rural folks in Missouri.

We started this tradition a couple of years ago. We spend all weekend Christmas shopping, making new holiday recipes and mainly bonding. My mother is my very best friend and I admire and love her so very much. She is an amazing woman, and I enjoy each and every moment I get to spend with her.

We were all over the place trying to finish up our Christmas shopping this weekend, taking advantage of the Veteran’s Day sales. The best part is we both achieved getting all of our shopping completed.

Over the weekend, my mother was reading one of my Paula Deen magazines and she came across Ms. Paula’s recipe for Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits. She decided she wanted to make these and see how they turned out. So, we headed to one of the local markets on our way back to the house after finishing our shopping on Sunday, and picked up some of the ingredients.

There are only 6 ingredients to this recipe!

We prepared and baked the biscuits and then we were ready to try out our experiment. They were wonderful!

I really enjoy the sweetness of the pineapple mixture of the flaky biscuits. It makes the creation not as sweet as it would be if it was made like the traditional upside-down cake.

These biscuits would be perfect alongside any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but I think they make a great addition to a holiday breakfast or brunch. If you purchase the large biscuits, you may have to cut the biscuits a little smaller, depending on the size of muffin pan you have, to make them fit.

Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits
From Paula Deen
makes 10 biscuits

1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
10 maraschino cherries
1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin.In medium bowl, combine pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup. Place one biscuit in each cup on top of pineapple mixture.

Pour about 1 teaspoon pineapple juice over each biscuit.Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.

Fast Family Meals

I’m cooking it up today with Jan Prenger, with whom I work with at Learfield. She emailed me these recipes to put in the company cookbook. She said back when she had a family of five to cook for it wasn’t always easy getting a healthy and tasty meal on the dinner table that EVERYONE liked, but these three recipes always put smiles on her family’s faces.

The Country Club Eggs is one of my favorites because my cousin Tracey always makes it for our yearly family reunion. This dish is perfect for a morning breakfast.Thanks for sharing Jan!

Bar B Q Roast
by Jan Prenger
1 cup ketchup
¾ cup water
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 Tablespoon vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Salt and pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients together and pour over roast. Bake in 300 degree oven for 4 hours.

BBQ Brisket
Rub both sides of Brisket with:
Onion salt
Garlic salt
Celery salt
Liquid smoke
Worcestershire sauce

Wrap in foil and marinade over night. Bake in 275 degree oven for 5 hours. Cool and slice thin. Serve with BBQ sauce, is desired.

Green Rice Casserole
2 cups cooked rice
1 package frozen chopped broccoli or spinach
2 eggs beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup milk
1 lb. American Cheese (Velveeta)

Mix all together and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Country Club Eggs
5 slices of white bread
1 lb. mild sausage
½ lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
5 eggs
2 cups milk
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sage
¼ cup butter

Butter large baking dish. Cube bread and cover bottom of dish. Fry sausage and drain well. Cover cubed bread with sausage and put grated cheese over sausage. Beat eggs, milk and seasonings, pour over bread, sausage and cheese. Melt butter and drizzle over all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 1 hour in 325 degree oven.

Another Breakfast Casserole

I am a big believer in getting a good start to my mornings. I think the best way to do that is eat breakfast, which many of us don’t do any longer. My mother would always make me sit down and eat breakfast every morning. I can remember even when I was in high school, she would make me eat something before I left for school.

I don’t eat a huge breakfast, unless it’s on the weekends because I just don’t’ have the time to do so. I usually always have a bowl of oatmeal every morning along with a piece of fruit.
But, on the weekends when my husband and I are at home…I bring out some of my favorite recipes. One of the best recipes to make when you have guests staying with you is a breakfast casserole. I’ve posted a lot of breakfast recipes before…Breakfast Bacon Casserole, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Hashbrown Sausage Bake.

Here is yet another great way to a healthy start to your morning.

