Breakfast Cookies

I made these breakfast cookies for our consumption while on a camping trip. I was so proud of myself for being ahead of the game and getting these baked right before we left but not so late that everyone was waiting on me. We each tried one for that morning's breakfast and then packed up the rest and hit the road. They were very yummy! They smelled just like an oatmeal cookie while baking in the oven.

You can imagine our disappointment then when two days into our trip some lovely individuals decided to steal all of our camping gear out of the back of our truck. These lovely gems were sitting in there with the other food items. I sure hope whoever got a hold them enjoyed them as much as we did!

They really were easy to make and I will definitely be making them again. You basically mix up all the dry ingredients, then mix up the wet ingredients and combine together. I used a pretty large cookie cutter to form the cookies (you can see that they are basically just a round ball and I don't think they spread much during baking because they didn't change their shape at all). Enjoy!

Breakfast Cookies
Source: Blueberry Girl

1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped

1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup dried fruit (I used 1/2 chopped dried dates, and 1/2 raisins)

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sesame oil (many other oils can be substituted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts, coconut flakes, and salt. Stir in allspice and cinnamon. Add dried fruit and stir until evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit does not stick together in big chunks.

In another bowl, combine sesame oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Take a large cookie cutter and press spoonfuls of the batter into it. Remove cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Maple Hazelnut Oatmeal

Don't you love throwing ingredients into a crockpot when you go to bed and then waking up in the morning to breakfast already being made. It's almost like magic or something! The downfall is that you have to pull out the ingredients and get them thrown into the crockpot at the end of a long day. The plus, waking up the next morning to a prepared meal. You'll have to weigh those pros and cons for yourself.

This is the second overnight steel cut oatmeal recipe that we have tried and we prefer it over the other. This had a nice oatmeal taste with the cinnamon and maple flavors, and it had a good texture with the soft oats and crunchy hazelnuts. Enjoy!


Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
2 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (~3 cups)
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Bring milk and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Place hot milk mixture, apple, and next 5 ingredients in a slow cooker coated with cooking spray, stir well. Cover and cook on LOW 7 hours or until oats are tender.

Ladle oatmeal into individual bowls; top with maple syrup and hazelnuts.

Makes 4 servings

Blueberry Coconut Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Do you know hard it was to get a picture of this stuff? Extremely hard. Mushy blue-purple oatmeal is not photogenic (at least not for me) no matter how you dish it. Calling it mushy isn't a negative by the way, it's just what it is as oatmeal. Thankfully the blueberry sauce, fresh berries, and coconut add enough of a diversion that you can maybe get past that to the recipe.

My son and husband loved this version of baked oatmeal. Me, not so much. How could I forget that I am not the biggest blueberry fan? Maybe I should clarify. Blueberry muffins or breads, sure. Fresh blueberries, yes. Cooked blueberries . . . no. I guess the title and the thought of making something different overpowered my memory. Maybe I thought the coconut flavor would be more dominant. I am not sure. What I do know is that this oatmeal is overpoweringly blueberry (at least overpowering for me), so if you are a blueberry fan then this would probably be a tasty dish for you. Enjoy!

Blueberry Coconut Baked Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Source: Family Fresh Cooking

Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups Steel-Cut Irish oats
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 cups light unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (could use frozen, do not thaw first)
1/4 cup unsweetened dried blueberries
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flake
natural sweetener to taste

Blueberry Sauce
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Optional Toppings
toasted nuts
coconut flake
whipped cream
extra blueberries (dried and fresh)
coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the center. Lightly coat a 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all oatmeal ingredients in a large bowl, adding blueberries and coconut last. Sweeten to taste. Bake for about one hour. (The oatmeal will appear not done when you take it out of the oven.) Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Put it in the refrigerator overnight for best results.

Reheat oatmeal. While reheating make the blueberry sauce. Heat the blueberries with a splash of water over medium high heat. When you hear them sizzle reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes until a sauce consistency. Mash the blueberries against the side of the pan with a spatula, if necessary.

Scoop oatmeal into a dish. Top with blueberry sauce and optional toppings.

Makes 8-10 servings

Oatmeal Blender Waffles

All of my cooking endeavors are not successes. Not that I thought you thought that or anything, I just thought I'd warn you that this was not a particular success. From the beginning, I thought it was a bit strange to mix up the waffle mix which included milk and then to leave it sitting at room temperature for 12-24 hours. I guess the thought of milk not being refrigerated just sounds a bit different. I did it though.

The next morning the batter was super thick while trying to blend it up so I had to add quite a bit more milk. Even with greasing the waffle iron the batter stuck and pieces of the batter were uncooked. Out of the 6 or so waffles we made, maybe 2 of them were cooked the way they were supposed to and came off the griddle without tearing into pieces. Oh, wait, those are probably the two that you see in the picture because they were the only ones that were anywhere near photo worthy. I don't think this recipe will be a repeat in our household, but if you venture to give it a shot, enjoy!

Oatmeal Blender Waffles
Source: Hallee the Homemaker

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Place buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla extract, and rolled oats in blender; blend at highest speed for 3 minutes.

(The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If it doesn’t, slowly add more liquid until the hole reappears. This is the secret to light and tender waffles. Batter for pancakes may be thicker, but keep batter relatively thin and keep it churning.)

Cover blender; let stand at room temperature overnight or 12-24 hours.

Preheat waffle iron at highest temperature, or griddle on medium high.

Just before baking, add egg and optional liquid if batter needs thinning; blend on highest speed for 1 minute.

Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend in thoroughly, but briefly.

Pour batter onto hot waffle iron, sprayed with olive oil. Bake about 3½ to 4 minutes in waffle iron until crispy. If making pancakes, pour onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles pop on the surface, then flip and cook for about 1-2 minutes longer, or until browned.

Makes about 5-7 good sized waffles, depending on waffle iron size or about 10-12 good sized pancakes depending on pancake size

Sausage, Cheese, and Egg Casserole

Honestly, it has been a while since I made this and I feel so rummy from needing to go to bed that I can't even recall many of the details. In typing up the recipe I do recall a few things though.

One, I wasn't sure what was meant by breakfast sausage. No where could I find breakfast sausage. I knew she wasn't referring to links (which said breakfast sausage on the package), but all the ground sausage was either Italian or Maple or Hot. I finally just went with regular ground sausage and called it good.

Two, I wasn't sure what was meant by Italian bread. I realized from this how a recipe can be very regional. I didn't know if Italian meant a type of bread, like French bread, or if it had to do with being seasoned in a certain way. After looking around a bit I just went with regular French bread and called it good.

Finally, I totally didn't read all the way through the recipe before getting ready to make it. Therefore, when I pulled everything out at 8:00am to make it for breakfast that morning after reading that it only took about 45 minutes to bake, I was completely surprised to read in step 3 that you needed to cover and refrigerate it overnight. I quickly calculated that if I got it prepared I would be able to let it sit for about 8 or 9 hours and we could have it for dinner that night. Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner? My family seemed to enjoy it even though it was served a bit later than planned. Enjoy!


Sausage, Cheese, and Egg Casserole
Source: Brown Eyed Baker

9 eggs
9 slices of Italian bread, about an inch thick, crusts removed, cubed
1 pound breakfast sausage
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Crumble and cook the sausage according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Lightly whisk together the eggs until combined. Mix in all other ingredients, and then fold in sausage.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I know this square shaped piece of coffee cake doesn't look all that appealing but it really is one of those comfort recipes that has been in my recipe book for a long time. I got it off of a box of Bisquick years ago (yes, I do use Bisquick occasionally, okay more than occasionally) and when they stopped printing it on the box I managed to get it scrawled down on a piece of paper and into my binder. It is easy, it is tasty, but it isn't a super dense meal so we usually have it with a bowl of fruit or something with a bit more substance. Enjoy!


Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cake:
2 cups baking mix
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg

Topping:
1/3 cup baking mix
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 square pan (or equivalent size).

Stir the cake ingredients together; pour into greased pan.

Stir the baking mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Cut in the firm butter.  Sprinkle the topping mixture over the batter.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Gingerbread Waffles

Even though this recipe looks a little intense with the long ingredient list the end product is definitely worth it. Not only was it nice to have something different from the traditional waffle, but it was fun to inject a bit of holiday flavor into a routine breakfast item. Enjoy!


Gingerbread Waffles

Source: Taste of Home

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, separated

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup molasses

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

confectioner's sugar, optional

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the brown sugar and egg yolk until fluffy. Add the buttermilk, molasses, and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined.

In another small bowl, beat the egg white and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Quickly spoon onto a preheated waffle iron. Bake according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Makes 8 waffles

Quiche

There are so many different varieties of quiche out there. This one is full of fat and calories and is VERY tasty. We don't eat quiche very often, it's more like a special breakfast for us, so I don't mind making the full fat version. This particular quiche was consumed on Christmas Eve so it was a very special breakfast for us indeed.

Quiche is pretty easy to make, but can be a little unnerving to bake. You have to make sure that the center is set and a knife comes out clean. Even after the quiche has cooled it can seem a bit wobbly and wet, but that is the texture of quiche (at least this one). Enjoy! 

Quiche Lorraine

pastry for a 9-inch one-crust pie
8 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pastry crust and place into a 9-inch quiche or pie plate. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion in pastry-lined dish.

Beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into pastry dish. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake about 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Cheesy Ham Cups

As you have probably read in earlier posts, my preschool age son can be a picky eater. He usually does not try something that is new to him even if it is something that the bearer swears he will enjoy. He will even turn down sweets because he doesn't want to risk something not agreeing with his picky palate. Oh, the frustrations of an independent will in a small person.

Imagine my surprise when he ventured to try these cheesy ham cups and decided that not only did he tolerate them but he actually liked them. Amazingly, a few days later he showed extreme excitement at the prospect of dinner which was scheduled to be cheesy ham and potato soup. The excitement was short lived when he realized that he had made an error and he was not getting cheesy ham cups for dinner but instead one of the worst possible meals, soup. That being said, his glowing praise should be enough of a recommendation for you to try these one day for breakfast, or even lunch or dinner, without me every expressing how delicious they taste.

Cheesy Ham Cups
6 slices deli ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 eggs
8 ounces plain yogurt
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly grease 6 -10 ounce ramekin or custard cups. Place cups on a cookie sheet for ease of baking.

Place a ham slice in each cup. Sprinkle with onions and 1 cup cheese.

In a bowl, beat eggs and yogurt until well blended; pour into cups. Sprinkle with parsley and the remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

Daring Bakers - Meringue Filled Coffee Cake

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake. 

I am not one to jump right into the challenge recipe at the beginning of the month. I usually like to read the challenge over a few times, let it ruminate in my brain, pondering technique and flavors. However, since our family is trying to limit our sugar intake I thought that I would combine the challenge with another special date this month . . . my husband’s birthday which happens to fall early in the month.

Since Christmas, he has been asking for me to make the cinnamon rolls I made Christmas morning. I had planned to make them for his birthday breakfast so I begged and pleaded with him to let me make this coffee cake instead since they sounded fairly similar. He reluctantly agreed, offering to make a deal that if they were not as good I would still make the cinnamon rolls sometime this month. In my counter offer I asked who was to be the judge of whether they were equal. He stated he would try to be as unbiased as possible. Yah right, unbiased, my foot!

There were a few steps to this challenge but not any more so than a cinnamon roll or another sweet yeast bread recipe. It involved making the dough, letting it rise, kneading the dough, spreading it with meringue and adding filling, rolling it up, letting it rise again, and then baking it. Of course, there is a bit more to it than that but those are the steps in a nutshell.

The dough recipe made two braided wreath coffee cakes and while I seriously debated just doing one I decided that I would make two because in the end I wanted one that had the same cinnamon roll filling (for equal comparison) and then one that had chocolate in it.

Of the many times I’ve made yeast breads this was the first time of ever melting the butter mixture, adding the yeast to the dry flour and then adding a somewhat cooled butter mixture to the dry flour and yeast. 

 

Have I ever mentioned before how much I love kneading dough? I love it! Nothing makes me feel like a baker more than kneading soft dough after it is warm and has risen a first time! This particular dough didn’t require a lot of work to get it to the smooth, elastic stage so it was really nice to work with.

 

 

I don’t work with meringue often. I have really only made it a handful of times so I was a little more anxious to have this turn out correctly. It seemed to turn out fine. Nice stiff peaks and easy to spread on the dough.

