English Royalty Chocolate Chip Scones

First day of March and we're surrounded by snow and ice.

Church was cancelled due to hazardous driving conditions, and the children spend the morning doing one of two things: the older three were sledding on the ice-covered snow in our yard, while the little two were "swimming" in my bathtub. Ha!

We were supposed to have a fellowship meal after church today, with the theme being "Breakfast/Brunch". I was planning on trying a new scone recipe, one for which my sister Anna has received many rave reviews and frequent requests from her friends.

Well, since I had been thinking about these scones all week and quite anxious to try them, I decided a trial run must be necessary. After all, I might need a little practice to get them perfect before next week. (Read: I'll use any excuse I can think of to make scones.)

While most scones use cream or milk as the liquid binder, these scones are particularly unique with the use of orange juice instead. I'm sure fresh squeezed OJ would be absolutely fabulous, but I just used regular and they were still wonderful. You could even use a little orange zest for an extra burst of flavor if you wanted.

We absolutely adored these scones. Sweet, tender, almost melt-in-your mouth texture. Nothing like the dry, crumbly kind you often get with purchased scones. The hint of orange was delightful with the little chunks of chocolate scattered throughout each bite.

While oftentimes I make a glaze for scones, and I did contemplate making a simple one of powdered sugar and OJ for these, I ultimately decided to leave them plain (and save a few calories) and we didn't miss the glaze at all.

Note: I fully realize most people have no need for 24 scones. This recipe can be easily halved if you desire. However, you might be surprised at just how quickly these disappear. And you could always freeze the leftovers to pull out and warm for a quick breakfast treat. 

English Royalty Chocolate Chip Scones
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 24 scones (recipe can easily be halved)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons salted butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, miniature chips, or chunks - or combination
1 1/2 cups orange juice

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, you can use a pastry blender or large fork to cut in the butter. I recommend using a large grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture , which makes cutting it in much faster and easier.)

Remove from food processor bowl and pour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in chocolate chips and mix in orange juice to form a dough.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Divide into 3 sections and pat each one into a large circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut each circle into 8 wedges and transfer onto the baking sheets.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Move to wire racks to cool.


Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Cinnamon Raisin Brioche - SRC

It's no secret that I love bread - I even have a Nutrimill wheat grinder to grind organic wheat berries for the freshest bread possible. I've made homemade cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, dinner rolls, crescent rolls, sandwich bread, French bread, and of course, biscuits and a wide variety of quick breads.

But I had never made brioche.

In case you're wondering, brioche is a kind of French "pastry" bread that has a high butter and egg content and a dark, golden crust.

So when I saw a recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Brioche on my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month, I couldn't resist.

Julie is a fellow carboholic who blogs over at White Lights on Wednesday.  She has a really great assortment of DIY home projects, decorating tips, blogging advice, and of course, lots of recipes!

I was tempted to try the Crockpot Rocky Road Chocolate Cake (still haven't used my crockpots for desserts - what am I waiting for?), I love the sound of this Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Dressing, and I have a feeling this Peanut Butter Crack is gonna make it to my Christmas baking list. But I just had to try the brioche.

Now, this bread isn't something you can rush. It requires several hours of prep time, most of which is the rising periods, of course. Some traditional brioche recipes even require refrigerating the dough for a day or two to further develop the flavors. Yeah, I didn't plan ahead enough for that.
But it's really not too involved, so it's perfect for a day that you don't have to be anywhere.

Okay, another confession. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of butter per loaf- that's a stick and a half for anyone who's counting. I stood there and looked at all that butter and just.couldn't.do.it.

Butter is expensive. And that would be a ton of calories.

So I made the only reasonable decision I could at the time and only used 1 stick of butter total. Yes, I cut the amount of butter called for by two-thirds.

And you know what? The bread was still delicious. Maybe not as "pastry-like" as it could have been, but I wasn't trying to make dessert anyways. The kids and I gobbled up half on one loaf within 10 minutes of removing it from the oven. Nobody complained that there wasn't enough butter in there. :) A couple of my kids didn't like the raisins in there, but whatever. I loved them.

I made cinnamon toast the next morning with the leftover bread by slicing it, spreading on a little butter, sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, and baking at 350°F until golden brown. Simply scrumptious!


Cinnamon Raisin Brioche 
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun
Yield: 2 loaves

Starter: 
2 teaspoons sugar
2 packets active dry yeast (or 5 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm whole milk (105-110° F)
1 scant cup all-purpose flour

Dough: 
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water (or milk)
6 eggs
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 1/2" slices

Extras:
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions:

Starter:
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and yeast. Pour in warm milk and stir to combine. Let the mixture set for 5 minutes until it's foamy. Stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside, at room temperature, for 1 hour.

