Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Kaycie brought this recipe home from college.  Apparently these were a frequent menu item in room B202 at the Eccles Living Center (a.k.a. dorms) at SUU.  Which reminds me...

...did you you know that it's not politically correct to say that you live in "dorms" any more?  According to my highly educated daughter, the word DORM has a negative connotation, so they are called "living centers".  I had to break the news that every parent's worst fear is that their child will grow up and have to live in a "center".

Anywho... my younger children LOVE this recipe.  All you need is a refrigerated tube of cinnamon rolls and your waffle iron.

 Tips from a highly educated college student:

1) Don't use Grands cinnamon rolls, jut get the smaller, regular kind (the Grands turn out doughy).
2) Don't worry if you get a little scared the first time you pop open a tube of refrigerated dough.  Everyone gets scared the first time.
3) Slap the little rolls on the waffle iron and cook them until they are brown.  Frost with the frosting that came with the rolls.  Leave the maple syrup in the cupboard.  It isn't good.  They tried it.
4) Clean your waffle iron well after making this recipe.  Otherwise, sugary black stuff will burn on to your waffles the next time you use your waffle iron.  Sugary black stuff is gross.
5)  Finally, clean up after yourself.  The motto in B202: "Dishes are like boys.... don't let your friends do them."

Almond Torte

My dear friend Karen, an awesome teacher and fellow foodie, just announced that she is moving to Texas.  I have been in mourning...and denial.  This torte is one of the most delicious recipes that she shared with me.  I will think of her every time I make it.  Here's to Karen and to almond extract!

 

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

dash salt

1 cup melted butter

2 cups flour

2 tsp. almond extract

slivered almonds to sprinkle on top

 

Mix all ingredients except the slivered almonds together.  Pour in to a greased and floured 9 inch springform pan.  Sprinkle with sugar and slivered almonds.  Bake at 325-350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour (do the toothpick test). 

 

Serve it plain or with chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whipped cream. 

Cinnamon French Toast with Warm Vanilla Syrup

You COULD use regular bread to make this delicious French toast, but buying Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread makes all the difference. We also love to drizzle this with homemade vanilla caramel syrup on top. 

 

CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

 

1 loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread, sliced

6 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/8 tsp. salt

1 T. brown sugar

butter

 

Optional:  sliced strawberries, sweetened whipped cream, warm vanilla syrup

 

Heat a griddle to medium heat.  In a shallow dish, mix eggs, milk, salt and brown sugar until well combined.  Spread butter on griddle until melted and bubbly. Dip bread slices in egg mixture, then place on buttered griddle.  Cook on both sides until nicely browned on each side.  Serve with warm syrup, sliced strawberries, and a dollop of whipped cream. 

 

WARM VANILLA SYRUP

 

1 cube butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T. corn syrup

1/2 tsp. baking soda

 

In a  LARGE saucepan, melt butter, sugar, vanilla and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Stir in baking soda and boil 10 seconds more, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.  Mixture will bubble up and foam, so be sure to use a large enough saucepan so it doesn't boil over.  Serve warm.  Refrigerate leftovers.   

Easy Cream Cheese Danish

I found this recipe quite a while ago and have been saving it for a rainy day. You can use any flavor of jam (I used peach). The recipe makes a dozen scrumptious cheese danishes. These would be perfect for a brunch, or a brial/baby shower. It's a keeper!

1 tube crescent roll dough
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
8 tsp. jam or preserves (your favorite flavor)

Open crescent roll dough and separate in to 4 rectangular sections (you will need to seal the perforations diagonally down the center). Roll each in to a 7x3 inch rectangle (will need to flour it lightly before rolling). Mix cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread mixture over the top of each rectangle. Roll each rectangle up from the long side. Cut each roll in to 3 sections (like a cinnamon roll). Place on greased cookie sheet and smash down each roll and make an indentation in the center. Place a dollop of jam in the center of each roll. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

You can drizzle glaze over the top if desired. For glaze, mix 1/4 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1-2 tsp. milk. Mix well and drizzle on rolls.

Zucchini Muffins

The past few weeks I have been participating in the Bountiful Baskets program. If you don’t know what that is, you should click here and start participating. Last week, four zucchini were in the basket and I was delighted. I cut some up and threw in a pasta salad, made four loaves of zucchini bread, and finished out the week with these amazing muffins. They turn out perfectly moist and are just the right amount of sweet.

2 ¼ cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

3 eggs

½ c. canola oil

¾ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

½ c. sour cream

3 cups shredded zucchini

Optional add ins: zest from an orange, chopped walnuts or pecans

In a small bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder with a whisk, set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil, both sugars and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in the sour cream, the zucchini, and any mix-ins you like. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (don’t over mix!) Spray 2 (12 count) muffin tins with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes. Makes approximately 20 muffins.

Homemade Hot Fudge

This is my favorite hot fudge recipe. I make a big batch and we use it and later reheat it without it turning sugary. For our Moore Family Christmas party this year we served breakfast and these hot fudge pancake stacks were a hit. Get ready to lick your plate!

1 cup butter

3 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. It will seem a little thin, but will thicken as it cools. Can be refrigerated and reheated.

Mini Cinnamon Bundt Cakes

My darling friend Jenny gave me a mini-bundt pan for my birthday. I've been having fun adapting down recipes for full size bundt cakes. This recipe will work big or small. 1 yellow cake mix
1 small vanilla pudding
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c.water
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
powdered sugar and milk for glaze

Mix cake mix, pudding, oil, water and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time until smooth. In a separate bowl mix cinnamon and sugar. Pour half of batter in a greased bundt pan (or in mini bundt pans). Sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over the top of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top of the cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and then invert cake onto a serving dish. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 T. milk and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir until mixture forms a smooth glaze (may need to add a little more milk if it's too thick). Drizzle over cake.

Cinnamon French Toast Sticks w/Caramel Syrup

Usually I'm not picky about ingredients, but this recipe turns out best if you use Chunky Cinnamon Bread from Kneaders Bakery. It is TO DIE for! If you don't live in Utah or Arizona you can get by with any loaf of hearty cinnamon bread, but I'm apologizing ahead of time because it just won't be as good :0)

1 loaf Chunky Cinnamon Bread from Kneaders (yes, it has a little frosting on top)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
butter

Cut loaf in thick slices (about 1 inch). In shallow bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and salt. Dredge the bread slices in the egg mixture one at a time and place in a medium hot skillet (melt butter in skillet then place bread slices on top). Cook on both sides till golden. Remove from heat and cut each slice of bread in to strips. Serve with caramel syrup.

CARAMEL SYRUP...

1 1/2 stick of butter

3 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

3 T. white corn syrup

3 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, sugar, buttermilk and corn syrup in a large pan and bring to a boil. Boil 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. Add baking soda and vanilla and stir well. The baking soda will cause the syrup mixture to bubble and raise, so be sure to use a large pan when making this recipe.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Kaycie had a friend sleep over last night, so I decided to pretend to be one of those doting moms and got up early this morning and made a breakfast casserole. This is kind of like a frittata and has simple flavors that even the kids like. We love it with fresh salsa on the side and an orange Julius.

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb. sausage (Italian or country style), cooked and crumbled
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup frozen hashbrowns
7 eggs
1/3 cup milk
salt & pepper (I used about 1/4 tsp. salt and a dash of pepper)

Press the crescent rolls across the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan. Layer on the crumbled sausage, the mozzarella cheese and the frozen hashbrowns. Mix the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and beat well with a fork. Pour the egg mixture all over the top of the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (leave it uncovered so that it can brown well). Remove from oven. Cut into squares and serve. Great with salsa on the side.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Croissants

This is an easy family favorite. On busy nights, I make them for dinner.




croissants from Sam's Club (or sometimes I cook up a roll of Grand's Biscuits)
sliced cheddar cheese
cooked bacon slices
eggs

Fry egg in frying pan over hard. After egg is cooked, place cheese on it so it can start to melt. Assemble sandwich by placing egg, cheese and bacon on a sliced croissant or biscuit. Serve with fresh fruit.

Popeye Pancakes

I've been making this dish since I was a teenager. It tastes like a crepe, but denser and more filling. I serve it with powdered sugar, syrup, and whipped cream on top.



6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter

Blend eggs, milk, flour and salt in the blender for 2-3 minutes. Place a cube of butter in a 13 x 9 pan and stick it in the heated oven for a few minutes until the butter melts. Remove the pan and pour the egg mixture over the butter and return to oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. It will rise in the oven and get really puffy, then settle down once you take it out of the oven. Top with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup and whipped cream.

Stuffed French Toast

We went to Mimi's the other day and my kids had stuffed French toast. I decided to try my own version at home. You know I'm all about easy, so I decided to use flavored cream cheese for the inside stuffing and it turned out AWESOME!The finished product!

You have to cook these on all sides, so you have to be creative. I propped them up on the skillet to cook the tops and bottoms.
This is the bread I used (I buy it at Costco or at the Sara Lee Bread Store). This flavored cream cheese is only $1.25 at Walmart.

thick, hearty French bread
eggs
milk
a little salt
flavored/sweetened cream cheese (I used strawberry)
powdered sugar
syrup

Break eggs in a bowl, pour in a little milk and whisk with wire whisk. Flavor with a dash of salt. Trim crusts off of bread so they are square. Take one slice of bread and spread flavored cream cheese in the middle. Top with another piece of bread. Dip the "sandwich" in the egg mixture and place on hot griddle. Bake on all sides until puffy and nicely browned. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with syrup. Could also top with berries and whipped cream.

Cinnamon Oat Pancakes

I'm trying to be more healthy in 2009 and these pancakes are the perfect place to start. The wheat flour and oats make the pancakes hearty and healthy. I cooked the batter plain for my kids, but added the oat & almond topping for the grown ups, which made them over-the-top good!

2 c. flour
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
2 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. vegetable oil

Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
Drop batter on to hot skillet and fry pancakes on both sides.

***If desired, make topping mix (below) and sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the topping mix onto the skillet, then pour batter on top of that and sprinkle 2-3 more tablespoons of the topping on each pancake. This bakes a sweet, nutty topping into both sides of the pancake. You can also sprinkle more topping mix on top after the pancakes have been cooked.

TOPPING:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. chopped almonds or pecans

Swedish Rosettes

Shirlene made these and brought them over one morning. They look beautiful and taste delicious. My kids compared them to carnival funnel cakes.


Batter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup unsifted flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine eggs and milk. With fork or wire whisk, mix well. Stir in flour, sugar and vanilla extract; blend until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour or overnight.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 quarts vegetable oil to 365 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Attach selected iron to handle. Dip iron into hot oil for 15 seconds; drain slightly on paper towel. Dip lower part of hot iron into batter, letting excess drip back into bowl. (Do not get batter on top of iron.)

Dip iron into hot oil; as batter becomes cooked, it will loosen and drop into oil. Cook until golden on one side; turn and cook on other side. Repeat. As pastries turn golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Pastries may be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar or cinnamon-sugar. Tart shells may be filled with sweet or savory fillings.

Here is a picture of a Swedish Rosette Cooking Set. You can buy them on E-bay and Amazon.

Santa Pancakes

We made these on Christmas Eve morning. The kids loved them! You can use any pancake recipe or mix. But hey....make them from scratch...you know you want to (my buttermilk pancake recipe is included below)!

As you pour the pancake batter onto the hot pan, pour it into a teardrop shape instead of a circle. This gives you the right shape to create the Santa face.

Pancake batter
strawberry or raspberry jam (or fresh strawberries/raspberries)
can of whipping cream
mini chocolate chips

Bake pancakes in teardrop shapes. To decorate, cover the top of the teardrop with jam to resemble a hat. Using whipped cream, make a mustache and beard. Decorate both the beard and the hat, ending with a dollop of whipped cream on the top of the hat. Add chocolate chip eyes. Serve warm!

Delicious Scratch Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 beaten egg
1 c. buttermilk
2 T. oil

Mix all dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, egg and oil. Stir until just mixed (over-mixing will cause toughness). Batter will be lumpy. If batter is too thick, add more buttermilk to thin.

***My favorite "mix" to use when I'm in a hurry is the Cracker Barrel Pancake Mix or Hungry Jack Traditional Pancake Mix.

Caramel French Toast

This recipe is the BEST because it can be made the night before. The French Toast slices get crispy on top, then when you remove them from the pan, the bottom is covered with a delicious caramel sauce.

French Toast
Sliced loaf of Hearty French Bread (I like the Sam's Club French Bread)
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Syrup
1 cube butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. corn syrup

Over stove top, melt caramel ingredients to a soft boil. Pour in bottom of a 13x9 pan. Place sliced bread over the sauce, filling the whole pan. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour over bread and cover. Chill in fridge overnight. The next morning, bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. When serving, flip slice over so melted caramel tops each slice of french toast.

Easy Oven Omlet

We made this egg casserole last year on Christmas morning, but my kids loved it so much, we now make it often. The recipe was given to me by my good friend Kami.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Place 1/4 c. butter in a 13x9 pan and place in preheated oven just until butter melts and coats bottom of pan.

Mix together the following ingredients and pour into the hot pan:

18 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. salt

Stir in any of the following ingredients that your family likes:
chopped ham
crumbled bacon
crumbled sausage
cheese
chopped mushrooms
chopped onion
chopped green pepper

Bake until set, but not dry (approximately 45 minutes).

***TIP***
When I make this for my family, I cut the recipe in half and cook it in an 8x8 pan instead. Our favorite is a simple bacon and cheese version.

German Pancakes

I've been making these since I was a kid. My own children now love them. They are super easy - just mix ingredients and dump in the pan. They are also sometimes called Dutch Babies or Popeye Pancakes.

1/3 c. butter
6 eggs
1 c. butter
1 c. milk
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 13 x 9 glass pan and place in oven for 2-3 minutes until butter melts. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Remove hot pan from oven and pour egg mixture on top of the hot butter and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup. It is also good with a dollop of whipped cream.

Funnel Cakes

My Aunt Kathleen out in Colorado gave me this recipe. We had them all the time when I was young and it wasn't until many years later that I saw them at amusement parks and carnivals. They are surprisingly easy to make. My kids top them with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Fruit toppings and whipped cream are also delicious.

2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup milk

Mix to combine, then add:

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat until smooth. Test mixture to make sure it flows easily through a funnel. If too thick, add a little milk, if too thin, add a little flour.

In an 8" skillet, heat 2 cups vegetable oil to 360 degrees. Cover opening of funnel with your finger. Pour a generous half cup of the batter into the funnel. Hold the end of the funnel close to the surface of the oil and remove your finger, releasing the batter into the hot oil. Spiral the funnel around so the batter doesn't stay all in one lump. Fry until golden and then turn over (about 2-3 minutes). Using tongs, carefully turn the cake over and fry one more minute or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.