Back to School: Is Breakfast Ready?

Well, it's that time of year again.
School is starting again.
Don't get me wrong, if I have to work,
then teaching is exactly what I want to be doing.
It's a fantastic job.
I'm just so good at not working.
Ha!  I'm sure a lot of people have that talent too. ;)

But one of the things that I miss the most about summer is the slow relaxing mornings,
where I can actually sip coffee instead of scalding my mouth as I chug it down.
And eat my favorite meal of the day...Breakfast!

So many mornings by the time I reach for my coffee at work, it's cold.
Not in the "Yum!  Iced coffee, kind-of-cold."
It's the nasty cold coffee, that as you sip it it makes you die a little inside.
Yes.
I'm dramatic.
But I'm getting ready for middle schoolers,
they're dramatic too.

My breakfast during school is also just sad.
I love everything about breakfast,
so this year I'm going to make things ahead so that I can heat it up a school.
That way I can still take a couple minutes to enjoy my favorite meal.

Though the magical world of Pinterest,
I have collect 15 of my favorite ideas.
Throughout the year I plan on trying each and every one of these ideas.
I'm sure you'll see them on here with little changes and additions.
For most of these you can modify them to be vegetarian by adding grilled veggies...
well, at least that's what I plan to do.
I adore grilled peppers and onions!
Plus, they add a fabulous depth to your meals.
Now doesn't that make you smile?
Me too!

So take a look!
Check it out and see which of these breakfast ideas will make your morning a little brighter.

Make ahead breakfast ideas.

1. Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches- Jess Fuel

2. Breakfast Burrito- Mom on Timeout

3. Freezer Breakfast Bowls- J-Man and Millerbug

4. Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole- The Merlin Menu

5. Veggie Quiche Cups- My Kitchen is My Playground

6. Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal - Mom Endeavors

7. Loaded Breakfast Casserole- The Casual Craftlete

8. Sunburst Spring Vegetable Quiche- The Law Student's Wife

9. Baked Breakfast Casserole- Just a Pinch

10. Pumpkin Spice Smoothie- Lemon Tree Dwelling

11. Skinny Overnight Oats in a Jar- Skinnytaste

12.. Savory Zucchini Asiago Tomato Scones- Skinnytaste

13. Sausage Egg Casserole (Low Carb)- Spark People

14. Overnight Cranberry Coffee Cake- Better Homes and Garden

15. Tomato Zucchini Frittata- Skinnytaste

Cheesy Zucchini Cakes

If you were hoping for a sweet and very tempting dessert cake,
well, I'm going to disappoint you.
Sorry.
But only for a moment,
because this recipe is also delicious.
I ate the last cake at lunch today
after I heated it up in a skillet to get the crispiness back.
I think that the crispy edges are just the best.
What isn't great about fried zucchini and cheese?
Seriously...
There's nothing wrong with that!

Cheesy Zucchini Cakes
Recipe slightly modified from A Few Short Cuts

Ingredients:
1 zucchini (mine was larger then needed, so I needed more egg)
2 eggs
2/3 cup cheddar cheese (this is what I had on had)
1 cup bread crumbs (really you could use anything combining agent)
1 Tbl. red pepper flakes
2 Tbls. olive oil

Directions:
1. Grate your zucchini and remove as much moisture as possible by placing between kitchen towels and squeezing.  Flip the towels over and do it a couple times.

2. Combine all ingredients, except for the oil in a bowl.

3. In a large skillet heat up the oil.

4. Make cakes.  I found that using an ice cream scoop made this really easy.  Just scoop and plop into the sizzling oil, then use a spatula to flatten out a bit.

5. Cook for a couple minutes on each side until each is golden and crispy.

6.  Place on paper towels when done to catch any of the extra oil.

One of the tasty ways that I like to eat these are wrapped in a tortilla with tomatoes and cucumbers.  The fresh and crispy veggies, combined with the salty, spicy zucchini cake is just delicious.

 Seriously.  Delicious.

Now don't you wish a neighbor would drop some off at your door?

Yep.  

Don't turn down any zucchini that comes your way.

Instead grab it, grate it, and fry it up!

Enjoy!

Struttin' to Save Them All

Yep, we strut.
Murphy and I love to strut and strut well.
We're talented at strutting.
If you lived in our neighborhood
then you would see this amazing strutting at least twice a day.
Of course there's a lot of sniffing during those struts,
but we still strut strong.
Often we lend our strutting abilities to animal charities around Portland.
I believe that our strutting helps immensely. ;)

You know what else would help immensely?
YOU!
Yep, you.
You are the difference.
Murphy and I will be strutting our stuff on September 13th
for the Best Friends Animal Society at Sellwood Riverfront Park.
As Best Friends, Murphy and I have to be there!
We will be walking in support of our heart charity Fences For Fido.

So how can you help?
Here are a couple ways;

1) Join us and strut your stuff!
You could join our FFF pack or another charity.  It doesn't matter really, because we all work together.  That's one of the beautiful things about the Portland animal community.
Fences For Fido Team Page


2) Donate to Murphy.
He'll strut his stuff for you!  I promise that his tail will be high, he'll sniff everywhere, and give big tongue smiles the entire way.  He's an expert strutter, I'm just his companion on this day.
Our "Strut Your Mutt" Page

And his sweet little best friend Miss IO will strut her cute stuff too. Probably in her adorable rain coat...seriously, she just the cutest.


3) Volunteer to help at the event.
People and their passion make this event happen.  You could be a part of making it a success!

For volunteer opportunities click here. 

4) Adopt, don't shop for your next pet.
Really, this is what it's all about anyway.  Watch the following video and see why it's so important to support animal shelters.

