Pineapple Upside Down Bread

Sometimes a little dessert for breakfast is a good way to get the day started. At least that’s what Sam tries to tell me. We decided to try pineapple upside down bread.

Sam thought it was “cool” to put the pineapples and cherries in first and then the batter. He couldn’t quite figure out how that was going to work. But when we got it out of the pan (all in one piece, thank you very much), he was impressed.

It tasted delicious and now because we accidentally bought the large jar of cherries we are having lots of sundaes with cherries on top as actual dessert.

Ingredients

For the Cake

4 Tbsp pineapple juice

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

For the Glaze & Topping::

1/4 stick of butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1-small can pineapple chunks-completely drained

8-10 maraschino cherries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Spray your Loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or lightly butter the bottom & sides.

3. I used a 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 Loaf Pan.

4. In a Large bowl combine the Eggs, Sugar, Pineapple Juice, Flour, Baking Powder & the Salt and mix until well incorporated.

5. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, once melted add in the brown sugar and stir constantly on medium heat for 45 seconds, set aside.

6. Spoon a layer of the hot mixture into the bottom of the Loaf Pan, then arrange the chunks of Pineapple on top of the brown sugar mixture. Add the cherries throughout the chunks.

7. Spoon the cake batter on top..

8. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

9. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes

10. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake to help loosen, because they tend to stick slightly.

11. Place on a wire cooling rack & allow to cool completely

AMISH-STYLE APPLE AND CINNAMON BAKED OATMEAL

I wanted to try something that was like oatmeal, but more exciting. This recipe for apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal fits the bill. At first, it seemed like a lot of ingredients, but it turns out that it was really simple to put together.

I got to try one serving, but when I went back to the refrigerator the next morning all of it was eaten and the container was in the dishwasher. No one will own up to exactly what happened to all of it, but both Derek and Sam told me it was “pretty good.” I also thought it was good and wished I had more to try. Oh well, I will certainly make this again.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (more to taste if you like things a bit sweeter)

2 1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted

2-3 large tart, sweet apples (like Honey Crisp or Gala), peeled, cored, and diced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Lightly grease an 8X12-inch or 9X13-inch baking pan or 9X9-inch (for super thick oatmeal) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (don't preheat the oven if making it ahead of time and refrigerating overnight).

• In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.

• In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.

• Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and add the melted butter or coconut oil. Stir or whisk to combine.

• Arrange the diced apples evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and pour the oatmeal mixture over the top. You can cover and refrigerate overnight at this point or bake right away (uncover before baking the next morning).

• Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden and the mixture is set up and not super jiggly.

• Serve warm or at room temperature with a little milk poured over the top, if you want.

Everything Bagel Sausage Casserole

Sam was very excited about this recipe. Turns out everything bagels are his favorite. He was a bit worried that the recipe wouldn’t turn out and we would have wasted all those bagels. Since we had to refrigerate overnight, there was more of a wait to find out if we were going to like it.

Luckily, this was a good one. There is so much savory goodness in this casserole. I felt like there was a lot of eggs and Derek thought it was very “bready,” but both of us agreed that we really enjoyed it. Sam liked it too, but he is somewhat of a bagel purist and would rather have the everything bagels just toasted with some cream cheese. To each his own I guess.

We were eating this one for days. It makes a lot.

INGREDIENTS

4 large Everything bagels cubed

8 ounces cream cheese softened

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded

1 pound maple-flavored sausage cooked and crumbled

2 cups heavy whipping cream

8 eggs

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chives

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cook and drain sausage. Cut bagels into bite-sized cubes. Grease a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.

• Cut cream cheese into thin slices and may a layer of slices across the bottom of the baking dish.

• Add a layer of half of the bagel cubes, half of the sausage, and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers.

• Whisk eggs. Add salt, pepper, and cream; whisk again. Pour evenly over the top of the casserole. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

• Remove casserole from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes until the casserole is browned on top and set in the center.

• Sprinkle chopped chives on top and enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I think that Sam and I would agree that these muffins were the yummiest things we have made yet. They are as gooey, cinnamon-y delicious as they look in the picture.

Every time I walked into the kitchen, there was one more muffin gone. Between Sam, Derek and I these muffins lasted two days and I am ashamed to say they made ALOT.

These will definitely be a regular menu item!

INGREDIENTS

Muffins

• 1 box yellow cake mix

• 1 cup milk

• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Icing

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 3 tablespoons real maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.

• In a large bowl, beat cake mix, 1 cup milk, the softened butter, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Gently stir half of the mixture into the batter in a large bowl. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with the remaining cinnamon mixture.

• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

• In a small bowl, beat Icing ingredients with a whisk. Drizzle over warm or cooled muffins.

Sausage Hash Brown Nests

We are trying more with eggs this week. I think the menu is going to need more savory items to balance all the sweet. This recipe took more steps that I usually like to do, but they made a dozen at a time so I didn’t mind.

I did a few things this time that I would do differently next time. First, I bought hot sausage. It was a little spicy for my liking and other’s might think so too. It did give the nest more flavor though. I also bought frozen hash browns where the recipe called for refrigerated. I think the frozen might have been harder to work with, but maybe I should have tried thawing them first. And finally, there is a lot of changing the oven temperature in between steps. I missed turning the oven up to 450 degrees when I was supposed to and I needed to leave that part in the oven longer. I’m not sure if that made a difference.

Sam was completely uninterested in helping with these for some reason. He just watched. Always my faithful taste tester though, he gave these a thumbs down for being too plain - until he got to the hot sausage part that he said was too spicy.

I thought they were okay, but maybe if I follow my own advice above they will come out better next time. Oh well, I made a full batch so I guess we will be eating these for awhile no matter what.

INGREDIENTS

1 package Premium Pork Sausage

20 ounces refrigerated hashbrowns

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

12 medium eggs

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400F.

• Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

• Divide sausage into 12 equal patties and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

• Increase oven temperature to 450F.

• In a large bowl, combine hash browns, one cup of cheese, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

• Generously spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

• Scoop out a rounded one-quarter cup of hash brown mixture and press into each well of the muffin pan. Use a spoon or your fingers to pack the mixture in tightly. Spray with additional nonstick cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes.

• Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

• Remove the muffin pan from the oven and use a spoon to carefully press hash browns down and up the sides of each hash brown cup to create a cup or nest shape.

• Place a sausage patty in each hash brown cup, trimming the patties if needed.

• Carefully top each sausage patty with an egg.

• Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of each egg and season with additional salt and pepper.

• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until eggs are set. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before carefully removing with a spoon.

Bacon, Egg and Tot Bake

Sam picked out this recipe because it involved tater tots. I liked it because there weren’t that many ingredients!

This recipe made A LOT which is great for a Bed and Breakfast. Since we haven’t opened yet, I ended up freezing some and giving some to Dotty.

Dotty raved about this, which is the highest form of compliment to me. She was thinking of serving it at the diner. There is no way I am giving her the recipe. Hopefully, she doesn’t follow my blog. LOL

Ingredients

1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 eggs

1 lb bacon, crisply cooked and chopped

6 cups Tater Tots (frozen)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1 tablespoon sliced green onion (1 medium)

Ketchup, if desired

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper and eggs until blended; pour into baking dish, and top with half of the bacon.

Place frozen potato nuggets in single layer on ungreased large cookie sheet with sides. Place both the baking dish and cookie sheet in oven. Bake 20 minutes.

Place potato nuggets evenly on top of Bisquick bake; top with cheese and remaining bacon. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Top with green onion. Serve with ketchup.