Tag: Breakfast

Egg “Muffins”

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and I guess these are kind of like frittatas or omelets made in muffin tins. They’re very versatile in the fillings that you can put in them. I’ve done regular onions and green onions–I feel like the green onions provide a little bit of flavor without a slightly crunchy texture. I’ve done regular sausage and turkey sausage. I also do ham and cheese, with extra cheese replacing the peppers. Oh, and one time I cooked the peppers. I like that there weren’t slightly crunchy peppers in there like when you put them in raw, but the flavor didn’t seem as strong when it was cooked. I’ve also made these with cupcake papers, but so much of the egg muffin stuck to the paper that it definitely wasn’t worth it. FYI, sometimes there’s a little extra batter beyond the 24 muffins, so I just make 1-2 more in a greased ramekin with the leftover batter.

To Freeze: These egg muffins are wonderful to make ahead and eat for a few days from the fridge and then freeze the remaining. If I warm them from the fridge, I just microwave them for a minute. And when I freeze them, I generally put two in a sandwich bag (I don’t bother with fancy freezer bags because I know we’ll eat them quickly). If I microwave the frozen ones straight from the freezer, I put a paper towel around them (optional) and microwave them at 50% power for 2 minutes, then 1 minute on 100% power. But usually I take a bag out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge. Then in the morning, I microwave for 1 minute, then take a bag from the freezer to put in the fridge to thaw for the next morning.

And this one is naturally gluten free. I’ve even made it dairy free by leaving out the cheese and doubling the salt–I made a sausage, tomato, and green onion one that was great.

Make it a meal with:

  • Hashbrowns
  • Juice
  • Grapes or orange slices

Egg Muffins

  • Servings: 24
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
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Make ahead for a very easy breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Sausage or Ham cubes
  • 24 Eggs
  • 1 c. Onion or Green Onion (about one bunch), chopped
  • 1 c. Bell Pepper, chopped (about 1 big red pepper) (or replace with extra cheese for ham and cheese muffins) 
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 c. Shredded Cheddar cheese (plus optional cheese to top)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a muffin tin. In a large pan, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until it’s browned evenly and crumbly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in onion, bell pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Add sausage and cheese. Grease muffin tins, then use a 1/3 cup (maybe a Tbsp. less) to fill each muffin cup, not quite all the way to the top. Optionally top with an additional small amount of cheese. Bake about 20-25 minutes, until a knife comes out clean from inserting into the muffins.


“Disneyland” Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve never had cinnamon rolls at Disneyland, but a friend posted this recipe from magicalrecipes.net and said they were supposed to be like the cinnamon rolls at Disneyland. In any case, they are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had (albeit time-consuming), and I’ve made them several times (modifying slightly each time). I think the pudding is what makes it so amazingly moist. And you can make them GIGANTIC or slightly larger than normal. It makes two big pans, so I generally freeze leftovers and then reheat them in the microwave–delicious!

Well, before I was diagnosed with celiac, that is. If you’re looking for a gluten free version, I’d probably try a different recipe. I haven’t tried a gluten free cinnamon roll recipe yet, but it will definitely not be as fluffy as these. Sigh. At least they’ll have cream cheese frosting, one of the best things on earth.

Disneyland Cinnamon Rolls

  • Servings: 24?
  • Difficulty: hard
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Moist, huge, and delicious, but very time-consuming and uses lots of flour

Ingredients

Dough
  • 1/2 c. Warm Water
  • 2 pkgs. Yeast
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
  • 2 c. Milk
  • 1/2 c. Butter, melted
  • 2 Eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 8 c. Flour

Filling

  • 1 c. Butter, softened
  • 2 c. Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 8-oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/2 c. Butter, softened
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 3 c. Powdered Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Milk

Directions

For the dough, in a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar and stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, mix pudding according to package instructions with milk. To this add 1/2 cup melted butter, egg, and salt. Mix well, then add yeast mixture and blend well. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth. Place in a very large greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size.

Punch down and let rise again for a second time.

Roll dough on a very large floured surface. Dough should roll out to a long rectangle, about 34 x 21 inches in size.

For filling, spread the soft butter over the dough. In small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the buttered dough. Roll dough up tightly like a jelly roll.

