Jam Filled Crescents

A while back I felt like experimenting with a lone can of crescents that had been waiting patiently to be used. I pulled out some jam and put a little in the center of the crescent. I was so surprised at how tasty they were...and simple!

They would be a lovely accompaniment to any breakfast menu! Really, the possibilities are endless. You could try any type of jam...I just happen to absolutely adore apricot. I think nutella would be excellent if you are a chocolate lover! What about some slivered almonds on top? Just put your creativity to work and see what you can come up with.

Ingredients:
1 can crescents
2 teaspoons of jam per crescent

Directions:
Unrolls crescent roll and place the jam in the middle. Roll up and bake as directed on the package.

Breakfast Bun Bake??????

I took a media break for a few days last week...basically, I stayed offline. With that "media break" came an unplanned "menu planning break". I wasn't online and posting so I didn't make a menu plan at all!

No big deal, right? WRONG!

It was dinner time Monday night. I was so hungry. I went into the kitchen to throw something together. I have been freezer cooking like mad here lately, but I neglected to thaw just one of my hundred meals.

These hot dog buns were haunting me. I looked all over and I just kept coming back to these buns...and I wasn't wanting a hot dog...even though that would have been much easier!




I searched the fridge and the only thawed meat I had was a pound of Jimmy Dean Sausage.

I spied a green pepper and I was on to something...a breakfast casserole!!!!

So, I tore up 5 buns and put them in a greased pan

I browned up some sausage with green pepper and onion...then I put it on top of the lousy hot dog buns...

I topped with a package of Mozzarella cheese...we are getting somewhere now...

I mixed up 5 eggs, 2 cups of milk, salt, and pepper and poured it over the top...and baked it at 350 for 35 minutes! This is just a variant of a basic breakfast casserole recipe I use...only I use crescent rolls normally. The crescent rolls are better, but hey, what can I say...this was still pretty good!!!
I just thought it would be neat to share a "new use" for those hot dog buns you may otherwise throw away!

How about you?

How do you save and re purpose food?

Please share, I am sure we could all learn some new tricks!!

This post is linked to:

Frugal Friday at www.lifeasmom.com

WFMW at www.wearethatfamily.com

Crock Pot Apple Oatmeal

Well, I am back with a recipe to help you celebrate "National Apple Month"!

Didn't know there was such a thing? Well, neither did I. That is, until my friend and I came across "S'mores Day" in a cookbook. S'mores day sparked a special interest in researching these grand old days and months.

In honor of "Apple Month" I will be bringing you apple-ish recipes all month! (Actually it will be going into October because that is "Apple Month", too!)

If that just doesn't get you all excited, my friend, I really don't know what will!

So, I have been hitting the gym a lot lately! Seriously, like EvErY morning. I come home sooooo hungry I could eat a horse. I came across this recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking, and knew I had to try it.

It is just perfect for my mornings. I throw the ingredients in, go run, dream about this healthy apple-y goodness, and a little over an hour later it is waiting for me...just wonderful!

Gotta love the old crock pot!!!


1 cup oats
2 cups milk
1 apple, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla
pinch of salt
cinnamon


Add oats, milk, and apple to crock pot. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours or low for 2-3 hours. Garnish with cinnamon.

Serves:3-4

Really you should check out the "Days and Months"...some provide a good laugh

Today is:
National Cream-Filled Donut Day

Tomorrow is:
Make a Hat Day

This post is linked to:

Ultimate Recipe Swap at www.lifeasmom.com

Ingredient Spotlight at www.eatathomecooks.com

Breakfast Chorizo Cups

Do you ever buy anything on a whim? I am talking about something you have never ever even tasted, let alone purchased. Once the initial excitement has fleeted, you are left scouring the web for ideas on what to do with it.

Sometimes I step back from my hurried grocery trips and actually look around the store. This totally contradicts grocery shopping rule #1, which is to always carry a shopping list and stick to it. I have shared this many a times, and it truly is the way to stay within budget. Every great once in a while though, I am mesmerized by something and have to make the purchase.

Corizo was this item several weeks back. I have seen it used on Food Network and have always wanted to try it. I bought it and then had no idea what to do with it. My quest was finished once I came across this recipes at Picky Palate.

These cute little breakfast cups were wonderful. They were breakfast-y, spicy, and packed with flavor. If you aren't a fan of chorizo or spicy you could easily substitute regular sausage. After my eyes have been opened to the wonderful world of breakfast cups my mind has been spinning with countless ideas for new breakfast cup inventions.

1 can crescent rolls, 8 count
3 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup diced green chilies, from can
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cooked chorizo, about 1/4 lb.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls and place the widest part of triangle into 8 muffin cups, pressing up the sides and bottom of cups, leaving points of dough hanging over sides. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, chilies, cheese, and cooked and cooled chorizo. Pour into muffin cups pouring nearly to the top. Take two longest points of dough and lightly twist them, then set on the top and middle of cup. Bake 25-28 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Let cool for five minutes, remove from muffin cups, and eat!

Recipe Credit: Picky Palate

Dana's Coffee Cake

Let me just say that this coffee cake and I go back a long way! I can remember my mom making it many times while growing up. I just loved waking up to the sweet cinnamon smell wafting through the house.

This would be a great thing to whip up on a Saturday morning! It is quick and easy to put together. It is also great because it uses items that most people already have in the pantry!

Cake:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup nuts

Combine oil, egg, and milk. Sift together dry ingredients and add to milk mixture. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

*This post is linked to: www.lifeasmom.com ,Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace, Tuesday’s at the Table @ All The Small Stuff

Freezer French Toast

Yummmm...French Toast, one of my all time favorite foods! I really can't get enough of it, but it is one of those things I hardly ever make. Why? My husband doesn't like it, and it is kind of a hassle to make. The only time I do indulge in french toast is when I go out to eat or am off work, because let's just face it...I already have to leave before dawn...I don't have time to whip this up.

I recently got several loaves of bread really cheap and decided to try this idea! The concept is genius! It is so much cheaper than the kind at the grocery store, and although I have never tried it, I am betting it is also much better. It would be great for moms...it is a cheap and yummy breakfast for the kids before school.

The batch I put in the toaster was too crunchy...that was user error, though. I thought it may need 2 cycles. After that I noticed a great button on the side of my toaster...defrost! Seven wonderful years with my toaster and I have never even noticed that button. That was key! It came out like I had just made it...without all the cleanup!

I used Aunt Millie's healthy bread, in effort to make french toast healthy. Can it be? Two slices of the bread is only like 95 calories. Topped with the light syrup coming in at 100 calories...you have a low calorie breakfast! Right??? Please tell me I am right!!!

You can use the recipe I did, or you could use your own. I really just want to share the concept.
Ok, so here is how I did it!

Pull the bread out of the bag (but save the bag) so it is ready for dunking! Now, add all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Dip the bread slices in the mixture!

Once you pull them out of the egg mixture, place them on a well greases cookie sheet! Once your sheet is filled up, bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and bake 2 more minutes. Cool and freeze on the cookie sheet. This is called flash freezing, and it is done so they won't stick together once they are put back in the bread bag.

Ok, these babies are frozen and ready to go back to their original home, the bread bag!

Once you place them in the bag they are ready to go in the freezer. When you want some french toast, just pop them in the toaster and set on defrost (or just toast if you don't have that button). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 3/4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoons salt

20 slices of bread


This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace
Tuesday’s at the Table @ All The Small Stuff

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

When I read about this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe, I knew I had to try it. Try it I did, about 5 minutes after I came across it. I am funny like that…if I see something I want to try…I want to try it NOW! Ok, really I am like that with everything in life, patience isn’t a strong point for me.


The thing that really lured me in was that you make up the mix and keep it on hand for later (not that I would ever forget to thaw meat out and have to resort to breakfast for dinner ). Once the mix is made it lasts indefinitely in the freezer or refrigerator. All you have to do is add a cup of buttermilk and an egg. Can it get any easier?

The texture of these pancakes is great. Light and fluffy…what more could one ask for? Also, they aren’t too sweet, which I love, syrup has enough sugar for me!

Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the ingredient together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on low speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is right. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will souk up the milk as it sits. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over and finish cooking on the second side.

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4inch pancakes.

Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

This was really yummy! I was trying to come up with a pumpkin recipe the other day, and french toast came out of nowhere. Wait... I think I had just had french toast the day before... what can I say, I LOVE french toast!! This was my first time making stuffed french toast (I always make the regular kind), and I found it really simple to make.

Turns out, I wasn't the inventor of pumpkin stuffed french toast like I had originally thought. (Darn, somebody always beats me to it!!! ) I looked at several recipes and decided to invent my own, cause that's how I roll. You never know if will be good til you try, right? I was really pleased with it, but you should judge for yourself!


Filling Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Other Ingredients:

bread (8-12 slices, depending on how much filling you want in them)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
dash of cinnamon
butter
cinnamon toast crunch cereal (crushed up), optional

Beat the cream cheese on low. Add in the rest of the filling ingredients; beat on low until incorporated. Now spread this mixture (how ever much filling you like) on one slice of bread; top with another slice of bread. Continue until you have all your "sandwiches" made.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cinnamon.

Meanwhile heat a skillet over medium-low heat with a small amount of butter.

Now dip your "sandwiches" into the egg mixture, letting them soak for a few seconds; flip over and soak the other side. Sprinkle with cinnamon toast crunch, if using. Transfer to your skillet, and cook until golden brown, flip and cook other side til golden brown. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, syrup, and more cinnamon toast crumblies!