Dough:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, sugar, and hot water (or milk) until the sugar dissolves.
2. Using the whisk attachment, beat eggs on medium low speed with a stand mixer until the eggs are fluffy. Add the sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add 3 cups of flour and mix until combined.  Add in half of the butter and mix for another minute.
3. Remove the whisk attachment and switch to the dough hook. Transfer the starter dough into the dough mixture. Beat for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Add a little additional flour if dough is too runny and sticky. Add the rest of the butter and beat until it's incorporated into the dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour to prevent a crust from forming. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled. I like to use my unheated oven with the light on. 
5. Coat 2 standard loaf pans with butter. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
6. Uncover dough and punch it down a bit. Add raisins to the dough and knead them in by hand. 
7. Section the dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece in cinnamon sugar, coating heavily, and form into a ball. Place 8 balls in each loaf pan in a 2 x 4 format.
8. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise until doubled, or slightly over the top of the pans. 
9. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake bread for 25-30 minutes, until the bread is set and golden. Start checking about half-way through to see if it's getting too dark. If so, cover the tops with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.  
10. Remove bread from oven. Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out bread from pans and let cool. 

Delicious warm with butter; also makes great cinnamon toast and French toast!

Source: Adapted from White Lights on Wednesday

An InLinkz Link-up

Apple Scones and another Birthday!

I originally posted this recipe in 2009, so it was long overdue for an updated photo.

These scones have made an appearance on our breakfast table many times and have even been the birthday breakfast request from Marissa several times. And for good reason.

They're so tender and flaky, even though they have less butter than most scone recipes. The grated apple adds a lovely flavor and texture to the scones. And to top it all off, the glaze made with apple juice, cinnamon, and powdered sugar gives that extra apple boost and sweetness that makes them almost a dessert.
Everybody in my house is happy with a plate of apple scones for breakfast!

Since today is Marissa's birthday, here's a little collage of her first 9 years of life.

Happy Birthday to our amazing 9 year old girl! These years are going by too fast!

And thanks for choosing such an awesome birthday breakfast! 

Apple Scones
From Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun
Yield: 16-18 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
6 Tablespoons  butter, chilled
2 apples - peeled, cored and shredded (3 if they're small)
3/4 cup milk

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Heavy dash of cinnamon
2-4 Tablespoons apple juice, or enough to achieve the consistency you desire.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Measure flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly.Use a food processor if you have one - it simplifies the process immensely! Add shredded apple and milk. Stir to form a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 8 to 10 times. Pat into three 6-inch circles. Score each into 6 pie-shaped wedges. Alternatively, you can just pat into a rectangle and cut into 16 equal pieces. Place on greased baking sheet. 
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until browned and risen. 
• While they're baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle or spread on scones while still warm.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Blueberry Muffins and a Birthday for for my Baby

A friend told me once, "Blueberries are like God's natural candy". I couldn't agree more. I have a hard time thinking of a fruit I enjoy more than fresh blueberries, especially ones we picked.
The kids and I picked 5 gallons of blueberries from local farms this June. Only 3 of those gallons made it to the freezer. In just a few weeks, we managed to eat 2 entire gallons of fresh blueberries. And we could have eaten more.

But I was determined to hide them away in the freezer for use throughout the fall and winter. I'm exceptionally stingy with them and won't let the kids just nibble at them whenever they want.
Sigh. One of these years we're going to have our own blueberry plants and not have to ration them so much. 

So my *baby* Miranda just turned 3 last week. Take a look at her.

Oh, this girl. So expressive, so affectionate, strong-willed, compassionate, clever, talkative, friendly, and full of sass. "Just like her mama," Grant says. (about the sass part)

And ohhhhh, those eyelashes. Just look at the upper right photo. 

Yeah. I'm jealous too. 

She is a blessing to our family and many others and just a precious delight. When she's not screaming, of course. :) 

We can't imagine our lives without her!

"Faces of Miranda"

Miranda is one of my biggest blueberry lovers. She would eat bowls full every day if I let her. So when deliberating what to make for her birthday breakfast, it didn't take me long to decide on blueberry muffins. (I decided against her original suggestion of spaghetti, mean mom that I am.)
Just as predicted, she was delighted, as were the rest of the children.

You just can't go wrong with tender, slightly sweet muffins with those juicy berries.
I decreased the sugar from the original by half, and the muffins are still sweet enough.
Of course, you can half the recipe if you're not wanting 24 muffins. I just always would rather  have too many than too little, and nobody complains about a leftover muffin the next day. I'm sure that extras would freeze nicely, too.

