Banana Nut Waffles

Possibly my new favorites waffle recipe!

Banana Nut Waffle

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons sugar (cane sugar or brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 2.5 oz  coconut oil
• ¾ cup milk 
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat waffle iron on high heat, about one notch down from the highest setting. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg. 
3. In a blender combine oats and whole almonds. Grind until they resemble a coarse flour. Add to flour mixture
4. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the coconut oil and milk. Microwave for 60 seconds, or until the mixture is warm and the coconut oil has mostly melted. Whisk in mashed banana, egg, and vanilla extract.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. Tiny lumps may remain. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area. Once the iron has stopped steaming and the waffle is deeply golden, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don't stack your waffles on top of each other, or they'll lose crispness. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat.
6. Top with sliced bananas and 100% pure maple syrup, and serve. Save leftovers in the fridge and reheat by placing the waffle back in the griddle or in the toaster on a light setting.

Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

 
There is a certain bakery near us that has the most amazing sweet rolls. People will often bring them for us at my work, or if it has been a while we will encourage our boss to get some on her way in. Everyone loves them. They have a wide variety of flavors including cinnamon, blueberry, raspberry, and orange. Yes I have tried them all, and no I can not pick a favorite. My favorite changes depending on my mood that day, but I can tell you that I always enjoy them. Well this week we found blueberries on sale at Winco. We of course had to get as many as possible. I was really in the mood for some sort of bread and decided that I could make blueberry sweet rolls just like the local bakery. I made them and was so glad that I did. I could have eaten the whole pan. Luckily (for my thighs) I refrained. But needless to say they are delicious!

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

Dough
5 1/4 c. white flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
3 T. oil
2c. hot tap water


Filling
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbs butter

Browned Butter Glaze
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil or a silpat to help with the clean up process.

For the dough: Mix dry ingredients to bowl of stand mixer. Add oil and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water, if too wet add more flour. Dough should clean the bowl of the mixer. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Let dough sit in the mixer for 10 minutes (set a timer if you are like me and most likely would forget about it). After the 10 minutes is up turn the mixer on for about 30 seconds then turn it back off again. Repeat the process of letting the dough rest/rise then turning on mixer 2 more times.  During the down time make the filling.

Filling: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until fruit is blended down and more liquid. I like mine quite blended, but if you like more chunks feel free to only blend it a small amount or add fresh blueberries after the blending process is done. Pour blended blueberry mixture into a medium size sauce pan. Place the pan over medium heat. Heat until mixture thickens. Once thick take off heat and set aside to cool. It is ok if it is still warm, but you don't want it boiling hot when you spread it on the dough.

After the final resting and turning on the mixer process turn dough onto a well floured surface. Split the dough in half working with one half at a time. Roll out half of the dough into a rectangle. Spread filling on rolled out dough. I found that cutting the dough into long strips with a pizza cutter and then rolling it up was easier and less messy than rolling it up then cutting it, but you can do this step however you want. Place rolled up sweet rolls on prepared baking sheet. Allow about an inch in between pieces to allow for rising, but to still let them tough slightly once baking. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until dough is a light golden brown.


Browned Butter Glaze: Over medium heat heat butter until it is browned. (It starts turning a nice amber color and gives off the most delicious nutty smell) Pour browned butter into a heat proof bowl and add powdered sugar and milk. Mix with a whisk or hand mixer until combined. I like mine to be just slightly thinner than I would make it if I wanted it to be spreadable. Drizzle glaze over warm sweet rolls and enjoy!

French Breakfast Muffins

I'll be honest, I don't know if this recipe is actually french. But then again, there are many recipes that claim to be french, but really aren't. The name does make them a little more intriguing than just breakfast muffins. If I saw a recipe for breakfast muffins I might look at it (mealy because I love breakfast), but French Breakfast Muffins... I definitely am more interested. I got this recipe from a friend, and as soon as I read what was in it I knew I had to try them. Let me tell you that these muffins are delicious! My friend also likes to call them doughnut hole muffins because that is what they remind her of. I am honestly not a huge fan of doughnuts, but these muffins I am huge fan of! I may or may not have eaten them for dinner last night, and lunch today (yes I know somehow I missed breakfast). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I think I better go eat another one right now!

French Breakfast Muffins

I like to call these “donut hole muffins,” because they taste like cake donuts.

MUFFINS

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375.

Butter the bottoms only of 12 standard size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Blend in milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Add wet to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake 5-7 more minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack until muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

While muffins cool, prepare topping. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl.

Quickly dip tops of muffins into the melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar, rolling to cover the entire top. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffins

Thanks Melanie for the great recipe!

Simple Breakfast Syrup

I love breakfast. I always have. Do you ever have those days where you want something delicious like pancakes, waffles, french toast, or whatever it may be, but you realize that you ran out of syrup last time you ate one of those items? No? So its just me huh? Well this does happen to me sometimes. I typically love getting pure maple syrup. I feel like its just a little bit healthier, but on those days that I don't have any or just feel like having something sugary then this syrup is a life saver! It is quick and easy to make. It is very low maintenance. You can get it started, then finish making the rest of you breakfast without much worry. This recipe is one I got from my mom, and is the syrup recipe she would make whenever we wanted or needed homemade syrup.

Simple Breakfast Syrup

2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup Karo syrup
1 tbs pure maple syrup (if using mapleine use only 1/2 -1 tsp)
1 tbs vanilla

Combine both sugars, water, and Karo syrup in a medium sized heavy duty saucepan. Mix briefly to combine. Cook over medium high heat. Once mixture starts to boil continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maple and vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature (I prefer warm). Technically you should be able to store it at room temperature, but I store it in the fridge just to be safe, then warm it up before I use it.

Breakfast Casserole

We had a breakfast get together with some friends this weekend. We seem to do this about every 6 months to a year. I am a huge fan of breakfast, so mixing breakfast  and good friends is even better. We also always have very delicious food. My friend made some amazing cinnamon rolls which I am hoping she will post on her blog. I was in charge of making a breakfast casserole. I have made a few different kinds of breakfast casserole but always love trying new recipes. This recipe was so easy to make and turned out delicious. Everyone loved it! I threw it together the night before then let sit in the fridge until the next morning when I was ready to bake it. This way I didn't have to wake up early to make it but it was still warm for everyone to eat. I will definitely be making this recipe again!

Breakfast Casserole

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing
Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients
1 pound sliced bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon and loved it)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1-1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Source: Taste Of Home

2-Minute French Toast In A Cup

I am all about quick and easy meals. Sometimes I have a lot of time to make an elegant meal. Sometimes I don't want to spend more than 30 seconds making a meal. It is all very relative to how I'm feeling that day. This recipe isn't just quick and easy, but it also tastes delicious! I have always loved french toast, so making simpler is even better!

2-Minute French Toast In A Cup
Prep time: 2-5 minutes
Servings: 1-2

2 slices bread (I have even used left over rolls)
1 egg
2 drops vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs milk
1 pinch salt (optional)
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbs butter

Prepare 1 large mug, or 2 smaller mugs by greasing them with butter. You can do this with the butter cold and rubbing it on the sides, or melt the butter and slosh it around in the cut to get the sides.

Cube the bread. They don't have to be perfect. Place bread in prepared cups. Press down slightly on  bread to squish it into the cups.

In a separate cup or ramekin combine egg, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, salt, and syrup. Mix with a fork. Pour egg mixture over bread pressing down slightly as you go to make sure all the peices are getting a little of the egg mixture. Let bread rest for a minute to absorb the extra fluid. Place in a microwave for 1 minute. If liquid still remains in cup after the 1 minute return to microwave and cook at 10 second intervals until it is all cooked and there is no runny egg left.

Let cool briefly and then top with more maple syrup and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Prudent Baby

Cheese Blintzes

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentines Day! The last few years my husband and I have taken the train to Denver for Valentines Day. This year we stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast in down town Denver. We had a great time! We also love taking the train places. On this trip one of the things they were serving in the dining car of the train for breakfast were cheese blintzes. My husband had never heard of these before. Now train food is ok, but when they said they cooked the cheese blintzes in the microwave I just couldn't bare to try them. I told my husband I would make him some when we got home. I absolutely love a good cheese blintze! Most of you know that anything that you can call breakfast, but really could be eaten as a dessert is ok in my book. I think these are such a yummy variation to a traditional crepe. This recipe is very easy and so worth any work you put into it! If you have never tried cheese blintzes this recipe is a very basic recipe and can be dolled up any way you want.

Cheese Blintzes

12 6-8 inch crepes

2 8 oz packages cream cheese (sorry, low-fat will not work here)

1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 T melted butter

Toppings:

Applesauce

Fruit

Jam

Sour cream

Syrup

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and brush a 9x13 pan with melted butter. Stir cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla extra in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until blended. 

