Banana - Squash Oat Bran Muffins

Hey there. Summer is on its way out and fall is almost here ~ so I have a special chocolatey treat or breakfast recipe that fits both. Its light, healthy, tastes great, and hello has chocolate! If your summer has been anything like mine with trips, fun, kids being home all day from school, vacation or people visiting you on their vacation.... you need some chocolate. Goes great with coffee - just sayin'. 

I haven't blogged in awhile. I have been just busy with life  kiddos, moving, house hunting, and medical stuff with our littlest smile. Our youngest has a complicated medical history. About a year ago we moved our family across the united states to experience a different life style, snow, and history on the east coast. It's hard to want to make new recipes when all you want to do is collapse into a pile of goo into bed as soon it seems late enough after the kids are asleep.  

I have this really great muffin recipe though - perfect for those beginning early back to school mornings that my friends are already having to deal with in Arizona & those upcoming here in New York. 

See you need this. Like I need to stop taking food pictures with my cell phone instead of my nice camera. Ugh. Sorry. I haven't blogged in awhile and it shows. At least the food is good. 

Getting kids ready for school is really hard. This will make it easier. Breakfast will be done. You can make them the night before and just throw it at them as they are grumbling their way to the bus stop or into the back seat. Goes great with yogurt or an apple. They can nibble it as they are "remembering" that form they were supposed to give you days ago crumbled from the bottom of their bag. Is that a boy thing or do all kids have this remembering problem? 

YOU have to try it. Seriously I know I have made a bran muffin before on this blog but this version is way better and since I am obsessed with yellow squash and zucchini it totally works for my family - ahem - especially since they don't know its in there? Trust me. Its good. The veg is clearly undetectable. 

But oat bran muffins you may ask? Why oat bran muffins? I know I know "bran muffins" have a certain unsexy vibe clinging them to them but healthy is the new cool. My husband hates it when I say "I know". Lol. So yeah. Just think of them as banana chocolate chip and you'll be fine. I just want those who are looking for a healthier approach to find it easily. 

Just incase you were wondering bran is actually pretty cool. It is the reason why brown rice is brown. Its the outside layer of the grain that is otherwise milled off - which also explains why brown rice takes so long to cook. More layers means more cooking time to soften and expand.

Banana - Squash Oat Muffins - 

adapted from my other recipe which you can find here.

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Makes 8 - 10 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs 
1 cup / 2 medium very over ripe bananas (the darker the better - think black)
1 cup pureed squash* See note below
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran (do not substitute with bran cereal)
1 Tbs oil
1 Tbs vanilla bean paste or extract
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon heaping ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (as many as you want) 
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbs milk if you think it needs more moisture 

Turbinado sugar (optional) sprinkle a pinch on each one for flare and fun

Note: To make squash puree its very easy. Wash and then cut a smaller summer yellow squash into 8-10 rounds. Put it in a glass or microwavable bowl with 1/4-1/2 cup of water and steam it in the microwave for approx 4 minutes. If its soft when you check it at 3 or 4 minutes then its done. Carefully pull the bowl out of the microwave using oven mitts and dump the entire thing in the blender. Blend until smooth and tahhh dahhh you have squash puree. Super easy. Super cheap. Super healthy. Super undetectable. And unlike its cousin the zucchini there isn't even green specks to give it away. It blends right in! Lol. Sorry bad joke. If you still want to do this and don't have a microwave you can do it in a small pan on the stove. Or if you want to skip this step and just buy a container of pureed squash from the baby food isle - its there and it will cost you about $1-1.50 and you'll need 2. 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray - with or without liners. I usually don't use liners unless I am baking for friends or the freezer. 
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer whisk eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Add the bananas, squash puree, wheat bran, oil and vanilla paste. Whisk until it is homogeneous.
4. Into the same bowl, measure & whisk in all remaining dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) one at a time. Don't over mix. If you are using a stand mixer be careful. Grains will toughen if overworked. Tough dough = dry muffins. 
5. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. 
6. Scoop or pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups until batter is gone. The muffin cups should be full. They make really good size muffins. 
7. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, approximately 18-20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges with a small knife and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Easy. Peasy. And now lets go enjoy whatever is left of summer! 
Thanks for stopping by.
Stephanie

Bacon & Scrambled Egg "Nests"

Mothers Day is May 10th this year. Yeah its coming up fast. Don't worry this recipe has you covered. You'll have to do the flower thing on your own but a nice breakfast in bed can go a very long way. I'll show you. 

Breakfast is a very busy time in my house so I usually don't take a lot of time to cook anything unless I am up before 6am. A snapshot of my kitchen on any given morning includes like two bowls lined up for the mircowave...the baby's frozen puree gets reheated for 45 seconds, my son gets frozen berries defrosted and warmed for his plain yogurt. A container of homemade granola is on the kitchen table, and my son can take as much as he wants of the maple flavored nutty mix. I eat some eggs of some kind with sliced avocado on top after the chaos has died down. My husband breezes in from work and has already eaten. He is headed to bed. Dishes are piled up for washing in the sink, teeth are speedily brushed, and the rest of us are headed to soccer, doctors appointments, the grocery store, school, ect... 

So when I saw this adorable egg "nest" recipe - my first question was how long does it take to make. Even a super cute breakfast has to be easy enough to execute with a hungry baby and a 5 yr old. Thankfully it doesn't take long AND most of the cooking time is in the oven = hands off cooking. 

So you should make this easy breakfast cutesy brunch thing because if I can do while trying to feed a baby after not sleeping all night with no cofee onboard, you definately can! Plus there's bacon. I love bacon. Don't you like bacon too? If you say no, I might not be able to be friends with you. Just saying... 

This is the perfect recipe for leftovers. One of my survival methods for cooking with a baby in the house is: If you have to do something once, double it, to stretch it for another meal. For example, if you have to shred cheese for mac and cheese, do some extra for eggs the next morning, or to top a salad for the next afternoon, or for a quick quesadilla lunch for the kids. Recently, I had just been to a little party celebrating season 2 of a new favorite show, When Calls the Heart, and brought a bunch of baked potatoes and toppings. The leftovers were perfect to transform into a breakfast of champions or these adorably cute nests. 

Bacon & Scrambled Egg Nests

Makes 6 nests  -  serves 3 
Recipe from: the cooking jar

Ingredients:
1 cooked baked potato, cooled, peeled
1 cup of medium or sharp cheddar cheese
salt 
pepper
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley or 1 Tbs fresh if you have it
5 eggs
2 pieces of cooked bacon, small diced

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and use cooking spray/nonstick spray on a muffin tin to prevent sticking. 
2. On a large cutting board grate your potato or use packaged preshredded hashbrowns
3. On the same cutting board shred your cheese or use preshredded cheese. In a small bowl set aside a small handful of cheese for later.
4. Top the large pile of cheese and potatoes with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix together it with your hands.
5. While your hands are still messy use them to fill each tin with the hashbrown mix as even amounts as much as possible. 

6. Press the mix firmly along the sides of the muffin tin's holes to create space for the eggs to go into. 
7. When the oven is hot bake the hasbrown mix for 15-16 minutes. The edges of the hasbrowns should be golden and the cheese should be melted. 
8. Crack all the eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork
9. After pulling the hashbrowns out of the oven, turn down the oven to 350 degrees. Then slowly pour some egg into each muffin tin carefully.

10. Sprinkle each with the cooked diced bacon, a sprinkle of of pepper, parsley, and the remaining cheese. 

11. Bake for 13-15 minutes (mine was done at 13 minutes). 
12. Let the nests set for a few minutes, this will also help you to not burn your fingers on hot food. Use a table knife and run it around the edge of each nest. For easy removal gently use a fork to lift the nest out hopefully in one piece. 

Serve with toast, biscuits, english muffins and/or fresh fruit.

Thats it. Happy eating from my Az Kitchen to yours
Stephanie

1 can of pumpkin

As previously mentioned, half of September, and the entire month of October was beyond hard. Our little guy was born 6 weeks early due to some complications and since then had several surgeries and is fighting like a champ to overcome all his present challenges and diagnoses. So I didn't get to do my normal fall stuff until November. But not letting my favorite season pass by too quickly I bought like 10 or 15 cans of pumpkin puree. Seriously. I had some catch up to do! My goal for this fall was to make my own puree using a pumpkin - but yeah. But to be real, with having a newborn in the house, and neither one of us sleeping thru the night yet, thats not happening this year. 

So playing catch up, because thats what it feels like, heres what I did with my first can of pumpkin puree.  Enjoy! 

1. Breakfast: Double Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts. Healthy. So good you'll want the entire batch. 

