Soaked Oat Porridge

This has become my go to recipe for oatmeal. Mmmm.... The best of both steel cut oats and regular old-fashioned oats. It's a bit more work, but not much.

Soaked Oat Porridge
~Bowl + Spoon

• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 2 c. milk (nondairy is fine)
• 2 c. water
• 1 c. rolled grain flakes*
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• maple syrup or honey, for serving
• milk or cream or creme fraiche, for serving
• 2 c. sliced fresh fruit or berries (or some raisins/Craisins)

*I use a mix of several rolled grains or just straight up oats; official recipe calls for wheat or rye or a combination

1. The night before: combine steel-cut oats with water to cover by 2 inches. Cover. You can do this in the same pot you plan to cook in, but it will take some strategy in the morning. I use a separate bowl.
2. In the morning: drain oats. Warm milk and 2 c. water in medium pot until little bubbles appear on the sides. Add oats, rolled grains, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until desired consistency.
3. Serve with above mentioned toppings or others of your choice.

~Serves 4

Frittata with Leftover Greens

Greens are often hard for CSA newbies to use up. Leftover cooked greens rarely beckon to someone as comfort food (unless that someone is like me and has grown to love certain kinds of greens!). This frittata recipe is a great option for odds and ends of leftover cooked greens as well as those greens you're still, um, "learning to love." (Swiss chard, I'm lookin' at you!) You can certainly cook some up just for this recipe, but do keep it in mind the next time you have leftovers. I used Swiss chard from the Colvins (and onions and grape tomatoes from my box, too!).

Frittata with Leftover Greens
~from allrecipes

• 5 eggs
• 2 egg whites (or 1 additional whole egg)
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 c. halved grape tomatoes
• 1 c. cooked Swiss chard or spinach (thawed if frozen)
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven broiler. Mix eggs and first salt and pepper amounts and parsley. Whisk until completely blended together.
2. Saute onion in olive oil until soft (5 minutes). Make sure to use a broiler-safe large skillet (10 inches or so). Add remaining salt and pepper and tomatoes. Saute for another minute. Add greens and cook until heated through. 
3. Pour egg mixture over, cover, and cook for a few minutes until mostly cooked.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top and cook under broiler for 2 minutes or until top is fully cooked and cheese has begun to brown.

~Serves 3-4

Breakfast Burritos with Greens

Mmm… I can hear you now: nothin' better than taking a cheesy, meaty breakfast treat and adding greens to it (and taking out the meat!). But even the kids scarfed these down. If you're a gardener, regular farmer's market shopper, or CSA shareholder, you're likely to have greens lying about. I'm at the point where we need to eat vegetables at every meal just to use some of our produce up. These burritos are a nice way to chip away at the pile o' greens; they also are a good way to use up some leftover cooked greens as long as they were cooked simply without some sort of sauce.

Breakfast Burritos with Kale

• scrambled eggs with cheese* (about 1 egg/person)
• cooked kale--about 1 leaf/greens-eater's burrito; 1/3-1/2 leaf for non-greens-eaters' burritos
• cooked black beans (drained and rinsed if canned); about 1/4 cup per person)
• whole wheat tortillas
• salsa of choice

*if you make plain scrambled eggs, then sprinkle cheese on the top of the burrito fillings; if there's a lot of cheese in the eggs, you won't need extra on top.

1. If kale is not already cooked, strip leaves from stems and chop. Cook in a small bit of water for a few minutes until cooked. Drain well.
2. Warm tortillas in a microwave. Layer eggs, beans, and kale. Top with salsa. Mmmm

On a side note, if anyone tries to make these and freeze them, let me know. I'm thinking that might work, but don't have time to mass produce them right now.

October Unprocessed...or Not

Sure, we can do a month of unprocessed cooking! The October Unprocessed Challenge sounds perfect!

Or not.

