My kids love French toast but sometimes I think it’s a little boring. Normally I make it with cinnamon swirl bread, but to exciting French toast, try using banana bread, pumpkin bread or any other quick bread. When I make bread like this I usually make two loaves. We eat one and I freeze the other to use for French toast. Here are the secrets to success with this type of French toast:

1- Slice the bread thin.

2- Toast the bread or let it sit out overnight so it become dry and will absorb the egg/milk mixture.

3- Whisk some cinnamon into the egg/milk mixture for extra flavor.

My kids love French toast but sometimes I think it’s a little boring. Normally I make it with cinnamon swirl bread, but to exciting French toast, try using banana bread, pumpkin bread or any other quick bread. When I make bread like this I usually make two loaves. We eat one and I freeze the … Read more →

I love cooking with pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin muffins are in my fall and winter rotation. Sunday mornings are when we have our “big breakfasts” at my house – pancakes, waffles, or French toast with bacon and/or sausage. It’s infinitely complicated because some people need their bacon practically raw, while others prefer it very, very well done. Mr. MarthaAndMe always has bacon duty and it is a toss up if it will burn – we buy organic uncured bacon which somehow goes from raw to black in the microwave in an instant. Don’t get me started on the sausage either. We have to make two kinds – those frozen little ones and fresh apple maple chicken sausages – to please everyone.

Pancakes aren’t always a slamdunk. Plain goes over well, as do my oatmeal pancakes. Mr. MarthaAndMe and I like blueberry pancakes and I adore buckwheat pancakes, but the kids won’t touch them. I would never in a million years eat chocolate chip pancakes but the kids love them. So, you can see that breakfast isn’t a simple task.

This past Sunday I decided to put together some pumpkin pancakes, thinking that everyone would eat them since the kids love anything with pumpkin. Silly me. Dude Martha complained that he liked pumpkin, just not in his pancakes, and would not try them. 3 out of 4 of us did eat it and loved it.

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (from a can)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ginger

pinch nutmeg

Mix and cook on a griddle or in large pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Try to spread the batter out when you pour it. If the pancakes are very thick, they take much longer to cook through. Makes 10-12 pancakes. Serve with maple syrup.

I love cooking with pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin muffins are in my fall and winter rotation. Sunday mornings are when we have our “big breakfasts” at my house – pancakes, waffles, or French toast with bacon and/or sausage. It’s infinitely complicated because some people need their bacon practically raw, while … Read more →

I got a donut pan for Christmas and I could hardly wait to use it! My family loves donuts, but they’re just not a very healthy breakfast option. Baking donuts with ingredients I could control really appealed to me. I used a recipe I had been saving from Health Magazine since October:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 and spray the donut pan with cooking spray. Mix buttermilk, eggs, honey, butter and vanilla. Then add dry ingredients. Put the batter in the pan, filling each space about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 7 minutes and let it cool for about 2-3 minutes, then roll each donut in cinnamon and sugar (a half and half mixture). Serve immediately. If you reheat the next day, roll in the cinnamon sugar mix again before serving.Makes about 12 donuts.

This was a huge hit here. The donuts are moist and have a nice texture. The wheat flour gives it a heartiness I really appreciate. I’m going to be tweaking this one, trying some wheat germ or flaxseed in it and then experimenting with adding some apples, so I can have some different varieties in my repertoire. I may have to buy a second donut pan since mine makes only 6!

I got a donut pan for Christmas and I could hardly wait to use it! My family loves donuts, but they’re just not a very healthy breakfast option. Baking donuts with ingredients I could control really appealed to me. I used a recipe I had been saving from Health Magazine since October: 1 cup whole … Read more →

One of things that is hardest to manage over the holidays is breakfast. If you have guests, or if you just want something other than a bagel or a bowl of cereal, there just isn’t a lot of time to whip things up in the midst of the madness. I’ve come up with a great solution – the omelet biscuit. Using canned biscuits, eggs and whatever filling makes you happy, these muffin tin liner treats offer a hearty, delicious breakfast with almost no clean up. What could be better?

1 can of regular (not jumbo biscuits)
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli that’s been cooked
cheddar cheese

Fill your muffin tin with 10 foil lined muffin tin cups. Spray them with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400. Take one biscuit at a time and smush it so it gets flatter (making it round like you would with a tiny piece of pizza dough). You want it big enough to cover the bottom and some of the sides of the muffin liner, but it does not need to come up to the top – it’s ok if your eggs go over the top of the biscuit. Mix up eggs with milk and herbs and spices. Place two florets of broccoli in each tin and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over top. Bake for 15 minutes.

It’s that easy. You can substitute spinach for the broccoli or swap out the cheese with another type. Change out the herbs with anything you have. You could ditch the veggies and add bacon. You could also swap out a couple of the eggs for plain egg whites and add a little extra milk. You can use skim milk, whole milk, cream, or whatever you have in the fridge. It’s a very versatile recipe. You could even use squares of puff pastry in place of the biscuits if you have some leftover. These are great hot or at room temp, so you can easily make them ahead and let them sit out for people to grab.

