Simpler Crispy Waffles Recipe

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.

Creamy Biscuits

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.

Spicy Cheese Grits

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?

Bran-Craisin Muffins

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

Simple Pumpkin Yogurt, Breakfast or Dessert

Have you ever heard of pumpkin yogurt?  It's a first for me.  I'll tell ya, at first taste, my mind had to do quite a bit of undoing to all it associates with pumpkin and yogurt.  But the two are very good together, especially when they've had time to get it on after a long night in the frig.

Now, I didn't make this recipe up.  Kim invited me to a local cooking class put on by the Texas Ag Extension office.  This was one of the treats I tasted and thought, "Hmm, how could I make this better?"

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 2 cups nonfat French vanilla yogurt (I prefer Stonyfield Farm Organic, it's not overly sweet)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin from the can
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

• crumbled granola bar for topping

Homemade Whipped Topping

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

First, get out a medium bowl, mesh strainer, and a cheesecloth or tea towel. Line the strainer with the cloth and set on top of the bowl.  Place the yogurt in the cloth, cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Place the thickened yogurt into a medium bowl and add the pumpkin, sugar and spice.  Stir well and allow the flavors to come together at least an hour or better, overnight.

Now, you can stop right here. Sprinkle the pumpkin yogurt with granola and have a lovely, healthy snack or holiday breakfast treat.

OR you can keep going and make a creamy dessert?

Using an electric mixer to whip up the heavy cream on a high speed until it starts to thicken, add in sugar and vanilla.  Continue to whip until soft peaks form.

For a light creamy touch, just add a dollop of whipped cream to the top of your yogurt.

For full on I don't care about the fat calories, line the bottom of your serving dish with whipped cream, layer on the pumpkin yogurt, top with a dollop of whip, then finish with sprinkling granola on top.

Banana Smoothie Breakfast

Have you ever tried Yoplait's Original Banana Cream yogurt? Blended in a drink blender with a sweet, brown spotty banana, and a cup of low fat milk? Oh, YUM!

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Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

My picky eating daughter asked if we could bake muffins together. We just happen to have the ingredients for these tasty little bites. They've made great snacks for us and they keep getting better with each day. My daughter has eaten more than any of us. I don't mind, they're healthy eats.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup applesauce or oil
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup healthy egg substitute or 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven 400F degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Stir together the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Use a small scooper (holds 1 tablespoonful) to measure out dough into mini muffin pan.

BAKE 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. After they've cooled completely, store in a one gallon freezer bag. I highly recommend baking them a day ahead.

Bagels, Bananas & Honey

I love blogging about food. After slaving to get the right picture to make your mouth water, I get to eat the subject.

I discovered this week the delightful combination of cinnamon raisin bagels, cream cheese and honey. Not too much honey, just a light drizzle. I use the banana slices to sop the honey left on the plate. The potassium boost is just extra points.

This is a great breakfast! It's habit forming. Go try it!

Spinach Quiche with Gruyere Cheese

In the mood for quiche, again, and with plenty of ready made pie crust dough on hand.  I put together this delicious spinach quiche with gruyere cheese.  My son walked by as I was photographing it and said, "That smells great!  Can I have a bite?"  I thought,  uh yea, quick before he asks what's in it!  HE LIKED IT! "Mikey likes it!"  I couldn't help snap of picture of the moment.  The photo came out a little fuzzy, due to my excitement.  But I wanted to show you that a kid would eat it and like it. 

This quiche turned out very light in texture.  The egg seems to be there only to hold the spinach and onion in place and disappears like cotton candy as its consumed.  It was hard not to want to eat an entire half of this quiche by myself.

HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID TO MAKE IT

• 1 ready made pie crust, rolled thin
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 (10oz) package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 -1/3 cup Gruyere cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup healthy egg substitute or 4 eggs
• 2 cups half-n-half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 425ºF degrees. Prepare pie crust and lay over pie pan that's greased with butter.  Spread out into pan cheese, onions, spinach and season with half the salt and pepper.  Whip together eggs, cream and the remaining salt and pepper.  Pour over spinach mix.  Fold over extra pie crust and decorate.  Lightly coat pie crust with egg mixture for a shinier golden finish.

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300F and finish for 25-30 minutes.  Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let it stand long enough to cool so you don't burn your mouth eating it.

Quiches make delicious leftovers for lunch.  Or if you make one on Saturday morning, you'll have breakfast for Sunday, provided you don't eat it all in one day.  I hope you try this recipe soon.  It's a great change from cold cereal or the normal egg breakfast.

ENJOY!

