TheCompanySheKeeps

Isn’t it ironic how our tastes change as we age? Never as a kid would I have wanted blueberries in my pancakes; in fact, my mom never made them that way, anyhow. As an adult though, one day out of the blue, when we were making breakfast for dinner, I had the urge to throw in some blueberries and since that time, I’ve stuck with it. Of course, though, I am the only one fond of this so I prepare the batter, make the majority of the pancakes, and reserve enough remaining batter for 2 or 3 pancakes, add in the blueberries and call it good. The girls like to spread peanut butter on their pancakes and then top with maple syrup. I wonder if they’ll like it that way when they’re older? As with most things, time will tell.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• blueberries, optional (roll blueberries in a small amount of flour to prevent bleeding)

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract and canola oil together. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients, blend together until just combined.

Heat griddle until an added drop of water sizzles. Add batter by using a 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup full. Once bubbles start to form on the edges of the pancakes, lift gently to determine if pancakes are a light golden tan; if so, flip to allow to cook on the other side.

Note: I’ve made these with regular milk, as well, and it works just as good. I never buy buttermilk, I just make it myself. This is easy to do by adding a tbsp. or two of either lemon juice or white vinegar and allowing a few minutes to curdle.

I’ve noticed, as of late, my family puts in their requests for weekend breakfast meals early on in the week. This one came from Leah, “Mom, it’s been soooooo long since you’ve made French Toast, will you pleeeeaaaase make it this weekend?” She also had two friends spend the night, and since I usually aim for a good homemade breakfast meal on the weekends, she got what she wanted plus eggs and bacon.

This dish is another one that I really just sort of wing it. My thought is that as long as you have a hearty bread to build upon, you’re good to go. There’s nothing worse, in my opinion, than mushy French Toast. For years now, when I make this, I buy a loaf of Panera’s Country Miche and have them slice it thin. Typically, I’ll use some of the bread for Tuna Melts and the remainder of it for French Toast, but this weekend, I used the entire loaf so that the girls will have leftovers all week long.

A large part of the reason I created this blog is a place to house all my recipes, but also, so that when the girls get older, they can come here, pull up what they want to make and go from there. With that in mind, I tried to pay more attention to what I put in it, so they in turn wouldn’t have to ‘wing it’! Sorry, girls. I didn’t do much better with measuring and leveling. It is what it is!

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of Panera’s Country Miche, sliced thin
• 8 eggs, whisked
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups milk (I had some whipping cream that was close to expiring so I used that & milk)
• 4 tbsp. sugar (granulated or brown)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Here’s where I don’t really measure, but guesstimate based on looks and smell:
• vanilla extract (I just pour it in. Maybe 2-3 tsps., quite possibly a tbsp.)
• ground cinnamon (again, 2-3 tsps., maybe more)
• ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice (I think these 3 spices are what sets my French Toast apart from most recipes. It’s enough of something to raise an eyebrow, alert the taste buds, plus they blend, meld, and complement one another so well. Anyhow, I truly don’t measure any of these, I just shake it in. Whisk it all together, do a sniff test, and add in more if I’m not quite satisfied with the potpourri of smell.
• Coconut oil, refined though the unrefined would give it a nice, subtle coconut flavor

Preparation:

Whisk together the above listed ingredients. Heat the electric griddle to 325. Melt a tbsp. of coconut oil and spread among the griddle. Dip each slice of bread into the mixture, shaking off the excess, and cook on each side until golden brown. Reapplying coconut oil as needed.

Serve hot off the griddle with warmed maple syrup and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

In our house, breakfast during the week usually consists of eggs, oatmeal, cereal, or for me, nuts and cheese. The weekends; however, are reserved for something more time consuming. It had been over 15 years since I’d tried my hand at cinnamon rolls, so it was worth another shot.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. cold butter
• 1/2 cup milk, additional tbsp. as needed

For the filling:

• 5 tbsp. butter, softened, divided
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

For the icing:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4-6 tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• dash of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter; set aside. In a bowl or a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut or pulse in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk, a little at a time, and toss with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; roll into a 14 inch square. Spread with 3 tbsps. butter. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up the dough and cut into 12 even slices. Place cut side up in a greased pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops of rolls with remaining butter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and dash of salt. Spread over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.  Served warm, these melt in your mouth. To store, allow rolls to get to room temperature and transfer to a Tupperware container. Or freeze individually by covering in plastic wrap.