Dutch Oven French Toast

This recipe is so good!  We were camping on the 4th of July, but I still wanted to make something festive, so I decided on a red, white & blue french toast made in the dutch oven!  It was delightful!  You can also cook it in a 9 x 13 pan at home in your oven.

Dutch Oven French Toast

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a hot dutch oven.  Add 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon and stir.  Cut a loaf of Texas Toast bread slices into halves or quarters and layer on top of the butter/brown sugar mixture.  

In a bowl, mix 2 cups of milk, 6 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 cup of berries.  I used a mix of blueberries and quartered strawberries.  Pour over the bread.  Cover and cook at 350 for 30-45 minutes until done.  Serve warm with syrup and whipped cream!

We are having so much fun camping this summer!  I love enjoying the simple life here and there away from technology, phone calls and doctor's appointments!   We're heading out again this week!  I love my teeny tiny camper kitchen and how basic everything is when you're out in nature.  It makes me feel like a pioneer, which is actually what we're celebrating on the 24th of July.  

Happy Pioneer Day!

Fresh Strawberry Cobbler

I love fresh strawberries!  I especially love fresh strawberries when they're on sale for .99!  We've started buying most of our fresh produce at the Mexican market because their prices are so much better than the regular grocery store.  When strawberries go on sale I often freeze them for smoothies, but this time I thought I'd use them in some recipes.  I decided to make a strawberry cobbler for breakfast this morning and it was fabulous!  It got gobbled up and we were tempted to lick the pan as well!  Double the recipe for a 9 x 13 pan.

Strawberry Cobbler

Mix together in a square baking pan:

1 lb strawberries, washed and quartered

1/4 c. sugar

2 T. corn starch

In a small bowl mix:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. oats

1/3 c. whole wheat flour (or white)

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. hemp hearts, optional

Sprinkle on top of prepared strawberries.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Breakfast Skillet: a great way to use up garden zucchini and day-old bread

I really love breakfast foods.  Like A Lot.  Garden season is the best because I have all sorts of veggies to use up in my breakfasts, including zucchini!  Yummy!

 This breakfast is a really great way not only to use up zucchini, but also to use up day-old bread.  If you're a bread-maker like I am, then you probably often have extra rolls and breads that need to be used up.  The bread I used this time is oregano bread.  To make oregano bread I add 1 cup of chopped fresh oregano leaves (from my yard) along with some garlic and onion powder into my normal french bread recipe.  It comes out fabulous and it makes 2 loaves, so I often have part of a loaf left the next day.  Any sort of rolls or bread will work great.

I like to start my skillet with bacon grease, but butter works well too.  Melt your bacon grease or butter in a frying pan.  Saute diced zucchini and ham (if desired) in the grease.  You can add other veggies such as onions, mushrooms or peppers in if you'd like too.  When the zucchini is almost tender add day-old bread cubes into the mix and cook until they're golden brown.  Add eggs and scramble.  Top with cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  That's it!

The bread cubes get nice and toasted and absorb the flavor of the bacon grease!  Every time I make this I get compliments on the unexpected flavor of the toasted bread cubes.  The zucchini tastes very delicious with eggs and cheese.  This can be served as an inexpensive dinner as well!  I make it without ham as often as I make it with ham and either way it's great!

German Pancakes & Buttermilk Maple Syrup for a Crowd

 

Sunday mornings can be quite crazy around here!  Besides me and Eric and my three kids, we also often have Eric's four boys on the weekends along with my sister's three kids who I babysit full time (including most Sundays).  Cold cereal can be expensive for a crowd that large.  How the heck did I end up with 10 kids???  German Pancakes are a quick and inexpensive breakfast (or even dinner!).  I like to pair it with fruit, like grapes or bananas and yogurt on the side.  German Pancakes are fabulous with regular syrup or jam, but I usually make a delightful homemade syrup when making them, just for fun!

