Donut Muffins

I would be a horrible person if I didn't share this recipe with you.

These are delicious. So much so that...well...

I. Have. No. Words.

Run, don't walk, to your kitchen and whip up a batch of these babies.

My husband and I *might* have just plowed through a dozen of them in the space of about 7 minutes.

(I've taken the recipe from this website. Bless this website for so many reasons. She has some typos in her recipe--I've fixed that).

Ingredients (muffins):

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 c. milk

1 t. baking powder

1 c. all-purpose flour

Ingredients (coating):

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a mini-muffin tin, set aside.

2. Mix up the 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. melted butter and nutmeg in a large bowl.

3. Add flour, milk, and baking soda and mix together until just combined.

4. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for 15-17 minutes.

5. While muffins are baking, combine sugar and cinnamon into a bowl, set aside.

6. Melt 1/4 c. butter and place it in a bowl. (I just melted my butter in a skillet and left it there).

7. When muffins are done and cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan. Dip the tops of the muffins in butter and then roll the WHOLE muffin in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Let cool and then try not to pig out too badly!!

Side note: This recipe is egg-free...so my nephew can eat them. So for all of you who have adorable nephews with egg allergies, this one's a winner!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Another relatively healthy dessert (made with whole wheat flour, fresh blueberries, and very little butter/oil). This one's from Ellie Krieger. Yum.

Ingredients

* Cooking spray
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole-wheat flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
* 1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen and thawed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, the baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter and oil until fluffy. If necessary, use the back of a spoon to press out any lumps in the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully combined. Beat in the vanilla and yogurt.

Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, stirring until just combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture over the batter and top with the blueberries, gently pressing them into the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the cake, pressing gently. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and then unmold and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Cut the cake into 2-inch squares.


Note: I used lemon yogurt instead of plain, and tossed some lemon zest into the batter. It tasted great. I labeled it with breakfast because I know a lot of people eat coffee cake for breakfast (and I probably will tomorrow!)

Healthy Bob's Red Mill Cookies

I don't know if you've ever bought Bob's Red Mill full-grain food products, but they're the best. I get them at my grocery store, but if they're not available in your area you can order them online too. I got this cookie recipe off the back of their 5-Grain Rolled Cereal, and they are delicious and pretty healthy. I actually feel like I could eat them for breakfast, they're so wholesome-tasting.

1-1/2 cups 5-Grain Rolled Cereal (if you can't find the Bob's Red Mill stuff, you can probably just substitute regular old oats)
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup Butter**
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Water
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Pecan Halves (I used slivered almonds instead)
1/2 cup Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup Cranberries
1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Chop pecans into coarse pieces and set aside.

In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth, then blend in water and vanilla. Beat eggs and add to butter mixture. Stir flour mixture into the egg and butter mixture. Add cereal and all remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. When done, edges should be lightly brown.

Yield 24 cookies.

**Lately I've been using Sunsweet's Lighter Bake product, and I love it. In some recipes it seems to change the taste/color a bit, but it's worth it to me to cut out the butter or oil completely. I substituted it for the butter in this recipe, and it tasted delicious.

Apple-Raisin Muffins

(adapted from Daina Kalnins & Joanne Saab)

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. applesauce
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 apples, peeled and diced

Mix together the brown sugar, applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Fold in the apples and raisins. Use an ice-cream scoop to place scoops of the mixture into muffin tins that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray (or lined with paper liners). Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Makes 12.

(Note: I loved these muffins. They're super-moist and I love the apples in them.)

Applesauce-Bran Muffins

1 1/4 c. flour
1 c. bran
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1/2 c. raisins (or more, or optional)

Mix together the applesauce, milk, oil, and egg. Add the flour, bran, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in raisins. Use an ice cream scoop to place scoops of the mixture into a muffin tin that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray (or lined with paper liners). Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

(Note: I like to add little "extras" to these muffins to give them some extra nutritional punch. I usually add 3 T. flaxseed to the mixture (or 3 T. wheat germ). Sometimes I use half regular flour and half whole-wheat flour. I have learned, though, that if I increase the amount of "roughage" I need to also add some extra applesauce to keep the mixture from getting too dense and dry.)

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins

I had a lot of zucchini that I needed to use up and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. These were SO healthy and SO delicious. Super moist. These were eaten up by my family- by super picky eaters as well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup oat flour (I just ground some oats in a blender)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, pecans, and raisins. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Wheat Berry Parfait

Here is one of the many things you can do with wheat berries (shown PW style):

Yum, doesn't that look good


Here are your ingredients:

Fresh blueberries. You can use what ever fruit you want, these just looked good.

Fresh Bananas. Again you could use what ever kind of fruit you would like.

Yogurt, whatever flavor you like. I used strawberry.

These are wheat berries. They taste better then they look.

O.k. here's how to put it all together (not PW style).

1. Put some wheat berries in a cup or what ever you have that will work.
2. Put some yogurt on top of the wheat berries
3. Put in some fruit on top of the yogurt
4. Repeat
5. Enjoy.

My kids like this so much they saved what they couldn't eat for their snacks later that day.

Ham and Potato Bake

{courtesy of Betty Crocker's Good And Easy Cookbook}

I have spent a long time mocking recipes like these...{classic toddler-esque reaction of "I don't like it" without even trying it}...but you know what? I tried it and I'M SOLD. Couldn't get enough of this one. Yum Yum Yum. I'll never mock a recipe again.

1 package (1 lb 4 ounces) shredded or cubed hash browns
1 cup fully cooked ham, diced
1 can (11 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1. Grease 9x13 casserole dish
2. in large bowl, mix soup, eggs and milk. Add potatoes and mix well. Optional: add a handful or two of shredded cheddar. I thought what the hay and threw it in.
3. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is light brown and center is set.

EXCELLENT for a brunch, I think. I threw in a bag of frozen broccoli so I wouldn't feel guilty about feeding this to my family for dinner. I'm sure you could add ANY vegetable.......

Wheat Pancakes

Wheat Pancakes

1 1/2 c. whole wheat berries (wheat straight from the bag, NOT flour)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil (You can substitute applesauce for the oil with no problems)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp soda
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Soak wheat in one cup milk for about 5 minutes. Blend.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Cook on griddle.

To thicken: add more wheat berries or flour.
To thin batter: add more milk.
You can add cinnamon, etc. for more flavor.

Cottage Cakes with Applesauce

Courtesy of Bethany Weed

1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
4 eggs, beaten
4 T. brown sugar
4 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. + 4 T. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Drain cottage cheese. In medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, brown sugar, and butter. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt. Stir in dry ingredients until combined. Heat griddle over medium heat. Use cooking spray/melt butter to grease griddle. Drop batter onto hot griddle. Cook about 2-4 minutes each side. Serve with applesauce or light powdered sugar.

***These are basically pancakes with cottage cheese in them. Soooo good. I know some people do not like cottage cheese, but it's not really noticeable in the finished product.***
***I had no idea how to "drain cottage cheese"; I put it in a colander, lightly rinsed it, and then let it drain. Seemed to work***
***I rarely do the separate-bowl-for-dry-ingredients thing. I added them all to the wet ingredients one after the other, and then stirred them in together***
***I used a frying pan, not a griddle, because I hate washing my griddle***
***This recipe would probably only fill two, maybe three, people...you might want to double it***

Check 'em out.

Easter Dinner a la Michael Chiarello

For our Easter dinner, I literally ripped off an entire episode of Michael Chiarello's Food Network show. It's a lot of recipes, so I'm not going to post them all... but I'll put up the links in case you're feeling adventurous. It took a long time to prepare everything, but it was all really delicious.

-White Bean Waffles with Asparagus-Leek Ragout (pictured above).

(On the show Michael made some individual baked egg dish, but we had a lot of people eating so I just made a big pan of scrambled eggs with thyme and we used that to top off the waffles instead.)

-Brunch Panzanella

(The thing that made the brunch panzanella especially delicious was the balsamic strawberries. Wow! I'd never had strawberries with balsamic vinegar before, but they were so delicious. They're easy to make: I sliced up two cartons of strawberries, then mixed them with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. That's it! YUM!)

Breakfast Casserole

1 loaf French bread
12 eggs
8-12 sausage patties/links (I use the pre-cooked TURKEY kind)
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 can cream or mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
butter or cooking spray

Butter/spray 9x13 pan. Cut/Tear French bread into large bite-sized cubes and put into pan. Blend eggs and pour over bread (mix bread around trying to get the most bread possible soaked with egg). Add grated cheese. Add cooked and crumbled sausage. Refrigerate overnight. Next morning, mix cream of mushroom and milk. Pour over top of pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350º.

I usually make this for dinner rather than breakfast. Enjoy.

P-Dub's Cinnamon Rolls

You can see her version (with pics) here, although I typed it up for my family and thought I'd put it here too. They are amazing and while labor-intensive, really easy.

Ingredients:
4.5 c. milk, separated into 4 cups and 1/2 cup
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
2 pkg. active dry yeast
9 c. flour
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon salt
2 c. melted butter
lots of cinnamon
1 bag powdered sugar
2 tsp maple flavoring
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Mix 4 cups of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of the sugar in a pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy.

Then add 8 (not nine) cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour.

Now add 1 more cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary.

Then roll the cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.

Now drizzle 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Don’t be shy; lay it on thick!

Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter, followed by a very generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal. Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of melted butter in each of seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.

Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven, make the maple frosting. To a mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, maple flavoring, vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, and the rest of the melted butter (about 1/4 -1/2 cup). Stir it up. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed.

Generously drizzle frosting over warm rolls after you pull them out of the oven. Drown 'em.