2. To fill each crepe, spoon 3 T of filling cream cheese mixture in the center of once crepe, then fold the bottom part of the crepe up over the filling, followed by folding both sides in, and finally folding the top down. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Brush the tops of each blintz with melted butter and place in oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until they are puffed and turning golden in color. Remove from oven. I have also done this step in a frying pan with some butter, flipping once browned. If choosing this option you have to be very careful not to tear the delicate crepe when flipping.

4. To serve, top blintzes with your choice of applesauce, fruit, jam, sour cream or syrup. If you are feeling spunky you can also put the fruit on the inside!

Recipe Source: Heat Oven To 350

Mini German Pancakes

I am always looking for new creative ways to do breakfast. I absolutely love breakfast, and especially when I get to make breakfast. I saw these at a friend's Christmas party a while ago and thought it was such a fun idea. We have had them a couple of times now and I love it. I love them because I can have one or all twelve (maybe not quite all twelve but pretty close). They had them there for everyone to snack on at the Christmas party and it was great. You can fill the little cups with syrup, jam, or sprinkle them with powdered sugar and a little bit of lemon juice. I also love it because they are hand held. There is something fun about thinks that you can eat without utensils (maybe that is my inner child coming out). In my family we always called German pancakes dutch babies. I lovingly like to call these bad boys dutchies or little dutchies :).

Mini German Pancakes
Prep Time: 10 min
Bake Time: 15 Min
Makes 12-18 Mini German Pancakes

3 eggs beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tbs melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare regular sized muffin tins by placing approximately 1 tsp of butter in each tin. Once the oven is preheated place the muffin tins in the oven and let the butter melt. Watch it pretty closely because you don't want your butter to burn. While the butter is melting  combine all the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Pour a small amount into each prepared muffin tin. The smaller amount you put in each tin the more individual mini German pancakes you will get. If you want them fairly thick then fill each tin 2/3 the way full. If you want them thinner only fill the tins 1/4-1/2 the way full. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Garnish with melted butter and powdered sugar or really whatever you heart so desires.

Whole Wheat Biscuits

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens! I decided to make whole wheat scones/biscuits. With the several batches I made I realized that moisture is a good thing. This dough is very sticky and I used a good amount of flour to assist in the kneading process, but the biscuits were moist and tender (just how I like them)!

Basic Scones (a.k.a. Basic Biscuits)
Servings: about eight 2-inch (5 cm) scones or five 3-inch (7½ cm) scones
Recipe can be doubled

Ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
approximately ½ cup cold milk
2 tablespoons honey
optional 1 tablespoon milk, for glazing the tops of the scones

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to very hot 475°F/240°C/gas mark 9.
2. Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. (If your room temperature is very hot refrigerate the sifted ingredients until cold.)
3. Rub the frozen grated butter (or combination of fats) into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.
4. Combine the milk and the honey. Whisk to combine. Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the rubbed-in flour/fat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) the dough until it is smooth. To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)
6. Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick (15¼ cm by 10 cm by 2 cm thick). Using a well-floured 2-inch (5 cm) scone cutter (biscuit cutter), stamp out without twisting six 2-inch (5 cm) rounds, gently reform the scraps into another ¾ inch (2 cm) layer and cut two more scones (these two scones will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough). Or use a well-floured sharp knife to form squares or wedges as you desire.
7. Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Glaze the tops with milk if you want a golden color on your scones or lightly flour if you want a more traditional look to your scones.
8. Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures are very unreliable) until the scones are well risen and are lightly colored on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.
9. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.

Orange Pull-A-Parts

I think I am getting used to this no sugar thing. It actually has been a fun challenge. It has given me opportunities to try recipes I probably wouldn't try normally. I have also had to be more creative in what I use to sweeten things. Luckily we have a lot of honey around our house! It has also been a very eye opening experience. I realize that I do eat a lot of sugar. I have known this, but I am even more aware of the amount sugar that is in everything. Sugar just isn't in desserts. It really is found in almost everything! For this reason it has become even more worthwhile for me to make all of my own food from scratch. This way I know exactly what is in everything (because I put it there).

Well these pull-a-parts are not only delicious but have no sugar in them! They are sweetened with honey. We ate them for breakfast today and enjoyed every bite. They are full of orange yumminess, and the way they are cut makes them look so pretty!

Orange Pull-A-Parts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup butter chilled
1 cup milk minus 1 tbs

4 tbs butter softened
4 tbs honey
1-2 tbs fresh grated orange peel

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.


