Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

 It's the time of year when I usually begin craving comfort food, as the temperature has cooled down some, and the mornings and evenings are crisp. I adore fall and always look forward to cooking up some meals that are heartier than summer's fare. This dish is perfect for any meal, as we've eaten it not only for breakfast, but it makes a tasty lunch or dinner as well.

 This delicious Farmer's Breakfast Casserole is the perfect 8x8 inch size for my husband and I. There's just enough yummy leftovers for us for a couple of days, plus this dish reheats really well. The casserole starts with a layer of frozen hash browns, then ham, green onion and cheese is layered over the potatoes. Beaten eggs are pour over all. It bakes for about an hour. Don't expect the hash browns to be crispy though. The hash browns are soft and very moist after baking. If not baked long enough I think it could be watery, so be sure to allow time for it to fully cook.

Farmer's Breakfast Casserole
Slightly adapted from here-
This dish can be put together the night before, covered and placed in the fridge, and baked in the morning. Baking time may be longer. Also, according to BHG, you can double the ingredients and place in a 9x13 baking pan. Again I imagine baking time would be longer, and I have not tried it.

Ingredients:
3 cups of frozen hash browns- I use the shredded ones
1/4 cup diced green onions
1 cup of diced ham, or can use cooked sausage
1 cup shredded cheese- I used Colby-Jack
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt- I used less because the ham was so salty
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8x2 inch (2 quarts), baking pan. Pour the 3 cups of frozen hash browns into pan and distribute evenly in the pan. Sprinkle potatoes with the green onions, ham and then the cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together and pour over all. Bake in oven for about 50 minutes, until eggs are set and top is golden. Pierce middle with a knife to test for it to be done. The casserole will puff up during baking. Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel

 I am so happy that fall is here! I want to spend more time in the kitchen when the cooler weather arrives, and I always love trying new pumpkin and apple recipes to add to my recipe collection . I must admit that I've struggled with cooking and blogging the last few months since I had surgery, but fall is my favorite time to experiment in the kitchen. This Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel is delicious and was a real treat for my husband and I. We both love pumpkin so there's nothing bad to say about this recipe. This cake is not as heavy and moist as my pumpkin bread, because it uses butter instead of oil. The streusel is so yummy with the toasted pecans and made this cake such a treat with a steaming mug of coffee! I also love the size of the cake; it's made in a 9 inch springform pan so it's not too huge for a small group. It was perfect for us. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
(The only thing I changed in the recipe was the spice amounts.)

Ingredients:
For the streusel;
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (Spread pecans on baking sheet; toast   at 325 for 5 minutes. Cool before adding to streusel.)

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
about 2-3 teaspoons of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.

To make the streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the butter; use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Or you may use  a food processor. Stir in the pecans. Set aside.

For batter; in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, until combined. beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the pumpkin and sour cream and mix. Stir in the dry ingredients. Batter is very thick.

Spread half the batter in the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and spread over the streusel as best you can. (This was the hardest part of the recipe for me as the batter does not want to spread well. but it turns out delicious anyway.) Top with the remaining streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake come out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Place pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan from the cake and slide cake onto rack to finish cooling.

To glaze, whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Place cake on serving platter. Drizzle glaze over cake. Enjoy!

Mushroom and Pepper Frittata for Two

 Sometimes I need an easy meal. Just like everyone else, My husband and I have very busy lives. I'm now back to babysitting our adorable granddaughters; the on-the-go 3 year old, and her almost 3 month old baby sister who so far is rather laid back and still likes to sleep most of the time. So every weekday is very busy, and sometimes unpredictable. Last night I wanted something quick to make so I scouted out the fridge and used just what was available to make a Frittata for Two. It's not fancy, and it won't make it into the latest cooking magazine, but boy was it good! Filled with mushrooms and those small, sweet mini peppers that are in the produce isle, and a few other ingredients, I had a main dish ready in just a few minutes. And it was so good with toast and fresh fruit.

Mushroom and Pepper Frittata for Two
from Lynda's Recipe Box
Just about any veggies and any cheese will work. I used ingredients that were just leftover basically. Zucchini is good too. Here's my list.

4 large eggs
3 tablespoons half and half
about 2 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup diced red onion
3 fresh, sweet mini peppers, coarsely chopped
about 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1-2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peppers and mushrooms and onions, or other veggies of choice. Beat the eggs and half and half in a bowl with some salt and pepper. Heat an 8 inch skillet over medium heat. A non-stick skillet would be perfect, but I used a stainless steel pan and it worked fine, but I needed more fat so the frittata wouldn't stick. Also, make sure your skillet is oven safe.
Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. When it is melted add the mushrooms and stir around for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and peppers, and more butter only if needed and season with a little salt. Saute until softened a minute or two. Add the egg mixture and shredded cheese to the skillet and mix. Let cook a couple of minutes. Place frittata into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the frittata is set. It shouldn't jiggle when shaken. Add a bit of cheese to the top is desired,and bake for a minute,just until cheese is melted. Carefully remove skillet from the oven. NOTE! Handle is screaming hot! IT is so easy to forget to use a potholder when taking this out of the oven. (Has anyone other than me ever grabbed a handle in the oven, not thinking?  sigh.) Cut and serve; it is yummy.

Home-style Egg, Canadian Bacon and English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

I know, this is hardly an original breakfast posting since the Golden Arches has been making similar breakfast sandwiches for years. But I love making them at home and making sure they are a bit healthier too. In my 20's I loved stopping at McDonald's on my way to work in the mornings and ordering this sandwich to start my day. I took my grandson out to breakfast last week, the day before school started, and he wanted to go to McDonald's, so I ordered my old favorite. While it was good, I prefer making them at home now.
Since I am in the process of trying to lose some weight, here's my healthier version if you'd like to try. You probably don't need directions for this, but just in case there is a new cook reading this, here's the method.

 Egg, Canadian Bacon and English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich
Inspired by the Egg McMuffin

I use the low calorie, whole wheat English Muffins. Toast the muffins. Butter lightly with a low-fat butter spread.
In a non stick skillet over medium low heat, add 1 scrambled egg. I push it around into somewhat of a circle as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. Flip over to finish cooking. Place egg on the large half of the muffin. Warm thinly sliced Canadian bacon in the skillet and place on top the egg. I don't usually use cheese with these anymore, but this time I added about 1/2 ounce of shredded cheddar cheese on top and broiled it just until the cheese melted. Top with other half of muffin. Enjoy!

My Favorite Zucchini Bread

 It's that time of year when an over-abundance of some garden vegetables will start showing up on doorsteps, or maybe your desk at work. It even shows up at our church once in awhile. I had zucchini given to me by my daughter-in-law K, and it was given to her at her workplace. So I turned it into my favorite Zucchini Bread.

 This recipe comes from an old church cookbook that I've had since before I was married (34 years ago). Some of our favorite dishes came from that book, and this Zucchini Bread recipe is one of them. It is moist and delicious, full of cinnamon and the pecans I add. My house smells like cinnamon roasted pecans while it bakes. Yum! If you've been given an abundance of zucchini, give this bread a try. I don't think you'll be sorry.

My Favorite Zucchini Bread
Adapted from an old church cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups grated, raw zucchini- do not drain
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar. Mix well and add the grated zucchini.
In another bowl add the flour, cinnamon,baking powder, soda, and salt and mix well.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir in the nuts just until blended. Divide batter evenly between the 2 prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes until done. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the bread to loosen it from pan. Turn bread loaves out of pans and cool on racks. Wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap. Enjoy!
Click here for more quick bread recipes.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

 I have been enjoying blueberries so much this summer, and these bars are one of the recipes I adore. These Blueberry Crumb Bars have a delicious, crisp crust, a yummy blueberry filling with just a hint of lemon from some lemon zest, and the topping is full of toasted almonds. They are addictive to me and taste delicious anytime of day. I love them with my morning coffee, or for an afternoon pick-me-up. I first shared this recipe the first year I had my blog, so I wanted to share again because it is so good, plus I have adjusted it a little. Hope you give these delicious bars a try.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from Epicurious

Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks), chilled, unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds-used in the top crust

Filling:
3 1/2 - 4 cups of fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation:
For Crust:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the flour, salt, oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the 1 cup of cold butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers. The mixture should resemble small crumbs about the size of peas.
Transfer 2 cups of the crust mixture to a small bowl. Mix in the almonds and reserve this for the topping.
Press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust 15 -20 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool 10 minutes.