Chocolate-Strawberry French Toast

(Food Network Recipe from Ellie Krieger)

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
8 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 (8-ounce) container strawberries, hulled and sliced
4 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Place 1 tablespoon of ricotta in the center of 4 of the pieces of bread and spread around slightly. Top with about 6 slices of strawberries and a teaspoon of chocolate chips. Cover each with another piece of bread to make a "sandwich".

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat. Carefully dip each of the "sandwiches" into the egg mixture until completely moistened. Then place on the skillet and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the outside is golden brown and the center is warm and chocolate is melted.

Transfer to serving places. Top with remaining strawberries and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Cinamon Rolls

These are from the Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwomancooks.com). They make a ton, but are very, very yummy. I've had to restrain myself from making them often.

Yields: 7 8 inch cake pans Ingredients Rolls 1 quart whole milk (I've used skim and they turned out fine) 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sugar 2 package Active Dry Yeast 8 Cups All-purpose flour 1 more cup flour 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon salt Frosting 1 bag (2 lb) powdered sugar 2 teaspoons maple flavoring 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup melted butter 1/8 teaspoon (a generous pinch) salt.

Instructions Mix 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of sugar in a pan. "Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Now add 1 more cup of flour. 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder. And 1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda and 1 heaping tablespoon of salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it-overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to splurge out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls. Let's do that, shall we? Sprinkle surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out. Now drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough. Don't be shy; lay it on thick, baby. You know you want it. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that's no big deal. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. This recipe makes approximately seven pans of rolls. Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. While the rolls are in the oven, make the deliciously sinful maple frosting. To a mixing bowl, add 1 bag of powdered sugar. To this, add about 2 teaspoons maple flavoring, 1/2 cup milk... 1/4 cup melted butter Also add 1/8 teaspoon (a generous pinch) salt. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle frosting over warm rolls after you pull them out of the oven. The frosting will settle in and become one with the cinnamon rolls.

Puffy Toast

I had this at my in-laws, and it is super amazing. And not at all healthy. And so good.

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
8 slices bread, cut in half diagonally
cooking oil
powdered sugar

Directions:
Mix first 5 ingredients together. Dip bread in batter, then fry in pan with 1 inch cooking oil. When browned on both sides, shake off excess oil and dip in powdered sugar. Serve with warm syrup or strawberry jam.

Servings: 6-8

Impossible Garden Pie

2 c chopped zucchini
1 c diced tomato
1/2 c chopped onion
1/3 grated Parmesan
1 c milk
1/2 Bisquick
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 400º
Mix zuke, tomato, onion, and cheese together in bowl; spread evenly in lightly greased pie pan. Combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth (15 secs in blender, 1 min. w/ hand mixer). Pour into pie pan (pan will likely be tip-top full). Bake until golden and knife comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes or more before cutting.

This resembles quiche. My husband despises quiche. He really liked this. It would be really good with pieces of ham in it, too. And definitely let it stand and setup before cutting into it.

Great Harvest Breakfast Casserole

I made this the other day and loved it. Chris couldn't get over the 'soggy bread' thoughts he had in his head, but still ate it. The sauce (stolen from the Apple Pudding Cake) makes it especially scrumptious.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of Great Harvest bread cut into 1" cubes (I think any bread would do, but man I love Great Harvest)
8 eggs
3 c. milk
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (I used 2-3 tsp., YUM)
3/4 tsp. salt

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter (cubed)
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Sauce:
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream (not whipped)

Directions:
Place bread cubes in a greased 13 X 9 baking dish. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread. Cover & refrigerate for 8 hours or over night. Remove from refrigerator 30 min before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Cover and bake @ 350 for 45-50 min or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. While baking, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Add the cream, and stir together until well mixed (this may take a while). When the casserole is done, remove from oven (duh) and let sit for 5 min. Serve warm with lots o' sauce.

Number Of Servings: 12

Preparation Time: 10 min. prep./overnight chillin'/45 min. baking

Tofu 201: Breakfast Burritos

1 pkg. pre-frozen firm tofu
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning (or whatever seasonings you prefer)
diced onions
olive oil
flour tortillas
grated cheese
hot sauce, if you like that kind of thing

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; add the onions; cook until golden brown. Crumble the tofu into the pan. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes and seasonings; cook until it reaches your preferred consistency, stirring occasionally. (This can take as long as 20 minutes if you like your tofu very firm, but it will probably take less. Just keep your eye on it and taste it from time to time.) When it's done place some of the mixture on tortillas with grated cheese and hot sauce. Serve hot.

Mom's Breakfast Dessert

Normally, this would be considered a dessert. But the title has breakfast in it, so it is therefore a-okay to eat it without having eaten anything healthy first.

This recipe is doubled -- halfing it will fill an 8x8 glass dish

1/2 cube butter

2 cups four

2 cups sugar

4 tsp baking powder

4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

1 large can peaches, drained

1. Melt butter in glass casserole dish in oven, while it is preheating.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Add milk and stir to make batter.
4. Remove casserole dish with melted butter, and pour batter in.
5. Add drained fruit.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.