Brunner = Breakfast Anytime.

Brunner...
"Br"eakfast, L"un"ch, and Din"ner"...Brunner.
Okay, that abbreviation is probably not going to catch on,
but I like the concept.
Breakfast at anytime.

Maybe it's just because it's the weekend,
or maybe it's because I need more hugs in my daily life,
but I keep thinking about breakfast.
My breakfast obsession is growing.
I want to add eggs into everything,
and dive into a warm meal with a side of coffee.
I really miss breakfast during the week,
so I've decided to make a list of breakfast meals that I can make at anytime.
Breakfast, Lunch, or my other favorite time...DINNER!
Well, I'll have to leave the coffee out of my dinner/breakfast.
Of course that will mean that I will need to find ways to pair wine or beer with it instead.
Oh man...this is going to make it extra fun and extra delicious.

So here are a few breakfast ideas that will make any mealtime better.





1. Breakfast Pizza from The Chic Site
If you enjoy everything that is breakfast, then this is it...and it sounds like serious deliciousness.  What isn't great about pizza, tator tots, eggs, cheese, and pretty much anything else that your heart desires?  See, it's serious and it's delicious.



2. Southwest Breakfast Stromboli from Bev Cooks
It's similar to a calzone, but jazzed up for Brunner.  Sounds and looks fabulous to me!





3. Potato Bacon Casserole from Nestle Kitchens
I think this recipe, like so many others is versatile and can be modified any way you choose.




4. Tortilla Espanola from Saveur
Otherwise known as a Spanish Potato Frittata, but all I needed to see was that it was topped with thick cut potato chips.  I'm going to use this as a lunch idea. It has the chips already, so in my world it totally works.




5. Baked Egg Boots by Spoon Fork Bacon
Though this the last recipe of this list it will probably be the first recipe that I make.  I love the idea of baking bread bowls for breakfast.  What not to love about it?

Now I hope that you are ready to dive into something delicious and enjoy it at any time of the day.  No matter when you make and at this, your tummy will be happy...that's a given.

Enjoy!

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

Cinnamon Chip-Banana Swirly Bread

Having a cold and being stuck at home is terribly boring.

Now that I'm starting to feel better and am awake for more than 5 hours a day,
I've been spending time thinking about baking.
Okay...I've been thinking, reading, and dreaming about baking.
I miss it when I don't feel well.
Is that weird?
Maybe for others, but it seems totally normal for me.

While scrolling through Pinterest,
I found a recipe for banana cinnamon bread...
AND I remembered that I had a bag of Hershey's Cinnamon Chips.
It seemed like a match made in cinnamon Heaven.









Cinnamon Chip-Banana Swirly Bread

Recipe and directions 

slightly adapted from Lovin' From The Oven

Ingredients

For the bread:
• 2-3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
For the swirl:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour and add in the cinnamon chips. Remember not to over-mix.

3. In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.

4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, but start checking the oven at 50 minutes since ovens vary.

Apple Pie Bread-Vegan

In my family, there is nothing better than my Mom's apple pie.

She has this magical way of transforming simple ingredients

 into the most delicious thing you've ever tasted.

It's a beautiful mix of tart apples, cinnamon, and sugar,

that makes even those that don't like apple pie, 

re-think everything that they've ever though about pie.

Yes, it's that good.

It's so certifiably good,

that people (me) 

dream about the beautiful thing that is a classic apple pie.

I knew that if I was to ever call myself a baker, 

I too would have to master the gorgeous, simple beauty of my mom's pie.

It's taken a few years, 

but I feel that I can now say that I have it down...well, almost.

Somehow, her pie still tastes like Heaven on Earth to me. 

So I thought...

and I had a little time to think while sick this past week...

What if I made a bread that tasted like a little slice of pie?

Wouldn't that be fun and delicious?

Well, heck yeah it'd be fun!

But you be the judge,

does this taste like apple pie to you?

Apple Pie Bread (Vegan)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 egg equivalent with Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
1 cup sugar
2 tbls vegan butter or shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
2 granny smith apples, sliced
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Icing Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
water to dissolve and make glaze

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Slice apples and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2. Sift to combine flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Use a mixer to blend together the egg-replacer, sugar, vegan butter, vanilla, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
4. Pour wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.
5. Add oil and mix well.
6. Layer 2/3 of the sliced apples in the parchment paper lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

7. Pour batter on top of the apples.
8. Place the remaining apple slices on top of the batter. Optional: Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (Not really optional in my world)

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into center of the bread comes out clean.
10. Let the bread cool completely before adding the glaze. Or opt out of adding a glaze...I did. It smelled too good to wait to glaze it.

Let the glaze set up before slicing. Or not.  :)
Either way, enjoy!

Easter Brunch: Potato Casserole

I really wanted to label this "Crack Potatoes"
because that's what I refer to them as...crack.
I thought that I should title this dish something other than
Crack Potatoes...
because that makes it sound bad.
People who know me,
know that I refer to things that are amazing as crack.
I've never understood why people use drugs...
 It's never been something that sounded fun or exciting,
but food...
and amazingly, delicious food...
now that sounds fun and exciting to me.
That is exactly what this dish is...
amazingly delicious and additive.

