Harmony Ridge Lodge Raised Waffles

The mixing is done the night before and all you need to do in the morning is add a couple of eggs and some baking soda.  These waffles are crisp on the outside and delicate on the inside.

½ cup warm water

1 package of dry yeast

2 cups milk, warmed

½ cup (1 stick) of butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups of all purpose flour

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Use a rather large mixing bowl…the batter will rise to double the original volume.  Put the water in the mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar, and flout to the yeast mixture and beat until smooth and blended (we like to use a hand mixer).  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Just before cooking waffles, beat in the eggs and the baking soda and stirl until well mixed.  The batter will be thin, pour about ¼ to ½ cup batter into a very hot waffle iron. Bake the waffles until they are golden and crisp. The batter will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.

Homemade Granola Bars

What You Need

1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Raw Honey (Or if you are the type of vegan that doesn't eat honey, you can use maple syrup or agave)
1/3 cup Almond Butter
1/3 cup Crushed Raw Almonds
1 cup Gluten Free Oats
1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
1 tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

What You Do

-In a large frying pan on medium heat melt together the coconut oil, raw honey and almond butter. Use a spatula to mix together and press lightly on the raw honey to help it melt. Melt these until it all becomes one thin batter. Lower the heat a bit and continue to stir. The honey is likely to burn if you don't keep stirring.
-As you stir add the vanilla and raw cacao powder. Stir until all the ingredients come together into a thin "milk" chocolate colored batter.
-Stir in a half cup of your gluten free oats. Stir until the batter coats all the oats. Now turn off the heat.
-Stir in crushed raw almonds.
-Now stir in the last half cup of gluten free oats. Stir until the everything is coated. The batter now should be thick with coated oats and almonds.
-Sprinkle in the chia seeds and stir on last time.
-Pour your batter into a small baking dish lined with parchment paper. Use the spatula to press into all corners of the pan and smooth out the top.
-Sprinkle the coarse sea salt on top.
-Place in the refrigerator over night. Or until the bars harden.
-Once the bars have set, cut into small bars and store in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator. These can keep for about a week.

Biscuits with Turkey Gravy-sooo Yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• Bake biscuits according to package directions. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large saucepan; cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and keep warm.
• In the same saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Stir in sausage; heat through. Place two biscuits on each serving plate; top with gravy. Yield: 4 servings.

Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

These just popped out of the oven and I couldn't be happier! They are curtesy of my new favorite baking site: http://www.fortysomething.ca/ They are practically guiltless and next time I'm going to add even more goodness with some flax and chia seeds. I've gone on a mini-muffin kick and have a freezer full of a variety of muffins that I can just take wherever and hand over to the kids (but usually consume myself). Before starting, realize that they take at least 3 hours to make - see instructions.

Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup oats

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 400. In large bowl pour buttermilk over oats, stir to mix. COVER AND LET STAND FOR 2 HOURS OR REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.

2. Cream together brown sugar, margarine or oil, and egg. Stir into oat mixture and add carrots.

3. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir into batter just moistened, then add raisins.

4. Spoon into muffin cups coated with nonstick cooking spray or baking cups, filling almost to the top. Bake at 400 for 17-22 min. WATCH THE TIME ON THE MUFFINS. Insert toothpick to check.

scones

This is a great scone recipe that is super adaptable! I've made them with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips and I thought the white chocolate were better (weird since I don't normally like white chocolate!). I'm thinking white chocolate & cranberry next time. Or cranberry-orange. Or lemon-blueberry. Or ... Or ... MmmmMMMm. Oh, I've also used whole wheat flour with great results. Like I said, adaptable and EASY!

2 C flour
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 TB unsalted butter (frozen or really cold)
1/2 C raisins (or other filling)
1/2 C sour cream
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a bowl. Cut in butter (or grate, or use food processor). Add raisins (or other fillings).

In a separate small bowl whisk together egg and sour cream. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until dough clumps form. Use your hands to press dough against the sides of the bowl to combine all the dough. It will seem like there isn't enough liquid, but keep working it and it comes together.

Pat dough into 7-8" circle and ~3/4" thick (on a lightly floured surface). Cut into 8 wedges. Sprinkle wedges with sugar and place 1" apart on a UN-greased baking pan.

Bake until golden or 15-17 minutes.

Raspberry Cream... a spin on cottage cheese and yogurt

Seriously tasty ladies... it's a good change from the run of the mill cottage cheese, though probably slightly less healthy due to the added sugar.

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN of the New York Times

This simple dessert is a perfect destination for frozen raspberries, which throw off a lot of juice when they thaw. Serve it as a dessert, a breakfast, a topping for toast or a snack.

1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest

1 1/2 cups low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese (I used nonfat)

1/3 cup plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt (I used nonfat greek yogurt)

1. Empty the frozen berries into a bowl. Toss with the sugar, and place in the refrigerator for several hours to thaw. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir together.

2. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Add the yogurt, and continue to blend until there is no graininess. Stir into the berries. Serve at once, or chill in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

Yield: Makes 3 cups, about eight servings.

Advance preparation: This dish will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per serving (using 2 percent low-fat cottage cheese): 77 calories; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 milligrams cholesterol; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 147 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 6 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (using fat-free cottage cheese): 71 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 2 milligrams cholesterol; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 169 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 6 grams protein

cinnamon-sugar muffins

AKA: "Muffins that Taste Like Donuts." For reals.

from Tasty Kitchen

1 3/4 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C oil
3/4 C white sugar
1 egg
3/4 C milk

Topping:
1/4 C melted butter
1/3 C white sugar
1 TB cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg & cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg & milk. Add wet to dry ingredients; stir only to combine.
Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes (until golden).
Melt butter in a bowl. Combine sugar & cinnamon in another bowl.
Shake hot muffins out of pan & while hot/warm roll in butter then cinnamon-sugar.
Devour 3 and pretend like you only made 9 instead of 12.**







**Please don't forget this last step. It's vital to the success of this recipe. More importantly, it's vital to the success of our friendship because I need someone to join in my gluttony. Much obliged.

Another Muffin Recipe

These muffins are real winners. Probably my favorite muffin recipe to date (though I LOVE the lime/lemon flavor of the last muffins I posted). These are pretty sweet, but definitely muffiny, not cakey, just the way they ought to be. :)

Blueberry Apricot Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup fresh apricots, thinly sliced (about 4 medium)

-Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
-In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until mixture is almost fully combined, then add in the blueberries and apricots – reserving 12 small, thin slices of apricot – and give the batter a few more stirs, just until no streaks of flour remain visible.
-Divide batter evenly into muffin cups (cups will be very full) and garnish each one with one of the small reserved slices of apricot.
-Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out clean.
-Turn muffins out of the pan onto wire rack to cool.
-Store leftovers in an airtight container when muffins have cooled completely.

Makes 12

Blackberry Lime Muffins

These are quite possibly my new favorite muffins... you MUST MAKE!!! (Recipe courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blackberries
Turbinado sugar-for sprinkling on muffins before baking (I used regular granulated sugar and it was great)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 9 paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lime zest. Rub sugar and zest together until fragrant. Add sugar and zest to the flour mixture. Whisk ingredients together.

4. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, mix canola oil, egg, buttermilk, lime juice, and vanilla extract together.

5. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture. Slowly stir together, the batter will be thick. Don’t over mix. Gently fold in the blackberries.

6. Fill 9 muffin cups with the batter. Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar.

7. Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool on a cooking rack.

*Note-you can use frozen berries, but try to use fresh blackberries. They make these muffins extra special. This recipe only makes 9 muffins, feel free to double it.

Makes 9 regular size muffins

breakfast burritos

i just have to add this one; we've made this twice in two weeks. it's not your plain-jane breakfast burrito but it's still incredibly, ridiculously easy. of course it's from the cook's country fools because they manage to refine simple and delicious cooking. hallelujah! my notes of what we've played around with are at the end. 

8 large eggs
1/4 C half & half (or milk)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp veg oil **
6 oz chorizo sausage, chopped medium **
1 red onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded & finely minced
1 TB unsalted butter **
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
3 scallions, sliced thin **
flour tortillas (8"-9")

whisk the eggs, half & half, salt & pepper together; set aside. heat oil in a large skillet and brown the sausage. add onion, bell pepper & jalapeno, cooking until softened. transfer sausage mixture to a bowl & keep warm. wipe out the skillet, melt the butter, add the eggs. fold/scramble the eggs. when almost cooked, add cheese and incorporate into eggs. fold sausage mixture back into skillet with the eggs. heat tortillas in microwave (~20 seconds). and get our burrito on!

** we used ground hot italian sausage (it came in a 12 oz pkg and we froze the other half). we just cooked it like you might ground beef or turkey. we did not use the oil in the skillet to brown the sausage (seems unnecessary to me, but we have non-stick pans). i chopped the veggies while brandon cooked the sausage & whisked the eggs. we did not add butter to the skillet before the eggs, but i'm sure that would be tasty (we didn't miss it). lastly, we did not incorporate the scallions (mostly because i forgot) and again, didn't miss anything. normally we'd use salsa and sour cream with breakfast burritos, but these are incredibly tasty on their own. in fact, i tried a bite with salsa and it took away from the burrito deliciousness.

whip these babies up using whatever type of sausage your family likes. the jalapenos (if they're seeded) are not spicy; they just add more flavor. seriously, ladies, these are delicious and you all know how i feel about sausage.

bran muffins

this one's from allrecipes.com. these muffins were my latest attempt at a quick breakfast solution. i made a batch on sunday and took two with me to work every morning. and with a little butter or honey they're extra delicious. i'm sure you could modify any number of ways ... nuts ... raisins ... whatevah.

1 1/2 C wheat bran
1 C buttermilk*
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C flour**
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

oven @ 375

mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.

beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. stir flour mixture into bran mixture until just blended. spoon into prepared muffin tins (greased or lined with muffin cups).

bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

* if you don't have buttermilk, combine 1 C milk and 1 TB lemon juice. let stand 5 min.
** i used whole wheat flour.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Seriously, these pancakes are good, but the syrup is what really makes them delicious!!!

1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
6 Tbl brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash ground cloves
dash nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 c buttermilk
3/4 c pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl melted butter

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the wet ingredients.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine until smooth.
4. Pour 1/3 c at a time onto griddle and cook as you would any other pancake. :)

Cinnamon Syrup

1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 Tbl flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 c water

Bring all ingredients to a boil, except the flour. Once boiling, whisk in the flour. Continue boiling 5-8 minutes until thickened. Cool slightly before serving. (Left over will keep in the fridge, that is, if you have any left over... I could eat this stuff on just about anything!)

Again, this recipe is courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod.

can we talk breakfast?

i am in dire need of easy breakfast. much to my chagrin, i rarely have time to whip up a neat-o breakfast. i'm open to make-ahead ideas, super-fast & delicious, whatever you got.

hit me.

blueberry yogurt muffins

from cooking light magazine

a great alternative to heavy or boxed muffins. so easy and delightful! =)

2 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C unsweetened orange juice (concentrate)*
2 TB vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 egg
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
vegetable cooking spray
1 TB sugar

combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. In separate bowl, whisk orange juice and next 4 ingredients (mix well). Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. gently fold in blueberries.

divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle 1 TB sugar evenly over muffins. bake @ 400º for 18 minutes or until golden. remove muffins from pan immediately; let cool on wire rack.

* concentrate doesn't have to be totally thawed, just enough to get out what you need. for the yogurt, just use what you have on hand even if it's not low-fat (although that obviously changes things).

enjoy!

Best Banana Muffins

Since we're talkin' muffins... these were a big hit in Moab this weekend. They don't sound great, but trust me. Linds? Wanna pipe in and verify? I was going to include a picture, but come on... they're muffins. That's what they look like. (Plus, my picture wasn't nearly as pretty as Mary's.) Many of the ingredients can be bought in bulk places like Wild Oats or Whole Foods so you can just buy what you need and save the money. :)

Best Banana Muffins

1 ½ C. whole wheat flour
½ C. Oat Bran
½ C. Pecan Meal (1.5 oz ground pecans, or I just bought chopped pecans and then continued chopping them myself with a knife until they were as ground as I could get them... I enjoyed the rougher texture in the muffin.)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt

2 T. butter, melted
½ C. honey
3 egg whites
1 C. banana
2/3 C. buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin cups or line with paper cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (first six ingredients) until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients (last 5 ingredients).
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Immediately spoon batter into the 12 muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top.
6. Place immediately in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking early!
7. Turn muffins out of pan and cool on wire rack.
8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:
156 calories (45 from fat)
5 grams fat (2 saturated)
3 grams fiber
13 grams sugar
4 grams protein

Courtesy of http://pinchmysalt.wordpress.com

Beloved Blueberry Muffins!

I made these heavenly muffins for breakfast the day Liza was born, so in my opinion they are MAJICAL MUFFINS. :) Zach's Mom even thought they were perfect, and she's an incredible cook so I give this recipe 5 gold stars.

Blueberry Muffins

Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Streusel Topping (see below)

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbs butter

1. Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of 12 muffin pan

2. Make Streusel Topping, set aside

3. Beat milk, oil, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in Blueberries. Divide batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle each with 1 Tbs Topping.

4. Bake 20-25 min. ENJOY!