Measure dough every 2 inches and cut with a knife or dental floss. Take each roll into the palm of your hand and gently pack the roll (this keeps it from coming apart during baking). Place each roll in a buttered baking pan and allow to rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

For cream cheese frosting, combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Spread on slightly warm rolls.


 

The Best Banana Bread

Jeff got this recipe from his friend Adam’s mom, and it really is the best banana bread. What makes it so amazing? Man, it is SO buttery! We’ve made this bread for so many people, and it’s just delicious. Note that it does often sink in the middle–but it’s still amazing. And it’s a great use of your overripe bananas. If you want it to sink less, make it in smaller pans or as banana muffins. We might play with the recipe a little bit to see if we can get it to sink less, but it’s so delicious that we don’t mind if it’s a bit sunken.

(When I made it for the picture, of course it overflowed a lot in the oven, so the shape of the slice was kind of weird. But I wanted to photograph it so you know this loaf isn’t perfectly rectangular, at least not until we figure out a better option for keeping it from overflowing/sinking.)

If you’re making it gluten free, just swap the flour for the gluten free cup for cup flour and add 1/4 c. It turns out really well–I don’t think I could tell the difference, they even look the same.

The Best Banana Bread

  • Servings: 1 lg loaf or 2 small
  • Difficulty: medium
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Buttery and amazing (may sink in the middle).

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 c. Sugar
  • 3/4 c. Butter
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 c. Flour (or 2 1/4 c. gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 c. Buttermilk (or 1/4 c. milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice)
  • 1 c. Mashed Very Ripe Bananas (2 bananas)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into buttered pans and place pans on a cookie sheet in case of overflow (be careful not to overfill–even large loaves can bubble over). Bake at 325° for at least 1 hour (until an inserted knife comes out clean). Makes 2-3 small loaves or 1 extra large loaf.


Glazed Donuts

Haha, I flip-flop on whether I spell it “doughnuts” or “donuts”–but I don’t flip-flop on how amazing hot donuts are. If you’ve ever seen 30 Rock, you may remember when Liz Lemon says that a microwaved donut is the best dessert in the world.

I swear that Liz Lemon and I are nearly the same person, and that's scary. | Expensive chocolate, 30 rock, Vanilla bean ice cream

And we’re not talking cake donuts. We’re talking fluffy like a cloud, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, hot donuts. These are of course best eaten when warm, but you can always microwave them if they cool down. Because these take so long to make, I generally make them only once every year or two, sometimes for Valentine’s Day or Halloween with festive sprinkles. But they’re amazing. You can even use cookie cutters for other shapes, like we’ve made hearts before with a round hole in the middle. Haha, or if you don’t have a donut cutter, we’ve used round cookie cutters or cups to cut them out. And you can also make filled donuts with these, if you don’t cut a hole and you pipe in some jam in the middle after they’re fried. Then sprinkle on powdered sugar.

If you’re making this one gluten free, I haven’t tried it–but I imagine it won’t translate well with just swapping the flour for the cup for cup gluten free flour. Because this one is so light and airy like a bread, I imagine gluten is integral to its structure. But if I ever try it, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Glazed Donuts

  • Servings: about 30 donuts +40 holes
  • Difficulty: hard
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Takes lots of work and flour, but SO delicious.

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 2 pkgs. Yeast (4 1/2 tsp. total)
  • 1/4 c. Water
  • 1 1/2 c. Lukewarm Milk
  • 1/2 c. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 c. Shortening (preferably butter flavored)
  • 5 c. Flour
  • Canola or Vegetable Oil for frying

Glaze

  • 11 Tbsp. Butter
  • 4 c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
  • 1/2 c.+ Hot Water

Chocolate Frosting (if desired)

  • Same as regular glaze, plus 8 oz. milk or semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water in bowl of stand mixer and let it foam for a few minutes. Add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 c. flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping constantly. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping occasionally. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour (dough is ready when indentation remains when touched). Turn dough onto floured surface, and roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2″ thick with floured rolling pin. (Don’t roll too thick or doughnuts will get very thick and kind of dry like grocery store donuts). Cut with floured donut cutter. Cover and let rise until double, about 30-40 minutes. Heat oil in deep fryer or electric skillet to 350°. Slide donuts into hot oil with wide spatula or using chopstick. Flip donuts with chopstick as they turn golden brown, fry until both sides are golden, then remove and drain on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.

For glaze, melt butter, then stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk in water until it’s the desired consistency. (For chocolate frosting, melt butter and chocolate together, then add powdered sugar and vanilla.) Drop the donuts in the glaze (ideally when they’ve cooled 2-3 minutes so the glaze doesn’t melt off entirely), cover them well, and place them back on the cooling rack over the cookie sheet.


 

Scrambled Pancakes

I suppose this is a lot like German Pancakes or something similar, but we always called them scrambled pancakes. Maybe because they’re made in a skillet like scrambled eggs or something. They’re more dense than fluffy pancakes, but they’re still delicious. I remember my dad always ate these with Worcestershire sauce for some reason, but everyone else ate scrambled pancakes with syrup.

If you’re making these gluten free, just switch out cup for cup flour for the regular. It turns out amazing! The picture for the recipe was made gluten free. Remember, when measuring gluten free flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. FYI, I only used 5 eggs the last time I made scrambled pancakes because it looked the right consistency–and it was wonderful.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sausage or Bacon
  • Berries
  • Juice

Scrambled Pancakes

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
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A great breakfast, if you’re looking for a departure from regular pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 6 Eggs (or 5 if making gluten free)
  • 1 ½ c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • 1 ½ c. Milk
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar (heaping)
  • 1 tsp. Salt (heaping)
  • 1/4 c. Butter

Directions

Whisk together eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and salt (can be lumpy). Melt butter in electric skillet heated to 350° (or heat a large, deep frying pan on medium-high heat if you want thicker pancakes). Then pour in batter. When the batter is getting more solid around the edges and slightly brown on the bottom, they’re ready to flip (this can be a little messy sometimes). Cut pancakes in 4 with spatula before flipping. Cook until golden brown.


Mountain Man Breakfast

We usually made this in the Dutch oven while camping, but nowadays we often just make it in a pot in the oven. And it’s always delicious. You can have a pound of sausage and bacon, but we do find that it might be a little overwhelming and greasy with both. Also, you need lots of eggs. Otherwise, the eggs mostly just act like a binder. So if you can have more than 18, even better. *The one in the picture was made with 30 eggs, 8 oz. cheese, 2 gigantic potatoes, 1 lb. bacon, 1 onion, and ketchup on top. It definitely needed the ketchup, and it probably could’ve had a little less potato.

And hurray, this one is naturally gluten free!

Make it a meal with:

  • Fresh Fruit
  • Juice or Hot Chocolate

Mountain Man Breakfast

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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A hearty and filling breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Sausage or Bacon (or both)
  • 1 pkg. frozen Hash Browns (about 4 c.) or sliced potatoes
  • 1 Onion, chopped (optional)
  • 18-30 Eggs, beaten with Milk (at least 2 eggs/person)
  • 1-2 c. Shredded Cheese (like cheddar)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

In 12” Dutch oven, brown sausage or bacon and crumble bacon into pieces. Add onion to cook. Add hash browns (or you can use potatoes O’Brien with onion and pepper already included). Cook until the potatoes are mostly done, so the rest will cook faster. Pour eggs beaten with milk over all (milk is optional). Top with cheese.

For cooking with charcoal: Dutchovendude.com says for a 12″ Dutch oven to be at 375°, place 20 coals on the lid and 6 under the oven. Don’t forget to rotate the oven every 10  minutes or so 1/4 turn. Cook 45 minutes–1 hour until set and slightly brown.

For conventional oven, bake at 350-375° for 45 minutes until set and slightly brown.


Pancakes

Delicious and very satisfying, for breakfast or as breakfast-for-dinner. You can even add vanilla for extra flavor. Also, what kid doesn’t burst with excitement to get a Mickey-shaped pancake?

I remember one time on my mission, it was the end of the month and we didn’t have much money left for food. We felt constantly hungry. So I whipped out this recipe, grabbed the small bit of flour and eggs we had, and we made a giant stack of pancakes–and felt incredibly full and satisfied after. Haha.

If you’re making it gluten free, it turns out wonderfully (the picture for the recipe is the gluten free version)–of course just substitute gluten free flour for regular. Also, you may have to add an extra tablespoon or so because it can be runny otherwise. Often with gluten free, you have to add a little extra. Don’t forget when you’re measuring gluten free flour to spoon it into the measuring cup and level off the top with a knife.

Make it a meal with:

  • Bacon or Sausage
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Juice

Pancakes

  • Servings: 10?
  • Difficulty: easy
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Add chocolate chips and/or blueberries just for fun.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum + 1 Tbsp. extra if needed)
  • 1 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • 1 c. Milk
  • 2 Tbsp. Oil
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla (optional)
  • Semisweet Chocolate Chips or Blueberries (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients and spoon onto heated skillet (350°). Add chocolate chips once batter is on skillet. Flip when golden brown. Makes 10-11 pancakes.


Crepes

Crepes are always a lot of fun and are great for special occasions. We often make crepes for date night, and we always make them on Christmas for a brunch with family. Haha, usually when we make them for date night, we end up standing the whole time while we eat because we stand by the stove and eat them as they come off the pan. They do tend to cool down very quickly, so we try to add Nutella quickly so it’ll melt a little. If you’re going to make a lot for a big event, make sure to start a long time before the event (like an hour) because they do take time.

For date night, we usually stick to ham, cheese, and broccoli crepes for the savory. Then for the sweet ones, we usually fill them with Nutella, peanut butter, and bananas. And sometimes also strawberries. And of course whipped cream.

But for Christmas, we go all out and make a crepe bar with all sorts of toppings. For example, we might have the standard ham and cheese, cooked broccoli, bananas, strawberries, Nutella, peanut butter, other berries, rotisserie chicken pieces, peppers, scrambled eggs, salsa, sausage, bacon, green onions, nuts for sweet crepes, whipped cream, powdered sugar, jam, and even pizza toppings like pasta sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni. You can also have some sides with it, like rosemary potatoes (which works well if we have leftover baked potatoes from Christmas Eve dinner the night before) or wild rice. I’ve even made the sauce from our cordon bleu recipe, which tastes great with rotisserie chicken crepes, but I think most people weren’t sure what the sauce would taste like and so avoided it. Since the crepes cool so quickly, you may want to have an electric skillet out to heat up the crepes or let people microwave them to melt the cheese.

If you’re making it gluten free, of course replace the regular flour with cup for cup gluten free flour and add a tablespoon or two extra to make it the right consistency. We’ve done it a few times without adding the extra flour, and it’s been so thin that they ripped like crazy. But it works well when you add a little extra. Of course if you’re having an event with both regular and gluten free crepes, just be careful if you’re trying to avoid cross contamination to make your gluten free crepes first and take your toppings before everyone else. And make sure to use fresh or dedicated peanut butter, Nutella, jam, etc. so you don’t end up with people’s crumbs from previous uses. I’ve also made it dairy free with almond milk.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sausage
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Rosemary Potatoes
  • Juice

Crepes

  • Servings: 10?
  • Difficulty: easy
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Fun for dates and special occasions, but they get cold quickly.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ c. Milk (or almond milk for dairy free)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum, plus a few tablespoons extra)
  • ¼ tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Oil

Topping suggestions

  • Ham Slices
  • Cheese Slices or Shredded Cheese
  • Cooked Broccoli
  • Rotisserie Chicken
  • Nutella
  • Peanut Butter
  • Sliced Bananas
  • Sliced Strawberries
  • Whipped Cream

Directions

Place liquid ingredients in the bottom of a blender, then add rest of ingredients and blend until very smooth. About 3 Tbsp. of batter per crepe makes 10-12 crepes. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and butter the bottom of the pan. Then add the batter and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan. When the edges are starting to peel away from the edge, use a spatula to flip. For ham, cheese, and broccoli crepes, now is the time to add about 2 cheese slices to the pan, then 4 slices of ham on top. Then add a few broccoli florets and roll up the crepe. For sweet crepes, take the crepe out of the pan after flipping, and while it’s hot, spread Nutella and peanut butter down the middle of the crepe, then add banana and strawberries, then roll up.


Corn Cakes

Jiffy has changed its recipe on the box over the years, but these are still delicious pancakes that need nothing but some melted butter and syrup.

If you want to make this gluten free, you’ll have to find a different recipe because Jiffy doesn’t make gluten free corn muffin mix.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sausage or Bacon
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Juice

Corn Cakes

  • Servings: 8 small pancakes?
  • Difficulty: easy
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A nice twist on regular pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Tbsp. melted Butter or Shortening
  • ¾ c. Milk

Directions

Preheat griddle to 350. Blend ingredients. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Spoon onto griddle and cook like standard pancakes.