Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to try these bars for the long holiday weekend. We are heading to the lake and will have in our company some folks who are notoriously late sleepers. I've long since given up the simultaneous preparation of breakfast and lunch. That means our bed heads will be pouring their own juice and grabbing a breakfast pastry while the rest of us are enjoying a hearty soup and sandwich for lunch. I found this recipe on the blog A Few Short Cuts and it looked so simple that I had to give it a try. Those of you who enjoy grab-and-go breakfasts will probably like these oatmeal bars. I must be honest and tell you they are too sweet and cookie-like for my taste, but I realize that my lack of a sweet tooth is not a universal affliction. While the Silver Fox is a bacon and eggs kind of guy, he has given the bars his seal of approval, as long as they are served as a snack rather than breakfast. Purist that I am, I will continue to enjoy my oatmeal as a porridge rather than in bar form, but if you are in the market for a grab-and-go breakfast, you might want to give these a try. Here is how they're made.

Breakfast Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While you won't be whipping this up for breakfast every Sunday morning, it's a fantastic dish to serve for a special breakfast or holiday brunch. From the perspective of a hostess, it's a great recipe to have on hand because the enchiladas can be made and assembled the night before serving and simply baked off when needed. I must admit the Silver Fox and I are not fans of corn tortillas, so I substitute the flour variety when I make this dish for the two of us. Purists will tell you this makes the enchiladas gummy, but I have not found that to be the case. If you like a hot enchilada sauce, you'll want to up the quantity of jalapenos that you use to make your sauce. The sauce used here is mild, and while I prefer milder varieties of sauce for breakfast, I realize that my preference is not shared by all. You'll have to experiment to find the quantity of chiles needed to set your palate on fire. Remember that the seeds and membranes of the chiles are a guaranteed way to increase the heat without increasing quantity, so start there. While the ingredient list is long, the enchiladas are not difficult to make if you work through the recipe a step at a time. I usually make the sauce a day before I assemble the enchiladas and I have been known to use a store-bought sauce when I'm pressed for time. I know those of you who try this recipe will be pleased. Here is how this breakfast entree is made.

Greek Yogurt Parfaits with Chunky Granola

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While the recipes are my own, the beautiful yogurt parfaits we were served this weekend led me to pull them from my files to share with you. The granola can be made days in advance of using, and it can be kept up to 10 days if it is stored it in an airtight container. While the parfaits can be made hours ahead of serving, the granola will become soggy and lose some of its appeal, so I prefer to have all of the elements ready to go and assemble the parfaits just before serving. Here is how mine are made.

Smoky Cheddar and Bacon Puffed Eggs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Happy Mother's Day to all who have raised or helped raise children. I'm spending the day with my oldest daughter in the town of Coupeville which is on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. We've actually been here for several days now, and have been staying at a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Blue Goose Inn. The innkeepers here are Dave and Becky Broberg and they share the charming suites in two wonderful Victorian homes with travelers who make it to their doorstep. Were that not enough, Becky is a cook of the highest caliber, and the breakfasts we have had here are close to Lucullan in taste and the quality of ingredients used in their preparation. Since I'm being pampered, I thought I'd really take a vacation, and instead of cooking myself, share a few of Becky's creations with you. At first glance, they may seem involved, but I want to assure you that they are all as doable as they are delicious. Here is how she makes these wonderful egg puffs.

Lemon Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've decided to make these unusual pancakes for breakfast on Easter morning. They are thinner than traditional hotcakes but thicker than crepes, so it's hard to fit them into either category. Because they are a bit too thick to fold, I've decided to call them pancakes, at least for this post. The lemon zest in the batter gives these breakfast cakes a unique and delicious flavor that makes them perfect for a special holiday meal. When I have fresh blueberries, I serve them with a homemade blueberry syrup that is not as sweet as the commercial variety. Mid-winter or early spring, I top them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a dusting of confectioners' sugar. The batter for these pancakes is thin and can result in oddly shaped amoeba-like cakes if the griddle on which they cook is not hot enough to quickly set them. I also let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten before I begin to cook the pancakes. I really like this recipe and the only thing that prevents me from giving it my highest - socks go up and down - rating, is the fact that not everyone is enchanted with the flavor of lemon. If you are a lemon head try these as soon as you can. You'll love them. Here is how they are made.

