Simple Yet Gourmet

New recipe! Can you even believe it?! Kirsti and I decided we need to get back in the habit of sharing our favorite recipes by sharing at least one a month so here you go:   I’m starting off with these scrumptious strawberry muffins. Extra large and fluffy, these muffins are bursting with strawberry bits and topped with the most delicious strawberry glaze. If you end up with extra glaze, go ahead and drizzle some extra.  No judgement here :)   Even if you already love the previous strawberry muffins on our blog, you need to try these- they are the only ones I'll be making from here on out.  They're that good!

I love this time of year when the temperature drops and it's perfectly acceptable to make and eat all kinds of pumpkin things! I've been meaning to try my hand at cake donuts for sometime now and these pumpkin ones were calling my name.  Unlike yeast donuts that require a few rises and fry up nice and fluffy, these cake donuts come together pretty quickly (with a small chilling period) and are more dense and moist in texture. The outside gets all craggy and crispy which is perfect for collecting all the sugary glaze.  Such a delicious combo of textures and perfectly flavored with pumpkin and spices.  We loved these!! Note: I tried making a few of these in the air fryer as an experiment and was amazed at the difference in texture.  Not in a good way.  The air fryer ones were much tougher and not craggy and crispy.  So stick with frying these in oil and you won't be disappointed.  

For those busy mornings, nothing beats a make ahead breakfast and we love this one! With a creamy vanilla/ cinnamon base, juicy blueberries, and a buttery streusel topping; it's a satisfying and delicious way to start the day!  I absolutely love that I can just pull this out of the fridge and pop it right in the oven while I go shower and get ready for the day.  It's a lifesaver with 9am church! I love baked blueberries so I've started adding them in with the bread and milk mixture, but if you prefer fresh you can sprinkle them on after it's baked.  Finish it off with some butter, maple syrup, and some more blueberries (if desired), and dig in!  

These have been a family favorite for many years.  I found this recipe when my daughter we very young.  I cut the sugar in half and used half whole wheat in the recipe.  I found it to be a healthy breakfast for my little ones. It brings back many happy memories each time I make these. When I have a ton of ripe bananas that need to be used up, I make these for breakfast. Today I added chocolate chips and sprinkled a little brown sugar on top for a little crunch to give the recipe a new twist, it was a hit, even with my non banana lovers.  This recipe requires only one bowl, which makes it super easy and quick on those hectic mornings!      

A healthy protein packed cherry smoothie would be a perfect addition to a Valentines breakfast or an after-school snack to combat all that sugar, don’t you think? With their sweet tartness and beautiful color, cherries are one of my favorite fruits! While fresh ones are hard to come by in February ( I randomly found these ones at Costco ) I can usually find frozen ones. Honestly, frozen cherries make the best smoothies anyway.  No pitting required and since they are frozen and they make the smoothie nice and thick.  I love throwing some into my morning protein shake with a scoop of vanilla protein powder,  but I realize that protein powder isn’t a staple in every house. That’s why I’m including two versions for this smoothie-lucky you! 

  These are a new treasure at our house, warm rolls filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with gooey caramel sauce and chopped pecans!  I am always looking for recipes for breakfast that I can make the night before to help with the morning rush.  Simple to make using frozen bread dough and yummy to eat.  My family likes a lot of caramel on their rolls so I double the heavy cream and powdered sugar mixture to give it the extra goo my family loves.   Enjoy!

My Mother-In-Law made these muffins for us while when we visited last Spring and I was hooked. They are full of fiber and vitamins from the bran, carrots, and raisins but still manage to taste good too! Healthy, hearty and moist but still sweet enough thanks to the brown sugar. So maybe not completely “healthy” but still full of healthy things. Perfect for a breakfast or snack. I love to make these for snacks for Parker (my toddler). I keep a few out and freeze the rest, thawing for about 20 seconds in the microwave as needed. 