Simple Vanilla Pancakes

After making Awesome French Toast, I was curious how vanilla would taste in my pancake batter.  My kids thought I made flat cupcakes for breakfast, and of course, they ate every bite!  Notice that this is not a sweet batter, I skipped the sugar, knowing that there would be maple syrup added later.

Personally, I've been craving raspberry jam on my pancakes. It's a yummy change and I can carry my breakfast around while I get the kids ready for school. (I went overboard on the jam for this picture, but you don't really mind. Do you?)

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Better N'Eggs Plus or 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons oil or applesauce
• 3/4 cup milk

Heat griddle set to medium heat.  Mix the dry ingredients together and add in all wet ingredients.  Beat until batter is smooth.   If you have Oven Fried Bacon on hand, this is the time to warm it up in the microwave.

By this time, the griddle should be hot enough to pour the batter.  If the griddle is too hot, simply remove it from the heat for a minute or two and turn down the burner just a bit.

Pour out enough batter to make 4 inch cakes.  When the tops become bubbly, it's time to flip'em.  The second side will cook faster than the first, so DON'T WALK AWAY, cook until golden brown.  Serve up hot with maple syrup drizzled on top and two slices of bacon on the side.  

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER PANCAKES

If you have extra pancakes, store cooled pancakes in an airtight container.  They can be left out on the counter for the day or refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.  Reheat pancakes in the toaster on medium heat.  Leftover pancakes make delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  Use the pancakes as a substitute for bread slices and let the kids create their own breakfast sandwiches.

Check this link for Free Local grocery store coupons and save money on this recipe!

Most AWESOME French Toast!

For some time now, I've wanted to make really good French toast.  I've eaten plenty of not so good French toast from restaurants.  I've eaten so much that I thought I really didn't like it at all.

This morning my life is turned around.  I feel a new spring in my step.  My kids and husband look at me with a brighter sparkle in their eyes.  Their smiles and yummy sounds filled my heart while they joyfully ate their breakfast this morning.  I have Chef John at FoodWishes.com to thank for it all.  His instructional video on French Toast -The Fancy Brunch Restaurant Style was absolutely spot on!  I watched it twice, then went to work doing exactly what he did.  It was so easy, so quick, and so AWESOME!

Just like he said, the French toast was creamy on the inside and had a wonderful crispy texture on the outside.  After the first bite, I knew I would make this for my family on a regular basis.  You MUST make this recipe for your family.  They will love you for it, well, of course, they love you already!  You know what I mean.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

• 6 slices French bread
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon butter for frying
• Pure Maple Syrup

Watch the video to see how it to make french toast.

For more details, read Chef John's post, French Toast -The Fancy Brunch Restaurant Style.

Have a great weekend ya'll, don't forget to stop and relax.

Whole Wheat Pancakes My Kids Love!

This is the healthiest pancake recipe that my kids REALLY love to eat.  Believe me, I have tried other "your kids are gonna love these healthy pancakes" recipes.  They didn't.  They knew right away there was something not right and they wouldn't bite!

Now, I will admit that this recipe has literally evolved over time.  Therefore, my children didn't notice the small healthy changes I made to it.

ORIGINAL PANCAKES RECIPE

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup milk

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HEALTHY WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES RECIPE

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Better N'Eggs Plus
• 2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce, natural or cinnamon
• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• Real 100% Maple Syrup, there are no substitutions!

Heat up griddle on Medium heat.  Mix the dry ingredients together and add in all wet ingredients.  Beat until batter is smooth.   If you have Oven Fried Bacon on hand, this is the time to warm it up in the microwave.

By this time, the griddle should be hot enough to pour the batter.  If the griddle is too hot, simply remove it from the heat for a minute or two and turn down the burner just a bit.

Pour out enough batter to make 4 inch cakes.  When the tops become bubbly, it's time to flip'em.  The second side will cook faster than the first, so DON'T WALK AWAY, cook until golden brown.  Serve up hot with maple syrup drizzled on top and two slices of bacon on the side.  Yea, yea, yea, I know that bacon's not healthy but bacon and pancakes with are meant to be together!

KID FRIENDLY TIP
If you, too, use a recipe similar to the original one above, start the change by adding cinnamon.  Pumpkin Spice works well, too.  When your family is accustomed to it, substitute the oil for the applesauce.  They may notice, but they won't mind. Next comes the flour exchange.  Start with half all purpose and half whole wheat, then over the next few batches, gradually use all whole wheat flour.  They won't notice the egg substitution, so exchange that at any time.  They will notice the real Maple syrup and love you for changing over!