Rise-n-Dine

Vegetarian roll-up sandwich with side salad. The roti bread used for the roll-up was delicious and flaky.

I recently met a friend for lunch at Rise-n-Dine at Emory Village. On weekends when I drive past this place it is always packed with a crowed waiting to get in. Even for this weekday lunch we waited about 10 minutes. Now I know why so many people are waiting. The food is simply good, with some innovative twists to keep it interesting. Breakfast is served all day and there is a short lunch menu as well. Everything we tried really hit the spot, especially the light, warm roti used to roll up a vegetarian sandwich and the delicious apple butter made in house and served with the restaurant's toast and biscuits. I look forward to visiting again soon to try the tasty looking pancakes and French toast as well as some of the other sandwiches.

Smoked salmon scramble with toast and homemade jam and apple butter. The apple butter is worth buying in bulk!

Cook's Warehouse Midtown Breakfast with Chef Nancy Waldeck

Luscious shrimp and grits, baked cinnamon and maple french toast and strawberries with lime glaze. A healthy take on delicious classics.

Back in June I was invited to a breakfast at the Cook's Warehouse Midtown location in Ansley Mall. I had not yet been to this location, which moved from Amsterdam Walk. The space is large, with a wonderful kitchen for cooking classes and great kitchen products as always. Chef Nancy Waldeck entertained us by cooking several of her wonderful recipes - the shrimp and grits was a favorite - and showed us how to keep the calorie count down in addition to making the dishes taste great. Tricks for this include using low fat cream cheese in the grits and using chicken stock instead of cream when sauteing the shrimp. Nancy has a wonderful website and blog as well as a book called Taste and Savor. Cook's Warehouse is a must-visit for anyone who loves to cook and also a great place to learn, since they have many classes ranging from basic to advanced and theme cooking.

Chef Nancy Waldeck gave us some great tips, like how to cut a bell pepper properly for slicing and cooked the above tasty breakfast for us before our eyes.

SUYL: Breakfast

The theme for Kelly's Korner SUYL (Show Us Your Life) this week is breakfast. When I saw that I knew right away what recipe I wanted to share.

BROWN SUGAR BACON WAFFLES...yeah, these taste as good as they sound. Treat yourself (and those you love) by making these this weekend!!


You can find the recipe in this POST. For more tasty breakfast ideas see the sidebar labeled "breakfast". Enjoy :)

Friendship Muffins

This is a wonderful muffin recipe that I've dubbed the "friendship muffin" because I made it a few weeks ago with my daughter and one of her very best friends.

The girls are crazy about each other but being both strong willed 3 year-olds can sometimes cause for a bumpy play-date. So, last time they had a play-date, I had this muffin recipe ready to go. The girls loved making these and worked so well taking turns adding ingredients and stirring the batter.


The muffins also served as their snack and they both devoured these!!

It really was so cute to see these two little munchkins working cooperatively. They were so proud of themselves too :) I know my daughter is really going to miss her good friend when she moves to Alabama this summer (and I'm really going to miss her mommy- boo).


This wholesome muffin recipe is loaded with fruit (apple), vegetable (carrot) and healthy grains (whole wheat flour and rain bran cereal), a perfect "kid" muffin but tasty enough for grown-ups to enjoy (as I did with a big cup of coffee!!).



Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups raisin bran cereal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled tart apple
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple, carrots and walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or cups coated with nonstick cooking spray three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Strawberry Scones

What surprising news we all heard last night or woke up to this morning. Of course last Friday, another very big event was making news worldwide...the highly anticipated wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton!

Like so many others, I thought it would be fun to get up early (but not THAT early) and watch the royal nuptials. Also, it was the perfect excuse to make these yummy strawberry scones :)


This recipe was really wonderful! The scones were tender and buttery. The recipe calls for plain or vanilla yogurt and I used my favorite vanilla yogurt from Trader Joe's. I buy this primarily for my daughter but I love it too. Thick and creamy...it's so good!


Of course, you don't have to wait for the next royal wedding to enjoy these. Go ahead and make them this weekend. They would be perfect for a Mother's Day brunch!


I loved Kate's dress! It was prefect and she truly looked like a princess. Congrats to the new Duke and Duchess!!

