Pull Apart Cinna-Buns

The other night I was cleaning out my fridge. You know, like that deep cleaning.  Pull everything out.  Toss the old stuff. Wipe down/wash the shelves.  Put things back nice and neat.  It was quite an exciting evening.

Then I remembered that I had told my kids I would make breakfast for the morning.

At this point, it was maybe 11 p.m.  And I had more work to do.

What to do? What to do?

Well, Google of course.

I searched for quick and easy cinnamon rolls.

And this recipe popped up.

So they aren't exactly cinnamon rolls.

But they looked easy, fairly quick, and tasty, so I went for it.

Because of our food issues at our house, I had to change it up just a little bit.  The original recipe uses butterscotch pudding mix  (and I am pretty sure my sister does a similar recipe with vanilla pudding mix).  We can't/don't do instant pudding mixes, so I did no pudding at all.

And it still worked for us.

Ingredients:
18 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
(Do the night before)
Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray.

If you are using nuts (we didn't this time), spread the nuts in the pan first. 

Place 9 frozen dinner rolls in the pan.

Mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread half the mixture over the frozen rolls.

Place 9 more frozen dinner rolls in the pan (like a second layer). 

Spread the second half of the butter mixture over the rolls.

Cover loosely with parchment paper.

The next morning, you will find a risen mound of dough and butter yumminess.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly then invert onto a serving platter.

You can stop there and probably be fine.

Or you can add a little cream cheese frosting.

Which we did.

Yum.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:
Use a mixture to cream the cream cheese and butter together.
Add in the vanilla.
Add in powdered sugar a little at a time until it is light and fluffy.
 Spread over warm cinna-buns.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I cannot believe it has been a month since I posted!

It isn't that I am not cooking. I really am.

Or that I haven't made recipes that we liked. I really have.

My life is just a bit chaotic right now.

As in seriously chaotic.

There is dust everywhere. Carpet pulled up. And I now have a stairwell I didn't have a few weeks ago.

We are adding on to our house.

Which hasn't really stopped my cooking, though we have had to call the builder a time or two to say, "Please get my stove turned back on!" (which thankfully he has).

It is just tiring to me.

I come home after a busy day, do the normal stuff like help kids with homework or cook dinner, and then there is extra stuff like vacuuming the kitchen and countertops which is truly futile but I feel like I must do anyway.

So when it is finally time to sit down, I can't stay awake. I am spent for the day.

I guess I have been on hiatus.

But I am back.  At least some.

When I am awake anyway.

So the other day I saw a recipe for a cinnamon roll cake.

I love cinnamon rolls.  And I have made several different kinds.

But they can be kind of a pain to make.

So a cake?

That sounded perfect.

The taste of cinnamon roll but not the work.

Okay, a little work.

But not as much work.

Yet just as much taste.

Between my family and the workers at our house, TWO cakes were gone before 10.

Delicious.

Here is the original recipe. I really didn't change much.  I actually didn't change anything on purpose, just forgot a thing or two and didn't always follow directions (accidentally).

Ingredients:
3 cups flour, plus 2 Tbsp divided  Okay, totally forgot to add the 2 Tbsp later. But it still worked.


1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 1/2 Tbsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter melted

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans, then line with parchment paper. Okay, I technically used pie plates because I don't have good cake pans, AND I didn't bother with the parchment paper. I just "greased" (with cooking spray) really well.

Use the mixer to blend the 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, milk, eggs, and melted butter.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

In another bowl, beat (with a mixer) the softened butter, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the 2 Tbsp flour (which I forgot).

Use a tablespoon to drop the butter mixture onto the cake batter, alternating between the two cake pans.  Or pie pans. However you roll. :)

Swirl in with a knife.

Bake for 25-30.

Remove from oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

Flip cakes out onto serving plates. Which I discovered I had none of. :( Not big enough for this anyway.  I just improvised. Story of my life.

Whisk the icing ingredients and drizzle over warm cakes.

Enjoy!

The original recipe states that one cake can be frozen (pre-icing) then re-heated later.

In my house, we are not likely to have ever have any leftover cakes. :)

But it is a good suggestion.

Happy cooking!

Reba

Breakfast Bake

Not the best picture but considering the craziness of the week, I have to take what I can get...

So this past week I have been clipping recipes from the paper and then actually trying them instead of just sticking them in a pile to deal with later.

This recipe caught my eye because it is a breakfast casserole. Now I have another recipe that is actually similar. 

But with ONE major difference.

At least a major difference to me.

