Breakfast Cupcakes

Has anyone tried this recipe? My co-worker Cheryl Hoefler saw this on a Facebook friend’s page and thought it would be a great breakfast dish to add to Angel’s Kitchen. It looks like a fun one for any breakfast gathering, or for families on the go. I'm eager to try this one and will add a picture when I do. If you give it a whirl, please comment and let me know how it turned out! Thanks!

Ingredients:
1 20-oz. pkg. shredded hash browns, thawed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tbsp. flour
1 small sweet onion, coarsely grated
2 thick slices deli ham, chopped into small bits (about 1 cup)
1 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 dozen cooked
eggs, scrambled*
chives for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F., and lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the first eight ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon potato mixture into each prepared muffin cup until about 1/3 full. Gently press the potato mixture down in the middle and up the sides of each cup. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. If the nests have puffed up too much in the center, scoop out a little with a teaspoon. Fill each nest with scramble eggs and top with chives.

This recipe is also featured on the blog Just a Pinch.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish

My Blue Mountain Eagle co-worker Winnie Browning of Seneca shared this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish recipe after making it for her family – she said it was a hit! Her version is an adaptation of a Cheese Danish recipe she found on Pinterest. These would be great for breakfast or dessert, but I’m fairly certain they’ll disappear soon after they come out of the oven, no matter the time!

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. Big & Flaky Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or equivalent of different brand)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Topping:
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/2 C. white sugar
1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll out two rectangles of crescent roll dough, and press one into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese with 1/2 C. sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough in the pan. Place the remaining crescent roll dough on top of the cream cheese layer. Spread melted butter over the top, and sprinkle the top with a mixture of 1/2 C. sugar and cinnamon.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until top is lightly toasted. Cool, and refrigerate before serving.
Makes 9 servings.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Fresh strawberry jam is so much better than store-bought, wouldn’t you agree? Please believe me when I tell you this recipe is so easy, you will kick yourself for not trying it out sooner! There is no cooking involved, and this brand of pectin uses less sugar than some other brands – it’s a snap!
If you choose to make peach jam, see instructions below – it requires 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.
Just remember to get Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin – make sure it says INSTANT – for the quick method.
The finished product makes about 2 cups and can be poured into canning jars or plastic resealable containers, both work great.
Can you taste the fresh strawberries???

Ingredients:
1 2/3 C. strawberries, crushed or finely chopped
2/3 C. sugar or Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 small packet Ball RealFruit Instant Pectin (see picture below)

Directions:
1. Stir sugar and contents of package in a bowl.
2. Add fruit. Stir 3 minutes.
3. Ladle jam into clean jars (or plastic containers) and let stand 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Tips: Plastic freezer jar or glass jars with straight sides work best for freezing. When filling jars, leave 1/2 inch headspace to allow for expansion during freezing. If you use frozen fruit the result will be a little bit runny, but still tasty.

For peach jam: stir peaches, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, let stand 10 minutes. Add pectin gradually to prevent clumping. Stir 3 minutes. Ladle jam into clean jars and let stand 30 minutes.

Homemade Yogurt

This yogurt is delicious, creamy and easy to make. Also, worth it!


All you need to make this is a gallon jug of milk, a cup of yogurt and some sugar and vanilla! Supplies needed include a candy thermometer, quart-size jars plus one pint, and a cooler (such as Coleman or Igloo), then you're set!
This recipe comes from Rachel Carpenter of John Day – thank you! She found this online, adapted from Frugal Girl.
I never thought of making fresh yogurt, but after watching Rachel make this a couple weeks ago, I realize that it is totally do-able. It tastes fantastic with a bit of strawberry freezer jam and granola, or even a bit of brown sugar. Blueberries would be another nice topping – the possibilities are endless!

For any questions, please email me at angel@bmeagle.com.

Ingredients:

1 gallon of milk, whole or 1-2 percent (see tip below)
1 C. yogurt starter (can use a cup of plain yogurt such as Dannon or Yoplait, with yogurt cultures, or you can use a cup from your previous batch of homemade yogurt)
1/2-1 C. sugar (or Agave nectar, if you prefer)
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place four quart-size glass jars, four lids, and four screw-tops in a large pot. Fill with an inch of water; cover with lid and heat to boiling. Boil ten minutes. Leave the lid on the pot and move it off the heat until you are ready to use the jars.

Pour one gallon of whole milk into a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Over medium heat, warm the milk to 190 degrees F. Make sure to do this slowly, you don’t want the milk to scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120 degrees F. While the milk is cooling, stir in the sugar or agave and vanilla. Once the milk has reached 120 degrees F, stir in the cup of yogurt starter using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.

Pour the milk into jars and put the lids and bands on. Place them in a cooler (such as an Igloo or Coleman cooler).

Shut the cooler lid and leave in a warm place for six hours (don’t open the cooler lid). When the six hours are up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator.

Angel's tip: If you go with a 1- or 2-percent milk the consistency will be a bit runnier than yogurt from the store. I tried the yogurt made with 1 percent and thought it tasted wonderful!

German Pancakes with Butter Syrup

German Pancakes

    From the kitchen Mandy (Woodbury) Nielsen, who grew up in John Day, is this fluffy and satisfying breakfast of German Pancakes. It’s so easy and so good – perfect for your Valentine.

1 cube butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butter in 9X13 baking dish and melt down (watch not to burn).
    Combine eggs, flour, milk and salt. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into hot melted butter pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
    When you take the pan out of the oven let it sit on stove top. It will collapse as it cools.
    Serve with powdered sugar and butter syrup below, or your favorite pancake syrup.
Tip: To avoid lumps, add the milk gradually, stirring in between additions.

Butter Syrup

1 C. melted butter
1 C. buttermilk
2 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

    Mandy usually makes half of this syrup recipe. Use a larger sauce pan as the syrup will raise when you add the baking soda.
    Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 min. Let it cool slightly before serving.

Breakfast fit for a king

A recent session of Friday Academy at Humbolt Elementary had young students measuring, whisking and cooking in a Kids Cuisine class taught by Sherry Feiger of John Day.

Sherry, who is now retired, taught at Humbolt for many years. My oldest son thought the world of her when she was his first grade teacher several years ago.

It was nice to see her back at the school teaching children some kitchen basics: wash hands before you start, measure correctly and avoid licking those fingers!

I had the opportunity to come in a couple of times to help, as my youngest son was taking the class. Marissa Williams, publisher of the Blue Mountain Eagle, also lent a hand.

One of the most delicious moments for the class came when they whipped up a breakfast fit for a king. They made French Toast, sausage, fruit kabobs and Orange Julius.

Sherry shared a couple of her recipes. These are so good and so easy! Thank you Sherry!

Orange Julius

1 6 oz. can frozen OJ concentrate (still frozen)
1 C. milk
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C. sugar
8-10 ice cubes

Place all ingredients and blender. Mix until ice is crushed and mixture is slushy.

French Toast

2 eggs
2/3 C. milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
thick slices of bread
butter
syrup or other toppings

Beat eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in bowl. Dip bread slices in mixture and place on buttered griddle. Be sure griddle or pan is hot enough to cook the toast but not burn it. Serve with syrup, peanut butter and jelly or lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Makes about 7 pieces of French Toast.

Sherry says, “Most of the ingredients can be added according to taste. As a kid, I remember when my mom made it for us she never used enough milk. We would end up with a thin layer of fried egg on each side.”

Just in time for Easter: Crepes from Angel's Kitchen

Crepes say springtime. They aren’t my specialty, however, I heard there is an interest out there for a recipe for them on the Kitchen blog. This recipe comes from a relative who loves crepes. Bring on spring!

Crepes

3 c. flour

1/2 c melted margarine

3 c. milk

1/2 teas. salt

1/2 teas. vanilla

3 eggs

1/4 c. sugar

Mix and cook on med. in a Teflon or well oiled pan.

Fillings and toppings:

Glazed fruit with whipped cream, pudding, ice cream on top or simply sprinkle w/ powdered sugar.

If nonsweet fillings are used, reduce sugar to 1 Tbsp. Fillings could include sausage, eggs, seafood, cheese, pizza toppings or anything you like.