Confession time, folks: while we usually DO cook a lot of unprocessed foods--or at least bake from scratch--this October was not a cooking-conducive month. We were out of town and/or busy with visitors EVERY weekend this month. We had a heap of extra commitments on top of that (including a birthday). In fact, the first night of October, do you know what I fed my kids? Um, boxed mac-n-cheese. Not a glorious start.

But, I must say, thanks to those lovely coupons from Bob's Red Mill that I got when I signed up for the challenge, we have discovered some delicious new breakfast options to round out our boring oatmeal rut: Scottish Oats (the Bob's Red Mill ones are like chopped steel cut oats--steel cut, but not as "big" as normal steel cut oats; my kids like the texture much better). Brown Rice "Cream of Wheat" (Bob's Red Mill calls theirs "farina" or something like that, but it's very similar to my childhood fave--Cream of Wheat). Neither of these options are as cheap as our usual old-fashioned oats, but they are delicious and a wonderful change of pace. There is also a multi-grain porridge which is a yummy taste change-of-pace. I guess we learned some new things after all. My breakfast rotation might have porridge on several mornings--and they'll all be a little different!

All images from Bob's Red Mill website

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Streusel Topping

This time of year, we love us some hot porridge-y goodness in the morning. And if there are pumpkin-y fall flavors in that porridge...even better. I used almond milk in this version, but I'm sure you could use regular milk. Just watch it closely in the microwave to make sure it doesn't boil over. If you get the topping ready the night before, this comes together fairly quickly in the morning. Let it bake while you get ready for the day.

**updated to add more notes--this is not like "normal" baked oatmeal. It should be the consistency of regular stovetop oatmeal, not the drier "baked oatmeal" texture. Essentially, it's regular oatmeal with a nice streusel topping. If you follow the directions below, and your oat mixture is still very milky after the microwave cooking time, you may want to cook it a bit longer in the microwave. Otherwise, the oven baking time may need to be longer. My microwave is pretty powerful....yours may need extra time. Think of this like pumpkin oatmeal custard :-).

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Streusel Topping

• 2 c. oats
• 3 c. almond milk
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. ginger
• 1/4 t. cloves
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1. Combine oats and almond milk in a microwave safe container with lid, and let sit in fridge overnight.
2. In the morning, microwave the oat/milk mixture on high for about 3 minutes. Stir, the microwave for about 3 more minutes, or until done.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients and spread in an oven-safe dish (I used a pottery dish, but an Pyrex 8x8-inch glass pan would work).
4. Top with topping (see below) and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until topping looks done.

 ~Makes 4 generous servings

Topping:
3/4 c. chopped pecans (or so)
2 T. butter (or so)
3 T. brown sugar (or so)

Pumpkin Waffles (Dairy- and Egg- Free/Vegan)

First of all, whether or not you have any dietary restrictions or preferences that keep you from eating eggs and/or dairy, these are DELICIOUS and very nourishing. And they're good at room temperature. And they freeze just fine. And, should you, um, spread Nutella on top (which would bump them from vegan-status), before topping them with bananas, well, you will suddenly eat them for any meal of the day.

Virtues aside, my children each have friends and classmates with various allergies. Dairy and egg allergies can be hard to work around, especially if you're hosting a sleepover. But these waffles will please all the kiddos at the table and will work for dairy- and egg-free/vegan folks.

Pumpkin Waffles (Dairy- and Egg-Free/Vegan)
~from Simple Vegan! Delicious Meat-free, Dairy-Free Recipes Every Family Will Love

• 1/3 c. oats (quick-cooking or regular)
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. pumpkin pie spice (or sub 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. cloves, 1/4 t. ginger, 1/4 t. nutmeg or similar)
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 c. plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy, almond)
• 1 can (15-oz) solid pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin-pie mix/filling)
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1 t. vanilla

1. Blend oats in food processor or blender until finely ground. 
2. Mix dry ingredients (including oats) in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together wet ingredients, including pumpkin, in a smaller bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just until blended.
5. Preheat waffle iron; spray if necessary. Pour or spoon batter onto waffle iron; my waffle iron (4-5 inch squares) took a scant 1/4 cup per waffle.
6. Cook until crisp and browned--mine took a bit longer than usual for the waffles to cook all the way.
7. You can keep these warm in a 200 degree oven or serve right away!