This recipe uses bacon.

Bacon.

Bacon.

Oink. Oink.

I LOVE bacon.

Most recipes I have seen use sausage.

I don't love sausage as much.

So I decided to give this a try.

And I loved it. 

In fact, I have been eating the leftovers for lunch.

Most of my family liked it, with the exception of one child who doesn't care for eggs (though she admitted this wasn't so bad) and another who won't touch a potato to save his life...

By the way, this is EASY to put together. It does take a while to cook though so plan ahead.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (or in my case, just cut into small pieces)
1 package frozen hash browns, thawed (I used Southern style)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 eggs
pinch paprika (optional...I left it out)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix the bacon crumbles, hashbrown potatoes, salt, and half the cheese.

Spread into a greased 9 x 13 dish.

Whisk the eggs and the milk together and pour over the top of the potato mixture.  Sprinkle paprika if desired. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes (mine took more like an hour).

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Enjoy.

We actually ate it for dinner (we like "breakfast for dinner" around here) with fruit and toast.

Yum.

Enjoy!

Reba

Pancake Squares

So sorry I have been MIA. I started back to school this week.  Life has been a bit hectic.

Anyway, I try to make a breakfast of some sort about two times a week just to break up the cereal/granola bar/oatmeal routine.  I had pinned this recipe once upon a time on Pinterest and decided to give it a try last weekend. 

What is it?

Basically, pancakes in a casserole dish form.

I love pancakes and make them fairly often (usually homemade).  But usually when I make them, it is for dinner.  Mainly because who has time to make them for breakfast? I don't have a lot of time in the mornings to stand in front of the griddle, flipping pancakes. 

If my kids get pancakes for breakfast, it is only because we had some extras and we froze them.

Until now.

Now that I know about this, we will have them more often.

No, they don't look like pancakes. They aren't circles.

But they taste pretty close. AND they are quick and easy.

Perfect for mornings!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp melted butter, slightly cooled

1 large egg

1 Tbsp sugar (granulated)

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.

Slightly grease or spray an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, pour the milk, butter, and egg.  Beat together.  Add the sugar.  Next, add in the flour, a little at a time.

Stir in the baking powder and salt.

Pour batter into the greased baking dish. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

I topped it with melted butter, and we used syrup if we chose to the top of it.

It was good stuff.  Easy and good.

Reba

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

 On occasion, I make "breakfast energy bites" which usually Child 4 and I eat ourselves.  But this week I saw this recipe (very similar but cooked and in "bar" form and gave it a try. 

Well, all I can say is that they were gone really fast.  And it was NOT just because of Child 4 and me.  The whole family (minus Dad who was gone) chowed down on them. I WILL be making them again, especially during the school year. They are quick, fairly healthy, and can be made ahead of time then just reheated (if preferred). 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy/natural)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (the original recipe used whole wheat, I just had all purpose on hand)
1 cup old fashioned oats (I am not sure how it would work with quick oats)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup other add in (original recipe used raisins, I used flax meal)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.

With a mixer, mix the peanut butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. The original recipe called for using the paddle attachment.  My mixer does not have that so I just used the regular beaters and they worked fine.

Mix in the vanilla.

Continue mixing on medium speed, adding in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.  It will be thick. Just be patient. :)

Slowly pour in the milk.  Mix until a dough forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips and the other add in.

Once all is combined, press into the baking dish. 

Bake for about 17-20 minutes until gold brown. 

Allow to cool completely before cutting. 

I stored them in the fridge, but I am guessing they would be fine on the counter.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar "Donut" Muffins

I try to make breakfast a couple times a week.  I have been eying this recipe on Pinterest for a while and decided to give it a try. 

It didn't take long to assemble them and then it was a short time to bake and then breakfast time.

And...

YUM.

They taste JUST like cinnamon sugar donuts.

In muffin form.

And baked.

(I calculated the calories and they were not horrible)

I made a double batch:  one mini muffin batch and one regular muffin batch.

Here is the recipe for one batch...

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, stir/whisk together vegetable oil, sugar, egg, and milk.

Pour the flour mixture into the oil mixture and stir just until mixed.

Coat the "cups" of the muffin tin or use muffin liners. I used liners.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups.  (I did one 24 mini muffin tin and one 12 cup regular muffin with a double batch)  I used my cookie scoop to put the mixture into the cups.  It was almost even/level with the tin.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.  (I think mine was close to 20 minutes)

Remove the muffins from the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Topping recipe:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions:  
Put melted butter in one bowl.  Mix cinnamon/sugar in another bowl.