This is one of those recipes that you can take to any brunch and it's a mega hit.
People will say, "Yum!"
People will go back for seconds.
And people will ask for the recipe.
Go ahead and give it to them...
unlike actual crack, the only side-effect of this is a full and happy tummy.

Potato Casserole
A.K.A. Crack Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 lbs. frozen cubed hash browns
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbls. minced onion
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom)
1 pint (16 oz) sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter
2-3 cups of corn flakes

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees
2. Place the corn flakes in a seal-able plastic bag and crush them.
3. Melt the butter and pour it into the bag with the crushed corn flakes.  Mix it well, so that the corn flakes and butter are combined.
4. Spread hash browns easily in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
5. In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients.
6. Pour the mixture over the hash browns.
7. Spread the corn flakes and butter mixture over the top.
8. Bake for 45 minutes or until the edges of bubbly and the top in crunchy.
Enjoy!

Extreme Cinnamon Roll

Sometimes things need to be extreme...

giant,

larger than life,

especially when it's time to celebrate a special occasion.

A birthday is the perfect time. :)

Normally, a birthday calls for cake or at least cupcakes...

but what do you make when someone doesn't really like those treats?

Well, you ask their girlfriend and hear the words, "Cinnamon rolls!"

Done.

But a regular cinnamon roll just won't do...

an extreme roll is the only solution.

Boom! 

Cinnamon to the extreme!

Directions:

1. Make you favorite Cinnamon Roll dough according to the directions. I use my mom's recipe, but right now that is a little family secret, but maybe some day I share it. ;)

2. Roll out the dough as even as you can...mine doesn't quite make it into a nice circle, but it works just fine.

3. Spread softened butter all over the dough.  Really try to cover ALL surface areas.

4. Sprinkle a generous layer of cinnamon and sugar.

5. Using a pizza cutter, cut strips of dough.  Try to make them as even as possible.

6. Choose a middle strip so that it's long and roll it up.  Place it in the center of a pie plate.

7. Now the tricky part...roll the rest of the strips and unroll it around the center of the roll.

8. Continue to wrap the layers around until you're about an inch away from the outside of the pie plate.

9. Dust the top of the roll with extra cinnamon and sugar. 
Also, place small chucks of butter inside of a few layers of the roll.
10.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let it cool, then add a layer of cream cheese frosting.

Actually, this is the most difficult part...wait.

Wait and share with those you love.

They'll definitely feel the love that this roll can bring.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Scones- Simply Vegan

People often ask me why I bake...it's an interesting question.
Why does anyone do anything really?
For me, I love the process, the smells, the texture...
but mostly I love the joy.
I love looking at people's faces,
knowing that they are tasting something that I created for them with love.
Weird?
Maybe, but I don't care.
I love people, well, my people.
I'm picky.


These scones are a little bit picky too.
Picky in that I wanted to take inspiration from one of my favorite bakeries,
The Dahlia Bakery in Seattle.
I love everything about it, and their cookbook
is a little bit of heaven to a baker girl like me.
The difference with this recipe is that I want to make a
beautiful, tasty, and surprisingly moist VEGAN scone.
And I have a secret ingredient...actually, it's magically.
Vanilla Coconut Milk "Yogurt"
Have you seen this?
Oh my! It's a little bit of Vegan Heaven!
Especially when it comes to using it in baked goods.
You can use it as a supplement for buttermilk, sour cream, cream
...pretty much any diary product.
I have found that it helps maintain moisture,
while giving it a hint of deliciousness that is coconut.
Simply dreamy.
It's a must try if you, like me, enjoy the challenge of making
baked goods vegan and incredibly tasty.
And who wouldn't like those things? 

Dark Chocolate Pecan Scones

Inspired by Scones from The Dahlia Bakery
MAKES 12-18 small scones

Scones

1 3 ⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 ⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup cold vegan butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup cold coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 container of Trader Joe's  Vanilla Coconut Milk "Yogurt"
1 cups pecans (or really any nut that you like) finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
Sugar Crystals

Sugar Glaze
3 ⁄4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water or enough to make the consistency that you want
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Combine both flours, the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor.
3. Pulse the mixture, and then add the butter and coconut oil until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add in nuts and pulse again.
3. Add vanilla extract and coconut milk yogurt and pulse to combine until dough comes together in a sticky dough ball.
4. Add dark chocolate chunks and pulse a couple times to incorporate.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead together just a couple times.

6. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal pieces and pat each piece into a flat round about 1 ⁄2- inch thick.
(Make 3 dough rounds for small scones, which I like to make and share.)
7. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
8. Place the scones on a parchment- lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-15 minutes.
9. Let the scones cool, but still slightly warm, then drizzle with sugar glaze.