Blueberry Muffins and Orange Muffins are some of my favorites so it was only a matter of time before I did a mash up of the two! These Orange Blueberry muffins are cheery and delicious!  Sweet juicy blueberries combined with bright orange flavor? So good.  The muffin base is sturdy yet fluffy and just sweet enough, and the orange glaze is the perfect finishing touch.   In addition to some pretty standard pantry ingredients, you'll just need some oranges and blueberries (fresh or frozen).  I used Cuties for this recipe but any oranges will work.  Don't skip the step of dusting the blueberries with the flour mixture.  It helps the blueberries stay put instead of sinking to the bottom of the muffins.  Serve these with a nice cold glass of milk or some freshly squeezed orange juice!

Talk about a showstopper breakfast! This Nutella Star Bread is a Beauty! The Nutella and sweet bread layers make such a pretty pattern when the bread is twisted into points and the dusting of powdered sugar looks like a fresh dusting of snow.  Danny insisted it looked like a snowflake so that's what we call it :) Now of course this Star/Snowflake bread is not looks only.  I wouldn't be sharing it with you if it wasn't also delicious, and it is!  Picture this: Three thin layers of a sweet dough spread with Nutella and then topped with one last dough layer.  Yummy yummy.  Nutella is a star ingredient in this bread but it wasn't actually as sweet as I thought it would be.  Just sweet enough without being overpoweringly rich or decadent.   This Snowflake Bread was a hit with my family and even my kids ate an uncharacteristically large amount.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that the four of us polished this off.  That being said, if you h...

Growing up my Mom made us breakfast 6 days of the week.  On Sundays we got cold cereal, which we loved!  Definitely didn't fully appreciate how lucky we were to have a nice, warm breakfast almost every day.  Now that I'm the Mom, I still love to make breakfast, but other than the occasional fried egg, pretty much the only day I do that is on Sunday! We've been spoiled to have church at 12pm this year so I have quite a bit of time to whip something up while certain family members are sleeping in.  Not that I'm bitter or anything, I actually love my quiet Sunday mornings in the kitchen.    Anyways....These Orange Rolls are so divine! We love having them for a late Sunday breakfast but they would make a fabulous dessert as well.  The roll is tender and fluffy with a creamy, dreamy orange cream cheese icing on the top.  My favorite part of the roll though? The filling! So, so good.  Especially the part that just melts out and sticks to the bottom...

Creamy Cinnamon Vanilla Steel cut oats are one of my favorite breakfasts.  I love the texture- the chewiness is just right for me, and the creaminess of the oats just isn't quite matched by the other types of oatmeal.  With 5 g of protein and fiber per serving they are so good for you too! The only drawback is that they can be a little high maintenance if you are making them on the stove, requiring constant stirring for several minutes.   Let's be honest, most mornings that just isn't something I have time to do.  I'm trying to get a workout in, get the kids off to school, get showered, etc.  That is why I love making these oats in the Instant Pot!  For this recipe, you literally just put everything into the pot and walk away.  Go do what you need to do and come back to it later.   Total cook time on this is probably about 20 min.  I've never actually timed it exactly, but that is the beauty of these oats.  It's ok if you don't...

  I'd like to dedicate this post to my Mom and siblings who have an Instant Pot but never use it because they don't know what to make in it.  I'm still learning new things myself, but these eggs are something I make frequently and they are so easy to do.  Plus, it's totally hands off so you don't have to sit and babysit a pot of boiling water and they peel so easily! It's handy to have hard boiled eggs on hand for sandwiches (have you tried the Egg Salad Sandwich with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese yet ?) , salads, deviled eggs, or just to snack on! I tend to grab one of these in the late afternoon when it's too close to dinner to eat something big but I want a protein packed snack to tide me over.  Hope you'll give these a try!

Did you know that Sunday is Johnny Appleseed day?  Making these muffins would be the perfect way to kick off the day!  Just look at those nicely domed tops, crumbly streusel topping, and that thick vanilla glaze.  I'm ready to go make another batch right now just looking at them.  But don't start thinking these muffins are all looks- they have goodness underneath too! What you don't see is a light, delicious cinnamon muffin base infused with bits of apple-y goodness.  There is so much texture in these muffins!  I love them and I'm pretty sure ol' Johnny would too.  Such a perfect Fall muffin!