Ingredients:
1 large egg
¼ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
½ cup milk
1 tsp. orange or lemon zest
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 heaping cup diced fresh strawberries

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk and citrus zest until blended; set aside. In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Add the butter pieces to the bowl with the dry ingredients and pulse several times to cut the butter into the flour, until the largest butter pieces are the size of small peas. (If you don't have a food processor, you can just as easily mix up the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives or forks.) Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add the strawberries to the flour mixture and toss to coat. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and gently fold together with a fork or spatula until a sticky dough has formed. Knead just a few times to ensure that all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough is cohesive. (Only if absolutely necessary, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time to hydrate the remaining dry ingredients.)

Transfer the dough to a well floured work surface and pat into a disc about 7-8 inches in diameter. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Slice the disc into 8 wedges.

To bake the scones, preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place the shaped scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

To freeze, transfer the baking sheet with the shaped scones to the freezer and let them chill until they are firm, 30-60 minutes. Wrap the scones individually and store in a freezer-safe bag until ready to bake. Bake as originally indicated, adding a few minutes to the baking time (usually about 18-20 minutes for me.)


Source: Annie's Eats

Funfetti Waffles

I think I've mentioned this before on the blog, but we tend to have pretty boring breakfasts most weekday mornings. So, with the kids on Spring Break this week and our morning not so hectic, I decided to treat them with something other than cold cereal and milk. First up, funfetti waffles!


This recipe starts with a great basic waffle recipe and includes the addition of colorful sprinkles. A surefire hit with any kid or kid at heart :)


Being off from school also gave us a chance for some fun field trips. This day we hit the farm!


A trip to the farm is always great of course but we also went there b/c my son's teacher gave each child a disposable camera and the assignment to document something fun they did during their break. My son took this assignment pretty seriously and enjoyed taking pictures of all the animals.


Of course, my daughter wanted to take pictures too so I reluctantly handed her my point and shoot. You don't know just how scary that can be in the hands of a three year old on a bumpy wagon ride who is determined to photograph EVERYTHING!!
It was fun to see what she captured at the end of the trip. She took close to 40 pictures (and had a few good ones) but most were of feet and knees :)


We all had a blast! We saw all the farm animals, went on a wagon ride, had a picnic lunch and played on the playground but the best was running into so many friends who had the same idea.


























At the end, we grabbed some ice cream with our friends....I *heart* Spring Break!!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sprinkles

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Add the sprinkles on top. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve with whipped cream and additional sprinkles on top.

Source: waffle recipe adapted from All Recipes

French Breadfast Puffs

I found these French breakfast puffs on another blog this week and was immediately drawn in by the beauty and simplicity of this recipe.

This is basically a very simple muffin that is topped off with a wonderful cinnamon sugar. We have had a couple of snow days here on the east coast and no school, so these were perfect for a relaxed morning breakfast. The best part is that you have all the ingredients in your pantry right now...so go make some!!

This was a wonderful way to start the morning for me. A fresh, out of the oven breakfast puff and a cup of my favorite coffee. Bring on the day!


Ingredients:

204 g flour (1 1/2 c)
95 g sugar (1/2 c)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
121 g milk (1/2 c)
76 g melted butter (1/3 c)
51 g sugar (1/4 c)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
76 g melted butter (1/3 c)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, 95 g sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine vanilla, egg, milk and melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix just until blended.

Lightly grease muffin cups or line with muffin papers. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes.

In the meantime, melt butter. In a separate bowl combine sugar and cinnamon.

Allow muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes. Roll muffin tops in butter, then sugar.

Source: Fresh

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

If you are looking for something special to make for breakfast this weekend give these wonderful lemon poppy seed pancakes a try.

They are so light and fluffy! The lemon and poppy seed naturally complement each other and give these a fresh, bright taste. I put some fresh strawberries and a bit of a good quality maple syrup on top....so good!!

The best little sous chef around!


Yum!


Even Miss Picky liked these :)


Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
cooking spray

Directions:

Stir the milk, vinegar, and lemon juice together in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes to curdle. Whisk in egg, butter, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk a few times until the batter is mostly free of lumps.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Recipe makes 8 pancakes
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237 | Total Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 72mg

Source: All Recipes

French Toast Casserole

This is the french toast casserole I made for Christmas morning. I assembled it the night before and in the morning it baked while the kids opened presents. It was served with some maple syrup on top and fresh sliced strawberries on the side.

The recipe is listed below but I'll be honest, I didn't measure out the ingredients, just eyeballed them. I also started with about 3/4 of challah (due to some earlier snacking by hubby and the kids).


I was a little nervous when I pulled it out the oven because it looked a little dry to me. It tasted perfect though and this is a terrific, simple recipe for any special breakfast or weekend morning.

Ingredients:

4 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 loaf challah or brioche (I used challah) cut into 1″ slices
8 eggs
1 c. whole milk
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of nutmeg and ginger
1 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
Pour butter into bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange bread in baking pan, ripping pieces in half as necessary to cram everything in there in a semi-even way. Mix remaining ingredients, whisking until eggs are broken up and well combined. Pour over bread. Let stand 3-12 hours (I made mine the night before.)

When ready to cook, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Mine was done at 35, and the top was a little bit crunchy. Serve with maple syrup.


Source: Erin'sEasyEats

Candy Cane Doughnuts

So, I had this idea for a fun and tasty holiday treat...candy cane doughnuts! I remembered that I had saved this baked buttermilk doughnut recipe from the summer and decided to give it a try for these.

I was also excited to give my doughnut pan a try too. I purchased this over the summer but hadn't had a chance to use it yet.


While the doughnuts baked in the oven the kitchen smelled incredible. The nutmeg combined with the other ingredients in the batter created this warm inviting aroma and I had very high hopes for these.



Once they came out of the oven, I topped them with a simple sugar glaze that was flavored with peppermint extract. The crushed candy canes on top added more flavor, texture and a perfect holiday decoration. Unfortunately, the doughnut itself tasted a bit disappointing and that's why I'm not listing the recipe here. However, I still love the idea of a warm sweet doughnut, topped with yummy, crushed candy canes and am looking for another recipe.


If you have a doughnut recipe (baked preferably) that is really good, please feel free to send it along....THANKS!

Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal

I will be honest....most mornings my kids eat a bowl of cold cereal with milk for breakfast. It seems like there is usually no time for anything more than that. So, last week when we had Monday and Tuesday off from school and were not so rushed, I actually had time to make a hot breakfast...ahh, it's the small things, right?

This is a very quick way to upgrade basic oatmeal and takes advantage of seasonal apples (anyone else still got a few from that apple picking trip??), tasty cranberries and walnuts. This was tasty, crunchy and sweet....a perfect warm breakfast treat!



Ingredients:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/4 apple, chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (omit for children under 2)
2 tsp dried cranberries
1 Tbsp maple/pancake syrup

Directions:

STEP 1: Place 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for one minute, stir then microwave for another 30 seconds.

STEP 2: Stir the cinnamon into the oatmeal and top with the chopped apple, walnuts, cranberries and a drizzle of maple or pancake syrup. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from Budget Bytes

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I love making homemade muffins. They are so easy and my kids can't get enough of them. Plus, I can easily adapted most recipes to make them a bit healthier without sacrificing taste and that is what I did with this one.

I traded out some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat and the vegetable oil for canola. Next time, I might also substitute some of the oil with applesauce.

Make sure to reserve a few of the chocolate chips, so you can place them on top of the batter once in the muffin pan. It will make for a nice presentation once they are baked.


My kids couldn't get enough of these! They ate them for breakfast, snack and I packed them for school too.



Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain, vanilla or banana yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (reserve a few to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Place the remaining chocolate chips on top of the muffin batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Source: adapted from AllRecipes

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

Here is an excellent waffle recipe made even better with the addition of brown sugar and BACON!

Yes, bacon mixed in with the waffle batter...it's so good! I made this over the weekend for the kids and they loved it! If you for some reason don't like or eat bacon, try adding 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter instead. Enjoy!


Bacon + Brown Sugar + Waffles= Genius!!



Ingredients:

For the Bacon

10 slices of bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and line with foil. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Place in the upper third of the oven and bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately remove bacon slices using a pair of tongs. Place them on a cutting board (not paper towels, they'll stick!) to cool before chopping. Once cool, chop the bacon into bite size bits and set aside.

For the Waffles

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Set up your waffle iron on a level, clean surface and turn on to preheat.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold. Once almost fully incorporated, add the bacon bites. Stir. Try not to over mix the batter or the waffles will become tough. It's OK if a few lumps remain in the batter.

Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.

Serve with maple syrup and strawberries.

Source: Fake Ginger, originally Joy of Baking

WW POINTS= 12 (per one large waffle) as calculated by JaimeCooks

Doughnuts

This past Sunday I made raised yeast doughnuts. Yes, homemade, from scratch doughnuts...and they were as good as you would imagine.

I had been a little intimidated to try them up until now. However, I've been working more and more with yeast (and my deep fryer...but that's another story) and finally felt like I was ready to give these a try.


I used Pioneer Woman's recipe after reading several positive reviews and also because she always does step by step photos for her recipes. I know a lot of people are not fans of seeing so many pictures on food blogs, but I'm a visual learner and find it very helpful...especially when trying something for the first time.


I did have one problem with these. When I placed the doughnuts on the cookie sheet for their final rise, I didn't space them far enough apart.


As you can see by the picture above, when they puffed up they got stuck together. When I went to pull them apart, they deflated a bit and really made for a not so pretty doughnut :( Luckily, I still had another cookie sheet of doughnuts that were spaced a little further apart.


I ended up with 3 different doughnuts. The regular sized that I covered in the sugary glaze and sprinkles, these doughnut holes that I tossed in some cinnamon sugar...


and the pink "Diva" mini doughnuts that got hot pink glaze, sugar sprinkles and white nonpareils.


These tasted great but were a little dangerous to have around the house. So, I gave some to our neighbors and even sent the cable guy who was here to do some rewiring work with a doggy bag :)

Ingredients

Doughnuts
1-⅛ cup Whole Milk, Warm
¼ cups Sugar
2-¼ teaspoons (one Package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Large Eggs, Beaten
1-¼ stick Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt
Canola Oil

GLAZE
3 cups Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Vanilla
½ cups Cold Water Or Milk

CINNAMON SUGAR
1/2 sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon


Directions:

To Make the Dough:
1. Make sure milk is nice and warm, but not overly hot.
2. Add sugar to milk. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add yeast into a small bowl.
4. Pour milk/sugar mixture over yeast. Stir gently, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Melt butter in separate bowl until butter is almost melted. Stir to finish melting so butter won’t be overly hot.
6. Add beaten eggs to melted butter, stirring constantly to make sure the butter’s not too hot for the eggs.
7. Add the egg/butter mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.
8. With the mixer on 3 or medium-low speed, pour in the yeast mixture.
9. Allow the dough hook to stir this mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure it’s thoroughly combined.
10. With the mixer still going, add helpings of the flour mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments until all the flour is gone.
11. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on the same speed for five whole minutes.
12. After five minutes, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
13. Turn on the mixer for 30 seconds.
14. Turn off the mixer and allow the dough to sit in the bowl undisturbed for 10 minutes.
15. After 10 minutes, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Toss the dough to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place straight in the fridge.
16. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

To Make the Doughnuts:
1. Remove bowl from fridge and turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.
3. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, etc.
4. Cut holes out of each round using a 1 1/2-inch cutter.
5. Place both doughnuts and holes on a floured baking sheet.
6. Cover with large tea towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen; my kitchen is very drafty, so I have to briefly warm the griddle, then turn it off and set the sheets on top to keep warm.
7. Allow doughnuts to rise undisturbed for at least 1 hour; 1 hour 15 minutes if necessary. Doughuts should be visibly puffier and appear to be airy.

To Fry the Dougnuts:
1. Heat plenty of canola oil in a large pot until the temperature reaches 375 to 380 degrees—do not let it get hotter than 380 degrees! 375 is ideal; keep the thermometer in the pan to continually monitor.
2. One to two at a time, gently grab doughnuts and ease them into the hot oil. Allow them to cook 1 minute on each side; they will brown very quickly.
3. Remove doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, allowing all oil to drip off.
4. Place doughnut immediately on several layers of paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over onto a clean part of the paper towels. Count to five, then flip it over again; the purpose, obviously, is to drain as much grease as possible before it soaks into the doughnut.
5. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes. The holes will cook more quickly than the doughnuts; about 30 seconds per side.
6. Allow doughnuts to slightly cool.

To Glaze:
1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until completely smooth.
2. One by one, dip doughnuts into the glaze until halfway submerged. (Note: completely submerge doughnut holes, then remove with slotted spoon.)
4. Remove from glaze, then turn right side up on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (to catch dripping glaze.) Add sprinkles if desired.
5. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature.

To Make Cinnamon Sugar:
1. mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
2. Add doughnuts and toss to coat

Source: Pioneer Woman