Now, in the original recipe. they dipped the whole muffin in the butter and then the cinnamon sugar mix.

I only dipped the top.  (In fact, I did NOT double the topping and had JUST enough for two batches) 

Either way, my kids have raved about them.  My son came in and said, "Thanks for the donuts, Mom!" 

Enjoy!

Reba

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Doughnuts

I have been wanting to make some doughnuts for a while. The other day I checked out my "Breakfast Goodies" bulletin board on Pinterest and saw this recipe I had pinned. 

The best part was that the only "special" ingredient I don't always have on hand is the plain yogurt. But thankfully this time, I did.

So this morning I went to work.

This is a fairly quick recipe (which was a treat for the kids...not much waiting). It was easy.  And when I calculated the calories, it wasn't too bad.  I don't feel very guilty that I ate two.  Even though I wanted to eat like 12.

By the way, I have a doughnut pan, otherwise the circles wouldn't be so "circlish".  :)

Oh, I doubled the recipe and I did NOT use a mini doughnut pan...even with doubling the recipe, I got 15 doughnuts.  So next time I may have to triple if we want to have any left over. That being said, there is not really any reason to double the glaze. I did, and I ended up with WAY too much.

Doughnut ingredients: (recipe is doubled from original)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cups white granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.  I just used a whisk.

Add in the remaining ingredients (yogurt, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla).

Stir until smooth.

Grease a doughnut pan.  I read on the original site that someone used a mini muffin pan instead...that is a great idea if you don't have a doughnut pan.

Fill the circles about 3/4 full. Mine was kind of thick so I just kind of "spooned" it in.

Bake for 7 minutes.  A good test is to press a doughnut. If the indention springs back immediately, it is ready.

Let them cool on a wire rack.  I probably didn't let them cool quite long enough before glazing but I had a hungry crew. :)

Glaze Ingredients: (not doubled)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (I didn't have any on hand so I used salted which works okay)
3/4 tsp light corn syrup (I am not a big corn syrup person so I substituted with honey)
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used my favorite Ghirardelli)
1/2 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar

Optional:  Sprinkles for decoration (I did half with, half without.  My kids loved the sprinkles touch but I have to use some pricey all natural ones :)

Directions:
Over low heat, add the butter, corn syrup or honey, milk, and vanilla extract to a small sauce pan.  Stir constantly until butter melts. Once melted, add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Again, stir until melted.  Then add in the powdered sugar.  Stir until smooth.

Glaze doughnuts.  I just held the doughnuts and dipped them halfway into the glaze.

Add sprinkles immediately if desired.

Enjoy!

I have tried a few doughnut recipes and this has been one of my favorites. It is a cake like doughnut...yum!

Reba

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

I so wish I was a good food photographer.

Maybe it is because I need a new camera.

Or maybe it is because we are always in a hurry to eat.

Or MAYBE it is because I am just not good about taking food pictures.

Do you think they have classes for that?

Anyway, yesterday I wanted to make a special breakfast since it was Father's Day and all.

I had seen this recipe on Pinterest and thought it was just what I was looking for.

I love yeast and use it often.

But it requires patience. And time.  And frankly I am not all about getting up early in the morning just to make breakfast.

So when I saw "no yeast", I knew that was more my speed for morning time...

It took me just a few minutes to assemble them then about 15 minutes to bake.

I followed the recipe fairly closely. I never have buttermilk on hand so I use the Saco powdered buttermilk instead.  It does cut down on calories but gives that buttermilk taste.  Next time I would also cut the icing down a little...it makes a lot.

Otherwise, I stuck to the recipe.

By the way, delicious.  I really didn't find them much different than yeast rolls. Just much quicker to make!

Ingredients:
 Filling-
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Dough-
2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose), more for dusting
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (I use the Saco powder which is 4 TBSP powder, 1 cup water...you can also add lemon juice or vinegar to milk to make a "quick buttermilk")
5 Tbsp butter, melted (4 for the dough, 1 for brushing on top before baking)

Icing-
3 oz cream cheese softened
4 Tbsp buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar (I did add a little more to thicken my icing up)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450.

Mix all of the filling ingredients in a bowl with a fork until well blended.  Set aside.

In a larger bowl, mix the dough dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).  In another bowl (or measuring cup), mix together the buttermilk and butter.  Pour the buttermilk mixture into the middle of the dry ingredients.  Stir together but do no overmix.  Knead to form a ball.  Then divide the ball in two.

