~ An Apple Cobbler ~

~ What’s For Breakfast? An apple cobbler. ~

Ingredients:

• 1 apple per person
• pancake mix
• Cream of Wheat
• Oatmeal
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Brown sugar
• Butter

Directions:

1. Peel, core, and dice the apple into about ½ inch pieces.
2. Place the diced apple in a zippered bag, add some brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and shake to coat the apples.
3. Place the coated diced apples in a Ramekin dish.
4. Mix the batter… ½ pancake mix, ¼ Cream of Wheat, and ¼ oatmeal and pour over the diced apples.
5. Sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon lightly over the top. I place small pads of butter on the top around the edges of the bowl.
6. Bake in a 350F over for about 25-30 minutes, or until the pancake topping is golden brown and fully cooked through. You can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the topping—if it comes out clean, the cobbler is ready. I sometimes turn the oven to broil for the last couple of minutes to brown the top.

It also makes a good dessert!

You can also use fresh fruit instead of apples:

• Peaches
• Berries
• Cherries
• Mix fruit

~Lobster Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise Sauce~

~Lobster Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise Sauce~

When I was young my family had a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire and near by was Lake Sunapee and the town of Sunapee and on the shore of the lake was “The Anchorage” a restaurant. They served my favorite breakfast… Lobster Eggs Benedict!
I tried making the Hollandaise sauce but I usually ended up with watery scrambled eggs. So I make mock Hollandaise sauce…. Much easier.

You can use anytype of biscuit or muffin. I like using the classic scones for a heavier biscuit (I usually buy them from a bakery, much easier than making them.).

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs per person
• ¼ lb of lobster meat per person
• 2 slices of cheese (Your favorite cheese) person
• 1 scone per person (or English Muffin or Buttermilk biscuit) 

*****

• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• ¼ cup of butter
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Optional)
• A dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce (Optional)

Directions:

• While the water is heating, melt the butter in a small pan or dish, stir in the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce (Optional). Add the Dijon Mustard (Optional) and then add the mayonnaise, blend
• Poach the eggs according to the video.
• Fill a small saucepan half full of water. Add vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil, turn off the heat. Gently break 1 of the eggs into a cup or mug, taking care not to break the egg or yolk, and slowly drop the egg into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Cook about 4 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain. (See the video)
• While the eggs are poaching place the picked cooked lobster in a pan with a little butter and add just  a bit of lemon juice and place the lobster meat in the pan, you don’t want to cook it just reheat it.
• Cut the scones in half, place half the lobster meat on both halves of the scone. Place the poached egg on the lobster meat and cover liberally with the mock Hollandaise.

 

~Turnovers~

I have been experimenting in making turnovers, I tried using Pillsbury Crescent rolls but it was too much like bread, then I spied Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and they worked good!

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
• 1 8 oz. box of Cream Cheese
• ¼ cup of sugar +
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1 Egg

Options:

• Berry Medley Unsweetened All Natural Frozen
• Cherry Preserves
• Wild Blueberry Preserves

Direction:

• Thaw the pastry sheets, bring the cream cheese to room temperature, and preheat the over to 400F.
• Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and the Vanilla extract.
• Cut each pastry sheet into quarters.
• On each square put a dollop of cream cheese in the center of the square. (It will take a little experimentation to find the dollop of cream cheese) You can also either add a preserve or berries.
  
• Wet the four sides of the pastry sheet and fold over and seal with a the tines of a fork. You can place any filling on the cream cheese.
• Put a slot in the top of the turnovers to vent the turnover and brush with an egg wash, sprinkle with sugar.
• Place the turnover in the over for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Let cool and sever.

~Western Omelet~

I basically follow the traditional recipes…

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup cubed ham (Or another type of cooked meat can be used like chicken or sausage meat)
• ¼ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup diced red pepper
• ¼ cup diced green pepper
• ½ cup shredded cheddar (Or you can experiment another type cheese.)
• 1 TBS butter
• 2 TBS water
• Tabasco sauce

Directions:

• Sauté the onions and peppers in the butter. (If there is a lot of water in the ham I add them to the pans toward the end of the sauteing to cook the water out of them.)
• While they are sautéing, beat the eggs, add the water, and add a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce to taste.
• Turn down the heat to low and pour the beaten eggs in to the pan and spread them across the bottom of pan so it is coated with the scrambled egg.
• Sprinkle the cheese on one side top of the eggs.
• On top of the same side as the cheese sprinkle on top of eggs, the peppers, onions, and meat.
• Fold over the the uncovered half eggs on to the half with the filling.

Serve with hash browns on the side.

~~Fruit-Mascarpone Turnovers~~

I first saw this on PBS’s Kimball’s Milk Street but it was a 10-by-14-inch tart. It looked delirious but I couldn’t eat all that before it went bad.

Hmm… cut it in to squares…

Or how about folding them over?

Turnovers!

And instead of just raspberries how about a Berry Medley of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle
• 2 pints frozen Berry Medley of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
• 4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• ¾ cup (170 grams) mascarpone cheese OR room-temperature cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract OR almond extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Optional garnish: Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Thaw the berries and the dough.
• Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper-middle position.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment; place the pastry dough on top. Cut the into approximately 4 inch squares.
• In a bowl, toss the berries and 2 tablespoons sugar.
• In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone, egg, vanilla, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Spread a tablespoons of mascarpone mixture inside the of squares; placde the berries on top. 
• Wet the edges of the dough squares with water, fold the dough over to make a triangle, and seal with a fork. Poke some hole on top of the turnovers.
• Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Options:

You can use pie fillings like apple or blueberry fillings. 

~~Monkey Bread~~

Monkey bread gives you a way to experiment with different toppings… add apples or raisins or nuts to create an endless variety of toppings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cans (7.5 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits or refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 3 apples of your choice, peeled & diced (Optional)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (Optional)
• ½ cup raisins (Optional)

Topping for Monkey Bread:

• 1 cup confectionery sugar
• 3 or 4 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9- or 10-inch tube or Bundt pan.
• Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar-cinnamon mix. If using apples add the diced apples to the bag.
• If using apples, or walnuts and/or raisins, arrange on the bottom of the Bundt pan.
• Arrange pieces of the biscuits in the bottom of the prepared Bundt pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in the pan. Mixing in the raisin, or nuts, or the apples pieces with the biscuit pieces.
• Melt margarine with the brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

Topping Instructions:

• Whisk together and pour over bread. Can add more milk if needed.

~~Eggs Benedict~~

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 English muffin
• Canadian bacon or sliced ham.

Directions:

Poached Eggs:

• Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a frying pan. 
• Add a dash of vinegar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat (not a boil because it will tear apart the egg). 
• Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup. 
• Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to slowly stir the water in one direction until it's all smoothly spinning around. 
• Turn off the heat, and cook for 5 minutes.

~~~~~

• Split and toast the English Muffin
• While the muffins are toasting make the Hollandaise sauce (My recipes are here)
• Place the ham on top of the muffins
• Place a poached egg on top the ham and cover with the Hollandaise sauce.

~~Lobster Benedict~~

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 English muffin
• Picked lobster meat.

Directions:

Poached Eggs:

• Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a frying pan. 
• Add a dash of vinegar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat (not a boil because it will tear apart the egg). 
• Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a custard cup. 
• Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to slowly stir the water in one direction until it's all smoothly spinning around. 
• Turn off the heat, and cook for 5 minutes.

Reheating the lobster meat:

• I buy picked lobster meat from the grocery store and I like to steam the meat over a pan of boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes to warm it up.

~~~~~

• Split and toast the English Muffin
• While the muffins are toasting make the Hollandaise sauce (My recipes are here)
• Place the lobster meat on top of each half of the English muffin
• Place the poached eggs on top of the lobster meat and cover with the Hollandaise sauce.

~~ Apple Fritters ~~

Ingredients:

• 1 Apple peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 Tbs. salt
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Tbs. Butter
• 3/4 Cup Flour
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbs. Cinnamon sugar
• For The Glaze:
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 tbsp. milk

Directions:

• Combine dry ingredients. Combine eggs, milk, onion and butter. 
• Combine the chopped apple with dry ingredients and stir until smooth. 
• Drop batter by using teaspoons full into hot shortening at 350 degrees F and fry for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. 
• Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle the Cinnamon sugar on them.

Or you can add a glaze instead of  the Cinnamon sugar:

• For the glaze (if using): In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and whole milk. (Option: add a tsp. of Cinnamon to the glaze)
• While the fritters are still a little warm, dip one fritter at a time into glaze. Place on a baking sheet or a plate lined with parchment paper.

~~ Apple Pancakes~~

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 peeled, cored, sliced apple
• 2 Tbs. Cinnamon sugar

Directions:

• Slice the apple to make apple rings.
• Mix the batter (or use pancake mix).
• Dip the apple slices in the batter to coat them.
• Cook them just like regular pancakes
• Sprinkle the Cinnamon sugar on top of the apple pancakes

My grandmother used to make them all the time for me.

~~ Barbara's Crustless Quiche ~~

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup butter
• 10 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 lb large curd cottage cheese
• 1 lb Monterey jack cheese
• Peppers, onion, bacon, sausage, etc. (Optional)

Directions:

• Melt the butter. Whip the eggs and when fluffy, add all the other ingredients except the Monterey jack cheese. Add you other filling ingredients (if you are using bacon or sausage, cook them before you add them to the egg mixture. There is no need to sauté the vegetables.)
• Grease a pie baking dish and add the mixture and top with the Monterey jack cheese. In a pre-heated 400o over bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350o and continue baking for 35-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serves 8-10

~~ Basic Quiche ~~

 Ingredient:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cups whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 (9 inch) frozen pie shell

Fillings ideas:

• Ham & Cheese (any type of cheese that you like)
• Bacon & Cheese
• Sausage & Cheese
• Peppers & Onions
• Bacon, Peppers & Onions
• Black olives 
• Veggies – Broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, etc.
• Or any combinations of those ingredients

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the empty pie shells in the oven for 10 – 15 min. or until golden brown
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, pepper and salt. Add you other filling ingredients (if you are using bacon or sausage, cook them before you add them to the egg mixture. There is no need to sauté the vegetables.) to the pie shell and pour the egg mixture over the fillings.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is set. Allow to set 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

~~ French Toast Casserole ~~

 Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• ½ a loaf of French bread
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1 TBS Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 TBS Ground Nutmeg
• 1 TBS Ground Cinnamon
• ½ Cup of raisins
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Butter

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Grease a 9x12-inch baking dish.
• Reserve 1 TBS of the Cinnamon and 1 TBS of brown sugar.
• Cube the French bread into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cubes and place them in the baking dish.
• In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir in brown sugar until dissolved and mixture is smooth.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, add the Vanilla Extract, ground Nutmeg, ground Cinnamon, and raisins. Now slowly add the butter and brown sugar mixture while stirring.
• Pour the egg and butter mixture into the baking dish with the bread and toss the bread cubes until the bread is thoroughly coated with the mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

~~ French Toast ~~

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 6 Thick slices of bread ( about an 1/2 thick )(I sometime use raisin cinnamon bread)
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1 TBS Vanilla Extract
• 1 TBS Ground Nutmeg
• 1 TBS Ground Cinnamon
• 2 TBS Brown Sugar

Directions:

• Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the bread. 
• Soak both sides of the bread in the mixture and place on a greased pan in a 350^o F oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Turn over on bake for another 5 - 10 minutes.