In a small bowl combine 4 tbs softened butter, 4 tbs honey, and 1-2 tbs fresh grated orange peel (depending on how orangey you want it). Mix with a whisk or fork until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. I did this by putting the dry ingredients into my food processor and pulsing a few times to combine. I then cut the butter into smaller sections and added them to my food processor and pulsed until it is well combined. Pour flour/butter mixture into a separate bowl.

In a 1 cup glass measuring cup or bowl pour 1 tbs honey. Combine 1 tbs of honey with 1 tbs of milk and mix until combined. Gradually add the rest of the milk to make 1 cup total liquid. Gradually stir in milk into dough until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick square. Spread a thin layer of orange honey butter mixture onto dough. If you put too much it will just ooze out as you roll it up. Roll dough up the same way you would cinnamon rolls. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Cut into 12 slices to within 1/8 in. of bottom, being careful not to cut all the say through. Fold down alternating slices from left to right to form a loaf. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the remaining orange honey butter over the loaf. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: A combination of these two recipes.

Sour Dough Pancakes

I must be on a breakfast kick or something this week because that is all I can think about posting. Well these top the list of my favorite breakfasts. These pancakes have been in my life for as long as I can remember. As kids my mom used to make them for us every Sunday. After a while we decided to branch out and on sunday we would either have crepes, french toast, dutch babies, or these sour dough pancakes. As years went on my dad and I took over the task of making breakfast on Sundays. With this particular recipe I remember pouring in the melted butter as he whisked the batter and we tried not to splatter the butter everywhere as we mixed it in. I have so many fond memories of my family and these pancakes!

I actually hadn't made these pancakes in years. I have been out of the house for over 10 years (wow I can't believe how time flies) now and I just haven't had a starter for this recipe. Recently I decided I was going to make a sour dough starter the old fashioned way. I figured since I had the starter sitting around I might as well make some sour dough pancakes for my hubby. In all the time that I have known and been married to my husband he has never had sour dough pancakes. In my book this was practically a crime and had to be remedied. I am happy to report that he loved them almost as much as I do!

*Note: These pancakes do take a little bit of thought before hand since you have to start them the night before. If you don't have a sour dough starter on hand you can find many recipes for them on the web. I wanted a sour dough started that didn't call for yeast (just because this is an anomaly to me since I just figured out sour dough didn't have store bough yeast in it) I used a recipe similar to this but you are welcome to use any sour dough starter you like. The great thing is once you have a sour dough starter you can keep using it forever!

Sour Dough Pancakes

Night before:
4 tbs sour dough starter
2 cups flour
2 cups milk warmed for 2 minutes in the microwave

In the morning:
3 eggs
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs melted butter
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Directions:

The night before warm milk in a medium sized microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes. Mix in flour and sour dough starter. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and leave out on counter over night.

The next morning take out 4 heaping tbs flour mixture for your new starter. Place in a jar or tupperware and store in the fridge until the next time. To the rest of the flour mixture add eggs, sugar, butter, soda, and salt. Whisk quickly and thoroughly to combine all ingredients. The baking soda will react with the rest of the mixture and the batter will bubble up a little bit. Once everything is combined let is sit and bubble for a few minutes while your griddle is heating up.

Heat griddle to 375 degrees or until a drop of water when dripped on it will bubble and dances across it. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until the edges appear to be dry or until the bubbles in the center pop and stay open.

These pancakes are not a fluffy pancake and they aren't supposed to be. If you must have fluffy pancakes you are welcome to add a little extra flour to the batter but trust me when I say that these pancake are perfect just the way they are!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yes Yes I know I just posted these cinnamon roll pancakes and they were delicious! But why stop at one good thing? These waffles don't actually have the cinnamon sugar cooked into it like the pancakes do, but oh how I love the massive amount of cinnamony sugary goodness that is on top of these bad boys! These waffles are not for anyone who shies away from sugar. These waffles are delicious and sweet as if you were eating a cinnamon roll, but instead they have little grooves for all that goodness to fill. Once in your mouth they turn into pockets of goodness that leave you taste bud screaming for more!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yield: About 12 (4-inch) waffles

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Completely decadent breakfast treat- like a deconstructed cinnamon roll, turned into a waffle.

Ingredients:

 

WAFFLES:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON TOPPING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon grond cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Directions:

 

1. Prepare waffles: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened; batter will be slightly lumpy.

3. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with nonstick spray. Pour batter into waffle iron grid and close the lid. Bake until waffles are completely done- follow your waffle iron's instructions. Use a fork to remove finished waffles. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep waffles warm until ready to serve (a 200 degree oven is perfect).