German Pancakes for a Crowd

1/4 c. butter or margarine

12 eggs

2 c. milk

2 c. flour

Turn the oven on to 400.  Place the butter in a 4.8 qt (bigger than a 9x13 pan) baking pan and place in the preheating oven.  Meanwhile mix the remaining ingredients in your blender.  It will be FULL, but it will fit.  I usually start with only 1 cup of milk with the eggs and flour, mix it really well in the blender and then add the last cup of milk and mix it on low just until blended.

Move the pan around to even coat with melted butter, pour the blended mixture on top of the butter and bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes until done.  That's all there is to it!  Cut into squares and serve.

Buttermilk Maple Syrup

Boil together for a few minutes in a med-large saucepan:

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. butter

2 TBSP molasses

dash salt

Remove from heat and add: 

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp maple flavoring

2 tsp vanilla

Mixture will foam up at first, but will settle as it cools.  Serve warm or at room temperature.   Store leftovers in the fridge.  Will stay good for a week or so.

Cheddar Jalapeno Rolls

I have this weird love for bread dough, not in the Mmmm... I want to eat it all day sense, but I am fascinated by it.  How can you take just a few ingredients, mix them together and have something as versatile as bread dough happen?  Once you master a basic bread dough you can make sandwich bread, dinner rolls, sweet rolls, savory rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, bagels, pretzels, pizza crust, bread sticks, etc, etc... Bread dough is amazing!  I make homemade bread products at least once a week and usually more often!  I like to make a big batch and make different things from it.  A loaf of french bread one day and monkey bread the next... crescent rolls one day and jalapeno rolls the next!  It's incredible!  Now that I've spewed my love for bread dough all over your existence I will get to the recipe.  These cheddar jalapeno rolls are great!  They work for any meal of the day or even snacks.  My husband thinks I need to mass produce them.

Roll Dough

2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk powder
2 TBSP yeast
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. flour

3-5 c. flour

In your Bosch or KitchenAid mixer (with a dough hook) mix everything except the 3-5 c. flour for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix 2 minutes. Turn your speed to low and continue to add flour while mixing on low, half a cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides into a ball and a very soft (almost sticky, but not quite) dough is formed.

Once you hit that point, mix on medium for 2 more minutes. Cover and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled. Punch down and divide dough in half.

Roll half the dough out into a decent sized rectangle, like you would with cinnamon rolls (about 11" x 14").  Spread with 8oz of softened cream cheese.  Sprinkle with diced jarred jalapenos.  Drizzle a little jalapeno juice on the cream cheese for good measure and spread it around with a rubber spatula.  Top with shredded cheddar and roll up starting on the long side, making a long skinny roll.  Cut into 12 slices and place on a greased baking stone or cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until done.  Brush with butter.

You COULD cut the recipe in half and only make enough for the 12 rolls or you could use the other half for cinnamon rolls or something totally different like pizza crust.  After the dough rises the first time you can cover it and put it in the fridge overnight and use it the next day.  Hooray!  Homemade bread something or another two days in a row!

WWII Cake

I used to make this a lot, but I realized I hadn't made it for a couple of years and decided it was time again!  It's so delightful!  You can use muffin pans, loaf pans or a cake pan.  The cake is great leftover and it's even good for breakfast!  

WWII Cake

1 c. dried fruit (I use a mix of dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries & raisins)
1 1/2 c. cold water

Put raisins and/or dried fruit into a pot with the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep covered and cool for 30 minutes or so.

 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c. walnuts (if desired)

Set aside. In a large bowl, mix:
1 egg
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. margarine, melted

Add the raisin mixture and the flour mixture. Pour into greased pan(s). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan.

Delish Breakfast Casserole

I served this casserole as part of Alyssa's Rainbow Brite party.  I tried a similar dish for the first time at a singles brunch and it gave me the idea for the gravy.  It's pretty delicious and I don't even like sausage!  You could also use bacon or ham if you so desire.  You can top it with ketchup if you like (I like) or just eat it as is.  The gravy on top is a change from other breakfast casseroles!  This makes a LARGE casserole, so it's great for large gatherings or huge family breakfasts on Easter morning or conference weekend.

