Freeze Ahead Breakfast

With the impending arrival of our little man fast approaching, I have been wanting to make a few different Make Ahead Meals to put in the freezer for after his arrival.

I must admit these last 8+ months I have gotten pretty lazy with cooking AND blogging about all my baking adventures...as my blog has reflected. I still have several baking posts to finish....eventually, maybe while I'm on maternity leave?! I'm assuming I will be even more lazy, or at least just won't have the time nor energy to make dinner once Baby Dexter is here, especially since I (fingers crossed) hope to exclusively breastfeed his first few months at least. 

Last weekend was a HUGE cooking weekend for me!! Aside from baking my last cake until the Fall, I did all my grocery shopping to prepare for my cooking event one day, poached my chickens and made homemade chicken broth another day, and prepared about 7 different meals on two other days.

Over the next week I will post several posts about the meals I made along with a few tips.      

Let's start with the most important meal of the day, breakfast!

I'm usually pretty boring when it comes to making myself breakfast, I usually stick to boring cereal, toast, or a bagel with cream cheese. Breakfast for dinner is a totally different story though and for an entirely different post, it's our favorite! When thinking about having a newborn around soon and not having a lot of time for breakfast in the mornings, I wanted to make sure I have the option of having something I can grab pretty quickly and make with little effort. I love me a McDonald's Egg McMuffin but am pretty sure I want to be leaving the house every morning with a little in tow to get one, plus all that added sodium and fat...we don't need. I decided to make my own breakfast burritos and sandwiches! These are quick, easy, filling, fairly inexpensive (compared to going to McD's every day), and I can control how much sodium is added to them.  

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. Pork Sausage

·         1 Pkg. Hash browns

·         8 to 12 Large eggs

·         1/4 cup milk

·         1 pkg. shredded cheese

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         1 to 2 pkg. flour tortillas

1. Brown sausage - drain on a paper towel.

2. Cook hash browns in the same pan.

3. While the hash browns are cooking - In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

4. Add browned sausage back to the pan with the cooked hash browns.

5. Add the eggs to the sausage mixture and cook until the eggs are done, stirring gently.

6. After eggs are done - lay a tortilla on counter. Place egg mixture on tortilla. Top with cheese. Roll into a burrito.

7. Depending on how many eggs you use and how large you make each burrito, will determine how many burritos you will end up with. I used ten eggs which made me twenty-five burritos.

8. Wrap each burritos in Saran wrap.  Then place the wrapped burritos in freezer zip-lock bags.

From Freezer: Take the number of burritos you want out of the freezer, unwrap Saran wrap and place burritos in a paper towel. Warm for 45 seconds, rotate, warm for an additional 30 seconds. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or plain.

Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients 

• 12  English muffins 
• 12 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices of cheese
• 1/2 pound of bacon

1. Start by cooking the bacon. I used turkey bacon because I love it more than regular bacon but either will work. I cooked my bacon in the oven on 350 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly browned, this is the best way to cook regular bacon so it won't curl up like it will in the microwave or in a skillet.

2. While the bacon cook, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Cook in large skillet over medium heat until scrabled.   
3. Once everything had finished cooking and slightly cooled, assemble the sandwiches. Break English muffins apart and put a spoonful of eggs, one slice of bacon (I split mine in halves to fit), and one slice of cheese on each muffin.

4. Wrap each sandwich in Saran wrap and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag. Then they are ready for the freezer.

From Freezer: Unwrap sandwich from saran wrap, place in paper towel and heat in microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.  

 Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Succulent Smoothie

One word: Deliciousness! I get tired of eating yogurt all by itself and can sometimes find it hard to east just fruit alone as a snack. This is a light yet filling low-fat smoothie that is so tasty I want to make this everyday! It is under 300 calories, less than 1 gram of fat and full of nothing but good healthy stuff. It's perfect for breakfast and it actually makes enough for two if you want to share for more of a snack.

Orange-Blueberry Lassi

1 cup blueberries
1 cup calcium fortified orange juice
6 oz low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 ice cubes

In a blender combine all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a tall glass and serve. How easy is that!

YUMMY!!!!!! I can't wait to make another one tomorrow morning :)

Breakfast for Dinner

One of our favorites meals to have for dinner is breakfast. I think breakfast for dinner might even be better than having breakfast for breakfast! ;) Dave would LOVE if I made breakfast every day of the week for dinner, however I try to make it once a week. I like making my own homemade waffles! They are very easy and taste SOOO much better than the frozen ones or the box of premade mix which taste similar to cardboard.

Note: I normally don't use this much butter, it was just for the picture!

The Basic Waffle

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-3/4 cups milk
• 6 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs

Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until well blended and smooth. Let batter sit 5 minutes. Preheat waffle maker... spray with Pam before each use then pour 1/2 cup batter onto the center of the griddle and cook until done.

Whole Wheat Waffles

• 1- 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat four
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts (optional)

Combine and cook as directed above. Both make 8 - 6 1/2 inch round waffles

A Valentines Brunch

Looking for the perfect Valentines Brunch to make for your special someone?

Look no further because I found it! I don't remember where I found this recipe last year (I think from Food Network) but I made these little pieces of heaven last Valentines Day. I wasn't a huge fan of crepes prior to this but made it because my husband loves them and I've yet to come across anything that includes chocolate and fruit that I don't like. The chocolate crepes paired with the sweet filling and fruity sauce made me fall in love them! I swear this was the best breakfast I've ever made, swear :)

If making this for just 2 I would recommend halving the recipe as I learned it makes a lot!

Chocolate Crepes with Fresh Strawberries

Makes about 14-16 crepes

For Crepes:

• 1 1/2 cups four
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp confectioner' sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a large size mixing bowl, combine butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil and whisk until blended. Add the dry mixture a little at a time to the liquid mixture, whisking until smooth. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot spray with oil, remove from hear and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around to spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook until lightly golden, 30-40 seconds. Turn the crepe over and cook the other side for about 15 seconds. Remove from pan. Repeat the process until all the batter is used.

For Filling:

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in sour cream, sugar, strawberries, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Put 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the crepe. Fold the bottom of the crepe up over the filling and then fold in both sides. Place onto a plate and drizzle with sauce.

For Sauce:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups berried chopped (I pureed fruit for the sauce also)
  

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the sugar and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the berries and continue cooking for about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over crepes and serve.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I love baking with pumpkin, it makes the house smell so good and it feels like Fall. This was my first recipe baking with my fresh pumpkin and I'm not sure I can go back! These muffins where so moist and delicious! I brought them to work today and a couple co-workers that don't even like pumpkin loved them! It's a super easy recipe that can be baked in regular size muffin tin or mini. I wanted to use my mini muffin tin for the first time so I made mini's, aren't they the cutest little things!!

Mini's!!

Pumpkin Ginger Spice Muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/3 cup melted butter
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 2 Tbsp well chopped candied ginger (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Fold in the candied ginger and chopped nuts. Spoon mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack. Makes 12 regular size muffins, I got 35 mini muffins.

I opted not add nuts or candied ginger and they were really good. I think I might even add some of the pumpkin cream cheese for a filling... ooh I think that would just be heaven!!

Homemade Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Bagels are one of my favorite breakfast foods! Unfortunately where we live now there are no bagels places anywhere close, we would have to drive at least 20 minutes just for a bagel! So I decided to try my hand at making homemade bagels. Then I found this recipe for Pumpkin cream cheese that sounds absolutely amazing that I just had to made BOTH as soon as possible. I made the bagels with white whole wheat flour (slightly more healthy) and didn't use the full amount of flour. They are best toasted.

Homemade Bagels

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.

Don't worry they get bigger once boiled!

Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling.

Dough will sink the bottom once in water, made sure to move them so they don't stick to the pan. They will rise to the top within a few seconds.

Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering. When the bagels are ready, put about 4 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once.

Nice and puffy!

Drain them on a towel. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Ready to Eat!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

I made the cream cheese with fresh pumpkin from in a previous post. This pumpkin cream cheese is all that I hoped it for. It was very easy to make and came together in 5 minutes. It is soo delicious I made a double batch!!

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti's

My second cherry recipe and it is delicious!!! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, it had a ton a reviews. I used the candied cherries I made myself a few months ago. I made 2 batches of these biscotti's and instead of using white chocolate to drizzle over them, since I didn't have any, I used regular melting chocolate.

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsps almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate
  

Preheat over to 350F degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs on at a time, then stir in the almond extract. Combine the flour and backing powder; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in candied cherries and mini chocolate chips. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into two 10 inch long loaves. Place rolls 5 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet; flatten each to 3 inch width.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and lightly golden brown. Coll 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices cut side down on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 20 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Turn and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp.

Cool completely. Melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. Store in tightly covered containers. Keep for weeks!

Chocolate Crepes

Valentine's Day morning I made the most delicious breakfast ever...Chocolate Crepes with Fresh Strawberries and I added my leftover blackberries. Before this I was never a big fan of crepes (or my husband calls them "creeppies") but after making this recipe that totally changed! I found this recipe on Food Network also from Emeril Lagasse.

Chocolate Crepes with Fresh Strawberries - makes about 14 crepes
For the Crepes:

• 1 1/2 cups four
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp confectioner' sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a large size mixing bowl, combine butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil and whisk until blended. Add the dry mixture a little at a time to the liquid mixture, whisking until smooth. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot spray with oil, remove from hear and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around to spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook until lightly golden, 30-40 seconds. Turn the crepe over and cook the other side for about 15 seconds. Remove from pan. Repeat the process until all the batter is used.

Filling:

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in sour cream, sugar, strawberries, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Put 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the crepe. Fold the bottom of the crepe up over the filling and then fold in both sides. Place onto a plate and drizzle with sauce.

Sauce:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups berried chopped (I pureed fruit for the sauce also)
  

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the sugar and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the berries and continue cooking for about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over crepes and serve.