Friday Foodie ~ Christmas Breakfast

 

We had a wonderful Christmas at home this year, just the two of us.  Don't feel sorry for us - we love having the day to ourselves!  It's mellow and always begins with an amazing breakfast.  This year, I reached way back to my childhood and decided I wanted to make Chocolate Rolls.  This was Mom's take on cinnamon rolls, but since it was Mom, chocolate had to be involved!  I'm pretty sure she used Bisquick, because it was a quick and easy way to make something special for our family of six.

There is a recipe for cinnamon rolls on the back of the Bisquick box, but I wanted to make yeast based rolls.  I looked at dozens of recipes and decided on Easy Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch from Sally's Baking Addiction.  She has a "do not republish" policy on her blog, so I won't put the recipe here.  But go to her site because the recipe is simple and SO good!

 

I followed the recipe until it was time to make the filling, then I used cocoa powder instead of cinnamon.  That's the only thing I changed!  I did the first four steps on Christmas Eve, then put the rolls in the refrigerator.  When I got up on Christmas morning, I pulled them out and let them rise for about an hour.  At that time, I decided to move them to a larger baking pan and I'm so glad I did.

 

I didn't make the frosting in the original recipe.  I had a little bit of Pillsbury cream cheese frosting and just added some chocolate syrup to it.

I sent pictures to my siblings and nieces and they all wanted some!  My brother said it brought back a lot of childhood memories of one of his favorite sweet treats.  Mom set a high bar, but I think I might have reached it with these!

Friday Foodie

Yesterday morning Les said, "Those bananas are looking pretty bad, you need to make banana bread."  It was raining at the time and I was not opposed to the idea.  I thought I might have a banana bread mix in the cupboard, but I did not.  I did have a spice cake mix.  I turned to Google and searched "banana muffins with cake mix."  There were over 13 million results!  I clicked on the first link and knew this was the site for me - "The Lazy Dish" is all about quick and easy recipes and I feel sure I'll be going back to this site for more.

 

Three Ingredient Cake Mix Banana Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 (15.25oz) box of cake mix (yellow or chocolate)

3 large very ripe bananas 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup mix-ins of your choice (nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)1/2 cup mix-ins of your choice (nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

 

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a muffin pan. 

In a medium size bowl, mash the bananas until smooth; combine with the cake mix and eggs. 

Fold in about half a cup of chocolate chips and/or nuts (optional).

Evenly fill your muffin cups and bake in the center rack for 15-20 minutes or until no longer doughy in the middle.

 

Recipe Notes

You'll just be using the DRY cake mix for these muffins. No need for the ingredients on the box.

 

I did not have a yellow or chocolate cake mix, but spice worked just fine.  It added a more cinnamon flavor to the muffins that we both really liked.  They definitely needed to bake the entire 20 minutes.  I don't mind a lazy dish when it turns out yummy!

Friday Foodie

Are you cooking and baking a little more these days?  We usually only eat out about once a week, so not much has changed for us.  While I was in the grocery store last week, the bread selection was pretty bleak but I found some Rainbow Restaurant Style Texas Toast.  As soon as I saw it I knew I'd be making French toast.  I've made standard French toast many times through the years, but I decided to switch it up a little and made Crispy French Toast with Corn Flakes.  The original recipe is here.

Ingredients
6 slices challah bread (I used Rainbow Texas toast)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk  (I used 2% milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cornflakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
Lay the bread slices in a casserole dish. Pour on the egg mixture. Allow to soak for 1 minute then flip the bread slices over. Allow to soak for about 10 minutes, until the bread has absorbed all the egg mixture.  *My pan was a little too small for all the bread so the slices overlapped a little.  This meant not all the pieces were soaked evenly.  I will definitely use a larger pan next time and pour half the egg mixture in the pan before putting the bread in it, then pour the rest on top.

 
Crumble the cornflakes until each flake is about 1/2 the size of an original flake. Place the cornflakes in a shallow bowl, such as a pasta bowl.

Heat a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. When the pan is hot, dip the French toast slices in the cornflakes, lightly pushing so the cornflakes stick to the bread slices.
Cook about 4-5 minutes on each side, until the cornflakes are lightly browned and the french toast is cooked.
Wipe down the skillet and repeat with the remaining slices.
* I used my griddle and all 6 pieces fit at the same time.  It took about 6-8 minutes per side.  I also didn't use butter, I just sprayed my griddle with cooking spray.

This was SO good!  The added crunch to French toast was outstanding.  Next time I might use Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.  We enjoyed this with bacon that I cooked on my Foreman Grill, something else I just started doing.  Line strips of bacon on heated grill.  Close the grill and cook 3-4 minutes.  Flip the bacon, close the grill and cook another 3-4 minutes.  The bacon cooks evenly and there is no grease splatter to deal with. 

