Pumpkin Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

Pumpkin Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

Batter:

2 c. flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

Mix ingredients together, then add:

4 egg yolks (save whites)

1 c. pumpkin

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. milk

¾ c. melted margarine

Then beat 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter.

Cook in waffle iron.

Buttermilk Syrup:

1/4 cup butter (NOT margarine)

½ c. buttermilk (or substitute 1 Tbsp. lemon juice + ½ c. milk)

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. light corn syrup

Bring to a boil and take off heat. Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla. It will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure your pan is large enough. Stir until it settles.

Serve warm over pumpkin waffles. Yummy!

Baked Oatmeal

I have been playing with different baked oatmeal recipes to find our favorite one-- I think this is definitely it. I have left the apples and blueberries out in the past, but now that we have fresh blueberries, I put them in, and it was amazing! 

4 1/2 c. oatmeal

1 c. brown sugar

3 t. baking powder

2 t. salt

3 t. cinnamon

1/3 c. milled flax seed

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. melted butter

3 tsp. vanilla

1 c. chopped apples

1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix all together and spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min. We cut in squares and serve in bowls with milk. Serves 8.

Liege Waffles/Copycat Waffle Love Recipe

If you're looking to make some quick waffles, these are not it. If you want some with a lot more flavor than the typical waffles, then this is the recipe for you. The difference, aside from the ingredients, is that these waffles are made with a dough rather than batter. The waffle is also pretty sweet so you usually don't use syrup with this recipe either.

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup milk, scalded and cooled to warm milk

·         2 tablespoons water, waarmed

·         1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

·         2 teaspoons instant yeast

·         2 large eggs, lightly whisked

·         1 cup unsalted butter, softened

·         3 tablespoons honey

·         1 tablespoon brown sugar

·         2 tablespoons white sugar

·         3 teaspoons vanilla

·         4 cups bread flour

·         1.5 cups belgian pearl sugar (we bought ours from orson gygi, but you can also order it online from somewhere like Walmart)

Instructions

1.      Mix the milk and water together

2.      Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, then add the yeast, stirring to combine. Allow the yeast to grow.

3.      In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Add the egg, honey and vanilla. Stir together and add the yeast mixture.

4.      Place in a standing mixer with the dough hook (or bread maker on the dough setting) and add 2 cups of flour. Mix until the dough is thoroughly incorporated. Add the remaining flour, mix in, then cover and allow to rest for 4-24 hours.

5.      Punch down and knead in the pearl sugar. Separate into 8 to 10 balls and place on a hot, greased waffle iron. The pearls should melt somewhat on the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and serve with biscoff, whipped cream and fresh berries.

This recipe is adapted from: http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/2013/12/copycat-waffle-love-recipe.html

Granola

This recipe was a family favorite growing up.  I haven't ever tried any other home made granola recipes, but I think this one is really good and Clark loves it too!

14 c. oats
2 c. wheat germ
2 c. coconut
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. salt
1 c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
3 t. vanilla
Honey

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  I usually just add a little honey (a couple Tbsp.) but the more honey you add, the more clumpy the granola will be.

Bake at 210 degrees for 2 hours. Don't over bake.

Our favorite as kids was to eat this like cereal with milk over it, but it would also be great served with yogurt.

Enjoy!

Muffin tops and bran butts

My kids turn into dictators in the morning. They have a very specific breakfast regimen which is a bit difficult to muster the energy for every morning. Probably because they eat more at breakfast than they do all day. That said, here are two of our favorite muffin recipes. Since the only "healthy" food Ellen eats is Greek yogurt, I have been trying to use it a lot. I absolutely love how moist Greek yogurt makes pancakes and muffins--so thick with uber moist deliciousness. Here are two recipes from Chobani that are most excellent:

Chobani Banana Muffins
Chobani Perfect Pancakes

And another favorite round these parts is Kellogg's All Bran Muffin recipe. They are most delicious but beware that you will be scraping bran off your child's butt for quite some time...just sayin. Sorry for no pictures of the muffins! Phone issues...

Smoothie Roundup

We are very into smoothies around here, especially as the weather warms up. What's not to love about a smoothie? It's super fast, delicious, my kids and I love them and they are healthy. We serve them with our breakfasts, lunch and dinner, and often for dessert. We have 3-4 smoothies a week on average. I even top them off with a little whipped cream if I'm feeling super fancy.

Here are a few smoothie basics for all you smoothie novices out there.

1. Most of our smoothies are a concoction of only a few ingredients: frozen fruit, sugar, skim milk and lowfat vanilla yogurt. This is a winner every time.

2. If frozen fruit isn't something you have on hand, 6-8 ice cubes can be thrown in the blender.

3. The key to a perfect smoothie is adaptation. If you have don't have frozen strawberries but still want it cold, mix with frozen orange juice concentrate. Want more fiber? Add some ground flax or grind up some oats first. If you don't have fresh fruit, try canned. Some unlikely things I have put in smoothies are: pineapple juice (saved from when I drain canned pineapple), coconut milk, applesauce, white grape juice, powdered milk, ground flax seed, nutella, and peanut butter.

4. Frozen fruit can sometimes be expensive. Freezing bananas about to go bad is a great way to have smoothies inexpensively. Our local store sells old bananas super cheap, I just chunk them and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. Also the Dollar tree sells small bags of frozen peaches. A great deal! Costco is always a great place for berries and strawberries. And for Amber, blackberries grow everywhere and are great for smoothies.

Here are some of our favorite recipes:

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
2 bananas
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons honey (depending on sweetness preference)
6-8 ice cubes
Blend until smooth. Ice can be omitted if bananas are frozen.
Serves 4

Strawberry Orange Banana Smoothie
1 1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups strawberries
1 banana
6-8 ice cubes
Serves 4

Peach Orange Banana Smoothie
3/4 cup orange juice
2 cups frozen peaches
1 cup skim milk
1 banana
Serves 4

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons white sugar
6 ice cubes
Serves 2

Fruit Crepes

CREPE INGREDIENTS

2 Eggs

1 cup Milk

1 cup Flour

1 ½ TB Margarine (melted)

½ tsp Vanilla

Pinch of salt

OTHER INGREDIENTS

Strawberries

Bananas

Heavy Whipping Cream (liquid)

Powdered Sugar

Syrup

Nutella (optional but amazing :)

Beat eggs in mixing bowl and add milk. Add rest of the ingredients. Set stove at Medium heat and spray frying pan with PAM. Use 1/3 cup for each crepe, put 1/3 cup mixture in frying pan on the stove. Flip crepes. Makes 6 crepes.

Use liquid Heavy Whipping Cream. Stir in bowl with beater until fluffy. Add sugar.

Cut fruit: Strawberries, Bananas, etc.

Kandis