Foodie Friday: Holiday Breakfasts

My kids are big on holiday traditions, so we have many, but one of my favorites is our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning breakfasts.

For Christmas Eve I keep it simple and we make a Christmas tree out of cinnamon rolls. We simply buy 2 cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and arrange them on a cookie sheet to look like a tree. Then bake them at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

Pay special attention to the rolls in the middle, as those will take the longest to cook.

Once the rolls are cooked you simply ice them and add sprinkles!

Now the breakfast for Christmas morning takes more prep so I make it on Christmas Eve as well. I start by baking a fresh loaf (or 2) of challah bread using the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Honestly, this is the only way I make bread. It’s so easy and convenient, if you haven’t tried it you should. I make two so that we can eat one now and still have the second one to actually use for breakfast.

If baking bread isn’t your thing you can buy challah bread at some bakeries, or you could use Texas toast or any “thick” bread of your choice, but you really should try fresh baked challah at least once.  

Now what do I make with that beautiful bread, you ask?? How about some Crème Brûlée French Toast. That is the original recipe that I have adjusted and adapted a little over the years. This is how I usually make it now.

1 Loaf of challah bread sliced thickly

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

5 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half (whatever you have on hand)

1 teaspoon vanilla

You start by melting the butter in a heavy sauce pan on medium heat. Next whisk in the brown sugar and corn syrup and continue whisking until it is smooth. Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish making sure to cover the whole bottom.

Nestle the bread slices into the caramel, making sure to they are as much of the bottom of the dish as you can.

Whisk eggs, milk, heavy cream and vanilla together and pour over the bread.

Cover and refrigerate over night

In the morning when we get up to open presents I take the dish out and preheat the oven to 375°. Once the oven is up to temperature bake for about 40 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden brown.    

Foodie Friday: Christmas Cookies

Every year we bake Christmas cookies as a family. Some recipes have been one and done and some seem to make the list year after year. Those are the ones I am going to share with you today. 

One of my favorites is this Mocha Crinkle Recipe.

I have an old cookbook that use to be my grandma’s and there are a few recipes that she had put a star on the page in pencil to indicate that she was going to make it so the first year I got the book I went through and made all the recipes she had made and I fell in love with this one.

Unfortunately, the cookbook is packed away in storage, but I was so excited to find the recipe on Pinterest so that we can continue the tradition of making them! The website even has the exact same photo as my book!!

When you have kids Sugar Cookies are a must! We like to use this recipe and then make up some royal frosting so that they can decorate them. Of course we also keep plenty of sprinkles on hand as well.   

Of course you can’t bake Christmas cookies and not make chocolate chip. Around here we love our Ghirardelli chocolate so we tend to make the recipe on the package, which can also be found here. We either make that, or this Toll House recipe (which also happens to be in my grandma’s cookbook), with Ghirardelli baking chips instead. (Shhhh don’t tell).

This last recipe is newer to the group, but my number one favorite!

Pecan Sables

1 package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1/2 cup softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 bag pecan halves (16 oz or larger)

• Preheat oven to 375° (350° for dark nonstick cookie sheets)
• Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside
• Prepare the sugar cookie mix according to the package directions.
• Add the chopped pecans to the dough and mix well
• Roll one tablespoon of dough into a ball
• Roll the ball of dough in the cinnamon sugar
• Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart
• Top each ball of dough with a pecan halve
• Bake for 8-10 minutes
• Cool for 1 minute before moving the baked cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely

What are you Christmas Cookie traditions? Do you stay with tried and true, or do you like to mix up a bit?

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Roll with Brown Sugar & Cream Cheese Filling

One of Officer P’s favorite desserts is the pumpkin roll, but I decided to try something a little different for this week’s Foodie Friday post and instead of making the traditional cream cheese filling I made a cinnamon and brown sugar cream cheese filling. It’s delish!!

For the cake you will need:

• 3/4 all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat your oven to 375° and line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with wax paper and then grease the paper.

Start by adding the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt to a medium bowl and stir with a fork to mix them well. Then beat the eggs and sugar together with a mixer, in a separate bowl, until thick. Next add in the pumpkin and beat until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and continue to mix well.