2. Breakfast/After-noon Snack: Pumpkin - Yellow Squash Bread. I used a favorite nutty zucchini bread recipe and used grated squash and pumpkin puree to create a new fall favorite. I will be sharing this recipe soon. 

3. Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie French Toast. Fall flavors developed and showing off with an easy recipe by one of my favorite bloggers. 

happy fall to ya

Stephanie

P.S. Heres what I am planning on making with my next can(s) of pumpkin puree - just in case you need some ideas too :)

1. Starbucks  Pumpkin Scones Copycat Recipe
2. Pumpkin Gingerbread
3. Healthy Whole Wheat & Oat Pumpkin Pancakes

Strawberry Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes topped with Blueberries. Summer food. Weekend food. Food that smells so good it will get your kids or husband out of bed to enjoy the summer day with you kind of food. One of my most favorite things about summer is the great berries and produce that instantly becomes available. Everything is so colorful, flavorful, and juicy. In honor of the upcoming fourth of July I wanted to fix something red, white, blue-ish here are some healthy colorful pancakes. 

 EASY strawberry OATMEAL blueberry PANCAKES

Makes 5 1/2 medium sized pancakes (using a 1/2 cup measuring cup)
Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time: approx. 3-5 minutes. 

Batter can be made the night before,covered, in the fridge. If you do make it ahead you will need to add more liquid - add 1/4 cup at a time until it gets back to the consistency you want to make it pourable

Ingredients:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs unprocessed wheat bran
2 Tbs white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of 2% milk * can use water here too
1 egg
1 Tbs veg oil * melted butter is a good sub here
1/2 pint of blueberries, 1/4 lb strawberries diced small
optional: butter & syrup

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine all the wet and dry ingredients 

2. Then heat your flat pan to medium heat

3. Apply some unsalted butter or nonstick spray or oil to the pan to help with the browning process and not sticking part.

4. Using a measuring cup, 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup, to measure out the batter and start cooking the first few pancakes 

5. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side 

6. Top each of the cooking pancakes with strawberry pieces and blueberries.  I did equal ones of blueberry and strawberry with the idea of putting the opposite berry on the top when serving. 

7. Lightly and carefully touch each berry so they so they sink into the pancake and not just resting no the top. 

8. You will know when they are ready to flip by the massive amount of little bubbles formed, a dry appearance on the edge of the pancake, and by checking the color on the other side of the pancake. Should be firm and golden colored. 

9. Cook the second side for an additional 3-5 minutes until it too is golden and delicious

10. Serve with the additional berries on top

Enjoy!

Stephanie  

"Healthy" Whole Wheat Chocolate Muffins (dairy free if you want, vegetable oil free, white sugar free, & soy free)

Happy St. Patricks Day! I have been pinched three times so far today. Yes due to the little babies growing I don't have a green shirt I can wear. I was thinking though... maybe if you don't have a green shirt or outfit you can be green in what you eat. Green as in healthy :)

Speaking of being being pregnant, I have been eating a bit healthier - yesterday's fries at Red Robin don't count right? Good ;) These delicious muffins with no white sugar, no brown sugar, no vegetable oil, no butter completely fit into my goal of healthier meals and snacks. Seems like I am wanting a snack every 3 hours which is a new thing to me. I am not a snacker. I was not snacker I should say. Have a chocolate snack with me! Your body will thank you. Due to eliminating caffeine I had to sadly eliminate the espresso powder from my muffins, but I suggest leaving it in - to really bring out the chocolate flavor. Trust me. Every time I make chocolate cake I use espresso powder. I haven't had great luck finding in stores so buying it online is usually easier and preferred. 

The 12 muffin recipe takes only about 30-45 minutes to create. 

Author of the recipe: She Bakes Here 

Note: You'll need a food processor or blender for this recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp espresso powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 ripe avocado pitted, and peeled

2/3 cup real 100% maple syrup

3/4 cup milk or almond milk (I used cows milk because thats what I had)

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (on stove or microwave)

1 tsp pure extract

1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

 (I used soy-free, nut free, milk free, semi-sweet mini choc chips brand Enjoy Life) but regular choc chips work too... dark chocolate chips are awesome! 
(I have done this recipe a few times)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Line your muffin pans with liners and use cooking spray if you want - I did. I have had too many things stick. 

3. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, with a mixer, or just a large spoon

4. Use a blender or food processor to blend the wet ingredients until its smooth like a sauce

5. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

6. Scoop (the batter is thick) a couple scoops into each muffin liner. 

7. Bake for 17-20 minutes. The tops will be cracked. Some turbinado sugar would a be a cute little addition (before baking) and would make the cracks look original.  

8. Let the muffins cool 12-15 minutes before serving. They crumble less when they are slightly cooled. 

Enjoy this great breakfast - make it now and have easy snacks and meals for the rest of the week... Happy green holiday! Be green and healthy and don't get pinched. 

Stephanie

Bed rest and Banana Bread

Hi there. I hope your February is going well. It's been interesting at my house. Here I will give you a snapshot. I have been on bed rest for the last 7 days. Usually in my house I plan all the meals, do majority of the cleaning and cooking, and shopping. For me to be on bed rest and off my feet completely without everything falling apart, I had to do some careful, crazy planning, and then choose to ignore everything else. Because no matter how you plan, life happens. So there has been lots of tv watching, movies, fast food, and my hubby gracefully stepping up to do things he doesn't like because he loves me. 

This is where the moist and delicious freezer banana bread recipe comes in. My guys loved baked goods - muffins, banana bread, coffee cakes - sweet yummy stuff and if its fresh out of the oven thats even better. Who doesn't love a hot chocolate cookie or a warm crumbly coffee cake? One thing I knew I wanted to try and make ahead for my time on the couch was a freezer banana bread I found in a cookbook. The recipe that "supposably" claimed to make 4 banana loaves all at once, still tasted good after being baked, frozen, and defrosted for later use. I thought that was a tall order. I have tried to freeze muffins and banana bread before but they always ended up dried out. The process of freezing just sucks the moisture out, and in the end rather sucks on your taste buds. I was excited that we would be able to have a yummy breakfast even though I was out of the kitchen.

Two weeks before surgery, give or take a day, I made the four loaves of banana bread freezer recipe. I wrapped them carefully with foil and put them fully cooled into freezer heavy duty bags and said a little prayer. Okay all of them but one. If they were going to fail because they dried out I wanted one fresh from the oven on the counter, and honestly that delicious bread smell floating and filling my kitchen was too great for me to hide and the guy's stomachs to ignore. It was delicious! 

The only changes I made to the original recipe were adding walnuts to one of the loaves, and whole wheat white flour instead of all purpose flour plus vital wheat gluten. I heart walnuts. My hubby doesn't feel as strongly about nuts so I only put 1/2 cup chopped in one loaf. 

Fast forward almost three weeks to today. Loaf #3 is sitting on the counter. I am amazed it is still there but it was the biggest loaf of the 4. I have been defrosting them about a week apart. So far we have served it for breakfast with sausage links, another time with just scrambled eggs, and another time with yogurt & granola and cereal. Each loaf has fed my family for 1-2 breakfasts.  Love that.  

After eating and enjoying this banana bread several times now, I determine it is a huge success. This will be a great freezer staple from now on. Once every couple months I can make a large batch and have it there when I need to supplement some meals or give a yummy loaf to a friend. 

The only problem I had with it was you have measure the batter into baking loaf pans carefully for even sized loaves. When you make this you are mixing a very large quantity of banana bread batter in one giant bowl. I didn't measure when I did this. I just poured the thicker than pancake batter into pans until it looked even. One of my loaves was tiny and another one was huge and the other two were medium sized. It was like the story the three bears small medium and large :) Next time I am going to make 3 bigger sized loaves instead of 4 and measure measure measure measure. 

The banana bread recipe comes from the cookbook "Not Your Mother's Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook by Jessica Fisher" page 290. Please check it out. It is definitely worth your time. Provides an easy healthy breakfast option, stocks up your freezer, and by making all 3 or 4 loaves at the same time you save time and money with one shopping trip and one baking afternoon. I just ordered my own copy from amazon last night and will share the recipe with you another time. My original copy was from the library and they sort of wanted it back after I renewed it like 4 times. 

Enjoy some banana bread from me on the couch. 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins

I think I am in love. These muffins are amazing. They are light, delicious, easy to make, freezable, with a beautiful golden crunchy top (thanks to some turbinado sugar). If you haven't ever heard of this delectable sugar let me take a moment to introduce you. It will change your life. A small sprinkle takes mundane things like oatmeal, muffins, cookies, and turns them into magic. No it's not fake sugar a sugar substitute. No it's not low fat. It's just fun. Because turbinado sugar is made up of crystallizing sugar cane juice that have been spun in turbines (thus the name turbin - ado), the sugar looks like tiny crystals, giving a dynamite crunch and sparkle to anything it lands on. The best time to add this to muffins or cookies is right before you put them into the oven. I haven't experimented with adding into things in the place of white or regular brown sugar, but that seems like a logical next step.... while I think about that I think I shall munch on another one of these amazingly healthy & tasty muffins. 

Did I mention we had a muffin crisis the first time I made these? We accidentally ate a whole batch in 2 days. We couldn't keep our hands off of them! Healthy eating in 2014? Not a problem. Moderation and portion control meh we'll get to that next year. 

Whole wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins

original recipe from: jensfavoritecookies.com

prep + baking time: 25-30 minutes

batch easily doubled

Ingredients
6 T butter unsalted organic, softened
1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened 
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp vital wheat gluton
3/4 cup heaping pumpkin
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup chocolate chips

5 Easy Steps:

1. Cream the butter, sugar, and pumpkin over medium speed with a mixer

2. Add in everything else except choc chips.

3. Once everything else is fully mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

4.Divide the very thick batter evenly among 12 muffin lined cups. I found it best to lightly spray the muffin cups but I may be just paranoid about things sticking. 

5. Bake these wonderful things at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool a bit before eating and the complements start to flow. No one will even guess they are "healthy". 

Thanksgiving Bacon Autumn Hash

Healthy. Hardy. Colorful. Easy.

When Thanksgiving is near, and my fridge is loaded full of fall earthy root vegetables I find this hash to be the perfect breakfast or brunch offering. Leftover roasted veggies leftover from the Thanksgiving meal easily adds flavor with minimal effort when reheated with fresh sauteed vegetables. This year I couldn't wait for the leftovers and really was thankful I didn't. I know already have a veggie hash on my blog but this has BACON & brussel sprouts in it.... amazing flavor combo! The apple sweetens up the potato, and by roasting the onion and brussel sprouts together the flavors are given a new depth and texture. Even people like my husband who aren't a fan of brussel sprouts (because of bad memories of the mushy green round veg) will eat this :) 

Thanksgiving Bacon Autumn Hash

recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart Magazine Jan 2013

serves 4

prep + cooking time: approx 1 hr 10 minutes * Majority of this time can be done 1-2 days before. 

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (9oz) brussel sprouts, trimmed & halved

1 Tbs olive oil

1 apple, cored

1 Tbs butter unsalted organic

4 slices of bacon (approx 8-9 oz)

2 red potatoes (approx 12 oz), halved

1 tsp course salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 yellow onion,peeled, halved

*optional: Leftover veggies such as carrots, yam, parsnips, sweet potato, any vegetable not mashed would probably work - see step 11. 

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375. 

2. Spread the veggies on the baking sheet/tray

3.Toss the veggies with the salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

4. Fill the center of the apple with the butter. 

5. Add the apple to the sheet with the vegetables and roast them together. 

6. Veggies will be roasted for 40-45 minutes. 

7. Apple will be roasted for 30 minutes. Carefully remove it early from the pan and set it aside. *Everything up to this point can be done the day before and just covered in a dish in the fridge. 

8. While vegetables are roasting cook the bacon until crisp on the stove - approx 10-12 minutes. Drain majority of the bacon fat away reserving a little bit for sauteing the roasted vegetables together. 

9. When the vegetables are done roasting cut them into bite size pieces.

10. Cut the apple into bite sized pieces. 

11. Put the apple, diced vegetables, and bacon into the pan and saute them until heated through - stir occasionally (5-10 minutes). *If you have any leftover roasted or cooked vegetables that you think might work - add them in here so they can be heated and mixed in. 

12. In a separate pan - cook some eggs - your choice to serve along side or up over the top. Personally I love a little egg yolk over a bed of yummy root veggies but that's just me. 

Possible sides: Coffee, Toast, Biscuits, Rolls, Pumpkin bread or some other fall treat :) 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

From my happy kitchen to yours

Orange Cardamom Vanilla Swirl Bread

This isn't my recipe. I wish it was. I would've changed it up a bit but sometimes you shouldn't mess with something that you suspect to be perfect. This orange cardamom vanilla swirl bread is sweet, tender, creates perfect french toast, perfumes your house with the most wonderful scent, and wellll frankly is perfect. It has a tighter crumb than other breads I have made - which makes slicing it for the toaster or to make french toast a breeze! The swirl looks so sophisticated and professional, but its no more complicated than making cinnamon rolls. I promise. The taste is not overly orange but the sweet citrus pairs very well with the floral cardamom. Its a mild burst of flavor perfect for coffee and other breakfast foods.

Logistics... yes this bread takes awhile to make, but it keeps for 4-5 days easily in your pantry or counter. It is so worth your effort!!! Use it for french toast on day 3 or 4. It really soaks up bread/egg well. I suspect it would be great in a breakfast casserole or bread pudding as well. Everyone has their own favorite blend of french toast so I am not adding in here. Just showing you how it looks when its done. Be sure to cut it on the thick side... hello gourmet breakfast! 

Orange Cardamom & Vanilla Swirl Bread

adapted only slightly from Take A Mega Bite and Betty Crocker 

Makes 2 loaves

Rising time + Baking time + Resting time = roughly 3 hrs

Hands on time is easily only 15 minutes.

Bread ingredients:

4 1/2 tsp regular active dry yeast

2 cups of warm water

1/2 cup of white sugar

2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

zest from one orange

3 cups of bread flour 

3-4 cups of all purpose flour 

(start with 3 and add more if you need it)

Swirl ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

zest from one orange

1 tsp ground cardamom

a little oil for brushing the dough

Due to the perfection of the recipe and since the only change I made was using vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean. To complete the recipe head on over to Take A Mega Bite. 

For the make ahead option.... make both loaves as directed. Freeze one or both of them after they have fully cooled (at least an hr). Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, heavy duty foil, and then place in a large food storage bag.  In my experience they are good in the freezer for a month. Haven't experimented beyond the one month mark (yet). This is good bread... it should be eaten as soon as possible! This is perfect for the holidays... make it now pull it out 24-48 hrs before thanksgiving or christmas and have a wonderful breakfast. 

Thanks for reading 

Have a wonderful fall day

From my kitchen to yours

Two Cheese Sausage Baby Broccolini Frittata

I found this recipe in a magazine when I was looking for something healthy and easy for breakfast. It was my first time using baby broccolini and was very happy with the results. It's very similar to broccoli but actually easier to eat because it isn't as dense. Definitely try it if you haven't! My husband who found my leftovers in the fridge wasn't quite as happy, but he has some personal issues of mixing veggies with eggs that he needs to work on. So you'll have to trust me on this one. If you like omelets and frittatas with veggies - you'll love this... if you don't leave out the vegetable. But you know veggies make all that cheese and sausage okay, right?

Two Cheese Sausage Baby Broccolini Frittata

serves 4

prep time + cooking time: 20 minutes

adapted from Rachael Ray recipe, click here for original 

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
5 Sausage links, chopped into chunks
1 cup grated/shredded cheddar cheese
1oz Parmesan cheese sliced/shaved thin
1/2 lb baby broccolini
1 shallot, diced
1 Tb olive oil
optional: fresh basil, sliced & sprinkled over cheese after finished baking

Directions: 5 Steps

1. Cut the sausage into pieces and cook them for approx 5 minutes in a oven safe skillet. 

2. Add in the veggies. Sauté the baby broccolini and shallot in the olive oil for approx. 5 minutes over medium heat

3. Mix/whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl or cup. Pour the mixture over the veggies and meat. Let it cook for 5 minutes over low heat to let it "set". 

4. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes.  Should be golden colored and eggs no longer jiggle or shake when moved. 

5. Let cool briefly (will be easier for slicing) and dig in to your healthy & filling breakfast! 

From my kitchen to yours 

Cardamom Zucchini Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting (updated freezer instructions Nov 11,13)

I have been on a zucchini kick for a little while. So... before I dive into the second half of my Rachael Ray list I wanted to share with you an awesome gooey & delicious zucchini cinnamon roll recipe. This mouthwatering recipe is amazing! You can make it the night before, throw it in the fridge, and bake it the next morning. There is no reason to get up at 5 am to get these done in time. Or you can make it on the sunday night (thinking that you are being clever), forget to bake them on Monday, run out of time on Tuesday, and they will turn out great on Wednesday. Truth: in my crazy household these beauties hung out in the fridge for 2 days. If you want to plan ahead on purpose you can freeze a batch for up to a month - probably longer - I just haven't tried longer than a month. Anyone who has cinnamon rolls in their freezer for longer than a month has more will power than I do! The texture of the dough is fluffy, moist, tender, and incredible. Pair it with some sweet maple frosting and your morning and coffee - its like christmas in your kitchen. 