Friday Foodie

One of the traditions that Les and I have when we go to Hawaii is having Cinnamon's for breakfast on our first morning.  This is before Les heads to work and I make my first trip to the grocery store.  Cinnamon's breakfasts, including their Eggs Benedict, are fabulous, but their pancakes are what we usually order.  Their specialty, Guava Chiffon, was rated #8 in the Best Pancakes in America by the Time Out Magazine.

The Food Network rated them the best pancakes in Hawaii, "Hearty, homemade creations await inside this award-winning coastal joint, from savory, meat-heavy dishes to indulgent plates that toe a very thin line between breakfast and dessert. As for the pancakes, classic buttermilk, banana, pumpkin, red velvet and cinnamon-apple batters are all on offer. But for a truly tropical experience, go for the Guava Chiffon Pancakes, which arrive at the table glazed with a delicate, rosy pink sauce. The chefs have taken care to tame the guava, a fairly sweet fruit, to ensure that the dish doesn't send diners into full-blown sugar shock. Ranked continuously at the top of America's best-of lists, it's safe to say these are a can't-miss item."

We've haven't been to Hawaii since April so we've sorely been missing our pancake fix!  I started making some of my own.  My first few batches were just the basic Bisquick recipe on the box.  By cutting it in half, we get 8 small pancakes, which is just the right about for us.  I upped my game one week by adding shredded coconut to the batter before cooking.  I also put some coconut in my warmed syrup. I took my pancakes a step further this week by starting with a muffin mix.

Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon-Blueberry Syrup

Pancakes:
1 package (7 oz.) Martha White Blueberry Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. lemon zest*

Syrup:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup Karo syrup
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1.  Heat griddle to high heat.  Spray with cooking spray.
2.  Mix pancake ingredients.  Spoon 1/4 cup of batter on to griddle.  The batter will be a little runny but the pancakes will firm up.
3.  Cook 4-5 minutes, until bubbles form at the top.  Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  The first time you cook pancakes you'll need to watch closely as they may cook faster.  My griddle is a bit old and doesn't get super hot.  I actually prefer this because the pancakes cook all the way through.  I'm not a fan of under-cooked pancakes.

While the pancakes are cooking, make your syrup:
1.  Heat blueberries in microwave until juicy.  Remove blueberry skins.
2.  Add syrup and lemon extract to blueberries, stir, and heat an additional 30-60 seconds until warm.
3.  Stir in powdered sugar.  Serve warm on pancakes.

These were so good!  I made these on Sunday morning before church, so they do not take a lot of time.

*After I made my Orange Creamsicle Cookies last month I started wondering if there was an easier way to get orange zest.  It took a lot of time and two oranges just to get two tablespoons of orange zest.  A quick look on Amazon had me ordering McCormick Gourmet California Lemon and Valencia Orange peel.  This was easy to use and added just the right amount of tartness to my pancakes.

Do you have a favorite breakfast place?Pancakes or waffles?

Friday Foodie

I tried another new recipe this week.  It was on the Pioneer Woman's website.  I've never made baked oatmeal before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was really good!  The original recipe is here (with much better pictures!)

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 Oz. Size) Pumpkin Puree
• 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 3/4 cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
• 1-1/4 cup Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Greek Yogurt And Cinnamon Sugar, To Serve

 

Instructions:

At least 30 minutes before making the oatmeal (and up to the day before), line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth. Place pumpkin puree inside and let drain. Press the pumpkin occasionally with a spoon as it drains.  ** I did not do this step.  I'm pretty sure my baked oatmeal was a little softer than it would have been if I had. **

Grease an 11x7-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Stir oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Squeeze cheesecloth to remove excess pumpkin water and place 3/4 cup strained pumpkin in another bowl (I just added the full can.) Add milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the pumpkin and whisk until smooth.

Stir both mixtures together until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until oatmeal is firm and resembles a snack cake.

Cut into pieces and serve warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.

Leftovers may be covered and rewarmed in the microwave. For one piece, 40 seconds at 80% power is sufficient. Try it cold or room temperature on day two as well!  

 

The original recipe said 8 servings - an eighth of the recipe seemed huge to me so I ended up cutting mine into 16 servings.   I was completely out of cinnamon, so the flavor for this wasn't very strong.  Les also suggested adding nuts next time - I think sliced almonds would add a nice crunch.  I'm pretty sure baked oatmeal is going to become a regular in our house this winter.  

Friday Foodie Fall Favorite

We flew home from Hawaii on Wednesday night.  We got off the island ahead of two hurricanes and a visit from President Obama!  The first days of September in California are teasing us with beautiful weather.  It was 58 when I got up this morning.  We head back to Hawaii next week, so I'm soaking in as much of this weather as I can. 

My list for the grocery store yesterday included ingredients for my favorite Fall muffins - Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffins.  Unfortunately, the shelf space for canned pumpkin was empty.  This happened once before and I improvised by making Spice Muffins with canned sweet potatoes, and that's what I did again yesterday.  It's been so long since I posted these I thought I'd share them again.