Breakfast Morning Casserole
by Lane

Vegetable cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
3 Tbsps all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup nonfat sour cream alternative
1 pkg. (32 oz.) southern style hash brown potatoes (thawed)
Paprika
5 large eggs - beaten
8 slices bacon

Take a large saucepan and spray with cooking spray. Heat to medium. Saute for 4 minutes the onion and bell pepper. Add flour, salt, and mustard, stir. Cook for 1 minute and then remove from heat.

Gradually add milk and broth, stirring until blended. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheese and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Blend in sour cream.

Combine cheese mixture and potatoes, stir well. Spoon into a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour eggs evenly over top of mixture. Add crumbled bacon and paprika on top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then uncovered for 25-35 minutes

A perfect morning pastry

Here is another great dessert recipes from Pepperidge Farm. I've become a big fan of this website in the past months. There are hundreds of easy and quick dessert and appetizer recipes that will go perfect for your upcoming holiday baking that is only 3 months away.

If you have never used puff pastries before don't worry because the website shows you proper thawing intrusions and how to roll out and form the dough.

Apple Pecan Pastries
from Pepperidge Farm Website

1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups diced, peeled Granny Smith apples
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp. cold butter , cut into pieces
Confectioners' Sugar

Directions:
THAW pastry sheet at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apples, pecans and butter and toss to coat.

UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into 15" x 10" rectangle. Brush lightly with water. With long side facing you, spoon apple mixture on pastry to within 2" of long sides and all the way to short sides. Starting at long side, roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 12 (1 1/4") slices. Place 2" apart on greased baking sheet.

BAKE 15 min. or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Makes 12 pastries.

Great way to start off the mornings

If you like quiches, you will love this casserole. I make this for breakfast a lot when company is over. Using a puff pastry dough makes it easier than ever to pull this casserole together in a snap.

I serve this with toast and fruit in the mornings. It would also make a nice brunch for a wedding or baby shower.

Breakfast Bacon Casserole
by Lane

1/4 pound store-bought puff pastry, thawed (I use Peppridge Farms)
12 slices of bacon, cut crosswise
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sprinkled paprika
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400°.
Roll pastry to 10-inch square and place pastry into an 8-inch square baking pan, folding corners to fit.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon; cook, stirring occasionally, until pieces start to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and onions are lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer mixture to a plate; let cool slightly. Scatter onion mixture over pastry.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, cream, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour egg mixture into pastry shell. Sprinkle Gruyère over top.

Bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Happy 4th Ya'll

I've included some good ole summertime recipes for your holiday weekend.

First, I've got my ma's biscuit recipe for your 4th of July breakfast feast. These are easy to whip up and are so tender!

Next, I've got a easy BBQ beef recipe that my husband and I make a lot in the summertime, plus a dessert that will knock your socks off.

Have a happy and safe 4th...

Buttermilk Biscuits from the Country
by my mother

Makes 4 nice sized biscuits, I always double this recipe.
Sift: 1 c. flour, 1 T. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda and ½ tsp. salt
Combine with 2 T. butter cut into the dry ingredients and ½ c. buttermilk.

Mix well and form biscuits with hands. Place in buttered casserole dish, brush tops with melted butter and place in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned.


BBQ Beef
by Lane

2 c. Jack Daniels Original no. 7 bbq sauce
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
3 beef flavored bouillon cubes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 pound boneless beef brisket
Buns

In a slow cooker combine 1 cup bbq sauce, onion, garlic and cubes.

Place brisket on top. Cover and cook on low setting 6-7 hours or until the beef shreds. Remove brisket and reserve 1 c. of juices, remove fat and shred beef. Return to cooker along with reserved meat juices and remaining bbq sauce. Mix well, adding more bbq sauce if needed. Cook meat mixture on high setting until hot and serve on buns.

Glazed Strawberries
by Grandma Pat

1 pint large strawberries
1 c. sugar
¼ c. water
½ tsp. cream of tarter

Heat sugar, water, and cream of tarter to boil. Reduce heat to medium for 15-20 minutes or temperatures reaches 300 degrees F.

Grease sheet and when syrup is desired consistency remove from heat. Hold strawberry and dig and coat completely and place on sheet. Let stand for 30 minutes in fridge.

