Bagel BLTs

Can we all agree that it's pretty hard to improve upon a BLT? I mean, it's a classic for a reason, am I right? That being said -- I still find it fun to make new and different versions. So when I saw a bagel BLT in a recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, I had one of those immediate I need that nowwww!! moments. I think we had these for dinner the very next night. 

Let me tell you guys, this is an absolutely delicious take on the BLT. Garden veggie cream cheese is one of my favorite food items in the world (I've been known to spread it on Ritz crackers and call that dinner), and it works so well on this sandwich -- with the bacon, in particular. Something about the creamy cheese and the crisp, salty bacon is just absolutely perfect. 

And, with only 5 ingredients and 15 minutes of cook time? I. am. smitten.

Bagel BLTs
adapted from Rachael Ray

12 slices bacon
4 bagels, split and toasted
Garden vegetable cream cheese 
8 lettuce leaves
4 slices tomato

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the bacon on a broiler pan; bake until crisp, 15 minutes.

2. Slather each side of the bagels with a thin layer of the cream cheese. Top each bagel bottom with three slices bacon, two lettuce leaves, and a slice of tomato. Season with salt and pepper and add the bagel tops.

Tater Tot Omelet Cups

I struggle with breakfast.

I mean, not with eating breakfast. I love to eat breakfast foods at all hours of the day. The part that I struggle with is the making of breakfast. It's definitely not going to happen when I first wake up, because mornings are another thing that I struggle with. As much as I want to be a morning person...the siren song of my warm bed and snooze button win every time. Nearly 31 years, and this is still a work in progress for me. At this point I don't know if I'll ever be able to change my ways.

So if I want my family to eat a breakfast that doesn't come from a carton of some type, I have to plan ahead. I've been doing some batch breakfast-sandwich-making on the weekends, and I love having those on hand in the freezer. I love having this recipe for tater tot omelet cups in my cooking arsenal, too, because they also freeze really well and are absolutely delicious. They're an omelet you can eat with your hands -- what's not to love about that? 

These are also customizable in lots of different ways; our favorite way is with bacon, green peppers, green onions, and cheddar cheese. But I could also get behind using sausage, ham, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, even broccoli...pretty much anything. They're hearty, simple, convenient, adaptable and delicious -- perfect for a mama like me who just can't get going most mornings. :)

Tater Tot Omelet Cups
adapted from Ella Claire Inspired

36 frozen tater tots
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Dash of hot sauce
1/2 pound bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (really, really well). Cook the tater tots in the microwave for 2 minutes on high heat to thaw.

2. Press 3 tater tots into the bottom of each muffin tin, using the bottom of a small glass (a shot glass works well for this). Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

3. While the tater tots are baking, whisk together the eggs, milk, and hot sauce. Add the bacon, green peppers, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste.

4. When the tater tots have baked, remove them from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Pour equal portions of the egg mixture into each cup and top each cup with 1 tablespoon of cheese. 

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggs are set. Gently run a butter knife around the edge of each muffin cup and use a fork to pop them out of the cups.

Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

A few years ago, I started hosting a Christmas brunch for my family every Christmas. It's always so much fun, and I try to keep the menu very simple so it doesn't become stressful. I make a Crock pot breakfast casserole and some muffins, and my sister brings her French toast casserole. I serve things I can make ahead of time, and never have I been more glad about that than last year.

I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but last Christmas Eve, I was struck with a horrible, terrible, no-good stomach bug. It was so awful. I was stuck at home in bed, feeling miserable, while my family was celebrating without me. Thankfully, I'd prepared everything for our brunch the next morning earlier in the day before I got sick, so I didn't have to cancel it. I didn't feel like eating much on Christmas morning, but I was so happy to just be with my family at that point!

Sorry for talking about sickness in a post about food, but all of that was to say: I made these muffins for Christmas brunch last year, and they were ah-mazing. Like seriously, seriously delicious. As I mentioned, I like to keep things easy for this particular celebration, so these muffins start with boxed mix that is jazzed up with the additions of a sweetened cream cheese filling and a delectable orange-pecan streusel. I don't typically bake muffins from a box, but I was so surprised by how well these came out and how fresh they tasted. They're the perfect balance of sweet and tart and such a festive way to start Christmas morning...or any morning, really.

Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

slightly adapted from StoneGable

For the muffins:

 

1 box cranberry-orange muffin mix (I used Krusteaz Light)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon orange zest

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the streusel:

1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest 

1. Preheat oven according to muffin mix recipe. Spray two 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Mix muffin recipe as directed, adding vanilla and orange zest. 

2. In a seperate bowl, add all filling ingredients and beat on high with a mixer for 1 minute. 

3. In a third bowl, mix all topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork. The butter should be well-incorporated and the topping should be crumbly. 

4. Add a tablespoon of the muffin batter to each mini muffin cup (about half full). Add 1 teaspoon of the filling to the center of the muffin batter in the cups. Top with another tablespoon of the muffin batter. Top each muffin with crumb topping. 

5. Bake according to box directions, minus about 5 minutes for mini muffins. When done, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Take muffins out of pan and let cool completely.

 

The Creamiest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever

I feel a little bit silly sharing this recipe with you. It's not even a recipe, really; it's more of a method. It's my go-to method, as a matter of fact, whenever I make scrambled eggs. And since I started making them this way, my family is asking for scrambled eggs a lot more often. 

The secret to these scrambled eggs is one simple ingredient: cream cheese. It's stirred directly into the eggs while you're whisking them, before they're cooked. The cream cheese gives them a fluffy, creamy texture that's just phenomenal. If you want to elevate your scrambled eggs, this is the way to do it. 

The great thing about this method is that you can change the flavor of your eggs by swapping out the flavor of cream cheese you use -- the savory flavors, of course. I can't condone adding blueberry cream cheese to your scrambled eggs, but hey, to each his own, right? I've used garden vegetable-flavored, chipotle-flavored, chive and onion-flavored, and (our favorite version, pictured above), jalapeno-flavored cream cheese. I've even used the Italian herb cooking creme with delicious results. And when you add the eggs to a breakfast sandwich with a sausage patty? SO GOOD. 

I can't recommend this method enough. Give it a try, I'm dying to hear what you think! 

The Creamiest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever 

8 whole eggs 
3 tablespoons cream cheese (regular or any savory flavor) 
Splash of milk 
Salt and pepper to taste 
3 tablespoons butter 

1. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, milk, and salt and pepper, and whisk well. The cream cheese will still be in small clumps, but that's fine. Those clumps will turn into pillowy pockets of creaminess in your eggs. 

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook, scrambling gently, to desired doneness.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

Full disclosure: This is an Instagram photo. See, every once in a while, I get so excited to eat a meal that I get all verklempt when I'm taking photos. In this case, I was so excited to devour these pancakes that I took the pictures really quickly and all of the photos turned out blurry. Of course, I didn't realize this until I was editing them. I can only assume the blurriness was because my hands were shaking with anticipation of eating this meal. So this photo will have to suffice until I make these pancakes again (which will be soon, but I still couldn't wait to share these with you).

Breakfast for dinner is a huge treat in our house, especially when it's really dessert masquerading as breakfast -- which, let's be honest, is exactly what these pancakes are. They're loaded with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and dolloped with a topping made of cream cheese, maple syrup, and whipped topping. They are so good. 

This recipe makes a ton of pancakes and a ton of topping, which worked out great for us because we ate them for breakfast throughout the week. You can reduce the amounts below if you want to, but really, I don't know why you would want to.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

For the pancakes:

3 cups pancake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat a greased griddle over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine all of the pancake ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the pancake mix in batches onto the griddle. Cook until the edges bubble, then flip and continue cooking until the opposite side is golden brown. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all of the topping ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Serve the pancakes with the topping. Serve with additional maple syrup. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Blueberry Zucchini Mini Muffins

I feel like the second the calendar changes over to September, everyone is all about the flavors of fall. Pumpkin, apples, maple, etc. etc. Especially pumpkin, am I right? I include myself in this "everyone," because the flavors of fall are probably my favorite; they're so warm and comforting and aromatic. However, it's still technically summer, as my boys (who spent all day yesterday engaged in an elaborate water balloon fight) would be quick to remind you.

And on that note, raise your hand if you still have a ton of zucchini, that pervasive summer favorite, to use up. If so, what better way to use it than in some muffins? Muffins are a huge breakfast favorite around here, even more so if they're bite-sized. This version is loaded with zucchini and blueberries, so they're pretty healthy too. My boys enjoyed them for breakfast for an entire week straight.

And the great thing about (shredded) zucchini and blueberries? They both freeze really well. So you can enjoy a batch of these muffins any day of the year. Next time I make them, I may whip up a quick brown sugar-pecan streusel for the top.

(By the way, I founds this recipe on The Baking Robot blog, which I highly recommend checking out if you haven't already. Hilarious!)

Blueberry Zucchini Mini Muffins
adapted from The Baking Robot

3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup sugar
2 cups zucchini, shredded
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 24-cup mini muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla and sugar. Fold in the shredded zucchini.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Fill the baking cups three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes (at least) 4 dozen mini muffins.

Taco Omelets

Do you ever have one of those "Duh? Why didn't I think of that??" moments? I have them frequently and, especially these days when Pinterest is so widely-used, I think probably most people have them. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself of that so I don't feel so silly.

Anyway, this particular head-slapping moment came when I was surfing Instagram a few weeks ago, and my friend Denise posted a photo of a taco omelet that she was having for breakfast. A taco omelet. It's just like a taco, but uses eggs instead of a tortilla. I felt like Monica from Friends when I discovered this, and I'm pretty sure I actually said "GET OUT" out loud.

I made these that very night. I didn't get super fancy with the ingredients because I just used what I had on hand, but they could be jazzed up in a bunch of different ways. Pretty much any way you can eat a taco, you can eat a taco omelet. You just have to try this simple and delicious dinner.

Taco Omelets
inspired by Creative Kitchen

1 pound ground sirloin
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
8 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil
Shredded cheese
Salsa, sour cream, and any other toppings you like for serving

1. Brown the ground sirloin with the onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the meat has cooked, sprinkle in the taco seasoning and add a bit of water to loosen it. Remove from heat.

2. Beat the eggs with a little milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat canola oil in a large non-stick pan. 

3. Add about 1/4 of the egg mixture (2 eggs' worth) to the skillet and cook, without turning, until eggs are cooked through. Top half of the omelet with some of the reserved ground beef and shredded cheese, then fold the other half of the omelet over the top. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining eggs, meat, and cheese.

4. Serve omelets with salsa, sour cream, and any other desired toppings.

Bite-Sized Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Cups

I've been trying to be more efficient on the weekends to make life easier for myself during the week. For example, I've been prepping food for lunches and dinners, laying out the boys' clothes for the week so I'm not pawing through their wardrobe every morning, and preparing their breakfasts ahead of time. They're big fans of pancakes in the mornings, so I usually make a big batch of silver-dollar pancakes on Sunday morning and freeze them for breakfasts throughout the week.

Recently, though, when our neighbor gifted us with five pounds of strawberries from his garden, I thought it would be the perfect time to try out something new. My fellas would eat strawberries and cream instant oatmeal every day if I let them, so I thought they'd enjoy these baked oatmeal cups. Not surprisingly, they did! I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal, baked or instant or otherwise (it's a texture thing for me), but I did try one of these and I liked it. These baked oatmeal cups are moist and flavorful and so easy to make. And they're so adaptable; I plan to try a version with bananas and chocolate chips next. 

With two little boys to get washed and dressed and fed every weekday morning, all before 7 AM, anything that makes the breakfast portion of the morning go more quickly gets a huge thumbs-up in my book.

Bite-Sized Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Cups
adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

2 cups oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup honey or agave 
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tray liberally with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, salt, and baking powder. Add honey and stir to combine (it will be sticky, obviously). Add the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. The mixture will be runny. Stir in the strawberries.

3. Portion the batter among the mini muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the top. 

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes in the pan. Once they've cooled slightly, run a knife around the edges and gently remove from the pan. Serve warm or room temperature. Store in an air-tight container.

Jalapeno Popper Breakfast Scramble

I love making (and eating!) breakfast foods, but since our breakfasts during the week are usually so quick, and the boys always ask for doughnuts or pancakes on the weekends, I don't always get to try new recipes as much as I'd like. But when this idea popped into my head, I knew I had to make it as soon as humanly possible -- for breakfast, for brinner, I didn't care; I just knew I needed to have it.

OMG, you guys, just: OMG. This breakfast scramble was indescribably delicious and turned out exactly like I was hoping. It had all the flavor of a jalapeno popper, with the addition of crispy, salty hash browns. Mixing the cream cheese into the scrambled eggs gave them such a creamy, velvety texture, and the contrast with the crisp bacon and potatoes was just perfect. You could easily cut the amount of cream cheese in half, but I used the full 8 ounces because I didn't want half a brick sitting around in my refrigerator. Joe raved and raved about this. I even took the leftovers for lunch the next day, and I was so suprised by how well they held up.

Those of you who share my jalapeno popper obsession are going to love this recipe; and, for those of you who don't share that obsession...Well, I think this just might sway you.

Jalapeno Popper Breakfast Scramble

1 pound bacon, chopped

2 jalapenos, finely diced

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 cups shredded frozen hash brown potatoes

8 eggs

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used a triple cheddar blend)

1. Cook bacon to desired crispness in a large skillet. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Add jalapenos and cook until just softened, then place the jalapenos in a large bowl.

2. Heat the canola oil in another large skillet. Add hash browns in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and let them get crispy. After they're crispy, flip them over to let the other side brown.

3. Add the eggs, cream cheese, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to the reserved jalapenos and scramble. The cream cheese will still be in chunks in the eggs, but that's fine.

4. Pour the scrambled egg mixture over the hashbrowns, add reserved bacon, and mix it all together until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover to let it melt. Serve.

Fried Egg Tostadas with Bacon-Black Bean Mash

This is one of my favorites out of the new recipes I've tried recently. I mean, come on: bacon and black beans mashed together with chipotles in adobo, topped with melted cheese, a fried egg with a soft yolk, and creamy avocado, all on top of a crispy corn tortilla? There is nothing not to love about that combination.

The bacon and chipotle in adobo gives these such a delicious smoky flavor, which pairs perfeclty with the cool and creamy avocado. And then there's that egg, with its silky yolk pouring down over the rest of the ingredients, coating the entire tostada with its delicious eggy flavor. Seriously. So. Good.

Fried Egg Tostadas with Bacon-Black Bean Mash

adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

4 slices bacon, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 to 1 tablespoon chopped chipotles in adobo (depending on how spicy you want it)

1/4 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

6 small corn tortillas

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon butter

6 eggs

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 avocado, pitted, thinly sliced, and generously tossed with lime juice

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon to desired crispness. Remove to a paper towel to drain and discard all but about 1/2 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the green onions to the same skillet and saute until slightly softened. Add the beans, cumin, and chipotles in adobo and mash the beans lightly with a fork (you don't want them complete mashed; leave some texture). Add 1/4 cup of water and the sour cream and stir until fully combined, then add the bacon back to the skillet. Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper as needed. Turn off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook eggs to desired doneness.

4. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the black bean mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Then add 1 egg to each tortilla and top with sliced avocado.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread with Pecan Streusel

Earlier this fall, in an effort to get the most out of our favorite season, my husband and I made a "Fall Bucket List" for our family -- a list of about 20 things we want to do before winter descends upon us. The list has entries like "Rake the leaves and jump in the leaf pile" (check!), "Read 15 fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving books" (in progress), and "Drink pumpkin beer" (adults only, of course, and trust me, that was THE FIRST ITEM Joe and I checked off).

One of the items on the list is about fall baking: Bake an apple pie, a really good loaf of pumpkin bread, and one scary Halloween treat. The apple pie will most likely be happening next weekend, since we're going apple picking on Sunday (another item on the list). The Halloween treat is happening this weekend, and the pumpkin bread happened this past weekend.

I have a pumpkin bread recipe that I really like, but this time around I wanted to make something special: one that included both a cream cheese layer and a streusel topping (most recipes, including my go-to, have neither, or just one or the other). Andrew and I baked this bread on Sunday morning while Joe and Will slept in, and Andrew helped me every step of the way. He even swirled the cream cheese mixture into the pumpkin batter, and he was quite enthusiastic about it -- which is why you can only see a little bit of the cream cheese layer, as the rest got mixed into the pumpkin batter. But it didn't make this bread any less delicious, and I am so happy that he loves being in the kitchen with me so much.

This bread is pumpkin perfection, and it should be on everyone's fall bucket list!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread with Pecan Streusel
adapted from Hungry Couple

For the streusel:

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cream cheese layer:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the pumpkin batter:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. To make the streusel topping, combine the flour, sugars, pecans, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add butter and mix until completely combined. Set aside.

2. To make the cream cheese layer, blend the ingredients with a hand mixer, stand mixer or food processor until thoroughly combined and free of lumps. Set aside.

3. Make the bread dough by combining together the butter, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla and pumpkin and mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, spice and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until combined.

4. Pour half the bread batter into a greased loaf pan, add the cream cheese mixture and swirl into the bread batter with a knife. Top with the remaining bread batter and sprinkle on the streusel topping.

5. Bake for about 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then gently remove from loaf pan. We enjoyed it served warm.

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Muffins

My younger son is a muffin nut. The child has never met a muffin that he didn't like. He asks for them all the time, and it's gotten to the point where nearly every time I head towards the kitchen, he's trailing after me asking, "You makin' me muffins, Mama?" He recently asked me to make him some vanilla muffins, and since it is impossible for me to resist the big brown eyes and sweet little voice of my baby, I gave in.

Loaded with vanilla beans, vanilla yogurt, and vanilla extract, these muffins are absolutely bursting with flavor. The milk chocolate chips of course work perfectly with the vanilla, and the muffins themselves have a light and fluffy texture. I served both of the boys a warm muffin with just a bit of butter melted over the top, and they were very happy little guys. Hopefully these muffins will quell Will's muffin mania for a couple of weeks -- but I doubt it!

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Muffins

adapted from 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, whisk the egg, butter, milk, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and yogurt. Fold into the flour mixture. (If the mixture's too dry, add a little bit more milk or yogurt.) Once the batter is fully combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each tin two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the muffin tops are golden.

Nutella Cheesecake Crescents

I'll be honest: I just don't buy the idea of Nutella as a healthy breakfast food. I know it's made with skim milk and all that, but the fact that it is basically a chocolate-hazelnut spread definitely makes me consider it more of a dessert. It should be noted, however, that just because I don't think of Nutella as breakfast food doesn't mean I won't eat it as breakfast food. That's where these Nutella cheesecake crescents come in.

In this recipe, crescent rolls are wrapped around Nutella and cheesecake filling for a sweet breakfast treat. The original recipe calls for them to be turned into twists, but my crescent rolls weren't agreeing with me that day and the whole twist thing didn't happen. I just molded them into breadstick-like shapes, which worked fine and was much less fussy. The filling is sweet and creamy and rich. They're definitely best served warm right out of the oven. The boys went nuts over them, and the adults thought they were delicious too!

Nutella Cheesecake Crescents

adapted from Inside BruCrew Life

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons Nutella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until creamy. Unroll the crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Press two triangles together to form a rectangle. Spoon a large tablespoon of Nutella down the right side of the center. Repeat with a large tablespoon of cheesecake filling down the left side of the center. Fold the edges of the rolls over the filling. Press the seams together at the middle and the end. Flip the roll over so that the seam is underneath. Press together any seams that come undone.

3. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until light brown. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

Baked Chocolate Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

Today, on the eighth day of the eighth month, Joe and I are celebrating eight years of marriage. Eight years. It seems impossible to me, yet here we are, two beautiful sons and a mortgage and a lifetime later. He really is an amazing man, and I'm super lucky to have him.

Joe is a huge fan of sweets, which isn't surprising, because he's so sweet ;). (No more sappy stuff, I promise.) He is particularly fond of doughnuts, and has been known to come home from work on a Saturday morning toting a box of half a dozen of the tasty treasures. Since I've been trying to make more breakfasts on the weekends (you know, the kind that require more effort than pouring milk over cereal), I decided to bake us a batch of doughnuts one recent weekend.  Joe would say that my doughnut pan doesn't get nearly enough use anyway. (He's right.)

These are everything you'd want out of a chocolate doughnut. They're moist, cakey, sweet, and dipped in a decadent chocolate glaze. We all loved them. They're made with pantry staples, so as long as you have a doughnut pan (and if you don't, why not?!), you should definitely make them this weekend.

