Homemade Bagels in the Air Fryer

I know these weren't your favorite bagels but oh my gosh do I love them and loved every birthday and Mother's Day that you made them for me.  :)  

1 cup gluten free flour (I used King Arthurs)
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 cup plain dairy free yogurt
1 egg white beaten
1 egg beaten
everything bagel seasoning (found mine at Trader Joe’s)

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir to combine. Add the yogurt and beaten egg white to the mix with a spatula until well combined. If it's still very wet looking at this point, added more flour until it isn't so sticky.

Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl. Knead the dough a few times until the dough is tacky but not stick, about 15 turns.

Divide into 4 equal balls and poke a hole in the middle and stretch it out a bit. This dough doesn’t rise so keeping them kind of puffy to begin with is a good idea, unless you want thin bagels. 

Brush each bagel with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning. Carefully put bagels in the air fryer. I started them out at 350 for about 10 minutes, flipped and did another 10 minutes. Checked and they needed a little longer, so I just cut mine open, put back in the air fryer toast the insides for a few minutes and then they were ready to eat!

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

I happened to have 3 bananas that really needed to used today but with it being the first week of Fall, I was really craving pumpkin.  Combining banana and pumpkin together would work, right?

Yes.  It works very well.

I have a pumpkin bread recipe that I love.  It's so good but not healthy.  At all.  It's really like cake without the frosting.  So I went searching for a healthier bread recipe.  I came across this recipe at SkinnyTaste.com  I was a little hesitant about this recipe, mainly because it has hardly any sugar in it and only 2 T of butter.  But, they are really good!  You'd never know they were "healthy" muffins.  :)

I followed her recipe exactly except I added 1 Tablespoon of Chia Seeds.  I also made muffins instead of bread.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs, bananas, pumpkin, chia seeds and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add flour mixture and then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into muffin pan and bake on the center rack for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Aubrey's Healthy Cookie Dough

So, this might sound weird, but you make these to intentionally have raw cookie dough on hand.  Crazy, right?  But they are soooo good and actually healthy!  No eggs.  No flour.  No sugar.

A friend on Facebook posted this recipe a while back and at first it intrigued me but seemed odd so I didn't make them.  My kids always ask for dessert if they've eaten a good dinner and I really don't like them eating so much crap every night.  I started looking for desserts that they would like eating AND that I knew were healthy and wouldn't mind giving them.  Hello, healthy cookie dough!!

At first both of my kids turned their noses up at these.  But the second day they were gobbling them down.  They do look a little weird and the texture is different.  If your kids balk at these at first, try again another day.  My whole family loves being able to just pop one or two of these babies out of the fridge for a treat!

Ingredients:
1 cup almond butter (got mine at Trader Joe's)
1 cup peanut butter (all natural from Trader Joes')
1 cup honey
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed (may help fight everything from heart disease and diabetes to breast cancer. Eat flax seed!)
1/2 bag mini chips
 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. Roll into balls and keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat them.  I just pop a few out at time to give to my girls or to eat myself.  Don't think these are just for kids, they are great with coffee in the morning!

Breakfast Cookies

I found an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe on allrecipes.com but I changed the recipe so much I doubt they are anything like the original recipe. So, I changed the name to breakfast cookies. :) I'm not sure I really love these cookies but my 4 year old has eaten 4 of them right out of the oven. They are healthy and if she likes them I figure I should share the recipe and will make them again. She's not a breakfast person and I hate sending her to school without eating anything. She could eat a few of these in the morning and we'd both be happy!

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tablespoon honey
1 1/2 cups white wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
1 Tablespoon flaxseed
(The above are the ingredients in Saryn's cookies. I let her put sprinkles on top of the cookie dough for one tray we baked and put the following ingredients in after.)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup craisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and honey. Sift together the flour, baking soda, flax-seed and cinnamon, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats, coconut and craisins.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies start to brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Our cookies were done in 10 minutes. Personally, I would make these again but would add chocolate chips. We were out. I'm going to have one tomorrow with my coffee and see how I like them in the morning. I'm on the fence with these but if even one of my children likes them then I'm happy. Gotta love a healthy cookie. ;)

Saryn's sprinkle cookies. :)

French Toast Bake

I found this recipe on the Pillsbury website when I was looking for an easy french toast casserole recipe. I was going to a baby shower for a girl I work with and needed to bring a dish to share. I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a try. How can you go wrong with cinnamon rolls?!

It ended up being very easy to throw together - I actually made it the morning of the shower, which started at 9:30 - and I had to take my daughter to preschool first. :) I don't like soggy french toast so I made a few changes to the recipe. My changes are below. Hope you give this one a try!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Butter, melted
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
3 Eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (I didn't have a full cup so I just used what I had)
1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 4 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.



In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1/2 cup syrup.



Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. I checked mine at 25 minutes and baked for another 5-8 minutes. I wanted mine to have a nice golden color and I didn't want it soggy in the middle.



Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle icing over top and serve.



Enjoy!

Yankee Grits

Here is another recipe that I made for Easter morning. This recipe was given to me from the mother of a friend who passed away last year. It's a great recipe that's easy to put together and has great flavor. The original recipe is for 14-16 people so I halved all of the ingredients. It's from the website Bed & Breakfast Inns. If you have a chance go check that website out. It has a lot of yummy looking recipes!

Ingredients: (these are halved)
1/2 lb bacon
1 cups quick grits
4 cups water
1 tsps salt
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 Tbsps chopped fresh chives (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)
1/2 cup half 'n half

Directions:

Cook bacon until crisp and set aside.

Cook the grits according to package directions, add 1 tsp salt. Add the butter and cheese and cook until they have melted. Then remove them from the heat and cool a little. Next stir in 2 of the eggs, beaten, and pour all into a 2-qt. casserole dish.



Crumble the extra bacon bacon and sprinkle it over the casserole, setting aside about 1/2 cup of the bacon crumbs.

Beat the remaining 4 eggs and the half 'n half together, and pour the mixture over the bacon and grits. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon on top.



At this point, I wrapped the casserole with tinfoil, put it in the refrigerator and baked it in the morning. Saves a lot of time that way! Just take it out of the refrigerator while your oven is preheating to 350. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.



I left mine in the oven for longer than 45 minutes so yours shouldn't be quite this brown. It still tasted great though!

Baked French Toast Casserole

The recipe title just sounds delicious, doesn't it? Making your mouth water a little? Yeah, it did the same thing to me.



(Edit 4/4/2010: I've made this three times and the 2nd & 3rd time the french toast was a little soggy on the bottom. Still tastes great but the next time I make it I may pour out some of the liquid before baking to see if that helps - or reduce the milk/half & half. Just an FYI!)

I haven't always liked french toast (I know, I'm weird) but in the past 5 years it has become one of my favorite breakfast foods. My friend Stacy suggested I give this french toast casserole recipe a try. It's by Paula Deen and it's great because you make it the night before. In the morning all you have to do is bake it for 45 minutes. Easy & delicious!

Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
Butter, for pan
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Praline Topping:
2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans (I only used half a cup because pecans are freakin expensive right now!)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish in 3 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.



The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take casserole out of the refrigerator and start making the praline topping. Combine the praline ingredients into a bowl and blend well. I took the slices and flipped them over. The top looked dried out and the bottoms were soaked in the egg/milk mixture. I just flipped all the slices over and then put the praline topping over the bread. The topping is thick and sort of hard to spread. Just do your best!



Bake for 45-60 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. I ended up baking mine closer to an hour to get the tops crispy, which I recommend. I made this a second time and only cooked it for 45 minutes and thought it was too soggy. I didn't think it needed the syrup that Paula Deen recommends serving this with. We had this Easter morning and actually it didn't need any syrup at all!



Thanks for suggesting this recipe Stacy, it's definitely a keeper!

Grandma Cryer's Quiche

Jordan's grandmother's quiche recipe is the only quiche I make. Honestly, I don't really like quiche ~ but I LOVE this recipe. It's easy and has great flavor ~ Saryn likes it too!

Ingredients:
1 9" pie shell
1/2 pound bacon
3 eggs
6 oz swiss cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
Salt to taste (I never salt mine because I feel the bacon and swiss cheese have enough salt for the quiche)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place pie shell in pie plate. Cut bacon in bits. I thinly slice through the slices.



Cook over medium heat until slightly crispy. Drain on paper towel and then place on bottom of pie shell.



Put all other ingredients in blender; blend well, pour over bacon in shell. (I don't always put the ingredients in a blender but it does make the quiche have a smoother texture)



Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes; then turn oven down to 325 degrees for about 40-50 minutes longer or until quiche is set and nicely brown on top.

I thought the quiche was done but when I cut into it the inside really wasn't set yet.



I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes and it was perfect!

Eggs Chaisson

I made this breakfast for your dad the first Christmas morning after we got married.  It was the first Christmas that we didn't take all of our presents over to Nani & Bumba's and that we didn't eat breakfast with them.  Uncle Ian was not happy.  :)  But it was such a nice morning and as you know this became one of dad's favorite breakfasts - and yours eventually too.  It's a little time consuming - takes probably an hour from start to finish.

Sauce:
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced bell pepper ( I usually use red or orange for the color)
1 T vegetable oil
¼ cup dry white wine
1 T Creole seasoning
2 tsp minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 cups heavy cream
¼ tsp hot pepper sauce
24 medium shrimp (I usually get the frozen ready to eat kind that come in a ring)
1 bunch of scallions for garnish

Gluten Free Bisquick Mix - or make your own

Over medium heat sauté onion, celery, and peppers in oil until soft. Add wine, seasoning, garlic and bay leaf. Stir in cream and hot sauce; reduce until consistency of thin pancake batter. Add shrimp and cook through. Adjust seasoning and sauce consistency adding milk or reducing further.

Biscuits: While the sauce is reducing I make the biscuits. I usually use Bisquick's gluten free mix to make mine but you can use any you like. 

Poached Eggs:
I have an egg poacher - if you do too - put water in the poacher, spray the egg cups with non stick spray - bring the water to a low boil.  Add an egg to each cup, put the lid back on and cook for about 4 minutes.

If you do not….Simmer 1 quart of water. Gently slip eggs into water – only poach 4 eggs at a time. The whites will begin to set almost immediately. Swirl the water to keep eggs from sticking to the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes or until white is set and yolk is filmed over. (I usually cook our eggs for 4 minutes) 

Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and gently roll in a towel trimming ragged edges and strands with the spoon.

Plating:
Split a biscuit in half and place a poached egg on each biscuit half and cover with 1 cup sauce. Garnish with minced scallions.