Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal

The Yummy Life has several healthy recipes, including this easy no-cook breakfast that will definitely get your day started in a healthy way.  This recipe is high in proten, fiber, and calcium and low in fat and sugar.  Apparently this type of yogurt and oatmeal mixture is also called "summer porridge" or "muesli."  She recommends making these in individual mason jars, so they have grab-and-go appeal if you don't have time to eat until you're in the car or at work.  Of course, you could make them in any container that holds one cup. 

I followed her recipe and added chia seeds, which are evidently rich in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.  If you can't find any at your local health-food store, you can substitute ground flax seeds or omit them.

Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp dried chia seeds
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup blueberries

In a jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup.  Put lid on jar and shake until well combined.  Remove lid, add blueberries, and stir until mixed throughout.  Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.  Eat chilled.

Egg McMuffins

Yum!  I have never ordered an Egg McMuffin from McDonald's, and I've apparently been missing out.  This homemade version is really good!  (I especially like them with a little smear of strawberry jelly.)  

Who doesn't want a hot, protein-filled breakfast?  The Canadian bacon is really good and good for you, but you could substitute ham or bacon or whatever other meat you want. 

You'll be baking the eggs for these, so make sure you have the right equipment.  I used my handy muffin-top pan, which worked perfectly.  However, you could use regular muffin tin pans (the size just may be a little small) or ceramic ramekins.

Another reason we've really loved these is that they can be frozen.  That way, when I'm short on time in the mornings (which is just about every morning during the school year), I can just pop one of these in the microwave or oven.  The recipe below is for 6 Egg McMuffins, since Canadian bacon and English muffins tend to come in packs of 6.  However, feel free to scale it up and freeze as many as you'll need.  If you're making one batch, you might as well make several.  It's just a big assembly line.

We highly recommend these!  You'll be so glad you have them on hand! 

(For even more detailed instructions and pictures, see this post on The Yummy Life.

Egg McMuffins

6 whole wheat English muffins
6 eggs
6 slices of cheese (I used American)
6 slices of Canadian bacon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the muffin top tins or ramekins with cooking spray, and add an egg to each one.  Break the yolk with a fork or spatula so that it flattens and spreads with the egg white.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on each egg, and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. 

While the eggs bake, split open the muffins, and add the slices of cheese and Canadian bacon.  Add the baked eggs when they're ready. 

If you plan on reheating these in the microwave, wrap them in wax paper or parchment paper.  After they're all wrapped, put them in freezer ziplocs and freeze them.  It takes less than a minute to reheat a thawed McMuffin and about 3 minutes at half power for a frozen one (turn it over after each minute).

If you'll reheat in the oven, wrap them in aluminum foil.  Frozen ones will reheat at 350 for 30-40 minutes or 15-20 minutes for thawed McMuffins.  This is especially helpful if you're feeding a crowd and need to reheat several at a time.  They'll also get crispier this way.

Easy French Toast Casserole

This was an easy, make-ahead breakfast recipe that we both enjoyed.  I'm sure this would be even better with fancier bread (French bread, cinnamon-raisin bread, brioche, etc.), but I needed to use up several slices of good ol' wheat bread before it went bad.  Because I'm usually rushing around in the morning, I put everything in the casserole dish and let it sit over night, and then I baked it in the morning. 

It's an easily adaptable recipe.  Like I said, you can use different types of bread, or try half-and-half or cream or even egg nog (for a holiday twist) instead of milk.  It's also easy to double or triple, depending on the size of your crowd.  I hope you like it!

Easy French Toast Casserole

3 cups bread, cubed

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cooking spray

Spray an 8"x8"  pan with cooking spray, and place bread cubes in the pan.  In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, half the sugar, and vanilla.  Pour egg mixture over bread. 

If baking that morning, let the bread/egg mixture stand for 10 minutes.  If baking later, refrigerate the mixture at this point. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Sprinkle bread/egg mixture with the cinnamon and remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until top is golden. 

Sunshine Upside Down Muffins

I just found a great blog called Eat 80/20; it's run by a dietician who recommends eating healthy 80% of the time and allowing yourself to indulge for the remaining 20%.  (This one is an 80-ish recipe.)  I can't wait to try more of her recipes, but these muffins looked so good that I made them over the weekend with just a couple of changes.

This recipe makes 12 muffins or 6 muffin tops; I know I've already professed my love for my muffin top pans.  I opted for the muffin tops here, which ended up making the whole family happy. 

Buck loves pineapple and breakfast breads and muffins, so I knew these would be right up his alley.  Little did I know that these are also right up Teak's alley.  While I was changing the sheets on the bed in the other room, Teak's Go-Go-Gadget-tongue managed to reach one of these huge muffin tops off the cooling rack on the kitchen counter.  Let it be known that these were not close to the edge of the counter.  Apparently the old adage is true: where there's a will, there's a way.

Sunshine Upside Down Muffins

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, drained and divided
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (all-purpose would be fine)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 large carrot, grated

Preheat oven to 350.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add brown sugar and 3/4 can of pineapple.  Continue to heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, as the rest of the muffin batter is prepared.

In a mixing bowl, combine remaining pineapple, applesauce, egg, vanilla, and white sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and pecans.  Fold flour mixture into wet mixture until just moistened.  Gently stir in grated carrot.   

Spray the cups of a muffin tin generously with cooking spray (without flour).  Spoon about one tablespoon of the warm pineapple mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, spreading evenly.  Spoon muffin batter on top of pineapple mixture, filling each cup about 2/3 full.  Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes on middle rack or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and use a sharp knife to run around the edges of each muffin.  While muffins are still warm, turn tin over onto cooling rack to release muffins. 

Bacon Jam

That's right; I said it.  Bacon Jam.  It's a real thing.

It's easy to put together, and then it's completely hands-off once it goes in the slow cooker.   Your not-so-hard work will be rewarded with a decadent spread for toast or biscuits in the morning or on hamburger buns at dinner.  

It will also make your dog's eyes shine with hope in a way they haven't shone before.

As you could imagine, a little bit goes a long way.  After seeing the amount of bacon that went into the recipe to produce such a small amout of jam, I decided to go easy on it with breakfast, but the small amount I had was amazing. 

I found this recipe on Ezra Pound Cake, which she adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.  The full recipe makes 3 cups of jam, but I cut it in half and got 1 1/2 cups. The full recipe is below. 

Once it's finished, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.  When you're ready to have some, you might have to let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes before it will spread easily.  It gets a paste-like consistency after being chilled. 

Bacon Jam

1 1/2 lbs sliced bacon, cut into 1" pieces
2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee

In a large, cast-iron skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered, about 20 minutes.  Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, and pour off all but one tablespoon of bacon grease from skillet; add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are soft, about 6 minutes. 

Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee.  Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the skillet, about 2 minutes.  Add bacon, and stir to combine. 

Transfer mixture into slow cooker, and cook on high, uncovered, for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until liquid is syrupy.  Transfer to a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Let cool, and refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 weeks.

Banana Bread Muffins

To be more precise, I made banana bread muffin tops since my sister gave me two awesome muffin top pans (similar to the ones you can order here).  Thanks again, Amanda.

Buck loves breakfast breads and muffins, and I came through for him last week in a big way.  We couldn't get enough of these!  They were amazing!  (It probably had to do something with the sour cream in the batter.)  We highly recommend these.

I modified a recipe from AllRecipes, and it made 10 heaping muffin tops.  If you make it as a loaf of bread, bake it at 350 for 60 minutes in a 9"x5" loaf pan. 

Banana Bread Muffins

1 3/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray muffin top pans with cooking spray. 

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice; mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir into butter mixture until smooth.  Fold in sour cream and bananas.

Put two heaping tablespoons of batter into each muffin top cup.  Bake for 22 minutes, turning the pans after 12 minutes.  Cool pans on racks before removing muffin tops.

Migas--Georgia Style

I lived in Texas for two glorious years before moving to Georgia, but unforunately I wasn't lucky enough or in-the-know enough to order a plate of migas for breakfast while living there. 

Don't know about migas?  I didn't either.  Here are some good explanations from the Homesick Texan or Pioneer Woman, but I can tell you, too: it's a tasty breakfast dish with eggs designed to use up stale tortillas.  The recipe below is another one I adapted from the Homesick Texan cookbook.

Both explanations above note that the eggs are not scrambled; you wait for the eggs to set on the bottom and then do some gentle folding.  However, my folding turned into scrambling, but I don't think the end result suffered.  The stale tortillas (you can use fresh ones, too) are cut into strips and fried, and in the original dish, they're stirred into the eggs while they're cooking, which softens their texture.  Well, if I'm going to the trouble to fry something (I had the baking soda box next to the skillet--one grease fire is enough for me, thank you very much), I want it to be crunchy, so I made the tortilla strips a bed for the eggs to sit on.  I only used a few tablespoons of canola oil, and the strips were nice and crispy in just a minute or two.  If you don't want to fry the tortilla strips, I'm sure you could bake them or even just use tortilla chips. 

The finished product was completely delicious.  We had this as our first meal of 2012, and we were both very happy and satisfied.  Try this on your next lazy weekend morning; you won't regret it. 

Migas--Georgia Style

Oil, for frying
2 tortillas, cut into strips
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
10 pickled jalapeno slices
4 eggs
Splash of milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
3-4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup (2oz) grated Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese
Salsa, for serving

In a large skillet, preferably a cast-iron skillet, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.  Place tortilla strips into skillet, cooking until crisp, turning once.  Remove tortilla strips with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate.

Drain the oil from the skillet, leaving 2 tablespoons, and turn down the heat to medium.  Add the onions and jalapenos to the skillet, cooking while occasionally stirring until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  While this is cooking, whisk the eggs in a bowl with the milk, salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro.

After the onions and jalapenos are cooked, add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add the egg mixture.  Gently stir the eggs; when almost done, sprinkle cheese on top of eggs, and let the eggs sit until the cheese has melted.

Place tortilla strips on a plate, and serve eggs on top.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with salsa. 

Pepper Jack Potato Casserole

Cheese and potatoes are both so delicious.  This is not at all a healthy recipe, but it is very tasty.  It's great as a side at a casual dinner or an excellent addition to a brunch.  If you can't find the Monterey Jack cheese with the peppers, just chop up some pickled jalapenos and add them--that's what I did.  Enjoy!

Pepper Jack Potato Casserole

1 (30 oz) package frozen shredded hash browns
1 (8 oz) package Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, shredded
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine hash browns and cheese in a large bowl.  Stir together milk and next 4 ingredients; pour over hash brown mixture.  Pour into a lightly greased 9"x13" baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.

Banana Bread Bruschetta

I saw this recipe in a Southern Living cookbook, and since I had just made banana bread, I couldn't help but try it out.  YUM.  This was delicious!  If you want to make your own banana bread, you can of course use the recipe for Almost No Fat Banana Bread, but you could easily just buy a loaf at the bakery.  This would be great at brunch with a mimosa, or you could use it as an appetizer at a party.  It's wonderful.

Banana Bread Bruschetta

1 loaf banana bread
Goat cheese
Apricot or pear preserves

Slice banana bread into half-inch-thick slices.  Cut each slice in half, and arrange on a baking sheet.  Broil 6 inches from heat for 2 minutes.  Spread each slice evenly with 2 tsp goat cheese and 1/2 tsp apricot or pear preserves. 

Almost No Fat Banana Bread

Do you like how my natural reaction is to spread cream cheese all over the banana bread that has almost no fat?  I do see the irony. 

The bread really is delicious without any toppings though.  It's very moist and has a great banana flavor.  It's quick to put together, and it smells great coming out of the oven.  I'm sure it would be great as muffins, too. 

Almost No Fat Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs whites (or 1 egg)
1 cup banana, mashed (2 large bananas)
1/4 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease and 8"x4" loaf pan.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Add egg whites, bananas, and applesauce; stir until just combined.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Turn out onto wire rack and cool before slicing. 

Ham and Cheese Rolls

Oh my gosh.  You will thank me for these little gems.  They're completely delicious, pretty easy to put together, and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a casual dinner.  They're really filling, too; the full recipe makes 12 rolls, but you could cut it to 6 rolls easily.

I slightly tweaked this Southern Living recipe, and I'll definitely make it again.  As the recipe below notes, you can make them in a 10-inch skillet or round pan or a 9-jnch square glass dish.  I tried to fit as many as I could (which was nine) in a 9-inch round pan, and the other three I put in my muffin-top pan.  They all tasted equally delicious, but the ones in the muffin-top pan browned more quickly than the ones in the round pan. 

Ham and Cheese Rolls

12 frozen biscuits (I used Mary B's)
All-purpose flour
¼ cup dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 cup (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 (9oz) container deli sliced ham, chopped or torn into pieces
Cooking spray

Arrange frozen biscuits, with sides touching, in three rows of four biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Let stand 30-45 minutes or until biscuits are thawed but still cool to the touch.

Sprinkle thawed biscuits lightly with flour. Press biscuit edges together, and pat to form a 12x10” rectangle of dough; spread evenly with mustard, and sprinkle minced onion flakes on top. Top evenly with the cup of shredded Swiss cheese and then with the ham.


Roll up, starting at 1 long end; cut into 12 (about 1” thick) slices. Place rolls into a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet, 10-inch round pan, or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until center rolls are golden brown and done; cool slightly. 

Apple Bread

This is a tasty apple bread recipe.  My goal is to start making more fruity breakfast breads, so hopefully I'll get on that shortly.  It's great with a pat of honey butter, or you can indulge yourself and eat it with a smear of cream cheese.  Very good!

Apple Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, egg, vanilla, and apples.  Stir into flour mixture; add walnuts and mix.  Pour mixture into greased 8"x4" bread pan, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until done.  Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. 

Ham and Wild Mushroom Quiche

It's time for some healthy eating. 

The big wedding is next month, and after last week's scare in an alterations shop where the seamstress took in my dress too much (she honestly did--I haven't gained weight), it's definitely time for healthy eating (which will be paired with my new running shoes). 

This is a really tasty quiche, and it has healthy vegetables.  It's good!

Ham and Wild Mushroom Quiche

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 pound lean deli ham, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 cup sliced sweet onion

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup shredded, reduced-fat, sharp cheddar cheese

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 10" pie plate or shallow casserole dish with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs, and gently roll and shake the plate to distribute the crumbs over the sides and bottom.

Place the ham, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper in the pie plate.  In a small bowl, beat eggs with a fork.  Beat in the nutmeg, milk, cheese, and salt and pepper.  Pour into prepared pie plate.  Press the ingredients under the eggs with a fork.

Bake about 25 minutes, until the quiche is firm.  Remove, cut in sections, and serve.

Jalapeno Cheese Beer Bread

I'm betting you like all of the ingredients listed above.  If you don't drink beer, don't worry; you don't taste it in the bread.  It just provides the yeast that the bread needs to be successful.  If you don't like spicy food, don't worry; the jalapenos are very mellow.  This isn't hot at all. 

This is a quick recipe to put together, and it's great to serve warm with a pat of butter or with eggs and bacon for a savory breakfast.  Biz requested this bread this weekend since I hadn't made it in a while; he even suggested that we make it as muffins next time, which would be great.  Give it a try!

Jalapeno Cheese Beer Bread

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (4oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (12oz) bottle lager-style beer (I used Michelob Ultra)
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp butter, divided and melted

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add jalapeno and green onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute. 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.  Add jalapeno mixture, cheese, and beer to center of flour mixture.  Stir until just moist. 

Spoon mixture into greased 9"x5" loaf pan; drizzle one tablespoon of butter over batter.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.  Drizzle remaining tablespoon of butter over batter, and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

Quick Quiche

I've always liked quiche, and with this recipe, Biz finally realized that he likes it, too (he just hadn't tried it before).  It's quick, easy, and great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  This recipe is even faster because you don't have to make a crust (or in my case, you don't have to buy a frozen pie crust to put the ingredients in).  The best part about this recipe is how adaptable it is--add whatever you like, such as chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, or anything else.  It's very good!

Quick Quiche

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 oz shredded Swiss cheese

2 Tbsp butter, melted

4 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (or 1 Tbsp minced onion flakes)

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9" pie plate.  Line bottom of pie plate with cheese and crumbled bacon.  Combine eggs, butter, onion, salt, flour, and milk; whisk together until smooth.  Pour into pie plate.  Bake in preheaten oven for 35 minutes or until set.  Broil for 2-3 minutes for color, if desired.  Serve hot or cold.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

This is a great recipe from one of my Southern Living cookbooks.  It isn't spicy at all, so don't be afraid of the jalapenos that it calls for.  I made it to bring to a friend's house, so since I wanted to keep it wam, I baked it in the stoneware pot from my crockpot.  Then, when it had finished baking, I put the pot back in the crockpot and just kept it on warm.  So easy and so good!  We didn't have any leftovers at all.  

The original recipe said to add five eggs (!) at the end, but I didn't see the point of that, so I left them out, and everything was still great.  I also didn't add all the cheese that it calls for (that's four cups of cheese), but as with anything, the more cheese you add, the better it is.  I sprinkled some of the leftover cheese over the top before I baked it, and that made them look even better.  Enjoy!


Jalapeno Cheese Grits

32 oz chicken broth
1 3/4 cups quick cooking grits
1 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350.  Bring broth to a boil in  large saucepan; stir in grits.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat.  Melt butter in a large skillet; add chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic.  Saute for 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in grits and cheeses.  Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9"x13" baking dish.  Bake, covered, for 45 minutes or until set; serve immediately.  Yields 8 servings. 

Strawberry Pecan Bread

This is an excellent recipe from a cookbook I have on the best recipes from Louisiana.  (My picture does this recipe no justice.  It really is so good.)  I really enjoyed eating a slice with some cream cheese for breakfast in the mornings, and I bet it would be great if you baked it in a muffin tin, too.  It will be wonderful when fresh strawberries are out.  This is a nice change from banana bread, but I'm sure it would be awesome to add some mashed bananas, too.  Delicious!

Strawberry Pecan Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (10 oz) package frozen strawberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda; set aside.  In a small bowl, beat eggs and oil; add pecans and strawberries.  Add strawberry mixture to dry ingredients.  Grease and flour a (9"x5"x3") loaf pan.  Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for one hour (or 45-50 minutes for smaller pans). 

Cheddar Biscuits

(One picture of two different recipes means that we have two posts in one day.  Yay!)

These biscuits are so easy and delicious, and you probably already have everything at your house.  If you want a good breakfast biscuit, you can just make them plain, or you can have a great side for your dinner with the savory onion and garlic flavors.  They're so good either way.

Cheddar Biscuits

4 cups baking mix
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly spray a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.  In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, milk, and cheese.  Mix until dough is firm.  Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.  Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.  Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and parsley, and brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing them from the oven.

Lazy Sausage Bread

I made this recipe my own after being insprired by several similar recipes.  I called it lazy sausage bread because I was too lazy to make my own dough, chop up a real onion, and measure out other spices.  I took the easy way out all the way.    I would have used refrigerated pizza dough if the bread dough hadn't been on sale; I'm sure it's still just as good. 

Lazy Sausage Bread
1 can refrigerated crusty French bread dough
1 lb hot breakfast sausage
1/2 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage in skillet until browned; drain and cool on a plate lined with paper towels.  When cool, Mix with egg, cheeses, onion flakes, and Italian dressing. 

Unroll bread dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Spread sausage mixture within one inch of each edge of the dough, and roll up jelly-roll style; seal edges.  Bake on greased cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes at 350.  Serve warm.

Coffee Cake

This is so delicious!  A big piece of this cake is wonderful to have for breakfast or dessert.  The cake is really tasty by itself, but the brown sugar and pecan topping just puts it over the top.  Nice and yummy and fattening - just what a holiday dessert should be.  I can't recommend this highly enough!

Coffee Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.  Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the sour cream and then the sugar.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla.  By hand, stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.  Spread batter into prepared pan. 

To make the topping, combine brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Pour in melted butter and combine until crumbly.  Sprinkle over cake batter in pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.