Birthday Cake Pancakes

We have a new family tradition! I started making these in August for my daughter's 8th birthday, then made them again for my son's 6th birthday in September, and in December my now 4 year old begged for them on her birthday too. They are super easy to throw together, and the kids really feel like they are eating cake for breakfast!

Mmmm.... so easy to make too!

Love all the sprinkles! Feel free to change up which kind of sprinkles you use.

I had to use a little more milk to thin out the glaze, but it tastes like frosting on top of the pancakes.

YUM! Your kids will thank you, trust me!

 

Birthday Cake Pancakes

 

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup yellow cake mix

3 TBSP candy sprinkles

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs                                          

Glaze and Garnish

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 TBSP plus 2 tsp milk

1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla                                

Additional candy sprinkles for garnish

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)

In medium bowl, stir together pancake ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until pancakes are golden brown. Stack on serving plates.

In small bowl, beat powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with whisk until smooth. If it is too thick (like mine was) slowly add more milk until it is a smooth consistancy.

To serve, top each serving with glaze and additional candy sprinkles.

Recipe courtesy: Betty Crocker

Stuffed French Toast

Let's face it, even though I love to cook and bake, there are times I just don't want to make dinner. Whether it's a time thing or a lazy thing, but sometimes I don't want to cook anything even if it's already been planned.

Enter the time-saver: Breakfast for Dinner.

I know this isn't breaking news. Every one has breakfast for dinner, right? But sometimes I feel guilty making plain ol' pancakes (again) or boring frozen waffles (even if I try to jazz them up with peanut butter or something).

My favorite thing to do lately is Stuffed French Toast. The best thing about this meal is that you can tailor this to each person's likes and dislikes. You can make them sweet or savory and just have fun with it. And it was easy to throw together. I had everything in my pantry and refrigerator ready to go and it was on the table so fast. This is also super easy for breakfast, so maybe surprise your family one morning!

Here I did whipped cream cheese (easier to spread) and strawberry jam, drizzled with Nutella and topped with powdered sugar. Hey, I never said it was super duper healthy. Serve with a side of fruit and you'll feel better :)

Some other stuffing ideas:

 PB&J

peanut butter and Nutella

marshmallow creme and Nutella

Fluffernutter (marshmallow creme and PB)

cheese and bacon

bacon, tomato and avocado (savory Stuffed French Toast!)

The possibilities are endless. Just use what you have and top it off with what you want.

Start with your ingredients. Some of the ingredients might be tricky to keep in (tomato, bacon, etc) but I'll just show what I did. I smeared cream cheese on both sides (A) because it's good and (B) because it makes a good "glue" for everything. Then I added some jelly. 

Smoosh together and dip in your egg mixture. Use both hands and be kind of careful, You basically want to make sure the egg doesn't get inside the filling since that party won't really be getting cooked, just warmed.

And I love using Texas Toast for my French toast! It's thick and yummy. I use Franz bread here in the NW, but any thick sliced bread will do.

Spray your pan with Pam (or whatever spray works for you) and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Yummmm. Something about cream cheese and jam oozing out of my French toast is delightful. And Nutella really brings everything up a notch, doesn't it?

Stuffed French Toast

by Girls in Aprons

6 eggs

splash of milk

dash of cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Put ingredients together in a shallow bowl (I use a pie dish) and wisk with a fork until combined.

Texas Toast (or other thick sliced bread)

Whipped cream cheese

Strawberry Jam

Nutella

Powdered Sugar

Heat your pan to medium heat and spray your with nonstick cooking spray.

Start with two slices of bread and smear some cream cheese on each slice, top one slice with jam and press the two sides together. Carefully dip each side of the "sandwich" into your egg mixture, making sure not to get the egg into the cream cheese/jam.

 Place your French Toast onto the pan, cooking each side until golden brown. Top with a drizzle of Nutella and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Serves 4-6

Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread

Ever thought of something and smacked yourself, "Why didn't I think about that before?!" It happens to me a lot :)

I was at work and a friend was talking about the amazingness of Nutella. Because it really is amazing. And we were wishing it was calorie free. I told her that my son only eats peanut butter sandwiches if they include Nutella. Her husband dips his fruit into Nutella...and therefore counteracting anything healthy and low-calorie about his snack. Her favorite was dipping bananas in Nutella and then freezing it.

