Easter Treat: Monkey Bread Muffins

My favorite little sous chef helped me make some Easter breakfast treats last week. Yes she is wearing headphones plugged into an iPad. She just got the headphones as a gift and wants to wear them all the time. Sometimes the cord just drags behind her as she plays in the house. I saw a funny meme on facebook with a toddler doing something silly and it read, "Motherhood, when you stop asking questions." So true!

New Seasonal Flavors of Dunkin' Donuts at Grocery + a Giveaway!

Coffee! The smell alone of it brewing early in the morning is enough to entice me out of my cozy bed. Jim is a simple man that knows what he likes, and he likes his coffee plain and black. He pours a cup and then is out the door. I take my time with my morning joe. I'm a "dessert first" kind of gal and like to sweeten my coffee with cream and sugar, maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon or a flavored syrup.

When I was asked to review two new flavors of Dunkin' Donuts at Grocery coffee, I jumped at the chance...especially after I found out what their Spring Seasonal Flavors are!


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Easy Breakfast Muffins

Last month I had a contest on Home with Mandy where I gave away a few dozen cake balls. In order to ship them and ensure they made it in one piece, I packaged the cake balls in egg cartons...then I was left with a bunch of eggs in my fridge. That's when I started looking for recipes calling for large amounts of eggs, hence the recent Creme Brulee post.

I found these super easy breakfast muffins are perfect to make on the weekend and then eat them one by one during the week. You can pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds before sprinting out the door because you are late for work… again. Oh, that’s just me?


I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box in the AM. It takes me a long time to get moving and time just gets away from me. Eating a good breakfast is the absolute last thing on my mind. Jim has tried really hard to get me to eat breakfast and stocks the fridge each week with something quick and easy, like greek yogurt, cut up fruit or a protein shake. He makes the best protein shakes with a frozen banana, protein powder and a squirt of honey for sweetness.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes

Have you jumped on the Greek Yogurt bandwagon? Not only is this delicious and creamy, but yogurt is one of the super foods we all should be eating regularly. Plus, yogurt is also ranked as one of the world's healthiest foods.

There are many good brands of Greek Yogurt, some of which are fat free or low fat. If you can't find Greek yogurt, you can make something similar by straining regular plain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. They make yogurt strainers, but if you don't have one, use two coffee filters inside a colander, placed inside a bowl to catch the liquid.

I've been wanting to try a yogurt pancakes recipe, and Jim brought home some blueberries from the store last week. Blueberry pancakes are one of his favorite breakfast foods so I thought I would surprise him this Saturday with this new recipe.

The recipe I decided on was originally from Pioneer Woman, but Smitten Kitchen adapted them, and then I adapted them even more. So this is a morph of a morph!

To make my Greek Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes you will need the following:

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup

Mix all the dry ingredients first.

Dump the yogurt on top and stir it together very gently.

It’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven. 

In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together, then add to the yogurt batter.

Mix gently until Incorporated, being careful not to over mix.

On a hot griddle over medium heat, melt just a little bit of butter.

This is a scant 1/4 cup of batter and then sprinkle with blueberries. I prefer to drop the blueberries on the batter after it's on the griddle rather than mixing it in the wet batter.

After about two minutes, you will see bubbles appear on the batter. That's when you know it's time to flip.
This recipe made six pancakes that were about five inches in diameter.

Top with a pat of butter, some maple syrup and dig in. The texture of these are so good, I love the tangy flavor the yogurt adds. Not pictures is the stack of pancakes I topped with whipped cream. Decadent!! You need to beat 1 cup whipping cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form and then add a dollop on top of the maple syrup. Enjoy the weekend even more!

Crustless Cheesy Quiche

I am thrilled to share this recipe with you today because it is my new go-to dish when I need to provide food for a brunch or special event like a baby shower. Calling this a "Quiche" is very misleading because the addition of cottage cheese and baking powder and magic make this a light and airy but full of flavor dish. Inspiration for this recipe was found at SimplyRecipes and I changed it up a bit for our personal tastes.

Slice one onion and saute over medium heat (low and slow) until caramelizing happens. I absolutely love caramelized onions. Start this first and then let it cook down, stirring every so often as you prepare the rest of the quiche, adding olive oil as needed to keep it fro burning. During the last minute of cooking, I added one minced garlic clove, cook for one minute then take the pan off the stove to cool.

Next I took the last three pieces of bacon from my fridge and baked them in the oven on a wire rack set on a jelly roll pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. I like cooking bacon in the oven because everything crisps up and you aren't left with chewy fat. I let this crisp really well and then crumbled it for the quiche later.

