Cinnamon Bun & Apple Upside Down Bread Pudding

 

If you do not have an oven-proof skillet for this recipe, I used a 10" cast iron skillet, then you can saute the apples and dump them into a 10" round cake pan.

Ingredients

2 cans cinnamon buns
2 C apples, cored, peeled & chopped
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c butter
3/4 c packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
1 T pure vanilla extract
1/2 c raisins (optional)
3 T pure maple syrup & more for serving
French Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375*.   In a 10" oven-proof skillet, melt butter and brown sugar; add cinnamon and apples (and raisins, if using); saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until apples are soft, approximately 10 minutes.

Cut cinnamon rolls into quarters.  Place them over the apple mixture.

In a medium bowl, add eggs, heavy cream and vanilla.  Whisk until well blended.  Pour over apples & cinnamon buns.

Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until bubbly, and cinnamon bun pieces are baked through.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn upside down onto a plate while holding the place over the pan.  Drizzle with maple syrup.  Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired.  Drizzle with more maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin & Apple Butter Spice Cake

Ingredients

2/3 C vegetable oil
1/3 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3-1/2 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 C 100% pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 C apple butter
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C chopped pecans (I used candied pecans from a pkg.)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease bundt pan with vegetable shortening or PAM for baking. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars with paddle attachment of electric mixer.  Add oil and eggs, and mix until incorporated. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Turn mixer to low and slowly incorporate dry ingredients Add pumpkin and apple butter and mix slightly, but not completely.  Add raisins and pecans and incorporate by hand.  Do not over mix or cake texture will be denser.  Add batter to prepared bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until tester near center of cake comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove and cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar or prepare Brown Butter Maple (recipe below) glaze and pour over cake.  Serve cooled cake as it or try it with whipped cream cheese and/or apple butter.

Brown Butter & Maple Glaze

1 stick of salted butter
1to 1-1/2 C confectioners' sugar (start with 1 C and add an additional 1/2 C if needed)
2 T milk
1-2 T pure maple syrup

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Keep heating until butter begins to turn brown and smells nutty.  This takes 4-5 minutes.  Watch closely as once it starts to turn brown it goes very quickly!  Remove from heat and add confectioners' sugar, milk and syrup.  Stir until smooth.  If glaze is too thick to pour, add more milk a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency. Pour over cake.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Oat Bread

Ingredients

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup sour cream

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup vegetable oil

2½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

¼ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl gently combine brown sugar, milk oil, sour cream, vanilla, and eggs.

Add remaining dry ingredients except nuts and blueberries and slowly mix together.

Dust blueberries lightly with flour to prevent from sinking when baking. Gently fold in blueberries and walnuts. Pour batter evenly into loaf pan. Top with additional oats if desired.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until an inserted test toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Gently remove from pan and let cool on a rack for 2 hours.

Sprinkle top with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Keep covered. Bread will be fresh for approximately 4 days.

Recipe adapted from PenneyLane

Baked Peaches 'n Cream Oatmeal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh peaches, chopped (You could also use frozen or drained canned peaches. Fresh gives the best results)

Cream

Whisk together milk, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.

Add quick oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.

Stir in butter and peaches.

Pour into a buttered 8x8-inch baking dish; set at least 3 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Place cold dish in cold oven; set oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until oatmeal is puffed and golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serve in individual bowls. Pour cream over top!

Note: My oven takes a good 20 minutes to preheat, so I found that the oatmeal was not done in the middle after the allotted time.  After an additional 10 minutes it was perfect.  Before turning off your oven, the center of the oatmeal should be firm, but spring back when pressed.  If it feels too loose, bake for additional 5-minute intervals.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Ingredients

2  cups flour

3⁄4cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cranberries

1 egg

3⁄4 cup orange juice

1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Combine dry ingredients.

Stir in cranberries.

Beat egg, orange juice, oil and orange rind.

Add to dry ingredients all at once.

Stir just to moisten.

Spoon into greased muffin cups (fill 3/4 full).

Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Bake 400F 15-20 mins until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Recipe from Food.com

Simple Bread Pudding w Butter Rum Sauce

This recipe incorporates all the main components of french toast, so feel free to serve it for breakfast with some maple syrup instead of butter rum sauce if you prefer.

Ingredients
1 c dark and/or golden raisins
1/4 c dark or spiced rum
1 loaf of French bread, 1 day old and cubed
1 qt. whole milk, or coconut milk (can also use half and half)
3 T butter, melted
3 eggs
2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter Rum Sauce
1 stick of butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
2/3 c dark or spiced Rum

Soak the raisins in the rum for 1-2 hours.

In a large bowl, add the bread. Pour all the milk over top and let soak. Set aside.
In a medium bowl add eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices & salt. Set aside.

After the raisins are done soaking, pour the melted butter into a 13x9 pan and using a pastry brush, spread across bottom and up sides.  Next, pour the egg mixture into the bread mixture. Drain the raisins and stir into mixture. Dump entire mixture into the prepare pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the bread starts to pull away from the sides. Make sauce.

Add all sauce ingredients to a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until it thickens slightly more. Do not allow to simmer or boil as that could curdle your sauce.  Pour a little of the sauce over individual servings of bread pudding on the plate.

