Crepes

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 cup Sugar

1 1/2 cup Flour

1 1/2 TBSP Oil

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 cups Milk (only 2 cups if using Almond milk)

Mix all dry ingredients together, then whisk in wet ingredients.  Pour a thin round shape of batter into a medium hot saute pan that has been well oiled.  Cook until bubbly and edges are cooked.  Carefully flip and cook for just a littler longer on the other side.  Serve with Nutella, powdered sugar or maple syrup. 

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This recipe is from my husbands childhood.  Him and his friends would make these together often on Saturday mornings.      

Freezer Hashbrown

 

Freezer Hashbrowns
www.savoryseasonings.blogspot.com

Russet Potatoes

Salt

Bring a large stock pot of water to a low boil.  Wash, scrub, then peel potatoes.  Quarter potatoes, then blanch in the water for 10 minutes (we are only heating them through, not cooking them at this point).  Strain potatoes from the water, then submerge them in cold water and allow to cool.  Grate potatoes with a cheese grater or a food processor with the grater attachment.  Place shredded potatoes directly into proportion size containers to freeze or freeze on cookie sheets, then transfer to gallon size freezer bags.  

To cook, thaw frozen potatoes in the fridge.  Over medium high heat, melt 1-2 TBSP coconut oil,  add shredded potatoes and allow to fully cook on one side before flipping.  Season with salt and pepper.  Once brown and crispy, turn and allow to fully cook on the other side.    

*****

We love having these stocked in the freezer.  It makes a quick meal when you add sausage, tomatoes and bell peppers to the mix.    

   

Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins
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¼ cup oil
¼ cup rice milk
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. almond extract (optional)

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

3 ½ cups grated zucchini

Combine all wet ingredients, then slowly blend in dry ingredients. Mixture will be very dry. Fold in grated zucchini. Once zucchini is blended in batter should be very moist. Spoon into muffin tin lined with muffin cups. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24 muffins. Freezes well.

*****
These are so moist! They are my daughters favorite muffins and we all really enjoy them. It’s nice to find a really good muffin that is dairy and egg free as so many muffin recipes depend on the flavor of the butter and the rise from eggs. Recipe adapted from dairyfreecooking.about.com.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins
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1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups frozen blueberries (roughly chopped in food processor)

Beat together butter, eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in baking powder and flour, then fold in blueberries. Pour into muffin tins lined with muffin cups. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

*****
I love blueberry muffins and these have been perfect! Nice to pull some out of the freezer for a quick breakfast or snack. Recipe adapted from www.muffinrecipes.net

Vegan (dairy free, egg free) Blueberry Muffins
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1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup rice milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar

1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup frozen blueberries (roughly chopped in food processor)

Beat together wet ingredients. Gently mix in dry ingredients, then fold in blueberries. Pour into muffin tins lined with muffin cups. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.

*****
This recipe is a great alternative when you need to bake without butter and eggs. It does lack the flavor butter adds but it's a close second. My daughter loves them. Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Healthy Blueberry Muffins
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1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oats, blended until fine in a blender or food processor
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
4 TBSP oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 TBSP water

1 1/2 cups blueberries, raspberries or blackberries (or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients, then lightly fold into the dry ingredients. Batter will be thicker than traditional muffin recipes. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 14-15 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Freezes well.

*****
We love how moist these muffins are. They are healthier than traditional muffins but still taste sweet. We use these for breakfast and for quick snacks. Adapted to be egg free from my dear friend Natalie's recipe.

Sweet and Spicy Apple Muffins

Sweet and Spicy Apple Muffins
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¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup plus 2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground all spice
½ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup apple juice*
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup grated apple*
¼ cup chopped apple (1/4 inch pieces)

Mix all dry ingredients, then fold in all wet ingredients. Fill greased muffin cups two thirds full. Bake at 375° F for 20-22 minutes. Freezes well. Best to eat the day they are made or freeze for later use. If left out for more than one day they tend to get crumbly.

*
I juice 3 apples and use the juice in the recipe and the apple pulp for the grated apple- works great this way.

