Breakfast Birthday Cake

I made this for Christmas breakfast and was it ever good! I'm sure it would be even better (not to mention prettier) with in season strawberries. I love this recipe because it isn't overly sweet, yet it has strawberries, cream cheese, and whipped cream- three indulgent breakfast staples. I think the recipe was intended for a birthday breakfast, but why wait until then?

1 round (I used square) 16 oz. sourdough or whole grain bread loaf
3 eggs
2/3 C. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. sugar divided
1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. vanilla divided
2 Tbsp. butter
3 C. fresh sliced strawberries
1/2 C. strawberry preserves (I skipped this and just used thawed frozen sweetened strawberries since it's winter)
1 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. whipped cream cheese (from the tub)

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove crust from bottom of one round 16-ounce sourdough or whole grain bread loaf. Slice bread horizontally in 3 equal round layers. Save top layer for another sue. Set aside remaining 2 bread portions. In a 2-quart square baking dish beat together 3 eggs, 2/3 C. milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or on a griddle melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Dip the bottom slice from the loaf into egg mixture; let bread soak about 1 minute on each side. Add soaked bread round to skillet. Decrease heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown; carefully turn bread slice once. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with 1 Tbsp. butter, second bread round, and egg mixture.
2) Meanwhile, slice 3 C. fresh strawberries and place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan melt 1/2 C. strawberry preserves; pour over berries and toss to coat. Set aside mixture, in a chilled mixing bowl combine 1 C. whipping cream, one-half an 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese (1/2 C.), 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Place bottom of bread loaf on a serving platter. Top with 1 to 2 C. of the strawberry mixture. Top with the second bread round. Top with some of the whipped cream mixture and remaining strawberry mixture. Cut carefully into wedges. Serve immediately. Pass remaining whipped cream mixture. Makes 10 servings.

Tin Foil Dinners

Tin Foil Dinners
serves 4

lots of tin foil (you always need more than you think)
1 lb. ground beef
3 russet potatoes
4 large carrots
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 small can cream of mushroom soup

Tear a double layer of tin foil for each packet. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into approx. uniform size. Boil both in water for 10 minutes or so, til starting to get tender. Divide beef evenly among packets, shape into a patty, and place down first on the foil. Salt and pepper. Top with potatoes and carrots, then a dollop of soup, and finish with a sprinkling of corn (I love the corn in this... so mine has lots). Lightly salt and pepper again. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes-1 hour, or til meat is cooked through. Don't forget the s'mores for dessert!

Winter Fruit Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

Winter Fruit Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

Red leaf lettuce
4 oranges, peeled and sliced
4 kiwi, peeled and sliced
3 bananas, peeled and sliced

Dressing:
2/3 C. orange juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 T. honey
1/3 C. sour cream

In small saucepan, cook orange juice, cornstarch, and honey over medium heat til mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Stir in sour cream. Cover and refrigerate til serving time.

To serve, place lettuce leaves on salad plates; arrange fruit on lettuce. Top each with 1-2 T. dressing.

Coconut Waffles

I've been wanting to make these for months, and I finally got around to it on Saturday. We're a bunch of waffle/pancake/crepe lovers so this recipe was a refreshing switch from the norm. I'm not a huge coconut fan, but they weren't overly coconutty; they were just right. These were moist and delicious; make them and you won't regret it!

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (I used the light kind because coconut milk is pretty much pure fat. Oh, and look for it in the Asian food section)
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 C. coconut
1/2 C. chocolate syrup
1/2 C. chopped toasted almonds
Whipped cream or powdered sugar

1) In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In another medium bowl lightly beat eggs; stir in coconut milk and melted butter. Stir in coconut. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).
2) Pour 1/2 C. batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions (about 3 minutes or until golden brown). When done, use fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Drizzle baked waffles with chocolate, sprinkle with almonds, and top with whipped cream or dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Makes 8 waffles.

Pizza Salad

Alot of these are already in one UOP cookbook or another, but I figured posting again wouldn't hurt anyone. This recipe is from a Kraft "Salads" booklet. And it's almost as yummy as pizza itself. :)

Pizza Salad
(for four)

1 bag romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 can olives, halved
1/2 a small package of sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella (or little balls of mozzarella, called 'ciliegine')
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (or however much you like) Italian dressing

Brown the pepperoni, on a baking sheet, in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss lettuce with desired amount of dressing, then top with tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, pepperoni, and cheeses. Serve with Italian cheese bread.

Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls

Ok, once again, look beyond this crappy picture (note to self: photographing a yellowish food in a green bowl, not a good idea) and try these! I am a firm believer that there aren't many better things in this world than a homemade, hot from the oven roll. So when I came across this recipe in the November Family Fun mag., I knew I had to make these. They are a great addition to a fall meal, and would also be really yummy for a brunch since they have a buttery sweetness to them. The recipe only makes 12, but they are 12 monster rolls. Yum!

3 3/4 C. flour, plus more for sprinkling
1 pkg or 2 1/4 tsp instant or bread machine yeast (I used regular yeast)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. honey
1/2 C. canned or frozen and thawed pureed pumpkin or squash
1 large egg
1/2 C. warm water
8 fresh sage leaves, slivered (or 1 1/3 tsp. dried leaves)
1 stick butter

1) In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, and salt, and set it aside. (Since I didn't use instant yeast, I proofed my yeast in the warm water with a little sugar in a separate cup first)
2) Pour the milk into a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in the honey, squash, egg, and water (or the yeast water if you do it my way).
3) Blend the squash mixture into the flour mixture until you have a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Again, I was worried my non-instant yeast wouldn't work as well, so I just put the bowl in a warm place to rise for an hour. They didn't roll into balls as well since the dough wasn't cold, but they raised really nicely.)
4) Two hours before baking, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 sage leaves into the dough (I used the dried). Melt the butter and set aside. Divede dough in half, then divide each half into 6 portions. Divide each portion into 3 pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball and dip it into the melted butter. Place 3 balls in a muffin cup. Continue until 12 muffin cups are filled.
5) Drizzle each rolls with 1/2 tsp. of the leftover butter and then sprinkle them with the rest of the sage (or a shot of dried stuff from the jar). Let the rolls rise in a warm spot until they're double in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (took just under an hour for me due to the first rising).
6) Heat oven to 350. Bake the rolls until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

Hashbrown Quiche

16 oz. frozen shredded potatoes
1/3 c. olive oil or butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. diced ham
1/4 c. whole milk
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
few grinds of fresh black pepper
1 head of broccoli

Grease casserole dish. Mix potatoes and olive oil and press into dish to form a crust. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, steam and roughly chop the broccoli. Don't over cook the broccoli as it will continue cooking in the oven. On top of hashbrowns, layer on broccoli, cheese, and ham. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and pour over all. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or til set.

Perfect for conference weekend!