Tag: Breakfast
Peach Almond Baked Oatmeal
I do my grocery shopping on Monday mornings. Have for years. In fact, the people at Fry’s would probably put out an All Points Bulletin on me if I didn’t show up there on a Monday morning. It’s a routine I enjoy, planning meals over the weekend, proudly stowing my canvas bags in the cart, choosing which wholesome foods will fill our mouths and bellies this week. But my Monday shopping means, of course, that when Sunday rolls around, our refrigerator looks about as empty as the fridge at one of those extended stay hotels (only not as clean):
I’m telling you, by Sunday, it’s all condiments. And maybe one or two other essentials, like that Starbucks iced coffee front and center. Otherwise, I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow through this refrigerator.
I pride myself on trying to use up the food we buy, but when the Sunday breakfast choices are stale bread or one bowl of cereal cobbled together from three separate boxes, I need a better plan. Something I can put together using non-perishables, like perhaps rolled oats, nuts, and canned fruit. Something like a baked peach almond oatmeal, perhaps?
Don’t mind if I do!
This baked oatmeal, with its heavy use of non-perishables, has saved my Sunday breakfast-making hide more than once. And it just so happens to be my absolute favorite baked oatmeal ever. This probably has to do with the fact that it calls for almond extract to add flavor. I don’t know how they make almond extract, but I have to assume leprechauns and incantations are involved, because that stuff is MAGIC. Add it to crunchy sliced almonds, sweet peaches, cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats, and you have the Oatmeal to End All Oatmeals.
Now that peaches are in season, you could of course also use fresh peaches in this recipe with even more delicious results, but for my purposes, the lonely yellow can in the back of the pantry does just fine, too. As always with baked oatmeal, I bake it the night before, refrigerate, and reheat individual portions in the microwave with a splash of milk in the morning.
See? No one has to be the wiser about the barren wasteland in the fridge. Now if I could just figure out what to make for lunch…
Peach Almond Baked Oatmeal
(Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)
Ingredients:
2 c. old-fashioned oats
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped almonds
3 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
2 c. unsweetened almond milk (or cow’s milk)
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. sliced peaches, divided (or 1 15-oz can sliced peaches in light syrup, drained)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Scatter about half the peach slices around the bottom of the dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and 2/3 of the almonds. Pour evenly over peaches.
4. In the same bowl, whisk together melted butter, almond milk, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour evenly over the oat mixture, giving the dish a few thwacks on the countertop to evenly distribute, if necessary. (Just don’t thwack too hard!)
5. Arrange remaining peach slices on top and sprinkle with remaining almonds.
6. Bake about 40 minutes until the top is golden and set. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.
Simple Broccoli Quiche
It’s been a little while since I last posted, and I’ll tell you why. Of course, there’s the usual busyness of life with family, school, church, and housework (not to mention keeping up with new Mad Men episodes!), which is enough to keep me from blogging, but last week there was something else that needed my attention:
My sanity.
See, the week before last, all three of my kids had gotten sick–in the space of 24 hours, every single one of them was called home by the school nurse–and then of course I got it, too. Your basic someone-please-put-me-out-of-my-misery stomach flu. I got into bed at 7 PM that night and lay there for two or three hours just trying to pray myself out of it before I eventually fell asleep. Then, even once we all recovered, everybody was still in a funk. I’m fine overlooking cranky behavior when my kids are ill. I get it. It comes with the kid-sickness territory. But when the crankiness goes on for interminable days after the illness has dissipated, it’s hard to take. I vented my frustration to my husband one morning after dealing with some pretty extreme attitude problems, and he reminded me that it had been quite awhile since I had taken a personal retreat…or, as he likes to call it, an Emergency Vacation.
Ever since my firstborn was a toddler, I’ve tried to get away about once a year for a couple of days of quiet, prayer, and generally doing what I want, not what I have to. It’s wonderful tradition that always leaves me feeling refreshed and ready to get back to my real life. So when my husband brought it up, I didn’t need much encouragement before I jumped up, grabbed my laptop, and started making plans. Within a couple of hours, I had booked two nights doing something I’ve always wanted to try: a farm stay. If you haven’t heard of farm stays, they’re pretty much exactly what they sound like: (drum roll please…..) staying on a farm. In this case, I checked out farmstayus.com and located a small family farm outside Prescott, AZ, two hours from my home, that has a condo-sized cabin available for rent. A few days later I found myself sipping my morning coffee on a porch overlooking a beautiful valley with the sounds of chickens clucking in the background. Three Sparrows Farm was absolute bliss.
If you’ve ever had a hankering to get away from it all (but still be within driving distance of civilization), you couldn’t do much better than this place. A 2-acre property set on a hillside, 3 Sparrows has chickens, goats, and a donkey, all of which you are welcomed to feed, pet, and/or hold. (Except the donkey. Feeding and petting, yes. Holding, good luck.)
After two days of peace and quiet, including a hike up Thumb Butte and walking around downtown Prescott, I was totally pleased with my experience and definitely came home better equipped to deal with whatever life might throw at me. (Check out the farm and info about the farm stay at 3sparrowsfarm.com)
So, speaking of real life, let’s get to the other reason for this post: Broccoli Quiche. Because what’s the first things a mom has to do when she gets back from a trip? (I mean, after laundry?) Make dinner, of course! Quiche is one of my favorite go-to easy dinners, as I’ve mentioned here and here. Coming home from my getaway, broccoli quiche was a simple way to get dinner on the table without a lot of fuss. Served with roasted potatoes, it’s a satisfying but not overpowering brunch for dinner. Or just brunch for brunch. In any case, tasty, packed with veggies, and great for take-to-work leftovers.
Now that my 2015 Emergency Vacation is done, any recommendations for next year?
Broccoli Quiche
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust
2 Tbsp. butter
3 c. broccoli, chopped into florets
1/2 medium-large onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, and broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and broccoli is bright green. Spoon vegetables into prepared pie crust and sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar.
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, then mix in milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
4. Bake 40-45 minutes or until eggs are set in the center. (Check quiche frequently throughout baking time, as it is notoriously finicky about how long it takes to set.) Cool at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serves 4-5 as a main dish.
Ham-Asparagus and Cheese Strata
Can you believe it’s almost Easter? I feel like I’m still cleaning up from Christmas and like I still need to get my husband a Valentine’s Day gift. Just the other day I emailed someone saying “Hope your new year is off to a good start!” I clearly need to get with the times. It’s 97 degrees outside and going to be April in two days. (Speaking of which, anybody got any good April Fool’s pranks?) Pretty soon it’ll be 2025 and I’ll be going, wait, I thought I was still in my twenties! Or at least my thirties!
As the seasons seem to roll by faster and faster and time slips through my fingers like so much crumbly pie dough, I am comforted by the rituals of holidays. And when I say “rituals,” I mean food. As of this moment, my family has literally zero official plans for Easter, which is weird since we are very active Catholics and celebrate Easter as probably the most important holiday of the year. But even though we haven’t pinned down our plans, there are certain things I know will happen. Like ham. Ham will happen. After Easter eggs, ham seems to be the quintessential Easter food for Americans. According to About.com, the reason for this is that meat used to be slaughtered in the fall, and before refrigeration, pork was cured–a process that takes several months. It was around Easter that the hams were finally finished being cured and ready for consumption. And here I thought it had something to do with usurped pagan rituals. The things you learn, right?
Like most Americans, I have come to expect a ham to be the centerpiece of an Easter dinner, typically followed by weeks of leftovers in the form of ham soups, ham macaroni and cheese, and anything else ham can decently be included in. But before the Easter dinner, Easter brunch is another opportunity to enjoy this traditional Easter food. This ham-asparagus and cheese strata took center stage in our Easter brunch last year and I am still thinking about it. (Then again, I practically think it’s still 2014, so maybe don’t read too much into that…) Really, though, this dish was highly memorable. Its delightful rainbow of pastels was perfect for Easter, and I got a bigger kick than I probably should have out of the sunny-side up eggs nestled around its top. I loved the taste of the salty ham with the milder asparagus and piquant bite of Gruyere cheese. Plus, working vegetables directly into a breakfast casserole always gets my approval.
So as I’m trying to decide what to make for Easter breakfast, or brunch, or whatever we end up doing this Sunday, this one is at the top of my short list. Ham will happen.