Breakfast Casserole with Gravy

24 oz package shredded hash browns
12 eggs
2 c. milk
1 tsp seasoned salt
3 c. shredded cheddar
1 lb sausage, cooked & drained

gravy:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. milk
salt & pepper

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Pour hash browns into pan.  In a large bowl whisk eggs, milk and seasoned salt.  Pour over hash browns.  Top with cheese and sausage.  Stir everything together.  Cover.  You can put in the fridge overnight or bake now.  Bake covered at 350 for 90 minutes or until done.  Let rest for a few minutes.  Meanwhile mix gravy ingredients together in a saucepan and heat until warm.  Pour over casserole.  Serve!

Rainbow Brite Birthday Party!

Alyssa turned 12 this month!  Not to focus on myself, but HOW DID I GET SO OLD???   Now that she's grown up and gets to attend Young Womens, wear makeup and get a cell phone (which she's already grounded from! haha!) she decided to have a Rainbow Brite birthday party as a kick-back to her childhood... *sigh*  I don't think any of her friends had a clue who Rainbow Brite is, but Alyssa LOVED the party.  She has a thing for brunch parties, so we did a Rainbow Brite brunch.  I thought I better share a few pics!!!

Rainbow Brite stuff is hard to come by these days, but she has two green Sprites!  We did a delicious fruit platter with coconut pecan dip and Rainbow Brite picks for the fruit!

The favors were vintage punch cups I picked up for .50 a piece filled with gumballs from the bulk section at Winco and placed in a cellophane bag.  I got the star ribbon at Michaels for $1.

It has been my DREAM to serve milk in glass bottles with stripey straws!!!  Yeah, I know... my dreams are amazing!   Milk bottles are typically pricey, PLUS you have to pay high shipping costs.  Wanna know my secret???

I found yogurt drinks for $1 each at the Asian grocery store that come in glass milk bottles!  My girls love the drinks and the labels come off easily!  The lids are generic too.  I decided to put Rainbow Brite labels on the milks and attached them with Elmers Glue which washes off afterward.  I think I'm going to keep buying these bottles so slowly I can build up a large collection!

Now I fibbed a bit about my dream being to SERVE milk in glass bottles with stripey straws... I wanted to DRINK milk in a glass bottle with a stripey straw!  And I totally got to do it!  I bought the vintage-style cardboard straws online a while ago and have just been waiting to use them!  The price was great.  The order arrived fast AND they threw in a free gift!  The milk tasted great from the straw too!  Not cardboardy one bit!

I'm not EXACTLY sure why my daughter has blue hair, but she decided she needed blue hair on her birthday... It's Alyssa.  We're never sure why she does what she does.  My sister made the cake.  Didn't it come out cute?

The fatter striped things that look like straws in the sundae cup are actually cookies!  They're another Asian store find.  It was $6.99 for like 100 of them!  They had pink ones and green ones.  I think they'd be fabulous at a wedding reception or baby shower!  They're very fun and old fashioned looking!  Plus they taste great!

I found the rainbow plasticware randomly at an office store in their $1 section!  They worked great for this party!

We had rainbow pancakes for part of our brunch spread.  I divided the pancake batter into three bowls and colored them with food coloring!

Look how great they turned out!  I topped them with buttermilk syrup I dyed red just for fun!  If you've never had buttermilk syrup then it's about time you tried it!  You know we always make homemade syrups and this is one of our faves!

Buttermilk Syrup

1 stick butter
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. sugar

Boil together for about 3-5 minutes in a large saucepan (it will foam up at the end so you need lots of space).

Stir in:

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Enjoy on pancakes, waffles, french toast, ice cream or a spoon!!!

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

I've made this a few times. It's nothing amazing, but it's good and easy to make ahead, plus the house smells so yummy in the morning everyone wakes up with tummies growling!

I don't like to cook this TOO long or the outside gets too crunchy, so I get it prepped, put it in the fridge and then put it in the crockpot right before I go to sleep.  Serve by itself or with fruit on the side for a complete meal.  You could also add in goodies like onions, peppers and mushrooms if you don't have picky eaters!