Pour the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet making sure to smooth it into an even layer. I like to tap the sheet on the counter a couple times to help it settle a bit. It’s important to get it as even as possible because thin edges will burn!

Bake in the center of the oven for about 14 minutes. When the cake is done the top should spring back when touched.

While the cake is baking dust a hand towel with powder sugar. Once the cake is done immediately turn it onto the prepared towel, remove the wax paper, and roll it up tightly into the towel. Set aside and allow it to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling you can start making the cinnamon, brown sugar cream cheese filling. Here is what you will need:

• 1 eight oz. package of cream cheese softened
• 1 stick of butter melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar

For this I just dump it all in a big bowl and beat it with my mixer. I would suggest starting with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and tasting it to see if you want to add more. I like brown sugar so I went with the 3/4 cup, but adding more brown sugar will make the filling a little more gritty in texture.

Once the cake has cooled carefully unroll it and spread the filling onto it, making sure to leave an inch or so perimeter around the edges to prevent the filling from squeezing out. Then you will re-roll it, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour, but I prefer over night if you can.

After it is done chilling just slice it up and enjoy.

This recipe was a big hit with the family and will be making an appearance at the dessert table this Thanksgiving!!

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving desserts? Do you go with the traditional items, or do you like to mix it up a bit?

Foodie Friday: Apple Crisp

I know for many of you fall arrived a month or so ago, but I’m in California and we don’t have the same seasons as most of you. ;) Now that we have finally had a day or 2 in the 60s I felt it was time to start some fall baking, and fall baking just isn’t complete without an apple crisp. So here is the recipe for the one I like to make.

• 4-6 peeled, cored and chopped apples (I prefer granny smith)
• 1 1/2 cups of old fashion oats
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1-2 tbsp flour
• apple pie spice
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Preheat your oven to 375* and while it is preheating toss the chopped apples with about 1/2 teaspoon to a teaspoon of the apple pie spice.

In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, oats, flour and an additional 1/2 tablespoon of apple pie spice together. Once those are mixed together well chop the stick of butter in chunks and add it to the mix. I like to mix this with my hands his the warmth from the help to soften the butter. Once the butter is well incorporated sprinkle it on top of your apples.
Now you simply bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes and it comes out looking like this . . .

This really should be a dessert, but from time to time I will let the kids have it for breakfast as well!! Aside from the amount of sugar in it I like to consider it a baked oatmeal breakfast. ;)

Foodie Friday Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut

I have a confession, this is a bit of a cheater recipe, but hey we all need a cheater recipe every now and then, right?

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup egg white
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 box spice cake mix

 

This is really a super easy recipe. I took the cake mix box and just made a few adjustments. I knew you could use apple sauce in place of oil so I figured why not use pumpkin?? I did a quick internet search to validate my hypothesis and I was in luck!! According to the internet you can in fact substitute pumpkin for oil, good to know.

The box calls for 3 eggs, but I only had 2. Then I noticed an * on the bottom of the box and a web address to make the cake “cholesterol free”, and for this particular mix it said to use 5 egg whites, which according to my carton was about a cup. Woo hoo my donuts were saved, and I cut even more fat from the recipe!

The box also called for 1 cup of water, but since I wanted my donuts to be a little denser/ drier then a cake to make them more donut like so I cut the liquid in half. I also couldn’t decide if I wanted to make apple cider donuts or pumpkin so I figured I’d just combine them and subbed apple cider for the water.

You just mix all the ingredients together and pour the batter into a donut pan. They run around $10 and you can get them at most hobby stores, and there are usually 40%-50% off coupons for these stores floating around so you can get them for $5-$6. I would suggest getting 2 so that you can bake a dozen donuts at once. If you want your donuts to look more donut like only fill your pan about half way, not like the photo above. ;) Then you simply bake according to the boxes directions for cupcakes. For this particular brand it was 350* for 15-20 minutes.

This is what they look like when you fill the pan a little too full. They still tasted great! But looked more like a bagel then a donut.

This is what they look like when you only fill the pan half full.

This round I was able to make 16 donuts, but if I had filled all the pans only halfway I am sure it would have been closer to 2 dozen.

I was trying to keep these on the healthier side so I opted to not ice them. I think next time I will try a caramel cream cheese icing. So look for a recipe retake sometime next month.

Since next Friday will be the start of a new month I will be starting a new theme!! My theme for November is going to be fall baking, and up first is an apple crisp, because it just isn’t fall without one.   

Foodie Friday: Fruity Nutella Crepes

 I know crepes can be rather intimidating since they are so thin and delicate, but with a study hand they are really quite simple to make. I used the follow recipe for my crepe batter:

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoon butter melted

First you will need to sift the dry ingredients together and set them aside. Next you will beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet and then whisk in the melted butter. You should have a thin, smooth, lump free batter. Something like this



Many recipes I have seen suggest that you refrigerate the batter for at least an hour, but I don’t. It might be a little easier to work with, so you might want to try it. But as for me:



To cook the crepes you need to have a good nonstick pan. This is a must because if the crepes stick to the pan at all they will rip, and nobody wants to rip their crepes!! Once again I used my handy-dany nonstick wok since it is pretty much the only nonstick pan I own. ;)

You will need to heat your pan on a medium setting. You will want to get the pan hot, but if you get it too hot it will cook too fast and trap bubbles in your batter. Bubbles in your batter gives you small holes in your crepes and small holes in your crepes will be messy!! Trust me on this one. 

Depending on the size of your pan add 1/4-1/3 cup of batter to the bottom of the hot pan and swirl it around to evenly disperse the batter. Since these are so thin they will cook rather quickly so keep an eye on it. Once the edges start to brown a bit very carefully flip the crepe over. Take care not to let the crepe fold over onto itself or it will stick together and will be more difficult to work with.

   
Once you get your crepe flipped leave it on the second side for no longer then a minute or so. The crepe is mostly cooked through at this point so you are only browning the second side so you don’t need to leave it there very long.



Yes, if you look closely I did, in fact, rip my crepe. *Hanging my head in shame*. It happens.
Now that you have your crepe cooked it’s time to fill them with some yummy goodness. Today I used a very over ripe smashed banana, strawberry preserves, and nutella, since this is a favorite among my brood.



Since the crepes are very thin you want to take care not to over fill them. Not only will this be messy and increase the risk of ripping your crepe, it will also over bare the flavor of the crepe it self.

I start by putting a very thin layer of nutella on half of the crepe. Do this with care, as the nutella can stick a bit and , yep you guessed it rip the crepes. Are you noticing a theme here? For heaven sake do not rip your crepes!! And please ignore that rip there in my crepe MMmmm-k?



Next I put about half a tablespoon of the smash banana on top of the nutella, and follow that with about a teaspoon of my strawberry preserves.



Normally I just roll my crepes up, but today I decided to attempt the “crepe fold” so that we could eat them without a fork. To do this you first fold the crepe in half, then you take both outer edges and fold them to meet in the center. Then to eat it you just fold it in half again, along the seem where the 2 halves meet and enjoy!!


Here is one more shot with all the filling oozing out. Yes, I may have overfilled them a bit. How do you think I know not to do these things? :)



One thing I love about crepes is that they are so versatile. I usually make them as a sweet breakfast, but you could always fill them with some chicken and spinach, or ham and cheese for a savory meal as well.

Next week I will be finishing up my breakfast theme with some baked donuts, so make sure you check back for it!

Do you prefer sweet or savory crepe? What is your favorite filling? I’m always looking for new ideas.

Foodie Friday: Open-face Breakfast Sandwich

As promised here is my favorite breakfast sandwich.



Isn’t it beautiful?

Here is what you need to make it:

• 1/2 a sandwich thin (I used 100% whole wheat)
• 2 slices of Canadian bacon
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
• 1 slice of cheese (I use pepper jack for a little kick)

I start by toasting my sandwich thin, you don’t have to do this, but it helps to prevent it from getting soggy.
While my thin is toasting I wilt up the fresh spinach. This is very easy to do, just heat up your skillet, throw in a handful or 2 of spinach, add a tablespoon or so of water and cover with a lid. It is very important not to forget the water or you risk scorching your spinach. I also like to stir it every minute or so to make sure none of it is burning.



After your spinach is wilted to your liking remove it to a cutting board, give it a rough chop and set it aside.
Next up brown your Canadian bacon. It usually only takes a minute or so on each side.



While the Canadian bacon is cooking beat together you whole egg and egg whites. I like to add a little Mrs. Dash table blend to my eggs, but feel free to add salt and pepper if you like, or even nothing at all.

Once the Canadian bacon is done top your sandwich thin with it, and start on the eggs. I like to add my eggs to the hot skillet and then stir in the cooked spinach, but as long as your spinach has cooled some you could always add it to the egg mixture before cooking if you like.

I don’t like runny eggs at all so I scramble mine for 3-4 minutes, or until they look done the way I like them. I then add them on top of the Canadian bacon and top with a slice of cheese.

Like I said before, I really like to use pepper jack for this because it gives it a spicy kick, but you can use whatever you like. If you are watching your fat intake you can use low fat cheese, or even omit it, but I find it is a bit blah without it.

To melt the cheese I just pop it into the microwave for 15- 20 seconds, then add a side of fruit and viola my breakfast is ready!!



This is another one of my weekday, quick and easy recipes. Next week I will be making some fun weekend crepes! Not that you can’t make crepes on the weekdays, I just like to save them for the weekends since they take a little longer to make!

Foodie Friday: Protein Breakfast Pizza

Welcome to my first installment of Foodie Friday! I am a total foodie so I am surprised it took me this long to get on board the Foodie Friday train, but at last here I am.
I have decided to choose a theme for each month and share recipes and/ or foodie experiences involving that theme. For the month of October I decided to go with breakfast; after all it is the most important meal of the day!
I’m not sure about most of you but breakfast is a very tricky meal for me. I usually want something fast, easy, and yet still filling. I have found that my protein breakfast pizza meets all three of these criteria and quickly became one of my favorite go to choices.
One thing to keep in mind when reading my recipes is that I graduated from the Rachel Ray school of measuring. That means I don’t really do it. I am not being all mysterious about the measurements or anything, I really just don’t know exactly how much I use. Got it?
Good, now we may proceed.

For this “pizza” I use a combination of 3 eggs. Today I used 1/4 cup egg whites and 1 whole egg, but I have used all egg whites in the past and found it to be just as good. Really it can be whatever you have on hand.
I used spicy pork breakfast sausage this time, but have used bacon, turkey sausage, or just left it as a plain cheese pizza in the past. Again, just use what you have.
For the sauce we will use tomato paste. I like to use Hunt’s tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano, but if you can’t find it you can always get plain tomato paste and stir in a tablespoon or so of Italian Seasoning and some minced garlic. 
Last but not least is the cheese! I don’t skimp here. If I have some Kraft 2% or mozzarella part skim on hand I will use that, but most of the time I use the full fat stuff, because I am a rebel like that. Again whatever you have. I have used several different blends and have found I liked them all about the same. Just don’t use fat free. It’s not really cheese, doesn’t want to melt, and when it does it resembles plastic. Just stay away!
The first thing you want to do is cook up your meat topping. I cooked the whole pound of sausage and put the leftovers in a food storage container to use another day. When the meat is almost done heat up a nonstick skillet to make your egg “crust”. Eggs lose their temperature pretty quickly so don’t start them too soon.
This crust is very simply. I just beat together my whole egg with my egg white and poor them into the bottom of my skillet. To ensure that the eggs are cooked all the way through you can either flip them after a minute or two, or simply put a lid on your skillet to help steam the top. I prefer to use the lid since it lessens the chance of ripping the crust, but since I used my wok today I didn’t have a lid that fit it so I flipped it.
Be very careful not to overcook your eggs or they will become tough! So cook them through, but don’t overcook. Got it?
After your crust is cooked through simply slide it off onto your plate, top with about 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste, your cooked meat, and a handful or so of cheese and viola! It’s done.

It really is that easy, and if you omit the meat, or have it already prepared from the pervious day it will literally only take about 5 minutes to make and has over 20 grams of protein!! I add an iced coffee and a side of fruit and there you go, a complete breakfast!
For those of you like me, who will scan the post for the list of ingredients, here you go:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1/4 cup cooked sausage
• handful of cheese

Next week I will be making my take on an open-face, eggs florentine breakfast sandwich, so don’t forget to be on the lookout for it!
What is your favorite go to weekday breakfast?