Now we need to make a roux. "Roux" is the French word for "brown," and brown describes a roux in color. A roux is a base for gravies, soups, etouffee, gumbo and many other Cajun and French dishes. It serves as a thickener, binder and flavoring. Any cook who has made gravy from pan drippings, flour and milk has made a sort of roux. The principles are very similar. With a roux, however, only flour and fat are used.

1st rule of roux is patience. It takes time to reach the desired stage of brown and not burned and you should be diligent to stir the roux constantly. Cooking slowly and evenly is a must to prevent burning.

2nd rule of roux is to use a heavy pot, a whisk and a wooden spoon. The pot should be heavy and not have any hot spots. A dutch oven or iron skillet works best. A wooden spoon is great to use because it does not impart a metallic flavor to the roux.

3rd rule of roux is we don’t talk about how difficult roux can be – we just put our big girl panties on and make roux.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Using a whisk, stir in flour; cook, stirring until bubbly. Gradually add milk and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. You can switch to a wooden spoon now and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. Remove from heat; set aside to cool, about 15-20 minutes.

This couldn't be easier to whip up - and customize. You know how I love to have recipes on hand that use up whatever you have in the fridge and pantry. Make this your own!

Next, combine cottage cheese, baking powder, salt and Dijon mustard and 1/2 t dry mustard in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

You could mix this by hand, but why? If you have a kitchen aid mixer, you are a lucky one - use it! In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat eggs and add softened cream cheese.

Add the roux once it has cooled and mix well, but don't over beat. Fold in the shredded cheese. You can use 6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese and 3 T grated Parmesan cheese - or add what you have on hand. I used shredded cheddar and Parmesan.

Oh how I love this porcelain quiche dish with fluted sides, a wedding gift from my friend Nesi. It's perfect for serving this cheesy crustless quiche.  You can use a 10" pie plate too, just butter the sides and bottom of your baking dish well.

You can add the ingredients however you like, I added half of the batter, then sprinkled on all of the caramelized onions.

Then pour in the remaining batter and smooth the surface.

I had these beautiful tomatoes from the farmers market, and sliced them pretty thick, and pressed down onto the top of my quiche.

Meat! Where is the meat? After crisping up some bacon in the oven I let it cool and then crumbled it on top of the quiche. This can absolutely be left out, but not in my house.

Finally I topped everything off with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned.

I pulled the foil back and put the quiche back in the oven for 5 more minutes so everything was nice and brown on top.

Let this rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Jim and I actually had this for dinner, and then ate leftovers for breakfast the next two days. It was great warm out of the oven, we both had two slices each. And I should note it kept very well in the fridge also, tasted great reheated. I think you should make this for a Saturday morning Breakfast for the family - I bet everyone will love it. Enjoy!

{Crustless Cheesy Quiche}

Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

There is nothing like homemade blueberry pancakes, warm, fresh, earthy and flavorful. They are truly simple to whip up, add a side of bacon or breakfast sausage and it's also a great way to wake up the household.

This is my recipe. It makes about 8 pancakes.

In case you can't read my chicken scratch:
1 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda (make sure it's fresh)
1/4 t salt
2 T sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 C milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

And BLUEBERRIES!!!!! We have a new Sprouts grocery store near me and these organic beauties were only $1.50. It's unheard of!

Combine all the dry ingredients, mix well.

Beat the egg, add the milk.

Add the vanilla, mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the two together, but don't over mix - lumps are okay.

My griddle is set to 350 degrees. Once hot, I pour about a 1/2 cup of mix onto the griddle. THEN, I plop my blueberries on top and let them settle in.

When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over.

Serve with butter and maple syrup. Smitten Kitchen has a great post on blueberry pancakes.

Did you know you can freeze leftover pancakes? What Jim and I can't eat, I place on a baking sheet to cool.

Once cooled, stack them with a sheet of wax paper between each. Finally wrap the stacks in plastic bags, label and freeze.

To serve: Put the frozen pancake in a toaster oven, the microwave or heat briefly under a broiler.

Research has proven the blueberries are an important part of a healthy diet. I toss a handful into my cereal for a morning boost. It keeps life interesting.

One cup of blueberries contains 14% DV of fiber 2.41 g per 100g. They are a source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phenolics, and flavonoids. Blueberries are very low in fat and sodium.

Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provided more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables. Source: http://www.blueberry.org/

Christmas 2009 Recap and my Dad's French Toast

We really had a great Christmas in Austin and in Houston.

On Christmas day, we opened gifts together as a family. Here is my dad opening up one of five watches. He got one for every day of the week.

My beautiful mother opening up the new Tim McGraw CD. That reminds me, I need to ask for a copy of it.

Brad and Jim had to open these gifts together.

Jim is trying to figure out what it is.

Oh! He gets it. It's a counter size kegerator that keeps a pony keg cold and you serve beer through a tap.

Brad is still trying to figure out what it is - or reading the details on the box.

For lunch we went to my mom's parents' home, and you guessed it...she made Grandmamas Stuffing. It's my favorite thing on the Christmas table!

My Pa-Pa.

My Uncle Jeff. (He's single!)

My Dad's mom, Grammy.

My mom made her Deviled Eggs.

I made a creamed spinach dish.

There was also this beautiful fruit salad.

All served on my grandmothers Christmas plates which I really love.

My grandmother's mantle looked so festive. She made us each a stocking and stuffed them with Starbucks gift cards. Perfect for my "Soy-Pumpkin-Spice-Latte-with-Whip" obsession.

The smoked turkey made by my Uncle Johnny, a shining star on the table this Christmas.

Honey baked ham too.

Drum roll please. My favorite - Grandmothers Stuffing! I made this last year, see her recipe here.

Here are my babies after a bath. They took off out of the bathroom and ran around outside in the sunshine. Madeline looks like a poodle model here as she swings her wet ear around to look at the camera.

Cole just wants to play with his new toy, a stuffed flea.

That looks just kills me.

Now, onto my Dad's French Toast. I always ask for it when I'm in town. I grabbed my camera and shot away as he made us all breakfast.

He makes his own cinnamon sugar mixture first.

He uses white bread, a couple of eggs, milk, butter, pam and his cinnamon sugar mixture.

In a wide bowl my dad beats about three eggs with a cup of milk. There is a perfect timing to the way he dunks the bread. The first slice of bread goes in, then it gets flipped right away, then the second slices goes and gets flipped. I call it the ballet of the home slice.

Next, he sprays a non-stick pan that is heated to medium-high with some pam, then places the slices in.

Just after they begin to brown, he flips them.

Mmmm... this smells so good, reminds me of growing up in their house. I love his French Toast.

See, I would never have done this...but my dad, the French Toast expert, uses his spatula to press the slices.

And he repeats the process, two at a time until everyone has a plate.

When they come out of the pan and onto the plate, each person gets to sprinkle the toast with cinnamon and sugar and top with a pat of butter.

Serve with syrup and dig in.

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Now! Just to mix you up a little bit, I have another French Toast recipe that was given to me by a friend in San Antonio. He swears by this recipe, and although I haven't tried it yet I wanted to share it with you. Here are the ingredients and method, in Nestor's own words:

• Texas Toast sandwich bread or any other thick cut (tip: try to buy it some days or a week prior)
• 3-4 eggs (tip: pour on a rectangle Ziploc container-the ones used by most companies for ham.)
• Salt-to taste... less than a 1/2 teaspoon for sure-to taste
• Whole or 2% fresh milk (tip: pour enough milk to make the egg mix look a "light yellow" color. all depends on how much of egg taste you like on the toast)
• 1-1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar-to taste (white or brown, I use white)
• Cinnamon-use shaker and put as much as you want up to your personal taste, you can always add directly to the bread loaf when cooking
• Vanilla-if using pure vanilla 2-3 drops should be enough, if using imitation use close to a teaspoon

Ok, mix should be ready.... taste it and make adjustments as necessary

Set your range to mid-low temp. (I set it up at 3) You want enough heat so that when you put the toast you can hear a low sizzling but do not over heat because it will burn the outside but it will not cook the inside. Also, I use PAM... spray and dry up excess with a paper towel.

Now, cut the bread slice in half in order to create "triangles" and cut some fresh strawberries.

Use a semi-flat plate in order to pour the mix just enough for two triangles-one at a time(do not dip in mix bowl as bread will get too soggy (mojado).

Ready!!!!

Take a slice and put into your semi-flat plate (do not let sit-just turn fairly quick to each side including the new third edge).

Put on pan (salten) and let it cook for approximately 1 minute per side until toasted or golden brown.

After both side have been cooked, stand up slice in order to cook the new edge.

Take out and let it site for a minute, do not serve right away.

Add butter to taste, add domino (white powder) sugar, add syrup, and don't forget the strawberries!

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Thanks Nestor!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday, a merry christmas and a happy new year.