Remember: This also makes an excellent French Toast Casserole served with maple syrup. Another variation would be to serve as a sweet treat topped with store bought caramel sauce.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Popovers with Italian Sausage & Smoky Mozzarella

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pan
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Two 3-to-4-ounce sweet or spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella (4 ounces)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 small green onions, pale green and white parts only, finely sliced to yield 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Maple syrup, for drizzling

Special equipment: One 12-cup nonstick muffin pan, each cup about 1/2-cup capacity, or a 12-cup popover pan, each cup about 1/2-cup capacity

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Butter the muffin cups.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Add the sausage and break it into 1/4-to-1/2-inch pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons sausage into each muffin cup. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sausage.

Blend the eggs in a blender until frothy, about 15 seconds. Add the milk, flour, green onions, basil, salt and pepper. Blend until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup to just below the rim. Bake, without opening the oven door, until puffed and golden, about 35 minutes.

Place the popovers on a platter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Recipe courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis

Sauteed Vegetable Fritatta

My favorite breakfast as it is so easy, versatile & delicious! You can substitute or add any veggies you have on hand. Make sure to cut them all in same size so they cook evenly.

Ingredients

1/2 c diced sweet onions
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 T olive oil
1 c sliced mushrooms
3-4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
6 large eggs
1/3 c milk or cream
Salt & pepper
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 c sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1 c grated swiss cheese (you can used sliced; enough to cover the fritatta)

Preheat oven to 350*

Add olive oil to 10" oven proof pan (I use a cast iron pan) and saute the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes; add the mushrooms and continue cooking for another 4 minutes or until all or tender and onion is translucent. Toss in spinach and cook until wilted.

In the meantime add eggs, milk, salt & pepper and tarragon to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Pour over sauteed vegetables in pan. Cook until only half the mixture moves when you move the pan back and forth.  You will be cooking it the rest of the way in the oven.  Add the sliced tomatoes evenly over the egg mixture; cover with cheese. Place in oven.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until mixture no longer moves and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes.  Run knife around pan, cut in slices and serve!

Crunchy French Toast

Ingredients

3 whole Eggs

1/4 cup Half-and-half

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 cup Sugar

4 slices Cinnamon Raisin Bread (or any bread)

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1 stick Salted Butter, Melted

 Softened Butter And Maple Syrup, For Serving

In a pie pan, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and half the cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate pie pan, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Use a fork to stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter so that the crumbs are slightly moist. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the rest of the melted butter over medium-low heat.

One by one, dunk the bread in the egg mixture (turning to coat), then lay them in the dish with the panko crumbs, turning them over and pressing them gently so that they stick and totally cover the surface.

Place them into the skillet with the butter and let them cook on the first side for 5 to 6 minutes, watching closely to make sure the crumbs don't burn. (If they start to darken too fast, turn the heat slightly lower and watch.) Turn them over and let them cook for 3 minutes on the other side.

Transfer the pieces to individual plates and serve with butter and syrup. 

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Delicious!

Easy Cinnamon Buns

If you have a craving for fresh from the oven cinnamon buns that are like the ones you can buy at the mall, this recipe will satisfy that craving.  It takes a shortcut in that the dough is comes ready-made from the frozen food section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

1 loaf of frozen ready-made bread dough, thawed in the frig
6 T softened butter
Ground cinnamon
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c of chopped nuts and/or raisins (optional)

Icing

1-1/2 c confectioner's sugar
2 T very soft butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (almond works well too)
Milk

Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray 8 large muffin cups or a round baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Lightly dust a wooden cutting board with flour.  Set out the thawed dough and roll into about an  8x15 rectangle.  This step takes a bit of work, but you'll eventually get there.  You can pull and stretch the dough a bit with your fingers as well to help it along.

With a knife spreader slather the entire rectangle with butter.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.  Mix the sugars together and sprinkle over the cinnamon.

Starting at the long end, tightly roll the dough into a log, manipulating the dough to keep it even.  Slice into 8 equal pieces, and put cut side down into pan.  With your fingers, spread the top layers of dough open.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise to double in size, about and hour and a half.  Bake for 16-20 minutes are until a dark golden brown and cooked in the center.

Mix icing ingredients together, adding milk by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency.  Thicker, but spreadable is better here as it will melt as soon as you spread it onto the hot buns.

Enjoy!

GF Baked Oatmeal Popables with Fruit & Bittersweet Chocolate

There is a recipe going around on FB called Healthy Cookies.  I took my idea for these very tasty snacks from that.  They taste like sweetened cooked oatmeal, but in convenient snack-size mounds. You're gonna love 'em and so simple to make. If you use a vegan chocolate bar, this recipe becomes vegan as well as GF!

Ingredients:

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup applesauce (I used unsweetened)
2 cups GF old fashioned oats (like Bob Mill's Organic)
1/4 cup coconut or almond milk, your preference
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet. You can substitute a vegan bar)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (you can substitute vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment.  Mix all ingredients together. Using a medium cookie scoop, place them 1/2" apart.  They do not spread, so 1/2" is plenty.  Bake for 16-20 minutes or until firm.  They really do not brown, so don't be concerned. Baking them makes them hold together.  Let cool and give them a try!

Enjoy!