Cinnabon Coffee Cake

This recipe is great for when you want cinnamon rolls but don't have the time. Or for when you have way too many cubes of  butter in your fridge.  Either way, it is super good.

This recipe was floating around facebook for a while, but I'm not sure of the origins beyond that.

3 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 c sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2 stick (1 cup) butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2/3 c nuts

2 c powdered sugar

5 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1. With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, 2 T flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Crescents

I love making (and eating) cinnamon rolls, but it does take a chunk of time.  Last Sunday I quickly made these, and while they aren't the same thing as rolls from scratch, they are still plenty yummy!

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

Filling

5 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup white sugar
2½ teaspoons cinnamon

 

Glaze

2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered Sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Unroll crescent rolls.  Mix together filling ingredients and spread onto dough triangles.  Roll up and place tip side down on a cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 375.

Mix glaze ingredients and place into a baggie.  Snip the corner.  Drizzle the glaze over the hot rolls.

Quick Cobbler

I forgot to get a finished product picture of this one, because we munched it up. But here is the pretty summer fruit:

This is such a simple recipe.  Take 32 oz frozen fruit (or enough to cover a 9x13), top with 1 box cake mix (or substitute), top with one can of sprite/7-up/fizzy drink, bake at 350 covered for 20 minutes, and then uncovered for 40 more.  Simple and summer yummy!

Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins

Abigail helped make these muffins last week.  We ate them while they were still gooey warm, and a dozen disappeared in one sitting.

1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Generous handful of chocolate chips (we used mini)

1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil

This is a standard muffin recipe.  Mix the wet. Mix the dry.  Combine.  Pour into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Caramel French Toast

We had this for Beatrix's birthday dinner. I thought it was already on the blog, so I missed taking a picture of it, though. The recipe calls for two layers of sandwich bread. I thought we were going out the morning of B's birthday, so I was going to pick up another loaf, however when we woke up to lots and lots of snow we stayed home. But then when it was time to make up the casserole and I didn't have enough bread, I dug through the freezer and only found some hotdogs buns. So I opened them up and placed flat for one layer, and it actually turned out really well. I think the extra fluff helped. So, long story short, use fluffy bread, like Texas Toast, for best results.

Stir together and bring to boil over a medium heat, then pour into the bottom of a 9x13:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbl light corn syrup

Top with 6 slices of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Top with 6 more pieces of bread and another layer of cinnamon sugar.

Beat together and pour over bread:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes at 350.

The caramel sauce is on the bottom, so when you serve it try to flip each piece upside down onto the plate.

Banana Bundt Bread

I was looking for something fun to do with ripe bananas, and this recipe was a winner. Nathanael isn't a big banana fan, but he found this recipe "a very acceptable use of bananas."

1 cube butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 T sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Grease a bundt pan, and coat sides (like you would flour a pan) with sugar.
2. Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in banana and sour cream.
3. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to banana mixture.
4. Spoon half of batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and remaining 2T sugar. Add other half of batter.
5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness, keeping in mind the gooey chocolate layer.
6. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

Berry French Toast Bake

(I have a few crazy children who don't like berries, so I didn't put them over the entire thing.)

12-1" slices French bread (stale is better)
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar (divided)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups berries (I used mixed, but anything works)

Place bread in a greased 9x13.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.

Sprinkle nuts over mixture. Combine remaining brown sugar and butter and drizzle over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with berries and bake 10 minutes longer, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Easy Cheesy Salsa Potatoes

How can you go wrong with a recipe with both easy and cheesy in the title?

2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of whatever (original recipe called for condensed cheddar, but I used cream of chicken, and still tasted great)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bag (24 oz) frozen hash browns, thawed
1 cup plain bread crumbs (I used cracker crumbs instead)
1/4 cup melted butter

Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13. (Picture shows a half recipe, smaller casserole dish)

Mix cheese, salsa, onion, sour cream, soup and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in potatoes and spread into dish.

In small bowl mix the crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over potatoes.

Bake 45-60 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Sausage Casserole

I found this recipe in the local paper, and really enjoyed it. Does anyone know a trick so that the grated potatoes don't start turning pink before they go into the oven?

1 pound ground sausage
3 cups shredded potatoes, drained and pressed
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded onion
1 16 oz container of cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs (This is the first recipe I've ever seen that called for jumbo eggs. Does anyone know the egg conversion? I just used 7.)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9x13.

Cook sausage, drain and place on paper towel covered plate.

Stir potatoes and butter together and place in the 9x13, lining the bottom and up the sides.

In a bowl, mix the sausage, cheese, onion, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour over the potatoes.

Bake 1 hour, and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Rolls

This cinnamon roll recipe uses the bread machine to make the dough, and makes just the very best cinnamon rolls. It takes just under 3 hours, start to finish, but each step is quite simple. The recipe below is straight from RecipeZaar.com, which a few notes added from me in purple.

Super Fantastic Cinnamon Rolls, recipe 203785 from RecipeZaar.

Dough

• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened

Frosting

• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer. Select DOUGH cycle press Start.
2. In separate bowl combine cinnamon and sugar.
3. After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a 16x24 rectangle. Spread dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Roll up dough (start on the long side) and cut into 12 rolls. (Sometimes I make 18 rolls, and put into two 9x9 pans, and freeze one after cutting.) Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise until almost doubled (about 30 min). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Bake rolls for 14-16 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls.

*********
I used half whole wheat dough, to make them a bit healthier. I know, I know.... But that is why they look a bit darker than regular dough.

After cutting, before rising:
After the rise:
Fresh out of the oven:
Frosted:

French Toast Strata

As I post this I realize that I have a lot of brunch bake recipes. I like them for a bunch of reasons.

1) They are usually cheap to make.

2) Related to 1, they use up leftovers well. This one uses up the last of the French Bread loaf before it turns to a rock on the countertop.

3) I love having dinner made at 10 in the morning and not have to worry about it at 4 or 5, which is generally the hour when my kids are most demanding. (To put it kindly.)

4) I'm the cook, and I think they are yummy!

French Toast Strata

4 cups of day old French Bread, but into 3/4" cubes (you can use a little more, but make sure they don't end up more than one layer thick.)
1/3 cup golden raisins. (Regular raisins work, too, but they kids will detect them easier.)
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/4" cubes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbl sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Spray 11x7 baking dish. Place bread cubes on the bottom. Sprinkle raisins and cream cheese on top.

Beat eggs. Add milk, syrup and vanilla. Mix well and pour over the bread mixture.

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the strata. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until puffy and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Bottom Layer
4 cups frozen hash browns (at least partially thawed) - Today I had potatoes o'brien in the freezer, and it was especially tasty
1 cube melted butter or margarine

Press hash browns into the bottom of a 9x13. Pour melted butter on top. Bake for 425 for 25 minutes.

Egg Layer
Beat together:
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Stir in:
2 cups sausage
4 cups cheese - a combo of 2 would be tasty. I had the cheese blend from the big Costco bag
2 chopped green onions

Pour on top of the hash browns and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Seth ate it all, Abigail about half, and Zachary none. About typical for dinner around here. I'm sure it would also work to cut the recipe in half and make in an 8x8.

Cheese Strata

I was looking for a recipe to use up some extra bread and this fit the bill. It also was a success with all of the kids!
6-7 slices of bread, crusts removed
3 cups of grated cheddar
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tbl minced onion
1 tsp Johnny's Seasoning Salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13. Arrange the bread in one layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. In a medium bowl mix together the milk, eggs, and seasonings. Pour over bread and cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.

Egg-o-muffins

The egg-o-muffin is a critical part of the Willamette University experience. I ordered this meal at least once a week at the "Cat Cavern" diner where my friends and I would always eat lunch. The big draw was that they served breakfast all day.

to prepare this must-have staple, cut an English muffin into 2 and put the two sides face down on the pan, fry in margarine or oil. This is a crucial step. If you just toast them in the toaster you miss that crispy yet greasy goodness part. Meanwhile, scramble an egg in a bowl, then fry thin and flat. Fold it over to fit the English muffin and add a slice of cheese on top. (To melt the cheese faster, take the lid from a large pan and place it on top of the egg for a few moments.) Put the sandwich all together, and don't forget the hash browns on the side... the other important part of the egg-o-muffin meal!

It's a breakfast fit for a princess...

Taquito Brunch Skillet

This recipe came out of "In the Kitchen: The Costco Way," which Costco was handing out for free the day after Thanksgiving. I made it for lunch today, and it was SO good! We had spicy taquitos in the freezer, so I figured it was a bit much for the kids, so they got good old scrambled eggs instead. And we all had some of the cinnamon muffins posted below.

2 Tbl olive oil or butter
2 cups potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup diced onions
10 taquitos, thawed and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa (Since we had spicy taquitos I doubled the tomatoes and skipped the salsa)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup olives (I skipped)
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (calls for Mexican blend, I just used cheddar)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and onions and fry until potatoes are soft and onions translucent. (The recipe said 2 minutes, but it took MUCH longer for my potatoes to cook.)

Add diced taquitos, celery, salsa, tomatoes and olives. Cook until heated through.

Break eggs into a bowl and wisk. Add cheese and stir. Pour mixture into skillet.

Cook until eggs are done and serve immediately.

Garnish with fried onions or bacon bits or cilantro if desired.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

This recipe comes from The Ashley Inn in Cascade,ID. The hotel looks big and modern on the outside, but inside is full of quaint & beautiful antiques. Each room is decorated in a different theme. They are famous for their breakfast buffet. This dish was so delicious that I have to admit I went back for 2nds (and 3rds). I asked for the recipe and they were gracious enough to mail it to me.

12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries (OK to use frozen)
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. arrange half the bread cubes in the dish,
and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream
cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla & maple syrup. Pour over the bread
cubes. Cover & refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 25-30 minutes more, until center is
firm and surface is lightly brown.


SAUCE: Start when there is about 20 minutes left on casserole timer:

1 cup white sugar
2 Tbl cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 Tbl butter

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3-4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter. Pour over the baked french toast.

OVERNIGHT EGGS

A GREAT WAY TO MAKE A YUMMY BREAKFAST AHEAD OF TIME IS TO MAKE THIS DISH ALONG WITH THE OVERNIGHT ROLLS. WE OFTEN MAKE BOTH FOR HOLIDAY MORNINGS OR WHEN WE HAVE COMPANY. A FRUIT SALAD ROUNDS OUT THE MEAL.

2 CUPS MILK
1 DOZEN EGGS
1 TSP DRY MUSTARD
8 SLICES WHITE BREAD (I USE A LIGHT WHEAT BREAD)
1 POUND COOKED SAUSAGE, CRUMBLED & DRAINED
3/4 # GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE (I USUALLY USE A LITTLE LESS)

REMOVE CRUSTS FROM BREAD & CUBE BREAD.
BEAT MILK, EGGS, & DRY MUSTARD TOGETHER

LAYER IN 9X13" PAN:
BREAD CUBES
SAUSAGE
GRATED CHEESE
EGG MIXTURE

MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE, COVER WITH FOIL, & REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.
TAKE FOIL OFF IN THE MORNING.
BAKE AT 350 FOR 1 HOUR
IF MAKING WITH OVERNIGHT ROLLS, PUT EGGS IN FOR 1/2 HR, THEN ADD ROLLS AND FINISH COOKING THE OTHER 1/2 HOUR.

IF YOU HAVE A LARGER CROWD, JUST INCREASE THE INGREDIENT AMTS.
(THIS TOO IS A VERY FORGIVING RECIPE :)

Overnight Rolls

Overnight Rolls

Mom has made these for Christmas morning as long as I can remember. They are so simple to make and tasty! A real kid pleaser, too.

• Rhodes frozen white rolls. You'll need 24, but the packages come in bigger or smaller amounts.
• 1 small package butterscotch pudding mix. (Recipe officially calls for "cook and serve," but instant will work, too.)
• 1 cube margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans (I usually skip so the kids will eat them)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Put frozen rolls in the bottom of a bundt pan, in one layer.
   
2. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over the rolls
3. Melt butter and sugar together and pour over the rolls
4. Sprinkle with nuts and then cinnamon
5. Cover with towel and let rise overnight. (I've also turned the oven to warm, then turned it off and put the rolls inside and they are ready in a few hours.)
6. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If they start getting too dark cover with foil.
7. Invert onto a plate and enjoy!
   

Fire & Ice Brunch Bake

I'll start with what I made for lunch this afternoon!

Fire & Ice Brunch Bake

1 cup uncooked rice
12 oz ground sausage
3/4 c salsa
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese - shredded
6 eggs
salt and pepper

1. Cook the rice.
2. Crumble and cook the sausage.
3. In a big bowl stir together cooked rice and sausage. Add salsa and sour cream. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.
4. Spread mixture into greased 9x13.
5. Using a 1/4 cup metal measuring cup make 6 indentations into the rice mixture
6. Break one egg into each indentation.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
9. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
10. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melty and eggs are set.

I served this with Mom's overnight roll recipe, which I'll post next.