Charlotte's Kitchen » Breakfast

Raspberry and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Char — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:55:10 +0000

Here’s a tasty coffee cake that makes a great way start your day. This one would be perfect for Christmas or New Years morning.

Cake

2-1/2 cups
3/4 cups
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp Watkins Vanilla Extract
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Glaze (optional) – you probably won’t need this much for the glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp water

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove 1/2 cups of crumbs for topping. To remaining crumb mixture add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg and vanilla extract; blend well. Spread batter over bottom of 8 x 8-inch baking pan.

For Filling: In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and eggs; blend well. Pour over batter in pan. Carefully spoon preserves evenly over filling. Sprinkle 1 cup of reserved crumbs over preserves. Bake before adding glaze.

For Glaze: combine powdered sugar, water and vanilla, drizzle on top of coffee cake.

Bake at 350 F for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 8 servings.

How to wow your holiday company

Char — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:16:56 +0000

With the holidays upon us, we can expect to have overnight guests at some point in the next two months. I found this recipe for a breakfast casserole that will wow your guests and won’t take you much time to make. I call it my Fast Break Breakfast Casserole.

2 cups diced ham
1 bag of hash browns
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Smoked Gouda cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sale
3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat your oven to 350.
Layer the hash browns, ham and cheese in a casserole dish.
Mix together the remaining ingredients, then pour over the casserole and bake for an hour.
Wow your guests.

tip: if you don’t have/like Gouda, just substitute cheddar.

Apple Cream Cheese-Stuffed French Toast

Char — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:57 +0000

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

4 T confectioners’ sugar

2 t Watkins Cinnamon

1/2 t Watkins Ginger

5 baking apples (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/8-1/4-inch thick slices

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 T unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

1 1-pound loaf brioche or soft French bread, cut into eight 3/4 inch thick slices

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together cream chees, confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 t cinnamon and the ginger until combined well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar and 1 t cinnamon. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 4 T butter over high heat. Add appple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a 13 x 9 inch shallow dish, whisk together milk, eggs and remaining 1/2 t cinnamon; set aside.

Spread a heaping 1/4 cup cream cheese mixture onto each of 4 bread slices. Top each with 2 T nuts and 6 to 8 apple slices. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices to make sandwiches.

Soak 2 sandwiches at a time in milk-egg mixture 5 minutes per side.

Add maple syrup to remaining apples in skillet and stir to combine.

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T oil and 1 T butter to pan. Add 2 sandwiches and cook, turning once. until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining 1 T oil, 1 T butter and the sandwiches.

Cut sandwiches in half and serve immediately topped with apples in syrup. Garnish with toasted nuts, if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Walnut Biscuits

Char — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:57:18 +0000

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

3 T sugar, plus a little extra for topping

1 T Watkins Baking Powder

3/4 t salt

3/4 t Watkins Cinnamon

3/4 t Watkins Ginger

5 T cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup light cream, plus a little extra for glaze

1/3 cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin

1 1/2 T honey

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt cinnamon and ginger. Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to work in the butter. Keep mixing until the ingredients resemble a coarse, flaky meal, then stir in the chopped walnuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the cream, pumpkin and honey. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid into it. Stir briskly until the dough pulls together, then let it sit for 3 minutes.

Flour your hands and your work surface. Gently knead the dough into a ball, then pat it into a 1-inch thick disk. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between them. Repeat this process until you’ve used all the dough. Brush the biscuit tops sparingly with cream and then sprinkle on a little sugar.

Bake the biscuits on the center oven rack until they are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

Char — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:08:07 +0000

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on blueberries

3 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Almond Extract

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

2/3 cup ricotta cheese or dry cottage cheese

2 eggs

1 cup blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease 8 to 10 muffin tins.

Combine with whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt til well blended.

Beat almond extract, vanilla, melted butter, ricotta cheese and eggs. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and incorporate well.

Carefully fold in the blueberries making sure to distribute them throughout the mixture. Batter will be soft and lumpy.

Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow muffins to cool for 2 minutes in the tins and then invert onto a metal rack to completely cool.

Glazed Lemon Scones

Char — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:00:12 +0000

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Watkins Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing

1 egg yolk, beaten slightly

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Lemon Extract

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large, heavy baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) and set it aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and toss the mixture with your hands.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the cream, the yolk and the vanilla and use a fork to blend the liquids within the well. Then use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, just until the dough holds together.

Scrape the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and then, using floured hands, knead it gently three or four times to form a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk about 3/4-inch thick, then cut it as you would a pie into 8 wedges. Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them. Brush the tops lightly with cream.

Bake the scones in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.

While the scones continue to cool, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until the mixture is smooth. If necessary, you can thin the glaze with water, stirring in no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time. When the scones have cooled for another 10 minutes, drizzle each one generously with glaze. Makes 8 ascones.

Ham, Cheese and Spinach Strata

Char — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:00:41 +0000

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large day-old croissants

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped onion

8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

3/4 cup diced ham

6 eggs

2 1/4 cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Watkins Pepper

1 teaspoon Watkins Basil

Directions:

Butter a 9- by 13-inch casserole. Using a serrated knife, cut the croissants into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes (you will need 6 cups) and scatter half of them in the casserole. Set the remaining cubes aside for now.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and saute it over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the spinach (you may have to do this in batches) and cover the pan. Let the spinach cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the spinach over the croissant cubes in the casserole. Then sprinkle on half of the cheese and all of the ham. Next, add the remaining croissant pieces and the rest of the cheese.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper and basil just until blended. Ladle the liquid evenly over the layers in the casserole. Press the croissant down gently with a fork to dampen all of it. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the strata in the center of the oven until it is puffed and golden brown, abut 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer the casserole to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

You may substitute cooked sausage for the ham or another cheese for the Cheddar. French or Italian bread works well too, in place of croissants.

French Breakfast Muffins

Char — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:00:54 +0000

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter the bottoms (only) of 12 standard-size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg until it’s frothy. Blend in the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture.

Usaing a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it’s evenly blended, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake the muffins on the center rack for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack until the muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the cups.

Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small bowl. Set both bowls next to the muffins.

Working one muffin at a time, quickly dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you’d like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they’re still warm. Serve immediately. Makes 12 muffins.

Cranberry Bread with Orange and Oats

Char — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:30 +0000

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium orange, diced, including rind

3/4 cup orange juice

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tablespoon Watkins Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soad

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries

2 cups hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Combine eggs and brown sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Add oil and diced orange. Process until orange is minced. Gradually add orange juice.

Mix oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in orange mixture until just blended. Let stand 15 minutes.

Combine cranberries and water in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain well, shaking off excess liquid.

Fold cranberries into batter. Pour into loaf pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan and remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Serves 16.

Breakfast Burritos

Char — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:00:54 +0000

Ingredients:

1 pound breakfast sausage

6 eggs

1 cup frozen hashbrown potatoes

6 tortillas (10 inch)

Toppings:

green onions chopped, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa

Directions:

Fry the sausage and hash brown potatoes together in the skillet. Beat the eggs together and then scramble. While the eggs are in the skillet, warm the tortillas in the microwave. When the eggs are scrambled you are ready to put your burrito together and use whatever toppings you like.

This is also very good for supper.