Besides the coffee cakes looking like molten lava when they came out of the oven they tasted great! I thought the cinnamon/sugar filling was going to be way too sweet but it wasn’t too over the top. I think I did prefer the chocolate filling though but that might be because I really like chocolate. The one thing I forgot to do on both, and I’m not sure why, was to brush the egg wash on after baking. It didn’t really matter in the end because I sprinkled powdered sugar or cocoa powder over the finished product.

As for the unbiased ruling from the judge, it really wasn’t unbiased. He enthusiastically enjoyed both coffee cakes and then pronounced that I would have to make the cinnamon rolls in the end so that he could make an accurate comparison. Hmmm, kind of thought that was going to happen. 

Meringue Filled Coffee Cake

Yeast Coffee Cake:
4 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 package active dried yeast
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup water
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature

Meringue:
3 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar

Filling:
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes


Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes.

Prepare your filling:
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:
Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue.


Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks.

Allow to cool. Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.
 
Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter. The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake.

Breakfast Pizza

My son requested breakfast pizza on a whim (mostly on a whim because he has never even had it nor seen one before) and it reminded me of a recipe that I happened to have in my cupboard. I would imagine that you know by now that I have a picky eater, so even though said son requested the breakfast pizza that didn't mean that he took more than a few cursory bites. Sigh. When will he become an adventurous eater?

This was delicious, a great change to plain old eggs and hashbrowns, and it was even great warmed up for lunch the next day. Enjoy!

*Note: This recipe does call for microwaving the eggs and I think you could get by with just scrambling them and cooking them in a pan like you normally would. If you shy away from microwaving food, this would definitely be an option. The only difference might be that the pieces are not quite as moist as if you microwaved them, but I think the difference would be pretty insignificant.

Breakfast Pizza
Source: Adapted from The Pampered Chef Stoneware Sensations

Crust
1 package (24 ounces) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 egg, beaten
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Egg Topping
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped ham (could use bacon or sausage)
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushroons
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover 15" round baking stone with parchment paper.

For crust, combine potatoes, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; mix well. Spread potato mixture into a 14" circle on prepared stone; pat down with back of spoon. Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven.

For egg topping, whisk eggs and milk in bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Microwave on high 3 minutes; stir. Microwave an additional 3 minutes; stir. Spread cooked egg mixture evenly over potato crust; top with ham, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven. Bake 10 minutes.

To serve, cut into wedges. Makes 10 servings.

Aebleskivers with Chopped Apples

Every year we go to the local fair where my husband visits the stand that sells poffertjes. He usually makes 2 or 3 visits during our day at the fair because he enjoys them so much. I think that he may like the sweet whipped butter more than the poffertjes, but you can't have one without the other. When I saw an Aebleskiver pan, I knew that it would be a great purchase for our family.

We haven't had too many varieties yet, but it will only be a matter of time. For our first batch we used an apple pie filling that we had left over from a camping trip. It was fun to get our pan seasoned and to experiment with the cooking method.

Without realizing it, we also used apples for our second batch. This time though it was just finely chopped apple chunks since I wanted to make Aebleskivers but was still fasting from sugar. I know, nutella and chocolate filled sound delicious and we will eventually try those as well, but we wanted to stick with a somewhat healthy Aebleskiver for breakfast instead of dessert. These are really fun to make and taste pretty much like a little round pancake. Enjoy!

 

Basic Aebleskiver Recipe

Makes many little Aebleskivers!

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, separated

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add buttermilk and egg yolks. Beat eggs whites until light and fluffy, forming soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Heat Aebleskiver pan on medium heat. Grease each cup with butter and fill 2/3 full. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes per side, flip using a toothpick. When both sides are done serve with a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar. Best when served warm.

Optional: Fill each cup only 1/3 full with batter and place a small amount of fruit or topping in each cup and cover with an additional 1/3 batter.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Cheesy Potato Casserole (aka Hashbrown Casserole) is an easy, hearty side dish. I often take this to a MOPS meeting when I am signed up to bring a breakfast dish, but I also have made it to accompany a lunch or dinner as well. Very versatile in that you can make it at any time of the day, but also versatile in what you can add to the actual casserole. There's not much to say about this dish that I haven't already said so I'll just jump right into the recipe. Enjoy!

