Refrigerator Bran Muffins

These are some of the most delicious and moist Bran Muffins ever! :) They are a true favorite at our house. It makes A LOT so I half the recipe most of the time even though the batter is good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Full Recipe:

2 cups boiling water
6 cups Kellogg's All Bran Cereal
1 cup Shortening
4 eggs
1 quart Buttermilk (4 cups)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp salt
5 tsp baking soda-- sift this into flour to remove      
   lumps
5 cups Flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1- In a large bowl, pour boiling water over Bran
2- Add shortening. Stir until shortening melts. Cool.
3-Add the other wet ingredients and mix
4- Mix dry ingredients then add to wet ingredients. Stir lightly just until mixed.
5- Drop by spoon fulls into well greased muffin pans (or muffin liners if you prefer), filling them 2/3 full.
6- Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.

**If you choose not to use all of the batter now you can cover it and put it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. when you go to use it again DO NOT RE-STIR just scoop with spoon or small measuring cup.


**Half Recipe Measurements**
1c boiling water
3c bran cereal
1/2 c shortening
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda (sifted into flour)
2 1/2 c flour

Sour Cream Waffles

These waffles are so easy. They cook up great every time. They're the perfect texture. And I've never had complaints from the kids when I make them.

from "Back to the Table" by Art Smith

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cube butter, melted
1 cup milk (if desired, add a little more to help thin the batter)
1/2 cup sour cream

3 large eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the middle. Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into well. I use my Pampered Chef whisk for this. But you can use a mixer, too. Just be careful not to over mix it.

Pour onto hot waffle iron. I like to use my belgian waffle. Cook until golden and enjoy!

Eggless Pancakes

I have been on a quest to find eggless recipes. I LOVE eggs. But my baby screams, vomits, refuses to nurse, and gets a rash when I eat them. I have missed having eggs in my diet. Mostly at breakfast time. Eggs are a staple of breakfast. I've decided I just can't live without pancakes anymore. After much trial and error, I've come up with a recipe that will satisfy my pancake need for now. It isn't exactly the same as with eggs, but it is close.... very very close. I haven't perfected a buttermilk recipe yet, but that's okay.... at least I have these!

1 cup flour

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup + 1 Tbsp milk

Mix all ingredients well and cook on hot griddle.

Mini Ham and Egg Cups

I'm not a big fan of soft yolks or fried eggs in general. I'm a scrambled egg girl... with cheese, of course. :) So I adapted this recipe to my liking from another recipe I saw online (don't we all do that to a recipe?). These could totally be adapted to have whatever you wanted in your scrambled egg mixture to be more of a quiche, too. Super fun and flexible!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper
Cheese, cubed
12 Deli Ham slices

(Makes 6 Ham and Egg Cups or increase ingredients to make as many as you need.)

Mix up into a measuring cup with a pouring spout (it will be easier, I promise).
I actually ended up cutting these up a little smaller so that they'd be sure to melt.Put an ungreased muffin pan into the oven and preheat the oven to 400. Once 400 is reached, remove the pan, and turn the oven up to 450. Quickly spray the tins with non-stick spray and put 2 ham slices in each muffin cup. (The first time I made these, I only did one...and 2 would have been better.) Pour egg into each cup and then put a few cubes of cheese into each one as well. (I only made 5 the first time, but there was definitely enough egg for 6.)These are the ham slices I used.Bake ham and egg cups for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and let sit for 1 minute. Remove from oven and gently remove cups with a spoon.Serve with desired side dish. My husband liked to sprinkle Frank's Hot sauce on them and pop them into his mouth. My kids LOVED them as well.
I thought they looked super cute!!
Here is how is how they look with the cheese melted on the inside.

Mini Breakfast Pizzas or Muffin Cups

This recipe is adapted between two separate recipes I found. One recipe is from another great recipe blog, Taste the Joy, who got it from a Pillsbury cookbook. The other recipe is what I adapted our mini deep dish pizzas from. It is found here. These breakfast pizzas are fun, easy, and your kids can help. It's also a great little breakfast to make up quick and take around to the neighbors or to make when you have company. They'll love you for it!

You will need:
1 tube Flaky Layers biscuits (flaky layers biscuits just work best)
Scrambled eggs, cooked and flavored to you liking
Sausage (ground or links), chopped ham, or bacon
Shredded cheese
Muffin Pan

Cook eggs. We like scrambled. It's fun to add different things to it (peppers, onions, etc). But my kids are more plain-old-scrambled-eggs-with-salt-&-pepper kind of kids, so we kept it simple. Even though we put shredded cheese on top, I still like to add a bit of cheese to my eggs 'cuz I like me some CHEESE!!!

Cook desired meat. I prefer to use the sausage links and then cut them up. But we've used ground sausage and it works fine as well. Chopped ham (in small chunks) is wonderful in these little cups and as well as chopped bacon slices. If I'm feeling really energetic, I do a couple of each kind so people have a variety to choose from.

Grease muffin pan. Then carefully cut each biscuit in half.

Spread each biscuit half into the bottom and up the sides so there is a little well in the middle.Bake at 350 for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and press the dough back up the sides and the bottom since they will puff up a tiny bit. (I didn't pre-cook them when I made them the first time (as you can see from the picture) but it is definitely something that makes a difference.)

Carefully spoon eggs, meat, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.Repeat until you've got as many "cups" as you'd like. As seen in the picture, I used 3 biscuits and made 6 pizzas. Then I use the remaining biscuits the same day for mini pizzas for a snack or quick lunch or dinner.

Bake at 350 for another 8-10 minutes or until edges of biscuit are lightly golden and cheese is melted. Carefully remove from muffin pan and cool for a couple of minutes on a rack.Serve with desired side dish... hashbrowns and orange juice are our favorites.

These store great in the fridge -if there are any left- and are so easy to reheat. My kids loved making these and we'll have to make them again.

Cookie Cutter Eggs

aka "Shape Eggs"

As gross as this may sound to some of you, this idea came to me as a stroke of genius to help my little boy. He didn't eat food until he was 2 (and that was with the help of a therapist). We learned that his eating problem was because of his sensory problems. And we learned that his sensory problems were because he has autism. It is mild but it's still very much there. Anyway, he was sick of eating eggs the same old way... fried or scrambled. But he wouldn't eat them with stuff mixed in. So this idea came to me one day. And it has been a wonderful hit ever since. He requests these eggs at least once a week.

Ingredients:
Eggs
Milk
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Preheat a medium sized pan on stove at just above medium heat. Break desired amount of eggs in a bowl. We usually do 4. Add a very small amount of milk. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Beat with a fork. Put a little butter in the pan so the eggs don't stick. Make sure it is spread all around the bottom of the pan. I've used Pam. I've found butter does a better job of not sticking for some reason with these eggs.

Cook these eggs almost like an omelet (except you don't fold it in half). Pour eggs into pan and allow them to cook on one side. They'll start to be a little done on the top, too, but you don't want to burn the bottom. Carefully, but quickly, flip it over with a turner. You might have a little bit of egg fly out of the pan. It's okay. Let the other side cook. Once done, remove from heat and place on a plate. Get your cookie cutters ready!

I took this picture before I had cut one of the shapes. My son refers to the circle ones as moon eggs (eventhough he knows what a circle is).Continue with other shapes, being careful to use as much of the egg as possible. I usually don't have hardly anything left over. When I do, I just eat those myself. :) It is fun to change the shapes up for different holidays/seasons. These are our basic shapes. My son calls the crescent moon "banana eggs." Whatever works!Put all the shapes on a plate and serve with desired side dipping sauce. It's usually ketchup for my kids but you never know what they'll ask for. However, there's never any shapes left. They ALL get eaten every time.

If you want to make a larger batch, just use a bigger pan or two medium pans.

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

I got this recipe from Coleen's Recipes who got it from Carries Cooking and Recipes who got it from Melissa d'Arabian, winner of The Next Food Network Star. And not one of our recipes are the same... we all tweaked it! But 'tis the nature of recipes. While my version didn't turn out exactly as I planned/hoped, it was really delicious and we'll be making it again.

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced very small
1 cup ham, chopped very small
1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
Heavy cream (2 Tbsp per serving)

Although this makes 12 individual cheesy ham & potato servings, it could easily be cut down to serve only 2 people by halving the recipe. An adult can easily eat 2 servings. And they warm up well for the next day.

Directions:

Chop potatoes very small.

Add ham.

Add cheese.Mix all together.Spray muffin tins with Pam. Spoon potato/ham/cheese mixture into each cup.Using a Tbsp, pour 2 Tbsp into each cup. Cover with foil. And bake for 20 minutes at 375. You will want a cookie sheet on the bottom rack because some of the cream will boil over (but only a little). After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. At the last 5 minutes, put the oven on HI broil. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from muffin tin with a spoon.

Now, here is where mine went awry. Mine did not solidify into little cake-like potato patties like Coleen's. I think my potatoes may have needed to be a little smaller, maybe somewhere between chopped and shredded. But they still tasted so wonderful. I'll still be making them again. I ended up scooping them all out and putting them in a dish and serving it that way. It was okay. I was disappointed in the presentation but the taste was so good I didn't really care anymore. And I really liked the potatoes being cut up so small. My family absolutely loved them. We served them with chicken, but they'd be a great side dish for any meal. I also think they'd be great served at breakfast as well. They are super easy and all in one dish. That's my kind of meal!

The BEST buttermilk pancakes!

I have a buttermilk pancake recipe I love. So when I came across this recipe on Joy the Baker, I realized it was exactly the same as mine but with butter instead of oil. Can't go wrong with butter. (She puts chocolate chips in hers as well. We're not so wild about chocolate chips in our pancakes so I left them out.) So I tried my recipe with her changes of butter. Oh they were so GOOD! We served them with buttermilk syrup. Can't go wrong with buttermilk syrup either. :)

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Mix eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Mix all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients all at once and mix well.

Pour batter onto preheated griddle on medium heat. I won't go into when to flip your pancake. I think most people know how to do that. Repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 12 medium-sized pancakes or more depending on how small you make them.

Chocolate Muffins

These are way too easy. You'll almost feel guilty. But don't, they're so yummy and they have great texture. (Note: the picture is with my changes. I added cream cheese and chocolate chips. Leave it to me to make something kind of healthy not even close to healthy.)

1 pkg Rich Chocolate Cake or Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 small can pumpkin

Mix together with mixer.I used a Rich Chocolate cake mix for this batch. I think I prefer the Devil's Food.Put in muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes. If you don't like pumpkin, don't worry. These don't taste at all like pumpkin... at all. I was surprised there was even pumpkin in them when I had them the first time. I think it might even be fun to put a small dollop of cream cheese in the middle before baking. But I'm a little obsessed with cream cheese.

Note: A white cake mix can also be used. But the chocolate ones are DELICIOUS!

Variation: I mixed together 1/2 pkg cream cheese, half of a beaten egg, and 1/4 cup sugar with a mixer. Drop by tbsp into each muffin. I tried to put mine in the middle and then sprinkle them with mini chocolate chips on top. But I think making a well in the middle of each muffin and then putting the filling in would work better. I'll have to try that next time. These take a few minutes longer to cook. And they're more like dessert than breakfast. Super rich and yummy. We liked ours with fresh raspberries. :)

Buttermilk Waffles

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture. They were devoured before I even finished with the last one! They were so yummy and fluffy. We serve them with buttermilk syrup.

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 egg yolks
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 egg whites

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix egg yolks (beat slightly), buttermilk and oil. Add mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just until moist. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold gently into batter. Do not over mix, leaving a few fluffs behind. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron and enjoy! Serve with your favorite syrup, jam, or just butter... but I don't know why you'd want to do that!

Monkey Bread Muffins

This is just a twist on an old favorite
and it's a fun recipe to make with your kids

1 tube of Pillsbury Flaky Layers biscuits
cinnamon/sugar mixture in a ziploc bag
melted butter and brown sugar to desired consistency
Muffin pan
Non-stick spray OR Muffin liners (optional)

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Put pieces in ziploc bag and shake. (This is my kid's favorite part.) Spray muffin pan or use muffin liners (or both). Place 3 pieces into each muffin cup. Repeat. (One muffin cup will have just 2.)Using a spoon, drizzle brown sugar mixture over each muffin cup. If you want them super gooey, put more on. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Naturally, they are best served warm. We like to serve these with scrambled eggs and cheese.

Note: I should have put these in muffin liners. I think they would have been less mess. If there are any left, place them in ziploc bag. When you want another one later, just pop 'em in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Buttermilk Syrup

Oh man... this stuff is sooooo good!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. karo syrup

Combine all ingredients in a 3 qt pot. Using a whisk, stir often.

Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. vanilla. It will foam up so make sure you have a good size pot, not a small one! Then, leave it alone. Don't stir it anymore. Use spoon to serve over waffles, pancakes, french toast, or whatever!!!

After it sits for a bit, it will begin to look like this, and it's still good: Refrigerate leftover and reheat in the microwave when you need it. This is also good for scones. When it is cold and sets up, its great to just scoop some up and spread it over warm scones or muffins. I haven't tried it on ice cream but some people say it's good.

Breakfast Wrap

from my own brain... with some help from a fast food place I ate at once
These are great for on the go, for kids, or just for convenience.

Tortilla
Egg
Cheese
Choice of breakfast meat

Cook egg like you would an omelet. I added a tiny bit of salt and some water to help make it fluffy.
I warmed the tortilla up in the microwave for a about 10 seconds to make it more pliable for wrapping. Place cooked egg on tortilla, toward the top so you can fold the bottom up when you wrap it.
Place cheese slice on top immediately after so it can melt. I ended up using two slices because I LOVE cheese!Place choice of meat on top. Make sure it is also warm. I was feeling particularly naughty so I used 3 pieces of bacon. Normally I would use one and break it in half. I think sausage links would also taste great. Or thinly sliced ham.Wrap it all up. I drizzled a little bit of syrup over the top for some sweetness, but that could certainly be left out for less calories.

Variation: For a spicy breakfast treat, Scramble eggs until done. Add cheese, taco meat, and/or salsa. We do salsa on the side usually. Wrap it all up and you've got a breakfast burrito.

Lo-fat/Lo-cal tip: All of this could be made to be lo-fat/lo-cal by using a wrap that is lo-fat (like wheat or other natural ones I've see in the stores). Or use turkey sausage or turkey bacon. The cheese could be optional but it sure helps. Maybe just put a tiny bit of grated cheese instead of an american cheese slice.