Blueberry & Croissant Breakfast Puff

Blueberry & Croissant Breakfast Puff is my new favorite breakfast food!

I love breakfast, I love going out for breakfast – however, since finding this Blueberry & Croissant Breakfast Puff recipe I may never eat out for breakfast again!

I made this for a brunch with family and friends over the holidays! It was a HUGE success.

I was a little taken back by the cream cheese addition – but it absolutely makes the dish. It cuts the sweetness, adds a creaminess without dominating the palate.

The blueberries are the perfect fruit for this dish as they swell with cooking and then release all their juices and flavor in each bite.

I dislike bread pudding and equally ‘soggy’ foods – so I was slightly concerned that this would turn into one of those dishes………it didn’t! The croissant pieces on top stay flaky and buttery while the underneath becomes creamy, gooey and delicious!

Blueberry & Croissant Breakfast Puff is a firm favorite with Captain America & I and will be staying on our breakfast menu for a while to come.

If you are hosting a brunch with friends or family, or just want to try out a new breakfast recipe with your family then this is a must! Try it this weekend!

Ingredients

6 large croissants, cut up (about 10 cups)

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cup milk (we used rice milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place croissant pieces in a 9 x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberries.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add milk, beating well after each addition.
4. Pour evenly over croissant pieces. Let stand 20 minutes.
5. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until set in center and golden brown. You may want to cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes if the tops are getting too browned.

Find the original recipe here

Homemade Tomato Salsa

Everybody love chips and salsa, right?

It’s the ultimate snack, party dish, appetizer – and what better than a delicious bowl of homemade tomato salsa!

Captain America and I took a recent trip to a local Farmer’s Market and got the inspiration to make a delicious tomato salsa. We found lots of ripe tomatoes and even a stand selling all types of peppers – so we could pick the ones we wanted!

 

Captain America, being the lover of all things spicy, has made this before so I have to give him credit for this recipe – I made it but he directed!!

We shared the salsa at a pot-luck BBQ the following day and it went down a storm. We made a HUGE batch of it too – enough to share at the party (with about 20 guests) and we kept some at home too.

It had a great flavor and a little heat (which you could increase depending on your palate) and the best thing was that it was made with fresh ingredients and it was REALLY simple!

You know I am a huge fan of simple recipes – life is complicated enough without adding challenging recipes to the mix.

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients:

Makes about 10 cups

1 1/2 yellow onions

1/2 red onion

2lbs 6oz tomatoes  (this amount can vary slightly depending on the size of your tomatoes)

1 serrano pepper

1 poblano pepper

2 Hungarian wax peppers

10 cloves garlic

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp fresh cilantro

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp chives 

1 tbsp onion salt

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp oregano

Directions:

Using a Vitamix (or blender/food processor) wet chop the onions and garlic and add to a large bowl

Chop the tomatoes in the vitamix and add to the bowl

Wash, de-seed and chop the peppers and add to the bowl

Add the seasonings and fresh, finely chopped cilantro to the bowl and stir.

TASTE the salsa – at this point you get to decide if it tastes good! We found there was very little heat from the peppers but the garlic heat was very intense. You may need to add a little more seasonings, salt or lemon juice. This will vary depending on the flavor of your tomatoes and heat from the peppers.

Bear in mind that the flavors develop with time – we made the salsa the night before the party and then taste tested it right before we served it in case we needed to add anything.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.

 

Maple Peanut Butter Granola

Captain America and I have become HUGE fans of homemade granola!

Ever since I made our All Natural Granola we have been hooked!

I decided to try a variation after seeing some inspiration on Pinterest (where else does a girl find her inspiration these days!!) I created my own recipe for Maple Peanut Butter Granola!

It was delicious!

 

Captain America and I both LOVE maple syrup and peanut butter and we all know that the two together make the perfect combination so adding it to granola seemed like a great decision.

The recipe is very simple and quick to make. I make granola every week and it now takes me 5 minutes preparation time and just 30 minutes to bake. I know people think that it’s too time-consuming to make your own granola but the ready-made stuff is so expensive. This Maple Peanut Butter Granola is not very expensive (especially if you shop around for the best prices on ingredients) and it doesn’t take long to make at all!

Have a go and see what you think!

Ingredients:

Makes 10 cups

6 C oats

1/2 C flaxseed

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 C sunflower seeds

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

3/4 coconut oil, melted

1/4 C chunky peanut butter, melted

1/3 C maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, flaxseeds, coconut, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and ginger and stir together

In a measuring cup, add the coconut oil and melt in the microwave, add the peanut butter and stir in (if the heat from the oil doesn’t melt the peanut butter then microwave it for a little longer to ensure you can stir the ingredients).

Add the maple syrup and vanilla essence and whisk together.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir together.

Take two baking sheets and line with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Pour half the mixture on each baking sheet and spread out the granola so it is evenly spread on the sheets.

Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes, rotate the baking sheets in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to fully cool on the baking sheets before transferring it to an airtight container.

Homestyle Breakfast Potatoes with Bacon

Captain America and I LOVE breakfast!

It’s probably my favorite meal of the day! We love to eat breakfast out at some of our favorite restaurants and we love to cook it at home on a rare lazy day off.

We made these delicious homestyle breakfast potatoes on a recent day off – they were a huge success and are now added to on of our favorite breakfast recipes.

I am a huge fan of potatoes, as many of you know, so this was a likely winner from me from the outset. I love hash browns and homestyle breakfast potatoes as a rule, but one thing I don’t love is bell peppers added to my potatoes! Don’t get me wrong I love a good bell pepper, but not with my homestyle breakfast potatoes!

We made ours with bacon…..because bacon and breakfast just go together! Some would even say that breakfast isn’t breakfast without bacon. We love bacon but hate it when the smell permeates our whole apartment – this was a perfect solution! Delicious bacon without any of the residual smell!

We served our homestyle breakfast potatoes with our favorite breakfast scramble, or check out our recipe for Captain America’s Mancakes for the ultimate breakfast indulgence!

What is your go-to breakfast dish?

 

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Ingredients:

Serves 2 people

3 large potatoes, diced

olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1/4 white or yellow onion, slivered

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp parsley

2 tsp chives

2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 sliced bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces

red chili flakes (optional)

Directions:

In a large pan, add the olive oil, butter and potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the oil and butter.

Cook on a medium-high heat for a few minutes to soften.

Add the onions, all the seasonings and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the bacon, stir and cover. Reduce the heat and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the potatoes begin to soften, but before they get mushy, remove the lid and turn the heat up to ‘fry’ the potatoes until they start to crisp.

Serve immediately with a side of eggs

 

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Spiced Carrot Breakfast Muffins

Do you get bored with the same old cereal and toast?

Do you skip breakfast because you don’t have time in the mornings?

Sometimes it is nice to try something different for breakfast.

Try these Spiced Carrot Breakfast Muffins as the perfect alternative for a healthy breakfast, packed with nutritious, wholesome ingredients, for the quick breakfast on the go.

The spiced carrot breakfast muffins are very simple to make, especially if you cheap and use a machine to grate all the carrots! You can make a bunch in advance and freeze them-ready to grab one first thing in the morning.

I made these recently for our morning snack at church, as a healthy alternative to the usual cakes, cookies and doughnuts. Unlike many breakfast muffins they are moist, not too sweet and they have all the usual breakfast favorites-oats, nuts and flaxseeds-it’s like granola in a muffin!

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Shrove Tuesday

In England, Shrove Tuesday is a HUGE deal!

We love to make pancakes, we find any excuse to have them for dinner, and arguments ebb and flow as to what the ‘must-have’ topping is!

Lemon and sugar is the most traditional, my personal favorite is Nutella and banana….because you just cannot go wrong with chocolate, banana and nuts.  You can have savory ones or sweet ones…..but you HAVE to have them!

For those of you that don’t know, Shrove Tuesday, also known as Shrovetide Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday and Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent (more on that tomorrow). Shrove Tuesday is determined by Easter; its date changes annually.

The expression “Shrove Tuesday” comes from the word shrive, meaning “confess”. Related popular practices are associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent.

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs. (Source: Wikipedia)

Pancakes in the UK are more like crepes, they are very thin pancakes made with flour, eggs and milk. When cooking, tradition is that you have to flip them!

According to an article in The Daily Telegraph, a Professor from University College London has developed the Perfect Pancake Flipping Technique! Princess Katherine has it down!!

Photo: The Daily Telegraph

How to make British-style pancakes:

Ingredients:

Makes 4-6 pancakes

4oz all-purpose flour, sifted

pinch of salt

2 eggs

200ml milk

75ml water

Directions:

In a large bowl, add the sifted flour and salt.

Add the eggs and stir

Measure out the milk and add the water to it. Then gradually pour into the flour mixture, mixing continuously with an electric whisk.

The better should be runny, pourable and lump-free!

Pour the batter onto a hot, greased griddle pan (get the pan very hot then reduce the heat to medium-high when you are actually cooking). Turn the pancake over when all the liquid ingredients become solidified, cook both side until golden brown.

Serve immediately

As for toppings, as I said it’s all down to your personal preference!  I loved this extensive list of 102 Pancake Toppings from The Hungry Goddess! 

What is your ‘MUST HAVE’ pancake topping??

 

I hope you enjoy Shrove Tuesday as much as we do!

All Natural Granola

My Mum makes delicious Granola, which got me and Captain America thinking on our recent visit!

Having both eaten it nearly every day for a month while staying at my parents house we decided we needed to make our own when we returned home!

We went to our local grocery store that had a bulk foods section and went wild with all the possible versions we could make!  This was our first attempt, after getting some tips from my Mum, and we love it!

This is just one option – there are literally hundreds of possibilities, especially if like us, you have access to a store that sells bulk foods, then you can buy a little of everything for very little cost and if you don’t like it then don’t use that next time!  If you don’t want to experiment follow this recipe and it makes a wonderful Granola.

I was a little cautious about adding coconut as it is one of of my least favorite flavors, however, even though it smells very strong while cooking you cannot taste it at all – it just adds that perfect amount of natural sweetness!

Go on give it an try……let me know which combination you make??

Enjoy!

 

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Pumpkin Walnut Oat Muffins

As I may or may not have mentioned, I love baking, especially during the Fall months!  

A couple of weeks ago I was debating what excuse I could come up with to bake, all day I resisted the temptation and then I gave in at 9pm and started baking 🙂 My excuse was I had pumpkin to use and guests to feed at church! It worked!

I knew some of the out of town guests were diabetic and gluten intolerant so I wanted to make something suitable for them WITHOUT having to shop for extra ingredients – not being a gluten free or sugar free expert I searched for some suitable recipes, all of which I did not have the ingredients for, however I did discover that oats are more often than not gluten free, and I already had a recipe for bran muffins that are very low in sugar, so I adapted it and this was the result!

There was a chance they would have been a disaster as adapting baking recipes takes some skill and I usually get it very wrong and end up with a soggy cake or a dry, doughy cake.  These did require a little more time baking as the mixture is very wet – so don’t panic if it seems really sloppy!  It makes delicious, moist muffins!

The recipe made 18 bite-sized mini muffins and 12 regular sized ones – so it really goes a long way!

They were a huge success, gone on minutes….especially the bite-sized ones and my gluten intolerant and diabetic friends were very happy!

Pumpkin Spice Pull Apart Bread

I really enjoyed our 31 Days series – Walking Out A Leap Of Faith, however it was challenging for me not to publish any recipes for a whole month!

It did not stop me cooking or baking though, especially as it’s Fall and it is one of my favorite seasons and I love to bake delicious Fall recipes!

This was one of them!

Pull Apart Bread is one of those things you see ALL OVER PINTEREST….so I just had to give it a go!  For me, biscuits are a weird thing!  In England, a biscuit is a cookie, so to eat biscuits for breakfast here seems like a crazy indulgence!  We don’t have anything quite like them in England.  Also, I am not the girl that uses cake mix, or pre-made food very often.  I am purist and want to make things from scratch – but I wanted to give this recipe a try and it called for pre-made biscuits – so I gave it a go….and I will NEVER look back…..so good, so easy…..you have to give it a go too!!!

It creates a ‘not too sweet, but totally fulfills any sweet cravings’ you may have, with its warm cinnamon crust, layered with pumpkin….so wonderful! It is so enticing I made a whole other loaf of it while I was typing up this recipe as I just couldn’t resist!

Ultimate Weekend Indulgence Banana Walnut Pancakes

Saturdays are generally our rest day!

We sleep in, make breakfast, drink lots of coffee and laze around…..well that’s what we like to do but more often than not we are running around or Captain America is writing his sermon

I love breakfast – it’s my favorite meal of the day, especially in America as there are so many more choices for breakfast food!

Sometimes we eat out at our favorite cafe’s and sometimes we cannot be bothered to get dressed so we make breakfast at home.

A while ago I shared Captain America’s Mancakes with you! These revolutionized my breakfast experience and made me love pancakes forever! I am not generally a fussy eater but I have a thing about texture….I don’t like anything soggy….so unfortunately pancakes often end up soggy and therefore I do not want to eat them.  Captain America’s Mancakes however, have walnuts in them so they keep a delicious crunch even when coated in lashings of syrup!

These Ultimate Weekend Indulgence Banana Walnut Pancakes are my variation on his Mancakes.  

They are crunchy, delicious and a great use for that extremely overripe banana sat at the bottom of the fruit bowl…..you all know the banana I am referring to!

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