These muffins are so yummy! Kirsti shared this recipe with us over Thanksgiving and we have made it several times since! A chocolate banana base is made even more yummy with the addition of chocolate chips, and as if that wasn't already enough, the top is sprinkled with sugar so it's crunchy and extra delicious.  Side note:  as I was typing this Danny leaned over and asked, "When can we have one of those cupcakes"?  Yep, he likes these and chances are you will too!

With autumn official here, the pumpkin recipes are coming out.  Already my kiddos are telling me no more pumpkin! But, I can not help myself, I love pumpkin. Not only does it taste wonderful, it make a moist and yummy baked good.  My sister asked for a pumpkin french toast recipe and I thought I had already posted this. With this recipe, I made a cinnamon syrup that really works well with this.  I think next time, I might add a little nutmeg as well to add to the flavor.  Nothing better than french toast with a hint of pumpkin and warm cinnamon syrup to start the day off right.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we do,  Stay turned for more pumpkin recipes, despite my kids complaining!

     My favorite time of the year is fall.  I love the crispy air, the beautiful colors, the pumpkin patch visit and hay rides and the most important part the food!  I love apples and pumpkin dishes.  Each year they seem to come out with new varieties of apples I have never heard of.  When I lived in Connecticut I loved going to the apple orchard and picking our own apples.  After picking apples we would finish off with apple cider donuts that were out of this world.  I will stay have to say my favorite apples are the Cortland variety, how I miss Connecticut!      I found this gem in a magazine I was reading while waiting for the dentist.  I know it seems a little crazy, but you would be surprised where I find all of my wonderful recipes!  This recipe does take a little time to prepare, but it is so worth the time.  My kids asked why were were having apple pie for breakfast.  This dish is not super sweet ...

There is nothing fancy about these eggs. In fact, this really isn't even a recipe, more of a handy tip. I had heard of making "hard boiled eggs" in the oven before but hadn't given it a try till now. I've struggled with making hard boiled eggs in the past. It was always a hassle to watch the pot till it started boiling to make sure they were done for just the perfect amount of time, and even when they seemed to be cooked well I had issues peeling them. With these eggs, you just put them in the oven and set the timer. Done.

I always buy bananas but can never seem to eat them before they get overly ripe.  Sometimes I peel and freeze them for smoothies, but sometimes I feel like baking with them instead.  I was in a healthy-ish mood when I came across these muffins and decided to give them a try.  They are made with whole wheat flour, applesauce, and of course, bananas.  Granted the chocolate chips can't be counted as exactly healthy, but they only take up a tiny portion of the muffin.  Anyway, I was quite pleasantly surprised at how good these muffins were.  I offered them to Brynlee for an after school snack and she ate 9 of them in one sitting!  Yes, they were mini, but still.  She kept apologizing, saying, "Sorry, they're just SO delicious"!  So there you have it.  If a 6 year old thinks these are delicious, I bet you will too.

I love anything with apple and cinnamon in it so when I saw this smoothie I knew I had to try it.  It's like a healthy version of apple pie for breakfast (or lunch)!  I made a few small changes to the recipe such as adding chia seeds, but that is totally optional.  I just like the added nutrients and they really don't even taste.  Make it with or without them, but definitely make it.  Even without them the smoothie is nutritious, filling, and of course, tasty.

With a post last week for dinner, I thought I would give you a recipe for breakfast.  These muffins turned out so moist and yummy.  I have my favorite banana muffin that I have had since Maddie was a baby, but it's fun to try a new twist on an old classic.  Once a week I try and make muffins for the kids for breakfast and they do get tired of the same old banana muffin.  These looked fun to make and gave the kids a little chocolate treat swirled for fun.  I'm glad a took a chance and tried something different.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!