Strawberry Butter

Last month Tomas and I went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. One of the things we always have there is the sourdough bread and butter. Well this time there was a new butter to choose from, it was strawberry butter. It was so good that I wanted to take some home with me so I can have it for breakfast on a bagel. I didn't take any home with me, however I started researching the web and I found a recipe by Martha Stewart. The recipe is very easy to make and taste very yummy. My strawberries are a little more chunky then they should be, but that's ok, because once the butter starts melting on my warm toasted bagel I am left with chunks of strawberries on top of my bagel. Enjoy :)

Strawberry Butter

1 cup (2 sticks butter)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (if butter is salted then don't add)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh strawberries (I think I did 3/4 cup:)

Beat the butter, powdered sugar and salt (if needed) into an electric mixer for about one minute. Add the strawberries and beat until combined. Chill until ready to serve.

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Apple Slice Pancakes

While browsing on Pinterest the other day (which I am always doing), I came across a yummy picture and recipe of something called Fried Apple Pancake Rings. I really wanted to make them for breakfast, but after reading the recipe I did not have all the ingredients and so I decided to make it a bit easier and use what I had on hand. Also mine did not come out looking like rings because the pancake batter would stay in the holes or while cooking the batter would spread to the hole and cover it up, that is why I decided to call mine apple slice pancakes. These things were yummy and I felt they were healthy because they were more apple than pancake. I will be making these again soon especially when I have some apples that need to be eaten up. 

Apple Slice Pancakes

Pancake Mix

Ground Cinnamon 

Green Apples, peeled, sliced into rings, and cored

Make pancake mix according to the package then add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Depending on how much batter you have will depend on how many apples you will need. I used two small green apples and had a small amount of batter left to make a regular pancake. Dip the sliced apples into the batter and using a toothpick or chop stick take the apple ring out and place on a warm skillet. Cook just like a pancake until golden brown. Serve with syrup or sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on top. Serve warm and enjoy. :)  

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Fast Blueberry Sauce

I just got back from spending a wonderful unexpected weekend in shaver lake. This past weekend I was very lucky to get the whole weekend off with out asking for it and even better Tomas got the whole weekend off also. Then we got even luckier when his friend Kendall and his girlfriend Amie invited us to go to his cabin in Shaver. It was so nice to be able to get away and relax. While there Amie and I made breakfast for the boys and I saw it as a great opportunity to make the fast blueberry sauce recipe I found on allrecipes.com. The original recipe called for honey and we didn't have any so I improvised and just used sugar in its place. This recipe was very easy to make and it tasted wonderful over waffles. I bet it will even taste great on ice cream. Well I hope you enjoy this fast blueberry sauce as much as we did. :)


Fast Blueberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix 1 1/2 cups blueberries, sugar and 1/4 cup orange juice. Bring to a boil. Mix the remaining orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir into the blueberry mixture. Stir constantly until thickened. Enjoy :)

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Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes with Crumb Topping

A while back I went to have breakfast/lunch with my friend Jeni. We decided to go to one of our favorite places Batter Up. At Batter Up they serve many different types of fun pancakes, as well as other foods, but I always get the pancakes. This time I decided to try the apple cinnamon chip pancakes with a crumb topping on top. They tasted amazing, so amazing that I had to try making them for myself. So this morning I went in the kitchen and attempted to make the pancakes myself. It was a success, they came out really good and I even have some left that I will be able to enjoy for breakfast tomorrow. Well I hope you get a chance to enjoy these lovely pancakes as I have. :)

Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes with Crumb Topping

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter

Pancakes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 half chopped apple
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Crumb topping: Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and butter. Using your fingers combine the ingredients, forming clumps, until all is combined. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, check on it constantly and flip and move the crumb topping around to prevent burning.