Happy Anniversary, babe. Maybe I'll bake you another batch of these this weekend, if you're really nice.

Baked Chocolate Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

doughnuts adapted from Stephanie Cooks; glaze adapted from Food.com

For the doughnuts:

1 3/4 cup cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

1. To make the doughnuts, preheat the oven to 325. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Stir in the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla until well combined. Transfer the batter to a large plastic bag and cut one corner off. Pipe the batter into greased doughnut pans, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until springy. Allow to cool in the pans for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

2. To make the glaze, melt the butter in a small suacepan over low heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Cook the mixture, stirring, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and add the vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar, adding more in 1/2 cup increments as needed to make the mixture smooth and slightly thicker than syrup.

3. Dunk each doughnut in the glaze, top them with sprinkles, then set them aside while the glaze hardens, about 30 minutes (the waiting is the hardest part). Makes 12 doughnuts.

Mexican Chicken Quiche

Remember how I said that, when I take photos of food for this website, I always photograph my actual dinner plate? Well, that still holds true for this recipe. I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit that the entire piece of quiche up there was mine, and that I ate the whole thing. It was just too delicious for me to feel the least bit guilty about it.

I have a lot of Mexican recipes waiting in the queue to share with you, but this quiche just may be the best. It's spicy, creamy, cheesy, and incredibly tasty. The topping is crispy, and so is the crust, and the inside is perfectly set and loaded with good stuff: eggs, tortilla chips, salsa, green chilies. You could even add corn or black beans if you wanted to, both of which would be delicious. The leftovers reheat really well, too, which is definitely an added bonus!

Mexican Chicken Quiche

adapted from Pillsbury

1 pie crust

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips

3 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese

1 cup salsa

1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sour cream, salsa, and cilantro for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a wire whisk. Beat in the milk. Stir in chicken, tortilla chips, cheese, salsa, green chilies, and salt. Pour into the crust-lined pan.

3. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Breakfast Tacos

Sometimes it’s just fun to eat like a kid, am I right? I mean, I’m all for fancier (but still easy) homemade dishes, but sometimes, it’s nice to eat something that’s no-frills and simply delicious. I made these breakfast tacos for my little guys, who love breakfast for dinner, and who think they love tacos – until they taste taco meat. They’re not so crazy about Mexican spices these days, so I decided to give them a twist on a standard taco. This is what I came up with: sausage, cheesy eggs, tater tots, and salsa piled on a flour tortilla. The boys were in heaven, and Joe and I really enjoyed this dinner too.

You could use whatever breakfast ingredients you like for these, really. You could use bacon, or sausage links or patties; you could add refried beans, avocado, or pico de gallo. You could leave off the tater tots, I guess, but I loved the texture and flavor that they added to these tacos. I bet you could even freeze these for easy breakfasts throughout the week. In any case, I will definitely be making them frequently, because Andrew and Will gave them two thumbs WAY up!

Breakfast Tacos

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage

6 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Tater tots, prepared according to package directions

Flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)

Salsa and sour cream for serving

1. Cook the sausage in a large skillet, using a wooden spoon to break it up into chunks, until sausage is browned and cook through. Remove to paper towels to drain.

2. Meanwhile, scramble the eggs and season them with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat in a large skillet until they’re softly scrambled. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.

3. Assemble the tacos by topping each flour tortilla with some of the eggs and sausage, a few tater tots, and salsa and sour cream.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crescents

It’s taken me 29 years, but I’m finally coming around to sweet breakfast foods. Growing up, I never ate sweet things like doughnuts or danishes for breakfast, because it bothered my stomach to have the first thing I ate in the mornings be so sugary. Maybe my stomach has gotten stronger with age, though, because I find I can definitely tolerate (and enjoy!) a sweet breakfast every now and then at this point in my life. So when I saw these cinnamon cream cheese crescents on Pinterest on a Friday night, I checked my fridge to make sure I had all of the ingredients I needed, and I made them on Saturday morning.

My family devoured these, and I was left wishing I’d made a double batch. The buttery, flaky crescent roll in combination with tangy cream cheese and cinnamon-sugar was just absolutely perfect. I’m sure you have most of these ingredients on hand, but if you don’t, rush out and get them today so you can have these for breakfast tomorrow. Your family will thank you!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crescents

adapted from Lil Luna

1 package crescent rolls

1 8-ounce tub of spreadable cream cheese

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Roll out the crescent dough into triangles. Spread cream cheese evenly over each triangle of dough, right to the edges.

3. Brush each triangle with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

4. Beginning with the wide side, roll up each triangle and pinch the edges together to seal. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Cake Batter Pancakes

I’ve always told Joe that if we ever have another baby, we need to try to time it so that the baby is born in February. We have the rest of the first five months of the year covered. Will’s birthday is in January, mine is in March, Joe’s is in April and Andrew’s is in May. We’re just missing February to make it five straight months of family birthdays. I really like little patterns/coincidences like that, because I’m a dork.

Anyway, because Will and I have already had our 2012 birthdays, we’ve already eaten these pancakes twice this year. The first time I made them (for Will’s birthday in January), I knew they would become a tradition in our family. They’re so delicious! And what a fun way to wake up on your birthday – to fragrant, cakey pancakes that are drowning in sprinkles and sugary glaze. Happy Birthday, indeed!

Cake Batter Pancakes
adapted from How Sweet It Is

For the pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 cups milk
Sprinkles or non-pareils

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix. Add 1 cup of milk, egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed (you want the batter to look like regular pancake batter, not too thick and not too thin).

2. Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more.

3. To make the glaze, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until glaze forms, adding more sugar and/or heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over pancakes and top with additional sprinkles or non-pareils.

Southwestern English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches

I’m pretty sure I’ve written about my love of breakfast sandwiches before. Interestingly, they’re not something I typically have for breakfast (except for the occasional fast food indulgence), but I love making them for dinner. And the sandwich combinations (in addition to eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.; you know, the usual suspects) are absolutely endless.

When I made this particular sandwich, I was thinking of the avocado eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise I’ve made before. They’re absolutely delicious, but between the poaching of the eggs and the making of the hollandaise sauce, they’re a little bit fussy. This sandwich hits the same flavor notes with much less fuss.

The sandwich starts with crispy bacon, which is balanced out perfectly by a few slices of creamy avocado. Pepper-jack cheese adds the perfect amount of spice, and a fried egg adds a silky, luxurious texture. I spread a thin layer of store-bought chipotle mayo on the sandwiches to add some smoky heat (you could easily make your own). The English muffin, with its nooks and crannies for catching the egg yolk, mayo, and avocado, is the perfect vehicle for the sandwich. These were a big hit with both Joe and me.

Southwestern English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches

English muffins, split and toasted
Eggs, fried to desired doneness
Bacon, cooked to desired crispness
Pepper-jack cheese
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Chipotle mayonnaise

Layer an egg, a few strips of bacon, a slice of cheese, and sliced avocado on the bottom half of an English muffin. Spread the top half of the English muffin with chipotle mayonnaise and add to the top of the sandwich, pressing slightly to break the egg yolk. Serve immediately.

Eggnog Pancakes

I can’t think of a beverage that signifies the holidays more than eggnog. It’s definitely one of Joe’s favorite things about the holiday season. As soon as eggnog starts appearing in the refrigerated dairy case at the grocery store, you can bet that there are at least two different kinds in our fridge. (Side note: This year we’re enjoying the heck out of this sugar cookie eggnog. Eggnog is typically too rich for me to drink from a glass, but I can definitely pound this version. If you see it at your grocery store, get it!)

In an attempt to get on Joe’s “nice list” (there are a few things I really want for Christmas this year!), I decided to make him some eggnog pancakes. And let me tell you, these pancakes got me on my own nice list. I want to buy myself lots of pretty things to reward myself for making them. They’re that good.

They’re soft and pillowy in texture on the inside, but they’re just shy of crisp on the outside, which is exactly the way I like my pancakes. The recipe contains no sugar, but the eggnog provides plenty of that sweet, custardy flavor. These pancakes really are perfection, and would be amazing for breakfast on Christmas Day!

Eggnog Pancakes
adapted from Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 cups eggnog
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In another bowl, beat eggs, eggnog and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

2. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown.