Category: Breakfast

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Sarah

So, I realize that hot breakfasts seem like a thing of winter and cooler weather, not days of 90 degree heat and 80% humidity. Not to me! I spent two summers in college working as a camp counselor at Camp Tecumseh, so I woke up to a hot breakfast six days a week, enjoyed in the freezingly cold air conditioned dining hall. It was glorious. Well, some breakfasts anyways. French toast, bacon, hashbrowns, coffee cake, fruit salad. Rubbery eggs… not so much. You can bet that the onlyonlyONLY reason us counselors looked forward to sleep-out nights was getting to sleep in a little later while enjoying breakfast in bed, aka sugary cold cereal, powdered doughnuts, and apples.

By far, the breakfast that Camp Tecumseh is known for is their baked oatmeal. I’ve shared the basic recipe before, but this time I’ve jazzed it up… made it a little more flashy, a little more flared.

This version combines juicy, sweet strawberries with the tropical coconut to make a phenomenal baked oatmeal that will really wake up your morning [and wish you were at the beach… sigh.]. I used coconut milk and coconut flakes to double the nutty fun of my new favorite flavor. If I had had coconut extract, you can bet that some of that would have been included too!

I mixed up the fruit and oat mixture the night before, then baked it in the morning while I was getting ready for the day. After I finished doing my hair, breakfast was ready with time to spare. If your mornings are a little more rushed, this Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal can always be baked ahead of time and heated up in individual servings in the microwave. Since no additional toppings are needed, this is a great breakfast to take to the office instead of the usual yogurt and granola… and if you’re in the air conditioning, as most of us are this time of year, hot breakfasts don’t have to be avoided in the summertime.

What have you been eating for breakfast lately?  I need some new ideas, cause I can’t eat this oatmeal everyday!

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups sliced strawberries, divided [fresh or frozen, I used frozen]
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flakes, divided [sweetened or unsweetened, your choice]
  • 1 1/4 cups coconut milk [I used lite]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Place 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, and egg. In a small bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, chia seeds, and 1/3 cup coconut flakes. Fold dry ingredients into the wet, then pour in coconut milk and stir until just combined. Mixture should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Pour over strawberries in pan, then top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons coconut flakes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Time: 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.

Banana Crumb Muffins - rich banana muffins with an awesome cinnamon streusel topping // thepajamachef.com
Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Banana Crumb Muffins

Sarah

Mmmm, muffins. One of my favorite treats. And I say treats because, of course, the best muffins aren’t those healthified kinds, but those decadent, unfrosted, glorified cupcakes. I mean, I absolutely adore healthy muffins. Looking through all the other muffin recipes I’ve blogged about before, I’m pretty impressed with myself and my healthy muffin ways. Carrots, zucchini, rhubarb, whole wheat flour, low sugar.

Don’t fret, I haven’t lost my way. Truth is, I like healthy muffins. I like them for a quick before-dinner snack or as an addition to my lunch. But I also like rich, ooey gooey sweet muffins. Muffins with chocolate. Muffins that taste bakery-fresh. Muffins with a little pizazz. Muffins like these.

Banana Crumb Muffins - rich banana muffins with an awesome cinnamon streusel topping // thepajamachef.comWhen I go home for the weekend, inevitably my mom, sister, and I end up baking something or other. Sometimes multiple things. My mom has these giant folders filled with recipes she’s torn out of magazines and printed off the internet, just waiting to be made. Some are from the 80s and have funny names, while others we just laugh at as we’re leafing through. “That sounded good once?!?” Other times, there are gems in those folders. Banana Crumb Muffins are one of those gems.

Banana Crumb Muffins - rich banana muffins with an awesome cinnamon streusel topping // thepajamachef.comThese banana muffins are sweet, pillowy soft, and like most muffin recipes, whipped up in a matter of minutes. They’re a great way to use up those lingering bananas going brown on your countertop–the monkeys on the muffin liners wholeheartedly agree, but they did wonder how humans let so many bananas go bad. I told them I didn’t know, but I suspected it had to do with making delicious creations like these!

Banana Crumb Muffins - rich banana muffins with an awesome cinnamon streusel topping // thepajamachef.comI loved the way the pure banana flavor came through, though I’m sure the addition of vanilla, nuts, or chocolate chips wouldn’t be problematic. What makes these muffins extraordianry is the crumb topping. Our topping melted into the muffin a little bit, but if you wait to add the topping until the muffins are almost done, I think it would hold its own a little more. Either way, they are sure to be very yummy!

Banana Crumb Muffins

  • Servings: 14-16 muffins
  • Print

from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:

for muffins

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

for topping

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease standard sized muffin tins with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. In a large bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, egg, and butter. Slowly fold in dry ingredients until incorporated.

Spoon batter into prepared pans, about 3/4 of the way full.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour in butter and mix with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins, then place pans in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. When muffins are done, they should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes before cooling on a rack.