Pancakes: In a large bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil. Add all the egg mixture to to the flour mixture and mix until combined. Gently stir in the chopped apples and cinnamon chips. Heat an electric griddle or skillet. Pour a desired amount of batter on to the hot surface. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side or until pancakes turn a beautiful golden brown. Remove from heat. Sprinkle some crumb topping over the pancakes and enjoy. :)

Pancake recipe from Better Home and Garden cookbook.

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M&M Pancakes

What melts in your mouth and not your hands? M&M's of course. Those colorful candy coated chocolate bites are perfect inside many recipes, but have you ever tried them in your pancakes? Ever since I made Butterfinger pancakes I decided that I wanted to get creative and make different types of fun pancakes, with M&M pancakes being one of them. I don't know why I didn't try this sooner. It is basically the same thing as chocolate chip pancakes, but more colorful. I still added chocolate chips to the batter because I didn't want to over power the pancakes with too many M&M's, but feel free to add more M&M's if you like. Well I hope you enjoy these fun pancakes and I can't wait to share the next fun pancakes I am going to make I just have to decided what I am going to do next. So many possibilities out there :)

M&M Pancakes

Pancake mix

Bag of M&M's

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Prepare the pancake mix according to the directions on the package. Preheat a lightly greased skillet. Pour the batter in the skillet depending on what size pancake you want to make. Sprinkle a desired amount of M&M's and chocolate chips on top of the pancakes. When edges look cooked flip the pancake over and cook on the other side until pancake is fully cooked and no longer doughy. Remove from skillet and place on a plate. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle some M&M's on top. Enjoy. :)

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Butterfinger Pancakes

OMG!!!! This has to be my new favorite way to eat my pancakes. I use to love chocolate chip pancakes, but now I am in love with Butterfinger pancakes. My friend Jeni first introduced me to these pancakes when she took me to this new breakfast restaurant in Fresno called Batter Up. She highly recommended that I get the Butterfinger pancakes, I did and they were amazing. They were so good I decided that I need to learn to make them myself that way I can make them all the time. Now these pancakes may not be the most nutritious breakfast to eat, but they are so good that they are worth having once in a while, especially on special occasions. :)

Butterfinger Pancakes

Pancake mix
1 cup crushed Butterfingers (or more if desired :)

Follow the directions on the back of the pancake box to make batter. Fold in the crushed Butterfingers. Preheat a lightly greased skillet. Pour the butterfinger batter in to the skillet depending on what size pancakes you want to make. When the edges look cooked flip the pancake over and cook on the other side until finished. Remove the pancake to a plate. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle some crushed Butterfinger pieces on top. Serve and enjoy :)

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Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It has been almost a week since my last post and there are a couple of reasons for this. The first being that I have been so busy that I have been too tired to do anything. The second reason I haven't posted anything is because I had no camera. Some how the camera ended up inside the recliner and when my boyfriend Tomas went to sit down he heard a crack and saw that the cameras screen was now busted. So without a camera I had no motivation to make anything because if I wanted to take a picture I had to ask his sister Monika if I could use her camera. Well the camera will no longer be an issue because Tomas bought us a new camera which I absolutely love. So I guess it was a good thing my first camera broke because this camera is so much better.

Well anyways enough of my story and more about Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I know this is nothing special and everyone probably knows how to make this, but I thought I would share this with everyone because it happens to be one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. I think the reason I like it so much is because it is like eating a giant soft chocolate chip cookie. It may not be the most nutritious breakfast, but it sure is yummy. Now when I make them I use pancake mix because it is usually just me that eats them, but you can also make them from scratch if you prefer. So I hope you enjoy eating my favorite breakfast. :)

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pancake mix

Chocolate chips

Follow the directions on the package of pancake mix. Heat a large skillet to a medium heat. When the skillet is warm enough, pour a little of the pancake batter into the skillet. Sprinkle the top of the pancakes with a desired amount of chocolate chips (I use a lot because I love chocolate). Flip the pancakes after a couple of minutes or when they start turning a golden brown on the bottom. Cook a couple of more minutes or until that side is a golden brown and then transfer to a plate. Dust with powder sugar and enjoy. :)

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Blueberry Turnovers

The reason for another blueberry recipe is because I got a very great deal on blueberries this past week. Since I had a chance to make breakfast for my boyfriend this week I decided that I wanted to make some kind of flaky blueberry pastry to go along with our breakfast. I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and went ahead and gave it a try. It involves only a few ingredients and is very simple to make. It was a little difficult to figure out how to fold the croissant dough at first, but it is easy to catch on. I hope you all enjoy this tasty pastry as much as we did.

Blueberry Turnovers

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll out crescent dough triangles onto a baking sheet.
Place 1 tablespoon blueberries on the widest end of each triangle. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar over blueberries on each roll. Beginning with the wide end, roll up each crescent around blueberries; pinch both sides to seal completely.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 12 minutes. Remove to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes; dust with the remaining confectioners' sugar. Drizzle with the vanilla frosting.

Frosting
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Mix the ingredients together with a whisk. If too runny add more confectioners sugar. If too thick add a little more milk. Drizzle over turnovers. Enjoy :)

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Mini Banana Beignets

Once again I ran into the dilemma of what to do with my bananas once they start turning black and are overripe. Usually, I turn them into the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (which I have shared with you previously before). Unfortunately, I had no chocolate chips in my pantry and not nuts either so I didn't know what I was going to do. So I started to do some research on what else I can do with old bananas. Well to my luck yesterday there was a recipe using bananas in the new issue of Food Network Magazine. I was so excited I couldn't wait to try it. I decided to make it this morning for breakfast. The recipe is pretty easy to follow, the only difficulty I had was frying them. The first ones came out a little doughy so I decided to cook them longer. I believe the reason for my problem is my fryer on heats to one setting and the recipe calls for the temperature to be at 375 degrees. So depending on how you fry them will depend on how long you should cook them. Otherwise I hope you enjoy them because we sure did.

Mini Banana Beignets

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
11/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 overripe banana)
1/4 teaspoon banana extract (optional)

Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl.
Whisk the egg, milk, mashed banana and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in another bowl. Add the banana extract, if desired. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Whisk the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Working in batches, drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, then roll in the cinnamon sugar while still warm. Enjoy :)

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Fresh Fruit Crepes

I just love crepes. These also happen to be one of my boyfriend's favorite dishes as well, therefore I like to surprise him by making these once in a while. I first learned to make these in my foods and nutrition course back in high school. I have made these quite a few times since then; the recipe might be a little different, but they still taste great. The Recipe below is from the Better Home and Garden Cookbook, since I lost the one I received in my foods course. Now you don't have to just put fresh fruit, you can put ham and cheese, or anything you like. Be creative.

Crepes

2 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cooking oil
¼ teaspoon salt

In a small mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt. Beat until well combined. Heat a lightly greased 6 inch skillet; remove from heat and spoon a few tablespoons of batter, tilt the skillet to spread the batter around evenly. Return to heat, brown one side and then flip over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from pan and place on plate. Repeat until there is no batter left. Fill crepes with fresh fruit of choice. Top with whipped cream or dust with powder sugar. Enjoy :)

This recipe will make at least 12 crepes depending on how much batter you use for each crepe. You can easily half the recipe if you do not want as much.

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Cinnamon Biscuits with Fried Apples

I ended up waking up early this morning and thought it would be nice if I surprised my boyfriend with a delicious breakfast. I didn't know what I should make, but I did know I wanted it to involve apples because I have so many. Thats when it hit me that my mom put a post on her blog a while back involving biscuits and apples. So I went to her blog and found her recipe for Cinnamon Biscuits with Fried apples. Turns out this recipe started as a mistake when she opened the wrong can of biscuits one morning. Using her creative mind she turned a simple mistake into a wonderful tasty breakfast. Both my boyfriend and I loved it so much that we both agree that I will have to make it again. Thank you mom for this delicious creation.

Cinnamon Biscuits with Fried Apples

1 (16oz) can refrigerated large biscuits (I used Pillsbury’s Grand Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits)
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ cup butter, melted
4 medium apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Pour melted butter into small bowl, set aside. In another bowl mix together the ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Dip the biscuits into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture making sure it’s evenly coated. Place onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the fried apples. In a medium skillet melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sauté for about fifteen minutes or until the apples are tender. Serve over warm cinnamon biscuits and enjoy. :)

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Monkey Bread

When I was younger I would always have slumber parties and the one thing that everyone looked forward to, besides me, jk, was the monkey bread in the morning. After staying up all night talking and playing games we would wake up to the wonderful aroma of the monkey bread that my mom would be making in the kitchen. Not one of us would sleep in because we wanted to make sure we would not be left out on this yummy treat. Being the dorks that we were some of us would start making monkey noises to be funny. Now that I am older there are no more slumber parties or waking up to that wonderful smell because now if I want it I have to make it myself.

Well a few weeks ago I told my friend Cynthia that I would bake her something yummy for helping me out with something. The thing she requested turned out to be monkey bread. So I got the idea that we should make it together so I can teach her how to make it. So after we went out for a lovely lunch and did some shopping we went to my house and baked the monkey bread together. We had a lot of fun making it together and it came out looking great. Now she will be able to make it for herself and others. If you haven't made or tried monkey bread before I would highly recommend you do so because it is wonderful.

Monkey Bread
4 cans refrigerated biscuits
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 stick butter
4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the biscuits into fours and place in a large bowl. Mix together the ½ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon, pour over the biscuit pieces and mix until evenly coated. Place in a greased bundt pan and set aside. Boil 1 cup sugar, butter, and 4 teaspoons cinnamon for 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the biscuits in the bundt pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes. Enjoy :)

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Easy Cinnamon and Sugar Doughnuts

These Doughnuts are super easy to make, as well as delicious. My mom use to make them for us when we were younger, but only on rare occasions. Now that I am older I have made them a few times and will continue to make them many more times in the future. Now you do not have to make as many as I did. If you only want to make a little bit, then the recipe can be easily cut in half. Since I have a lot of people in my house I had to make a lot because they do not last long here.

Easy Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts
2 cans (10 count each) refrigerated Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more if you like)
3 cups Canola oil

Heat the oil in a fryer or in a saucepan on the stove to medium-high heat. Open the cans of biscuits and cut a hole in the center of each biscuit using a water bottle cap or any kind of small cap you can find. In a paper bag mix the cinnamon and sugar together, set aside. When the oil is ready gently drop the doughnuts and doughnut holes, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Flip the doughnuts in the oil and cook until golden brown, about 30 seconds or less. Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drop into the cinnamon sugar mixture and shake to evenly coat. Transfer doughnuts to a plate and continue with the rest of the doughnuts until they are all done. Eat while still warm. Enjoy :)

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

Since I woke up early today I felt like making something tasty to go with our breakfast, therefore I decided to go with chocolate chip muffins. My boyfriend thought they were good, but did not think they were a good breakfast food, but that is because he is not big on sweet things for breakfast. However, I thought they were good. And what is also good about these muffins is that you can add whatever you want to the mix. I wish I could have added blueberries or cranberries instead of chocolate chips, unfortunately I did not have any on me. To get the original recipe and see the other things that the original creator put in her muffins go to allrecipes.com and type in Best ever muffins. I will also provide you with the recipe below. Enjoy

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Stir the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Create a well in the center of the mixture. In a small bowl beat the egg with a fork. Add the milk and oil to the egg. Add all at once to the flour mixture and mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moist, do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Either pour the batter into a paper lined muffin tin or for a smaller portion pour the batter into a paper lined cupcake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy.

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