*****
It is challenging to find great dairy/egg free muffins but this one is so good. We love the subtle flavor the cinnamon, all spice and cloves add. My daughter begs for these muffins plus they are an easy snack to take on the road or have for a quick breakfast. Recipe adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles
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2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose flour or a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour)
¼ cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Dash of cloves

2 eggs
¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups milk
¼ - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Whisk dry ingredients together and then fold in wet ingredients. Cook in waffle iron until golden brown and then top with maple syrup. Makes approximately 16 waffles. Freezes well.

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My dear friend Heidi introduced me to these waffles last month and we are addicted! They are light and fluffy with just the right amount of spices to compliment the pumpkin. They freeze fantastic and make a quick breakfast or snack.

Sweet Orange Monkey Bread

Sweet Orange Monkey Bread (Makes one bundt pan)
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1 cup half & half or milk
4 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 cups all purpose flour, sifted after measuring
1 Egg, beaten lightly

1 1/2 cups sugar
Rind from 2 oranges

With a TBSP of butter, grease the bundt pan well. Set aside. Scald the half & half (or milk), by bringing it to a boil (or near boil) and removing it from the heat.

When the mixture has partly cooled, no hotter than 120° F, and no cooler than 115° F, stir in the sugar and salt. Then sprinkle in the yeast on the warm cream. Allow the yeast 5 minutes or so to start bubbling – called, “proofing” the yeast.

While the cream is cooling, melt ½ cup butter in the microwave, then set aside. Also, measure, and then sift 4 cups of all purpose flour. Beat the egg as well.

When the cream has cooled to 100° F or below, pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg and the 1/2 cup of melted butter. Add the sifted flour in stages, no more than one cup at a time, stirring to incorporate at each addition. You will have a very soft dough when all of the flour is added.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow the bread to rise until doubled in volume.
Zest the rind from two oranges and mix with 2 cups of sugar, set aside.

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a well floured board and, and stretch or roll into a disc or rectangle about 1/2 thick. If you roll, (a) roll gently so as not to knock out too much air; and (b) don’t forget to flour your pin so it doesn’t stick.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2" x 2" squares or diamonds. Melt the remaining ½ cup butter in a bowl large enough to dip the dough pieces. Set the bowl next to the greased bundt pan.

If some of your pieces are smaller than others, start with the smallest pieces. Dip them one by one in butter, then roll in the orange/sugar mixture and arrange evenly on the bottom of the pan. Then, dip the larger pieces, one by one, in butter, then in the orange/sugar mixture and arrange them in even layers, until all the dough is used. If there is any butter left over, pour it as evenly as possible over the dough. Cover the pan tightly with cling wrap.

Allow the dough to rise, until it reaches the wrap – about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, set a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400° F.

Set the pan on the rack, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the top of the bread is one shade darker than golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about ten minutes, and turn out onto a plate. Serve warm.

*****
This dish is heavenly, just heavenly. Thanks to Boar D. Laze, the author of the forthcoming book, COOK FOOD GOOD: American Cooking and Technique beginners and Intermediates for the bread recipe. Boar D. Laze is an incredible cook and I’m greatly anticipating his cookbook as it focuses on truly understanding how to cook, not just how to follow a recipe. His recipes are incredible and this bread recipe will not disappoint. Boar D. Laze recommends making this as a Savory Monkey Bread (omit my addition of 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the orange rind) and serving it with barbecue. A perfect dish for dinner parties.

For those wanting to cook more from scratch and understand the how’s and why’s of the kitchen- watch for his book at bookstores. It will be a great asset for all home cooks.

Denny's Fabulous French Toast

4 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6-8 slices of bread

Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl. Heat a large skillet over med/low heat. Drop each bread slice into the batter for about 30 seconds per side. Let some of the batter drip off and place in pan. Cook each piece 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the bread. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and syrup.

*****
I LOVE french toast. I enjoy just about every version of french toast out there, however my husband silently groans when I make them. But a few months ago he was hungry enough he tried these and has finally converted! He loves this recipe, he even eats them for a snack and tonight he told me to leave a few out of the freezer so he could have some instead of dessert!