Breakfast, French Toast, Recipes

Blueberry Multigrain French Toast Bake + Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas

Sarah

Update: find this post on my blog here. Enjoy!
Need ideas for your Mother’s Day brunch menu? Or just interested in trying my new favorite, easy [semi-healthy] French Toast Bake, made with juicy blueberries, cinnamon, and hearty multigrain bread? If you answered yes to either of those questions, be sure to check out my post on Today’s Housewife right now! Enjoy your day! 🙂

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Cinnamon Carrot Muffins

Sarah

Carrot Cinnamon Muffins are good… like, really good. Not just pretty good or mildly good, but really really really good.

Like, good enough to blog about even though I made them in February. Yes, February. The beginning of February, if you must know. I’m really behind.

Back to the muffin at hand. I had to blog about them. After all, this photo has been sitting on my desktop for months, taunting me.

Yes, genuinely taunting me.

These muffins have a lightly spiced, sweet middle and a slightly crisp, golden brown top. Mmmm, classic muffin love right there.

But why have they been taunting me? After all, that’s a pretty harsh word. Taunt taunt taunt TAUNT… muffins on attack! [Umm, sorry I’m weird.]

Well, first, because they’re like the only way I’ve ever figured out to get Ben to eat extra carrots [besides that baggie I stick everyday in his lunchbox]. And second, because they have the flavor of carrot cake. They’re kind of a lighter, healthier, less sweet version of carrot cake. And lastly, and best of all… no chunkiness! No kinda mushy nuts, no lumpy raisins, no stringy pineapple. Just pure, sweet, spiced carrot goodness. In my opinion, the only time “chunky” with food is good is in regard to applesauce, or Chunky Monkey Ice Cream. [Maybe I do like other “chunky” foods, but I can’t think of any so just go with me on this!]

To sum it up: Cinnamon Carrot Muffins are smooth, flavorful, and pretty delicious… that’s all, and here’s the recipe. Bookmark it, print it, or pin it because you’re gonna want to make it! I know I want them again, after staring at their gorgeousness for months on end. 🙂

Cinnamon Carrot Muffins [from Whole Living, April 2011]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups finely grated carrots [about 4 large carrots]
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with paper liners.

Use a food processor to grate carrots, then remove grating attachment. Add oil, buttermilk, and eggs and pulse until fully combined. Add brown sugar and pulse again.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then mix until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in muffin tin for 15 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool before serving or storing.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Notes: Alternatively, grate carrots with a box grater and then mix wet ingredients by hand. The food processor is just faster, but not necessary.

Breakfast, Coffee Cake, Recipes

Royal Berry Coffee Cake

Sarah

So, it’s springtime… but not quite berry season yet. Never mind–frozen berries work just fine in this fluffy, light coffee cake that features not just one but two kinds of delicious berries for your enjoyment. Drool! Raspberries and blueberries pair perfectly in this indulgent breakfast-y dessert treat. There’s just something so special about raspberries, huh? I think so, anyway.

slice of royal berry coffee cake on a plate with text reading "royal berry coffee cake" in the backgroundRoyal Berry Coffee Cake was the product of a recent Saturday night baking experiment. Those are the best! I started the tradition in high school when I’d bake at night after getting home from running at a cross country or track meet, watching classic TLC shows like “Trading Spaces.” Sometimes friends would be over baking with me, other times it’d just be me and the pets. Now, it’s me and the kitty… with Ben someplace nearby.

The recipe originally was my mom’s, pulled from a newspaper or newsletter of some sort [the credit goes to a woman from at Purdue… just googled her, apparently she’s a chef at at dining hall]. My mom had noted that it was delicious in August 2006, and I am happy to report that it was absolutely phenomenal in April 2012. 🙂 Sweet!

The main change I made to the original recipe was doubling it and baking it in a Bundt pan instead of a 9×13 pan. I did not double the amount of berries [because I wouldn’t have had enough otherwise], so feel free to halve the recipe if that works better for you–just bake it for about 30 minutes instead.

slice of royal berry coffee cake on a plateHowever you make it, this springtime cake is sure to satisfy. Each bite of vanilla cake is dotted with berries, and looks impressive when it’s really a cinch to make. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake… the smell is just incredible, and it tastes even better! Make this now!!

What are you baking this spring?

Royal Berry Coffee Cake [adapted from Grace Brutsman, Hillenbrand Hall]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup frozen red raspberries
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan, then set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together flour and baking powder. Set dry ingredients inside.

Then, cream butter in a stand mixer, incorporating sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until mixture is fluffy and light. Stir in eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute to combine.

Stir vanilla into milk in a measuring cup. Then, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients into bowl of stand mixer, beating well after each addition.

Place half of each type of berry in bottom of prepared pan. Cover with half of cake batter, add rest of berries, and top with remaining batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 65-75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cover with foil after about 45 minutes if the cake starts to get dark.

Cool for 15-25 minutes before inverting on cooling rack, loosening edges with plastic knife if necessary.

Time: 85 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 16-20 servings.