Maple-Bacon Biscuit Bake

I absolutely love sweet and salty combinations, but alas the Hubby Bubby isn't the fan that I am. Usually I try to sneak them in at dinner time but I always feel guilty making dishes that Andrew may not like. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I had a winner. Andrew loves sweet breakfasts (cinnamon rolls are a fave around here) so I knew he'd be game for a glorified monkey bread with some bacon thrown in for good measure.

I fiddled with the recipe just a bit to make it easier for me. I substituted store-bought biscuit dough for homemade and I assembled the maple-bacon syrup the night before to cut down on my cooking time in the morning. This was a delicious treat to wake up to! But really what's not to love - maple syrup, bacon and biscuit dough baked into sticky, gooey, caramel-y perfection!

Maple-Bacon Biscuit Bake

adapted from Pink Parsley who adapted it from King Arthur Flour

8 oz hickory smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup maple syrup (don't use the fake stuff!)

3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat

1 tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough

The night before, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is browned and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and discard the rest.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, flour, syrup and bacon fat. Stir in the bacon. Liberally spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with nonstick spray. Pour the bacon mixture into the bottom of the pan. Allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Nestle the biscuit pieces atop the maple-bacon mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Remove from oven and immediately invert the dish onto the serving plate. Lift off the pie plate and serve!

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Breakfast Egg Muffins

I love the idea of having a big family breakfast together on the weekends, but since I'm not a morning person, it rarely happens. Usually by the time I stumble out of bed, Andrew and Finley have been up and around long enough to have already eaten. But this weekend I really wanted to give it the old college try.

These are really more like individual sized breakfast casseroles than muffins, but you get the idea. I made them last night (like you would with a breakfast casserole) and then just popped them in the oven this morning. And then I got to sit down and enjoy my coffee knowing I was about to serve me family a great homemade breakfast - without any work to do in the morning! These would make a great addition to any breakfast or brunch buffet and I think they might make an appearance on our table Christmas morning!

Not only are they tasty and portable, they are a complete meal - protein from the sausage, eggs and cheese; vegetables from the onions, red bell pepper, spinach and potatoes (okay, that last one's a stretch since I used tater tots!); and dairy from the milk and cheese. Feel free to switch up the proteins, cheeses and veggies to create something that your family will love!

Breakfast Egg Muffins

adapted from Snacking in the Kitchen

27 tater tots

1/3 pound breakfast sausage (any kind or flavor you like)

1/4 onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

6 extra large eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

salt and pepper, to taste

Bake tater tots according to package directions. Set aside to cool completely

Meanwhile, cook breakfast sausage, onion and bell pepper in a saute pan over medium heat, breaking up any large clumps of meat, until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain any grease. Set aside to cool completely.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add cheese, salt and pepper.

Using non-stick spray, grease 9 cavities of a 12-muffin pan. Gently press three tater tots down into the bottom of each well to create a "crust". Spoon a large spoonful of the meat and vegetable mixture over the crushed tater tots. Pour just enough egg mixture over to cover the meat and vegetables. Make sure the tater tots and meat mixture are cooled before pouring the egg mixture over top.

Cover the muffin tin and refrigerate. The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake 15-20 minutes.

Makes 9 muffins.

* While the quality of the camera is much higher, sadly the quality of the photographer remains the same. Bare with me as I'm learning the ropes!

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Peach Buttermilk Coffee Cake

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I had leftover buttermilk in the fridge, fresh Texas peaches on my counter and all the other non-name worthy ingredients in the pantry. It was meant to be! The recipe for the coffee cake is fantastic and you could easily switch up the fruit for whatever is in season. I loved it with peaches though - and I think I may put even more peaches in next time. The bad news is that the recipe has 19 (19!!!) tablespoons of butter, which I didn't realize until I halfway through making it. So for all those calories, it better be good! If you're looking for a little lighter coffee cake recipe, this Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is another one of my favorites.

The recipe I used (linked below) tops the cake with a glaze, which I omitted on accident. But I think it would have been a good addition since the cake wasn't super sweet on its own. And it's already a terribly unhealthy recipe, may as well make it even worse for you. Go big or go home, right?!?

Peach Buttermilk Coffee Cake

recipe from Baking with Lisa

for the topping and filling:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the cake:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (you can use frozen in a pinch)

For the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (or use nonstick spray) a 9-inch springform pan. If you have parchment paper, line the bottom of the pan for easy cake removal.

For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions.

Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and level it with a spoon. Sprinkle half of the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Arrange the peach slices in a circular pattern over the crumb topping, overlapping slightly. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the peaches. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes, then remove the side of the pan and cool completely.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding a little more cream if necessary. Drizzle or pipe over the cooled cake.

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Spring Frittata

{all the pretty veggies before the egg mixture went in}

Since we're trying to save for a new house, I've been working to cut down our grocery bill. One of the best ways is to cut down on the meat that we eat each week, so I've been trying to work in a vegetarian meal here and there. The frittata worked out really well because it still has plenty of protein from the eggs and cheese and many of the ingredients came right out of our garden. How fun is that! I love being able to walk outside and grab fresh herbs and vegetables. Now I just have to cross my fingers that our garden will survive the brutal Texas summer! In addition to being inexpensive, this frittata is delicious. I loved the tang from the goat cheese, the olive oil soaked potatoes and the burst of sweetness from the whole cherry tomatoes. Fantastic! I also better better eating it since It didn't have a pie crust base like quiches do and it had a green veggie in it. I will definitely be making this again and again.

Spring Frittata

2 T olive oil

2 large red potatoes (or 1 medium baking potato), diced

1/2 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c spinach, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1-2 T fresh herbs, chopped (I used chives, parsley, thyme, basil and dill)

6 eggs

1/3 milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes and onion in skillet and cook until fork tender, stirring occasionally, about 15-20 minutes. Mix in garlic, spinach and salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and fresh herbs over potatoes.

In a bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Pour into skillet over the vegetables. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, gently lifting edges with spatula and tilting pan so that uncooked portion flows underneath. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until set in the middle and lightly browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Despite the name of my blog, I'm just not a big baker; however, it isn't fall unless you're baking (and eating!) pumpkin-something. I made this bread this afternoon and it filled the house with the most glorious aroma ever. My mouth is watering just remembering the smell! Other than the canned pumpkin and possibly the applesauce, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry - unless you're a dweeb like me who ran out of sugar, had a baby sleeping, neighbors who weren't home and finally had to call my dad to bring me 1 1/2 c sugar. Anyhoo, the bread is wonderfully moist and flavorful. If so inclined, you can easily tailor it to your specific tastes - add chopped apples, raisins, nuts in the batter, etc.

Pumpkin Streusel Bread

adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c cinnamon applesauce

2/3 c water

4 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 c brown sugar

1 1/2 c white sugar

3 1/2 c all-purpose flour

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground cloves

1/4 t allspice

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c flour

1 t cinnamon

1/2 chopped nuts

2 T softened butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans.

In a mixer, combine pumpkin, oil, applesauce, water, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, and white sugar. Blend well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and next four spices. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet mixture. Mix until just combined.

To make streusel topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. With a fork, mix in softened butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour batter into two or three 7' x 3' loaf pans. Sprinkle evenly with streusel topping. Bake in preheated oven 60 to 80 minutes. [The cooking time varies so much because it depends on if you make two ginormous loaves (like I did and it took 80 minutes) or three regular sized loaves. You could always make muffins or mini-loaves too and adjust the cooking time accordingly.]

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Oh how I love this cake! This is one of the few recipes that I make time and time again. I love it for its versatility - it's great for breakfast with a cup of coffee, I've made it for a brunch wedding shower and I often make it for dessert. I just love this recipe! Every time I make it, people compliment it and ask for the recipe. Love it!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1011245

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Creme Brulee French Toast

In a word - decadent! I'm definitely not a morning person so this was my kind of breakfast recipe. Made it the night before, then bleary-eyed I stumbled into the kitchen this morning and popped it into the oven. Forty minutes and several cups of coffee later, I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast.

I was surprised by how much flavor the brown sugar bottom imparted on the bread. I also really liked that the bread wasn't at all eggy or soggy but still had a nice crunch to it. The brown sugar crust is sweet enough that you do not need any syrup at all. I just dusted mine with sifted powdered sugar and it was dee-licious! Next time I might flip the bread over (brown sugar crust side up) and broil it for a minute to see if I could achieve that hardened sugar crust for which creme brulee is known. Anyway, since it was just Andrew and me for breakfast, I served the french toast by itself, but if I were making it for company staying with us, I'd probably serve it with scrambled eggs (or some other savory offering) and a fresh fruit salad. Now if we only had a guest room so we could actually have guests stay over...

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
6 French bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brandy-based orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Arrange bread slices in the baking dish in a single layer. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, orange brandy, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover, and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and lightly browned.

Source AllRecipes.com, recipe submitted by Sandipants

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Apricot & Almond Cream Cheese Bars

I had some odds and ends that I wanted to use up so I put together this little diddy. I imagined it as a dessert but it's divine for breakfast with a good cup of coffee. (When I got up this morning, I discovered that Andrew had eaten about 2/3 of the pan already - apparently they received his approval!)

For the bars:

2 cans crescent rolls

8 oz cream cheese

1 egg

1 1/2 t almond extract

1/3 c sugar

8 oz apricot preserves, melted

1 t cinnamon

2 T sugar

3 T butter, melted

2 oz sliced almonds

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Press one can of crescent dough into the bottom of the pan, pressing the seams together.

In a food processor or mixer, combine cream cheese, egg, extract and sugar. Process until smooth and creamy. Spread onto dough. Top with melted preserves followed by the second can of crescent rolls. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and almonds.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

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Chicken and Orzo Frittata

Tonight I was excited to try Giada De Laurentiis' Chicken and Orzo Frittata. We love quiches so I thought I'd try a slightly different twist of a dinner egg dish. We were sadly disappointed. It was very easy to make but the flavors just didn't deliver for me. It was really bland and I'm not sure what alterations could have saved it. Also, the frittata took a lot longer to cook than the recipe stated. Andrew and I finally got too hungry to wait for the frittata to finish cooking and went ahead and ate our salads and rolls because the frittata still wasn't cooked completely. I usually love Giada's recipes but this is one that I'll be trashing...just like I did with the left-overs.

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Quiche Lorraine

Andrew loves Quiche Lorraine so I set out to try and find a winning recipe. I chose this recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quiche-Lorraine-I/Detail.aspx?prop31=1 but then I made several changes of course. It's hard for me not to change a recipe! Here are the changes I made:

- I only used 4 slices of bacon and I thought that was plenty.

- I sauteed the onion in the bacon grease and drained the onions on a paper towel with the bacon.

- I used six eggs and only about 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

- I omitted the sugar too.

We loved it and I think it will go into heavy rotation since it was quick to throw together and I usually have all the ingredients in the pantry already.

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