Makes about 18-20 (4-inch) waffles

Transition: Summer to School

It's officially here: the school year starts Monday. MONDAY, people. 

Which means I need to get my little lunch-making and speedy-breakfast-making ducks in a row. Quick like.

How did we do on our summer goals? I think we got a passing grade, barely. We have one swimmer and one biker-sans-training-wheels: my oldest. So, perhaps the boys will join their big sister next summer. All three made great progress. We made it through our Real Food Fast with flying colors for the most part. We did not even begin to do any meal-prep training with the kids. Nada. Zilch. But we had a good time.

Last year, I did a breakfast rotation for the four mornings of the week that we had to be out the door on the double. I hate to leave a pile o' dirty dishes behind, I hate to subsist only on boxed cereal each morning, and I like for things to be reasonably healthy and affordable. It made SUCH a huge difference in our morning routine to know exactly what we were going to have on which days--even the kids knew and if I ever deviated, they questioned it. I guess when you stagger down to the breakfast table, it's comforting to have a known entity there on the table waiting. We have one church morning (leave by 9:00 a.m.) and three school mornings (University Model School; leave by 7:20).

Last year's rotation:

• Sunday morning: coffee cake plus hard-boiled eggs and bananas
• Monday morning: Oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts (bonus if there was any fresh fruit)
• Wednesday morning: Microwave egg sandwich plus fruit
• Thursday morning: boxed cereal plus fruit

This year's rotation must change a touch mostly because my grocery shopping day has been shifted from Monday to Thursday. Oatmeal is a great meal on those mornings because I can make it with water if we're out of milk and it doesn't need any other fresh ingredient. You'll see that reflected below plus some other favorite recipes we've now worked into our regular routine. Obviously, there's room for variation (different kinds of muffins, for instance), but this really helps us have a good breakfast without too much trouble.

This year's breakfast rotation:

• Sunday: coffee cake or scones plus hard-boiled eggs and bananas (if it ain't broke, don't fix it :-) )
• Monday: cereal plus fruit
• Wednesday: Muffins and smoothies (muffins made day before; we may reconfigure smoothies once it gets cold out)
• Thursday: Oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts

Kid-Friendly Green Smoothie

This is a delicious, fruity-tasting smoothie that my three children INHALED. My daughter even asked for seconds; normally, while she claims to like smoothies, she has a hard time finishing them (and the kids usually get an 8-10 oz. serving--not one of of those giant smoothie servings some restaurants pass out). Keep this in mind for a quick nutritional boost on school mornings! (We made triple this batch for 3 kid servings and 2 generous adult servings plus a small amount leftover.)

Kid-Friendly Green Smoothie

• 1 c. baby spinach
• 1  frozen bananas
• 1 1/2 c. frozen fruit blend (I used Dole's mango/pineapple/peach/strawberry blend)
• 1 c. almond milk

Blend/puree! Start with less almond milk and adjust as needed for consistency. We like them fairly thick (and ate with a spoon, but could have used a straw.)

Swiss Chard Quiche

I don't know about you, but I'm a tentative Swiss Chard eater. I keep getting lured back because it's just SO pretty!! But, honestly, it tastes a touch grassy. Enter: quiche. Inspired by Lia's Spinach and Bacon Quiche, I decided to use this week's chard in a crustless quiche for a quick dinner last night. The verdict: even the kids gobbled it down. I used Rainbow Chard; if you use that or Ruby Chard, your quiche will be a little gray inside. Just warning you! Incidentally, I was able to use green garlic AND a big spring onion from our CSA, too!

Swiss Chard (Crustless) Quiche
~based on this recipe

• 1 "pour" olive oil (a tablespoon? maybe?)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (a little more than 1/2 a pound)
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 small (~3-inch) onion, chopped
• 1-2 small green onions (unless your onion is green and has a nice green stalk coming out!), sliced
• 1 T. pesto
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 c. milk (I used 2%)
• 2 1/2 cups mixed shredded cheese (I used cheddar, Mexican crumbling cheese, monterey jack, and some Parm--cleaning out the cheese drawer!)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove chard stems from leaves (the thick parts--I cut off leaves until the stem was about 1/8-inch thick).  Slice stems thinly and chop leaves coarsely (but keep separate).
2.  Saute chard stems, garlic slivers, and chopped onion together in hot oil until tender (they don't need to caramelize or anything).
3. Add in chopped leaves and green onions (I used about 1-inch of the green tops of my big green onion for this). Add a little water, and stir until leaves are wilted and cooked (they won't be mush--but they will cook down quite a bit). Keep stirring until water is gone.
4. Whisk eggs and milk together. Add cheeses and stir. Fold in Swiss Chard mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour into a greased deep dish pie plate.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until quiche is set.

~Serves 8

The Breakfast Bowl

My husband cooks on Sunday nights, and breakfast is a recurring theme. This was his latest delicious creation--and it fits nicely with the other "bowls" we enjoy. As with our other "bowls," proportions depend on you/your family. In general, the starch (potatoes, here) is the base. Meat/protein is used more as an accent, and we add in whatever veggies in whatever amounts we like! Incidentally, like our other bowls, this is (or can be) gluten free if that's a concern for you.  [I have to admit that while we thought we invented this, I did see a frozen box at Aldi just this week labeled "Breakfast Bowls"--not sure what theirs are like, but... ]

The Breakfast Bowl
~The Husband

• Home Fries style potatoes (either frozen or fresh potatoes cut up into cubes)
• Browned bulk breakfast sausage (could sub in ham or bacon or other meat of choice)
• Chopped bell peppers
• Chopped onion
• Shredded cheese
• Eggs, fried over easy or over hard
  Condiments of choice (ketchup, salsa, etc.)

Cook all ingredients separately or reheat leftovers (always a plus!). Place potatoes on bottom and then top with desired remaining ingredients. Top with egg cooked to order and condiments of choice.

Spiced Crunchy (Low-Fat) Granola

I confess: I'm a granola snob. After all, until now, I've firmly believed that "my" granola recipe is, hands down, the best. Hence the reason it's taken me so long to try the Bittman version. But I finally did, and it's a winner!! Not only is it free of any added oils, but it's also super easy. [I might even like it better, but don't tell that other recipe I said so.]

Spiced Crunchy (Low-Fat) Granola
~How to Cook Everything, 10th ann. edition

• 6 c. oats or other rolled, flaked grain (I used about 1 1/2 cups of a muesli mix I had as part of this)
• 2 c. chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, .... I used 1/2 almonds and 1/2 walnuts)
• 1/2-1 c. honey (I used 3/4 c.)
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. ground ginger
• 1/2 t. ground cardamom
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 c. raisins or Craisins

1. Mix all together except the dried fruit.
2. Spread in a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 5-7 minutes or so).
4. When browned, remove and let cool to room temperature. Add raisins or Craisins and transfer to a room temperature container.

~Makes 8-9 cups or so

Cranberry Coffee Cake

If you're like me, you're liable to discover a bag of cranberries in your freezer around this time of year--totally forgot about them! Try this sweet coffee cake if you're able to round up cranberries, fresh or frozen. It's best warm, straight from the oven or reheated. I make it Saturday night so we can have it Sunday morning for breakfast (and Monday morning, too!). Note that there are two measurements for sugar--in case you're checking to make sure you have enough.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
~Simply in Season

• 3 c. cranberries
• 2/3 c. sugar 
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/3 c. flour (can do half whole wheat)
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt

Combine cranberries and first amount of sugar. Spread over bottom of greased 13x9-inch pan (glass is pretty). Sprinkle walnuts over cranberries. Cream together butter and second amount of sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine dry ingredients left and add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Batter will be thick--almost like cookie dough. Spoon clumps of batter out over cranberries. You will have some small gaps here and there, but the batter will spread out as it cooks. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

~Serves 12-15

Palacinky (Crepes)

Mmmm.... the mere thought of Czech Palacinky (pronounced pah-la-chin-ky) makes my mouth water. These are essentially French crepes spread with jam, nutella, or something similar, rolled up, and topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream, or something similar. What's not to like? These can be made ahead of time and frozen, stacked with wax paper between layers. Thaw in fridge.

Crepes/Palacinky 
~the "Crepes" recipe from Heart and Soul, a Memphis Jr. League Cookbook

• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 c. flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 T. cooking oil
• 1/4 t. salt

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat with a rotary beater or stick blender until well mixed.
2. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet. Remove from heat. Spoon in 2 tablespoons of the batter; lift and tilt the skillet to spread the batter.
3. Return to heat; brown on one side only (sometimes I use more batter and carefully flip them). 
4. Invert pan over paper towel; remove crepe.
5. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet occasionally.

 ~Makes 18

Bircher-Muesli

One of the main reasons I started full tummies way back when (nearly 6 years ago!!) was to have a catchall place for random recipes from relatives, books, and magazine--the digital equivalent of the old-fashioned recipe box. I figured I could never lose the recipes this way.

And, over the years, full tummies has held me in good stead! Except for one, little, crucial recipe: Bircher-Muesli. I didn't use the rest of the recipes much in the Dairy Hollow House Cookbook, so I dutifully photocopied the muesli gem and took the cookbook to the used book store for trade. A few months went by....


....AAGGHH... where in the world is that recipe??!! Maybe I can find something similar on the web....

Real life interrupted my fruitless searching, and I moved on. Until this winter when I had the brilliant idea to check our local library: yep! They had the cookbook. I am now recording this amazing breakfast concoction in my trusty digital recipe box. It's a cold breakfast so we'll wait until warmer weather before indulging but it will be here when I need it!

[edited 1/15/13 to add that you can make this more than a day ahead of time up through mixing in the apples; it keeps just fine for an extra day or so--just gets a little softer]

Bircher-Muesli
~Dairy Hollow House Cookbook

• 2 c. oats
• 1 1/2 c. milk or water*
• 6 pitted prunes, quartered
• 6 pitted apricots, quartered
• 2 apples, grated [I use just one good-sized apple, unpeeled, and chopped fine in the food processor]
• 2-4 T. honey or maple syrup, to taste (I always use honey)
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. seedless green grapes, halved, optional
• 1/2 c. fresh pineapple, diced, optional
• 1/4 c. each ground toasted almonds, hazelnuts, and sesame seeds, optional
• 1/3 c. raisins, optional*
• 1-2 c. sliced fresh strawberries, optional
• 1 sliced banana, optional
• whipped cream, slightly sweetened or plain yogurt*

*In the cookbook, there is a distinction between "city style" and "country style" (similar to "company" and "at home"). City is more elaborate, using the richer milk instead of water, more fresh fruit in the "optional" ingredients, and the whipped cream. When I used to make this at home, I used half milk and half water, the ground nuts (usually almonds, pecans, and/or walnuts), the raisins, and a banana. Strawberries are a nice touch.

1. The night before: pour water or milk over oats and refrigerate. Pour enough boiling water to cover over prunes and apricots, cover and refrigerate (a small ramekin works nicely for this).
2. In the morning, drain prunes and apricots and combine with oat mixture. Mix the apples, honey, and lemon juice together and add to oat mixture. Stir in and/or garnish with any of the following ingredients, adding extra honey on top for those who need it.

~Serves 6-8

Roasted Sugar-Glazed Pears

These are a touch labor intensive, but they are delicious and very impressive to look at. We planned on one pear/person, but that ended up being a bit much since we had them as part of a larger buffet. If you're serving them as dessert, you will probably need one/person. We topped them with whipped cream; vanilla ice cream would also work. They are good on their own as well. (the picture above is not great; hopefully my father-in-law got a better one and will send me a copy....)

Roasted Sugar-Glazed Pears
~Saveur

7 firm pears (we used red; they were ripe, but not very soft)
3 tbsp. rum
2 tbsp. dried currants (we used raisins)
2 tbsp. golden raisins
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. blanched almonds, finely chopped 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (we used regular dried)
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 2"-piece ginger, peeled and minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 orange
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
½ cup sugar
1. Peel, core, and finely chop 1 pear and place it in a 2-qt. saucepan along with rum, currants, raisins, brown sugar, almonds, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, ginger, and both zests and juices; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, until mixture is soft and thickened, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" glass pie dish with butter; set aside. Combine remaining cinnamon with sugar in a bowl; set aside. Using a channel knife (like a "v"), cut a spiral pattern in the skin of each remaining pear from top to bottom, if you like. Carefully core each pear from the bottom with a melon baller, coring about 1½–2" deep. Divide stuffing among pears; brush outsides with butter and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Stand pears upright in the prepared dish, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar; bake until just tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

~Serves 6 or more

Fruit Compote

My husband is in charge of Sunday night dinners, and he always comes up with something amazing! Breakfast is a familiar theme, and this week he made pumpkin waffles (from a delicious Trader Joe's mix) topped with a fruit compote and a touch of whipped cream. YUM. YUM. YUM. Here's his fruit compote, based largely on one from myrecipes.com.

Fruit Compote

• 2-3 apples, chopped (and cored)
• 1 can pear halves or slices in light syrup, drained and chopped
• 1/2-1 cup frozen berries, any combo*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 t. cinnamon**
• generous pinch ground cloves**
• generous pinch ground nutmeg**
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 2-3 T. vanilla*

*depending on tartness of berries (and we think cranberries would also be good), you may want to use less lemon juice or omit altogether

**this makes a fairly spicy mix; if you have sensitive palates in the house, you may want to use less

1. Stir together all ingredients except pears and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a few minutes (3-4). Add pears and continue to simmer until desired tenderness. Berries will nearly disintegrate and turn the sauce purple!
2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. May be served hot or cold. Excellent warm over waffles!

~Makes enough for 6 servings of waffles ☺.

Egg Muffins

Time to start trouble shooting food-related issues for this school year! What sorts of nourishing, cheap, quick-to-eat breakfasts can we round up? (We also need to practice eating more, um, quickly and "on task" than is typically the practice around here.)

At any rate, this egg muffin (or "Egg Bbang" as it's called in Korea) is a delightfully different approach. The batter is quite sweet and is a nice complement to the egg. The eggs are like hard-boiled eggs, so if your kids don't like those, then they won't like these. I'm going to try mixing up the batter the night before so it's quick work to assemble these and pop them in the oven.

Egg Muffins
~from Aeri's Kitchen (a VERY fun site; her site has lots of lovely step-by-step pictures, too)

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat with pretty good success)
• 3/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 8 small or medium eggs
• salt

1. Whisk two large eggs until fluffy. Whisk in sugar until dissolved. Whisk in flour and baking powder. Whisk in milk and melted butter. Batter will be quite thin. Aeri suggests putting in a big ziploc bag at this point and cutting a hole in one corner so you can "dribble" in the batter with more control. I used a 4-cup mixing bowl with pour spot with good success, too.
2. Silicone muffin pans are GREAT for this recipe. If using a metal one, grease that baby!
3. Pour a small amount of batter in the bottom of 8 muffin cups (just enough, really, to cover the bottom). If you won't be eating that many eggs, just do this for the ones you'll put eggs in. They don't "keep" well.
4. Crack a small or medium egg on top of each batter-lined muffin spot. Sprinkle some salt on top.
5. Pour batter over eggs until they are covered and batter mostly fills up the rest of the muffin cup (unless you're using a really large muffin pan).
6. Pour extra batter in remaining muffin spots.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Turn oven off. Leave in oven for an extra 5 minutes to let eggs finish cooking.
8. Eat warm!

~Makes about 8 egg muffins

Farmer's Omelet Casserole

This is exactly what it sounds like: an omelet turned into a casserole. I thought it was delicious; my husband enjoyed it, but claimed he could taste the tomatoes (he doesn't like fresh tomatoes). Kids? Well, they're never a guarantee, now, are they? One devoured it for dinner, but turned up her nose at the leftovers. Another has decided he doesn't like potatoes (whatever to THAT, I say. How can you not like potatoes??).

Farmer's Omelet Casserole
~The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

• 3 c. frozen cubed hashbrowns (I suppose you could use regular chopped potatoes here)
• 1 c. chopped green pepper, divided
• 1/3 c. chopped onion
• 1 T. oil
• 18 large eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 c. chopped ham
• 1 1/4 c. chopped tomato, divided*
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. (6-oz) shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack (I used MJ)

*it doesn't say to do this, but I got rid of the "jelly" and seeds in the tomatoes

1. Cook potato, 3/4 c. green pepper, and onion in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 8 minutes or until tender.
2. Combine potato mixture, eggs, ham, 1 cup tomato, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden (and center is set). Top with remaining 1/4 cup green pepper and 1/4 cup tomato. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. 

 ~Serves 12

Spiced Coffee Cake

We love coffee cake around here--we have it on Sunday mornings (the sweetness tempts my children to eat up and not dawdle--a plus since we have to leave for church and don't get home until early afternoon). This is from my mom-in-law's friend Dee. It's the nutmeg in it that makes it a little different from the usual coffee cakes. If I remember, she gave it to us in a 9x13-inch pan, so it must double fairly easily.

Spiced Coffee Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugars at medium speed until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until blended. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9 inch square pan; sprinkle evenly with Streusel Topping.
3. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (can use walnuts)
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stir in melted butter. Spread on top.

Whole Wheat Peach Kuchen

The last time I tried peach kuchen was years ago; I remember not being terribly keen on it. However I decided, given the mountain of peaches on my counter, to give it another whirl--different recipe, though. This was a HUGE hit with my children. We ate the first half warm from the oven for a snack with our tea, and finished off the rest for breakfast. It's sweet, but not overly so. There's plenty of fresh fruit in it to assuage any guilt over "dessert" for breakfast ☺.

Whole Wheat Peach Kuchen
~from Simply in Season

Combine following in mixing bowl:

• 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 c. walnuts, ground (optional)

Cut in 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick) until crumbly. Pat mixture over bottom and sides of a pie plate.

Arrange 4-5 halved, peeled peaches, cut side down, over pastry. If you work it right, you can have 8 halves around the edge (they will be snug) plus 1 half in the middle and maybe the final half just chopped up and sprinkled in.

Mix together 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Combine the following and pour over peaches; bake for 30 more minutes or until set:

• 1 c. plain yogurt* or sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla

 *If your yogurt is nonfat and/or "loose," put about 1 1/2 cups in a coffee filter lined colander and let drain while you fix the remaining ingredients. If you do this at the very beginning, you will have much thicker yogurt (more like sour cream in texture) by the time you get to the part where you mix it with the egg, etc.

~Serves about 8 if you have 8 peach halves lining the edges ☺

Cookbook says you can substitute blueberries, too. I think that sounds yummy, too!