Take one half of the dough and place on a floured surface.  Roll out (I just kind of pushed it down into a rectangle then used a mini rolling pin to flatten it).  It should be just a little bigger than a piece of paper.

Sprinkle half of the filling mixture over the dough, leaving about a half inch border.

Starting at the short end, roll it up into a log (so it will be a long log :).

Trim the ends.  Cut the "log" in half.  Then cut those halves in half.  Then cut THOSE halves in half so you have 8 "rolls".

Place in a greased baking dish (I used a 9 x 13).

Repeat with the other half of the dough/filling.

Brush the rolls with melted butter.

(I ended up combining a couple of smaller rolls into one so I ended up with 15 rolls.)

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Meanwhile,  mash together the cream cheese and the powdered sugar for the icing.  Add the buttermilk a Tbsp at a time until creamy.  That is where I made a mistake. I just dumped all of it in there and it was WAY too runny. So I had to add more powdered sugar to thicken it.  I did have way too much though.  Next time I will cut back a little on the ingredients and add the buttermilk correctly. :)

Once the rolls are out of the oven, spread the icing over them.

Then, enjoy!

Reba

Butter Dip Biscuits

Okay, I am obviously not a food photographer.

Especially when I have a hungry mass at the table waiting for their dinner.

Then I just grab my phone and click.

Thus the blurriness.

And I really am capable of writing about more than just bread.

But this was good.

I want to remember it.

Plus my nephew said I MUST share this recipe with my mom so she can make it sometime. :)

The ultimate compliment.

Last night I made Amish Chicken (recipe coming soon). I didn't have a lot of time to get some bread together.

So I hit Pinterest.

And I found this recipe.

Easy.

And NO rising time.  In fact, no yeast.

Sold!

So I threw them together.

And hoped for the best.

And that is what I got.

Yum.

Yum. Yum.

I will say that I had a piece warmed up today and I just have to say it again.

Yum.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter (I have to admit...I only used half a stick. I just could NOT bring myself to use a whole stick, especially since the chicken dish had a cup of heavy whipping cream in it...)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I did stick with all purpose; I usually do for the first recipe. I would like to try half all purpose, half white whole wheat some time)

4 tsp granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp Kosher salt (I am guessing you could use regular salt but I highly recommend Kosher for this)

1 3/4 cup buttermilk (I use the Saco powder and add water to equal this amount)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.  Unless your chicken is baking at 350.  Then you compromise with 400.  :)

Place butter in an 8 x 8 square baking dish OR a cast iron skillet.  I went with the skillet. Stick in the oven as it preheats which will melt the butter.  Or you can do it in the microwave. I just like doing it in the skillet so I don't waste any...

Meanwhile, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and buttermilk.

Use a sharp knife to cut your pieces before baking. (No big deal if you don't...I didn't the next time and they were fine and cut easily)

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

I didn't even add any butter last night after they cooked. I did add a little today...yum!  I think these would be really good with breakfast too (like with jam or jelly).

A very basic bread but with this crusty outside, soft inside, and a bit of sweetness...

YUM!

Reba

Buttermilk Pancakes

The last time I made these, I thought, "I need to post this recipe..."

But part of me thought, "For pancakes?"

I have a confession.

Ready?

I have always made pancakes from a mix.  Like a box mix.  Sometimes I use the ones you add water to, other times I actually add the eggs and oil.

But recently I have been trying to do more "home cooking".  So I have been searching for just the right recipe.

I have tried one or two that were so so.

Then I decided to try this one. 

I will admit: It is labeled as an IHOP copycat recipe. I am sure I have eaten at an IHOP.  I think.  Maybe once or twice a LONG time ago?  Not in any recent memory.  So I can't really compare.


But that isn't what inspired me to try it.

It was the picture, the easy recipe, the basic ingredients.

So I made them.

And they worked for me.

Tonight (breakfast for dinner) we had them again.

And I still liked them.

Which means NOW it is time to post the recipe.

By the way, this recipe feeds all 6 of us with just a few left over.  (Which I freeze...they warm up nicely)  If you want a smaller serving, check out the original recipe.

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups of flour (I actually rounded up slightly. I used 2 cups of all purpose and 2 cups of white whole wheat flour)

3 tsp baking powder

3tsp baking soda

pinch of salt (or two or three :)

3 eggs, beaten

3 3/4 cup buttermilk (Note: If you don't have buttermilk, you can use regular milk and add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar for each cup of milk; let it sit for 5-10 minutes)

6 Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Stir together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).

