Puffy (German-Style) Pancakes

Recipe and Photo by Latter-Day Mommy

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter (or less, if desired)
2 muffin pans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, beat together all the ingredients except for the butter. Slice the butter and evenly disperse between the muffin pans. Put the pans in for a couple minutes while it’s preheating to melt the butter, then pour some batter into each compartment in the muffin pans until each muffin compartment has amount the same amount. Cook for about 10 minutes or until it is as dark as you like it (I prefer about 13 minutes). Also, bear in mind that the muffins will rise substantially, so make sure your rack isn’t too high.

Pumpkin-Caramel Pumpkin Bread

Recipe and photo by Pillsbury
Recipe modified to my liking

 

(FYI - When making my modified version, my pumpkin bread comes out a ton gooier than this photo, but also so much yummier!) 

Ingredients

 

1/2  cup granulated sugar
2  tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 16 oz cans Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits
1 1/2  cups packed brown sugar
1  cup butter
1/2 - 3/4  cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)                                             

                    

Directions
 

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bundt cake pan with cooking spray.                           

In large food-storage plastic bag, mix granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Separate each can of dough into 8 biscuits; cut each biscuit into quarters. Place 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in sugar-spice mixture; shake well. Continue to add more biscuit pieces to sugar-spice mixture until all are completely coated. Place biscuit pieces in pan.

In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and pumpkin over medium heat. When mixture begins to boil, cook and stir 1 minute. Pour most of the mixture over biscuits in pan, reserving some for later.

Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Place plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Drizzle over remaining sauce.  Serve warm.                           

Gorilla Bread

Recipe courtesy of Paula Dean, Modified
Read Recipe as Written

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (7 1/2-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count each)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8X8 dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the baking dish.  Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with the cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar.

Place the prepared biscuits in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with a light dusting of the cinnamon sugar (you won't use it all), pour the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on the remaining nuts. Bake for 30 minutes, or until rolls (especially in the middle) are baked through. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Perfect and Painless Bacon

PHOTO CREDIT

DIRECTIONS

1.Line a shallow baking sheet with foil (be sure it has a lip in it).

2.Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away!

3.Come back 17 minutes later to check on it. Watch it in 1 - 2 minute intervals until it reaches desired doneness. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. It will cook a little more even after you remove it from the oven.

4.Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. Or, if you have no use for that, simply let the fat cool on the foil, then ball it up and throw it away! No messy clean-up required.

Buttermilk Pancakes

The best pancakes I've ever made. EVER!

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com via Our Best Bites
Thanks for the recipe and the photo!

INGREDIENTS
3 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. milk
3 eggs, separated
1/3 c. (5 1/3 Tbsp.) butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another container, whisk together buttermilk, milk, and the egg yolks. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Whisking constantly, add melted butter to the milk mixture. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

When the flour has been combined but the batter is still a little lumpy, heat a non-stick skillet or griddle to medium-low heat. While the skillet is heating, gently (but completely) fold beaten egg whites into the batter. When the skillet is hot, spray it with a little non-stick cooking spray and then just pour the batter into pancakes on the hot skillet.

Soon, you will start seeing bubbles. (For blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes, sprinkle those on top of the pancakes at this time.) When the bubbles pop and leave a hole, it's time to flip. Gently slide a spatula under the pancake and quickly flip it to the other side. The other side won't take quite as long as the first side--just check here and there and when the pancakes are golden brown on both sides remove from the skillet.

Top pancakes however you please, and serve.

French Toast

I thought I didn't like french toast. Then I tried this recipe...

Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. (I also add a sprinkling of cinnamon.) You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Crisp and Golden Waffles

INGREDIENTS

1 Egg
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Cups Milk
3 Tablespoons Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat egg until frothy.
2. Add remaining ingredients; mix until smooth.
3. Add 2/3 cup batter to pre-heated waffle maker and spread evenly with rubber spatula.
4. Bake as instructed with waffle maker.


Alternative: Use Whole Wheat flour and top with Blueberry Compote for a much healthier and filling breakfast! (And still yummy!)