I've written another waffle recipe before that involved whipping egg whites until they're stiff then folding them into the batter.  The results made a crispy waffle but it sure was A LOT of arm work.  I tried another waffle recipe this week that called for less whipping using whole eggs.  Yeah!  This recipe produced a much crispier  waffle that had snap.  It was just as creamy in the center and they held up well to reheating in the toaster.  SOLD!!!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES
Makes 12 4-inch waffles.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup neutral tasting oil
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat waffle iron.  Beat eggs with hand beater until fluffy.  In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together until smooth.  Stir in fluffy eggs.  Pour up to 1/4 cup batter over each 4-inch grid.  Bake until waffle iron indicates the waffles are cooked.  Remove waffles carefully and place on cooling rack to keep them dry and crisp.

Top with your favorite syrup or fruit spread.

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We spent last night watching Ocean's Eleven and this morning I woke in the mood for an All-You-Can-Eat-Las Vegas Breakfast.  I already had a bag of Oven Fried Bacon in the frig, and it took only a few minutes to scramble up eggs.  All the "work" I had to do was beating the egg whites for a heaping pile of crispy, creamy waffles.  Just calling it an "All-You-Can-Eat-Las Vegas Breakfast" somehow made it feel like we were on vacation.  Needless to say, my family was super pleased and super full.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE CRISPY CREAMY WEEKEND WAFFLES

• 1 cup flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.

• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. (This is good time to have the waffle maker heating up.)

Beat egg yolks into milk, then add to flour mixture.  Stir together until smooth.  Add oil and vanilla to batter and mix well.  Fold egg whites into the batter.  Pour 1/4 cup batter onto each waffle maker square. Cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.  Makes 3 1/2 cups batter.

COOK'S NOTES
Leftover cooked waffles can be placed in a plastic freezer bag and kept frozen for up to 1 month.  Reheat in your toaster or toaster oven.  Reheated waffles make tasty bread slices for breakfast sandwiches on the go.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

FINALLY! I found a recipe that produces my kind of biscuit, i.e. thick, creamy, moist, can be stuffed with eggs & bacon or left floating on a plate of down home white sauce.  I baked up Kelly's Perfect Buttermilk Biscuit recipe over at Sass & Veracity, except I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I used sour cream.  These biscuits came out beautifully and my folks were scrambling for seconds.  Thank you Kelly!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick COLD butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup sour cream or buttermilk

Heat oven to 450ºF.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add cold butter cubes, and using your fingers tips, pinch and rub the butter through the flour until the mixture looks like small crumbs.  This doesn't take long and using the blender makes for more dishes to wash.

Add the sour cream and stir lightly with a fork just until a soft dough forms.  Knead it in the bowl with your hands about 15 times.  Do NOT overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  You can do this with a rolling pin if you prefer, but the dough is easily managed with your hands.  Choose a biscuit cutter (or a glass, jar, or can) that is 2-3 inches in diameter and cut as many biscuits as you can from the dough.  Repeat the process with scraps until all dough is used.

For biscuits with soft sides, place them into a ungreased 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan.  The cozier the fit the better. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until medium golden brown.

Now For the Down home White Sauce (Gravy!)

• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 3/4 to 1 cup warm milk
• salt & pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, warm bacon drippings then whisk in flour until smooth.  Cook flour for up to 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Slowly whisk in warm milk, constantly whisking to eliminate lumps.  Use up to 3/4 cup milk.  Allow sauce to come to a simmer, season with salt and pepper to salt, whisking to prevent burning.  Lower heat if necessary.  If sauce is too thick, add more milk 2 tablespoons at a time until you have the consistency as you like it.  The sauce with thicken as it cools.

If you make the sauce ahead or need to keep it warm, pour it into a warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the plastic wrap to touch the top of the gravy, pushing out all the air from the bowl.  This will prevent a skin from forming on the top.  Use the microwave to reheat on medium power for 30 seconds up to one minute.

The bacon shown in the picture above was made on another day.  Follow my Oven Fried Bacon recipe to have bacon on hand, ready to eat anytime you want it.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Another SUCCESSFUL RECIPE from the cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day !

I used the recipe for Oatmeal Bread, page 94, as my guide but then added a dash or two of my own desires & cravings.  I have another batch rising as I write this post.  This time, I DOUBLED the recipe!  The first time I made half the recipe which produced two medium loaves that could easily feed 8 folks for one breakfast.  I shared one loaf with my taste testing friends, the Guinea family.

HERE'S MY IDEA OF BREAKFAST BREAD
Makes three 1 1/2 pound loaves.  The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

• 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup fresh whole milk
• 1/2 cup RoundRock Honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup neutral-tasting oil or butter
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pecan pieces, soften in hot water
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, rehydrated in hot water
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in hot water
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• brown sugar or sugar crystals for sprinkling on top crust

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water, milk, honey, and oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight), allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 8 days.
5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four side, rotating the ball in a quarter-turn as you go.
6. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into a greased 9x4x3 inch bread pan OR leave on pizza peel dusted with flour.  Allow to rest and rise for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). If the dough sticks, slide a pantry knife under it to loosen it.
7. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350ºF, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
8. Slash parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.  Brush a little milk over the top so you can sprinkle the brown sugar or sugar crystals on top.  Just enough to make it stick.
9. Place the loaf on the pizza stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 35 to 50 minutes, until deeply browned and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
10. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Waiting to go into the oven.

Ready to be devoured with honey on top!

Let me tell you another thing.  Even with the heel of this bread, two days old, it's awesome.  I sliced the hard leftovers into 1 inch chunks and laid flat in a shallow bowl, poured a just enough milk over them to get them wet but not too soggy.  Microwaved for 30-40 seconds to warm it through.

It was just like eating bread pudding!  I kid you not! You HAVE to make this, so you'll know what I'm going on about.

Buy a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I want you to have a much fun as I'm having baking fresh, healthy breads at home for yourself, your family and your friends.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 gallon apple sauce
• 1 quart of sugar
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

Combine all ingredients in a large kettle and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently till thickened and it will be translucent.

Sugar may be varied to taste and depending on the tartness of apple sauce.  If too sweet, add a little lemon juice.

To can, process in  boiling water bath, using new flat jar lids, about 20 minutes.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

This is what happens when I fall in love with a really super cookbook.  I can't stop using it!

Remember last week when I showed you the Bran Enriched White Bread? Well, these Sticky Caramel Rolls come from the same book.  Baking bread is now a part of my cooking routine.  It's nothing to pop fresh dough in the oven and have hot, fresh bread for dinner.  My plan is to wean my family (the kiddos particularly) off the store bought stuff and save money.  Have you noticed the price of a loaf of bread these days? Yikes.

I learned a good lesson making these sweet delights.  When it comes time to cut the dough into serving slices, it's IMPORTANT to use a serrated knife and not a blunt knife or dough scraper.  The serrated knife gives a cleaner cut.

SEE THE BIG DIFFERENCE HERE

cut with dough scraper

Cut with Serrated Knife

Now, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to type out the Sticky Caramel Rolls recipe.  You're going to have to buy the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois.

HOWEVER, I will delight your eyes with food porn and make your mouth water. I'm hoping the hot dripping caramel topping will convince you to click on the link and buy the book.  The book is totally worth the money and the outcome of the recipes are completely worth your time. Now without further ado, Breakfast Food Porn.

Ready for the Oven

Fresh out of the oven

Flipped out of the pan

One for you

and one for me.

Who else wants a caramel roll?

Hot Sticky & Sweet

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

One last thought to share, this was my first time to make a caramel roll recipe.  I have NEVER attempted to make them, because most recipes are too labor intensive.  When I look back at these pictures, it looks like I've had practice, but I haven't.  I just followed the recipe and it produced these beautiful rolls.

This book has my neighbors & friends thinking that I've been a baker for years, that I'm a super talented gourmet whatever!  But I'm not.  I'm learning like everyone else.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Completely Budget Friendly - as low as $0.08 per cup for breakfast.  Creamy & delicious- like eating mashed potatoes - Grits are my new favorite breakfast food!

Grits have been around FOREVER.  We don't hear too much about them.  I guess it's because they're not sexy enough.  Growing up, the most I ever heard of them mentioned was on the TV show, Alice, when Flo would bark at Mel, "Kiss My Grits!"

Anyhoo. In an effort to change up my breakfast routine and seek out foods that are good for us but have gone out of fashion, I took notice of quick grits.  There weren't any "slow grits", so I'm guessing grits are grits?

Not having ever cooked grits before, the first time I naturally followed the instructions on the back of box.  That produced very bland results.  I was not impressed but I was inspired.  Since then, I've tossed in different types of cheeses, smoked gouda, cheddar, monterey jack, goat cheese, but have come to enjoy jalapeno jack the most.  I've tried a dash of herbs, oregano & basil.  And the other day, I went the other direction and tried cinnamon, brown sugar and a couple of raisins.  (That was not a good direction for me.)

HERE'S THE EASIEST & TASTIEST GRITS, so far

• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons grits
• dash of salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 ounce jalapeno jack cheese

In a small sauce pan, heat milk and water over medium heat until it begins to boil.  Add in the grits, salt and pepper, stirring well.  Simmer on low heat 5 to 7 minutes covered or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, pour into serving bowl, then add cheese.  As soon as it's cool enough to eat, it's time to chow down.

The grits swell and soften into one cupful of breakfast.  I tend to pour my grits into a coffee mug and eat them on the go.  Grits are more filling than I thought they'd be and keep me going up to lunch.  They fulfill the desire for a hot breakfast and as I mentioned earlier, it's like eating mashed potatoes for breakfast.

Now I ask you, what could be more comforting than that?

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

As far as bran loaded muffins go, these are pretty good, especially the next day. Like a Fruity Banana Bread, the muffins become softer, more moist, the longer they sit out on the counter in a storage container.

I'm trying to mix up my breakfast regimen and try new-old classics.  I've never eaten Malt O'Meal or hot cereal products other than oatmeal.  From my local grocer, I picked up a box of oat bran hot cereal and a dollar box of grits.  Until last week, I had never eaten grits. Side note and next post, I lurv grits!  I can't believe I've been living without them all this time.  Okay, back to these here muffins.

Another product I picked up for the first time was fig flavored yogurt; I found it at the foodie mart.  I did not enjoy eat it by itself, but I immediately imagined it going into a dense breakfast bread in place of buttermilk or sour cream.  So I went to searching for muffin recipes and found just want I needed.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 1/2 cups oat bran cereal
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 3/4 cup boiling water

• 1 egg from a happy chicken
• 1 cup fig yogurt or plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease the bottom of a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix the oat bran, craisins, pecans and boiling water.  Allow to sit a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together the egg, yogurt and oil.

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients.

First, add the egg mixture to the moistened bran mix and stir well.  Second, add the dry ingredients and fold into the wet ingredients.  Do not overstir; allow the flour to become moist as you fold the ingredients together.

Use a 2 inch scooper to fill 12 muffin cups, divide batter evenly among the cups.  BAKE about 20 minutes, until golden brown.  IMMEDIATELY remove from pan, allow to cool on wire rack.

I love eating my work

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Spicy Mexican food is the ultimate hang over food.  Yeah, I said it, hang over.

My girlfriend suggested I cover a fresh tamale with a couple of fried eggs, then top the whole dish with spicy salsa.  I added a dollop of holy guacamole and few drops of green habenero sauce, just for good measure.

I was in heaven! Sweating from the spices and filling a semi-sour tummy & fuzzy head with enough food to cover breakfast and lunch.  Finish the meal with a mid-morning nap and I was cured!

Be sure to keep this breakfast, or if you wake up late, this brunch idea, in your back pocket.  You'll be happy when you eat it.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Here's a hearty breakfast that only takes 6 minutes to bring together. Yes, I really timed it.

Getting a quick breakfast out is all about coordination.  Starting with the ingredient that will take the longest to cook, then work everything else inside that cooking time.  Piece of cake.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

• 2 eggs or 1/2 cup healthy egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons low fat milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tortillas, fajita size, you use your favorite
• thinly sliced Gouda or cheddar cheese
• my favorite salsa or your favorite

Get out ALL the ingredients first.

Use a rubber spatula to blend the eggs, milk, salt & pepper directly in a small pan over medium heat.  While they're coming up to cook, slice up enough cheese to lay inside each tortilla.  Measure out about 2 tablespoons of salsa in a small bowl to warm up in the microwave.

Give the eggs a scramble.  On one dinner plate, lay out the prepped tortillas and the small bowl of salsa, microwave for 45 to 60 seconds on high.

Put back all the refrigerated ingredients.

The eggs should be fully cooked by now, remove from heat.  Divide the eggs among the tortillas, top with warmed salsa.

YOU ARE READY FOR A GREAT BREAKFAST!

1 pan, 1 plate, 1 small bowl, 1 rubber spatula- easy cleanup.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.