Blueberry Muffins
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Yield: 24 muffins

4 cups all purpose flour (can substitute white whole wheat)
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 cup oil (I use expeller pressed coconut oil)
1 cup milk, warmed in microwave
4 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil. Add the warm milk and vanilla extract.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined. 
• If using fresh blueberries, wash and drain them, then stir into batter. If using frozen blueberries, place in a colander and run hot tap water over them for about 20 seconds. Drain berries well, then stir into batter. (This step really helps - if you don't do it, the berries will clump together  when stirred into the batter. Trust me, I know.)
• Use muffin liners or grease 24 muffin cups. Fill cups 3/4 full and bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making mini-muffins, start checking at 10 minutes. 
• Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Source: Adapted slightly from Tammy's Recipes (I reduced sugar and amount of blueberries)

Cream Biscuits

I've tried my hand at all sorts of biscuits over the years.  Ones with just butter, ones with buttermilk, even ones with sour cream.  And don't get me wrong; Carb-a-holic that I am, I like all biscuits pretty darn well.  (Confession: when I was 16-18, I spent my summers working at McDonalds. I would rarely eat the food - mainly because I didn't want to spend the money - but I loved their biscuits. I would crave them. When I was working the breakfast shift and we would have leftover biscuits that were headed for the garbage, I'd sometimes grab a couple and stuff them in my purse for later.)  

When I came across these cream biscuits, I was won over in a heartbeat.  They're ridiculously easy, so fast to throw together, and practically melt in your mouth.  My kids could eat a whole pan of these without a second thought.  We love them with homemade sausage gravy, with jelly or apple butter, or just plain with a little dollop of butter.

I thought I'd mention them today because my sweet Annika is turning seven tomorrow (!!!) and these, with sausage gravy, is what she requested for her birthday breakfast. I'm making it today because tomorrow will be filled with cake decorating and party prep. That being said, I'm off to make my favorite middle child her breakfast.

Happy Birthday, Annika!! 

Notes: I usually make 1 1/2 times this recipe to feed my family.   

Cream Biscuits
adapted from Smitten Kitchen 
Yields 10-12 two inch biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar (optional; I use it)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I have used 1 cup cream, 1/2 cup whole milk successfully)
3 Tbsp. melted butter  (optional; I don't use it)

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Sift 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar (if using) into a large bowl.  Fold in 1 1/2 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little.
Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball, and use your hands to press it to a thickness of about 3/4". Cut into rounds with biscuit cutters.  I like to use the miniature ones for the kids.
Gather the dough scraps and continue to make rounds. If desired, dip the top of each round in melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet.  I find I prefer them without being dipped in butter, but it's up to you. 
Bake about 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Serve immediately.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Topping

I'm a sucker for banana bread recipes. I couldn't even tell you how many variations I've tried. 
Kind of drives Grant crazy. Pick a recipe and stick with it, he thinks. 

So when he tasted this one several months ago, he said, 
"This is it. If I ever ask you to make banana bread, THIS IS THE ONE I WANT. Not any others."

I think he made that pretty clear. :) 
And I can't say that I blame him.

It's lightly spiced, wonderfully moist and tender, and the crumb topping adds that extra delightful, sweet crunch. I love having the cream cheese in there - I feel like it makes the bread extra rich and flavorful without being over powering. And with two loaves, you can freeze one for later or share with a friend or neighbor. 

And for the record, I haven't make any other banana breads since then.  But I've made this one at least four times. It's a huge hit with the family every time. 

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Topping

Yield: 2 loaves

From: Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 loaf pans (8 1/4" x 4 1/4") with cooking spray or butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until very light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and bananas.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.

In a small bowl, mash together the topping ingredients until combined and crumbly.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the bread is nicely domed and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let rest in the pans for 5-10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Strawberry Monkey Bread - SRC

What's your favorite part of summer?

The longer, sunny days?
Time at the pool or lake or beach?
No school/vacations?
Outdoor concerts, farmers' markets, or grilling out?

All of those things are pretty great and all, but my absolute favorite part about summer in Arkansas is the fresh, juicy, sweet fruit that we pick at local farms (or buy at local markets, if you're so inclined).  We picked strawberries in late May, blueberries several times through June and early July, and now blackberries and peaches are in season.   I LOVE supporting local farmers!! 

There is just nothing as good as summer fruit, fresh from the vine/tree/bush - I just want to eat it all plain and not even bother cooking with it.  However, for this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment, I simply couldn't resist using some (store-bought) strawberries to make this luscious monkey bread.

If you're not familiar with monkey bread, it's basically a lightly sweet dough that's rolled into small balls, covered with cinnamon sugar, layered in a bundt pan,and doused with a large serving of a buttery, cinnamon syrup to bake.  This variation uses a homemade strawberry syrup instead of the cinnamon syrup, plus there are chunks of freshly diced strawberries sprinkled throughout the dough.  YUM!