4. Prepare cinnamon topping: In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside.

5. Prepare cream cheese topping: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese for 30 to 60 seconds; just until melted. Stir together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

6. When ready to serve, place waffle on plate, drizzle cinnamon topping, then drizzle cream cheese topping. Use as much or as little as you'd like. Serve immediately.

I first found this recipe here which took me to this site who got it from here :) Thanks to all of you for the amazing recipe!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I absolutely love breakfast! I am the type of person that must eat breakfast or I think I might waste away in those few short hours before lunch.  Really lets be honest, with my love of all things sweet why wouldn't I like something that you get to pour sugar/syrup/fruit all over? Well these bad boys fit that requirement quite well. These pancakes are sweet, cinnamony, and you get to pour frosting all over them. This is the true meaning of pancake.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Yield: 4 servings (4 pancakes)

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 10 min

An absolutely decadent morning treat...

Ingredients:

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
 
CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
 
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

Recipe Source: Recipe Girl

Homemade Baked Tater Tots

I have slightly been on a baking drought lately. You see we went to Disneyland last week. Disneyland is wonderful and magical, but for some reason they wouldn't let me down into their magical kitchens to let me create things of my own. Strange I know. The day we got back from Disney I came down with a nasty cold. It is very hard for me to cook when I can't smell, taste, or really stand for long periods of time. Today I'm finally feeling a little better and I can taste so what do I do? Of course make some new creations!

I decided I wanted to try and make these at about 4:30 this morning. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep and the only things I could think of were the things I wanted to make. This one being in the forefront of my mind. I kept thinking of how I was going to make them, and what spices i wanted in it. I eventually did fall back to sleep, but as soon as I woke up I knew what I needed to do! This was a fun experiment that turned out quite yummy! The unhealthy side of me would still have to admit that I slightly prefer the deep fried kind, but the healthy side of me often tries to suppress the unhealthy side and occasionally wins! Luckily with these bad boys both sides were pleasantly satisfied with them.

Homemade Baked Tater Tots

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Makes about 30 mini tater tots

Ingredients:
4 medium sized potatoes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tbs oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Directions:
Wash and skin potatoes. Using a food processor with the shredding disk attached shred all four potatoes. You can shred them by hand if you don't have a food processor, but it is much faster with the food processor. With your hands scoop the shredded potatoes out of the food processing bowl and transfer to a medium sized bowl slightly squeezing with your hands to removed some of the excess juice from the potatoes. Add the salt, smoked paprika, pepper, egg, and oil to the shredded potatoes. Mix with a fork until well combined. Add flour and mix again with a fork.

Prepare a mini muffin pan by lightly spraying with cooking spray. You can also use a regular muffing pan if you don't have a mini one, your tots will just be bigger. Scoop about 1/2 tbs of potato mixture into each mini muffin tin. Pressing down slightly with the back of measuring spoon to make the potato mixture as flat as possible. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. I flipped all of mine half way through the baking time just to make sure they would be crispy on all sides. I wanted mine a little on the crispy side so when they were about done I turned on the broiler and let them crisp up for just a few minutes. If you do this watch them carefully as to not let them burn. Remove from oven and place tots in a bowl and sprinkle a little extra salt on them. Serve plain or with whatever sauce you would like.

Multi-Grain Waffles

I have 3 favorite types of food: Dessert (yes this one comes first), Bread (a close second), and Breakfast (depending on the day this one competes with both first and second). I have always been a breakfast eater/lover. When my mom gave me this recipe I couldn't wait long before I just had to make it! I love everything that tastes good and is somewhat healthy. These bad boys are not only full of flavor, but a good way to get in those whole grains! Thanks mom for another great recipe!

Multi-Grain Waffles

8 servings, 2 waffles each
Active Time: 30 minutes -Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup Chia Seed (optional)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal (I used cornmeal because that is what I had)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbs canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Mix buttermilk, oats, and chia seed (if using) in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes. Whisk whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover 3/4 of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8X8 inch waffle iron) Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Make Ahead Tip: Wrap any leftovers individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in a toaster or toaster oven.

Chocolate Crepes with Raspberries and Almond Cream Sauce

I love breakfast. I love it. There aren't too many things you can eat for breakfast that I don't like. I will admit that I love sweet breakfasts. Who wouldn't want to start your morning off with something sweet and delicious. This is why these bad boys came about. I recently saw a recipe for some chocolate crepes. I had never heard or thought of chocolate crepes, but I love chocolate! I also love the flavor combo of chocolate raspberries and almond. Those flavors are what inspired this delicious breakfast treat. Yes, I did eat it for breakfast, but it could easily be used as a dessert.

Chocolate Crepes:
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 ounces all-purpose flour
1 ounce unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup Milk, 1% or higher

Almond Cream Sauce:
3 oz almond paste
2/3 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs powdered sugar

Raspberries for middle and top of crepes

For the crepes: Combine cocoa, vanilla, and eggs in a medium sized bowl. whisk until combined. Add milk, butter, and flour. Whisk well. Over the stove heat medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. You want the pan to be hot so that a drop of water sizzles. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of batter into the center of the hot pan an swirl the pan until the batter coats the pan evenly. Cook until the edges release from the pan and the underside of the crepe slides easily in the pan, about one minute. Flip the crepe, or turn with a rubber spatula, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the second side. Place on a plate or I like to keep mine warm in my handy tortilla warmer while I make the rest of them.

For the Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. With a hand mixer blend mixture until smooth and all incorporated.

To assemble crepes you can either fold them in half twice with some raspberries in the middle or roll up the crepe around the raspberries. I enjoyed having a small amount of sauce in the middle with the raspberries and then drizzling more over the top. Enjoy!


Recipe Source: Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes

I am a breakfast lover. Whenever I have time I love making a warm breakfast. I love pancakes, but always seem to play around with the ingredients. I love that pancakes can be so versatile. This was the recipe I came up with this morning and my husband and I both loved it. They are very filling and keep you full for quite a while.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbs peanut butter (I used Adam's crunchy but any kind would work)
2 tbs honey
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tbs golden flax seed
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat a nonstick griddle to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine the buttermilk and the egg. Whisk until incorporated. Add the peanut butter and honey mix until well combined. In a separate medium size combine the flour, flax seed, salt and soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. You do not want to over mix. Pour approximately 1/3 cup mixture at a time onto the griddle and spread out slightly since the batter is quite thick. Brown on both sides turning once. Enjoy with butter and pure maple syrup.

Cream Biscuits

Recently I have been trying to live on a budget. Mostly I have realized how much money I can spend simply on food. I have never really made myself have a budget before so this has been a good experience. Well this recipe came about because we ran out of milk and I have used all my budget this month so I refuse to go get more. It is breakfast time and most things I make call for milk. I thought of biscuits and decided those could work. I found this recipe that called for cream (instead of milk and butter) and decided to try it. This recipe is the easiest biscuit recipe I have ever made. I LOVE that you don't have to cut in the butter. Yet they are still soft and delicious.

Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, gently press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. It does not need to be completely smooth across the top. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Brush the tops with the butter. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze* for future use.

*To flash freeze, place the unbaked biscuits on a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, the biscuits can carefully be placed in a ziploc bag and removed for baking as needed. Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Butterscotch Oatmeal

I love having a warm breakfast in the morning, and I always enjoy some oatmeal. It is healthy and filling. This oatmeal isn't as healthy as my other oatmeal recipe I have on this site but if you are looking for a less healthy and oh so delicious oatmeal recipe this one takes the cake. I have been making this recipe for a few years. I seem to forget about it on occasion but whenever I find it again and make it I am reminded how much I love it.

Butterscotch Oatmeal

1 egg
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
2 tbs butter

In a saucepan or a rice cooker whisk together the egg, milk, and brown sugar. Mix in the oats. If cooking in a saucepan cook over medium heat. When the oatmeal begins to boil cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Serve immediately.

Note: I have just recently started making my oatmeal in a rice cooker. I like it cause I don't have to worry nearly as much about it burning and I can forget about it for a little while. The only problem is if you have a smaller rice cooker sometimes it can boil over so don't forget about it completely.

Buttermilk Syrup

There is no question as to what my favorite meals are. I have a serious love hate relationship with sugar. Therefore my two favorite meals are breakfast and dessert (yes dessert is a meal just in case you didn't know that).  Years ago I went to this local restaurant that serves delicious breakfast. They have this amazing syrup that I fell in love with instantly. I knew that I needed to figure out how to make it. After searching the web and combining recipes this is what I have come up with.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla (optional)

In a very large saucepan stir together all the ingredients except baking soda. Bring to a boil. Add Baking soda and cook for 7 minutes. Once the baking soda is added the syrup will foam up quite a bit so make sure you are using a very large saucepan. Remove from heat and serve.