French Toast Sticks

My last loaf of Bread Maker Bread did not turn out well. It did not rise properly and was too dense for sandwiches. So, to keep it from going to waste, I made French Toast Sticks with it. I cut the bread into one inch slices and then cut each piece into four sticks. I dipped the sticks into an egg and milk mixture and then cooked them on a griddle just like traditional French Toast. My kids really enjoyed eating the sticks with their hands and dipping them into syrup. (Two of my kids dipped theirs in Cinnamon Syrup and my little one dipped hers in Chocolate Syrup.)

 

I refrigerated the leftovers and reheated them in the toaster oven for my little one to eat for lunch the next day. Next time, I would like to try an oven version instead. Seems like it would be simpler and I wouldn't have to stand over the griddle tending to them. If you have tried making homemade baked French Toast Sticks, I would love to hear about it.

Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

We really love cinnamon at our house. It is definitely a comfort flavor for me. And, on Saturday I was craving some sticky-sweet cinnamon Monkey Bread. However, my kids had no intention of waiting hours for their breakfast so I decided to jazz up some regular biscuits with some cinnamon and sugar as a quick substitute. 

They turned out beautifully and my little one gobbled almost half of them all by herself! I used my favorite Sour Cream Biscuit recipe to start, but I am sure that you could use your tried and true recipe if you prefer. 

Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

Biscuits:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¾ cup sour cream
Milk or water (enough to form biscuit dough)

Stir together all ingredients, adding enough milk to form desired consistency. Drop onto a 9X13 baking pan with a medium sized scoop, about ½ an inch apart. Flatten slightly. 

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
½ cup melted butter
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
½ cup white sugar

Drizzle melted butter over biscuits. Stir together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle over biscuits. Bake at 450º for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve. Yield: 20 biscuits.

Apple Spice Waffles

 
Last week I told you about a homemade Apple Pie Spice. And, this spice blend is perfect for these Apple Spice Waffles/Pancakes. The recipe is a variation of my favorite Overnight Waffle/Pancake batter that I make so often. With the simple addition of applesauce and Apple Pie Spice, these waffles are transformed from an ordinary breakfast to a special fall treat.

The batter can still be mixed up the night before and refrigerated overnight. And you can use it to make either waffles or pancakes.

Apple Spice Waffles/Pancakes

1 ½ Tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups flour
1 tsp. apple pie spice
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

For Waffles: Stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight if desired. Follow the instructions for your waffle maker to the cook the waffles. Yield: 6 Belgian sized waffles.

For Pancakes: Stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight if desired. Pour batter onto a hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles on top pop (about 3-4 minutes). Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Yield: 12-14 pancakes.

Blueberry Pecan Muesli

Muesli is my absolute favorite breakfast cereal during the warmer months. It is so simple to mix up ahead of time and it is easy to customize. My first success with homemade Muesli was an “everything” recipe that you can read about here. Since then, I have tried many different varieties. All of them have been tasty, but this one is my favorite by far. 

As the weather continues to get cooler, I gravitate more toward hot cooked oatmeal for breakfast. So, I may create a hot version of this with some of the same ingredients.

Blueberry Pecan Muesli

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup puffed rice or wheat
¾ cup dried blueberries
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

Measure all ingredients into a large bowl. Stir until combined. Store in an airtight container. Serve as a cold cereal with milk or over yogurt.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the two year anniversary of You Can Make That! I am having just as much fun sharing recipes here with you today as I did two years ago. And, hopefully there will be many more years to come. In honor of this two year mark, I thought that you might enjoy seeing the recipes have been the most popular with the You Can Make That readers.

 

These two recipes are at the top by far. Both have had about the same number of views, but the Honey Mustard Dressing and Marinade was posted in February 2012 and the Pumpkin Spice Creamer was just posted last month. I wonder which one will win out over time?