Gasp. Frozen Nutella banana. Dipped in crushed hazelnuts. I just died.

Nutella...with a bananas....

That's it! Why haven't I thought about this before (as I smack myself in the head)?! I can't really call it Nutella banana bread because I use the Kroger brand that is about a dollar cheaper and tastes just as delicious. And one of my tips...don't mash your bananans. I used a large bowl with egg beaters (as opposed to my Kitchenaid which was being used for cookie dough) and just threw the peeled bananas in. The beaters mash up some of the bananas and cut the rest into pea-size amounts. The best bites contain warm banana bits and Nutella. And then I have this urge not to share any of it.

Can you kind of see how the chocolate hazelnut spread kind of marbles? I just stick a butter knife in the loaf pan and swirl in around (usually I play and spell my name) and it moves the batter and spread around in a marble effect.

Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread
by Girls in Aprons

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5 overripe bananas
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella), microwaved until warm (about 15 seconds)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans or place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in vanilla, eggs, and overripe bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour half of the batter into prepared loaf pan or muffin tins. Drizzle half of the chocolate hazelnut spread over the batter and repeat with the batter and spread. Using a knife, make zig-zag patterns in the batter. This will incorporate the chocolate hazelnut spread into a marble pattern.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

I don't know about you, but something about summer makes me not want to cook at all. I know a lot has to do with the heat, some of it has to do with me being lazy (especially after staying out all day at the spray park), and a little has to do with being off my routine. When the kids are in school I have a great routine and I stick to it pretty well. My meals are planned out each week and dinner is on the table no later than 6pm. In the summer my kids are lucky to have dinner by 7pm. And even luckier if it's not cereal (although they think I'm Mom of the Year when they get cereal for dinner).

That is why I love breakfast-for-dinner. Often we'll do french toast or pancakes or something for dinner because it's easy and usually pretty cheap. This time I stepped it up a notch and made Cinnamon French Toast Bake for dinner. I've actually made it before but kind of forgot about it during the big move to our new house. It sprang back into my mind when I was in a dinner rut and I'm so glad I remembered it again!

Please note that in the pictures below you will see I made a mistake. (Whaaaaat?!) Yeah, I'm human. I also thought I knew more than the recipe and just made it without actually reading all the way through it. Please please please cut your cinnamon roll pieces into EIGHTHS. Not fourths. Like I did. It all worked out in the end, but when they aren't cut small they don't bake well. And let's just say raw cinnamon rolls are not a good, healthy dinner. Even if they are smothered in syrup. I ended up rebaking the center after we had cut out the sides, but I don't really want you to have to do that.

Mmm... All that frosting looks sooo good!

Start out by pouring your butter into the bottom of your baking dish.

Cut your cinnamon rolls.... into EIGHTHS. Seriously people, I learned a lesson here.

Beautiful raw cinnamon roll pieces.

Stuff them nice and comfy into your buttered baking dish. They should all fit nicely and will definitely rise a lot higher!

Make your egg and spice mixture. Some people use only 5 eggs as opposed to 6. I used all 6 and it worked just fine for me.

Take your cinnamon roll pieces swimming in the egg mixture. I moved my pieces a little to make sure the eggs covered every nook and cranny of that baking dish.

Sprinkle with your chopped pecans. If you don't like pecans you can omit this. Personally I don't love them, but I still added them and they were amazing! They are not as bitter once they toast in the oven and gave the french toast bake a nice crunch!

While it bakes, let your 5-year-old munch on the leftover pecans. Seriously, folks, he was like a little pecan vacuum!

Nice and golden, just how you want it to look!

Cover with the frosting and let cool a little before you cut into it.

Oh yeah, smothered in a touch more syrup and powdered sugar... Hey, it's indulgence at it's finest! We served this up with some fresh fruit and turkey bacon. My kids still talk about this meal!

And your house will smell amazing too.

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

 

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cans (12.4 oz each) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing (I used Pillsbury Cinnabon rolls) 

 

6 eggs  

 

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

2 tsp vanilla

 

1 cup chopped pecans

 

1 cup maple syrup  

 

Icing from cinnamon rolls

Powdered sugar and maple syrup for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.

In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.

Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle icing over top. Garnish with powered sugar and extra syrup, if desired.

Recipe source: Pillsbury.com

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

The other day I went to lunch with a friend and ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich - a ham, turkey, and cheese sandwich fried in egg. Uh, yes please!

But I'm going to be honest with you. The delicious description was only part of the reason I chose to order that. Might I even say, my secondary reason.

The Monte Cristo sandwich immediately reminded me of this....

Which, of course, reminded me of this...

 

Swoon..... if that sandwich was anywhere as delicious...

Where was I?  Oh yes, the sandwich. Silly me. How easily I get distracted with Jim Caviezel is right there for my eyes to see.

This is a "healthier" alternative, and I use that term loosely, because while it's not the most calorie-conscious recipe, it's certainly not the batter-soaked, deep-fried version you sometimes find!

First, using a serrated knife, cut off the crust of the bread. This will help when you need to seal the sandwiches. It also makes it easier to eat.

It's a layered sandwich that includes swiss or other similar cheese, turkey, and ham. I used Virginia ham. I wouldn't use smoked ham, you want something kind of sweet.

After you've piled the sandwich together, wrap the sandwich up tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for half hour. This will keep the sandwich tight and stop the egg mixture from seeping into the sandwich.

Dip each side in the egg mixture and fry, sort of like French toast.

Top with a shower of powdered sugar and serve with fruit preserves on the side.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

by Girls in Aprons

Makes 4 full sandwiches

12 slices white bread, crusts removed

Dijon mustard

1/2 lb thinly sliced oven roasted turkey

1/2 lb thinly sliced Virginia or Black Forest ham

4 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese

3 eggs

1 Tbsp water

Butter, for greasing the pan

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Strawberry, raspberry, or blackberry preserves, for dipping

Lay the bread down in four columns, three row deep. Spread Dijon mustard on the top row and add a slice of swiss cheese. Split the turkey evenly among the four bread slices in the second row. Split the ham evenly among the four bread slices in the third row. Stack the bread slices together to create a double decker-style sandwich. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for half hour.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs and 1 Tbsp water together in a shallow bowl. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp butter. Remove the sandwiches from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Dip each side of the sandwich into the egg batter, just as you would French toast, and add to the heated pan. Flip after two minutes, or when lightly golden brown, and fry the other side. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Dust each sandwich with powdered sugar and serve with fruit preserves for dipping. Serve warm.



Banana Banana Bread with Crumb Topping

This week has been really stressful for me. Between working well over my allotted 8-5pm shift, my husband has been working even more, and my kids have been, well, crazy. I've worked through lunch, snacking on Ritz crackers and granola bars, because I don't have time to take my full hour lunch. My family has had cereal for dinner twice in a row, much to the celebration of the kiddos...although it's only Wednesday and we're already out of milk! And, here's the kicker, I have had about 6 hours of sleep each night. I'm more of a 8 or 9 hour kind of girl, so the 6 hour thing has me feeling more like a killer zombie on The Walking Dead (best show ever!).

So what's a girl like me to do when I'm stressed and tired and {possibly} grumpy?

Besides drink Diet Dr Pepper like it's a gift from heaven?

I bake. And chop vegetables. Those are two of my stress relievers. On rough days I can peel and chop a whole sack of potatoes, carrots, and celery and whip up a mean chicken noodle soup. But lately it's been all about the baking. Cookies, cupcakes, quick breads, dinner rolls...the girls at work think that I'm on a mission to make them all fat!

I made my fave banana bread recipe the other night. My grocery store sells the overripe bananas for 19 cents a pound, and by overripe I mean fruit flies are already cozying up to the bananas. So they're best used within a day or two. Sometimes I use the bananas in pancake mix or in smoothies, but in all honesty I prefer my banana bread over all that.

