A Toast to Moms Everywhere – French Toast that is

Written by Nick -

Mother’s Day is the day of the year that you go out of your way to show your appreciation to your mom. In my household that meant a day of pampering, a day of chores, and a day where Mom could finally relax and Dad and the kids would take care of everything.

Obviously, you should let your mom know how important she is every day, but Mother’s day is the day of year that you need to go above and beyond. It’s not enough to say you care, but you need a CARD to say you care, you need FLOWERS and you need to make BREAKFAST. (Highlighting for all the kids and dads out there… don’t forget the CARD, FLOWERS, and BREAKFAST).

So growing up, Mother’s Day always started with us kids and my dad cooking brunch. Often times, we’d serve French Toast, my dad’s specialty and one of my mom’s favorite. French toast is a decadent breakfast and the perfect way to show your mom your sweet side. I’m grown up now and my mom is on the other side of the country, but I wish I could make her some French toast this Sunday. Hopefully my dad can handle the duties and pamper her. And hopefully, this year, the flowers show up on time.

You can find an entire French Toast recipe collection on meals.com.

Here are some of my favorites and some I can’t wait to try.

Stuffed French Toast with Fresh Berry Topping

This Stuffed French Toast With Fresh Berry Topping recipe takes your favorite strawberry preserves mixed with creamy ricotta cheese to make a delectable filling. For this recipe, I would need to substitute another berry preserve, my mom is allergic to Strawberries (I know it’s horribly sad) but I’m sure it would work with whatever berry preserve your mother prefers.

Cinnamon Breakfast Toast with Orange-Rum Syrup

This Cinnamon Breakfast Toast will become a family favorite! It is a great choice for brunch too! Oranges and rum are produced in Venezuela, so it makes sense that this version of French toast is served with scrumptious syrup flavored with these local gems. Cinnamon also infuses both the egg mixture and syrup. Serve with fresh orange slices for a special touch. To save some time, the syrup can be made ahead and warmed.

Sweet Crème Stuffed French Toast

Sweet Crème Stuffed French Toast is an elegant twist on the classic recipe. This is a great recipe to make use of day old French bread you may have on hand. The orange marmalade and Sweet Crème Coffee-mate compliment each other perfectly.

Ovaltine French Toast

Ovaltine adds a rich chocolate flavor to this classic recipe. Top it with maple syrup and fresh berries for a truly decadent morning treat.

Golden Sunrise French Toast

Golden Sunrise French Toast will be a treat your family will love! The golden crisp goodness of this hearty morning favorite is made with thick-sliced French bread infused with a hint of vanilla and topped with fresh seasonal fruit – then drizzled with maple syrup for the perfect start to a special morning.

What’s your Mother’s day treat? Are you the pamperer or the pampered?

Tip: If your the pampered, feel free to forward this to the pamperers as a friendly reminder. You can use such strategic subject lines as:

• The coy – “Don’t these recipes look delicious”
• The sneaky – “Which of these is your favorite, I’m thinking of making something this weekend”
• The obvious – “Don’t forget about MOTHER’S DAY – love mom” 

Easter Brunch: Mushroom Quiche with Quinoa Crust

Written by Chris -

Savory and full of flavor, this quiche makes a great meal any time of year, especially Easter Sunday. Serve with fresh fruit for brunch or a simple salad for dinner. If you enjoy wine, pinot noir or even chardonnay pairs well with this quiche. It can be made a day in advance and reheated the day of so that you can truly enjoy all that the day has to offer.

A year or two ago I made chef Thomas Keller’s Over-The-Top Mushroom Quiche – well, not exactly. I made the filling according to his recipe, but used a premade crust (no judging, I’m a busy lady!). It was so incredibly good! I wanted to make it again, but wanted to lighten it up a bit.

The crust is made with quinoa – any color quinoa works. Carnation Evaporated Fat Free Milk is used in the filling, providing enough creaminess that heavy cream is not needed. It’s loaded with mushrooms – I used a combination of oyster, white button and cremini, but you can use whatever you have laying around. Fresh thyme adds such a nice fresh element of flavor but you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried thyme if needed. Gruyère cheese and Fontina cheese are equally good so use the cheese you prefer.

A quick tip about springform pans and this recipe. You must line the bottom of the pan with foil or parchment paper otherwise the filling will leak out. Trust me on this. I purchased new springform pans for a recipe shoot we had at the White on Rice Studio. I proceeded to make the quiche in their studio and it leaked all over. I found it so odd because it didn’t do this with the springform pan I used to develop the recipe. Sweet Todd ran out and purchased two more pans and those leaked as well. I was so embarrassed! I had to think fast so I ended up lining the bottom of the pan with foil, and then secured the rim. This did the trick. The foil made for very easy clean up too!

