Breakfast

Quick Ham & Cheddar Quiche

By in Breakfast, Easter, Main Dish, Pork 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , ,

quick quiche

I don’t know what’s with me lately but I feel totally uninspired in the kitchen. I’ve been making a few delicious things here and there that I’ve been excited about (and have shared with you) but to be honest, our dinner-times have been seriously lacking in the exciting department. Whether I’m meal planning or trying to decide what to make last-minute, my brain is just not co-operating and I’m in a dinner-time funk.

I think part of my problem is that I’ve been feeling this self-imposed pressure to make more complicated dishes. I see all of these inspiring people, with kids, making fabulous involved meals day in and day out and I felt like I needed to step up to the plate. But, after a few attempts at more complicated recipes that ended in failure I was brought down a bit and feeling a little like a farce.

Then I was reminded of something I’ve known for a long time – I just need to be myself and not try to live up to other people’s expectations. I’m not a multi-tasker. Making a complicated and involved meal while my kids run around my feet, means that either the kids will destroy the house, that dinner will be a flop or that I’ll be so stressed out by the end of it all that I’m sitting on the edge of insanity. Or, all of the above. That’s why I like to keep dinner-time simple. Why did I forget this?! Simple = delicious in this house.

Now that I’m embracing this fact once again, I’m hoping the mojo finds it way back soon. Hello, Quick Ham and Cheddar Quiche, I’ve missed your simplicity.

P.S. It probably goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyways, this is the perfect way to use up that Easter ham!

Quick Ham and Cheddar Quiche

This can also be made in a 9-inch pie plate but you will need to increase the baking time.

Filling
  • 1 cup chopped ham
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups milk (I like to use whole milk for this)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Add the ham and green onions to a small pre-heated skillet with a bit of oil. Cook until the ham crisps up a bit and the onions are softened. Sprinkle evenly over prepared crust.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over ham and green onions. Top with cheese.

Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until set in the centre. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

No-Roll Pie Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a 9×13 baking pan. Stir in oil and milk until evenly combined. Crumble over the bottom of the pan and press down to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Fill and bake as directed above.

Serves: 6

No Roll Pie Crust adapted from all recipes. Filling adapted from Tartelette.

Blueberry Streusel Scones with Sweet Lemon Butter

By in Breakfast, Condiments, Easter 4 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

blueberry streusel scones

Blueberries and lemon are such a natural pairing. And, when you fold them into flour and butter – divine. If I were going to throw an Easter brunch these would definitely be on the menu. Putting streusel topping on scones is such a brilliant idea and the lemon butter is so good I could almost eat it with a spoon. That’s saying a lot because I’m not the type of person to slather butter on things.

I know blueberries aren’t really in season right now but they were on sale and so delicious I couldn’t pass them up. If you don’t have access to fresh blueberries I’m sure you can use frozen. I use frozen blueberries often in my blueberry sour cream muffins and they turn out great every time. You’ll want to put them in frozen and work fast. If the blueberries thaw while you’re still working with the dough, the juices from the thawing berries will turn the dough an unattractive grey colour.

Scones are best served warm so you don’t want to bake them too far ahead of time. If you want to make them ahead you can get them ready for the oven and then freeze them, completely prepared on the baking sheet. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.

Happy Easter everyone!

Blueberry Streusel Scones with Sweet Lemon Butter

Blueberry Scones

Refrigerate the dough any time it has to sit and wait – this will make sure the butter stays nice and cold.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Using a cheese grater, grate half the butter into the flour mixture. Toss with fingers, to coat, then grate in remaining butter. Toss with fingers until evenly combined. Toss in blueberries.

Mix together egg, milk and vanilla. Gently stir it into flour mixture, with a fork, just until everything is moistened. Turn it out onto a well floured surface. Knead 5-6 times or until everything incorporates together. Making sure there’s a good layer of flour underneath so that the dough doesn’t stick to the surface, shape the dough into a rough ball and flatten it into a disk (I made mine about 7 inches). Brush the top of the dough with a bit of milk; sprinkle streusel topping over all. Cut the dough in 8 pieces, forming 8 triangles. Transfer pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon butter, if desired.