For Filling:
In a bowl, mix sugar, flour and lemon zest together. Add the blueberries and toss well. Spread blueberry mixture evenly over the crust in pan, then sprinkle the reserved topping evenly over the filling.
Bake bars until filling bubbles thickly at edges and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. When cool cut into bars and enjoy as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

NOTE: These bars are best served the day they are made, because of the nice crisp crust and topping. They soften the next day, but they are certainly still delicious.

Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins (Or, Heavenly Cinnamon Muffins, I Say)

 If you love the taste and fragrance of cinnamon, you will adore these  fantastic Cinnamon Muffins. The house smells amazing as these tender , fragrant muffins bake. Really, these are some of the best muffins I have ever had, and my husband who is not as excited about muffins as I am, has devoured them, singing their praises with each bite! I've made them a couple of times so far, and gave some of this batch away as soon as they were out of the oven. I find them addictive and hard to resist, so better some of them are at my son's house.

 The downside to these  Cinnamon Muffins is that I use 4 bowls to mix these up. One bowl for the topping, one for the filling, and two for the batter. But they are worth it once you take a bite. There is a pocket of moist, rich cinnamon filling, plus cinnamon chips are mixed in the batter for even more flavor. I added more cinnamon to the nutty streusel topping too. The recipe states that you can add a confectioners sugar glaze to the top of the muffins, and truly it does dress them up, but it's is not needed at all. I did half with a glaze and the others without. Both ways are delicious. I hope all you cinnamon lovers out there will give these Sinful Cinnamon Muffins a try. They won't disappoint.

Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins
Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
Note: This recipe is supposed to make 12 muffins, but I made 15 this time. When I first made these, the batter spread out over the pan and I lost some of my filling. So making 15 instead works for me.

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans- walnuts or almonds are good too
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Filling:
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon- I used Saigon Cinnamon
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Add 1 teaspoon of water if needed to get it creamed together. It will be thick, like brownie batter.

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup cinnamon chips- I used Hershey's- you can substitute butterscotch chips instead, if desired

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it. (I used 15 muffin cups.)
1. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs together. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the cinnamon chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, and stir until just combined.
2. Divide half the batter among the muffins cups. Dollop about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon filling onto each muffin. (IF you make 15 muffins, you'll use about 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon filling). Top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with crumbly topping. Press it in lightly.
3. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven, but wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Almond Coffee Cake

 I love a good coffee cake, especially when it's not too sweet first thing in the morning. This Strawberry Coffee Cake is dense, yet tender because of the addition of sour cream, and bursting with strawberries. There is a light glaze on this breakfast cake, but it isn't sugary sweet. I love that this cake is small, which is perfect for my husband and I now that we are empty nesters. The original recipe was made with raspberries, but I had strawberries I needed to use. I'll definitely be making this again. If you enjoy coffee cake, this one is delicious and quick to prepare. Hope you'll give it a try.

Strawberry Almond Coffee Cake
Adapted from Noble Pig

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, diced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sliced almonds

GLAZE:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
about 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch round cake pan.
1. In a small bowl, toss the strawberries and thee brown sugar together. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together.
3. In bowl, add the egg, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla together.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix well. Batter will be very dense and thick.
4. Spread half the batter over the bottom of the prepared cake pan. The easiest way is to drop small spoon fulls around and then smooth it out over the bottom of the pan. You'll think there isn't enough batter, but it really will come together just fine.
5. Spoon the strawberries and sugar over the batter. Again, spoon small amounts of remaining batter over the strawberries and bottom layer. Carefully spread the batter out as best as possible, with a swirling motion. I used a large spoon to spread batter, but an off-set spatula will work too. Sprinkle with almonds.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes until done when a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, and cake is lightly golden.
7. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of pan before inverting cake onto serving platter. Mix together glaze and drizzle over the cake. Enjoy!
Can't wait to try this with blueberries, and also raspberries.

Strawberry Quick Bread

 This Strawberry Quick bread is full of moist, strawberry flavor. It is a perfect accompaniment with your morning coffee, and equally good with afternoon tea. Strawberries are my favorite berry, but I usually find ways to use them fresh. But this quick bread is excellent in flavor and texture. I normally add pecans to this bread, but left them out this time and it's still delicious. If you are a strawberry addict like me, and enjoy a good slice of bread, you need to try this Strawberry Quick Bread. I think you will really enjoy it. This bread would be great to make for Mother's Day also.

STRAWBERRY QUICK BREAD

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup mashed strawberries- I used 1 1/3 cups

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the nuts, flour, sugar, soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, eggs, mashed strawberries and oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, just until combined and flour is incorporated.

3. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan to a rack to cool.

For best flavor, moistness and easiest slicing, wrap the bread and let it sit overnight before cutting. Quick breads are best when they are allowed to rest overnight. It somehow gives them time for the best flavor and moistness to develop. Then enjoy a slice or 2 of this fantastic bread!

NOTE: King Arthur Flour also gives directions to make this into Rhubarb Bread.



Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones

When I saw this recipe for Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones, I knew they were in my near future. I had never had a savory scone before, but with bacon and cheese as ingredients, I knew these just had to be tasty. And are they ever good! These savory scones would be a delicious addition to Easter brunch and they are also really good served with soup or salad. The first time I halved the recipe and used half and half instead of cream, because that's what I had on hand. But the scones are more tender when made with heavy cream like the recipe calls for. I also added some coarse ground pepper, but I didn't think it added anything to the taste. If you are worried about calories, make mini scones. With smokey bacon, oozing cheese and the oniony chives, these scones are irresistable.

Scones are easy to make, just don't overwork the dough. Stir up the ingredients, then pat the dough into an even circle, and cut into wedges. If you want to make mini scones, divide the dough in half and then cut into wedges.

These scones bake quickly! I almost left mine in the oven too long and you can see how golden they got. They were done in less time than the recipe stated. These Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones taste amazing, so I hope you'll give them a try!

BACON-CHEDDAR-CHIVE SCONES

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt- recipe calls for 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup coarsely grated  or diced cheddar cheese

1/3 cup snipped fresh chives -can use diced scallion tops

1/2 pound cooked bacon, crumbled - about 1 cup

3/4 cups heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons more if needed

about 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground pepper- not really needed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or grease it.

1. Whisk together flour,salt, baking powder, and sugar.

2. Use a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until unevenly crumbly

3. Mix the bacon, cheese and chives in with the flour mixture.

4. Add 3/4 cup of the heavy cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it is too crumbly and there are many crumbs in the bottom of the bowl, add the extra 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the sticky dough to a floured work surface.

5. Pat the dough into about a 7 inch disk about 3/4 inch thick. Place dough on prepared baking sheet.

6. Use a knife to cut the disk of dough into 8 wedges. Spread the wedges apart on the pan.

7. Brush each scone with some cream. This will help them to brown.

8. Bake the scones for 22-24 minutes until golden brown. Mine were done in 19 minutes, so watch carefully! Mini scones will bake in 15-20 minutes. Remove scones from oven. Serve them warm, if possible, but room temperature is fine also.

TIPS:

These scones can be made several hours ahead of time, or even the night before, and then baked right before serving. To do this, get them ready for baking, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place baking pan with scones in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight. The next morning, remove plastic wrap and place scones in preheated oven and bake per directions. Enjoy!

Unbaked scones can also be frozen. Place scones on baking sheet, and freeze them. Remove frozen scones and wrap artight in freezer bags and place in freezer. When ready to bake, place scones on a baking sheet, brush with cream and bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 35-40 minute. Watch carefully.



Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 Muffins are a sweet morning indulgence, one that I don't indulge in too often.  When I find a muffin that I love, I go overboard, having a couple in the morning, maybe a another one for a mid afternoon snack, and of course one (okay, 2) in the evening. These lovely Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins were so irresistible. With a soft crumb and tangy lemon flavor, they were just too good, too tempting to pass by. The first time I made them, I didn't glaze them as I never glaze any muffins I make. Don't need the extra sugar, I'd think. But this time I used a glaze and that sweet, lemony glaze put these muffins over the top in the flavor department. Superb, tart flavor. I love them and hope you will too.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, which she adapted from
Dori Greenspan
Makes 12 muffins

2/3 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon- I used 2 tablespoons and wouldn't use less
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1. Place a rack in center of oven, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a regular sized muffin pan with baking spray, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl add the sugar and the lemon zest and rub it together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and the lemon fragrance is strong. Mix in the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and the melted butter until blended. Pour the liquid ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix together just until blended. Don't over mix! That will cause a tough crumb. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Tops will be golden and tooth pick inserted will come out clean.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove each muffin from pan.
4. There was not a recipe for the glaze given, so I mixed together 1 cup powdered sugar with enough fresh lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. Enjoy!

Store muffins in airtight container.

Aspargus, Ham and Fried Egg Stacks for Brunch

 I have news today. I have purchased my own domain so I am now Lynda's Recipe Box dot com! I had thought about it for awhile and am glad I did it. Those of you who have subscribed to my site should not have any trouble recieving my posts, according to Google, but if you do, let me know.
Now to the food. Boy was this small meal delicious. I've made it for breakfast and for dinner lately when I was alone for a meal. My husband hasn't been interested so far, but that just leaves more for me! So easy to put together and it tastes fantastic. My egg looks rather bad because I spooned hot butter over the top of it when it was cooking. I wasn't thinking how it would look in pictures, but trust me it tasted great. I'd been lazy making breakfast lately, giving in to a bowl of cold cereal for several weeks. I guess I finally got hungry for a good morning meal again after reading Larry's breakfast posts. I've been looking for different ways to prepare asparagus when I came across this idea. It was love at first bite. It will be my lunch tomorrow also. I hope you'll give this Asparagus, Ham and Fried Egg Stack a try.

Asparagus, Ham and Fried Egg Stacks
from Lynda's Recipe Box- the idea came from here

No recipe needed really. I put about an inch of water in a skillet and brought it to a boil. Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until crisp tender, then drain. In a skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon butter and lightly brown ham. Remove ham, reduce heat and add 1 egg to skillet. I cooked it sunny side up so the yolk would be runny and I think that's the best way, but cook it anyway you wish. Place ham on plate and stack with the asparagus and egg. Salt and pepper to taste. I'm sure you can tell I like pepper. Enjoy this meal any time of day!
What are some of your favorite ways to prepare asparagus?

Blueberry Scones with Orange Glaze

With blueberry season here I thought I'd share this delicious scone recipe from the archives. The first time I made these scones, I didn't care at all for the runny sauce with the recipe, so I've reduced the amounts and made a simple glaze that is much better. These Blueberry Scones are wonderful; crisp and golden on the outside and soft and tender inside with fresh blueberries in every bite. They have become a favorite on mine, so I hope you'll give them a try.

Blueberry Scones with Orange Glaze
adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh blueberries

Orange Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon very soft butter
enough orange juice to make glaze

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Stir together the dry  ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse crumbs. Carefully stir in the blueberries, and then the heavy cream. Be careful to not mash the blueberries.
Press the dough into an 8 inch circle; cut dough into 8-10 slices, like you would a pie. Carefully place slices on a baking sheet. Brush tops with some heavy cream. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the scones cool a bit before applying the glaze.
For glaze: Mix the powdered sugar, butter and about 1 tablespoon of orange juice until smooth. Add more orange juice if needed, to get the consistency you like. Drizzle glaze over the scones after they have cooled a bit. Enjoy!

Fastest Cinnamon Buns ( No Yeast)

When I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. Not because it promised tasty Cinnamon Buns quickly, but because the recipe uses cottage cheese! I was intrigued. This dough is similar to a buttermilk biscuit recipe; in fact the cheese is the only difference. Several reviewers had substituted ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese, so I chose to use that since I had it in my fridge. These rolls are somewhat lighter than a biscuit dough, but don't be deceived-they won't replace a traditional yeast roll. What they do is give you a delicious quick roll when the craving hits. These were mixed and baked in about 45 minutes, making them perfect to serve at brunch time, maybe for Easter or Mother's Day. If you want a delicious yeast roll, try these wonderful AmishCinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting . They are my favorite. But if you want something quick, these buns will do nicely. Here's the recipe.

FASTEST CINNAMON BUNS
adapted from Fine Cooking

For the Dough:
3/4 cup cottage cheese (4 percent milk fat- I used full fat ricotta)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour; more for rolling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Recipe also used 1/4 t. cloves-1/2 t. allspice and 1 cup chopped pecans, which I did not use.

Glaze:
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2-3 T. milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce cream cheese, softened - my addition

1. To make the dough, combine the cottage cheese, or ricotta,, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla in a large bowl (The recipe uses a food processor, but I don't have a large one. A hand mixer worked just fine). Mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until the dough comes together. It will be crumbly at first, but then come together as a soft and moist dough.
2. Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until smooth, 5 or 6 times. Roll out dough into a 12x15 inch rectangle. ( Dough is easy to work with).

3. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, other spices and nuts if using. Brush the 2 tablespoons melted butter over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the dough and pat gently into the surface.
4. Roll the dough up jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal.
5. Cut into 12 even sized rolls with a sharp knife. Set the rolls, cut side up into a greased 9 inch round cake pan or spring form pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 to 28 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set on wire rack to cool.

7. To make glaze, mix the confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla and cream cheese in a bowl with mixer. If it's not as thin as you like, thin it down with more milk.. Drizzle glaze over the rolls. Let stand a few minutes and then serve. Best eaten the day they are prepared. Enjoy!

Amish Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting ( using left-over mashed potatoes!)

What comes to your mind when you think of cinnamon rolls? Is the sweet frosting your favorite, or maybe the filling? My favorite is the cinnamon infused bread. I Love cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven, with soft ribbons of dough infused with plenty of sweet, cinnamony filling, and topped with a luscious glaze. That describes these rolls perfectly! And that's why I don't make them very often, because I find them irresistible, even addictive. I've had this recipe bookmarked for months and they kept calling to me and I finally gave in to the craving. These Amish Cinnamon Rolls are pure bliss; you need to make them soon! These rolls contain leftover mashed potatoes, which gives the rolls a tender, pillowy, texture. My potatoes were mashed with milk, butter, and salt and pepper and they worked perfectly in this recipe. After the dough is mixed all together, I took it out of the bowl and kneaded it a few times just until it came together into a ball. Then the dough is placed in a large bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel and left to rise until doubled. It more than doubled and was so poofy.

Punch the dough down to deflate the air out of it, and roll into a large rectangle.

Spread the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the dough, except for the edges.

Starting at the end nearest you, roil up the dough tightly and pinch the seem together at the end. Work it to keep the roll as even as possible while rolling.

Cut the roll into even slices with a sharp knife. Carefully lift them and arrange in baking pans. I used four round 9 inch pans, and I wanted to share these treats with my sons and their families.

Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and let them rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Then bake in the oven. Try to be patient.

I frosted these rolls while they were still warm, but not right out of the oven. Let them cool off just a bit.

I ate one immediately; I'm weak when it comes to warm cinnamon rolls-very, very weak! These were fantastic and made my husband so happy. I hope you'll give them a try when the craving hits you.

In this recipe, I changed the margarine to butter, made more filling and gave more directions for making these delicious rolls. There just wasn't enough directions for someone who might want to make cinnamon rolls for the first time. This may look like a long recipe, but it's easy and comes together quickly. Amish Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting

adapted from a recipe at Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the rolls:

2 teaspoons plus 2/3 cup of sugar-divided

1 cup warm water

2 packages yeast, 0.25 (1/4) ounce packets

4 whole eggs, beaten

2/3 cup melted salt-free butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup homemade mashed potatoes-room temperature

about 6 cups bread flour- you may not use all of it

For the filling:

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons softened butter

For the Caramel Frosting:

1 stick butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk - I used around 2 more tablespoons to thin down the frosting some

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. For the rolls, mix the 2 teaspoons of sugar, warm water and yeast together in a bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. It will get bubbly.

2. In a large bowl, combine the beaten eggs, the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter and the mashed potatoes and combine well.

3. Stir the yeast mixture into the egg mixture. Now add 2 cups of bread flour and combine well.

4. Add more flour, 1 cup at a time, combining well after each addition. When you add the fifth cup, dough will be less sticky so add only as much flour as needed to form dough into a ball. I used about 5 1/2 cups flour, but used the rest while kneading the dough and rolling it out.

5. Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough just until it all comes together in a smooth ball. Add extra flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to your work area. Place dough in a large bowl and let rise until doubled. Directions say 2 hours, but mine was ready in 1 hour 30 minutes.

6. When dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl, deflating the air. Knead a few times on a lightly floured surface. Now you can roll out all the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, but I cut the dough in half and worked with half of it at a time. In my small kitchen, that was easier for me. Try to roll the dough into a rectangular shape. I rolled each half of my dough into approximately a 20 in. by 16 inch rectangle.

7. In a small bow, mix together the filling ingredients-the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.

8. Spread the softened butter gently over the rolled out dough; sprinkle the filling ingredients over the rolled out dough and lightly press into the dough.

9. Starting at the edge closest to you, begin rolling up the dough. Continue until it's all rolled and then try pinching the edge to seal it. Cut this roll into sections. I made 28 rolls; that fit 7 rolls into each of my four, 9 inch round pans. So, I cut the long roll in half, then each half in half again, and kept going until I had 28 fairly even sections of rolls. Place each roll in a greased pan (I used 4 round pans). Cover with clean towels and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pans of rolls in the oven and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.