I got the recipe from C Mom Cook, where Shelley doesn't let the busyness of being a stay-at-home mom of 2 stop her from making amazing recipes like Tiramisu, where she made each component from scratch. Including the marscapone, lady fingers, custard, everything. In fact, she has her youngsters helping her out. It's so awesome. I'm totally motivated to get my kids in the kitchen more, even though they usually slow me down and make three times the mess. :)
I also made her Skillet Arroz con Pollo, which was is a great and simple weeknight meal, but I didn't get a decent photo of it. We really liked it, though!
Oh, and these Apple Buns look perfect for fall - definitely have those on the list to make!
So needless to say, I loved perusing Shelley's blog and finding all sorts of amazing things to make.  She is one talented lady!

This delightful bread was a huge success with my family and we could have probably eaten the entire pan of it in one sitting if I hadn't made the kiddos stop. :)  Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave very nicely - but the bread is BEST served on the first day.  So make it when you have a crowd to help you eat it!

Strawberry Monkey Bread
from Rebekah's Family, Food, and Fun

Dough
1 cup milk
1/3 cup white sugar
5 Tbsp. butter (I used salted)
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 eggs
4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup diced strawberries

To prepare dough:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar, and butter. Heat until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and pour into your mixing bowl to let it cool until just warm (about 110°F). Stir in the yeast and let stand until foamy.

Add in eggs, 4 cups of flour, and salt.  Mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing with a dough hook or knead by hand on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add additional 1/4 cup flour if dough is too sticky. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray.  Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat. Cover and let stand in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Combine 1 cup sugar, butter, and strawberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

To build the monkey bread: 
Prepared dough
about 1/3 cup of cinnamon sugar (1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp. cinnamon, well combined)
1 cup diced strawberries
Prepared syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously spray a Bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour, or grease generously with butter and dust with flour. Gently deflate dough and take small portions and roll into balls.  Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar, then place in prepared pan.  Interspersed through the balls, toss some of the diced strawberries so that they are evenly layered throughout the pan. Once all of the dough and berries have been added to the pan, pour the prepared syrup evenly over the top.

Place the Bundt pan on a cookie sheet and place the bread in the oven.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine was done at 40 minutes.  Check on bread periodically to make sure that the top is not over-browning. If it starts to get dark, cover it loosely with foil as it bakes.

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a large plate and serving.

Source: adapted slightly C Mom Cook

An InLinkz Link-up

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

How's everybody liking the return of Daylight Savings Time?

Me??  I'm loving it.

It makes me so happy to have sunlight later in the day....and it makes me nearly giddy to have a few uninterrupted minutes in the morning with my husband (and once he leaves, to myself) without my darling littlest ones pulling on my pant legs asking for vitamins or bananas or cereal or my ipod.....because they're still asleep.  :)

I currently have a bunch of quickly ripening bananas in my fruit bowl and I'm gonna make a batch of these to welcome the kiddos up from their slumber today.

When I first saw this recipe, I was seriously skeptical.
The notion that you could make legitimate muffins, that actually look and taste and feel like muffins, without any flour whatsoever just perplexed me.  It just wasn't possible.  Was it??

Curiosity got the best of me and I made a batch recently.
I could not have been more pleasantly surprised.

They're tender, moist, and even have a crumb just like regular muffins.  We kinda went crazy for them.  Even my boy who has gotten rather weary of me making "banana" muffins.  Could have been the chocolate, but whatever.

What's also awesome is how fast they go together.  Throw a few ingredients in a blender, whir it around until it's smooth and creamy, stir in a little chocolate, and bake.  Couldn't be easier.

And while we are certainly not a gluten-free family, it's pretty awesome to have some recipes that are.


Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Mini-Muffins
Yield: ~ 40 mini-muffins

2 medium bananas, peeled (don't need to be over-ripe)
2 large eggs
1 cup peanut butter
4 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate - optional

Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare mini-muffin tins by lining with paper liners or spraying generously with floured cooking spray.

Place bananas and eggs into a blender and puree until smooth.  Add peanut butter, honey, vanilla, baking soda, and salt and puree again until thoroughly combined.  Add chocolate and stir by hand.

Fill mini-muffin tins 3/4 full.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few crumbs.  Be sure to watch closely, as all ovens are different!
Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes - until they're cool enough to handle.
Muffins are best fresh - but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 4 months.

Note: If you used the muffin liners, some of the batter will stick to them.  If you wait until the muffins are completely cool, it will be easier to remove them.  You may still be nibbling some of the muffin off of them. :)

Source: adapted slightly from Averie Cooks

Cinnamon Almond Coconut Granola

Are you ready for Thanksgiving yet?  Got the menu all planned out, groceries purchased, and just counting down the minutes till you can stick that turkey in the oven???

Not me.

I'm still trying to plan the last kiddo birthday party of the year, which takes place this weekend.  On Monday, I'll start planning Thanksgiving stuff.

Okay, maybe I'll start planning a little earlier.  I still have to coordinate with my mom and other family members on who is making what, though.....so I can't really do too much planning yet.  I CAN tell you that I'm pretty darn sure I'll be making a Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert - and maybe a Pumpkin Roll Cake for good measure.
Because you can never have too much pumpkin and cream cheese.

Amen.

Oh, and I can't forget, no Thanksgiving would be complete without some variation on pecan pie - I like this Caramel Pecan pie , but the traditional version works too.  Just as long as there's plenty of homemade sweetened whipped cream.  Mmmmm.  Can you tell my favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast is dessert?  

You can't tell me you're surprised.

In the mean time, there's a few meals between now and then, and one of my favorite breakfasts is granola.
 
I've been making this version for several months now and just can't seem to get tired of it.  I know there are lots fancier granolas out there, but this is simple and consistently good.  So good that my 2 year old is known to sneak the container out of the pantry and hide under the dining table, stuffing it into her face (and scattering it on the floor) as fast as she can before she gets caught.

But what's not to like?  There's coconut, chopped almonds, cinnamon, and vanilla accompanying the oats.
You can always add raisins or craisins or other goodies at the table if you like.  I usually just eat mine as is, with whole milk, of course.

Major bonus - it smells incredible while it's baking.  

Cinnamon Granola

8 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup coconut oil (I use expeller pressed, organic virgin would be great too)
1/2 cup brown sugar      
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 T. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 300°.
Combine oats, coconut, and almonds in a large bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut oil, brown sugar, water, honey, and cinnamon and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.  Pour over oat mixture and stir well to evenly coat.
Spread on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir, and rotate pans so the one from the bottom shelf is on the top and vice versa.  Bake for 10 more minutes, or until desired crispiness.

Cinnamon Chip Breakfast Cake - and a Happy Birthday to my Baby

My baby turned 2 today!

Guess she's not so much a baby anymore.
Not in her mind, anyways.
'Course, that's been the case for several months now.  She thinks she can do whatever the big kids do.
And mostly....she does.
She's even partially potty-trained - we just need to work on the peeing business.
And to be quite honest, while I know she's totally ready and would probably have it down in a day or two of wearing big girl panties, I haven't tried because we're going on a road trip in a few weeks.
Frequent gas station bathroom breaks with a 2 year old?
No thanks.  
She can wear diapers for a couple more weeks.

So what on earth does that have to do with this cake?
Birthday breakfast, that's what!

It's tradition in our family for the birthday boy/girl to pick their favorite breakfast and dinner on their special day.....and since Miranda is a bit too young to really tell me what her favorite is, I picked this.

I made it a couple of months ago and we absolutely loved it.....so I figured it would be a good choice for her. It's a lovely tender cake with lots of cinnamon flavor, dotted with cinnamon chips (I know, unhealthy...but really really yummy) and a luscious crumb topping.
To say that this is well-received is a huge understatement.
I seriously think that my 5 kids (10 and under) could eat nearly this entire cake in one sitting if I allowed it.

Miranda got candles and a song with hers.....definitely a great start for a happy birthday.  :)

Cinnamon Chip Breakfast Cake

Cake:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use organic evaporated cane juice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, softened 
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. cinnamon chips (optional, I didn't use)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars and butter.  Add in eggs and beat until creamy. Beat in sour cream or yogurt until combined.  Slowly mix in milk until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Stir in cinnamon chips.
5. Spread batter into prepared baking dish.
6. Combine topping ingredients (except for cinnamon chips) in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Sprinkle over cake batter.  Top with cinnamon chips if desired. 
7. Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Source: Adapted from A Kitchen Addiction

(Healthy) Chocolate Oat Breakfast Cookies

As much as I love things like scones or cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I make them a special treat. We most often eat things like scrambled eggs, baked oatmeal, cereal, or banana muffins. The girls are fine with that.....especially the muffins part....but Corban (9.5) , who is in general my least picky eater, has started complaining about most of those offerings. He's not crazy about the non-sugary cereal I buy, doesn't care for homemade granola, and he hates bananas in baked goods.

So you can imagine his delight when one recent morning the kids came downstairs to see me baking cookies and then heard the announcement, "These are for breakfast!"

What???

Chocolate cookies for breakfast????

You're the Best mom Ever!  
An elation that wore off sooner than I would have preferred......when I still insisted in doing schoolwork for the day.

So yes, these fall into the "occasional treat" category....or they could even fall into dessert sometimes.....because although they are healthy, with coconut oil and oats  and whole wheat flour, they still have chocolate. And they taste surprisingly decadent.   They're a little chewy, a little crisp, have a wonderful salty/sweet contrast, and are definitely hard to stop at just one.

I even heard a couple of kiddos declare that these would be their Birthday Breakfast choice.

That means they're really good.

(Healthy) Chocolate Oat Breakfast Cookies
adapted  from Fit Mama Real Food  and The Tasty Cheapskate

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but highly recommended)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional - I used unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional - I didn't use)

1 .Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a different bowl, whisk melted coconut oil, egg, and sugars together.  Add in vanilla.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix.  Stir in oats, then add chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans if using.
4. Drop mounds onto an ungreased baking sheet.  The cookies don't spread much, so I found it best to flatten them with the bottom of a glass before baking.  Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until set.

Peach Cobbler Scones

I could eat scones for breakfast nearly every day and be a happy camper.  

Well, maybe not when I went to put on my jeans....but at the table?  I'd be happy. 

The thing is, they have to be good scones.  Like, you know, soft....buttery....tender.....if they have those qualities, I pretty much don't care what flavor they are.  Apple, pumpkin, cherry almond, berry, whatever. It's all good. 

Maybe I just have bad luck, but it seems like every scone I've had from a restaurant (Starbucks, Panera Bread, and the like) has been a bit dry and stale tasting.  Oh, they weren't so bad that I wasted the fortune $3 they cost and tossed them in the garbage, but they just don't hold a candle to homemade.  In taste or value.  So in general, I prefer to make my own at home.  

These are a really fun variation on the normal type of scones - because they're basically like a peach sandwich.  Sweet, rich dough encasing juicy peaches, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and baked until golden. 

Ummmm.....helloooooo......delicious!!  

Okay, to be perfectly fair, I'll admit that Grant wasn't the hugest fan.  But that's mainly because he doesn't really care for peaches unless they're plain....and he prefers scones with either frosting (ha, who wouldn't?) or a thick layer of jam, which would really be kind of weird on these scones. 

But the kids and I didn't mind because that meant more for us.  We thought they were incredible.  

Peach Cobbler Scones
makes 8 huge scones or 16 smaller ones
adapted slightly from Joy the Baker

3 cups flour (I used half white whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes (I used salted)
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus a couple Tablespoons for brushing
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ripe peach, sliced thin (or more if needed)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in butter until    mixture resembles coarse meal.  Don't leave any chunks of butter larger than peas.

3. In another bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Beat lightly with a fork.  Add to the flour mixture  all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough.

4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead about 15 times.  If the butter has warmed too much in the making  of the dough, shape the batter into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
 I didn't have this issue - mine was fine.
 If the butter is still cool, shape the dough into a disk and on a well-floured surface, roll dough to a little less  than 1/2-inch thickness, making a rectangle about 12 x 10 inches, or a little larger.

5. Brush half of the rolled dough with buttermilk.  Arrange peach slices, in a single layer, across that side of  the dough. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle half of it over the peaches.

6. Carefully fold the empty side of dough over the peach layer.  Press gently together.  Add a bit of flour to your hands and press the edges of the dough in, creating more of a rectangle shape than a half-circle shape.  Slice dough into 8 or 16 pieces.

7. Place scones on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of room around each scone for spread  while baking. If dough has warmed and feels mushy, place in fridge for a few minutes to re-chill.  Again, I  didn't have this issue.  Brush each scone top with buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake scones for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Scones are best served warm, on the day they're made - but they're pretty tasty the next day too. :)

Lemon Zucchini Bread - SRC

This month I had the pleasure of getting introduced to Lea Ann from Cooking...On the Ranch for my Secret Recipe Club assignment. Lea Ann lives in Colorado and has seriously one of the best views in the entire world from her little town.  You HAVE to click over to her About page to see it.  Go ahead....I'll wait.

Didn't I tell you???  Looks like a little piece of heaven to me. I need to go on vacation there.

So I was tempted by so many recipes on her blog - from Chicken Macaroni Salad (definitely making that one soon - I bought the ingredients for it, just haven't gotten to it yet) to this mouth-watering Baked Zucchini and Tomato side dish.....but I had some organic zucchini that was desperately calling to me from the bottom drawer of the fridge to be used soon, and I had never tried Lemon Zucchini Bread before, so that was the big winner.

I was the designated "snack-bringer" to my ladies' Bible study that week, so I decided to double the recipe and share this treat with friends.  And I must say, it was a HUGE hit.  I got loads of compliments from the ladies and kids alike.....and everyone was super surprised that the bread had zucchini in it.

That's mostly because of an error I made.

See, I just got my first food processor a few weeks ago and was super excited to use it to shred the zucchini. Sooooo much faster than hand-grating it, right?
But silly me, I neglected to take the blade out of the bottom of the processor, so the zucchini got not only grated, but basically pureed.  It was a nice, fine pulp.

I just tossed it in the bread anyways and it essentially disappeared.  I don't think anyone would have guessed that there was zucchini in the bread - but it definitely did its magic of adding moisture to the bread.

The best part was the glaze - the tangy, vibrant lemon glaze.  It just made the bread explode with flavor.

You really have to try it - Lea Ann swore it was amazing and she was Oh. So. Right.
Definitely double the recipe - you'll be so glad you did.

Next year I am totally planting some zucchini in my yard so I can make this bread all summer long.


Lemon Zucchini Bread
Adapted slightly from Cooking...On the Ranch
(makes one 9x5" loaf)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tbsp. lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of half a lemon (or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well, then add oil and sugar and blend well.  Add the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir to combine.  Fold in the zucchini.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend gently; don't over mix.
Pour batter into a greased 9x5" loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl - add more juice or sugar if necessary to make a good drizzling consistency.  You don't want it really thick, but super liquidy isn't good either!  Spoon glaze over bread evenly and let set before serving.

Gluten-Free Banana Coconut Flour Muffins

As I mentioned before, I've not ventured into the land of "gluten-free" very often.
Particularly in baking.

Enter my mom.
She recently confessed that some time ago, she heard/read about the benefits of coconut flour and proceeded to order a 25 lb (!!!) bag of it.  Organic and all.  And it had been sitting unopened in her laundry room ever since.  She didn't really know what to do with it.

I graciously told her that I would be more than happy to take some of it off of her hands and play around with it.  After all, I do a lot more baking than she does these days, with a family of 7 and all.  She's just cooking for herself and Dad most of the time.  She was delighted to share her abundance with me and gave me at least 12 lbs of it a couple of days ago.

As I was deliberating what to make for breakfast this morning, I remembered the bananas languishing on the counter top and decided banana coconut muffins would be just the ticket.

I looked through a few recipes before deciding on one from Tropical Traditions, which is my favorite company from which to purchase coconut oil.

Having never baked with or even tasted coconut flour, I wasn't sure what to expect.

I read that coconut flour is high in fiber and protein, is of course gluten-free, and can be added to standard wheat recipes in small amounts to add extra protein.  Some recipes of muffins and quick breads can be accomplished with 100% coconut flour.  Since coconut flour contains natural sugar from the coconut meat, baked goods need less sugar added. The coconut flavor is fairly mild.

You need much less flour than in regular recipes - but that is countered by needing a lot of eggs, since it's a very dry and thickening flour. So these muffins end up with lots of protein from all those eggs and the flour -  and that's not a bad thing.  

I thought they were delicious.  The texture and flavor is a bit different from traditional wheat muffins, but I enjoyed them a lot.  The kids commented that they seemed not as sweet as our normal muffins, probably because I didn't sprinkle chocolate chips on top (don't know where they get the idea they need chocolate for breakfast.  I mean, really.)  I found them to be just sweet enough.  Grant thought they were really good, too.  

I will definitely make them again - variety is great - plus I still have 12 lbs of coconut flour to use!

Banana Coconut Flour Muffins
adapted slightly from Tropical Traditions
Yield: 16 regular muffins

1 cup coconut flour (organic is best)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 eggs
4 Tbsp. melted coconut oil (OR 2 Tbsp. melted butter + 2 Tbsp. oil)
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350°.
Sift the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together into a small bowl.  Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs together.  Add oil, milk, honey, sugar, and vanilla.  Whisk together to blend.
Stir in coconut flour mixture and bananas until well blended.  Batter will be thick.  Divide batter among greased or paper-lined muffin tins.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

Sometimes you just need chocolate for breakfast.
Well, I suppose "need" isn't exactly the appropriate term, but I can sure feel like I need chocolate.
Just every day. Or so.
Hmmmm. Wonder what would happen if I tried to break the chocolate addiction.
I don't want to find out.

Now, I had a feeling I would like these muffins, because although I have never actually combined chocolate and orange in baking before personally, I have tried and enjoyed the chocolate-covered orange sticks from Trader Joe's....and maybe a few other chocolate orange confections over the years.

(Can I just say, I got so spoiled living near a Trader Joe's in VA.....I miss it like crazy around here.  But at least now I have Azure Standard.....that's a huge plus.)

But I honestly had no idea how great these would be.  They might even qualify as cupcakes....except if there's no frosting, I insist they can be eaten for breakfast.  Yes, I made a huge batch, because 12 little muffins are not going to tide my hungry crew over in the morning.  Corban can eat at least 5 on his own.  Unless I'm also serving hard boiled eggs.....then he might eat 4 eggs and 3 muffins.  He's only 9 years old.  Sheesh.

I modified the original recipe by decreasing the sugar a little, adding flaxseed, and using some applesauce in place of some oil.  They turned out so moist, tender, and perfectly delicious.

Annika (5) made the comment, "When you're eating really good food, it's like music."

I think she got that quote from Ratatouille....but it was just funny to hear a five-year old saying that at breakfast.  She's never said that before, so I guess the muffins made quite an impression.

They definitely fit in the category of "really good food" to us.

Chocolate Orange Muffins 
Yield: 24 muffins (can easily be halved)

3 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted expeller pressed coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
4 T. cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (for dark, nonstick pans) or 350 degrees for regular muffin tins. Line tins with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate medium-size bowl beat together the eggs, oil or butter, applesauce, buttermilk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix together just until moistened. Don’t over mix! 

Pour half of the batter into another bowl.  Sift the cocoa powder in to one of the bowls and fold in half of the chocolate chips. Fold the remaining chocolate chips into the other “white” bowl of batter.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the prepared muffin tins, alternating the orange and chocolate batters. Fill the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 or 17-18 minutes at 325 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool the muffins for five minutes in the tins. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Countdown to 2013 - Best Breakfast Recipes of 2012

It's Countdown time!

Every year, my blogging friend SnoWhite hosts a Countdown to the New Year starting December 26 with a theme for each day, highlighting favorite recipes from the past year in different categories.

I love participating - hopefully I'll get at least something posted every day.

Breakfast is such an important part of my day - I always eat breakfast and just cannot function well without it.  My only problem with breakfast is that my favorite meal category, dessert, isn't served.  

My solution for that?

Make desserts that can qualify as breakfast!

Yeah.  Works for me.

So these are my favorite breakfast recipes from the past year, and yes, they all are a bit on the sweet side.  Big surprise.

Overnight Berry Coffee Cake

French Toast Casserole

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Simple Scones - Cherry Almond Version

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

My favorite

Come back tomorrow to see the Best Soup/Bread recipes!!  

And head over to Finding Joy in my Kitchen to see other bloggers' favorites as well.  

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Yesterday was the Saturday before Christmas.  I was hankering for a special breakfast - either something we hadn't had in awhile or something new.  

I remembered that I had seen cinnamon roll pancakes in several places in the past few months and the idea just wouldn't go away.  

I asked Grant if he'd rather me make Gingerbread Pancakes or Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.  

I had a strong feeling I knew what his answer would be.

See, Grant and Corban are h.u.g.e. fans of Gingerbread Pancakes.  I don't even know when I made them last, but it's been months. Plus, what better time to make them than at Christmas time?  Not to mention the fact that Grant isn't always a fan of me trying new recipes - he enjoys the old faithful ones that he's sure he'll like. (of course, all of my recipes were new to him at some point....but I digress.)

So I was surprised and delighted when he replied, "Make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes."  

Alrighty then!  Good thing, because I couldn't find my mom's ginger anyways and she wasn't up yet.  hehehe.

Cooking/baking in a kitchen that isn't your own can be a challenge.  

So I have to say, these are so much easier than you might think.  They only take a few extra minutes to make versus plain pancakes, and they are so amazingly delicious.  

They'll probably make your griddle or frying pan a little messy - I recommend scraping the excess cinnamon mixture off between batches of pancakes.  

The original recipe called for a cream cheese frosting. I decided that was a little over the top - I reserve that sort of decadence for Christmas Day with these, after all - so I just made a simple glaze that is a lot less calories and cheaper, too.  I also reduced the amount of filling the recipe called for and still had some left over.

I was feeding my family of seven (some being small children) plus two extra adults (my parents) with this recipe, and we only had two leftover after everyone had their fill.  Feel free to cut the recipe in half or thirds if you have a small crew.  

But plan for extras - because once you taste these, you won't want to stop at a reasonable portion.  They're just too good,  

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (adapted from Recipe Snobs)

Cinnamon Filling:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

Pancakes: 

3-1/4 cups flour (I used part whole wheat, part unbleached all purpose)

2 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 T. brown sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups milk

1/3 cup oil (I used expeller pressed coconut oil)

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3 T. milk

To make the filling, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon well.  Spoon into a ziplock bag and snip off one tiny corner.  Set aside in a bowl.

Preheat your griddle or frying pan while you're making the pancakes.  

To make the pancakes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.  Pour into the dry mixture and stir to combine.  Don't over stir; a few lumps are just fine.  

Drop the batter on the griddle using a 1/4 cup  measuring scoop.

When the pancakes begin to form bubble, add the filling.  Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl, just like you see in a regular cinnamon roll.  Be careful to not get the filling too close to the sides.  It will bleed over. Cook the pancakes until the bubbles begin popping on top and they're golden brown on the bottom..  Flip over and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until golden.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make a drizzling consistency.  Stir until smooth and drizzle over warm pancakes.  

Linked to SnoWhite's Countdown to 2013 - Best Breakfast Recipes and Crazy Sweet Tuesday