Breakfast Buns

I was looking for something to make for breakfast when I came across this recipe in an old Taste of Home magazine. This is an old-fashioned recipe said to be more than 70 years old. These Breakfast Buns are similar to a scone and are very good! Even the kids and husband who complained at first that there were raisins in them, loved them. I served them warm with butter.

The ingredients are:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons cold butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup raisins (I only used a 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and baking powder; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Add raisins. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over buns.
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm.

Yield: 16 servings.

Olive Oil Cake

This Olive Oil Cake was so good. It was moist and the orange zest gave it a light fresh taste. I found the recipe in an old BonAppetit magazine ( september 2009) but it says in the magazine that the recipe is from Abraco Coffee Shop in Manhattan. Normally I would have been thinking of a way to make this dessert more decadent, by adding a glaze over the top, but I really enjoyed the simple fresh taste of this cake. I had another piece this morning with my coffee, YUM!

The ingredients are:

• 1-1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 large organic eggs
• 3/4 cup organic whole milk
• 1/2 cup mild-flavored organic olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel

(I did not have all organic ingredients and substituted them for what I had on hand and my cake still turned out great so don’t worry if you don’t have organic ingredients it will still turn out fine.)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Oil and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, olive oil, and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients. Transfer to prepared pan.
3. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 20 minutes. Invert pan to remove cake. Cool completely, top side up.

 

Banana Crumb Muffins

 

Oh My Goodness, was my first thought when I bit into one of these Banana Crumb Muffins. These are so delicious, was my second thought. If you are a fan of banana muffins, bread, or just bananas in general then this is a must try recipe for you! These muffins are moist with the perfect amount of banana flavor and the crumb topping just puts them over the top. I found the recipe in my Taste of Home 30-Minute Cookbook. These muffins are definitely going on to my favorite muffins list!

The ingredients are:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

TOPPING:

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon cold butter

1. In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
2. Combine bananas, egg, sugar and butter; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
3. Combine the first three topping ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done (mine only took 18 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: about 1 dozen

Morning Glory Muffins

I have seen so many recipes for Morning Glory Muffins over the years and I have always wanted to try to make them. I liked the idea of these muffins being packed with so many good for you ingredients like carrot, apple, and raisins. I’m so glad that I finally did because we really liked these muffins! I don’t know if the kids realized that they were getting fruit and veggies in their muffin. I would definitely make these again. The recipe came from my Taste of Home 30-Minute Cookbook.

The ingredients are:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium tart apple, peeled and shredded
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in carrots, raisins, coconut and pecans.
2.  Combine eggs, oil, apple and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
3. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until muffins test done.

Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen

Dads Fried Rice

I was very lucky growing up to have so many good cooks teach and influence me, and my Dad was definitely one of those people. He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and made hearty meals like stews and BBQ ribs, and my favorites, chicken and dumplings and definitely his fried rice! Everyone loves his fried rice! There’s never been a recipe, he just showed us how to make it by sight and taste. Now my own family loves when I make my dads fried rice for them. I tried my best to write down a recipe but please taste and adjust as needed. The ingredients are:

• 1 pound Bacon, chopped
• 1 cup Onion, chopped
• 7 cups cooked Rice
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 green onions, diced
• Soysauce, to taste
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

First I fry the bacon and onion until the bacon is crisp (over about medium high heat). Then drain about half of the bacon grease into a glass cup (that way you can add some more if your rice is to dry). Add your cooked rice to the bacon and onions. Mix all together. There should be a little shine on the rice. Cook (fry) for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste. Remember the soy sauce is going to add saltyness, so start off with a little bit at a time. You could always add more but you can’t take away. Pour the beaten eggs over the rice. Leave alone for about a minute then stir the egg into the rice. Cook until the egg is set. Add the green onion and mix all together. Taste again, add salt, pepper, or soy sauce as needed. Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy! I add a little more diced green onions over the top of my husbands because he likes more than the kids do.

