Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

I'm always looking for different recipes to make for breakfast, especially ones my daughter will eat before school. She loves her carbs and is always hungry, so anytime I can add in a little protein to her breakfast, I know she'll be good. Plus, she's not a milk drinker anymore, so these little jars of overnight oats give a good amount of calcium each morning. She has become pickier over the last couple of months....I wonder if taste buds really do change as we age? 

I had some leftover pureed pumpkin and thought it would great to make a pumpkin pie flavored overnight oats. It was so good!! I topped mine with some chopped walnuts and loved the bit of crunch they added. I'll definitely be making these again this week. 

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk

2-3 Tbsp pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt

splash of vanilla extract

splash of pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

In a mason jar, mix together all the ingredients, Refrigerate overnight. Top with your favorite nuts and enjoy!

Source: A Pumpkin and a Princess

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - The Secret Recipe Club

I'm excited to share my reveal for this month's Secret Recipe Club! It usually takes me a couple weeks to decide on a recipe, because I always pick out way too many and then I need to narrow it down to that special one. This month was an exception! Upon receiving my assignment, Culinary Adventures with Camilla, Camilla is our group hostess and has so many unique recipes, things I've never heard of before. It's so fun to see what she's making the kitchen with her kids. She recently did 10 days of tailgating recipes - lots of great recipes over there!

I searched for something using canned pumpkin. I had almost a full can after making pumpkin pie creamer and wanted to use it up before it went bad. I found a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls - SCORE! I've been wanting to make cinnamon rolls for awhile but hadn't gotten around to it yet...so this was the perfect opportunity!

The recipe was simple to make and was sooo good! The pumpkin flavor was perfect, with the ooey-gooey center. I tried them without any frosting, they were good..not too sweet, perfect for a breakfast treat. My husband decided to indulge and spread cream cheese over the top and dusted with powdered sugar. He loved it and said it was the perfect "bedtime" snack. Whether you enjoy them plain or with a little something extra, you definitely need to make this recipe!

1 Tbsp active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cup white whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 stick butter
2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar, softened to room temperature
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar. Stir and allow the yeast to bloom. After 3-5 minutes, stir in the pumpkin, flour and salt. Mix until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough for another 4-5 minutes until it becomes very elastic.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with olive oil until it's completely coated. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. I used the proof function on my oven since it was cool in my kitchen when I made these. Butter and flour a round baking pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After the dough has risen, cream together the butter, remaining two tablespoons of pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Punch the dough down and transfer to a floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread the pumpkin butter mixture over the dough with a off set spatula.

Starting from the long side, roll the dough up and pinch the ends to seal everything in. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 8 to 10 inch pieces, about 2 inches thick. Place the slices into the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the top and edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

An InLinkz Link-up

Veggie Quiche

As you know we love breakfast for dinner. I had two frozen pie crusts and eggs that I needed to use, so quiche was the perfect solution. I made one with vegetables and the other with ham and cheese. I knew the kids would eat the ham and cheese one with no problem, but I wanted one with veggies. I used what was in the fridge, but you could use whatever your have laying around. They're easy to reheat and could be frozen too.

8 or 9 inch premade pie crust

3 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

1 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack cheese)

Assorted vegetables (mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes)

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. In the bottom of the pie crust, spread a layer of cheese and the vegetables (except tomatoes). I precooked the mushrooms and spinach before adding them to the quiche. Pour the egg-milk mixture slowly over the vegetables and then add the halved cherry tomatoes over the top. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the eggs have set.

The Ultimate Puffy Pancakes

I'm always looking for recipes for breakfast. I rarely make pancakes, because my kids prefer waffles, but these were great for a Sunday morning. These pancakes are very similar to buttermilk pancakes, but instead of using cold buttermilk, you make a warm milk-butter mixture.

The texture of these pancakes were really good and while they weren't as puffy as I hoped, they were light and fluffy...exactly what you want in pancake. I served them with raspberries and little drizzle of maple syrup. The recipe made around 30 silver-dollar sized pancakes - perfect sized for my kids! I froze the leftover ones and they were perfect for a quick breakfast during the week.

 

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt,  baking powder and sugar. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and milk over medium heat until the butter melts. Once the butter has melted, remove from the stove and stir in the teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

Combine the warm butter-milk mixture with the dry ingredients with a whisk until there are no more lumps. Stir in the beaten eggs and mix together. 

Melt a teaspoon of butter on a griddle/skillet over medium heat. Pour a ladle of batter into pan and cook for 3 minutes until small bubbles start to form and then pop. Flip over and cook on the other side for an additional minute. Continue making pancakes with the remaining batter. Serve with your favorite toppings - fruit, syrup, more butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter....I could go on and on! 

Source: Home Made Summer Cookbook by Yvette van Boven

Mini Blackberry Cream Scones

Scones come in a close second to muffins for me. There's something about the cream, butter, and texture that I can't pass up....now add in fresh blackberries and a little lemon. Mouthwatering, right? These scones are perfect to enjoy with your cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or for a little afternoon snack. I whipped up this recipe in less than 10 minutes and my kids got a kick out of how messy I got while mixing the batter with my hands.

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup blackberries
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the blackberries and lemon zest.

Pour in the cream and then mix with your hands until a dough forms. Once fully mixed together, place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and form into a small circle. Cut the dough into 8 wedges, I start by cutting the dough in half and then each half gets cut in half again and then each quarter in half. Separate the wedges and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the scones are golden brown.

Once the scones have cooled, make a glaze. Mix together 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp of heavy whipping cream. Drizzle over the top of each scone and enjoy!

Source: Eat, Live, Run

Breakfast Roll-ups

I've mentioned before that we love having breakfast for dinner and this recipe did not disappoint! It's quick and easy to make especially if you have leftover breakfast sausage links...plus I usually have all of these ingredients in my kitchen. These were gobbled up in no time at all and Madeline as requesting to eat all the leftover sausage. She must be growing because she's eating non-stop...oh to have that metabolism again and be as skinny as she is!

Once again we had a busy weekend! Madeline's lacrosse season ended, she really enjoyed playing and really picked up how the game is played. I was hoping she would like it since she has been hesitant to play team sports. Cooper is feeling better and back to his naughty self! I can't believe he'll be turning two next week...really, where did the time go? We also spent the weekend finishing opening up our pool. I can't wait to spend our weekend lounging around and just enjoying life. I was telling Ross last night that our quality of life has grown so much by moving to our new home in August. We are making new friends, spending much more quality time as a family and Madeline is making new friends...it's really made a huge difference in our life.

5 eggs
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
8 cooked breakfast sausage links
4 slices of cheese (whatever variety you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, beat the eggs together. Remove 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs. Scramble the remaining eggs in a medium saute pan.

Unroll the roll and separate into 8 triangles. On each triangle, place a half of slice of cheese on each roll. Add a spoonful of scrambled eggs and one sausage link. Loosely roll up the dough around the fillings. Place on a baking sheet. Brush the beaten eggs on top of each roll and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let set for a few minutes before serving so the cheese doesn't completely ooze out. Enjoy!

Source: I Wash You Dry 

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Things have been a little quiet around here lately....my little guy was dealing with a random fever for over a week. So needless to say, I had very little time to do any cooking or baking since he was attached to me. He's doing better now and we're not sure what caused the fever, just some random virus. It's been quite frustrating, he would be fine for most of the day and then after his nap, his temperature would spike to 103 or high....so scary!

I did manage to bake up a batch of these breakfast bars. Madeline was off swimming with some of her friends from the neighborhood and I figured they could use a snack after being outside most of the day. These were quick and easy to make. The girls gobbled them up and of course Madeline wanted seconds! I love that they featured whole wheat flour and oats plus fresh blueberries! They would be great for breakfast but I loved that they were great for an after school snack!

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
10 oz jar of blueberry preserves

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Cut in the cubed butter until coarse crumbs form with the dry mixture and butter. Remove 1 1/2 cups to another bowl and set aside.

In the remaining mixture, combine the egg white until mixture is wet. Gently fold in the blueberries. Evenly pat this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust has set.

Spread the jarred blueberry preserves over the baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved flour/butter mixture over the preserves. Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift out the bars using the parchment paper and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely and then slice into the desired sized bars.

Source: Parents Magazine, September 2013

Blueberry Oatmeal Cakes

As you know, I love making muffins for the kids! These oatmeal cakes were the perfect snack or even for breakfast. I made half with blueberries and the other half with strawberries. They're the perfect combination of oatmeal and a muffin, plus I feel better that my kids are getting homemade snacks instead of snacks that are processed with a bunch of ingredients that I can't pronounce!

So I've been thinking about adding some more lifestyle posts to my blog. I've tried Stitch Fix and thought about doing a review and have been refinishing a piece of furniture, but I want to make sure you guys would like to see those things. I'll mainly focus on food, but I think it would be fun to do some new types of posts and you'll get to learn a little more about me, my life and what else I do beside cooking and baking. What do you say?

2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Combine the oats and skim milk in a bowl and stir. Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator until the majority of the milk has been absorbed (up to 12 hours).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

In the soaked oats, add in the egg, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir until the mixture is well combined. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of of each cake with 1/4 cup of blueberries. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes spring back when they're touched and have turned light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm. 

If you have oatmeal cakes left, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Source: Eating Well Magazine

Potato Crusted Quiche

I've mentioned it before but we love breakfast for dinner! I enjoy making quiche and this was a new variety for me. I loved the potato crust and it could have been better, but need to get a mandoline to make thinner slices of potato for the crust. I added tomato, mushrooms and asparagus to our quiche, but you can change it up with whatever is in season and add either ham or sausage too. The possibilities are endless with the different varieties!

1-2 russet potatoes, sliced very thin
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 oz button mushrooms, sliced
handful of grape tomatoes, halved
6 asparagus spears, ends removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a deep dish pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Layer thin slices of potato over the edges and the bottom of the pan, making sure to overlap them. Spray with cooking spray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and mushrooms until golden brown and tender. Sprinkle the sauteed onions and mushrooms over the potato crust. Add the asparagus, tomatoes and cheese on top of the potatoes. Combine the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper and then pour the mixture on top of the veggies.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until set. Insert a toothpick into the center of the quiche to test and see if the toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for a five minutes before slicing.

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Broccoli, Ham and Cheddar Egg Bake

We love having breakfast for dinner and this is a great casserole for that! It would also be perfect for brunch. It's simple to make and both kids loved it, which is a win right now since Madeline no longer likes the food that she loved before and Cooper is getting picky and only wants mac and cheese. I know we'll be having this for dinner quite often. It's great for leftovers in the morning...cut a slice and reheat it in the microwave.

4-6 cups bite-sized broccoli florets, blanched about 2 minutes and drained well

1-2 cups diced ham (about 1/2 to 1 lb)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

10 eggs, beaten

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x12 glass cooking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the broccoli, ham and cheese in the prepared casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper and pour the beaten egg over the broccoli and ham. Use a fork to stir the mixture until all the ingredients are coated with egg. 

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until the egg is set and the top is starting to lightly brown. Remove from oven and serve. 

Source: Kalyn's Kitchen

Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

This is another variety of overnight oats that I make. It's rich and so delicious. It's also more filling than the blueberry vanilla one and keeps me full all morning. If you haven't tried overnight oats yet, you're missing out!

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup diced bananas

In a glass mason jar, add all the ingredients and mix together. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. Enjoy right our the fridge or allow to come to room temperature for eating.

Source: The Yummy Life

Banana Sunflower Smoothie

We ran out of peanut butter the other day....I know tragedy! I threw together this smoothie and it was so good. You could easily substitute the sunflower butter with peanut butter but I love the taste it brings to it. I love making smoothies and they're a great snack or for breakfast.

1 banana, frozen
2 Tbsp sunflower butter
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt
1/3 cup or more skim milk

Blend all ingredients together. Add more or less milk depending on how thick or thin you want your smoothie.

Blueberry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Both my husband and I are fans of oatmeal, but who wants to eat hot cereal during the summer? This is a great version of oatmeal and I know they've been all over the web for a few years, but I realized I never blogged about them. I made them for most of my pregnancy last year - speaking of that - my little guy turned ONE yesterday. He's dealing with double ear infections and teething and just not happy like he usually is.

Back to the oatmeal, it starts with just a oats, yogurt and milk and then you can change up the flavors however you like. This one features blueberries and vanilla. I've made almond-mango and also a chocolate banana one before.

I'm planning to make more of these this summer, so don't be surprised if you see other varieties of them.

What flavor would you most enjoy?

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt
1 Tbsp chia seeds
splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Mix all ingredients in a mason jar. Cover and place in refrigerator. I like mine to be a little warmer and let it sit out for 5-10 minutes before eating it. My husband eats them straight out of the fridge.

We usually eat them within 2 days and then I make up another batch for the rest of the week.

Enjoy!

Source: The Yummy Life

Blueberry Breakfast Bars: The Secret Recipe Club

It's time for The Secret Recipe Club! This month my assignment was Betcha Can't Eat Just One. I've drooled over Katie's creations every single month and had a hard time narrowing down my choice this month, but went with her recipe for blueberry breakfast bars. I will definitely be making her chocolate chip cookie dough brownies soon!

These bars were the perfect snack for my daughter especially knowing they would fill her up. We all like the texture and they tasted like blueberry oatmeal. I can't wait to experiment with other fruits; I know this is going to become a favorite recipe around here!

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all bran cereal, crushed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 ripe banana
1 cup fresh blueberries

Icing
2 oz cream cheese, softened
honey to sweeten
splash of milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the banana. Add in the honey, almond milk, vanilla and oil. Stir to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and combine. Fold in the blueberries.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, remove from pan and cut into bars.

For the icing, mix together all the ingredients. Add milk until you reached the desired consistency of the icing you want. I added a dash of dried vanilla beans to them for some extra vanilla flavor. Using a ziplock page with the corner cut off, pipe the icing onto the bars. Chill and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Breakfast Egg Cups

I'm always looking for different options to get Madeline to eat protein in the mornings and these egg cups are a great way to do that and also add in some veggies. They were really good and perfect to heat up in the morning. I'll be making these more often and can't wait to experiment with different vegetables. They're easy to make too and would be a great way to have kids help out in the kitchen.

 

12 slices of Tavern ham

4 eggs

1 cup egg white substitute

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

fresh spinach leaves, chopped

1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers

salt

fresh ground pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and egg whites. Add in the rest of the ingredients except for the ham. Mix together until well combined.

 

Line each baking cup with a piece of ham. Divide the egg mixture between each cup. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until eggs are completely cooked. The tops will be puffy but will collapse after removing them from the oven.

 

Source: Our Best Bites

 



Buttermilk Waffles

My mom bought me a waffle iron for Christmas and this was the first chance I had to make waffles with it. I started with a simple recipe to make sure I got the hang of it and also the temperature setting right. I made a batch of the mix and made plain and chocolate chip waffles with it. I absolutely love being able to make my own waffles and Madeline enjoyed them and is already asking for waffles for next weekend. I'm thinking I'll make yeasted pumpkin waffles next. I'm already thinking about how I can make vegetable waffles for Cooper when he's eventually ready for finger foods.

What are your favorite type of waffles?

Waffle Mix
3 cups flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Mix together all the ingredients and store in an airtight container until you're ready to use.

1 1/2 cup waffle mix
4 Tbsp melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Whisk until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. Preheat your waffle iron, ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter into the iron and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until your waffles are golden brown.

Top with your favorite toppings - fruit, syrup, yogurt...anything you desire!

Source: Bella Waffle Maker Recipe Guide

Buttermilk Oatcakes with Raspberry Compote

It's Memorial Day and while most of us will be enjoying a picnic, let's not forget what this day is really meant to celebrate! Thank you to all the veterans who have served and protected our wonderful country. This morning, we headed over to Main Street to watch our town's Memorial Day parade. There was a huge turnout of residents and it was great to see everyone coming out to honor our Veterans!

I love making breakfast on the weekends since we usually eat a quick breakfast at school and work during the week. I saw a picture of this recipe in April 2012 Eating Well magazine (thanks Juliette for the subscription!) I love the magazine and I've already marked a few new recipes to try out in the two issues I've received.

These oatcakes were perfect - not to sweet and more on the savory side. The raspberry compote was tangy and added just the right amount of sweetness to the oatcakes. Madeline didn't care for the compote, but she gobbled up the oatcakes. I loved the chewy texture of the oatcakes and made for a nice change from traditional pancakes.

2 cups well-shaked buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until well combined. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. The mixture will bubble while it sits.

While the oatcake mixture is sitting, prepare the raspberry compote.

2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamom

In a small saucepan, add the raspberries, honey and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally. The berries will begin to break down. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat a griddle or large skillet to medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter for each oatcake, cook until bubbles dot the surface (about 2-3 minutes) and then flip and continue to cooking until browned. Continue this process with the remaining batter until all is used.

Serve the oatcakes with a dollop of compote. Enjoy! 

Slightly adapted: Eating Well Magazine, April 2012

Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes

I think I've mentioned this before but we're big fans of having breakfast for dinner. I guess this comes from both my husband and I working and we usually just eat cereal or oatmeal at work...and I just can't bring myself to cook eggs in the microwave.

These pancakes are amazing. They're on the more savory side but with just a little bit of maple syrup, you get the sweetness usually associated with pancakes. Madeline gobbled them up - she ate SIX for dinner along with some bacon and a bowl of fruit. Needless to say, I'll be making them more often. I can't wait until we have some fresh blueberries and add them to the batter.

3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup cornmeal
1 whole lemon zested
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk and oil and mix until well combined. In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including the lemon zest.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix only until just combined.

On a hot skillet, melt butter and cook pancakes about 30 seconds on each side. Be careful as they will brown quickly!

Source: EatLiveRun

The Secret Recipe Club: French Toast Casserole

I'm excited to say this is my first month particpating in The Secret Recipe Club! I was pursuing other food blogs last month and saw a few were participating in this club. I immediately thought, perfect - just what I need.

My first assignment: Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker's blog. The blog is all about family recipes, frugal tips and the occassional random post. After reading further into the blog, Kristen has an amazing history of cooking and baking! I loved all of her Saturday Stories and feeling part of her family.

For my secret recipe, I chose Kristen's French Toast Casserole. We're pretty simple when it comes to breakfast (eggs, bagels, toast, etc.) and I usually stick to things that take less than 10 minutes. I can't complain about this recipe though - it took 10 minutes to throw together and then I had enough time to drink a cup of coffee while it baked.  I didn't have any leftover bread, so I bought a discounted loaf of cinnamon raisin bread while shopping on Friday night.

4 cups torn bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased cassrole dish, add the torn pieces of bread. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, maple syrup and cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture of the bread. Kristin sprinkles the cinnamon on top, but I wanted to incorporate mine into the bread.

Bake for 35 minutes or until top is crispy and the egg is fully cooked. Spoon into bowls and add your favorite topping. We just added a little more maple syrup. Delish!

Want to join The Secret Recipe club? Stop by Amanda's Cookin' and join the club!

Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche

I've been wanting to try quiche, I've never had it in my entire life. I know...shocking, right?!?! I searched around and found a different recipe than a tradtional quiche lorraine. This was definitely different, but really tasty. My daughter ate it with no compliants - I think because she helped make it! I love having her help me in the kitchen and I want to continue this tradition as she gets older! It's great bonding time and she's learning so much in the process.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
10 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded smoked gouda
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup half and half

salt

fresh ground pepper
frozen premade pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium frying pan, melt butter. Add the chopped onion and saute until tender. Stir in the spinach until well combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the pie crust, sprinkle the bacon and cheese on the bottom. Add the spinach mixture as the next layer. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk and half and half. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the mixture into the crust.

Bake the quiche for 45 - 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com