A Great Way to Start Off the Morning

I love breakfastt food, sometimes around my house we have breakfast for dinner. Breakfast to me is good anytime of the day...

This recipes comes from the great ConAgra website I posted about a couple of weeks ago. This site has photos of most every recipe on its database. I like photos because I think you can tell a lot from a photo, if you are going to like the recipe or not.

This recipe calls for Egg Beaters, but I like the real thing myself.


Breakfast Burritos

1 cup frozen Southern-Style Hash Brown
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup (8 ounces) Egg Beaters Egg Product
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
4 flour tortillas (8 inch), warmed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Spray medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add hash browns and onion; cook 9 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, stirring frequently.

Add Egg Beaters and pepper; mix well. Cook 3 minutes, or until Egg Beaters are slightly set; stir. Cook an additional 6 minutes, or until Egg Beaters reach desired doneness, stirring occasionally. Combine tomato and basil; set aside. Spoon Egg Beaters mixture evenly down centers of tortillas; top evenly with cheese and the tomato mixture. Fold in opposite sides of each tortilla; roll up burrito-style.

Baking it My Way

Hashbrown Sausage Bake

6 eggs
¼ c milk
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tbs. butter
¼ c. red bell pepper, chopped
¼ c. green onions with tops, sliced
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces, divided
1 ½ c. (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pkg. refrigerated hashbrowns

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combined eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Microwave butter, pepper, and onion for 1 minute. Fold vegetables, ½ sausage, 1 c. cheese, and hashbrowns into egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into a square casserole. Press remaining sausage slices vertically, around edge of casserole, pressing down gently. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until eggs are set.

Eggs My Way

Breakfast food is a staple meal around my house. It's quick, easy and healthy. When it comes to scrambled eggs I like fluffy eggs and I love to experiment with them every time. Here is an easy recipe for what I call "Perfect Scrambled Eggs."




Perfect Scrambled Eggs
8 eggs
2 heaping tlbs. sour cream
1 tbls. water
1 tbls. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tbls. butter
3.4 c grated cheddar cheese

In a bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, water, salt and pepper until fluffy. Melt butter in nonstick pan and cook eggs over low heat, stirring. Stir in cheese. Cook until it to your desired doneness.

Scones to the Rescue

This delightful recipes comes from Farmgirl (great blog, take a look). I made these this weekend and they were a huge hit around the house and they are so easy to whip up.

Farmgirl's Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones
Makes 8 large scones

2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese, softened in microwave 15-30 seconds (you want it very soft)
4 scallions (green onions), green & white parts, chopped
1 cup half&half or whole milk
1 egg

Optional Egg glaze:
Beat well with a fork:1 egg & 2 Tbsp. milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine 2-1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cheeses & toss gently with a fork until combined. Add scallions & toss gently with a fork until combined.

Beat half & half (or milk) with egg and gently fold into dry ingredients, mixing lightly until a soft dough forms. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if the dough is too sticky.

On a floured surface, gently pat dough into a circle approximately 1-inch thick. The key to tender scones is to handle the dough with a light touch and as little as possible. With a sharp knife (I use a large serrated knife dipped in flour) cut the circle into 8 wedges and place them on a greased baking sheet. (I use a commercial grade half-size sheet pan.).

Brush tops and sides of scones with egg glaze if desired, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze in an airtight container.

A Great Start to the Morning

As I promised here is the pancake recipe. This is my grandmother's original recipe and these flapjacks are great. To me nothing says morning like good old homemade pancakes. Many people think that the out-of-the-box pancakes are easier, but this recipe is as easy as it gets (for all you always on the go mothers.)

Pancakes by Grandma Pat

2 c. ap flour
1 tsp. salt
5 tsp. baking powder
3 T. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. milk
1/3 C. oil

Sift dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and milk well. Pour in shortening. Add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until smooth.

Keep a small amount of oil in the skillet, before pouring pancake mixture. This makes a lot of pancakes, you can freeze what you don’t use and have them for another day.

I also like to add things like fresh fruit or chocolate chips every once in awhile.