It dawned on me this morning that ours is a household of minis.  In addition to our vehicles (a minivan and a Mini), there are other minis.  My husband and I are both foodies, and thus, a couple of our children are mini-foodies.  They love to cook and critique new foods, be it at a restaurant or home.  We also have a mini-farm, with 15 egg-laying hens in a backyard coop.

When you have mini-foodies and a mini-farm, you sometimes need to find recipes that combine the two, which was the case last week.  With our chickens hitting a daily high of 9 eggs, I decided that we needed to make a dinner that incorporated eggs.  As two of the kids are on a cooking streak, I wanted to find a dinner that would allow for two assistant chefs.

Enter mini-quiches.  There would be plenty of chopping, egg cracking, cooking, shredding, and blending to keep everyone busy.  Plus, each person could create his or her personal mini-quiches, so everyone would be happy.  A winner of a meal!

With a dozen mini-quiche and four diners, there were some leftovers, which reheated very nicely for breakfast on a different day.  Perhaps this recipe could be considered a mini-victory for me.

Mix and Match Mini-Quiches

FIllings:

splatterless bacon, crumbled

baked deli ham, diced

crimini mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

red bell pepper, diced

sweet onion, diced

shredded swiss cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Base:

12 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk

1-1/2 tsp. onion powder

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare all desired fillings.  In large mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and whisk well.  Spray 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Place desired toppings for each mini-quiche in individual cups.  (Do not fill more than half full with toppings.)  Using a ladle, fill muffin cup to brim with egg mixture.

Place muffin pan in oven, and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until top is golden and egg is set.

I have to confess that I have a slight bit of an addiction to. . . smoothies.  If you had told me a few years ago that my daily breakfast would be a smoothie, I would have laughed.  Not that I ate big breakfasts, but a bowl of cereal usually was my thing.  So, to go from a breakfast that involves chewing to a breakfast of drinking only seemed like it couldn’t be very filling.

I was wrong.

When I first tried smoothies as a breakfast, I would have a few sips of my husband’s smoothie and then make something for myself.  But the more that I tried these drinks, the more that I discovered I enjoyed the taste and felt full.  This led to me making smoothies for myself, which I now do daily.  In fact, although I enjoyed all of the indulgent breakfasts while we honeymooned in Hawaii, I was ready to return to my regular breakfast at home.

About a year ago I shared my recipe for Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothies.  However, if you dislike or are allergic to peanut butter, there are plenty of alternatives.  One of my favorites is a Banana-Berry Smoothie, which can be made with an assortment of berries.  When berries are in seasons, choose the ripest.  However, for the rest of the year, frozen berries work.  (My personal choice is blueberry.)

As a note, a blender can be used for this recipe.  However, if you have a Magic Bullet, it works very well.

Banana-Berry Smoothie

1 ripe banana

1/3 cup skim milk

1 Tb. flax seed

1/2 frozen unsweetened berries

3 ice cubes

Break banana in half, and place in blender or Magic Bullet mug.  Add milk, flax seed, berries, and ice cubes.  Cover securely, and blend well.  Enjoy!

All of my children and my husband love bacon.  So, for a lazy weekend breakfast or a summer burger barbecue, there is often the request to have bacon with the meal.

However, the mess from cooking bacon on stovetop (even when using a lid or a splatter shield) often makes me want to suggest a different ingredient.  Though, with four little smiles asking, “Pleeease. . .” I usually cook the bacon and deal with the mess after the meal.

Recently, someone suggested that I cook the bacon in the oven.  I have to admit that I was skeptical.  I figured that the result would be splattered bacon grease inside the oven instead of the stove.  Well, the excellent news was that there was no mess in my oven.  Plus, there were other benefits.  The bacon didn’t need to be flipped, so I didn’t need to watch the pan or worry about getting burned by grease that was splattering.  Also, the smell of bacon didn’t seem to linger as long as it did after cooking in a frying pan.

I will admit that cooking the bacon in the oven did require more time, but I think it was worth every extra minute!

Splatterless Bacon

1 lb. bacon

Preheat oven to 400.  Place roasting rack inside 2 - 3  inch deep roasting pan.  Starting at the middle of the rack, place strips of bacon about 1/2 inch apart.  Do not crowd the rack.  (It probably will take two batches to cook the whole package of bacon.)  Place pan in oven, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, depending on how crunchy or chewy you like your bacon.

Serve immediately, or add to your favorite recipe.

I have enjoyed baking since my childhood.  As a teenager, I baked cookies, brownies, and pies.  I would cut recipes out of magazines to try at a future date.  This love for baking grew into a love for cooking all dishes.  Still, there are dishes that I have yet to try.  One of these was bagels.  Note the word, was.

Everyone in our house loves bagels.  Granted, we enjoy different kinds with different toppings, but if we all go to a bagel shop, I know everyone will be happy with the menu.  So, with a family of 6 that likes bagels, it seemed like an appropriate food for me to master.

This past weekend I decided to try my hand at making bagels.  I did worry that if they flopped (or more accurately, I did not succeed), I would be looking for a quick replacement breakfast, as bagels are not a quick to make item.  However, it was Saturday, we were in no particular rush, and I felt inspired.  With those thoughts, I gathered my ingredients and began the bagel making process.

After an hour and a half of mixing, kneading, rising, boiling, and baking, it was time for eating.   I had created 3 different types (salt, cheese, and cinnamon), making everyone’s favorite type.  As they were piping hot from the oven, we didn’t toast them.  Topped with butter or cream cheese, all three types of bagels received rave reviews.  In fact, my husband found them to be so good that he suggested we make bigger batches and not buy them anymore!  Does he know the way to charm the chef or what?

However, I have to agree.  They were delicious.  Yes, they did take time to make, but I thoroughly enjoy baking for my friends and family, just to see the smile upon their faces when they dine on my cooking.  There will be many more bagels made in my kitchen.

Never Buy Them Again Bagels

1-1/2 cups warm water

1 Tb. dry active yeast

2 Tb. + 2 tsp. sugar, divided

1 Tb. canola oil

4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

4 -1/2 cups flour

toppings (see suggestions below)

In a large mixing bowl, combine water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Add remaining tablespoon of sugar, oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 cups of flour.  Add enough flour to make dough stiff. Place dough on a floured surface, and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent it from being sticky.  Place dough on a board or cookie sheet, cover with a towel, and place in a warm spot to rise for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into eighths, roll each into a 9-10 inch long rope, and pinch ends together to form a circle.  Return to board or cookie sheet, cover with a towel, and allow to rise for 20 minutes.  While bagels are rising, fill a stock pot 2/3 full with water, and add 2 teaspoons each of sugar and kosher salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

Preheat oven to 450.  Grease 2 cookie sheets.  Place a kitchen towel on a third cookie sheet.  When the bagels are done rising and the water is boiling, reduce the water to a simmer and place 2 bagels into the pot.  After 45 seconds, flip bagels and cook for another 45 seconds.  Place bagels on towel-covered cookie sheet, and sprinkle toppings on both sides.*  Place on greased baking sheets.  Repeat with remaining bagels.

Place bagels in oven, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.  Place on a baking rack to cool, or serve immediately.

Toppings

kosher salt

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

cinnamon-sugar mix

poppy or sesame seeds

*If using cinnamon and sugar, I would suggest adding a tablespoon or two of the mix to the dough.  Then sprinkle more mixture on the top of the bagel only.

For many people a weekend morning without plans is the perfect occasion for sleeping late.  For me, it is the perfect time for a big, homemade breakfast.  At our house, the kids often request my cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip scones, pancakes, or waffles.  However, if the kids aren’t home in the morning, it is the perfect time to try a less sugar- or chocolate-based breakfast.

With no kids home on this past Saturday, I decided to try my hand at baked grits.  Having been raised primarily in New England, grits are not native to my cooking repertoire.  However, with travels to Maryland and Delaware on a fairly frequent basis, I have seen this dish on many menus.  Checking out fellow diners’ meals, grits seemed like a nice replacement for homefries or hashbrowns.

Plain grits seemed okay, if they were topped with butter, salt, and pepper.  To make our grits more flavorful, I decided to add cheddar and parmesan cheeses and dried chipotle chile pepper.  While they baked in the oven for 20 minutes, I had time to cook the sausage and eggs.  I even had an extra minute to make mimosas for an extra special touch.

While much of the Eastern time zone was waking, we were enjoying a hearty, delicious breakfast for two. Personally, I’ll take breakfast with my husband over sleep any day.

Two-Cheese Baked Grits

4-1/2 cups skim milk

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried chipotle chile pepper

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 Tb. butter, unsalted

2 cups quick-cooking grits

1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine milk, salt, chile pepper, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium.  Stirring constantly, add grits, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.  Stir for 4 - 5 minutes or until grits are creamy.  Pour grits into a greased 8 X 8 baking dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Serves 6 generous portions.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we took a trip to Whole Foods the other weekend.  Both my fiance and I enjoy a wide variety of cheeses and were not disappointed with the cheese counter at that store.  Perusing the selection, I noticed some wedges of Wensleydale with cranberries.  I asked the clerk behind the counter about this cheese, and he generously offered samples to us.

The cheese was slightly crumbly with a hint of acidity to its flavor.  The cranberries offered a nice contrast to the taste of the cheese.  Upon first bite, I knew we would need to bring some home.  What would take more time was deciding how to serve the cheese.

I knew that the cheese would be popular with none of our four children, so that gave a greater range of options for recipes.  Having recently seen recipes for grilled cheese and fruit sandwiches, I decided to make a slightly different version, which led to our French toast combination.

I found that it tasted best with a drizzle of maple syrup, while my husband-to-be opted for honey.  Served with a glass of Merlot, this made for an excellent dinner for two.

French Toast with Apples and Cheese

4 slices multi-grain boule, cut 1/2″ thick

1/3 cup egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

dash nutmeg

unsalted butter

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced

4 oz. Wensleydale cheese with cranberries, thinly sliced

In a wide, shallow dish (such as a pie pan), mix the egg whites, vanilla, and nutmeg.  Preheat griddle or large frying pan over medium heat.  When heated, melt a small amount of butter in the frying pan, just enough to coat the bottom lightly.  Place one piece of bread in the egg mixture, coating the bottom.  Flip the bread, so that the second side gets coated with egg mixture.  Remove bread from pie pan, and place in frying pan.   Cook for 2 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown.  Flip, and continue for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat process with remaining pieces of bread.

Place french toast on a broiler-proof pan.  Top each slice with 4 - 5 apple slices.  Place slices of Wensleydale on top.  Put tray under broiler for 1 or 2 minutes, watching to ensure that the cheese doesn’t burn.

Serve immediately, with honey or maple syrup, if desired.

With busy schedules for everyone, it can be hard to get together after work to celebrate a birthday.  Therefore, a plan was made to meet for breakfast before work.  Living where we do, Mother Nature was not kind to our plans.  Instead of going to breakfast, each of us was snowed into our respective homes.

Time for a plan B to be formed.  Consulting our calendars, we found that two days later we each had time for breakfast.  However, due to childcare commitments, it would need to be a quick celebration.  With that in mind, I suggested that we meet at work, and I would supply a simple, yet tasty breakfast.  This was agreeable to the birthday girl, and I began to ponder options.

One of my favorite breakfast treats is scones, but this friend has sampled my scones many times.  I wanted to make something new for our meal.  I also wanted something that would not be work intensive in the morning when I would be getting myself and two children ready for the day.  Pondering options, I decided on a coffee cake that would allow me to do most of the work the night before and bake it in the morning.

When I arrived at work the coffee cake was still warm.  As I cut each of us a slice of the coffee cake, you could smell the cinnamon.  This aroma mixed with the smell of fresh, hot coffee that my friend graciously had brought for the occasion.  Each of us thought the coffee cake was tasty:  tender, slightly moist, and gently sweet.  With the combination of simplicity and tastiness, this will become a frequently used recipe.

Birthday Raspberry Coffee Cake
Cake:1 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt	1/2 cup buttermilk1/3 cup butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 2/3 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen Topping: 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
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In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine milk, butter, and egg.   Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and mix well.  Fold in berries.  Pour into a greased 8×8 baking pan.  Combine brown sugar, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350.  Uncover the coffee cake and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

With the holiday season upon us, many of us let our good eating habits fall by the wayside.  There are temptations everywhere you look:  cookies, eggnog, fried latkes.

To balance these tasty munchies, I try to make meals using more healthy recipes.  Quite often I do that by having a high protein breakfast, such as an egg wrap or smoothie.  A smoothie is one of my favorite breakfasts, all year round, for many reasons.  The smoothie can be made quickly and is a very filling breakfast.  Also, it is portable, which is useful when trying to get everyone else in the house ready for the day.  Plus, if I make a peanut butter smoothie, I know what a healthy food it is from reading peanut butter nutrition data .

As the holiday season continues and food-based events fill up my calendar, I will keep plenty of bananas in stock.  I will be prepared for a morning-after breakfast item to help improve my diet.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie
1 ripe banana2 Tablespoons flax seed2 Tablespoons peanut butter, creamy or crunchy	1/2 to 3/4 cup skim milk6 ice cubes
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Cut banana in half and place in blender.  Add flax seed, peanut butter, such as Skippy, and 1/2 cup milk.  Top with ice.  Place lid on blender and combine on high  setting until no chunks of ice remain.  More milk can be added to make a thinner smoothie.

Scones have been a favorite breakfast treat of mine for quite some time.  They are easy to make and are perfect for both a leisurely morning or a quick start to the day.  Additionally, once I have made the base for the scone, I can divide the dough, making chocolate chip scones for the kids and fruit scones for the adults.

One of the newest admirers of these scones is Little Jake, the youngest in the group.  The first time that he had one, he misunderstood the name.  Afterward, he requested a batch of chocolate chip stones.  Since then he has learned both the name and the exact smile to give in order to procure this treat.

When making scones, there are endless possibilities.  The favorite type for the kids is the chocolate chip version, occasionally with a few white chocolate chips added.  If you want a non-fruit scone that is not so sweet, cinnamon chips make a tasty addition.  For the more adventurous eater, you can replace the chocolate with raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.  A nice combination is raspberries with some white chocolate chips for sweetness.

Little Jake’s Chocolate Chip Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup buttermilk*

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400◦F. Mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add butter.  Combine ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.    Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, and vanilla in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.  Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.  Transfer wedges to rimmed cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.

*Instead of using buttermilk, I often combine 1 tablespoon vinegar and enough milk to equal 3/4 cup.

With the week of vacation ending, a healthy diet is required.   Too many mornings of full breakfasts and too many nights of large dinners have encouraged me to return to my usual healthy eating.

Never having been a person who is able to skip meals, I always eat breakfast.  Sometimes it is simply a bowl of cereal, but quite often I crave something different.  It needs to be something easy to make, filling, and not calorie-laden.  A favorite choice of mine is a breakfast wrap.

I find breakfast wraps to be a perfect breakfast choice.  I can use an assortment of ingredients in this meal, and it is quick to prepare.  Plus, it is a tasty, hold in your hand as you rush out the door sort of meal.  Additionally, the clean-up for this meal is quite simple, which aids in the rush out the door part of the meal.

Best Breakfast Wrap

1/2 wrap (I prefer the low carb variety.)

2 egg whites or 1/3 cup egg substitute

2 Tb. salsa

2 Tb. mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

shredded cheddar cheese

Spray a small microwave-safe plastic bowl with nonstick cooking spray.  Place egg or egg substitute in bowl.  Add salsa and whisk to combine.  Cover with a paper towel and cook on high in microwave for 45 seconds.  Remove bowl and whisk.  Return to microwave, cook for 20 seconds, and whisk.  When eggs are set and no longer wet, place on wrap.  Top with mushrooms and cheese, and fold wrap like a burrito.

Additional ingredients can be used, such as onions, peppers, tomatoes, or spinach.

Serves 1.