Blueberry Syrup

Blueberry Syrup Recipe

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 15 minutes).

Serve over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream.

You can substitute otehr berries- strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries.

* I used a little bit less sugar- about 1/2 cup and also added an extra couple of tablespoons water. At the end I mashed down the blueberries so it was a little bit less chunky. Flavor is amazing and this syrup is wonderful served warm over pancakes!

Overnight Caramel Apple Rolls

Overnight caramel apple rolls



Filling

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 medium cooking apple, peeled and chopped (1 1/2 cups)



Rolls

3-3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkg regular or quick active dry yeast

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup milk

1 egg



Caramel Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup chopped walnuts



2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened



Directions



1.In medium bowl, mix filling ingredients. Set aside. In large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the salt and yeast.



2.In 2-qt saucepan, cook 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup butter and the milk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very warm (120-130°F). Add warm mixture and egg to flour mixture; beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.



3.Place dough on lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead about 5 min or until smooth and springy. Place in large greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place 45-60 min or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)



4.Grease bottom and sides of 13x9" pan with shortening. Mix brown sugar, 1/2 cup applesauce, 3 Tbsp melted butter and the walnuts in pan; spread evenly.



5.Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Roll dough into 15x12" rectangle. Spread 2 Tbsp softened butter over dough; sprinkle with filling. Tightly roll up rectangle, beginning at 15" side; pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Stretch and shape until even. Cut roll into twelve 1" slices. Place slightly apart in pan. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hr but no longer than 48 hr.



6.Before baking, let rolls stand at room temperature 30 min (rolls will not rise during this time). Heat oven to 400ºF. Bake 20-25 min or until golden brown. Cool in pan 1 min. Place heatproof serving platter or tray upside down onto pan; turn platter and pan over. Let stand about 1 min so caramel can drizzle over rolls; remove pan. Serve warm.



Notes: I mixed whole wheat and white flour and they came out very moist. Applesauce gives this a great moisture boost!



Help! I can't remember where this recipe came from as I copied and pasted it in a word doc. If you know where, please let me know so I can link it. Thank you!

Cherry Enchiladas

The original recipe came HERE from allrecipes.com.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
8 oz cream cheese + 1/3 c powdered sugar
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon crushed sliced almonds

Directions
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whip together cream cheese and powdered sugar and spread evenly among tortillas. Place a few spoonfuls of cherry pie filling in each tortilla and roll up. Place in baking dish with seam side down. Combine the water, butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the 'enchiladas' making sure to coat the tops completely. The mixture will be watery. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon and almonds in a small bowl or cup; sprinkle over the top of the enchiladas.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until outside edges of the tortillas are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with whip cream.

Notes: These do not work as well with whole wheat tortillas for some reason but they are still good. I have made these with other types of pie filling- I think the cherry pie filling is a little too sweet but then the apple pie filling didn't have quite enough apples in it. Blueberry is also good.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
½ sticks Butter
1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
¾ cups Sugar
1 whole Egg
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2-¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
¾ cups Whole Milk
2 cups Fresh Blueberries

FOR THE TOPPING:
¾ sticks Butter
½ cups Sugar
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ cups Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt

Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt. Stir and set aside.

Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in batter.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.

Notes: For the cake part, I tried to use as little butter as possible. I ended up using 3 Tablespoons butter and substituting applesauce for the remaining butter (3/8 cup) and it was still very moist. I also substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour.

Applesauce Muffins

Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients

1 C margarine, softened

2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 c applesauce

2 t baking soda

4 C flour

1 T cinnamon

1 T allspice

2 T vanilla.

Heat applesauce and add baking soda. Add allspice, cinnamon, and vanilla. In alternating increments, add margarine and flour.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 24 muffins.

Notes: I made this with whole wheat and they were extremely moist. These also freeze very well and you can half easily.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (about half a lemon)
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins

2 large eggs
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Fold the flour and milk in gently until barely combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Notes: I used whole wheat flour on this and substituted applesauce for half of the butter. They were extremely moist! Careful not to overbake if you do use applesauce. My kids devoured these for breakfast!!

English Muffins

Have you ever made your own English Muffins? They are super easy and off the griddle they are amazing! You can even make your own sausage egg muffins for breakfast. Yum!



English Muffins
Yields: 18 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup melted shortening
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).

3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.

4. Heat greased griddle to 350 degrees. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast.

Notes: I will make a double batch and freeze them. They freeze well and don't dry out. Forget the stove top heating of the milk- just micro-blast it. He he... Be prepared for a messy griddle to clean. I also have done half whole-wheat and there were two things- first, they dry out a lot faster than white so be prepared to either freeze more right away, or eat lots. Second- the wheat does take longer to rise.

Sour Cream Waffles

Don't they look fabulous? They are! I found the original recipe from Heidi Swanson's website 101 cookbooks HERE.


Sour Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
Maple syrup or jam, for serving

Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Lightly oil the grids. Meanwhile whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into the well. Whisk just until smooth; do not over mix.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the waffles hot, with the syrup passed on the side.

Makes twelve 4-inch waffles.

Notes: My only problem with this recipe was the butter- I'm not a big butter fan. I made these three times- the first time I followed the recipe perfectly. Next, half the butter (which was also fabulous and no real difference in texture). Thirdly, I omitted most of the butter. I actually did 2T butter and 1/4 cup applesauce instead. They turned out well, very moist. I also did one cup whole-wheat flour and 3/4 c all purpose on the last two attempts and whole-wheat works great.

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole



Ingredients:
1 lb sausage
1 pkg crescent rolls
1 c frozen hash browns, thawed
1 c grated cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 c milk
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Press crescent rolls into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Brown sausage, drain, and put into the 9x13 on top of rolls. Add potatoes and cheese. In a small bowl, mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Notes: You can do some of these things the night before. I measured out a cup of the hash browns and put them in my fridge over night. I also browned the sausage the night before and mixed up the egg mixture. Then, in the morning its a quick combine it all and throw it in. Also, I didn't have crescent rolls when I made this one but I had buttermilk biscuits. It did take 1 1/2 tubes to cover the 9x13 but it turned out well. Also, you can add whatever "extras" you like- I've added green peppers and onions to the sausage layer, you could add some zucchini, mushrooms, etc.

Orange Sweet Rolls

Sweet Roll Dough

1/2 c warm water

2 T yeast (Active dry)

dissolve yeast in water then add:

1 1/2 c warm milk

2 t salt

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

3 1/2 c flour

Mix until smooth. Then add 3-4 c more flour. Knead 5 minutes. Round in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let raise in a warm place until doubled in size (About 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Punch down and bake to specifics.

* I use this dough also for cinnamon rolls, cream cheese rolls, and scones. It will make about 2 dozen scones. I also subsituted some whole wheat flour in the mix- about half of it. This makes the rising time a bit on the longer side.

Orange Rolls

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c butter (or margarine)- softened

2 T grated orange peel

Mix ingredients until smooth. Roll dough into a large rectangle and spread the filling onto the dough. Roll up jelly roll style and cut into rolls. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Mix glaze ingredients and spread over warm rolls.

Glaze:

1 c confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon softened butter

4 t milk

1/2 t lemon extract (I used orange and it was good, too)

Enjoy! Store in a tightly sealed container. Also, wheat rolls will dry out more quickly than all-white- flour rolls.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I never think to take a picture of these but the flavor is awesome- these are beyond restaurant quality!

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 egg
1 c buttermilk
2 T salad oil
1 C flour
1 T sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 t salt

Sift dry ingredients. Beat the egg and add to the dry. Add oil and buttermilk. Cook in a frying pan or on a greased 350 degree griddle. This makes 10-12 medium sized pancakes.

Buttermilk Biscuits (w/ Sausage Gravy)

This is my absolute favorite breakfast right now. Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 C Flour

1 T baking powder

3/4 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

5 T solid shortening

1 c buttermilk

Sift together dry ingredients and cut shortening in. Add buttermilk and gently toss with a fork. Knead dough for 3 minutes. You can either drop by spoon fulls onto a pan or roll and cut out rounds. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

For my sausage gravy, I brown my sausage and remove it from the pan. Add 2 C milk w/ 3 teaspoons of flour whisked in. (Dissolve the flour into the milk before you heat it with a fork). Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Let it boil until it reaches the desired thickness you want. If you get it too thick, you can whisk in more milk. Add sausage back in and add salt and pepper to taste.

My little twists- I've found you can't use substitute buttermilk with the biscuits or the flavor/texture is really off. I have replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour and they work really well. For the gravy you can use any type of sausage- we generally use the lower fat/sodium mix. Depending on the saltiness of your sausage the amount of salt you add to the gravy can be quite different from batch to batch. I've also found that you can make the gravy in the time it takes to cook the biscuits in the oven- viola! Hot breakfast ready all at once.

Crepes

Breakfast Crepes

4 eggs

4 T melted butter

2 2/3 cup milk

2 c flour

1 t salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pour a small amount onto a greased, hot griddle (325 to 350 degrees) and spread until thin. Turn halfway. You can also pour into a frying pan and use the pan to spread the batter until thin. This makes about 18 8" crepes. Top with fruit and whip creme, powdered sugar, etc. I have tried these with whole wheat but they do not work as good. The best mix I have found is to do 3/4 c wheat and 1 1/4 c white flour. I haven't tried using a finer grade wheat flour yet.

Monkey Bread

My boys LOVE to help make this easy Monkey Bread and then of course to devour it ALL!



3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough (lights ones work well, too)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Grease a bundt cake pan. Mix white sugar and cinnamon together. Cut refrigerated dough in half, roll into balls, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture, and then place in pan. (This is the part my boys love to do!) If you add nuts or raisins (I don't), layer them in between the dough.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Mmmmm!