Oatmeal Waffles with Warm Cinnamon Syrup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This past weekend we attended an open house at a hellebore nursery here in Eugene. Things did not go as we planned. Although we were at the nursery by 11 am, all the hellebores had been sold. To make matters worse, the restaurant at which we planned to have lunch was packed, and the earliest table they could promise involved an hour wait. The Silver Fox, who waits for no man, much less a restaurant table, decided, without asking me, that a Bergfeld Brunch should be the order of the day. I made sage sausage on Friday, so the protein portion of the brunch was covered, but because there were six of us the rest of the meal was problematic. Fortunately, I remembered this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. It's been a go-to recipe in my kitchen that I use whenever I have a large group to feed. The recipe is so simple that I knew I had all the ingredients needed to make the waffles without making a mad dash to the grocery store. The only fruit I had was apples, but I thought I could make a crispless apple crisp that would be a perfect foil to the sage sausage and hearty pancakes. Fortunately, the meal came together quickly and we all enjoyed the unplanned brunch. One of these days, I may even start speaking to the Silver Fox again. These waffles are terrific and the warm cinnamon syrup takes them over the top. I know you'll enjoy the ease with which they come together and the compliments you'll receive when you serve them will make you a true devotee. Here is how they are made.

Child's Play - Peanut Butter Pancakes or Waffles with Honey Butter

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'll wager you didn't know that I have super powers. I can see some of you recoiling at the thought of peanut butter pancakes or waffles. I hope you'll man-up and give them a try despite your initial hesitation. The original recipe came from the Land O' Lakes collection, and this, like all the recipes they publish, has been carefully tested and makes delicious fail-proof pancakes and waffles. The recipe is simple enough for the kids to make by themselves, but they may need some supervision the first time they attempt them. It's important to incorporate the peanut butter into the other liquid ingredients, and that is most easily done by softening the peanut butter, which can be smooth or chunky, in a microwave until it can be easily stirred or melts into the other ingredients. Once that's mastered, they can be left on their own. I'm including the honey butter that was included in the original recipe, but there are other options. My gang happen to be peanut butter purists, so, rather than honey butter or maple syrup, they drizzle melted grape jelly over their pancakes, which they call PBAJP's. Now, I realize this is not a recipe for the masses, but if you are a mom or grandmother with young children who enjoy working in the kitchen, I hope you let them give this recipe a try. If they like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they love the pancakes and have fun making them. Here is how they are made.

Cottage Cooking - French Toast Casserole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Here is another recipe that lends itself to cooking in barebone kitchens. No special ingredients or equipment are needed to make it, and it takes about 15 minutes to prepare. It can be baked as soon as it's assembled and it makes a nice, if sweet, way to start the day, especially if you are feeding a hungry horde. I must admit I'm not certain whom to credit for the recipe. I found it on a blog called Sweet and Simple Living, but I have since seen it on The Pioneer Woman site as well. I don't know who was first, so I'll credit both of them here. The Silver Fox and I prefer this casserole on the dry side, so I bake it for an hour and ten minutes. If you prefer your breakfast casseroles to pudding-like, I suggest checking it at the 50 minute mark to see if it is done to your liking. When we are at home, I use small stale Hawaiian rolls to make the casserole, but the recipe works with any type of stale bread. I must admit I have no luck with leftovers of this type, so I only make this when I'm feeding enough people to assure there will be no problem with leftovers. This is an easy way to make a breakfast special, and, if you have not already done so, I urge you to give this recipe a try. Here is how this very simple casserole is made.

Flipping Out - My Recipe Rotation - Cinnamon Raisin Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the most recent addition to my permanent recipe rotation. I love these pancakes and serve them often when my family visits. The Silver Fox and I have also been known to enjoy them when we're having breakfast for dinner. The batter, even with the addition of raisins, makes light and moist pancakes that are a bit out of the ordinary. However, it's the warm cinnamon syrup that makes this combo a truly dynamic duo. Strangely enough, the pancakes and syrup are easy to make. I found the recipe for them on the Food Fanatic site and I've found the recipes there to be flawless. I have, however, changed the order of execution when I prepare the recipe, and make sure I have the syrup ready to go before I mix and grill the pancakes. It makes for a stressless finale. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. The pancakes are filling and delicious and the syrup would please even ambrosia dependent gods. Here is how the combination is made.

Cherry Bombs (Scones) for Big and Little Kids

Cornmeal-Cherry Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These scones were named by a young visitor who was in the kitchen, watching, as I made them for breakfast this past weekend. They are shaped liked small balls when they go into the oven and, for whatever reason, the addition of dried cherries made him think of fireworks and cherry bombs. I will be the first to admit these are homely and there appearance might not lure you to the table, but their taste will, and I feel certain that once bitten, they will make return visits to your table. The recipe comes The Cheese Board: Collected Works and it was featured on Food52. I bookmarked the recipe because the scones were simple to make and they could be prepared without the use of an electric mixer or food processor. That makes them a prime candidate for vacation breakfast that have to be prepared in bare bones kitchens. These are really quite good. While the cornmeal adds crunch and some texture to the scones, the addition of dried berries, prevents them from being just another version of cornbread. I happened to have dried cherries in the pantry, so I followed the recipe as it was written, but having tasted them, I think dried blueberries or cranberries would work equally well. The scones are quite short and crumbly, so make sure the kids are sitting at the table to eat them, or you'll spend the remainder of the morning cleaning up their crumbs. If you have an air-tight container the scones will keep for up to three days and still make for pleasant eating. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the scones are made.

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a popular recipe that has managed to eluded me, at least until now. The recipe has been featured on a lot of blogs, so it was difficult to track it back to its original source. I do, however, feel pretty sure that it first appeared in Taste of Home magazine. If I am wrong let me know, so I can correct the attribution. While this coffee cake has many things going for it, the ease with which it comes together has to be at the top of the list. It requires no special equipment to make and it takes about 15 minutes to prepare. You can swap out the berries if you wish, and as long as you are sure the cake is done when you take it from the oven, you'll have a breakfast cake that is a wonderful way to start the day. I have slightly altered the original recipe because I thought almond extract made more sense than vanilla in a cake that's made with raspberries and sliced almonds. My only caution should you decide to make this, is that it is best when served warm from the oven. If allowed to sit, the raspberries will soak into the bottom layer of the cake and make it gummy. This is a great, nearly effortless, coffee cake and I know you will enjoy it. Here is how it is made.

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Icing
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round pan. Set aside.
2) Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4) In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl
5) Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter will be dense. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan, making sure to completely cover bottom of pan. Top with raspberry mixture. Spoon remaining batter over raspberries. Sprinkle with almonds.
6) Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan. During cooling time, carefully run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen them.
7) To make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, milk and extract in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over coffee cake and serve. Yield: 8 servings.

                    

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Simply Scrumptious Cinnamon Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you have houseguests coming for the holiday, or are just looking for something simple to make for Easter brunch, you might want to give these scones a try. They have the soft texture of a cream scone, but the sugar topping gives them enough crunch to make their texture interesting. These scones are not overly sweet, so the glaze, which might be excessively sweet in other recipes, is perfect here. I use the food processor to simplify their assembly and make clean-up easier. This is a very straightforward recipes that you can alter to your personal taste. Like nuts? Add them. Yearn for lemon? Give it a shot. This has become my go-to recipe when I'm harried, hurried or worried about creating a guest-worthy morning pastry. These scones take ten minutes to make and another ten to bake. While this is not my favorite recipe for scones, I use it more than any other because it is so easy. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. Here is how the scones are made.

Multigrain Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."These aren't half bad." That's not me speaking. It's the Silver Fox who gets shaky whenever the words meatless or wholegrain are mentioned and nears panic state when both are used in the same sentence. I knew he was a carnivore when I married him, but I still feel compelled to try and bring him along. To that end, we had these pancakes for breakfast this morning and while he thought they were a bit heavy, he loved their flavor. I count that as a point for the home team. If you are looking for a healthy version of breakfast pancakes, you might want to give this recipe a try. It comes from Midwest Living magazine and I think you'll find it is only marginally more involved than your standard breakfast variety. The recipe is straight forward and quite easy to follow. If you are curious, here's how they are made. Remember, "they aren't half bad."

White House Honey-Oat Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I won't go so far as to say these are healthy muffins, I will say they are probably better for you than most you've come across. I found this recipe in a very old issue of Food and Wine magazine, and it caught my eye and was clipped because of its pedigree. Spike Mendelsohn, a former contestant on Top Chef, apparently made these muffins for Michele Obama, who liked them, and, hence the "White House" moniker was appended to his recipe. I've wanted to try them for a long time and the holiday gave me a chance to make them for a guest who is a fan of not too sweet, breakfast pastry. She really liked these. Now, I must warn you that these muffins, when baked, will win no beauty contests, and because they are just barely sweet, be sure you know the audience you're going to serve them to. That being said, the muffins are quite good and easy to make. I do, however, want to alert you to a small problem I encountered when baking my first batch. Now, it may be that the size of standard muffin pans has changed over the years, but if newer pans still have cups that hold 3-1/2 ounces, this recipe will make more batter than you need to fill 12 cups. Don't overfill the cups or you will have a mess on your hands when you try to unmold them. Please don't ask how I know. Somethings are better not shared with the world at large. Second time around, I was able to make 16 muffins using the ingredients listed below. If you like to start your day with a muffin and enjoy pastry that is not too sweet, you'll enjoy these. The honey and coriander give them a unique flavor that is worth a try. Here is how they are made.

Apple Pecan Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for something simple to serve on Christmas morning, you might want to consider these pancakes. They lack the eye appeal needed for a company breakfast, but if you'd like to treat your family to something that is out of the ordinary, you might want to give these delicious pancakes a try. They are simple to make and the recipe, which, by the way, can be cut in half, is straight forward and easy to follow. I have, however, encountered one small problem with the batter as it cooks. It contains a lot of sugar and that, coupled with the shredded apples, means the pancakes can burn or char easily. I suggest you use an electric griddle or keep the heat under the skillet you use for stovetop cooking at a moderate level to prevent that from happening. Despite their raggedy appearance, the pancakes are delicious and I know your family will enjoy them. Here is how they are made.

Giant "Killer" Coffee Cake Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect I'm a contrarian. While it's not deliberate, I swim with the salmon and often find myself heading upstream while the rest of the world is heading down. This afternoon, despite a refrigerator packed with holiday food, I could find nothing that I wanted to eat. It was raining hard, so my remedies were limited. I could brave the deluge or I could bake. Had I not just placed a log on the fire, I'd have been out the door in a New York minute, but that log sealed my fate. If I wanted something sweet I had to bake. I decided to make these muffins because, while they are easy to make, they are also delicious and I knew just one of them would set the world right and end my cravings. The recipe, which comes from Midwest Living magazine, is a new take on a favorite old-fashioned coffeecake. The recipe is scaled to make 6 large or 12 regular sized muffins. I decided to use large muffin cups because they seemed like less work and would make clean-up easier. I am not at this point in the holiday weekend, much into marathon cooking, and the 15 minutes it takes to make these muffins matched my attention span and energy level. The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow. The muffins have a lovely soft crumb and I know those of you who try the recipe will love them. I do have one thought to share with you. I think these muffins are best when served barely warm and I like to get them to the table right after they're removed from the pan. They will, however, keep for about a day before they begin to stale. Here is how these cinnamon and nut-topped muffins are made. Do try one. They make the world a better place.

Frugal Foodie Friday - Big Batch Buttermilk Pancake Mix

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wish I could tell you that tonight's recipe was developed for a school or church breakfast, but, truth be told, I use one of those huge, just add water, mixes when I'm responsible for a pancake breakfast of that size. However, tucked between breakfast for 2 and breakfast for 200, is family territory, and a tradition that demands that pancakes be made from scratch. Saturday pancakes were a breakfast feature when my children were young, and as soon as they could safely balance on their chairs, they "made" our weekend pancakes. It began as an exercise in measurement, but it grew into much more, and to this day, I swear their love of food and considerable talents in the kitchen where honed when they were two and three years old. The holidays will soon be here, and that means there will again be extra bodies in the house and at the table. Large batch recipes, such as this one for pancakes, come in really handy at this time of year. Pancakes are a great way to feed and fill the breakfast brunch and they cost pennies to make. Tonight's recipe is an adaption of one that first appeared in Better Homes and Garden magazine. Using the quantities suggested below, you can count on 20 to 24 5-inch pancakes per batch, and should you need more, the recipe can again be doubled. I've included some suggestions for fruits and berries that can be added to the batter if you want to dress the pancakes up. With or without fruit, the pancakes are fast and easy to make and they make a great inexpensive addition to your breakfast table. Here is how they are made.

Table for Two - Buttermilk Waffles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Waffles have been a fixture on American tables for years. Thomas Jefferson so loved the waffles he had in France and Belgium that he had irons shipped to his home in Virginia, so he could continue to enjoy them. Pancakes remained more popular with most folks because no special equipment was needed to make them and recipes for their preparation were generally less involved. All that changed during the 1950's as wages and lifestyles improved. Small appliances and gadgets swept the nation and middle class kitchens proudly displayed a "wired" array that included electric mixers, frying pans and waffle irons. For a period of time, waffles were the craze for Sunday night supper. Folks who had a large meal at 1 or 2 in the afternoon still needed a light supper and waffles were a perfect and novel solution for many families. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing, but whatever the root cause, the waffle craze ran its course and irons fell into disuse and became found objects in most homes. There has been, of late, a rash of new recipes for waffles, and some of them are really marvelous. Unfortunately, they do not lend themselves to quick preparation and they are scaled to feed way more than two people. The Silver Fox and I are children of the 50's, so it is no surprise that we love waffles. I've developed this recipe so the two of us could enjoy them whenever we have the urge. It takes about 30 minutes to get these to the table. They are delicious and I know those of you who try the recipe will love the waffles, so, please dust off your irons and give them a try. Here is how they are made.

Black and Blueberry Breakfast Parfaits

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to share this simple recipe with you before the holiday this weekend, but time got away from me. Despite my best efforts, I fear I'll be a week or two late for the second coming if I don't get a better handle on my calendar. At any rate, these parfaits began life as a dessert that first appeared in Cooking Light magazine. I have since altered the recipe to suit my own needs and now serve it for breakfast or as part of a company brunch. I made them with a "blue" sauce this weekend, but if you substitute strawberries and raspberries for the blueberries and blackberries in the recipe below, you'll have a "red" sauce that is every bit as delicious as the original. These parfaits appeal to me because they are reasonably low in calories, and the use of Greek yogurt gives them enough protein to make an acceptable breakfast. Do try these. They are simple to make but they pack a real flavor punch that will get your day off to a great start. Here is how they are made.