The best part about this bread, besides the obvious crumb topping which mimics a coffee cake, is the extra sliced bananas that go into the batter. I love finding a banana piece in my bread, it's soaked up the cinnamon and it's delicious. And, thanks to our dear friend Christina, I now know the secret to baking banana bread without a doughy center. Bake on a lower setting for a longer amount of time. Gives me an excuse to have the house smell like banana bread for 2 whole hours!

Banana Banana Bread with Crumb Topping
by Girls in Aprons

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5 overripe bananas
1 ripe banana, sliced into half-moons
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For crumb topping
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in vanilla, eggs, and overripe bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Fold in sliced ripe banana. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Easter Tomb Buns

As adults, we know that Easter isn't just about this bunny that hides eggs filled with candy and prizes...and if you didn't know that, we need to talk :)

However, even though we're adults, those of us with kiddos still put a lot of emphasis on the Easter egg hunts, photos with the Easter bunny, and finding the best deals on Cadbury Creme Eggs to stash away from the rest of the year - or, at least Carissa does that.

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for a great way to help my kids understand the religious significance of Easter. It is not only the awakening of our Earth as it enters spring, but also a holiday to celebrate the awakening and resurrection of our Savior. While we have tried our best to instill this in our children in the past few weeks, their minds were still on the jelly beans we bought at the store and who was going to get more eggs.

Obviously, we need a new approach.

Then I remembered "tomb buns", an idea presented to us by our dear friend (sometimes known as the "fourth" triplet), Christina. There are dozens of variations of these treats, but the idea is that a marshmallow is baked inside dough. As the marshmallow expands and dissolves, it creates a hollow center. Here's the symbolism:

The dough = the tomb Christ was buried in

The marshmallow = our Savior, Jesus Christ

The cinnamon and sugar = the oils and spices Christ's body was anointed with

The hollowed center = the empty tomb following Christ's resurrection

This is a great family activity. You can use your own bread dough, thawed Rhodes rolls, or crescent rolls from a can. Your children can help roll the marshmallows and secure them into the dough. As they bake, you can talk to your children about the story of Christ's death and resurrection and what it means for all of us. After baking, you can then open up each bun to find the "empty tomb".

I made small dough balls and used small marshmallows because that's just what I had. Larger marshmallows will make the hollow even larger (obviously).

Cut the dough evenly into four sections.

Cut each section into four more sections. This gives you the 16 dough rolls you need for large tomb buns. If you're making small ones, cut each dough roll in half, giving you 32 dough rolls.

After rolling the marshmallow in the butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture, place the marshmallow on a slightly flattened dough ball.

Secure each dough ball firmly around each marshmallow. You don't want the marshmallow to melt out of the bun because it won't create a hollow center.



Dip the top of the dough ball into the melted butter. And yes, I need a manicure.

Then roll the top of the dough ball into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place each dough ball into a greased muffin tin. Both small and large rolls will bake nicely in a 12-muffin size muffin tin.

And, I have to be grateful for good friends. My cinnamon seemed to go AWOL on me and I panicked. Who wants to go to the grocery store at 9pm with no makeup and jammies on? Maybe some of you, but not me. Luckily, my Costco-loving friend, Tai, lives a few blocks away and doesn't judge me (openly) about my attire or non-makeup face. Thanks Tai!

Easter Tomb Buns
from Girls in Aprons

For the bread:
1 cup milk, warmed to 110-120 degrees
1 Tbsp yeast
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups flour

For the rest of the recipe:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
16 large or 32 small marshmallows

Place the milk in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Wait about 5 minutes or until the yeast is starting to get foamy. Add the butter, sugar, and salt, and mix on low speed until incorporated (the butter will be lumpy). Gradually add the flour.

Place the dough on a large surface dusted with flour or cooking spray. Cut the dough into fourths and then cut those fourths into fourths. At this point, you have 16 dough rolls. If you are making large buns, you can start on the next step. If you are making small buns, cut each dough roll in half until you have 32 dough rolls.

Combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.

Slightly flatten each dough roll. Roll each marshmallow in the melted butter and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place one marshmallow on each dough roll. Wrap the dough around the marshmallow, sealing it carefully. Dip the top of the dough roll into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place each dough roll in a greased muffin tin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the bun is lightly browned. Serve warm (or reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds).