Holiday Countdown: Breakfast or Brunch

Christmas and New Year's are wonderful times to get together with family and friends for brunch or breakfast. We all have our favorite recipes, but I thought I'd share a few more that would be lovely for this time of year.

Easy Blintzes

Ingredients:

2 cups cottage cheese

8 ounce block cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

8 flour tortillas (8 inch size)

Beat cheeses, cinnamon and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Heat lightly oiled nonstick skillet on low. Spray with butter flavored spray or brush with melted butter. Briefly heat one tortilla over medium heat until just soft. Remove tortilla and spoon 1/4 of cheese mixture in center. Fold two sides in , partially covering filling. Roll up to enclose filling and form a rectangle. Repeat with other tortillas. At this point they can be microwaved for 20-30 seconds to warm the filling, a few at a time, right before serving. Serves 8.

These are wonderful served with fresh fruit, fruit syrup, or fruit sauce and whipped cream.

The following two recipes are for fruit that can be eaten alone or served with yogurt, cream, cottage cheese or beside pancakes or French toast.

Note: This works best with tortillas that are on the thin side rather than the thick type.

Spiced Oranges

Ingredients:

8 oranges

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Peel and section oranges, reserving 2 inch long piece of peel. Cut orange sections into thirds.

Combine the remaining ingredients with 1/2 cup orange pieces and reserved peel in a non-aluminum pan. Bring to boil over medium high heat; reduce to low. Simmer 2 minutes. Place remaining orange pieces in a medium bowl. Strain syrup mixture and pour over the orange pieces. Chill for one hour and serve.

Maple Pears

Ingredients:

1 can (16 ounces) canned pear halves or slices

2 tbsp. maple syrup, or maple flavored syrup

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. butter

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Drain pears and reserve juice. Place in a microwave safe dish. Drizzle syrup and lemon juice over pears. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved juice. Serve warm with oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, waffles or French Toast.

Notes: I also add cinnamon-- sprinkled over the pears lightly.

Praline Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
8 slices Italian bread, 3/4-inch thick
4 large eggs
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Place bread in a single layer, in a 13x9x2 baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the bread,then flip the pieces over, so they are coated on both sides. Refrigerate this overnight, covered with foil or plastic wrap. In the morning, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the 1/3 cup butter in a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Place in the oven to melt. Arrange the egg soaked bread in single layer on the jelly roll pan. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the pecans, brown sugar and melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over the baked French toast. Broil about 5 inches from heat, watching carefully, for about 1 minute or until topping begins to bubble. Serve warm.

Western Style Ham Quiche

Ingredients:
9-inch prepared pie crust in pan, room temperature
8 large eggs
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
ground black pepper

Remove pie crust from refrigerator, allow 45 minutes to warm up to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Saute the green pepper and onion in butter over medium heat until onions are clear and peppers are soft. In the prepared pie crust, add 3/4 of the cheese evenly across the bottom of the pan. Add the diced ham in an even layer. In a bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the remaining cheese, and onion-pepper mixture. Season with pepper and stir well. Pour evenly over the layered ham and cheese. Gently shake the pie pan to settle the eggs into the crust. Bake 45 minutes, then gently remove to cooling rack for Cool 10 minutes before serving.

On OFL we have more brunch recipes:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/brunch.html

Holiday Entertaining: Breakfast & Brunch

Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~Augusta E. Rundel

Today I wanted to share recipes that are perfect for a holiday breakfast or brunch. I will admit that I don't often get to vary breakfast for my husband and kids because they LOVE pancakes, waffles and French Toast. Casseroles or anything too "different" have them making faces before they even try it. Actually, waffles are a newer favorite since they boldly bought me a waffle maker last spring. I love that every family has their favorite breakfast dishes and favorites.

Apple Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups pancake mix

2 cups milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup finely diced apples

Beat the milk, eggs, pancake mix and melted butter until smooth. Stir in the apples. Bake in a waffle maker until steam stops. Serve with butter and syrup.

Orange Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 orange, zest

Glaze:

Juice of 1 orange

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

This recipe makes 18 muffins-- I use a muffin tin with 12 cups, and one with 6 cups. Spray the tins with pan spray or grease. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together, add eggs and beat well. Add the baking soda to the buttermilk. Sift the flour and salt together. Add the buttermilk and the flour to the first mixture, alternating each one until combined. Using a zester or a grater-- add the zest (skin) of the orange to the batter. Save the orange to juice for the glaze. Pour the batter into the tins, dividing evenly. Bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 15 minutes. Remove and brush the glaze on while they are warm. Glaze: combine the orange juice, sugar and cinnamon together to make the glaze. If it's not thin enough you can use a little water to thin.

Apple Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup melted butter, warm not hot

1/2 cup finely chopped or grated apple

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup milk

Grease or spray a 9x5 loaf pan. In a large bowl combine the sugar, baking powder, salt, flour, cinnamon and nuts. In another bowl combine the eggs, butter, apple, cheese and milk. Add to the dry ingredients. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cinnamon Ginger Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. In another bowl beat together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just

moistened. Don't over beat. On a hot griddle that has been coated with pan spray pour 1/4 cup batter. When the top is bubbly flip the pancake over and cook until lightly browned. Butter the pancakes as you remove them to a platter. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 16 pancakes.

Notes: Diced apples are very good added to this recipe.

Do you need more brunch recipes? Try these:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/brunch.html

Company's Coming: Breakfast for Ten

My in-laws visited this weekend, which would have been two extra people for meals. That really isn't difficult because most of us cook a little too much and end up with leftovers as it is. It's the unexpected visitors that can throw a wrench into meal plans. My nephew ended up coming with them, and Saturday two teen friends ended up visiting my sons as well. I ended up with ten people for breakfast, and had to do a little creative cooking.

This first recipe is a variation of another potato dish I've made, but I changed it to make it more of a breakfast dish. It was a huge hit with everyone. I did forget to add chopped green onions which would have worked well. I served the potato and ham casserole, the next recipe for scrambled eggs and served it with whole wheat toast. Biscuits would have really been nice, but I didn't have the ingredients.


Ham & Cheese Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
Shredded hash browns
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups chopped ham
ground black pepper
1/2 stick margarine or butter (1/4 cup)

Spray a 9x13 baking pan with pan spray. Slice the cold margarine and place around the bottom of the pan (not exact). In a large bowl place the frozen hash browns, cheese, and ham. Mix with a wooden spoon. In a measuring cup or small bowl, put in the soup and the milk. Add black pepper. (I used a 3-4 good shakes) Mix with a whisk till combined and pour in the bowl with the potatoes. Mix gently with the wooden spoon and dump into the pan on top of the margarine. Smooth is over so it's even, cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes till hot and bubbly. Serve warm.


Scrambled Eggs and Ham

Ingredients:
18 eggs
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
salt and pepper
1/2 cup milk
pan spray

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with the salt and pepper. Spray a pan with pan spray, heat on medium for a few minutes, then add the diced ham. Cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through, then add the eggs. After a minute or two stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Every few minutes stir the eggs from the bottom of the pan, as they start to firm up, keep stirring until they are cooked to desired doneness. I usually cook so they are all firm, but they aren't browned or dry.

Don't be afraid to get creative with your recipes. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Sure, a few have backfired, but many have ended up as "keeper" recipes.

On OFL we have menus for an Easy Weekend Brunch and Crock Pot Breakfast Recipes.

~Brenda