Nutty Pumpkin Granola

I have been on a serious yogurt kick!  I have just discovered the wonders of Greek Yogurt and I can't get enough.  The hubby and I go thru a carton from Costco in a little over a week!  We have been getting the plain yogurt which I doctor up with some agave syrup, cinnamon and granola.  Most granola is pretty pricey so I decided that I would try to make my own - a quick internet search and I discovered a quick and inexpensive recipe for pumpkin granola on Ella Says Opa, most of the other recipes I found linked back to her recipe so I decided to try it out.

The process couldn't be simpler - mix all the ingredients together and bake on low heat - but the results were amazing!  I decided to add in only silvered almonds because I don't really like walnuts but otherwise I left it the same.  I spent about $3.00 total for a container of granola that is not filled with preservatives and that I LOVE!  I went to my local Mother's Market and was able to get the nuts and dried cranberries from the self service bins which is a money saver and has allowed me to try out some new products with little risk if I don't end up liking it.  Another bonus is that I was able to make the entire house smell delicious!

Nutty Pumpkin Granola
Recipe from Ella Says Opa


1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pepitas
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup agave maple syrup
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven 300 degrees.

Mix together oats, nuts and spices.  Add in pumpkin, vanilla and syrup, mix well until all ingredients are coated.  Add in cranberries and mix well.  Spread over greased cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden and crispy.  Cool completely before storing in airtight container.

ENJOY!

Mini Chocolate Muffins

These muffins were the perfect size for my chocolate fix in the morning.  What is it about mini muffins that make you feel like you can have ten without the calories counting!   I have been on a huge mini muffin/cupcake kick for this reason!  Try these for a wonderful breakfast treat!

Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Nigella Lawson

1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar and chocolate chips into a large bowl.  Pour all the liquid ingredients into a large bowl and stir to incorporate.  Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, the batter will be lumpy.  Spoon batter into cupcake pans, lined with paper liners.  Sprinkle tops with additional chocolate chips and bake for 10 -15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Once I find a recipe that I want to try I look for any reason to make it!  So when my bosses 25th Anniversary with the company came up I knew that I needed to make this Coffee Cake!  It was a must!  It was a wonderfully moist coffee cake, but I wish that the peanut butter flavor had come out just a little more.  Everyone in the office LOVED it and I had no complaints from them!  I will try this again - I think I want to try a Nutella version!

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake

Recipe from Jif & Mr. Breakfast

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup butter, room temprature

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teasppon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 13x9" pan with non-stick spray.  

Mix together, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter and melted butter until crumbly.  Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup softened butter, cream together.  Beat in 1 cup brown sugar.  Add in eggs one a time, incorporating well.  Beat until fluffy.  Add in dry ingredients alternately with milk, begining and ending with dry ingredients.  

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and top with chocolate chip mixture.  Bake 30 minutes.  Cool in pan and serve warm.

Blueberry Cheese Danish

We got a wonderfully large container of blueberries at Costco and I knew that we needed to do something with them other than just add into our breakfast yogurt.  This weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to do something different and delicious for breakfast.  It came together in about 5 minutes and we had a super indulgent breakfast that was ready in a flash!   The blueberries were wonderful little bursts of flavor in this danish and the lemon was a subtle flavor in the background.

Blueberry Cheese Danish
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of half a lemon
1 cup blueberries
Sugar for dusting

Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Juice of half lemon

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until creamy.  Unroll puff pastry onto a baking sheet, spray the pan with cooking spray.  Place cream cheese mixture in the center of the pastry, sprinkle with blueberries.  Fold ends of the pastry in and pinch edges to seal.  Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool 5 minutes.

To make glaze whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice.  Drizzle over danish.

Slice and serve while warm.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Frugal Friday Breakfast Potatoes

We love breakfast in this house, well I love breakfast which means that by default my husband loves breakfast. This is a simple, really delicious, really frugal breakfast that has only a couple of ingredients but packs in a LOT of flavor. Add an egg over easy and you have a tasty filling breakfast, or even dinner!

Breakfast Potatoes with Turkey Bacon

2 - 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes

3 slices of thick cut Turkey Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (Trader Joe's has a wonderful one!)

1 small onion, diced

Old Bay Seasoning - I can't get enough of this stuff, I add it to potatoes, shrimp, garlic bread, pretty much anything!

Start by placing your potatoes in a microwave safe bowl, add 1 tablespoons of butter and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes, when removing from the microwave be careful of the steam when taking off the plastic wrap.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of butter with 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Add onions and diced bacon, stirring while they cook. Add a couple of dashes of Old Bay. Once the potatoes are done add them to the onion and bacon and sprinkle with more Old Bay. Cook about 5 minutes more until the potatoes are browned.

Serve warm with eggs. Delicious!

Soy Chorizo and Eggs

I personally love breakfast for dinner, it is fast and easy and since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day it is always delicious! I have also recently discovered a strange love/obsession with runny eggs! I used to look at my honeys over medium eggs with disgust, couldn't understand the call of the sunny yellow yolk that would run all over the plate. Then I started watching Nigella Lawson, love everything about her, except for her comforting dish of runny eggs and toast. Then I decided to give it a shot, and it has been love ever since!

This dish started out with a coworker recommending Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo, as a lover of almost all things Trader Joe's I decided to give it a shot.

First I started with browning the soy chorizo, there wasn't a lot of fat so it browned quickly. Once that was browned I added a can of black beans.

Next fried up flour tortillas, I cut these into quarters because they were large.

Then I fried up some eggs over-medium, I broke a couple right before I took them out of the pan.

Once all of these components were cooked I started plating them up - first a layer of chorizo & beans, then the tortilla, and then the yummy egg on top. I added a little sour cream on the side and next time would like to add some guacamole.

This was a delicious dish! Plates were cleaned at our house! The soy chorizo had wonderful texture and flavor. I would love to make it again and probably will soon with some fried potatoes all wrapped up in a tortilla! (yummy!)