10. While the rolls are baking make the frosting. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Cook for about 2 minutes; mixture will be grainy. Add the milk and cook for about 30 seconds until no longer grainy.. Remove pan from heat and add the vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar and let cool. (If the powdered sugar is lumpy, you may need to sift it, or use an electric mixer to beat it until smooth).

11. Remove the rolls from the oven. Let cool slightly.

12. Frost the rolls. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit of milk to thin it to the desired consistency.

Enjoy the fruit of your labor!

NOTE: These rolls could be baked in a large baking sheet also. I also think that 3 round pans could be used; it would just make larger rolls.

Very Moist Bannana Bread with Walnuts

I cannot resist a big slice of Banana Bread, especially if it's moist and full of crunchy nuts. This is my Mother-in-laws delicious recipe. She preferred using Black Walnuts in it when she could find them and insisted that walnuts added to the moistness of this bread. While black walnut trees are common here, I preferr the english walnut, but either will work in this recipe. All I know is that this Banana Bread is delicious and I have a hard time stopping with one slice. I have already posted my Mothers recipe, but I wanted to add this one too, since I'm going through our family's recipes. This moist, sweet quick bread makes a large loaf. My MIL baked this bread in a 8x8 inch baking pan, but I used a loaf pan this time, which took about an hour and 20 minutes. Either way, I think you will enjoy it.
By the way, thank you for the well wishes-I am feeling much better and can finally taste food again. Eating is much more enjoyable when the food tastes good; now on to the Banana Bread!
Moist Banana Bread with Walnuts

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, about 3 large
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla- I omit this
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cups chopped walnuts (or any nut of your choice)

Directions:
Grease and flour a large, 9 5/8 x 5 1/2 inch loaf pan, or a 8x8 inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark pans).
Mix the mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Mix dry ingredients and the buttermilk into the banana mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan and place in oven. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before serving. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Enjoy!

Western Omelet For One (with a side of fried potatoes!)

I was by myself this evening so I decided to make an omelet and some fried potatoes for my dinner. I like a Western Omelet, which usually contains ham, bell peppers and onion and maybe some cheese. Well, I had no ham, so bacon took it's place very nicely. From what I've read, this omelet may also be called a Denver Omelet, or a Southwestern Omelet. Which ever name you call it, it is really delicious and so easy to make. The veggies can be sauteed until they are soft, or you can add them to the egg uncooked, which is what I did this time. Either way it's good.

Pour the eggs in the skillet, top with the veggies and cheese. Add the bacon and fold over. Add more cheese if desired. And I love it served with salsa. Here's what I did.

WESTERN OMELET FOR ONE

from Lynda's Recipe Box

2 large eggs, well beaten
about 1/2 tablespoon half and half, or milk

about 1 tablespoon or so of diced bell pepper

1 small green onion, sliced

2 strips of bacon, cooked crisp (or diced, cooked ham)

Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded (or cheddar)

salt and pepper to taste

Beat the eggs and half and half, or milk, together and pour into a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and bacon (or ham); add salt and pepper. Loosen the edges of the omelet and tilt the skillet, letting the uncooked egg run to the sides. Add the bacon and the shredded cheese and fold the omelet in half when the eggs are still a bit wet looking. Take the skillet off the burner, add more cheese to the top on the omelet if desired. Place a lid over the pan to let the eggs finish setting and the cheese melt. Slide your delicious omelet onto a plate, add salsa and devour. This is my favorite way to make an omelet. How do you like yours?

NOTE: For the fried potatoes, I partially cooked 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes in the microwave. Then I sliced them thin and cooked in a little butter in a small skillet. Seasoned with only salt and pepper, they were golden, crisp and delicious.

French Toast with Blueberry Sauce

I had a craving for French toast this week, and I also had some blueberries that either needed to be used or put in the freezer. This recipe for French Toast came out of one of my Mother's cookbooks and I've used for years. I prefer using French Bread or a similar bread as it has a firmer texture after being cooked than sandwich bread does. This time I used Walmart's french bread since there were no better options from my store. It works very well for this recipe though. Slice the bread on the diagonal, about 1 inch thick, dip it in the egg mixture and turn over and dip other side. This bread soaked up the custard quickly, but a coarser bread may need a bit longer. The egg mixture is easy to increase if you need to make more quickly. I use one egg to 1/3 cup of milk. I doubled that this time and got 8 slices of bread out of it. This will fluctuate, depending on the bread you use and whether or not you let it soak. We enjoyed this treat for breakfast, but of course it's good anytime of day. Here's my method.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

1 pint of fresh or frozen blueberries (2 cups)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Add berries, sugar and water to a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and lemon and add to the berries, stirring quickly so the cornstarch is incorporated. Cook for 1 minute longer, until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
NOTE: This sauce is also delicious as a topping on ice cream or served with lemon or pound cake!

FRENCH TOAST

1 inch slices of french bread, or bread of choice

2/3 cup milk

2 large eggs, well beaten

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to low heat and place a baking sheet with a metal cooling rack on it, in the oven. This is needed if you are cooking several batches of French Toast, so that the toast will stay hot and crusty on the outside.
Mix together all ingredients in a bowl.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. I use my electric griddle on 325 degrees, or sometimes my cast iron griddle for smaller amounts.. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan. Take 1 slice of bread and lay it in the egg mixture, turn over on the other side, and hold it up and let the excess drip off. Place soaked bread in the pan. Repeat with more bread, but don't crowd it in your pan. Cook the bread until golden and then turn over. Adjust the temperature of you griddle if necessary. When done, place the cooked french toast in the oven to stay warm, and finish cooking the rest.
To serve, slather with butter and top with Blueberry Sauce, or maple syrup. Mmmmm, this is amazingly good and will put you in a great mood the rest of the day! Enjoy!
Whats your favorite topping for French Toast?

Are You Serving Easter Brunch?

It's finally spring and Easter is just a few days away! I know that many people serve an Easter brunch, so thought I'd give you a few ideas to add to your list. The photo above is Ham and Asparagus Quiche, a lovely quiche filled with ham, asparagus, cheese, eggs and herbs. Delicious!

Or, there's Spring Vegetable Frittata, filled with potatoes and asparagus and it's so easy to make. And you can click on the breakfast/brunch link, you'll find recipes for muffins, scones, pancakes and more tasty recipes that may work for your brunch. Hope you'll find some good ideas to add to your menu!

I am cooking Easter dinner this year. If you observe Easter, are you cooking this year? And, are you cooking brunch, or dinner?

Orange - Blueberry Yogurt Bread - and a reminder for March's Family Recipes!

I've been going through my freezer and pantry, tyring to use of some of the food that I've stashed away. I still have blueberries from last summer that I need to use, so I wanted to make a blueberry bread that was just a bit different. I settled on an orange quick bread recipe and added blueberries to it. It is a wonderfully flavored quick bread and would be a great addition to an Easter brunch, or for anytime you have a craving for a delicious blueberry bread. This makes a large loaf of bread, which took longer to bake than the directions. I'm assuming that was because of the addition of frozen blueberries. To keep the bread from browning too much, I laid a piece of foil over the pan the last 15 minutes or so of baking. The next time I make this bread, I will add the glaze while the bread is warm, rather than waiting until it cools. I'll also add a few more blueberries and maybe another teaspoon of orange zest. I love the way the orange and blueberry complement each other and the texture of this yogurt bread is almost like a pound cake. This dense, orange flavored bread dotted with tangy blueberries is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea for anytime of the day. We love it!

Just a reminder that the deadline for submitting a recipe for March's Family Recipes Round-Up is March 31! Don't forget; you can find all the rules here.

ORANGE - BLUEBERRY YOGURT BREAD

adapted from Pinch My Salt

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup plain yogurt- I used Greek yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups frozen, or fresh blueberries

GLAZE:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2-3 teaspoons orange juice

Mix together and pour over warm or cooled bread bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy- add eggs, one at a time and beat thoroughly. Stir in the yogurt, orange juice and orange zest.

In another bowl, mix the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and stir until flour is just combined. Gently fold in the frozen or fresh blueberries, taking care not to smash them. Batter will be thick. Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Original directions say to bake 55-65 minute, but it took 75 minutes for mine. When done, cool for 10minutes in pan. Then remove bread from pan. Glaze while warm if desired. Have a big piece with a cup of coffee. Enjoy!

NOTE: The bread is rather crusty the first day, but softens some by the next day. Delicious either way!