Monday Mornings

My mother's family put together a little cookbook a couple years ago that I have cherished.  I love trying the recipes and find that we enjoy most of what we have created! :)  This recipe comes from "Recipes to Remember" ...Frampton Seagle Family Favorites.

Recipe:  Breakfast Casserole  (shared by my Aunt Jill's family)

8 frozen hash brown patties (I used frozen diced hash browns and it turned out great...8 cups)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup cooked bacon, sausage or ham (we used bacon)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded swiss cheese (we used 2 cup of cheddar because we didn't have swiss)
8 eggs
2 cups milk, cream or half & half
1 tsp salt (could use a bit more salt)
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Place hash browns in greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour melted butter over hash browns and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with breakfast meat and cheese.  Beat eggs, add milk, salt and pepper and pour mixture over hash browns.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked and eggs are set.

Critiques:  Enjoyed by all! ....everyone did agree that it needed a bit more seasoning, but that was added by individual taste :)

Monday Mornings

These little cups of goodness turned out pretty yummy!

Recipe:  Breakfast in a Cup (Light Cooking Cookbook)

3 cups rice, cooked
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, drained
1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos (I was out, and substituted diced tomatoes)
1/3 cup fat free milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

Combine rice, 1/2 cup cheese, chilies, pimientos, milk, eggs, cumin, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Divide mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups coated with nonstick spray.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until set.

Tip: Breakfast in a Cup may be stored in the freezer in freezer bags or tightly sealed containers.  To reheat, microwave each frozen cup on HIGH for 1 minute.

Weight Watchers Points for 1 cup:  2 Points

Critiques ~
Everyone said basically the same thing..."Good!"

Monday Mornings

I've never make Blintzes before, and they are not my favorite breakfast item, but for a light recipe these turned out good.

Sous Chef:  Megan

Recipe:  Blintzes with Raspberry Sauce (Light Cooking Cookbook, 1994)

1 (16-oz) container low-fat cottage cheese
3 T. egg beaters type egg product
1/2 tsp. sugar
10 prepared crepes (recipe follows)
Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)

Crepes:
1 cup flour
1 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup egg beaters type egg product
1 T. butter, melted

In medium bowl, blend flour, milk, egg beaters and butter; let stand 30 minutes. In the meanwhile make raspberry sauce and cheese filling.

Heat non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat.  Pour in 1/4 cup batter, tilting pan to cover bottom.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes; turn crepe over and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.  Place on waxed paper (I just used a plate).  Stir batter and repeat to make a total of 10 crepes.

Raspberry Sauce:

In blender or food processor, puree 1 (16-oz) package thawed frozen raspberries; strain. Stir in 2 T. sugar.

Cheese Filling:
In small bowl, combine cheese, egg beaters and sugar. Spread about 2 T. cheese filling down center of each crepe.  Fold crepe into thirds; fold top and bottom of each crepe to meet in center; forming blintzes.  In non-stick skillet, over medium heat, place blintzes seam-side down; cook 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over; cook 4 more minutes or until golden brown.  Top with raspberry sauce and garnish as desired (we sprinkled powdered sugar on top).

Weight Watchers Points for 2 Blintzes and 1/4 cup Sauce:  5 Points 

Critiques ~
Megan: "The tartness of the raspberries and the cheese don't really go together, but I like them separately."
Zachary: "It was good, but the raspberry sauce was too sour!"
Anna: "Wonderful!"
Amelia: "Good."

Monday Mornings

These fun to eat pancakes can be time consuming because they are made in batches, but they are very good! Also, this recipe requires a special Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan....if you don't have one, perhaps you could add it to your Christmas List because they are lots of fun to use!

Sous Chef: Anna & Amelia

Recipe: Cinnamon-Bun Filled Pancakes (by Williams Sonoma)

For the cinnamon filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 Tbs. milk

For the pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking

Directions

To make the cinnamon filling, in a bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.
Add the butter and, using the back of a spoon, mash the butter into the flour mixture until all of it is absorbed into the butter, forming a paste.
Set the cinnamon filling aside.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the confectioners' sugar, reduce the speed to low and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add 3 Tbs. of the milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
The frosting should be thick but still pourable; add more milk if needed to thin it.
Transfer the frosting to a small bowl; set aside.

To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar.
In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 Tbs. melted butter.
Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/8 tsp. melted butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon filling into the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using 2 skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more.
Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.

Drizzle the pancakes with the frosting and serve immediately. Makes 35 to 40.

Critiques ~
Megan: "These are WAY good!"
Zachary: "Delicious!"
Anna: "So good!"
Amelia: "I love the frosting...can you put some in my mouth?" Mom's response: "Huh, no!"

Monday Mornings

Each year Grandma Kayner makes Biscuits and Gravy for Thanksgiving breakfast! I have since learned how to make this delicious, yet VERY fattening dish and so I thought I would feature this recipe in honor of the upcoming celebration this Thursday. :)

Sous Chef: Brian

Recipe: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (similar to Grandma Kayner's, who uses bacon instead of sausage and I also use Betty Crocker's gravy recipe)

12 biscuits
1 lb. sausage, ground
1/2 cup fat (from sausage drippings + butter to equal 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup flour
4 cups heavy cream (or half n' half, or milk...depending on how creamy you want it...if you do use cream, you might need to add some extra milk to help thin the gravy because it gets quite thick.)
salt and black pepper to taste
red pepper to taste

Brown sausage and place meat on plate; keep warm while preparing gravy. Measure fat drippings and add enough butter to equal 1/2 cup (measure accurately because too little fat makes gravy lumpy.)

Stir flour into drippings in pan (measure accurately so gravy is not greasy).  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.

Gradually stir in cream.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute. Add salt, black pepper and a few shakes of red pepper to taste. Serve warm with biscuits.

Critiques ~
"Good Stuff!"

Monday Mornings

This picture did not turn out just right! I should have had my camera ready as they came out of the oven because they were much more PUFFY then! Oh well, they tasted good! :)

Sous Chef: Anna

Recipe: Puffy Popovers (Williams-Sonoma)

NOTE: Do not open the oven door while the popovers are baking. They might not rise correctly if you do.

4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
Butter or jam for serving (optional)

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Heavily grease a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with butter.

In a blender, combine the eggs, milk and oil. Put the lid on securely and, holding the lid down tightly, blend on medium speed until all the ingredients are combined, about 10 seconds.

Turn off the blender, uncover, add the flour and salt and re-cover. Again, hold the lid down tightly. Blend until combined, about 15 seconds more.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly and filling each cup about three-fourths full.

Put the pan in the oven and bake until the popovers are puffed and well browned, about 28 minutes. Do not open the oven door while the popovers are baking or they may not rise correctly.

Remove the pan from the oven. Immediately tip the popovers out of the pan onto a work surface or a wire cooling rack.

Pierce each popover with a wooden skewer to allow the steam to escape. Serve immediately with butter or jam. Makes 12 popovers.

Critiques ~

All said: "Very Good!"

Monday Mornings

This could be considered a dessert, and we did serve it as a dessert, but it is known as a Breakfast dish :)

Sous Chef: Megan

Recipe: Breakfast Cake (a.k.a. Coffee Cake...but we don't drink Coffee, so we call it breakfast cake) (From the Fannie Farmer cookbook)

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cream butter; beat in sugar and egg. Sift flour baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Pour into greased baking dish and drizzle streusel topping on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375. NOTE: I always double the streusel topping :)

Critiques:

Brian: "Good!"

Zachary: "Delicious and very filling."

Anna: "Fabulous, but I'm full."

Amelia: "I'm too full." (I think they ate a lot of tacos for dinner.)

Karen (guest): "This streusel at the bottom is money!"

Monday Mornings

We're back! My husband and I really enjoyed our trip to the southern state of GA! We ate some good southern food and visited with good friends (well, at least I did...Brian was actually working...I was vacationing ;)

I should honor the southern roots that we visited and share a recipe for grits and a runny egg, but instead tonight we were in the mood for another local tradition...not southern but Hawaiian!!

Sous Chef: Brian

Recipe: Loco Moco (traditional Hawaiian dish, or as we like to call it "Heart Attack in a Bowl!")

Rice, cooked
Spam, fried (more traditionally used is a hamburger patty)
Egg, fried
Brown Gravy

Layer and serve immediately! See visual guide for more detailed instructions...

Critiques ~

Brian: "Good Stuff!"

Megan: "Too salty, but not bad."

Anna: "Fabulous...I could eat this every day!"

Amelia: "I don't really like the gravy, but I like the rice, and the egg, and the sam (spam)" ;)

Monday Mornings

Megan's WA State History report about a NW Native American Tribe needed to include something extra that showcased the history and culture of the tribe. Megan chose to make Fry Bread :) Although we didn't really eat this for a Morning Meal, we are using our Monday Morning category since Fry Bread was and can be used for any tribal meal :)

Chef: Megan

Recipe: Fry Bread (shared on the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Website)

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Milk
Sugar and Salt, add for taste
Mix dough, kind of sticky, then add more flour as needed. Let dough rest for about 1/2 hour. Once rested take and flatten small handfuls of dough and fry in hot oil/grease until it is golden brown on both sides.

Mixing...

Rolling...

Frying...

Flipping...

Critiques ~ We all enjoyed the Fry Bread and decided we are going to use it more in our Meal Planning :) We liked it best with butter, cinnamon and sugar!!

Monday Mornings

Quiche Lorraine has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl! My mother enjoyed it and made it often, perhaps because her name is Lorraine (although she went by Lorrie).

Sous Chef: Amelia

Recipe: Quiche Lorraine (by Betty Crocker)

Pastry for 9-inch One-Crust Pie (just so you all know, I have never made my own pie crust!! I usually buy a frozen one made by Marie Callender! I found a recipe that claimed to be the Perfect Pie Crust, so I had to try it! I found it to be a bit tasteless, although very flaky, but perhaps too much so! So...If any of you have found a great tasting pie crust recipe, I would love to try it!!)

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (we used smoked sausage because we didn't have any bacon)

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, 4 oz. (again, we substituted...cheddar instead)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion (substitution again...we used onion powder)

4 large eggs (this recipe is sounding very sad because we substituted yet again! I was out of eggs, and my normal emergency pantry friend wasn't home, so I used egg product...like Egg Beaters!)

2 cups whipping (heavy) cream (only a partial substitute...used part whipping cream and part half and half!)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1. Heat oven to 425.

2. Prepare pastry. Ease into quiche dish, 9 x 1 1/2 inches, or pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches.

3. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pastry-lined quiche dish. Beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into quiche dish. Bake 15 minutes.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 300. Bake about 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Critiques ~

Megan: "Delicious, but the crust is kinda crumbly."

Amelia: "Good!"

Zachary: "Good."

Brian: "I liked the crust...it was actually one of the better quiche's that you've made." (he thinks that real men don't eat quiche, which is really just his way of saying that quiche is not his favorite.)

Monday Mornings

A quick easy dutch pancake is one of our favorite breakfast meals for dinner! :) The picture above is after the pancake has been out of the oven and had time to rest for a couple minutes. The sides get really tall and puffy in the oven.

Sous Chef: Zachary

Recipe: Strawberry-Filled Dutch Pancake

1 T butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup skim milk

1/3 cup flour

3 T sugar, divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 - 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (thawed and drained if frozen) (NOTE: we used Grandma's Strawberry Jam)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (NOTE: we didn't add this tonight, but it is normally really good with fresh strawberries)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place butter in a 9-inch pie plate or a 9 inch oven proof skillet. Melt butter in oven, about 2 minutes; tilt plate to coat evenly with butter. (Don't let butter remain in dish too long, or it will burn).

In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk, flour, 1 T sugar and salt until smooth. Pour batter into hot buttered plate and bake for 6 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F. Bake until pancake is golden brown and sides are puffy, about 8-10 minutes longer (ours usually don't take that long).

While that is baking, combine strawberries with remaining 2 T sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. (Again, we just used Grandma's Jam)

Remove pancake from oven; spoon strawberries on top (we also added a little whipped topping). Cut into wedges; serve immediately. Serves 2.

Critiques ~

Brian: "Good Stuff Darling!"

Megan: "This is Good!"

Zachary: "This is my second favorite pancake, Dad's are my favorite!"

Anna: "Yummy!"

Amelia: "Yum!"

Monday Mornings

I have always wanted to make Granola, and although this journey had a few bumps, the product turned out pretty good! :)

Sous Chef: Amelia

Recipe: Granola (by my sister-in-law, Veronique White)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix

6 cups rolled oats

1/4 c. sunflower seeds (used slivered almonds instead)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. fancy flake coconut

We added: 1/2 c. wheat germ (that is not part of the original recipe)

Add

1/2 c. canola oil

1/3 c. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

* Dried fruit which is added towards the end of baking: 1/2 c. raisins & 1/4 c. craisins

Put on cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. * Add dried fruit during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

NOTES: See challenges below...

Before going into the oven and it looks good....

The first batch burned!!!! Since I have never made Granola before, I didn't know that you are suppose to stir it during the baking process. Also, I think the oven temperature was a bit too high because some other recipes I found for granola had it baking at a lower temperature. Next time I will try different techniques...

The good batch of Granola....YUM!

For a Family Home Evening treat tonight we made Granola Yogurt Parfaits! We layered light strawberry yogurt, granola and sliced strawberries!

Critiques of the Parfaits ~

Megan: "It's okay, I would like it better without yogurt."

Zachary: "I don't like the raisins."

Anna: "This is fabulous great!"

Amelia: "Very good."

Monday Mornings

Omelets are perfect for using up vegetables in your fridge and they are quick and easy! BTW, I have no idea if this is the correct way to cook an omelet! It is just the way I do it, so if it's right, great! If not, oh well, they turn out good :)

Sous Chef: Megan

Recipe: Omelets

2 tsp butter

vegetables (we used zucchini & red pepper)

meats (we used bacon)

cheese (we used Gouda)

onion

2 eggs, beaten

Heat butter in a pan over medium-high heat to melt butter, and tilt pan to coat bottom. Cook vegetables, meats and onion in butter 2 minutes, stirring frequently. (OR you can cook the bacon first and then saute the vegetables in the pan after the bacon and grease have been removed...coats the pan just like butter) Remove from pan and set aside.

Pour eggs into pan. Let stand over heat a couple minutes to lightly brown bottom of omelet, and allow egg to set. Add desired vegetables, meats and cheeses. (Do not overcook—omelet will continue to cook after folding.)

Tilt pan and run spatula under edge of omelet, to loosen eggs from the sides of the pan. Fold omelet in half, and slide finished product onto a plate.

NOTES: Other favorite combos: Cream cheese, Salmon & Chives; Ham, Cheddar, Red Peppers & Salsa; Mozzarella, Tomato, Zucchini & Prosciutto.

Critiques ~

Megan: "Mmmm....this is good!"

Zachary: "Yum!"

Anna: "Good...I like it."

Amelia: "Good!"

Monday Mornings

I was suppose to can peaches this morning (ended up not working out today, so Brian and I painted our bathroom!!!...finally, after 4 years!), and since I knew we would be busy today, I put together a baked french toast this morning and put it in the fridge. It made dinner preparations for tonight very easy because I just had to pop it in the oven and be done :)

This Baked French Toast recipe was introduced to me by a good friend (thanks Tammy!) during a girl's breakfast get together! She used apples, which is very good, but since we have lots of peaches, I used them instead, and it turned out great!

Sous Chef: Megan

Recipe: APPLE (or Peaches!) AND SPICE BAKED FRENCH TOAST

1 large loaf French bread
8 large eggs
3 ½ cups milk or light cream
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
6 to 8 medium sized cooking apples (Granny Smith)
¼ stick butter

Slice bread into 1 ½ inch slices. Spray a 9x13 inch glass pan with corn oil or non stick spray. Place bread in glass dish, placing tightly together. In separate bowl, beat together eggs, ½ cup sugar, milk and vanilla (by hand for about 30 seconds). Pour one half of egg-milk mixture over bread. Peel, core, and slice apples. Place sliced apples on top of bread to cover. Pour balance of egg-milk mixture evenly over apples. Mix remaining ½ cup sugar (I didn't use this much sugar because the peaches were really sweet) with cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over top of apples. Dot with butter. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover dish and bake in oven for 1 hour. (I always end up baking it for about 10 minutes longer) It will rise high and brown nicely. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve with warm maple syrup. Top with whipped cream and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Just out of the oven....

Critiques:

Megan: "Wow, this is good!"

Brian: "Dear, this IS good!"

Zachary: "Thanks mom for this wonderful meal!"

Amelia: "Yum!"

Anna: "Super duper great!"

Monday Mornings

Chef: Brian

Sous Chef: Emily :)

This "Monday Morning" we were going to do a back-to-school breakfast for the children...sorta as a practice, since school starts tomorrow (YEAH!), but then we all decided to sleep in! ;) The children were still looking forward to pancakes, so Brian made them for Lunch before he had to leave for his flight to L.A. :)

Unfortunately, this post might be a bit disappointing to people who love pancakes...why? Because the recipe we use in our family, is one that my husband has designed and perfected and he refuses to share his secrets! :) He won't even tell Megan, who has begging to know what "secret ingredient" he has added! Brian tells her it is "Love" :) I can't give away any details, but he said I could post pictures, so in one of these pictures I have featured the "secret ingredient"...but remember, I can't tell you!

Pouring perfect pancakes (say that 10 times fast!!)

Here's our tip for easy pancake cutting, if you don't already do it....

Critiques: All time family favorite, so all good reviews :)

Monday Mornings

In our family we love having "upside-down dinner"...basically Breakfast foods for dinner, and tonight we had Egg Sandwiches. I'm sure most people have made them before...we just use English Muffins, cheese, tomato and eggs (over easy, over hard, scrambled, etc...depends on our mood). Sometimes we will change the bread option and use tortillas or regular sandwich bread. Nothing fancy, but busy days welcome easy evening meals, and Breakfast for dinner is very easy! :)

Sous Chef: Amelia

Children Critiques: All enjoyed :)