I was so relieved when the cinnamon rolls from the freezer rose and baked properly because that means no more huge pans of cinnamon rolls around my house. I can make batches of my favorite rolls, and freeze the extras. I have made this recipe 4 times since I found it earlier this year. Happily, the whole wheat flour and extra zucchini makes it a bit healthier. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 

This picture is a half of a batch. So good!!!

Cardamom Zucchini Cinnamon Rolls 

with Maple Frosting

makes 12 in the whole batch - easily halved or doubled

recipe adapted from creative blogger crazy for crust. 

You should absolutely make her bacon cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients for the dough:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one packet)
3/4 cup of warm non-fat milk 
1/3 cup of white sugar
3 Tbs butter, unsalted, softened
1/2 tsp salt, 
1 egg
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat white flour
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Ingredients for filling: 
1/2 cup of butter, unsalted, softened
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of shredded zucchini, water squeezed out
2 Tbs whole wheat white flour
2 Tbs cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Ingredients for the frosting:
1-2 Tbs nonfat milk (or whatever kind you have)
6 Tbs butter, unsalted, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp maple extract (light hand = super strong)
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions for the dough:
1. Heat the milk in a cup in the microwave for approx. 25-45 seconds aim for 120 degrees.

2. Add the yeast to the cup and stir. Let it sit and for about 5 minutes to get cloudy and foamy (activating the yeast). 

3. In a mixer bowl or large mixing bowl cream together the sugar butter, salt and egg. It may be slightly chunky thats okay.

4. Pour the yeast mixture into the butter mixture. Stir or mix on low for about a minute. 

5. Add the flour and ground cardamom slowly over low or medium mixing speed. If you are using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment until the dough starts to stick to the paddle then switch to the dough hook. Using a dough hook over low speed continue mixing until the dough forms a ball in the middle of the bowl. 

6. While the mixer is mixing spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Put the dough ball into the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1-2 hrs while it rises. It should double in size. 

Making the cinnamon rolls:
1. Shred your zucchini and wring it out with a towel or strong paper towels over the sink. Its amazing how much liquid this veggie has! Note (from experience) if you use a towel the liquid that comes out is green and it may turn your towel green - don't use a white one. 

2. In a bowl combine the filling ingredients the zucchini, brown sugar, butter, flour, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir until it forms a paste. 

3. Once the dough has risen, sprinkle some flour onto your work area or counter. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle. 

4. Spread the filling out evenly over the entire surface. 

5. Roll up the dough into a log as tight as you can. 

6. Slice it in half and with each half make 6 cinnamon rolls for a total of 12. 

7. Spray a cooking pan with nonstick spray and place them side by side giving them a little room because they will rise considerably. I use two round cake pans for this. Wrap the tops with plastic wrap. 

8. If you are baking them immediately let them rise on the counter for a second time for 30 minutes - 1 hr. They should be large and fluffy. Note: They will not get much bigger than they are when you put them in - so while I write 30 minutes in the directions I recommend 45 if they are looking small or your kitchen is cold. 

9. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

10. Whip up the frosting. Combine all the frosting ingredients in a mixer and mix away. Add more milk if needed. The texture should be creamy but not runny. If it seems stiff and hard to spread then add 1-2 Tbs additional milk. 

11. Spread the frosting over the cinnamon rolls the moment they come out of the oven. Let it melt and get in all the cracks and get super gooey. 

12. Enjoy warm with your fav people and coffee (of course)

How to do the make ahead part:
Follow up to step 8. Complete step 7, and put them in the fridge until the morning you are going to bake them. If you are putting them in the freezer I highly recommend double wrapping them with plastic and then with foil just to be sure. Use a post it note or a piece of paper with a marker to label them with the cooking time and temp for easy baking later.

Baking frozen cinnamon rolls: 
Pull them out of the freezer and let them fully defrost in the fridge overnight. The morning you want to bake them, grab a baking dish, and fill it with water. Put the cold pan of water in the oven on the same level as the cold pan of cinnamon rolls you have in the fridge. Let the rolls rise in the oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes. Check on them. When they are big and fluffy start baking. Increase the oven temperature, you don't have to take the rolls out of the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes until they are golden. While they bake make the frosting - super easy 3 minutes :)

I love this maple frosting! 

from my kitchen to yours