Individual Breakfast Casseroles

Several months ago, I made this huge crock pot breakfast casserole I saw on Iowa Girl Eats. It's easy, and delicious. But it makes a ton (12 servings), so I always end up throwing some of it out. Since I'm unemployed these days, I wanted a similar breakfast, but in a single serving size. 

This worked out perfectly, and was ready by the time I had finished my shower. And what I love most about these, is that you can customize them to each individual. I've made them so far with sausage, ham, veggies, the possibilities are endless!

Individual Breakfast Casseroles

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. of cooked, crumbled sausage
• 1/2 c. of frozen hashbrowns (I like the O'Brien style with onions & peppers)
• Splash of milk
• 2 T. of shredded cheddar
• Cooking spray
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Since you're using frozen potatoes, I like to go ahead and add them to the ramekin and put that in the oven while it preheats & I prepare everything else. 
2. Beat an egg with a splash of milk & salt and pepper, set aside. 
3. Cook sausage & drain on a paper towel, set aside. 
4. The oven should be ready at this point. Remove the ramekin and layer the sausage on top, the cheese, and the egg last. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until egg is cooked through. 

This stuff is optional, but AMAZING. It's a cheese spread found in the deli section. It takes eggs from "meh" to "freaking awesome"!

French Toast Souffle

I didn't like this recipe at all. Maybe it's because I made one big one instead of 4 smaller ones, but it was a soggy mess. Besides that, the flavor was not very good, it had to cook about 15 minutes longer than the recipe said, and the top was getting too brown while the inside was still basically wet bread.

I don't plan on making this recipe again...

French Toast Souffle
(Recipe from this one.)

Ingredients:

• 1 small loaf of french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (5 cups)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup of half & half
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 
• Powdered sugar for serving

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half & half, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. 
2. Add bread cubes and toss until all of the cubes are coated. Pour into souffle dish.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes larger souffle.
4. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

 

Baked Donuts

A few months ago I had an overwhelming desire to start making my own donuts. I think it has something to do with the lack of Krispy Kreme's and Dunkin' Donuts in my area. Anyways. It was going to be epic. I had envisioned all types of different flavors and glazes... cute sprinkles during the holiday seasons... but then it took me two months to find a donut pan and my enthusiasm for donuts waned. I finally found one at Michael's and I had everything I needed to start baking except for buttermilk. But I could never be bothered to pick any up during any of my 6,000 grocery store visits each month. So, my highly sought after donut pan stayed in a dark cabinet, destined to never see the light of day.

Until this weekend. For some reason, the desire to make donuts came flooding back to me this weekend. So I made a special trip to the store to pick up a small container of buttermilk and some cake flour (just in case) and I got home and immediately started baking.

And the disappointment with the finished product was overwhelming. I'll attribute my donut making failure to three things:

1. Nutmeg.
2. Not following my instincts.
3. Being in a hurry.

All three of those kind of go together, but the biggest problem I had with the donuts was the nutmeg. And if I had followed my instincts, I would have omitted it. But the pan was a Wilton pan, and the recipe was a Wilton recipe. I figured they knew what they were doing. Wrong! These donuts were SO bland. The only thing you could taste was the nutmeg. And seeing as how that's my least favorite spice, if I had followed my instincts and omitted it, they may have been better. Or, they wouldn't have had any flavor at all. But to me, no flavor is better than an overpowering nutmeg flavor.

Graham and I had an exciting day of raking leaves planned. He was outside raking while I was inside baking, and I felt guilty. So I rushed through the process, so I could join him sooner rather than later. If I hadn't been in a huge hurry, I might have pondered why there was no vanilla or almond extract in the recipe. I added blueberries to some of my donuts, and looking back, the almond extract would have been delicious in the blueberry ones. The blueberry ones were the only tasty ones, but I attribute their flavor more to the fresh blueberries and the quick powdered sugar glaze I whipped up than to the donuts themselves.

They were also really... white. Like, Edward Cullen white. And I know that the golden color of the delicious Krispy Kreme donuts we're used to in the south comes from frying them, but the color turned me off a little.

On a more positive note, the pan is very cool though. It's non-stick, has six regular sized donut cavities, they baked super fast and slid out really easy. I can't wait to use it again... with a much better recipe. Jamie over at My Baking Addiction posted one for mini donuts that I'm going to adapt for my larger pan. Every recipe she posts is amazing, so I can't wait to try this one out!

Baked Cake Donuts
(Recipe from Wilton; You can get the donut pan here.)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F. Spray doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat until just combined. Fill each doughnut cup approx. 2/3 full.
3. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4-5 minutes before removing. Finish doughnut with sugar topping or glaze of your choice.

IHOP Copycat Pancakes

I've never been much of a breakfast person, but on the weekends Graham and I love having breakfast together. Yesterday we used a groupon for this hole in the wall, mom & pop style place in Jacksonville, and I had so much food I seriously didn't eat again till we had Papa Sushi for dinner.

Anyways. This morning when I woke up, I suggested pancakes. Whenever we go to IHOP for pancakes, I always get the New York Cheesecake Pancakes. They're my favorite, but so many calories, it physically hurt to look at the nutritional information. So this morning we decided to try to make one of the dozens of IHOP copycat recipes on the internet.

These turned out really, REALLY well. Graham didn't think they were AS GOOD as the ones he gets when we go to IHOP, but he said they were definitely better than than the ones made from the mix.

And yes, I know the amount of syrup is pathetic. I hate syrup. Blech.

IHOP Buttermilk Pancakes
From Top Secret Recipes

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
2. 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk
3. 1/4 cup of sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
6. 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
7. 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Directions:

• Preheat pan and spray with a little cooking spray. 
• Put all ingredients in a blender and combine until smooth.
• Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter into the heated skillet.
• After a minute or two (once the edges have begun to harden and turn golden), carefully flip each pancake. 
• Cook pancakes on the other side for the same amount of time, until golden brown.

Makes 8 pancakes.