mmmmm, mondays: easy cinnamon buns

a few weeks ago, i was making breakfast for a saturday meeting i was hosting. i wanted something simple and easy that would be a crowd pleaser. my good friend sent me this recipe to prepare and i gave it a try. i'm usually not one to test drive a recipe for a crowd of people but i decided to take a risk and give this one a whirl. i am so glad i did. this recipe is amazing! it is so easy and so, so delicious. i have made it two times since then. it has now become one of my all time favorite cinnamon breakfast recipes. the very best part? it's totally prepared the night before and just baked in the morning. for this non-morning person...it is a recipe match made in heaven.

easy cinnamon buns

1/4 cup butter (1/2 bar), melted

1 cup walnuts, shelled and halved

1/2 cup of cinnamon

24 dough balls (in frozen section of grocery store)

i found these in the freezer section of the grocery store...

perfect for this recipe!

3 oz vanilla "cook and serve" pudding

3/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

melt 1/4 cup butter in a 13x9 inch pan. sprinkle nuts on the bottom of the pan. coat each of the dough balls with cinnamon by placing the cinnamon in a small bowl and rolling each ball in the cinnamon. place cinnamon balls 4 rows across and 6 down in the baking. sprinkle the dry pudding mix and the brown sugar on top of the balls. melt the 1/2 cup of butter and drizzle over top of the balls. cover the pan with wax paper and a towel overnight. bake at 350 for 25 minutes. run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the buns from the baking dish. place a serving dish upside-down on top of the baked balls. flip the serving dish and the baking dish together over and shake gently to let all the buns fall onto the serving dish. enjoy!!!

ready to cover and let rise overnight...

fresh from the oven and so, so good!

mmmmm, mondays: bacon and swiss quiche

i love special breakfasts on christmas morning...or christmas eve morning. i love having an extra moment to spend with my family in the midst of the holiday chaos. this year i threw together a new quiche and it turned out amazing. it is just as good reheated the next day and my kids devoured it both the first and second time around. need a new special meal for your family? try quiche for breakfast.

bacon and swiss quiche

one pastry single pie crust (i either buy one frozen or refrigerated. there is no   
      need to make something that is just as good purchased.)

5 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups half & half (or whole milk)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

8 slices bacon, cooked until crunchy and crumbled into pieces

1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour


prepare the pastry for a single-crust pie and place in a pie tin. crimp the edges as desired. line the pastry with aluminum foil and bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. remove from oven. 

heat oven to 325 degrees. in a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients well with a wire whisk. pour egg mixture into prepared pastry shell. bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. let stand ten minutes before serving. 

mmmmm, mondays: white chocolate, raspberry muffins

at this point, you can pretty much host a fantastic brunch with all of the breakfast recipes we've had lately. here is one of my newest favorites. i'm a sucker for raspberries and i will take white chocolate over dark chocolate any day of the week. these muffins don't fall into the "healthy" category...but they are pretty delicious. make them for a special occasion and enjoy a few yourself. you can get on the treadmill tomorrow.

white chocolate, raspberry muffins

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 cups milk

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons baking powder

6 cups flour

2 bags of white chocolate chips

3 cups fresh raspberries (washed and patted dry)


preheat the oven to 400 degrees. spray three-12 count muffin pans with non-stick spray (i use canola oil spray and my pans from surlatable.)

Chicago Metallic Commercial II Standard Muffin Pan (Google Affiliate Ad)

using and electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it is smooth. add the eggs, milk and vanilla and blend on a low speed. add the baking powder and chocolate and mix on low speed until incorporated. add white chocolate chips and blend on low to combine. pour in raspberries and fold in using a spoon or spatula. fill each muffin tin 3/4 full. dust lightly with sugar. bake 20 minutes or until an inserted knife is clean. enjoy! makes 3 dozen muffins (cut recipe unless you are feeding the masses!)

mmmmm, mondays: french toast casserole

this breakfast (or dinner) recipe is a new favorite of mine. it is amazing...so delicious and the kiddos will go crazy. it is so easy and it makes french toast do-able any night of the week. the prep time is about 10 minutes...tops...and you make it the night before so it's ready in the morning. could it get any better?

french toast casserole

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 large loaf of french bread 

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

cinnamon

mix melted butter and brown sugar and spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. slice french bread into 1 inch slices. place the bread on top of the butter and brown sugar. combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon and pour over the bread. cover and refrigerate overnight. before baking, sprinkle with brown sugar. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. serve with syrup. enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: country potato casserole

yep, you guessed it...i'm still on a breakfast kick. in fact, when i brought a meal over to a friend's house, i brought breakfast. who doesn't like breakfast for dinner, right?

so, here's a dish that can be used for anything. it's great for a breakfast potato side dish or it can be a side dish for any meal, anytime. it is probably one of my favorite recipes that has come from my husband's side of the family. enjoy!

country potato casserole

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 pt. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped onion (i use frozen onions)

1 (32 oz.) bag frozen has browns - cubed, not shredded

1 cup crushed corn flakes or bread crumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups grated cheddar cheese


melt the 1/2 cup butter and place in a 9 x 13 pan. place 1/2 of the bag of hash browns in the pan. mix soup, sour cream, onions and milk in a bowl. pour half of the mixture over the potatoes. layer with half of the cheese. repeat the layers. spread the crushed corn flakes or bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. bake for one hour at 350 degrees. enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: tahoe brunch

first of all, let me just say that my sister-in-law is awesome. not only is she an amazing wife for my brother but she's also the best mom ever to her two boys. we are so blessed that my brother found and married her. as an added bonus, she is full of fantastic recipes (and great birthday parties...more on that later!). this is one of hers and it is so delicious. she made it one Christmas morning and i was hooked. since i'm on a hot breakfast kick, i thought it would be a great one to post here. it is also fantastic because you cook it the night before and bake it in the morning. this non-morning person likes the sound of that...a lot!

tahoe brunch

1 loaf of french bread - sliced into one inch cubes

1/2 cup of butter for bread

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (i just used one package)

1/2 medium onion chopped (i used frozen onions - about 3/4 of a bag)

salt and pepper

1 pound ground sausage (i used turkey breakfast sausage)

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese

5 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon nutmeg

parsley (one bunch fresh, chopped or a couple of tablespoons dried)

chop your bread into 1 inch squares. put in a large mixing bowl. melt the butter. pour the butter over the bread slices and mix well to coat the bread.

saute mushrooms and onions until onions are translucent. season with salt and pepper. set aside.

cook the sausage and break into bite sized pieces. put the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb any extra grease.

mix 5 eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg and parsley in a large mixing bowl.

grease a 9 x 13 pan.

layer half of the bread, half of the mushroom mix, half of the sausage and half of the cheese. repeat.

pour the egg mixture over the entire casserole.

cover with foil and chill overnight.

in the morning, bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

perfect for a brunch or any special occasion...or just for dinner one night! enjoy!

mmmmm...buttons and bowknots

there are few recipes out there that carry more memories for me than the one that follows. we have been eating "buttons and bowknots" for as long as i can remember. i can still picture my mothers 1960's cookbook being pulled out time and time again to prepare these for us. they were a saturday special...you'll see why...and they frequented many a sleep over. they were so popular among my young friends when they spent the night that i recently received a message from one of my childhood friends telling me that her daughter just made a batch for her own sleep overs. when we gather today at my parent's home, my brother still manages to get my mom to make a quadruple batch to feed all of our families. don't be searching for any health benefits in this recipe. it's pretty horrible. still, for special occasions, my kids believe there's nothing yummier. the memories continue...

buttons and bowknots

basic recipe (this will make one small plate full. this is the basic recipe to be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. to feed that masses.)

2 cups bisquick

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 cube butter, melted

1 bowl sugar

in a large bowl, mix bisquick, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk and egg until a thick dough forms.

pour onto a floured surface. knead a couple of times and then roll out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thickness.

using a donut cutter (shown) or two small circular cookie cutters, cut the dough into 1 inch rounds for the buttons and donut shaped rounds for the "bowknots". 

twist the donut shapes one side over the other to create a bow tie shape. place the buttons and bowknots on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

continue until all the dough is made into either a button or a bowknot.

when the buttons and bowknots are cooked, (here's the part where it gets really unhealthy, really fast) roll the buttons and bowknots in butter and then in sugar. 

serve, enjoy and get ready for you kids to be a mess! like i said, memories in the making!

friday fun finds: teaching easter's meaning

i love easter. i love the spring and all the celebration that easter brings. just like christmas, though, it has become increasingly difficult to teach my kids the meaning of easter in the midst of all the bunnies and eggs. here are some fun things we've found to help us share the meaning of easter with our kiddos.

my kids love these on easter sunday. they are an interactive, fun way to teach your kids the easter story and there are tons of options out there to find or make your own. each egg is filled with an item that will help the kids learn another part of the easter story. eleven items to fill up eggs and one empty egg at the end of the story. perfect visual messages for your little learners.

several stores sell pre-made options.

resurrection eggs

here are some cute ones you can make yourself:

homemade resurrection eggs from mommysavers

easter is full of sweet treats. these ones are adorable and share the easter message.

empty tomb snacks from catholicicing

plant an easter garden early enough to have the grass sprout by easter sunday.

easter garden by colleen hammond

make resurrection rolls...such a great idea for kids!

resurrection rolls by women living well

mmmmm, mondays: pumpkin pie pancakes

i can't take the credit for this one. this amazing recipe comes from a great friend of mine. she's a fabulous mother of five who still takes time to cook pancakes from scratch. can you say superhero?

try these anytime this fall and you will be in love.

pumpkin pie pancakes

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 large eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and sugar. wisk in buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla. pour batter in 1/3 cup fulls. enjoy!