Cheesy Potato Casserole
Makes a 9x13 pan

1 large bag of frozen hashbrowns (cubed style)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
4 cups cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups cornflakes

Optional Mix-ins:
diced green chilies, spinach, green bell peppers, ham, bacon . . . (I add the diced green chilies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Stir together the hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Add any mix-ins. Pat into baking dish.

Melt butter in a large skillet, then add cornflakes and saute until slightly crispy/light brown. Put the cornflakes on top of the potato mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit 15 minutes before serving, it will stay together better.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

 
Cream cheese cinnamon rolls . . . what a great thing to partake of on Christmas morning! This happens to be the second Christmas in a row that we have woken up and feasted on cinnamon rolls, last year it was after present opening and this year it took place before. The big difference is that this year I was prepared and decided to make up the rolls the night before so I could relax with my family on Christmas morning. Boy am I glad I did!  

These particular rolls are amazing and have just the right combination of sweet bread, raisins, nuts, and icing. Although they are a bit of work on the front end they are definitely worth it! My husband is still talking about them a few days later and already has a request in for the next batch.

Stay tuned for the abbreviated step by step photos after the recipe. You can find many delectable treats at the site where I got this recipe. (Thanks for a great recipe, Joy!) Enjoy!

(Oh, by the way, if you like your icing drizzled you only need to make half a batch. If you like it coated heavily, stick with a full batch. Get it . . . "stick".)

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
Source: Joy the Baker

Dough:
1 -1/4 oz package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon, plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water, heated to 115 degrees 
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for kneading
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons maple syrup
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Icing:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 cup water heated to 115 degrees F. Stir to combine and let sit until frothy and foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat with a wire whisk until well combined. Fit the bowl onto the mixer, fitting with the dough hook attachment. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough just begins to come together. Turn the machine on medium-high and knead the dough for 4 minutes.

Add the butter and continue to knead for about 6 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Place the dough on a well floured work surface, and knead about 1/3 cup all-purpose flour into the dough. Set the dough in a large greased bowl to rest. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the filling. Combine the sugar, dark brown sugar, pecans, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and cloves into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in the maple syrup. Set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it from the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Work the dough for about 1 to 2 minutes. Once it's no longer sticky, place a kitchen towel over the dough and let rest for 5 minutes before you roll it out. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with a knife until it is smooth and spreadable.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10x10 inch square or circle. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the dough. Fold into thirds like you would fold a letter to fit into an envelope. Take the open ends of the rectangle and it into thirds again, to make a smaller dough square.

Invert the dough so that the seam is face down and use the rolling pin to gently roll it into a 10x20 inch rectangle. You may find that some cream cheese sneaks through. Turn the dough so that the short sides are parallel to you. You will roll from the short sides of the dough.

Brush the top of the dough with half of the melted butter. The rest of the butter will be for after the rolls are baked. Pour all of the filling onto the dough. Spread evenly, leaving a 1-inch border at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.

Using your hands, lift up the bottom edge of the dough and roll it forward into a tight cylinder. Place dough cylinder seam side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp, thin knife (or dental floss), trim off the uneven edges (or keep them in for a few uneven slices). Cut cylinder into 8 equal slices.

Nestle slices, cut side up and evenly space in a buttered 9x13 metal baking dish. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to let rise for 2 hours. You may also refrigerate the rolls overnight.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover the rolls. If you refrigerated the rolls, let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, whisk together the sugar and buttermilk in a small bowl until smooth.

Transfer the pan of cinnamon rolls to a cooling rack. Brush with remaining melted butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. Dip the tines of a fork into the icing and drizzle over the rolls. Serve immediately.

 The yeast getting frothy . . . the dough getting kneaded 

(or rather beaten to death in the kitchenaid) . . .

Dough ready to be gently kneaded, then set to rise for the first 2 hours . . . filling mixed . . .

 

Kneaded after rising . . . cream cheese spread . . . first fold . . . second fold . . .

third/fourth fold . . . rolled out in rectangle . . . filling spread . . . 

Perfectly sliced rolls (notice the dental floss) . . . ready for a second rising (or the fridge) . . . 

perfectly golden brown!