Mix the eggs and buttermilk.

Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredient mixture.

Add the sugar and butter.

Stir until just mixed.

Fry on a greased griddle.  (I used my electric griddle set on 375 degrees F.

We butter them as soon as they come off the griddle.

Enjoy!

(PS Can be frozen; I would separate with wax paper or parchment paper or they will stick together)

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

You may remember that I love pumpkin.  Especially pumpkin muffins. I used to make them all of the time.  A cake mix, a bag of cinnamon chips, a can of pumpkin.

That was it.

Except those cinnamon chips...they have dyes in them.  Evil dyes (at least for one of my kids).

And the cake mix? Full of preservatives/artificials...which we also cannot have.

So my pumpkin muffin baking days came to an end.

However, I find myself STILL craving some pumpkin muffins.

So not long ago I did a recipe search.

And I happened upon this.

So a couple nights ago, I decided to just make them.  (I baked them at night since they would take a while.  I have been keeping them in the fridge, and we heat them in the microwave as needed)

And they are rather tasty.

Not as easy or as simple as the ones I used to make, but that hasn't stopped me from eating them.  I mean, these have a crumb coating. You can't go wrong with that!

Ingredients:
Filling
8 oz cream cheese block (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Note-While the cream cheese definitely adds to this muffin, next time I will probably halve all of these ingredients so not have quite so much cream cheese involved.

Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar (granulated)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have any and left it out...it was fine without it)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin (I just used one regular size can)

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Filling-  Combine the cream cheese fillings in a bowl and beat (I used my little hand mixer) until smooth.  Place on a large sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a "log".  Place in the freezer for about an hour. 

Topping:  Just before removing the cream cheese from the freezer, put the topping ingredients in a bowl.  Use a fork to mix it.  It will form little clumps.  Resist just sitting and eating the topping...good stuff.

Muffins:  Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin with liners.  This recipe easily makes 16.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices/salt) in a large bowl.  Stir together.

In another bowl, combine "wet" ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla).

Make a "well" in the middle of the dry ingredients.  Pour "wet" ingredients into the hole.  Stir all ingredients together until mixed.  Do NOT over mix.

Add about 2 Tbsp of muffin batter to each muffin liner. 

Slice the cream cheese log into 16 equal size pieces.  Like I said, I think next time I will half that...it is a lot of cream cheese :).  Place a cream cheese "slice" in the middle of each muffin liner.

Top the cream cheese with remaining muffin batter.

Sprinkle the topping on top, pressing it down to ensure it sticks.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Hamburger Gravy

It isn't anything fancy.

And the picture doesn't help advertise it at all.

But it was good.

How do I know?

There was NOTHING left.

Nothing.

I try to do "breakfast for dinner" just about every week. But I don't want to do the same thing over and over again.

Recently on Facebook, someone posted about having "hamburger gravy".  I have had it on my mind ever since.

So last night I rolled out some buttermilk biscuits (a first for me...I need more practice in that department).  I fried up some hashbrown potatoes (need to practice that too).  And I made a little hamburger gravy. Basically it is a white sauce (very similar to the starts of baked potato soup) and I added in some browned hamburger meat.  Then we poured it over the biscuits and the potatoes.

Yum.

It was just right for a cool evening.

(Note: Sausage would be good too...just not everyone in my crew likes sausage)

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter (I use unsalted)
6 Tbsp flour (all purpose)
3/4 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
3 cups of milk
1 lb ground beef, browned

Directions:
Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.

Add flour and salt and stir until smooth and bubbly.

Remove from heat temporarily and add in milk.

Return to heat (I upped it to medium) and stir continuously until thickened.

Add in ground beef when the sauce is thickened as wanted.

It took about 10 minutes for mine to get pretty thick.

The key is to keep stirring so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Like I said, nothing fancy. But it was good.  Apparently.  Because now it is all gone. :)

Reba

Banana Nut Bread

Not long ago, a teacher at our school made some banana nut bread that she shared with us.  It was so yummy, so moist. I sought her out and asked her what recipe she used. She had used the Betty Crocker recipe (from the old "red" cookbook).  So about a week later, I tried it.  And it was good.  But it was not as moist as hers.

Well, yesterday, I had a few very ripe bananas (which are rare around here because they get eaten so quickly) and wanted to try again.  This time I checked my pins on Pinterest and found a recipe I had pinned for cream cheese banana bread.  Um, cream cheese??? Seriously, how could you go wrong with that?

So last night I threw it in the oven and started smelling it immediately.

But then I had to wait until this morning to try it.

Can you say torture?

Hopped out of bed this morning to try it.  Warmed it just a bit in the microwave and sat down to eat.

It was delicious.

And moist.

Everything I wanted in a banana bread.

I will definitely be using this recipe again.

Sorry, Betty.

Note:   The original recipe makes two loaves.  And IF a certain child in my house hadn't been greedy and eaten more than his fair share of bananas yesterday, I could have made two; we could have eaten one and frozen one. But instead I was left with THREE bananas, not the FOUR I needed. So I halved the recipe which is what I am sharing here...

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter (I used unsalted), softened

1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I think next time I will do half all purpose, half whole wheat...I wasn't ready to try it yet since this was my first time to make this recipe)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 mashed bananas (I just mashed with a fork)

1/2 cup toasted pecans (just toasted them while I was working on the rest...throw the pecans on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for just a few minutes)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon to taste

A few extra pecans finely chopped

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.  Go ahead and toast the pecans for a few minutes.

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy.

Add eggs, beating until just blended.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

Gradually add to the mixture, beating at a low speed until well blended.

Add in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.

Spoon into a greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

Sprinkle cinnamon and finely chopped pecans on top (optional, but a nice touch).

Bake for 1 hour at 350(when a toothpick comes out clean).  If the bread starts to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes. That didn't happen to mine at all but my oven rack was right in the middle.

Several people in the comments section mentioned making muffins; they would only bake for about 25 minutes.

After about 10 minutes, remove from pan to cool on a cooling rack. 

 Enjoy!

Ham and Egg Cups

 I try to have a "breakfast for dinner" at least once every other week if not more. It gives us a break from a heavier meal. Plus the kids LOVE it.  Especially pancake or waffle night.

But sometimes I just want to have some eggs.

I kept seeing these ham/egg "cups" on Facebook.  I thought they looked like fun so I decided we would have them earlier this week.

And they were fun.

For the most part they were well liked too.  I have one non-eater who (bless her heart) tried REALLY hard to eat it. She just couldn't do it.  She did eat the ham though.  The egg was too much for her. Thankfully I also used homemade bread to make toast and we had some fruit, so she didn't go hungry.

Oh, and these are EASY. They would make a great breakfast or brunch food and would be wonderful for those "brunch" type baby or wedding showers. They are kind of elegant looking (not that you can tell looking at my pictures:) and easy to eat with the hands.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (or so) of deli sliced ham (mine was kind of a cross between thick and thin so I just used one slice per "cup".  For thin, I would use two)

eggs (one per cup depending on how much you want to make)

shredded cheddar cheese of your choice (or whatever cheese you prefer)

chives

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Spray the cups of a muffin tin.

Push a slice or two (depending on thickness) of ham into each cup to conform to the "cup" shape.

Break open an egg in each "cup".

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (until whites of egg have set except that is hard to see under the cheese :).

Sprinkle chives on top.

Enjoy.

The only change I would make is possible scrambling a few of the eggs next time in the cups because my hubby doesn't care for the yolk all in one piece. He would rather it all be mixed together. :)

Otherwise, it was a hit with my egg eaters.

Kind of a nice twist on eggs and cheese.

Enjoy!

Reba

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Today I was in the mood for muffins, but I wasn't sure what kind to make. I can always eat a good pumpkin muffin but I hadn't thought ahead to make cinnamon chips, so that was out.  I thought about some simple cinnamon muffins but I just made cinnamon bread earlier this week.  And we did not have enough bananas for a banana nut muffin.  What to do, what to do?  Well, I finally decided to make some that I had made a couple months ago. They were pretty well received, so why not try them again?  (For whatever reason, I never blogged about them)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

I have to say they were even more well-received this time (I think my boys missed out on them last time I made them).  I had to hurriedly pack one up to save for me to eat another day. I was afraid there would be nothing left but crumbs.

Even better, they are easy.  I almost always have these ingredients on hand.  And it took me about 15 minutes to prepare, then about 20 to bake.

And they are pretty filling.

The peanut butter/chocolate chip combo is very tasty but it is not overwhelming. As much as I like peanut butter/chocolate chip candy bars, I don't want a candy bar for breakfast.  Well, this is a much more subtle combination of the two flavors in a very filling form. 

The one thing it isn't:  low calorie.  That is why I ate one and hid another for another day. :)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp butter, melted (I used unsalted)

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used real semi-sweet)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line muffin tin with paper liners.  We had regular size muffins, but I think next time I will make minis.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar together in a bowl.