Original recipe from the Top Secret Recipes website and featured on Taste The Joy by Adrienne.

Sweet Crepes

1 ½ TBSP oil
2 eggs
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
2 ½ cup milk

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Slowly whisk in all of the sugar, then half of the flour and half of the milk. When mixture is well blended, add in the rest of the flour and milk. Using a hand held mixture blend until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium to medium low heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula that has been sprayed with lightly with oil, flip and cook the other side. Spray griddle and spatula between each crepe. Lightly stir batter between crepes as batter tends to separate slightly. Serve hot. Makes 14 crepes. Freezes well.

*****
My husband is the crepe maker in our family. All these years we have been married I always thought his dad made these crepes and taught his boys how to make them as well. I was intimated by the process and left the crepe making for him. Turns out when my husband was a young teenager, he and his friends made these crepes for breakfast during sleepovers! As soon as I learned a 13 year old could make these, I gave them a try. They are easy once you get the hang of it and I love how sweet this recipe is. Thanks to the Cox family for teaching my husband how to make these!

Waffles

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 TBSP sugar

2 cups water
3 TBSP oil
¼ tsp. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients, then in a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly mix in the wet ingredients. Mix with a fork until well combined (will be slightly lumpy).

*****
My old waffle recipe called for ¾ cup of butter! They tasted great but were just to fattening. These are dairy free and lower in fat and taste great. I usually make a large batch, then store in the freezer for a quick breakfast. Just microwave or toast them and serve with your favorite pure maple syrup.

It's nice to have a few favorite recipes, like this one, that call for all shelf stable ingredients.

Baked Doughnuts

1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup shortening

2 TBSP dry active yeast
1/3 cup warm water

¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBSP flax seed (optional)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine milk and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until shortening is melted (about 1 ½ minutes). Set aside and cool to lukewarm (between 105° and 115° F, any hotter will kill the yeast. It is helpful to have a digital thermometer to test liquids when working with yeast. If you don’t have one, let the milk cool until it feels cool enough for a warm bath).

While milk is cooling, combine warm water and yeast in mixing bowl. Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture. Stir in sugar, salt and eggs. Gradually mix in flax seed and flour (adding more if needed) until dough forms a smooth ball. Cover bowl with a damp cloth (to prevent dough from drying out) and place in a warm place and allow dough to double in bulk, about an hour (if your home is cool, turn the oven on for 1-2 minutes, then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven to rise).

Dust counter with flour and pat the dough into a ½ inch thick rectangle (this dough is soft and needs flour on the surface to prevent sticking). Cut into doughnuts with a doughnut cutter or form into golf ball size balls to make doughnut holes. Place 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. These don’t spread much; they rise.

Let doughnuts rise for 20 minutes, uncovered. Bake at 425° F for 7-10 minutes or a little longer, until they have a touch of golden brown. Remove from oven and have melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture ready. Brush each doughnut and doughnut hole with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.



*****
These are a great alternative to deep fried doughnuts. They are light and tender and from start to finish they take just under two hours to make. Surprisingly these freeze well too! We prefer the doughnut holes but the doughnuts are good too. This recipes makes 98 doughnut holes (40 calories and 1.2 grams of fat each). Recipe adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Breakfast Sausage

5 LB ground pork (I get 15% fat, up to 24% will work just fine)
2 ½ TBSP salt
1TBSP white pepper
1/2 TBSP sage
½ TBSP thyme
1 ½ tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cups ice cold water

In a small bowl combine seasonings and mix well, set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine ground pork, seasonings and cold water. Mix with your hands (I prefer to use gloves while mixing) until seasoning are thoroughly mixed in. The meat should look a little darker and you should not see any collected concentrations of seasonings. Pack it into a corner of your mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for half an hour.

While meat is marinating you must do the most important step in sausage making. That is to cook and taste the sausage you are making. You cannot adjust the seasoning to sausage once it is cooked, so while the seasoning is marinating into the meat, cook a small amount in a skillet to see if you need more of anything.

After 30 minutes of marinating, either cook over medium heat, then freeze for later use or divide into small patties and freeze raw.

*****
It is so nice having a great sausage recipe! This one has a strong bold flavor and I love the depth it adds to a dish. Everyone has unique preferences for their favorite sausage so use this as a starting point and adjust the seasonings to your taste. You can try adding some ground fennel seeds, some extra sage or a little maple syrup. I prefer to cook the entire batch all at once, then freeze for later use. Use in breakfast burritos or as a pizza topping. Recipe courtesy of Chef Bob Ballantyne.

Breakfast Cake

1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ cup flour
½ cup oil
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

In a large mixing bowl combine sugars, flour, oil, nutmeg and salt (mixture will be slightly lumpy). Remove 3/4 cup of mixture and add 2 tsp. of cinnamon. Set aside to use as crumb topping. Add 1 egg to original mixture, then add baking powder, baking soda and buttermilk. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle crumb topping over batter, then bake 30-35 minutes at 350. Allow cake to cool completely before cutting. Freezes well.

*****
Thanks to Valene (my mom) for this great recipe. This was a family favorite growing up- the smell of this cake baking brings back sweet memories of my dad making it the evening before a busy day such as a holiday or the morning before a big family vacation.

For a lower fat version replace up to half of the oil with applesauce.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make your own with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Add one tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) to one cup of milk (skim, 1% or 2% will all work) and let stand for five minutes, then add to any recipe calling for buttermilk.

For a dairy free option replace buttermilk with water.

French Toast Sticks

1 loaf French bread
4 eggs
¼ cup pureed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. vanilla
Cinnamon

Blend eggs and sweet potatoes in food processor or blender until smooth, then add vanilla and cinnamon. Cut French bread into slices, then dip in egg mixture. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with oil over medium high heat. When pan is hot, cook bread slices until golden brown on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve warm with syrup, confectioners’ sugar or fruit. Freezes well.

*****
Recipe modified from the “Deceptively Delicious” cookbook. These are great to have in the freezer for a quick breakfast option. The sweet potatoes are a great substitute for milk making this a dairy free option and boosting the nutrition. I keep pureed sweet potatoes in the freezer in ¼ cup proportions to add to this recipe, our taco meat along with using it for our daughters baby food.

Popovers

1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt

2 eggs, room temperature
1 ¼ cup milk, room temperature
1 TBSP butter, melted

Mix together dry ingredients, then set aside. In a separate bowl mix together eggs, milk and butter. Pour in dry ingredients and fold until just blended. Lightly spray muffin tins with oil, then fill muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Top with cheddar cheese or cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes at 450° F, reduce heat to 350° F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Do not open oven until the last 5 minutes. Serve immediately.


*****
We love to make these for lunches or an easy snack to take on a trip. I usually add a little extra cheese at the bottom of the muffin tin and a little more in the middle of the popover as well. If topping with cinnamon sugar, sprinkle cinnamon mixture in muffin tin along with sprinkling some in the middle and on top of the batter.

Most people take pride in having their popovers rise tall above the rims of the muffin tin but I have never been able to get mine to rise tall and we seem to prefer them short. To make them rise tall, make sure your oven is at 450 F and all ingredients are at room temperature. After removing popovers from the oven, carefully puncture with a knife to allow the steam to escape, then allow them to cool away from drafts.

Instant Oatmeal Packets

To make 10 individual instant packets:

In a food processor, blend ½ cup of oats until powdery (this will make the powdered oats listed in the recipe below)

Combine the following into each individual ziplock sandwich bag:

¼ cup Rolled Oats
2 Tbs. Powdered Oats (directions listed above)
1/8 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. Sugar (optional)
Close the top and store in a dry place.

Microwave directions for cooking:
Empty packet into microwaveable bowl. Add 2/3 cup water or milk. Microwave 1.5 minutes; stir.

Conventional directions for cooking:
Empty packet into pan. Add ½ cup boiling water; cook and stir over heat until thickened.


*****
Recipe taken and modified from the "Family Recipes" cookbook. I personally combine all ingredients into one large ziplock bag, then each morning measure out 1/3 cup of oatmeal for a single serving.