Ham-Asparagus and Cheese Strata
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients:
8 oz. asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
5 cups bread cubes (preferably French bread)
2 c. shredded Gruyere or white cheddar cheese
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1 c. diced cooked ham
10 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
olive oil, to taste
salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes or until bright green. Remove and set aside.
2. In a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish spread half the bread cubes. Top with the cheese, green onion, and half the ham and asparagus. Top with remaining bread.
3. In a bowl whisk together 4 of the eggs and the milk. Evenly pour over the layers in the dish. With the back of a flat spatula, press the bread down into the egg mixture. To with remaining ham and asparagus. If making ahead of time, stop here, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
4. Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and with the back of a wooden spoon, press 6 indentations into the top of the strata. Pour a whole egg into each indentation. Return to oven for 20-25 more minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.
5. Drizzle top of strata with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut into squares and serve.
Serves 6-8.
Easy as Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
In the continual effort to eat healthier, I’m always on the hunt for ways to work in more fruits and vegetables into our family’s daily diet. Try as I might, the one meal that seems to elude me in this quest is breakfast. I’m happy to put berries on a waffle or possibly whip up a smoothie, but my imagination for fruit at breakfast seems to end right about there. So when I realized that baked oatmeal with fruit was a thing, I was pretty stoked. For awhile now I’ve been making this baked apple-cinnamon oatmeal with great approval from both my kids and my husband. It’s basically as easy as baked oatmeal can get–mix all the ingredients in a baking dish and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes. You don’t even need a mixing bowl. Fool-proof! Since I don’t generally have 45 minutes to wait for oatmeal to come out of the oven on any given morning (who am I kidding, I barely have an extra 45 seconds on school days) I like to make it the night before and reheat individual portions in the microwave. So let’s review: easy, unprocessed, filling, and full of fruit? I’ll take that any day!
Easy as Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
(Adapted from Betty Crocker)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 2/3 c. old-fashioned oats (gluten-free, if necessary)
4 c. milk
1/3 c. brown sugar
generous 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
2 apples, peeled and chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 2-quart baking dish, melt butter in the microwave. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
Raspberry Almond Overnight French Toast
Well, the Christmas season has come and gone, though you might not know it at our house. At least, not immediately outside our house. It’s not that we haven’t taken down our lights or have left some tacky blowup snowman out front. It’s that our 8-foot tall live Christmas tree is sitting directly outside of our front door because we don’t have a truck and it’s too big to haul away in our Mazda 5. Nothing says class like a Sasquatch-sized withering Christmas tree smack dab in front of your house halfway into January, right? I would almost rather have an 8-foot tall actual Sasquatch out there. At least that would be less cliche. Our kind neighbors have offered to take it to the Christmas tree recycling center (yes, that’s a thing) when they take theirs (which is NOT sitting in front of their house) one of these days soon. Yay for helpful neighbors!
At any rate, our Christmas 2014 was a pleasant and mostly peaceful one and in some ways I wasn’t ready for it to be over. (Just ready for the tree to be gone.) For me, holidays are marked by the foods I cook/our family eats, many of which have become traditions. For several years now I’ve done an overnight French toast for Christmas morning–usually a banana-pecan one–but this year I wanted to try something new. I ended up settling on this scrumptious, colorful cinnamon-spiced raspberry almond French toast. The original recipe calls for a whole cup of brown sugar, which I get, cause yeah, it’s Christmas and all, but as much as I love sugar, I also love cutting it out where it won’t really be missed. So I scaled it way back to just over a half cup and nobody thought it wasn’t sweet enough. (Plus, who are we kidding, it’s gonna get bathed in maple syrup anyway….I mean, it is Christmas after all.)
So while the Christmas season may be over, I think I have found a new favorite overnight French toast–cinnamon-y with bursts of tart raspberries and the crunch of almonds to contrast with the soft texture of the bread. Now I think I may need to start a Valentine’s Day breakfast tradition just so I can make it again…
Raspberry Almond French Toast
(Adapted from Taste of Home)
Ingredients:
12 slices cinnamon bread, cubed
5 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
heaping 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2 c. raspberries, fresh or frozen
Directions:
1. Place bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish (you will get about two layers of bread). In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle almonds over egg mixture. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with raspberries and bake another 10 minutes. Slice and serve with your favorite maple syrup.
Serves 6-8.
