I love thinking about what kind of meals we are going to have, especially during winter, our winter palate is so much stronger than summer. I love knowing it will be raining, the idea of curling up on the couch with a blanket and a sleepy baby, smelling a casserole, pot roast or crock pot working and having very little effort or time involved in making a meal. All this makes winters long dark days see more appealing. The scents wafting throughout our house, making our bellies rumble, tempting us to open the crock pot just to sneak a taste...
Alright already, getting hungry... Shopping at the grocery store is a fun pastime for me, my all time favorite grocery store is Central Market, just walking though the store entices my imagination. Fun foods like spaghetti squash - although if your husband LOVES meat - you might not want to just spring it on him, butternut squash, acorn squash and pumpkins are in full swing there now. Hehe... Growing up I have fond memories of Mum and Dad meal planning, we had just started lunch and Dad was asking Mum, what was for dinner that night... Food is a family affair!
Well, the best way to start your day off right is a nice breakfast, warm and filling. Not some cold dry cereal being reconstituted by your organic milk, I am talking about some fun light waffles, some raspberry-blueberry homemade syrup, double-rising blueberry pancakes or the ultimate turkey strata. All of the recipes can be done start to finish in 45min. The Strata can be made the night before and thrown in the oven the morning of.
My babes loves Waffles - These are as close to perfection as you can get, light and crispy - not the dense ones you get from the boxed stuff.
The BEST Waffle Recipe EVER for a Belgium waffle maker!
1 3/4 cup Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
1 tbls Sugar
3 Eggs - separated (whites in another bowl)
7 tbls Oil
1 1/2 Milk
1 t Vanilla
Sift all dry ingredients together in a med bowl. Whisk all wet ingredients together - except egg whites. Create a little well in the dry ingredients, add the wet and mix thoroughly. Now with your egg whites, we are going to beat them! Beat them into shape that is, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. By incorporating all the air into the egg whites we are in turn going to have light waffles. When your stiff peaks have formed, gently plop the egg whites into the batter, now DO NOT stir furiously, gently - slowly fold in the egg whites, with a large swooping motion, singing a song if you wish, maybe Row, row, row your boat... LMAO. Your batter will look frothy, this exactly what we want. Now fill your waffle iron with all its frothy goodness and ENJOY.
Berry Syrup - by far my favorite... I am a dipper when it comes to syrup, I don't smother my pancakes or waffles. I used to syrup proof my waffles and pancakes with peanut butter as a kid. I know WEIRD. WHATEVA... hehe. Steve smothers his pancakes and waffles with syrup. I still don't, BUT this is the only time I will go overboard and drench my waffles, or pancakes... these are the perfect berries so to say. They melt in your mouth and only improve on the above recipe and the soon to be down below pancake recipe.
Fresh Syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries
1 cup fresh or frozen Raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
A tbls Butter, give or take
A little salt
Lemon juice
Cook all ingredients over low-med heat for 3-5 min. Adjust the sweetness and tartness with sugar and lemon. I am having a love affair with blackberries, so I highly recommend substituting at any time.
Pancakes.... SCHUMMY!
1 1/4 cup Flour
1 tbls Sugar
1 1/2 t Baking Powder
1 t Salt
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice(let stand for a few minutes) or Buttermilk
1/2 cup Plain yogurt or Sour Cream
1 t Baking Soda
1 tbls Melted Butter
Sift together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and salt. In a separate med size bowl whisk eggs, add Milk, yogurt or Sour Cream and baking soda. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the melted butter. Set your skillet to 400 degrees. Drop batter by 1/3 cup on to hot skillet, flip when edges are golden and bubbles have formed on the top. Flip pancakes and continue to cook another 2-3 min. These are the lightest pancakes. Rolando and Elliott enjoy them plain. Malia LOVES a few blueberries tossed in!
Something about Strata, for the pickiest kids, they can't get enough of it. My kids and nephews looked at me a oddly the first time I made this breakfast for them. The all inclusive breakfast is UBER SNAZZY. It freezes well, too, if you have extra. I make this with turkey sausage and egg beaters, hehe, BUT I use half and half as well and sourdough bread sans crusts.
Turkey Sausage Strata
1 1/2 lbs of Turkey Sausage
4 oz of Egg Beaters or the equivalent of 4 eggs
1 t Sage
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t fresh Ground Pepper
6 - 8 pcs Sourdough French Bread, crusts removed
1 1/2 - 2 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Spray your 9 x 13 pan with non stick spray. Preheat oven to 350* degrees.
Brown Turkey Sausage in a pan, put aside. Shred about 4-6 oz of extra sharp cheddar cheese.
Cut the crusts of 6-8 slices of sourdough french bread - Enough to line the bottom of your dish. Whisk egg beaters, half and half, sage, salt and pepper in med bowl. Place bread in dish, layer sausage on bread, pour egg mixture on top of sausage and bread and top with cheese. If you are making ahead of time, don't place cheese on yet, do it day of. Bake for 45 min. Remove and let stand for 10-15 min. Serve!
Alright already, getting hungry... Shopping at the grocery store is a fun pastime for me, my all time favorite grocery store is Central Market, just walking though the store entices my imagination. Fun foods like spaghetti squash - although if your husband LOVES meat - you might not want to just spring it on him, butternut squash, acorn squash and pumpkins are in full swing there now. Hehe... Growing up I have fond memories of Mum and Dad meal planning, we had just started lunch and Dad was asking Mum, what was for dinner that night... Food is a family affair!
Well, the best way to start your day off right is a nice breakfast, warm and filling. Not some cold dry cereal being reconstituted by your organic milk, I am talking about some fun light waffles, some raspberry-blueberry homemade syrup, double-rising blueberry pancakes or the ultimate turkey strata. All of the recipes can be done start to finish in 45min. The Strata can be made the night before and thrown in the oven the morning of.
My babes loves Waffles - These are as close to perfection as you can get, light and crispy - not the dense ones you get from the boxed stuff.
The BEST Waffle Recipe EVER for a Belgium waffle maker!
1 3/4 cup Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
1 tbls Sugar
3 Eggs - separated (whites in another bowl)
7 tbls Oil
1 1/2 Milk
1 t Vanilla
Sift all dry ingredients together in a med bowl. Whisk all wet ingredients together - except egg whites. Create a little well in the dry ingredients, add the wet and mix thoroughly. Now with your egg whites, we are going to beat them! Beat them into shape that is, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. By incorporating all the air into the egg whites we are in turn going to have light waffles. When your stiff peaks have formed, gently plop the egg whites into the batter, now DO NOT stir furiously, gently - slowly fold in the egg whites, with a large swooping motion, singing a song if you wish, maybe Row, row, row your boat... LMAO. Your batter will look frothy, this exactly what we want. Now fill your waffle iron with all its frothy goodness and ENJOY.
Berry Syrup - by far my favorite... I am a dipper when it comes to syrup, I don't smother my pancakes or waffles. I used to syrup proof my waffles and pancakes with peanut butter as a kid. I know WEIRD. WHATEVA... hehe. Steve smothers his pancakes and waffles with syrup. I still don't, BUT this is the only time I will go overboard and drench my waffles, or pancakes... these are the perfect berries so to say. They melt in your mouth and only improve on the above recipe and the soon to be down below pancake recipe.
Fresh Syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries
1 cup fresh or frozen Raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
A tbls Butter, give or take
A little salt
Lemon juice
Cook all ingredients over low-med heat for 3-5 min. Adjust the sweetness and tartness with sugar and lemon. I am having a love affair with blackberries, so I highly recommend substituting at any time.
Pancakes.... SCHUMMY!
1 1/4 cup Flour
1 tbls Sugar
1 1/2 t Baking Powder
1 t Salt
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice(let stand for a few minutes) or Buttermilk
1/2 cup Plain yogurt or Sour Cream
1 t Baking Soda
1 tbls Melted Butter
Sift together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and salt. In a separate med size bowl whisk eggs, add Milk, yogurt or Sour Cream and baking soda. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the melted butter. Set your skillet to 400 degrees. Drop batter by 1/3 cup on to hot skillet, flip when edges are golden and bubbles have formed on the top. Flip pancakes and continue to cook another 2-3 min. These are the lightest pancakes. Rolando and Elliott enjoy them plain. Malia LOVES a few blueberries tossed in!
Something about Strata, for the pickiest kids, they can't get enough of it. My kids and nephews looked at me a oddly the first time I made this breakfast for them. The all inclusive breakfast is UBER SNAZZY. It freezes well, too, if you have extra. I make this with turkey sausage and egg beaters, hehe, BUT I use half and half as well and sourdough bread sans crusts.
Turkey Sausage Strata
1 1/2 lbs of Turkey Sausage
4 oz of Egg Beaters or the equivalent of 4 eggs
1 t Sage
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t fresh Ground Pepper
6 - 8 pcs Sourdough French Bread, crusts removed
1 1/2 - 2 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Spray your 9 x 13 pan with non stick spray. Preheat oven to 350* degrees.
Brown Turkey Sausage in a pan, put aside. Shred about 4-6 oz of extra sharp cheddar cheese.
Cut the crusts of 6-8 slices of sourdough french bread - Enough to line the bottom of your dish. Whisk egg beaters, half and half, sage, salt and pepper in med bowl. Place bread in dish, layer sausage on bread, pour egg mixture on top of sausage and bread and top with cheese. If you are making ahead of time, don't place cheese on yet, do it day of. Bake for 45 min. Remove and let stand for 10-15 min. Serve!
1 comment:
You have a way with prose sweety..wonder where yu get that from! LOL. I need to buy a waffle iron and try out this recipe.
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