breakfast – Page 9 – Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts

Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch

Bountiful Blueberry Bread

Posted on July 13, 2014 by lmc

As the steamy months of July and August set in, blueberry season is upon us. Farmers all over the Midwest have sent out postcards to local residents reminding them to stop by the farm for a taste of the season’s best.
Several farms in our area sit just a few minutes from our home. Making the daily drive back from work, I usually stop by for a large 5 lb. box of fresh picked berries.
Years ago, our family used to picnic at the local blueberry farms as we would spend the early morning hours picking blueberries that would be eaten or frozen for future use. As my children grow older and our days a bit more busy, we have difficulty finding the time to pick berries as we once did. None the less, we still seem to find time to enjoy the flavor of these beautiful little gems.

Bountiful Blueberry Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups blueberries, coated with 2 teaspoons of flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spry with cooking spray a loaf pan.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir yogurt, milk, oil, egg, vanilla, and almond extract into flour mixture until batter is just blended. Gently fold blueberries into batter; pour into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

appetizers/snacks, breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Kids in the Kitchen

Sweet and Creamy Fresh Fruit Dip

Posted on May 4, 2014May 4, 2014 by lmc

Several weeks ago, my husband and I joined his extended family for a beautiful country club brunch. We had decided to plan the event without all of our children because their busy schedules seemed to foil all of our plans for actually getting together. Some kids were away at school, others had scheduled sporting events, and still others had obligations to employers and had to report to work. After days of shuffling schedules, we decided to have a quiet brunch, parents only.
Just before the day arrived, I headed out to the local kitchen store and picked up a few fresh new kitchen towels, wrapped them in tissue paper and popped them in gift bags to share with all of the woman attending the brunch. It seems we’ve adopted the custom of bringing little gifts to this annual event. We often bring flowers, or inexpensive jewelry, the latest gadget, etc., just to share some fun and celebrate Easter and the arrival of spring.
This year, one of the gifts that I received was a gadget called a Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer and I can’t tell you how wonderful this kitchen tool has turned out to be. The instructions that accompany the tool are fairly easy to follow and in no time at all, you’ve got a perfectly sliced pineapple with very little waste and cleanup is a snap.

Here’s how it works:

As warmer weather begins to make its way up into the Midwest, communities welcome local farmer’s market vendors as they dust off their aprons and set up their wares in the bright weekend sunshine. Sweet colorful berries of every kind brighten the booths of local farmers.
This Sweet and Creamy Fresh Fruit Dip recipe is a nice addition to a plate of freshly washed and prepared fruit. The unique mix of brown sugar and honey make for a tasty brunch treat or after school snack.

Sweet and Creamy Fresh Fruit Dip

1 cup non-fat vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
1½ teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
Plate with assorted fresh fruit.

breakfast, Brunch, Casserole, Food

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Posted on April 20, 2014April 20, 2014 by lmc

Traditionally, this is the breakfast casserole that I make for early morning holiday meals throughout the year. What I really like about this dish is that it’s prepared the night before the occasion. I assemble things just before heading to bed, pop the dish in the fridge and pull it out early in the morning with little fuss or cleanup involved. Early the next day, I usually head into the kitchen well before anyone else is up, make myself a piping hot cup of coffee and enjoy the quiet first light of the new day.
This Easter was no different when prepping for the holiday brunch. A special treat, I was pleased to have our K home for the weekend. We will drive her back to campus later today but it’s always a blessing to have the family together on these special mornings.
Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are enjoying the warmth of the sunshine wherever you may be this lovely blessed day.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
8-10 slices white bread, cubed
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray, a 13×9″ baking pan. Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook until evenly browned; drain.
In a medium bowl, mix together mustard, onion and garlic powder, salt, eggs and milk; set aside. Layer ingredients into prepared 13×9″ baking pan as follows:

Evenly distribute bread in the bottom of pan. Next, layer in the sausage and then the broccoli. Pour egg mixture over entire dish, making sure to saturate all of the bread. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover with foil and bake 45 to 60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for an additional 15- 30 minutes, or until set.

Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Food

PB&J French Toast

Posted on April 2, 2014 by lmc

Lately, M has been using the Ninja blender to make her very own homemade peanut butter. She loads up the machine with lots of unsalted peanuts and pulses the motor until the mixture forms a smooth, creamy spread. When we pair the freshly made peanut butter with our Concord Grape Jam and favorite French toast recipe, the combination makes for a killer breakfast treat.

PB&J French Toast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
12 thick slices of bread

Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk until well combined. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, almond, butter, and vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Soak bread slices in mixture until completely saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown.
Slather your favorite peanut butter over one slice of French toast. Spread your favorite jam or jelly on a second slice of French toast. Combine to make a sandwich and slice diagonally for corner to corner.

Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, Homemade Mixes

Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal

Posted on March 9, 2014March 9, 2014 by lmc

I bumped into an old friend the other day. She and I used to work together. Our paths would often cross as we headed in and out of the office. Most of our work was done in the field so we weren’t able to see one another on a regular basis. Whenever we had the opportunity to stop and catch up for a bit, she would always share her latest recipe find. The recipes that she enjoyed most, were those that were simple, healthy, and inexpensive.
Well, I have since moved up in rank and our paths really don’t cross any longer. But to my delight, she sent an email the other day, with an invitation to lunch. I was thrilled to hear from her so we met for a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant. The minutes passed as we shared stories of kids, husbands, work, and the daily grind. It was so great to see her. Without fail, she slipped me a piece of paper as we parted ways. On it was printed her latest recipe find. She calls it Peanut Butter Granola but after making it this morning, I’m calling it Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal. The texture is softer and less crunchy as compared to a traditional granola. My daughter, M ate it as a breakfast cereal this morning and raved about the texture and taste. I hope you enjoy it…Thanks, Rita!

Rita’s Oat and Raisin Breakfast Cereal

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
2 1/2 cup rice cereal
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Stir together in a mixing bowl, whole oats, rice cereal, and raisins. In a saucepan, bring to a boil the apple juice and brown sugar. Remove from the stove and suit in vanilla and peanut butter. When peanut butter has dissolved, pour over cereal mixture in the bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture onto a jelly roll pan and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, Brunch, Cake, Desserts

Yogurt and Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

Posted on March 3, 2014 by lmc

I really like using up the last of the yogurt container by slipping the contents into a smoothie, a parfait, or a muffin/cake mix. Last summer, I opened a large container of vanilla yogurt and as I pulled back the lid, I found a recipe for delicious muffins that included a bit of yogurt in the recipe. After making the first batch of the muffins, I knew that I would use yogurt to substitute for some of the added fat in many of my treasured recipes. The yogurt helps to moisten and lighten up the cake’s consistency and is certainly a healthier alternative to sour cream or added oil/butter.
This coffee cake recipe is a perfect example. Omitting sour cream and adding apples to the original recipe makes for a flavorful moist morning treat. In fact, enjoy this comfort food anytime. Add a piping hot cup of tea or coffee and a good book…and you will be set for a lazy winter weekend afternoon.

Yogurt and Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 small tart apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray with cooking spray, a 9×13″ baking pan. Mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in chopped apples. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir into liquid ingredients just until no lumps remain.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon with the brown sugar and butter.
Pour half of the batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle the batter with half of the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over top, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar mixture. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, cool before cutting cake.

Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Food, lunch box

Moist and Flavorful Pumpkin Bread/Muffins

Posted on February 1, 2014February 1, 2014 by lmc

When I was first married, I used to spend my Saturday mornings running to local garage sales looking for various pieces of furniture, dishes, baking pans, etc., to fill our new home. My husband worked his share of Saturday hours, so I would plan to visit what I felt were the best sales in our historic Chicago neighborhood while he was away. Browsing through the garage sale items, I loved looking for unique old baking pans and muffin trays. Many had unusual patterns or were made of great, durable materials. They had a quality that was unmatched when comparing current brands on the market. Kitchen utensils from years gone by also caught my attention. Depression glassware and Fiestaware were my favorites and I collected every piece I could find.
My garage sale days are over now but when all was said and done, over the years I had collected, among other things, nearly twenty loaf pans for baking quick breads, meatloaf, Irish soda bread, and yeast breads.
You may wonder how it is that I have use for such an amount of baking pans. Well, I like to bake things in large quantities. I often bake several batches of cookies, muffins or loaves of bread so that I can do it once, wrap it, freeze it, and have a supply on hand for a good while.
This recipe for pumpkin bread freezes just perfectly. While the loaf is moist and flavorful fresh out of the oven, it seems even better after it is frozen and thawed from the freezer. I like to switch up the dried fruit in the loaf, often using whatever is on hand. Great substitutes include raisins, currants, diced pineapple or finely chopped apples. Mix up the nuts too, if you’d like, chopped pecans work great in this recipe.
If you prefer muffins, scoop batter into paper lined mini-muffin pans and sprinkle with wheat germ. Bake 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees.

Moist and Flavorful Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons wheat germ

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray, 2-9X5″ loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients, add sugar and mix until well blended. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in a separate bowl. Stir in nuts and dried fruit. Pour into the pumpkin mixture; mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. Sprinkle wheat germ evenly over batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

appetizers/snacks, breakfast, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box, No-Bake

Everyday Granola Bars

Posted on January 25, 2014January 26, 2014 by lmc

During the course of a week, I make several batches of granola bars for my family. There are a few recipes that I use quite frequently and for varying purpose. Take for instance, the Grunt Bars I make when I am looking to boost protein levels, I make Curley Power Bars when I am wanting to provide a recovery bar after a long meet or practice. This recipe for Everyday Granola Bars is one that I usually pack into lunch boxes or have waiting on the counter when kids arrive home from school hungry and looking for something to eat.
I’m a firm believer that providing the family with healthy choices will encourage children to make better food choices for life. I try to stock the fridge and pantry with lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt so that when kids come home famished, they can quickly grab something healthy to tide them over until supper time.
This recipe is easy to adapt to satisfy your family’s preference. Add dried cranberries or raisins, almonds, pecans or sunflower seeds. We just adore dried apricots in this recipe as well. Change things up as you like. Enjoy!