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole for a Crowd

1 bag (32 oz) frozen hash brown chunks
1 lb cooked ham, diced (leftover ham works great)
1/2 lb shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 c milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Spray large crockpot with cooking spray. Place a layer of frozen hash browns on the bottom. Follow with a layer of ham and cheese. Repeat as many times as needed ending with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over the top. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve topped with ketchup or salsa.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole for 4-6

16 oz frozen hash brown chunks

1/2 lb cooked ham, diced (leftover ham works great)
1 c. shredded cheese
6-8 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spray small crockpot with cooking spray. Place a layer of frozen hash browns on the bottom. Follow with a layer of ham and cheese. Repeat as many times as needed ending with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over the top. Cook on low 8 hours. Serve topped with ketchup or salsa.

Canning Jar Banana Bread

I love banana bread... I also love canning jars.  Why not combine them?  These are more like large muffins than bread, but muffins are basically just little breads anyways, right? :)

I always have bananas in my freezer so I can make banana bread anytime my little heart desires.

Banana Bread in Jars

2 extra ripe bananas
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 c. oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. chocolate chips

Spray five 1-cup wide mouth canning jars with cooking spray.  Fill each jar half full with batter.  Bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes until done.

Don't they look delicious?

They're fun sliced up into little round slices of bread.  Top with butter or cream cheese for a delicious snack or breakfast!

Delicious Breakfast on the Go

These were pretty much amazing!  They will be worked into my menu this summer as a make ahead breakfast the kids love.  I haven't tried freezing them yet, but they should freeze perfectly and I'll be doing a few extra batches soon for freezer meals.  You could use bacon in place of the ham and they'd be just as good.  Try these muffins!  You won't be disappointed!

Pancake Muffins

2 eggs
3 c. pancake mix (I like extra fluffy)
1 1/4 c. water
1 T vegetable oil
1 c.shredded cheddar
1 c. chopped cooked ham

Mix all ingredients well. I made my batter ahead of time and had the batter in the fridge until ready to bake.  Spray 12 muffin cups well and divide batter among cups.  The cups will be full.  Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes until pretty and golden.  Let cool for a few minutes in the pan before trying to remove.  Serve with syrup to dip.  I served mine with a homemade maple cream sauce and they were amazing!

Microwaved Scrambled Eggs! For Real!

My kitchen was torn up for weeks while the old flooring was ripped out, the cabinets all painted and then the new flooring put in.  My stove and fridge were in my living room for a while.  The fridge was kept plugged in, obviously, but the stove was not.  I'm a big egg eater for breakfast (well and for every meal! hehe) and not having eggs in the morning was making me sad.  I decided to experiment with scrambled eggs in the microwave and they came out perfect on the first try!  In fact, they came out so perfect I haven't made myself scrambled eggs on the stove since!  I LOVE this method!  I don't have to dirty a pan or spatula, don't have to mess with my electric stove I still haven't got the hang of yet AND the eggs come out amazingly perfect every single time!

Microwaved Scrambled Eggs

2 eggs
2 TBSP milk or water

Spray a microwave-safe both with cooking spray.  Place the eggs and milk in the bowl and beat with a fork.  Microwave on high for two minutes.  Let sit one minute.  Fluff with a fork.  Add salt, pepper or cheese if desired and enjoy!!!

I have also done four eggs in a little bit bigger bowl.  Cook four eggs and four TBSP of milk for two minutes, stir well and cook for another minute or two until set.  Fluff.

Homemade Mini Pop-Tarts and Eggnog Punch

We love Pop-Tarts at our house.  (I soooo shouldn't admit that!)  I had some store bought pie crust in my freezer and decided to whip up some Pop-Tarts.  My kids absolutely loved them!  All three kids said they were much better than the store bought stuff.

First, make your crust into a square.  If you were super good at making homemade pie crust (unlike me!) you could just roll the crust into a square.

I made mini Pop-Tarts, so I cut the crust into small squares.  You can piece together the rounded edged you cut off the crust too to make a few extras.

I used my Tomato Pineapple Jam for the filling, but any jam, jelly or fruit butter would work.  Caleb requested Root Beer Jelly for our next batch.  I'll be sure to let you know how those ones turn out! Spread just a bit of jam onto a pie crust square, use your finger dipped in water to spread water on the crust around the jam, place another square on top and then use a fork to seal them together.

Place 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar in a bowl and add just a bit of milk to make a glaze.  I added a drop of food coloring just for fun.  Use a pastry brush to spread the glaze onto the little Pop-Tarts and add just a few sprinkles.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until done.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  They would freeze well too! Yum!

  
This is our favorite holiday punch!  I usually serve it at holiday brunches or dinners.  I've been making it for years.

Eggnog Punch

2 qt vanilla ice cream
8 c chilled eggnog
1 lt cream soda, chilled
Ground cinnamon

Place ice cream in a large punch bowl. Add half the eggnog. Stir and mash mixture using a potato masher until ice cream is melted and mixture is well combined. Stir in remaining eggnog. Slowly pour in cream soda, stirring to combine. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Simple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These easy muffins only take five ingredients and they come out super moist and delicious! I don't know that there is another flavor as reminiscent of autumn as pumpkin... Make sure you enjoy them with a nice mug of hot cocoa!

Simple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 box cake mix, spice cake flavor
1/4 c. flour
2/3 c. milk
1 c. pumpkin
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and bake in prepared muffin tin at 375 for 18-22 minutes.  I like to prepare my muffin cups by lining them with cupcake papers AND spraying the papers with cooking spray so the muffins look nice and slide right out of the papers.

Campfire Boiled Eggs

This is Nina's "why are you taking a picture of me holding an egg?" smile :)

How many of you have boiled an egg in a paper cup before? I can't be the only one who thinks this is cool!

Place an egg in a paper cup full of water and place on hot coals.

The cup will burn down to the water level, but not further. The egg happily boils in the cup. Amaze your kids with this trick! Ok... maybe they won't be amazed, but they'll at least be mildly entertained! hehehe

Orange Deliciousness

My blender gets more use in the summer than it knows what to do with! We love smoothies at our house! Lately I've been on an "Orange Julius" kick... homemade, of course! This recipe makes 2-4 drinks... perfect for me and my kiddos (who come home on Thursday!!! woo-hoo!)

Orange Julius

2 c. orange juice
1 c. milk
1/4-1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
ice

Mix everything together in your blender and enjoy for breakfast or anytime! Yummy!!!

Simple Breakfast Casserole

I love trying different breakfast recipes. Breakfast is such a fabulous meal any time of the day. This casserole came together simply because the ingredients were what I had on hand. Even down to the amount of eggs and cheese, I used up what I had left in my fridge before our vacation. It tasted great!

Simple Breakfast Casserole

5 frozen hashbrown patties
4 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. real bacon bits
salt & pepper
1/2 c. grated cheese

Thaw hashbrown patties slightly in microwave to hurry cooking time. Fry patties in a small amount of oil until crispy. Whisk together eggs, milk, bacon bits, salt and pepper. Place patties in a square baking dish. Cutting the fifth one in half length-wise makes them perfectly fit. Pour the egg mixture over the patties. Sprinkle with cheese. You could use any cheese, but I used an Italian blend for this casserole. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until eggs are set. Cut into squares and top with ketchup, if desired.

Applesauce Buttermilk Pancakes

I typically make pancakes from a mix. It's quick and easy and they always come out perfect, but occasionally I have a morning where I can take my time making breakfast. When I made these I had buttermilk and applesauce in my fridge, both needing to be used up and I happened to be out of eggs... These pancakes were the result and YUM! Fabulous... especially with homemade syrup! They're thicker than other pancakes which means they take a little longer to cook, but they were totally worth it :)

Applesauce Buttermilk Pancakes

2 c. flour
2 T. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. applesauce
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 c. butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together. Batter will be thick. Cook on a hot greased griddle.

Breakfast Apple Cake

I still have apples... I had these high hopes of doing one last canning hoorah... but alas, it didn't happen.  I made an apple cake so we'd have breakfast all done in the morning. It came out really yummy and was perfect warmed up with a glass of milk!

Breakfast Apple Cake

1/2 c. milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c. butter
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. diced apples (1 lg apple)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a square baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle batter with cinnamon & sugar. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.