One of things that is hardest to manage over the holidays is breakfast. If you have guests, or if you just want something other than a bagel or a bowl of cereal, there just isn’t a lot of time to whip things up in the midst of the madness. I’ve come up with a great … Read more →

I’ve seen a few recipes for donut muffins, but have never actually made any. I saw this one in Nov Everyday Food and the pumpkin part drew me in, so I decided to make them. This was super easy. Just mix it all up in a bowl, bake in muffin tins and then roll in melted butter and cinnamon/sugar. They were really tasty and smelled great while they were baking. The family gave this a thumbs up all the way. You need to eat them with a fork though, because they’re kind of crumbly.

10 tbsp butter

3 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 pumpkin puree

3/4 cup brown sugar

 

for sugar coating:

3/4 c sugar

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c butter

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a muffin tin. Whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl. Whisk buttermilk and pumpkin in another.  In yet another bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add flour in 3 additions, alternating with the pumpkin mix.

Put 1/3 c batter in each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30 min.

Mix sugar and cinnamon. and melt butter. Let muffins cool 10 min then roll in butter then cinnamon sugar.

Now, you know me, I did this all in one bowl. I have no patience for Martha’s methods. I also used a little less nutmeg and allspice and added some cinnamon into the batter itself.

I ended up with more than 12  – I think I had about 18 of these. I would definitely make this again. All the yumminess of a donut with the ease of a muffin.

I’ve seen a few recipes for donut muffins, but have never actually made any. I saw this one in Nov Everyday Food and the pumpkin part drew me in, so I decided to make them. This was super easy. Just mix it all up in a bowl, bake in muffin tins and then roll in … Read more →

I watched with a grumbling stomach as the owner of the Clinton St Baking Company made his pancakes for Martha on a recent episode. I have to say I am pretty committed to my own pancake recipe (which was also my mom’s) and to my oatmeal pancake recipe, which I love. However, these pancakes looked great. And apparently people line up in the street to get them, so I had to try them! The main difference is that you whip the egg whites for this recipe, which is supposed to make them fluffy and light.

Honestly, I didn’t really think these were much fluffier than the kind I usually make. I think the trick to truly fluffy pancakes is a professional griddle, which I don’t have. However, the pancakes were good. Everyone enjoyed them, Dude Martha especially, since there is vanilla in them and he likes that flavor a lot. I’m glad I tried them, but will probably stick with my own recipes for pancakes.

For a really fun, and EASY breakfast recipe, check out my crescent roll and egg muffin tin recipe on No Pot Cooking.

I watched with a grumbling stomach as the owner of the Clinton St Baking Company made his pancakes for Martha on a recent episode. I have to say I am pretty committed to my own pancake recipe (which was also my mom’s) and to my oatmeal pancake recipe, which I love. However, these pancakes looked … Read more →

I like to make eggs for weekend breakfasts. I find if I eat protein for breakfast, I’m not hungry for hours, which is always a good thing. I have the worst time with egg pans and spatulas though. The egg gets crusted on. Well, no more! Try this fantastic no-pot idea for an egg breakfast or brunch that’s made in a muffin tin, with paper liners leaving no mess and no clean up.

Egg Crescent Pockets

1 package of 8 crescent roll dough

4 slices of ham

8 eggs

goat cheese (or cheese of your choice)

salt and pepper

thyme

Place 8 muffin tin liners in your tin and spray the inside of them with cooking spray. Lay the short end of the crescent roll in the liner, so it is near the top of the liner and press it around so you get dough all around the edge. Leave the long end of the dough hanging out of the liner.

Take half a piece of ham and fold it so it fits inside the liner. Place a dab or two of goat cheese (you can use any cheese you like for this, but I made mine with goat cheese) on top of the ham, and a pinch of thyme. Crack an egg and place it in the liner. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Flip the rest of the dough over the top of the egg and gently tuck it into the side. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Allow it rest for a few minutes before lifting it out of the muffin pan.

The results are super cute and are easy to serve. This is a great idea if you have some leftover crescent roll dough from a holiday dinner, and if you have house guests!

I like to make eggs for weekend breakfasts. I find if I eat protein for breakfast, I’m not hungry for hours, which is always a good thing. I have the worst time with egg pans and spatulas though. The egg gets crusted on. Well, no more! Try this fantastic no-pot idea for an egg breakfast … Read more →

Two breakfast favorites in one? Oh yes.

We make pancakes or waffles a couple of times a month for weekend “big breakfasts.” I love blueberry or buckwheat. The kids tend to like theirs plain. I recently stumbled on a recipe in a magazine for oatmeal pancakes and decided to customize it to my own tastes.

Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup buttermilk plus 2 tbsp
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix buttermilk and egg and add oats. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes. Then mix together with the other ingredients. Heat a griddle or pan and pour about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip when the bottom is brown. Serve with maple syrup.

These were fan-friggin-tastic. Seriously. I LOVED them. I made one batch and it made 10 pancakes, but next time I’m going to double it because there was nearly fighting over the remaining pancakes. The oats give this a nice texture and it feels really homey and filling like oatmeal, but it’s definitely not a boring bowl of oatmeal nor does it have that “I’m a hippie eating pure whole grain oats”  flavor and texture you can sometimes get with something that is overly oat-y. The cinnamon gives it a nice flavor. I’ll be making these again very soon!

Two breakfast favorites in one? Oh yes. We make pancakes or waffles a couple of times a month for weekend “big breakfasts.” I love blueberry or buckwheat. The kids tend to like theirs plain. I recently stumbled on a recipe in a magazine for oatmeal pancakes and decided to customize it to my own tastes. … Read more →