Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake.

This delicious breakfast is beyond simple. Prepare everything the night before, and in the morning, simply pop it in the oven when you wake up and let it bake while you get ready for your day.  If you like, you can trade the blueberries for any berry you prefer, though if you use strawberries I recommend slicing them first. I should divulge that this is a very egg-heavy recipe, and that I halved it, using an 9x9 pan, for that reason.

Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake, from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 whole-wheat baguette (about 18 in. long, 8 oz.) cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups low fat milk

8 large eggs

8 large egg whites (that's right, in addition to the whole eggs.)

1/3 c. pure maple syrup (don't use imitation, it is so sorely lacking)

1 t. vanilla extract (I may or may not have put more than this, despite halving the recipe. You just can't go wrong with vanilla.)

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 c. sliced almonds

2 T. dark brown sugar

Directions:

Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the milk, eggs, egg whites, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan, spreading it around so the liquid saturates the bread.  Scatter the blueberries evenly on top. Sprinkle with the almonds and brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Krum Kake.

This cake is light, flavorful, and completely satisfying as a dessert, or in place of coffee cake with your morning coffee. The recipe is my great aunt Hazel Imsland's recipe. I remember making this with my mom when I was a little girl, but I really hadn't made it since, until I needed to bring a snack for our Sunday school. It was a hit, and as good as I remember it.
The only trouble I really had with this was that the recipe calls for a 7x11 pan. I have never heard of such a thing, so I had to choose between a 9x9 and a 9x13. I went with the 9x13 simply because I needed it to feed more people, but I think it'd be even better, thicker, in a 9x9 pan. Whatever you choose, beware, you can't have just one piece!

Krum Kake
Recipe from Hazel Imsland

Ingredients:
2 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
3/4 c. Marg. or Butter, chilled (I used butter)
1 t. Cinnamon
1 c. Sour Milk (1 scant c. Milk with 1 T. Lemon Juice)
1 t. Baking Soda
1 egg
1/2 t. Ground Cloves
1 c. Craisins, chocolate chips, nuts (opt., I didn't add any of these)

Directions:
Combine and mix flour, sugar and butter as though making pie crust. When the butter is blended well and in small bits, set aside 1 cup of the mixture. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Pour into grease 7x11 pan. (Again, a 9x9 or 9x13 will work.) Bake at 350°F (325°F for a glass pan) for 34-40 minutes. Cook time may be a bit shorter if using 9x13 pan, so check often nearing the end. Enjoy!

Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes.

I love old recipes. There's something charming about preparing a meal that someone prepared 70+ years before. This recipe is from my 30's cookbook, and it's a HUGE recipe for whole wheat pancakes. I've portioned it out for a small, medium, and large batch for your ease.

Sam's Whole Wheat Pancakes or Waffles (Yes, apparently this can make waffles too!)

Ingredients:

small batch:

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

scant 2 2/3 T. dry milk

1 egg, separated

1 T. oil

1 c. water

medium batch (made 15 4-5in. pancakes):

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

5 1/3 T. dry milk

2 eggs, separated

2 T. oil

2 c. water

Original recipe, LARGE batch:

blueberries, other berries, chocolate chips, bananas, or whatever you like in your pancakes

3 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/2 c. dry milk

3 eggs, separated

3 T. oil

3 C. water

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and dry milk together in a medium (or large, depending on recipe size) bowl and set aside.

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Beat egg yolks lightly and add to flour mixture. Add oil and water to flour mixture, and stir well. Fold in egg whites gently.

Bake on 'greased griddle'. (Make them as you would any other pancakes.) Drop on any blueberries or chocolate chips (etc.) that you'd like immediately after pouring into your pan. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast.

I love stuffed french toast, but I've never actually made it before. I'd order it at restaurants, whenever the opportunity arose, but I found that I was never quite filled, and often they were too sweet for me.

This recipe, on the other hand, is easy, filling, and sweet, but not too sweet. I wasn't too sure about the chocolate, actually, as I usually prefer strawberries with straight vanilla creaminess. Since the chocolate came in the form of chips, though, and not blended in to the cream, it turned out to really make this dish. Delicious.

 Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast, from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. nonfat milk (I used 1%)

3 eggs

1/2 t. vanilla extract (I eyed this, so, lots of vanilla here!)

1/4 c. part-skim ricotta cheese

8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed

1 8-oz container fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (I imagine frozen would work here as well, though thaw and drain them first please!)

4 teaspoons bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, which I definitely prefer.)

cooking spray

2 t. confectioners' sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

Place 1 T. of the ricotta cheese in the center of 4 of the slices of bread and spread around slightly. Top each with about 6 slices of strawberries and 1 t. of chocolate chips. (Note here: your bread will hold together better in the end if you give yourself a small border around your filling of plain bread. If the filling gets to the edge, the bread doesn't like to stick together as well, and stuff falls out.) Cover each with another piece of bread to make a "sandwich".

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. Carefully dip each of the sandwiches into the egg mixture until completely moistened.  Then place on the skillet and cook until the outside is golden brown, the center is warm and the chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If you have to turn the heat down a bit to ensure that everything is cooked, without burning, do so. It will simply take a bit longer.)

Transfer to serving dishes. Top with the remaining strawberries and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar. Enjoy!

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal.

Last year, beginning in January, I began a 30-Day Oatmeal Challenge, where I committed to have oatmeal for breakfast every day. (If you'd like to see those recipes, click here.) For nostalgia's sake, and also simply because it sounded delicious, I decided to try this recipe for my New Year's Day breakfast. It ended up being so delicious, that I'll probably have it again tomorrow!

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal, from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook

Serves 4 (I halved this recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. pecans

3 1/2 c. water

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 t. salt (opt., and I left it out)

1/4 t. vanilla extract (I didn't halve this ingredient. I love lots of vanilla flavor!)

pinch of ground nutmeg

2 T. firmly packed dark brown sugar, plus more to taste

1 c. low-fat milk, or to taste

1/8 t. ground cinnamon (I forgot to put this on!)

Directions:

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Chop them coarsely.

Combine the water, oats, raisins, and salt, if using, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring a few times, until the oats are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Swirl in the brown sugar and place the oatmeal in serving bowls. Pour 1/4 c. of milk on top of each bowl, sprinkle with the toasted pecans and cinnamon, and serve.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!