Jellied Biscuits

  These cute Jellied Biscuits are what we had with our breakfast this morning. We all loved them! They would make the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch. We spread a little butter on the tops and they were perfect. Tender in the center with a slight outer crunch. The jelly gives them the perfect hint of sweetness. Yumm! The recipe is out of my cookbook Taste of Home 30-Minute Cookbook. If you don’t have any Taste of home cookbooks I would go get some. I have gotten so many great recipes out of their books. They are all easy, down home recipes. The ingredients are:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup jelly

1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk; stir just until moistened.
2. Drop by rounded Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Make an indention in center of each biscuit; fill each with about 1 teaspoon jelly.
3. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned.

Yield: about 1 dozen

Sheepherder’s Breakfast

 

Let me start this post by saying I’m not a big breakfast eater. I am 100% content with having a bowl of oatmeal or cereal in the morning, as a matter of fact I prefer it… My husband on the other hand is the complete opposite. Even though he will have the occasional bowl of oatmeal with me he definitely prefers a big hearty hot breakfast. So when I saw this recipe in my Taste of Home’s Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2006 Cookbook I knew this would be something he would love! Potato, Bacon, Egg, and Cheese how can you go wrong, right……Not only did he love it , the kids and I really enjoyed it too.

The ingredients are:

• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 32 oz. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 5-6 eggs ( the recipe called for 10 eggs but we didn’t need that many)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, optional
• Chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp. Drain the drippings, reserving 1/2 cup. Add hash browns and reserved drippings to skillet: mix well.
2. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turnings when browned. Make 5-6 wells (however many eggs you are using) evenly spaced in the hash browns. Place one egg in each well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.
3. Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until eggs are set. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.

 

Tropical Muffins

 

 

The runner-up in our muffin contest this morning were these Tropical Muffins! The only reason they got runner-up and didn’t win was because my daughter doesn’t like nuts. Both my husband and I thought that both these and the Poppy Seed Pound Cake muffins were equally as good. These Tropical Muffins were so moist and the combination of the pineapple, coconut, and the rum extract really gave these muffins the tropical flare that the name implies. I got the recipe out of my cookbook Taste of Home’s Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2006 The ingredients are:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1-1/2 teaspoons rum extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, sour cream and extract; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in the pineapple, coconut and pecans.
2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes removing from pan to a wire rack.

Yield: about 1 dozen.

 

Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins

 

I thought it would be fun to throw our very own muffin contest this morning! So I chose 3 new, never tried before recipes for muffins and we all voted on which one we liked the best. Both kids thought that these Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins were the best! My husband and I couldn’t decide between these and the Tropical Muffins ( I’ll post that recipe next). One thing was for sure ,we were all in agreement that these poppy-seed muffins were delicious! They are moist with the perfect amount of sweet and vanilla taste. They would make the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch. I’ll spare everyone the third muffin recipe that no one voted for. I got the recipe for these muffins in my cookbook Taste of Home 30-Minute Cookbook.

The ingredients for Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins are:

• 2 cups all-purpose
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 carton (8 ounces) plain yogurt, (I used greek yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add yogurt and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.
3. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until muffins test done. (It took me about 18 minutes).
4. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen

 

Home Made Granola

My mom watches my little guy for me sometimes in the evenings, if I have to be at the softball field late with my daughter. Last night when I got to her house to pick him up, I walked in the front door to the most wonderful aroma of something baking in the oven. I was surprised when she told me that it was homemade granola (I was expecting her to say that she was baking cookies).

This granola is delicious! much better than what you can buy at the store. The baked oats and maple syrup along with the other ingredients baked together to perfection. We snacked on it warm right out of the oven that night, the next morning we had it with milk, but my favorite was when I made it into a yogurt parfait with fresh berries! This is definitely a recipe that I will be making over and over again.

My mom got the recipe from Food Network. Thank you mom, not only for helping me with the kids when I need you, but for sharing a passion for food with me. Thanks for making this yummy granola and giving me the recipe!

The ingredients are:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, coconut, and brown sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.
4. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Transfer to large bowl, add raisins and cranberries and mix to combine.