 

Honey Mustard Dressing & Marinade

 

Pumpkin Spice Creamer

 

Other Popular Recipes:

 

Homemade Amaretto Creamer

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Corn Cakes

Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix

I find it interesting that several of the most viewed recipes have been homemade convenience foods. Have you found a recipe here that has become a favorite at your house?

Fascinating Find - Apple Spice Granola

We have been eating a lot of granola lately. My kids favorite is Peanut Butter Granola, but I like to have variety. So, last week I tried this Apple Spice Granola. I was so pleased with it that I couldn't wait for my kids to get home from school so that they could try it. None of them cared for it. Ugh! But, that means more for me.

Rarely do I post a recipe that none of my kids care for. But, this one really is delicious, no matter what they say. I found this Apple Spice Granola at Down To Earth Digs where Stacey writes about “life in the country, tending kids, gardens and critters.” Be sure to check out her tasty recipe along with some very pretty photography at Down to Earth Digs.

Recipe Link: Apple Spice Granola

Blog Link: Down To Earth Digs

Pumpkin Waffles

I love the flavors of Fall. Pumpkin, apples, and all things cinnamon. To me, these flavors add up to a feeling of warmth and comfort. These Pumpkin Waffles are so tasty with real maple syrup and all three of my kids agree. (Homemade Cinnamon Syrup is delicious too!)

Of course one of the best features of this recipe is that the batter can be made up ahead of time and refrigerated for later. And, if you do not have a waffle maker, you can certainly use the batter to make pancakes instead.

Pumpkin Waffles

4 Tbsp. melted butter
¼ cup raw or brown sugar
1 cup cooked pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Stir together all ingredients. Follow the instructions for your waffle maker to the cook the waffles. Yield: 6 Belgian sized waffles.

Energy Bars

A while back, I told you about some No-Bake Energy Bites that are oh so tasty. However, I didn't make them as often as my children would have liked because they seemed too time consuming with the mixing, refrigerating, and rolling into balls. So, lately I have started using my food processor to do the mixing, skipped the refrigerating, and pressed the mixture into a pan. I then cut them into bars once they have firmed up in the refrigerator. This is so much simpler! And, they taste the same, so no complaints from my kids. Normally I serve these as a snack, but earlier this week my kids ate them for breakfast. 

No-Bake Energy Bars

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup raw honey
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Add all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to the bowl of a food processor. Process until thouroughly combined. Remove blade from the food processor and stir in chocolate chips. Press into an 8X6 pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut and serve. Store energy bars in the refrigerator.

Overnight Pancakes

It's no secret that I am not a morning person (you can read my initial confession here). I like to roll out of bed at the last possible second and I go to great lengths to make sure that I can do that. Every evening I ensure that the backpacks are ready with all books and papers. I make the lunches and lay out my kids clothes. I even plan out our breakfast and set the table. All of this in order to stay in bed for just a few more minutes each morning.

So, in an effort to preserve my last few minutes of sleep, I have recently worked on an Overnight Pancake recipe. I wanted a batter that I could mix up the night before, refrigerate and cook in the morning. We tested several recipes and, after a bit of tweaking, we settled on this one. And, the nice thing is that if you prefer, you can make waffles with the batter instead.

Overnight Pancakes

1 ½ Tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

Measure all ingredients into a bowl, and stir just until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if desired.  To Prepare: Pour batter onto a hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles on top pop (about 3-4 minutes). Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Yield: 12-14 pancakes.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Have you ever been to a restaurant and tasted freshly baked rolls served with a sweetened butter spread? Delicious! Well, I created this Cinnamon Honey Butter as a restaurant copy. My son, who has a terrible sweet tooth, really likes this on warm bread. And, although we love having Cocoa Cinnamon Spread on hand for toast and leftover rolls, I prefer this because it is not as sweet.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1 stick butter, softened
3 Tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. vanilla

Wisk together all four ingredients. Spread on toast, bagels, rolls, etc. Store at room temperature.

This post has been linked to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Since the beginning of the year I have been making an effort to reduce food waste in my kitchen. Eating up leftovers was one of my biggest struggles. In the past, my late husband had always been glad to take all leftovers to work for lunch; so, I was not in the habit of eating them myself. I have learned that it only takes a little planning to make sure that these leftovers do not go to waste. Most often I eat them for lunch myself; however, if there is plenty leftover, we eat them for dinner, even if we are not all eating the same thing. I am glad to say that rarely do any leftovers make their way to the trash any more.

In preparation for our vacation, I also made an effort to make sure that we ate up any food that would go bad while we were gone. The week before we left, I made up a list of things that needed to be eaten and we ate them. Other foods like lunch meat and cheese I put in the freezer before we left. The only thing that ended up going to waste was 1/3 of a gallon of milk. I had meant to put it in the freezer the morning that we left, but completely forgot!

When we arrived home, it was early evening time and we had not yet had dinner. I knew that after traveling for an entire day, I would not feel like stopping at the grocery store. So, I had planned ahead to make Buttermilk Pancakes. Buttermilk keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and the rest of the ingredients I always have on hand. We were all glad to be home and pancakes for dinner are always a hit with my kids.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
1 ½ cups buttermilk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda

Measure all ingredients into a bowl, and stir just until combined. Pour batter onto a hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles on top pop (about 3-4 minutes). Flip and cook for an additional 203 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Yield: 12 pancakes.

Serving Suggestion: Instead of maple syrup, try my family's favorite Cinnamon Syrup instead.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Monday.

Sour Cream Biscuits

We returned from our vacation a week ago and left again almost immediately to help out some friends who had a death in the family. We finally came home on Saturday night; and, we are still moving quite slowly. Two weeks into summer vacation and we are just now enjoying our time to sleep in, which to me is the best part of summer.

I love these lazy days, slowly sipping my coffe in the morning while making breakfast. As you know, biscuits are on our regular rotation (Easy Cream Biscuits, Maple Biscuits, and Homemade Baking Mix Biscuits). So, recently I thought that we would try something new, Sour Cream Biscuits. These are quick to mix up and I always have the ingredients on hand. We have had them twice now and I am pleased with the results. Plus, I like that with this recipe it is still possible to make fresh biscuits without milk or cream. 

Sour Cream Biscuits

2 cups white whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¾ cup sour cream
Milk or water (enough to form biscuit dough)

Stir together all ingredients, adding enough milk to form desired consistency. Drop onto baking pan with a medium sized scoop, about ½ an inch apart. Flatten slightly. Bake at 450º for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 20 biscuits.

This post has been linked to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party.

Crepes

A few weeks ago I visited a friend in South Carolina. Shelly and I have know each other for several years. Our kids love to play together and that makes our time together even better. We often talk about recipes and meal ideas. When Shelly texted me the day before our visit asking if the kids and I would enjoy having crepes for lunch, I was thrilled! I had been wanting to learn how to make crepes for a while and this was my chance. 

That day, Shelly served us crepes filled with fresh strawberries and topped with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Sounds more like dessert than lunch, doesn't it? They were so simple to make, that even with five kids running around in circles through the kitchen, Shelly was able to produce perfect crepes. I went home that day with her recipe. Two weeks later I made the crepes pictured above for breakfast filled with homemade blueberry jam and cream cheese. But, I still had batter leftover, so I put it in the fridge for later. (I love that this batter can be made up in advance and refrigerated overnight.) That evening, I made up the rest of the crepes and filled them with chocolate chips, folded them, and then sprinkled them with powdered sugar. My kids were in heaven. Thanks Shelly for teaching me!!

Crepes

2 eggs
2 Tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
Additional butter to grease the skillet for each crepe

Whisk together eggs, butter, vanilla, milk, salt, and sugar. Slowly add flour, whisking at the same time. Heat a 8-10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter onto heated skillet. Immediately tilt skillet and rotate to ensure that the batter is evenly coating the bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges begin to brown. (Tip: Your crepes are ready to flip when they begin to slide around in the pan when you shake it lightly.) Flip and cook the second side until browned. Fill and serve. Yield: 15 crepes

Sweet Filling Options: fresh fruit, jam, applesauce, cream cheese, whipped cream, nutella, or chocolate chips.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

While living in Germany, we had a forrest behind our housing development with walking trails. Along the trails were wild blueberry bushes. Wild blueberries grow on low bushes about 18 inches off of the ground and the berries are tiny, not at all like the cultivated blueberries that you can find in the grocery store. The first time I took my kids out to pick blueberries, it took us an hour to gather enough to make this Blueberry Crumb Cake. They were not anxious to pick blueberries again any time soon! However, we did pick blueberries again and again while we lived there. And, we really enoyed them knowing how hard we had worked to pick them.

Last week a local farm had blueberries on sale. Although they were not local, I was glad to get some anyway and I came right home and made this cake with them. I am pleased to know though, that my local farm does have blueberry bushes growing and that they will be ready for the public to pick for the first time next summer. 

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Cake
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar (raw or white)
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups blueberries

Stir together butter, sugar, egg and milk. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined and add blueberries. Spread into a greased 9X9 pan. 

Crumb Topping
½ cup sugar (raw or brown)
3 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. melted butter

Stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm. 

This post has been linked to Grace at Home.

Homemade Baking Mix Biscuits

Yesterday my little one was sick. We had planned to attend a birthday party, but we had to cancel. My older two were disappointed. Plus, it was raining, which meant that they were not able to go outside to play. No one was happy. But, mom to the rescue! As my little one began to feel better in the afternoon, we made a trip to the dollar store and everyone was able to pick something. And later we watched a movie from the library.

As I began to think about dinner, I knew that I just might have a revolt on my hands if I didn't do something that they loved. After all they missed out on pizza, cake, and ice cream at the party. So, I asked them what they would like. The answer was Chicken Caesar Salad. I was a bit surprised. But, I had all of the ingredients on hand, so that's what we had. Usually I like to serve some kind of bread when we have a main dish salad. I remembered that I had one lonely cup of my Homemade Baking Mix in the freezer, so I made biscuits. Not exactly kids party food, but everyone was pleased.

Homemade Baking Mix Biscuits

1 cup baking mix
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1/3 cup milk

Measure all ingredients into a bowl and stir lightly until combined. Scoop onto a baking pan, flatten slightly. Bake at 400º for 12-15 minutes. Yield 7 small biscuits.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Monday.

Nutella Swirl Bread

Nutella is a treat at our house. If you are not familiar with this chocolate hazelnut spread, give it a try. It is sold along side of the peanut butter at the grocery store. I warn you though, it is not a health food, it is more like dessert. But my kids love it, so we will indulge once in a while.

I prefer to eat my Nutella as a snack on crackers. My kids, however, like it in a sandwich. So, that got me thinking that they might enjoy it baked into bread just like Cinnamon Swirl Bread. And, I was right. It was gooey and delicious and I'm sure I will have many requests for this in the future!

Nutella Swirl Bread

1 lb. Artisan bread dough
1/3 cup Nutella
1Tbsp. Melted butter

On a floured surface, roll out bread dough into a rectangle (approx. 9X18). Spread Nutella onto the dough. Roll up the dough, starting with the short end. Pinch the seams to seal. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Serve warm.

Note: I use the method outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. You can find the Master Recipe for this Artisan Bread Dough along with an instructional video here.

This post has been linked to Mop It Up Mondays.

The Breakfast Press

On Monday, I told you about The Breakfast Press that I had while visiting family friends in Florida. This sandwich is Cousin Dee Dee's specialty. Whenever the extended family gets together, everyone begs for her to make it for breakfast. I asked her to show me how to make it so that I could share it with you. One of the men was sent out to get fresh baked bread for us and it was worth the wait. The Breakfast Press would just not be as special using everyday sandwich bread.

What's nice about this is that you can use any meat or cheese that you have on hand. And, despite the lengthy instructions below, it is a simple sandwich to put together. Although Dee Dee recommends removing one of the yolks, you can certainly skip that step if you wish. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!

The Breakfast Press

French Bread
Butter
2 eggs
Milk
2-3 slices ham or turkey
1 slice cheese

Cut a piece of French Bread 4-5 inches long, then cut it in half horizontally to open it up for the sandwich. Butter both the inside and the outside of the bread. Toast lightly using a panini/grill press.

While the bread is toasting, crack the eggs into a bowl, removing one of the yolks (reserve for another use). Add a splash of milk and whisk together. Cook in a buttered skillet over medium high heat as if making scrambled eggs, but being certain that the eggs remain in one intact piece for the sandwich. Remove from skillet and add the meat, heating it just until warm. 

Flip the bread so that the outside crust will be on the inside of the sandwich. Layer the cooked eggs, meat and cheese onto the bread and cover with the top slice, again making sure that the outer crust is on the inside of the sandwich. Return to the panini/grill press and toast again until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break for us. And, for the first time in two years, we took a vacation! A college friend asked us to accompany her and her two kids on a trip to Florida. We spent a day and a half visiting some of my friend's extended family, playing at the beach, and celebrating Easter. We all had a good time making new friends, digging in the sand, and hunting for eggs.

 

 

On Easter morning we ate these Breakfast Press Sandwiches that were oh so delicious! They are Cousin Dee Dee's specialty and she kindly showed me how to create this breakfast masterpiece. Later this week I will tell you more about it.
 

Our second destination was Legoland Florida! We spent three full days ridding rides, attending shows, and splashing in the waterpark. A delight for elementary school and preteen kids.

Finally, when I saw this Baker, made completely out of Legos, I knew that my You Can Make That readers would enjoy seeing it!

What did you do during Spring Break?

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

 

It seems like it has been a while since I have shared an Artisan Bread Dough recipe. I use my dough primarily for pizza; but, lately we have been enjoying Cinnamon Swirl Bread on Saturday mornings. Last weekend, when the last slice was devoured, my kids asked that I make two loaves instead of just one next time. My kids rarely fall in love with food, and although they have their favorites, specific food requests are almost non-existent. So, I am especially pleased that they like this bread so much.

 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

1 lb. artisan bread dough
¼ cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. melted butter, divided

On a floured surface, roll out bread dough into a rectangle (approx. 9X18). Brush with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up the dough, starting with the short end. Pinch the seams to seal. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Brush with remaining melted butter. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Serve warm.

 

Note: I use the method outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. You can find the Master Recipe for this Artisan Bread Dough along with an instructional video here .

Homemade Baking Mix Pancakes

The other night the kids begged me to make pancakes for dinner. But, after the ridicule that I received from my friend about serving bagels for dinner, I thought better of it and promised to make them for breakfast the next morning instead. I remembered that I had some Homemade Baking Mix in the freezer and decided to use that instead of my usual pancake recipe. I laid out the recipe, the skillet, and a mixing bowl to be ready for the morning and I served them for breakfast as promised.

This recipe can also be used to make waffles, but honestly it’s not my favorite. However, still an improvement over store bought frozen waffles. I served the pancakes with our favorite homemade Cinnamon Syrup. The kids were pleased and they ate the leftovers as an after school snack.

Baking Mix Pancakes

2 cups homemade baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Add milk and egg to mix. Stir until well blended.  Drop batter onto hot buttered griddle and cook until bubbles on top pop (about 3-4 minutes). Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Yield 10-12 medium sized pancakes.

For fruit pancakes add ½ cup fruit of choice.