Streusel Topping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Mix together ingredients until well combined.

Lemon Butter

You can use fresh homemade butter for this recipe, if desired.

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar

Beat together all ingredients until well combined. Serve immediately or make ahead and refrigerate.

If making ahead, remove from fridge 1 hour before serving to soften.

Makes: 8 scones, 1/2 cup butter

Scone recipe adapted from Running with the Devil(ed) Eggs via Tasty Kitchen Blog.

Southwestern Breakfast Skillet

By in Breakfast, Main Dish, Mothers Day, Pork 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

southwestern skillet

Going to a diner for breakfast has always been one of my favourite meals to eat out. Nothing like a plate full of grease to get you going in the morning! :) It’s actually been forever since I’ve gone out for breakfast. Somehow getting young kids ready and out the door with grumbling tummy’s just isn’t so appealing. I can’t even remember the last time we went out for breakfast but, I do remember that my favourite thing to order has always been breakfast skillets. And, if given the choice – southwestern please!

Since it’s been so long, I figured it was about time to recreate one at home. They’re so easy to make and since there’s no reason to get dressed before devouring it, you can enjoy your “diner” breakfast in your pj’s, bed head and all. Bonus!

The great thing about these kind of meals is they make quick dinners too. Breakfast for dinner is definitely one of our fallbacks when things are busy.

If you wanted to make this in true diner style you could top it with some homemade nacho cheese sauce. I think that would take it over the top in a major way.

Have a great weekend!

Southwestern Breakfast Skillet

If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet you can assemble to whole thing in a casserole dish before baking.

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 pound spicy italian sausage
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 3-4 tablespoons oil
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • salsa and sour cream, to serve

Whisk together eggs and milk, season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into preheated 12 inch skillet, coated with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just set. Place eggs in a dish and cover with tinfoil. Set aside.

Wipe out skillet with paper towel, place back over heat. Add sausage, cook until starting to brown then add the onion and bell pepper. Once the sausage is cooked through and peppers are tender scoop into a plate and cover with tinfoil. Leave drippings in pan.

Add a bit of oil to skillet, turn up heat to medium-high and cook hash browns in skillet until brown and crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Once potatoes are ready remove from heat, layer sausage mixture and eggs over top then top with cheese. Bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and food is warmed through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Serves: 4-6

Nutella Love Letter Pancakes

By in Breakfast, Kids, Valentine's 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Nutella Love Letter Pancakes

Growing up my mom always did something special for us kids on Valentine”s Day. Usually a little goodie basket and a cute valentine. We knew the evening would be my parents time together but she always made sure to do something special for us during the day. My own kids don”t really know much about Valentine”s Day yet but I know they will soon and I”d like to continue that tradition.

These pancakes are a fun way to make your family (or just someone you love) feel special on Valentine”s Day. I think kids would have a blast making their own designs too. Everyone can decorate one for someone else. The nutella designs are baked right in, so there”s no smudging before they get to the table.

This time I used a new favourite – Vanilla Soy Pancakes. They”re light and fluffy and help me use up the soy milk before it goes bad in my fridge. You could use milk + vanilla in place of the soy milk if you like, or try my other favourite pancakes made with homemade baking mix. They”re eggy, rich and buttery. It all depends on what you”re in the mood for.

Now get out there and write love letters on pancakes!

Nutella Love Letter Pancakes

Vanilla Soy Pancakes
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vanilla soy milk
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large egg

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together soy milk, oil and egg. Stir in dry ingredients just until evenly moistened (lumps are fine).

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spoon in 1/4 cup batter. Allow to cook until edges have set and bubbles pop on top. Flip over and cook until browned on other side. Place cooked pancakes on a plate and in an oven turned to the lowest setting. Continue with remaining batter.

Nutella Piping Syrup
  • 1/4 cup nutella
  • 3 teaspoons milk

Whisk milk into nutella one teaspoon at a time until smooth and pourable. Pour into a squeeze bottle or resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped off.

How-to Make Love Letter Pancakes

Cook pancakes according to directions but before flipping, once they are slightly set, pipe words or designs onto the pancake. Once the pancake is ready to flip, flip it over and cook until browned on the other side. Serve nutella-side up.

Use any extra nutella to pipe messages on plates or drizzle over pancakes along with syrup.

Makes: 9 pancakes

Pancake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

By in Breakfast, Cakes, Snacks, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , ,

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

It took me four hours to get this coffee cake in the oven. This has no reflection on the difficulty of the recipe but rather my life as a mom. From exploding diapers to early bath times to bedtime tantrums this cake went through many waiting periods. I think it”s pretty safe to say it”s a foolproof recipe.

I”m a big fan of coffee cakes. They”re not overly sweet and, just like muffins, they”re really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. :) This cake is light in both taste and texture. A refreshing break from all the heavy and rich baked goods that are everywhere this time of year.

My hubby isn”t a fan of pears but he loved this (LOVED it). So did I. It”s one of those cakes that”s hard to stop eating. Breakfast. Coffee. Dessert. Too many excuses to steal a little slice.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel & Filling

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 cup cold butter

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Cake

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup butter , softened

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the streusel topping and filling: Stir together walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl grate cold butter into flour and break up with your fingers to make coarse crumbs. Stir 3/4 cup of the nut mixture into the flour mixture to make streusel. Set remaining nut mixture and streusel topping aside.

For the cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl beat the softened butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in flour mixture and sour cream, in three additions, starting and ending with flour.

Spread two-thirds of the batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle with the reserved nut mixture. Layer pears on top. Carefully spread remaining batter over the pears. Sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. For a crunchy topping, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup walnuts. Bake an additional 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the side of the springform pan. Cool one hour before serving.

Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Gingerbread Granola

By in Breakfast, Christmas 13 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Gingerbread Granola

Merry Christmas!! It”s less than a month away so I can officially say that now right? I”ve been holding off because I know so many of you had Thanksgiving to celebrate yet.

I think Canadians tend to start celebrating Christmas before Americans. Can you blame us? Our Thanksgiving is at the beginning of October and Christmas is the next big thing. What are we expected to do with all that extra time?

We have a tradition in our house of decorating for Christmas on the 24th of November. Of course, I start listening to Christmas music (my current favourite is Michael Bublé) far before that, but I have to hold off on decorating because I don”t want all those warm fuzzy feelings to be worn out by the time Christmas gets here.

I wanted to do the same for the blog so I forced myself to wait before sharing these yummy recipes with you. Now let the Christmas recipes begin!

Just the word “Gingerbread” conjures up warm fuzzy feelings in my soul. I can just hear the Christmas carols, see a fire flickering in a dimly lit room with the smell of spices wafting in the air and a mug of hot cocoa warming you up from the inside out. It”s amazing how food (or even the thought of food) can do that.

This Gingerbread Granola is a great way to start off the day with a Christmas-y feel. Molasses, cinnamon, cloves and ginger – all the flavours are there. But this is one gingerbread that you don”t have to hold back on. It”s healthy and wholesome with no added sugar. It”s also a breeze to throw together.

The perfect start to a cold and snowy day.

Gingerbread Granola

You can bake this in one large baking sheet but you”ll need to stir it more often and bake it longer, to make sure every piece gets crisp.

  • 1/3 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 3 cups rolled oats

  • 1 cup coconut

  • 1 cup walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, chopped

  • 1/2 cup raisins

Whisk together molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves until well blended. Stir in oats, coconut and nuts until evenly coated. Spread onto two large rimmed baking sheets. Bake at 325ºF for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until oats are golden brown (if cooking both sheets at once, swap positions half way through baking time). Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes approximately: 10 cups

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