In a another (large) bowl, mix the butter, peanut butter, eggs, and milk.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Stir until combined.   Add in the chocolate chips and stir a bit more.

Spoon (I used my cookie dough scoop because the dough is pretty thick) into the muffin tins, filling to the top.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 375.

Let sit for 5 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

Reba

Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls

If you have been reading for a while, you know that one of my favorite brands is Rhodes.  As in Rhodes bread.  I use it for braided spaghetti bread, bread/rolls, breadsticks, pizza, and calzones.  I just discovered their products in the last couple of years and have come to love them BIG time.  I even got a Rhodes "cookbook" for Christmas that I am itching to look through and use.

In the past few months, we have changed up the diets of one of our kids. I am SOOOO thankful that Rhodes products are still in the diet plan.  Or I would be really sad.

By the way, I get nothing from Rhodes for saying all of this. Not even a coupon. But that would be a nice treat.

I just really like their products.

Anyway, I was trying to plan a Christmas breakfast.  And having cinnamon rolls sounded like fun.  While I want to attempt some homemade rolls at some point, I knew that it would be too hectic for that this time of year.  So my next thought was "What about Rhodes cinnamon rolls?"  A quick web search brought up a recipe that I ran with.

And I need to run.

 I mean, these babies are NOT low calorie or low fat.

But they are full of yumminess.

They were a nice way to start our Christmas day.

Ingredients:
One frozen roll of dough (I used Rhodes white bread dough)

1/2 cup butter, softened (1/4 for the dough, 1/4 later for the filling)

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp cinnamon

3 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Thaw the frozen roll dough. (I just set mine out on a plate or in a bread pan on the counter, covered with wax paper)  This takes a few hours typically, so plan ahead.

Roll the dough out in a rectangle shape.  I just rolled it until I couldn't really roll it much more.

Spread 1/4 cup of the softened butter over the dough. 

Mix the brown sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.  Leave a little space around the outer edges for sealing.

Roll the dough into a "log" and "seal" it.

Cut the log into slices, about 1 inch wide.

Place the slices in a covered 9 x 13 inch greased pan.  Cover with clear plastic wrap. (I will often spray the wrap so the dough doesn't stick.)

Let the rolls rise on the counter until doubled in size.  In my case, I made the dough the night before, so I let them rise in the refrigerator overnight, then I pulled them out about an hour before cooking to let them finish rising on the counter. That would be a good time to pull out the other 1/4 cup butter to soften.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a mixer, mix the cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.

Once the rolls are out of the oven, spread the mixture over the rolls.

Enjoy!

Reba

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Another case of the picture NOT doing this food justice.  It is a travesty, I know.  I would love to be a professional food photographer OR have my own personal food photographer. But honestly usually when I cook things, we are rushing to get things on the table so we can eat.  And my pictures are taken in "drive by" style.  

 I am just thankful I got a picture of this before the kids got hold of it.  Because they love it.  And if I had waited, I might have had just crumbs left to snap photos of...

Yes, another Pinterest recipe. I saw it and thought, "Why not?"  It reminds me a lot of the coffeecake I make.  But a much simpler version for days that I need a much simpler recipe.

I have also decided that they make good gifts or products for a bake sale.

Best of all, you are encouraged to make these the night before, so it is ready and waiting. Just warm it up in the morning (re-heat) and enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (I have been using King Arthur's unbleached when I have a chance)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar (granulated)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Cinnamon swirl ingredients:
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a loaf pan (9 x 5 inch).

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Add in the egg, milk, and vegetable oil.

Stir just until moistened. Do NOT overstir.

Pour half the batter into the loaf pan.  I don't know if "pour" is an accurate word because it was more like "spoon" to me...not that runny.  But it worked.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon swirl ingredients.

Pour remaining batter over the top.

Sprinkle a little more cinnamon/sugar if you wish (like you could go wrong with more cinnamon and sugar :).

Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the pan cool for about 10 minutes.

Move to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

I will admit, I totally skipped the wire rack. I just let mine keep cooling in the pan.

Wrap up with foil and save for the next day.  (It will be very crumbly to cut right after it comes out of the oven)  We microwave a slice or two for around 10 seconds the next day.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Muffins

 I have mentioned that we have been "cleaning" up the way we eat.  A little more organic, less preservatives.  And in doing that, a lot of "mixes" are out.

So yesterday I glanced in our fruit bowl and noticed that we had a couple of bananas that were nearing the end of their life.

I hated to see bananas go to waste (though I NEVER eat them by themselves), so I decided we really needed some banana bread or muffins.  I decided muffins would be a good (and easy) way to go.  Even better, I had already planned a "breakfast for dinner" kind of night so this would be a perfect addition.

I immediately googled and fell upon a recipe that is supposed to be very kid-friendly.  Perfect for me. :)

I didn't really have any kids around at the time so I just made the recipe myself.

And they were yummy.

I don't think I have ever made homemade banana bread before.

Now that I have, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to a mix again.

And honestly, it didn't take me but a few more minutes than a mix would...and these were so much better.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted (I used unsalted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Nuts (to taste...I used about half a cup of chopped pecans)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray muffin pan OR use fun muffin/cupcake liners. That is the way I went.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts.  I just hand mixed.  I also made sure not to overmix after reading comments by others on the original recipe's site.

Fold in the flour mixture.

Again, don't overmix (but make sure ALL of the flour is mixed in).

Scoop into muffin tins (I used my cookie dough scooper).

Bake for 10-15 minutes for mini muffins and 25-30 minutes for regular size muffins (mine made 12 regular size muffins).

Enjoy!

Reba

Crescent Cinnamon Buns

I have tried a couple different recipes involving cinnamon "crescent rolls" including this one.  And we had absolutely NO difficulty eating either one.  Cinnamon, crescent rolls, butter...how can you go wrong?  Yet recently as I was perusing (yes, my favorite...Pinterest), I happened on yet another recipe involving cinnamon and crescent rolls.  The same but different.

So when my dear daughter informed me that she needed to make a breakfast dish for a church activity, I knew exactly what she should try.

While I have liked the original recipes I have made, I have to say that THIS dish was exactly what I have been wanting.  It is really hard to roll up crescent rolls in their crescent roll shape, especially when dripping with butter.  In this recipe, you don't have to roll them up that way.  In fact, these look more like a "cinnamon" roll than anything else I have made.

I have to preface this with one little caution...I didn't actually get to taste them. I wanted to SOOOOO bad. But I didn't.  Dear Daughter needed to take them to church, so I left them untouched. But she did tell me they were quite delish. In fact, she had none left over.

I think I will be making these this weekend...

Anyway, here is the recipe:

Crescent Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:
1 package crescent rolls (I HIGHLY recommend Crescent rounds if you can find them)

1 stick softened butter (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a pie plate.  I just stuck it in the pie plate and put it in the oven while it was pre-heating.

Add the brown sugar to the melted butter in the pie plate and stir.

Roll out the crescent rolls, pinching seams.  I used the Crescent Rounds which were perfect. I just rolled it out as one large sheet but later when I rolled it back up, I just had to "cut" on the dotted lines to have my "cinnamon buns".

Spread remaining softened butter (4 Tbsp) over the crescent rolls.

Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together.  Sprinkle over the crescent rolls.

Roll the dough back up into one log.  Slice 8 even "cinnamon rolls". 

Place the rolls in the buttered pie plate.  Sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon/sugar.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

While they bake, mix together the glaze ingredients.  (1 cup powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp heavy cream which can be made with 2 Tbsp milk plus 1 Tbsp butter if needed, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir together with a fork.

Pour glaze over the warm cinnamon rolls once out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Reba

Hashbrown Eggs and Cheese

Sorry for not posting much this week.  We are getting back into the swing of things after vacation.  And while I have cooked (all but one day...had a nice sushi date with hubby last night), I have been making tried and true recipes.  So I haven't had much to share. But I did have this recipe that I never got to post before we left for vacation.

Hashbrown Eggs and Cheese...

Sometimes we need a "light" dinner.  And breakfast for dinner fits the bill for that much of the time. 

We like our eggs and cheese.

So when I saw this recipe for something similar but that added hashbrown potatoes and bacon...well, we had to try it.  (I believe the website author adapted the recipe from Paula Deen...)

It was pretty quick and quite yummy.

We will be having it again.

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes thawed (I used the shredded)
4 Tbsp melted butter
3 large eggs beaten
1 cup half-n-half (I did use the low fat version)
6 or 7 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Dry out the thawed hashbrown potatoes (using paper towels).  Mix with the butter.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie dish.

Bake for about 20 minutes in the oven.  The potatoes should be lightly crispy.  Just don't burn.

While the crust is cooking, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Once the crust is lightly crispy, pour the egg mixture into the pan. 

Don't make the mistake I did and try to pick up the pan though because it is still hot from the oven. Ouch.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reba