Pumpkin or Spice Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) OR
1 15 oz. can Sweet potatoes in light syrup


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease cupcake pans.  Puree sweet potatoes in the blender for about 30 seconds.  Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix and pumpkin or sweet potatoes) and pour in prepared pans.  Bake according to mix instructions for cupcakes, using the full amount of time (approximately 25 minutes).

Remove from oven and enjoy while still warm!


These will be long gone before we need to pack for our next trip!

What the First Week of Fall Looks Like in Hawaii

For the first time on Oahu, we have an unobstructed view of the Ala Wai Harbor and the Pacific Ocean.  We found a room at the Ilikai Marina that we really like.  It's also quieter than any other room we've stayed in here.  We've seen lots of rainbows:

Incredible sunsets:

 

We've eaten some amazing food:

To counteract that, I've been running, including a 12 mile loop on Tantalus on Saturday:

Les has been riding his bike, including the Honolulu Century yesterday in a downpour!  One of the aid stations served shave ice.

We also enjoyed the Friday night fireworks from our room.  The reflection on the water was spectacular!

It doesn't put me in the mood for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but it sure is pretty here!

So Long Summer!

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall and it felt like it this morning.  There was a heavy mist in the air, about 63 degrees when I headed out for my run.  A perfect morning for pumpkin muffins!

1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/4 cup light vanilla soy milk

Heat oven to 325.

Mix ingredients (no egg or oil, just the cake mix and pumpkin).  Batter will be very thick.

Grease muffin pan. Pour in pan. Bake 28-30 minutes.  Pull out of the oven and enjoy one while they're still warm!

3 WW Points Plus per muffin.

Friday Foodie - French Toast on Sunday Morning!

Last night Les said he'd been wanting French toast for a couple of days. So we made a stop at the grocery store after prayer and had French toast this morning! Here's how I made it:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup light vanilla soy milk
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
8 slices Orowheat Sweet Hawaiian bread



Preheat griddle to high and spray with cooking spray (such as Pam).
Mix eggs, milk and spices together. Pour about half in a flat bowl.
Dip bread in mixture (both sides) and place on griddle, cooking four slices at a time.

This was so yummy!! I've never made French toast with soy milk before but the vanilla gave it a slightly sweeter taste.

Nutritional info: 129 calories/3.5 g fat/less than 1 g fiber/3 WW points. Makes 8 servings. You could probably get 10 slices out of this recipe because I had some of the egg/milk mixture leftover.

Friday Foodie - Fifty Favorites

In honor of Bill and Dolly's 50th Wedding anniversary I am listing my top 50 favorite foods!! They are not in any particular order, just as they popped in my head. Some foods are listed together, because they aren't my favorites on their own.

1. Chicken enchiladas
   
2. Crunchy beef tacos
   
3. Homemade guacamole
   
4. Chocolate chip cookies
   
5. Fudge – no nuts
   
6. Macadamia nut pancakes
   
7. Spaghetti
   
8. BBQ Ribs
   
9. Macadamia Nut Pesto Shrimp Pasta
   
10. Creamsicle Pie
    
11. Lemonade Pie
    
12. Fried Chicken
    
13. Sweet potatoes (with lots of brown sugar!)
    
14. Pizza
    
15. Nachos
    
16. Chicken Fried Steak
    
17. Eggs, over-easy
    
18. Crispy bacon
    
19. Homemade yeast rolls
    
20. Turkey
    
21. Dressing
    
22. Biscuits and gravy
    
23. Chili and cornbread
    
24. Fresh fruit salad
    
25. Crab and Macadamia nut wontons
    
26. Snickerdoodles
    
27. Peanut butter cookies
    
28. Butterscotch oatmeal cookies
    
29. Hot fudge sundaes
    
30. Pumpkin muffins
    
31. Banana nut bread
    
32. Lasagna
    
33. German chocolate cake
    
34. Filet Mignon
    
35. Moy's Chinese food (#1 with Eastern style noodles!)
    
36. Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole
    
37. Grilled cheese and tomato soup
    
38. No Pudge brownies
    
39. Chocolate Scotcharoos
    
40. Tamale pie
    
41. Frosted sugar cookies
    
42. BBQ Pork with Carolina style sauce (mustard/vinegar based)
    
43. Hot chocolate with marshmallows
    
44. Baked Potato soup
    
45. Chocolate rolls (Mom's twist on cinnamon rolls!)
    
46. Berry cobbler
    
47. Homemade Ice Cream
    
48. Hamburgers fresh off the grill
    
49. Spicy Cashew Chicken (Cheesecake Factory!)
    
50. Porcupine meatballs

There's a lot more chocolate and sugar than fruits and vegetables in this list! Now you know I was completely honest!!