Mushroom Quiche with Quinoa Crust

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup red or ivory quinoa, pulsed in blender until close to flour consistency
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms (mixture of oyster, white button and baby bella/baby portobello/ cremini)
• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped (1/2 to 3/4 cup total)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cans (12 fluid ounces each) NESTLÉ CARNATION Evaporated Fat Free or Lowfat 2% Milk
• 1 (4 ounces) cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with foil or parchment paper (for visual reference, the quiche at the top of this post used a 10-inch pan, and the quiche the very bottom used a 9-inch pan). It’s best to use two sheets, crisscrossing the sheets. Place the side of the springform pan over the foil and close the latch. If using foil, fold the foil overhang up over the base of the pan. Spray inside of pan with cooking spray.

Combine quinoa, butter, water and baking powder in medium bowl; stir well. Press firmly into bottom of prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium; stir in shallots and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Whisk eggs in large bowl; gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle half of the cheese over the crust.

Top with mushroom mixture.

Add egg mixture and remaining cheese.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

To serve, carefully loosen and lift side of springform pan. Gently peel away foil. If desired, transfer to serving plate using a spatula (it transfers easily!). Cut into wedges and serve.

Happy Easter, my friends!

Complimentary salad recipes:

Walnut Caesar Salad	Fresh Fruit Salad

A Christmas Breakfast While Waiting for Grandma

Written by Nick -

After all these years, Christmas morning still comes with great anticipation. Whether you’re a little tyke hoping for a tinker toy, a parent anticipating the smiles of the little ones or like me, a 30 somthin’  who’s just happy to have a day off home with the family. We all have our holiday traditions and mine usually revolve around food.

Growing up we lived near my grandma. It was wonderful to have her for Christmas morning but the tradition was hard for a young kid. She was on a different schedule than the rest of us. Technically I woke up around 5:30 or so, but my brother made me a deal. I could wake him up any time after 4am but we’d have to wait until 6am to wake up our parents (that deal still holds today). So, we would wake up super early, eager to open presents but my grandma was on her own timetable. Our holiday tradition became; wake up early, eat some coffee cake, drink some juice (parents were allowed coffee), and try not to jump out of our skin while waiting for Grandma. This was one of the hardest lessons in patience I’ve had… but to this day I still wake up at 5:30 and wait for Grandma.

So if your morning traditions revolve around going to church, inviting relatives over, waking up in the basement with 10 cousins, or waiting for grandma, breakfast will always be a part of Christmas morning. Here are some Christmas morning meals that can become your family tradition.

Green Bean Frittata with Gouda & Parmesan Cheeses (Pictured Above)

I think I’ll try this recipe this Christmas. Frittatas tend to be a little less labor intensive than omelets and we seem to always have leftover green beans from our Christmas Eve dinner.

Ovaltine Better Bagel Topper

For the quick mornings, this Ovaltine Better Bagel Topper is a great way to take an ordinary bagel and make it extraordinary. Perfect for those busy mornings when you’re trying to get out the door and – “Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.”

Ham and Swiss Quiche

This Ham and Swiss Quiche is great for feeding friends and family. It’s a hardy meal for any occasion but especially nice on Christmas morning.

Chocolate Brunch Waffles

For those of you that like to indulge on the holidays, these Chocolate Brunch Waffles are the sweet treat you’ve been craving.

Southwestern Scramble

And for the large families, nothing feeds an army like an egg scramble. This Southwestern Scramble has tons of southwestern flavor that you can customize to your liking; add hot sauce, more fresh salsa or serve with a side of beans.

More Breakfast Options:

Spring Herb Omelets	Oatmeal Raisinets Pancakes

Healthier Doughnuts: Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes Recipe

Written by Chris -

Let’s face it; doughnuts taste great! But I really haven’t met a healthy or healthier doughnut I’ve liked — until these Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes. My kids’ love for pumpkin bread helped inspire this recipe.

Last Halloween, I brought Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes to their classrooms for their Fall Harvest party. To my surprise (well, not really — it was sweet season after all), there were bakery doughnuts there, too. My immediate thought was that my doughnuts had no chance. I fully expected the container to come home full, or at least half full.

Guess what? Every single doughnut got eaten! Every. Single. One. I was so happy! I’m not one to squash indulgence; it has its place every now and again. But when there is an equally good tasting, healthier alternative, I say go for it.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

Ingredients for 36 doughnut holes:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups white whole-wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup Baker’s sugar (ultrafine pure cane sugar)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter (melted (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 425° F. Lightly spray mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

WHISK flour, baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and salt in large mixer bowl until combined.

WHISK eggs, oil, brown sugar and pumpkin in medium mixing bowl until well combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir until just combined. Fill each mini muffin cup with about 1 rounded tablespoon batter. A small cookie scoop works perfectly for scooping, as shown above!

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (tops should be golden brown). Cool in pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle.

COMBINE Baker’s sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a pie plate or shallow bowl (or even a zip-top bag works well!). Brush or dip tops (or all sides) of doughnut holes in melted butter to lightly coat; roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture as shown above. There will be about ½ cup cinnamon-sugar mixture left which can be discarded. (For less fat and calories, skip the butter and just roll in cinnamon-sugar.)

ENJOY warm or at room temperature.

Happy Halloween!

Links:

• Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes
• See Libby’s promotions

Related recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Frankensteins

Halloween Dipped Marshmallow Pops

Southern Citrus Twist: Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins

Written by Liz -

As any real Southerner (or Midwesterner) knows, buttermilk is a very important part of any kitchen. It adds creaminess and light texture to biscuits, pancakes, breads, donuts, soups, salad dressings…and the list goes on and on. In fact, many say a biscuit isn’t a real biscuit without buttermilk, whether it’s the traditional left-over milk from churning butter or commercial-grade cultured buttermilk. It’s so important,  there’s even a buttermilk-themed food truck here in Los Angeles!

These muffins, created by Maria of Two Peas and their Pod, incorporate buttermilk to give it that creamy texture, along with orange juice/peel and chocolate Raisinets for a citrus-sweet twist. If you’ve never baked with buttermilk, this recipe is an easy way to start — no dough coaxing skills required.

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• Nonstick cooking spray or paper baking liners
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup NESTLÉ RAISINETS Dark or Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:
FOR MUFFINS:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

COMBINE granulated sugar and orange peel in small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk together flour, orange sugar mixture, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract in medium bowl until well blended. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Pour liquid mixture into the well; gently stir until combined. Fold in Raisinets. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

BAKE for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in muffins comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, make the orange glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

FOR ORANGE GLAZE:
COMBINE orange juice, powdered sugar and orange peel in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary until desired consistency.

Links:

• Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins
• See Raisinets on Pinterest

More muffin recipes:

Blue Blueberry Muffins

Pumpkin Oat Streusel Muffins

Bachelor in the Kitchen: Blue Blueberry Muffins

Written by Nick -

There’s nothing quite like waking up on a summer morning for a leisurely breakfast with fresh blueberry muffins, then having some more for a snack, then later for dessert…okay I like blueberry muffins. Growing up, I used to make blueberry muffins with my mom. We didn’t have a homemade family recipe, we usually just got a box from the store. They were always a treat, but I have always wanted to try making blueberry muffins from scratch.

I found this blueberry muffin recipe on meals.com and decided to give it a shot. It seemed fairly simple and uses coffee-mate powder, which I always keep in stock. It also included a sweet topping. Muffin tops are my favorite part of the muffin, so adding a sweet topping just makes so much sense. However, baking muffins from scratch requires you to be a morning person. I am not a morning person. So, I may or may not have probably/slightly/definitely overlooked rinsing and draining the blueberries. As soon as I started folding in the blueberries I realized this was a mistake. The blueberry muffins had a nice toxic hue of blue. Thank goodness this was just an aesthetic mistake. Don’t be alarmed by the picture below, these muffins may be blue, but they are still delicious.

I think I will have to bake these for my mom next time…could be the new “family” recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients for 12 Muffins:

MUFFINS

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup Original NESTLÉ COFFEE-MATE Powdered Coffee Creamer
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon or orange peel
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed and drained blueberries

TOPPING:

• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups.

FOR MUFFINS:

COMBINE butter, water, Coffee-mate, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and lemon peel in medium bowl; whisk until blended.

COMBINE flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl; stir in Coffee-mate mixture just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

DIVIDE batter between prepared muffin cups.

FOR TOPPING:

COMBINE butter, flour and sugar in medium bowl. Mix with fork or fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over batter in muffin cups.

BAKE for 23 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Links:

• Blueberry Muffins
• Get a Coffee-mate coupon
• More Coffee-mate recipes

More Muffin Recipes:

Oh-So-Good Pumpkin Granola Muffins

Quick Blueberry Muffins