Help Best Friends break the puppy mill cycle and save lives

As always, thank you for supporting my furry friends
and all of my fur-goals to help others meet their best friend.
Big Hugs,
Lori and Murphy (WOOF!)

Squash Fries-Yum!

Squash, it's everywhere right now

and I seem to be the recipient of a lot of it.

That's just fine with me 

because I love the challenge of finding new ways to use it.

Especially, when I can create something crunchy and delicious.

Thanks to Mighty Delighty, 

I'm making squash fries.

This recipe isn't vegan, 

but could be adjusted to be so.

Look at how beautiful this is!

I love chopping into fresh produce.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

For these fries, I used a basic egg wash.

And since I didn't have fresh Parmesan cheese,

I used the grated cheese and mixed it with panko bread crumbs.

Yum.

I mean really, how could it be wrong!

Dip them in the wash, then the crumb mixture,

and lay them out on a lined cookie sheet.

It got a little messy,

but these little beauties are worth it.

These crispy, crunchy "fries" are delicious,

and guaranteed to make even a reluctant squash eater rethink their position on the veggie. 

I devoured these and didn't feel bad bout it at all.

For the recipe and complete directions go to

Mighty Delighty

http://mightydelighty.blogspot.com/2013/07/parmesan-crusted-yellow-summer-squash.html?m=1

Happy Eating,

Lori

Blueberry-Applesauce

It's been a very fortunate summer for me,

because people have been extremely generous with their homegrown produce. 

I've had crates of apples and pears, 

so I've been making applesauce and pear-sauce.

But I wondered what other flavors I could make...

Thank goodness for Pinterest,

because I had pinned many different versions. :)

I love the different ideas from The Yummy Life! 

Since I had been gifted blueberries too,

it was an easy decision...

Blueberry-Applesauce!

Modified recipe from The Yummy Life

http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/338

Ingredients:

- 4 lbs. apples (use apples that are already sweet)

- 2 cups blueberries 

- 1/2 cup sugar (you can omit, but my apples were a bit too tart)

- 1/2 cup water

- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a large stockpot.

2. Heat on medium height until the liquid begins to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. 

Stir every 15 minutes for about an hour.

3. Bring the apples/pears to a simmer and cook down until it has the correct "saucy" consistency. 

I use a potato masher to get the consistency that I like.

4. Canning: Fill sterilized pint jars to 1/2-inch headspace, 

then process in a water-bath canner for 25 minutes.

My house smells amazing and I just love hearing the pop, pop, pop of the jars sealing.  

Though this process took me all morning, the process was easy and the reward is great. 

 I can't wait to share these lovely jars with those I love.

Seriously! Look at the color!

Simple beauty. 

Happy Canning!

Capturing Summer

I don't garden myself.

I've tried and had success and failure.

Hardening is not my joy, the products of the garden are.

I love the food it produces and wish that I enjoyed it, but that's not going to happen.

I'm just sticking to what I enjoy, 

producing a beautiful and tasty product from the hard work of others! Ha!

I love to can.

I love everything about the process.

And it truly is a process.

For some (many) it seems monotonous,

But it's not to me.

I love looking at the beautiful jars lined up on my table.

I love the magical "pop" that tells you it's sealed correctly.

Pop, pop, pop!

That music to my ears.

I love the color or the fruit or vegetable.

I don't even really like beats, but they are one of my favorite foods to pickle.

The color is so vibrant and natural.

If someone can't appreciate nature and it's stunning beauty,

then none of this makes any sense.

Seriously, look at how pretty these are!

Canning creates a beautiful product,

and captures a little bit of summer for later.

I love opening a jar in the middle of winter and smelling the fresh berries.

For that moment it's not raining, or chilly,

it's summer again.

How fabulous is that?!

I've been canning like crazy.

So far I've canned the following jams;

Strawberry

Raspberry

Marionberry

Boysenberry

Triple Berry (raspberry, marionberry, boysenberry)

Blackberry

Blueberry-Lime

Apple Butter

Flavors that are coming soon;

Spicy Plum

Peach

Huckleberry

Pear

Cherry

Man, that's a lot of jam!

But mostly it's a lot of summer captured for use later.

And that makes me really happy. 

Happy Canning,

Lori

I love baking cups!

I love finding new cute baking items.

Surprise, surprise!

Okay, not surprising at all.

I've been eyeing these cups for awhile,

 but I found them to be a bit spendy for my fundraising. 

I like to keep expenses low so that I can donate more money.

My favorite baking cups were from Simply Baked

$6.95 for 20 baking cups.

http://www.simplybaked.us/product/baking-cups-large/

Not only are they designs simple,

but the cups were sturdy enough to handle my butter cake recipe 

and not have butter splotches leaking through.

And yes, that can be a problem.

My butter cake is light,

but it also has butter, so it can be greasy on the edges.

With a cake, I trim that off,

that's not an option for a cupcake.

So I always use thick cups.

Is $6.95 worth it?

Urg! 

Not really...

Until I found them at Home Goods for $2.95! 

Man, I love Home Goods.

What?! Over half off the original price,

and cute designs

Happy Girl Dancing!

So not only could my cupcakes taste amazing,

but they're even more adorable. :)

Check out these lemon-blueberry cupcakes...

No muffin tins needed, just place them on a cookie sheet.

You can really fit a lot in one batch this way...it's amazing!

Yummmmm!

Add vanilla buttercream and sugar crystals, 

and they are pretty perfect.

Don't you think?

So if you want cute baking cups, but are nervous about the price,

just check out your local Home Goods Store.

Maybe you'll be lucky like me and find them for a great price.

Happy Baking!