Hash Brown Baskets

This dish is so easy to make, perfect for those lazy weekend mornings or as a casual dinner. Sometimes it is fun to have breakfast for dinner, my family always loves it. I always serve this dish with a big fruit salad.

Ingredients

20 ounce bag of thawed hash browns

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Pam

Salt and pepper to taste

12 medium eggs

Directions

In a large serving bowl mix together the hash browns, olive oil, 1/3 cup of grated cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper. Spray a muffin tin well with Pam, press your hash brown mix into each well, making a nest. Bake at 425˙for 20 minuted or until golden brown. Lower the oven to 350˙crack a medium egg into each hash brown nest. Top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake for 15 more minutes. Gently slide a knife along the edges and gently lift the baskets up with a fork. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Apple Craisin Bran Muffins

I love the hum of my convection oven cooking up delightful treats. Here is a yummy muffin recipe that is also good for you, it's packed full of bran, fiber, and tart fruits. These little hot cakes always disappear fast at my house.

Ingredients

1cup flour

1 cup wheat bran

1 cup plain oats

2 tsp.baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tart apple cored and chopped

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup lowfat milk

1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Combine all of your wet ingredients into a mixer, mix until creamy. Slowly add in your dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Do not over mix, you want your muffins to be light and fluffy. When completely mixed, scoop your batter into paper baking cups that are nestled in a muffin tin. Bake at 375˙ for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Burrito

There is nothing more satisfying than breakfast for dinner. Breakfast burritos are easy and fun to make. My secret to a successful yummy burrito is to take your flour tortillas and put them on a dinner plate each separated by a damp piece of paper towel, then microwave them for 2 to 3 minutes. This makes the tortillas warm and chewy. :) Do this step last then assemble your burrito.

Ingredients

Flour tortillas

2 cups of frozen cubed potatoes

9 eggs

1 pound of chicken chorizo, crumbled

1 small can of sliced jalapenos

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 Tbs. butter

a splash of milk

salt and pepper

Directions

In a large non stick skillet on med high heat melt you butter. Add your frozen potatoes to the pan and cook until potatoes are golden brown, season with salt. Take your potatoes out of your pan and set aside. In a medium sauce pan crumble your chorizo until cooked through. The pan will still be buttery, you do not need to add more. Crack your eggs and beat then with a splash of milk and salt and pepper. Add them to your pan and scramble them. Grate your cheese and set aside. When your eggs are finished assemble your burritos to your liking. I like mine spicy so I add lots of jalapenos. This recipe makes 3 to 4 burritos.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

Whenever I make this quick bread my family always asks without fail "what in the heck are you making??" I respond, "zucchini bread?" "EWWWWW, bread with zucchini in it!" is always their comeback. It's almost like they are struck with a temporary amnesia and have never had zucchini bread before! The story always ends with this delicious bread completely gone 20 minutes after taking it out of the oven! My daughter even asked me the other day, what ever happened to that bread I was making? I giggled and told her, she ate it! This bread is so good your family will never know a vegetable is in it.

Ingredients

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of white sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

3 cups of grated zucchini

3 cups of flour

1 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions

Sift in a large bowl, flour, cinnamon, salt,baking soda, and baking powder; set aside. In a mixer mix eggs, sugars, butter, and vanilla. Slowly add in flour mixture, mix until just incorporated. Stir in grated zucchini. Pour into greased and lightly floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 60 to 70 minutes.

Enjoy!

Classic Ebelskivers

I have been drooling over this ebelskivers pan in the William Sonoma magazine for a long, long time. Or should I say I have been drooling over the picture of these delicious little round pancakes. My mom gave me the pan and the special wooden skewers for Christmas this year! Thanks mom :) Now this recipe that I am sharing today is just a little taste of what you can create with this awesome pan! These pancakes can be filled with just about anything! You will be seeing more little round pancakes in the future for sure. But first lets start with the basics.

Basic Batter Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup whole milk

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Basic Batter Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir by hand until all incorporated. The batter will be lumpy. In a mixer on high speed beat the egg whites until stiff. Using a spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.

•Makes 21 pancakes

Classic Ebelskivers

Ingredients

Basic Batter recipe

1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 200˙ Make your batter. Brush the wells of the ebelskivers pan with some melted butter and place over med heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add about three tablespoons of batter to each well. Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are lightly browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Use two wooden skewers to turn all the pancakes over. Let the other side cook for another three minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a platter and keep warm in the oven while you repeat to make two more batches. Dust the warm pancakes with powdered sugar and serve right away.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

Mmmmm warm blueberry muffins to go with your coffee in the morning! I love fresh blueberries, they offer so many possibilities, and they are packed full of antioxidants. Two of my favorite childhood books also share a love for blueberries and baking, Blueberries for Sal & Panda Cake . Two darling children's books to treasure. What is your favorite "food" children's book?

Ingredients

•Makes one dozen

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened. Plus more for your pan

2 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for pan

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups of fresh blueberries

1 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/2 cup of milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375˙ Generously butter your muffin pan and dust with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat butter, sugar, on med/high until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Add vanilla. With your mixer on low add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Do not over mix. Add milk, again just mix until combined.

Fold blueberrues into your batter. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown. About 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

Sweet breads are super easy to whip up. The perfect treat with your morning cup of coffee, a warm slice banana nut bread with a dollop of plain cream cheese. I like to top my banana bread with fresh pecans to give a nutty crunch.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 soft ripe bananas

2 cups of flour

1tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 handfull of fresh pecan halves

Directions

Mix to a cream, soda, sugar, butter, eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Then add flour. Grease and flour bread pan. Fill pan with bread mix. Top with pecan pieces. Bake for 1 hour at 350˙

Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Monkey Bread

A Christmas morning tradition in our home, this nutty warm gooey pull apart sweet bread really hits the spot. I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

Ingredients

18 frozen Rhodes brand roll dough balls

1 stick melted butter (not margarine)

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup brown sugar

1 small package butterscotch pudding (not instant)

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Grease Bundt pan. Spread frozen roll balls evenly around pan. Pour melted butter over dough balls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped nuts. Sprinkle brown sugar and dry pudding.

Cover with damp cloth and let rise overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Invert on large dish to catch drippings. Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Blueberry Pecan Pancakes

A Sunday morning tradition in our home, these light and fluffy pancakes just melt in your mouth. You will never buy pre made pancake mix again, that's how easy this recipe is. Mmmmm I'm off to go indulge!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. sugar

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 Tbs. of good vanilla

4 Tbs. salted butter, melted and cooled

2 hand fulls of fresh blueberries

1 cup of pecan halves, toasted

Directions

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a bowl. Put milk, eggs, vanilla, and cooled melted butter into a mixer, I use a KitchenAid. Mix well. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix gently. Do not over mix, mixture will be lumpy. Then fold in by hand 2 handfuls of fresh blueberries.

Heat skillet to med/high. Toast your pecans until fragrant. Transfer nuts to a separate bowl. Turn down skillet to med heat. Using a ladle scoop batter into the skillet cook for 1 min until bubbles start to form on the surface and the underside is golden brown. Flip the pancake over and finish cooking. Transfer to plate, butter each individual pancake. Top with toasted pecans, syrup and fresh blueberries. Serves 3 with a stack 4 medium pancakes each.

Enjoy!