Everyday Granola Bars

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coat an 11X7″ baking pan with cooking spray, set aside. Place oats, almonds and dates in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly, set aside. In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm honey and peanut butter; stir until smooth, creamy and pourable. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over oats, dates, and nuts, stir to coat completely.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Evenly pat down mixture to completely fill the pan. Cover and let stand until set; about 30 minutes. Cut into bars. For added freshness, wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and store in air-tight container.

Bread, breakfast, Food, Homemade Mixes, Pancakes, Syrup, Toppings

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes with Homemade Maple Flavored Syrup

Posted on January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 by lmc

For the last several days, we have been experiencing record-breaking low temperatures in our part of the world. On the positive side, forecasters had given us plenty of warning, so I was able to head out to the local stores last week to stock up on lots of food before the arctic blast set in. All in all, I did pretty well. I purchased lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, plenty of oatmeal and other breakfast items, baking supplies to make fresh bread and a few goodies for my home bound troops.
Yesterday, M pulled out our set of Mickey Mouse egg rings and asked if we could make pancakes for breakfast. The rings are meant to mold eggs into the curved shape of a Mickey Mouse head but we usually use them to shape pancakes. We whipped up a batch of our tasty, satisfying Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes before heading out into the blizzard-like conditions to shovel the newly fallen snow.

After dropping the first batch of batter into the molds, I checked to see if we had an ample supply of maple syrup for the pancakes. To my dismay, we only had a drop of syrup left in the bottle. “No problem”, I said to myself… “I will make a batch of my own maple syrup”.
I had discovered this recipe last year, around the Thanksgiving holiday, when we had sleep-over guests and had run out of syrup. I quickly scoured my cookbook collection for an appropriate substitute. I ended up making this adapted recipe and I also heated some of our Homemade Concord Grape Jam to act as a flavorful, delicious, topping as well.
I keep the syrup recipe close at hand for we always seem to be running out of maple syrup in this house. Enjoy the recipes and stay warm!

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil

Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, and extracts. Stir into dry ingredients; just until moistened. Pour batter onto lightly greased, hot griddle. Flip pancakes when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Continue to cook until second side is golden brown.

Homemade Maple Flavored Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple flavored extract
1 teaspoon butter flavored extract

Bring the water, sugar, and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in the maple and butter flavored extract; simmer 3 minutes longer. Serve warm. Refrigerate remaining syrup.

appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, Baking, breakfast, cookies, Desserts, Food

Perfect Pumpkin Cookie Bars

Posted on December 30, 2013December 31, 2013 by lmc

Well, it’s been one year since I starting this blogging adventure and I am just thrilled to celebrate my first anniversary with Simply Made Kitchen and Crafts.
What I enjoy most about the WordPress experience is certainly not what I expected it would be. You see, I never realized how many wonderful people I would “meet” through the blog.
There are certain blogger posts that I so enjoy reading. Two of which are — Dani’s blog at teddyandtottie.com and Shanna’s blog, Curls and Carrots, at shannaward.com.
Shanna, mother of two adorable children, is always whipping up a batch of something wonderful (and super healthy). She is a talented writer and is incredibly supportive to fellow bloggers. I am grateful that I found her through the daily newsfeed.
I simply adore Dani’s blog (teddyandtottie.com) about family, crocheting, gardening, pets and everyday life in Australia. She, too, is a talented writer and her words seem to jump from the page to take me clear across the globe into her everyday world. Thank you both, Shanna and Dani, for your kindness and support.

And now for today’s recipe…

Last week, M asked if I had any canned goods that we might be able to donate to the food pantry. (There had been a sale on Green Giant vegetables the previous week and I purchased 12 cans for this purpose.) As I looked through the kitchen pantry for the supply of cans, I noticed that I had an abundance of pumpkin purée as well. M loves anything made with pumpkin so I searched through my folder of treasured recipes and magazine cut outs for recipes that have been given to me over the years. I quickly found the favorite that I had in mind…
When I first graduated from college, I worked in the garment/fashion industry in the city of Chicago. I was employed by a very talented clothing designer and I very much enjoyed the task of ordering fabric and notions, communicating with retail customers, following production and making sure that finished ordered were shipped to satisfied customers. We were a small staff of fifty or so and it often felt like we were a family.
One of the young pattern makers brought in a batch of these bars during the holidays some twenty or so years ago. After one bite, I asked for the recipe. She stood at her pattern-making table and wrote out (from memory) the recipe on an index card. I still have the very same recipe card, beautifully written in perfectly formed letters. Every time I make this recipe, I think of my early years, fresh out of college…boy, how time flies!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Perfect Pumpkin Cookie Bars

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread the batter evenly into a lightly greased 10×15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Drizzle or frost completely spreading evenly on top of the cooled bars. Top with chopped walnuts. Cut into squares.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: