Monday Menu ~ Cider Glazed Pumpkin Donuts

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Jackie

I’ve mentioned it about a half dozen or more times but I love fall & pumpkin treats! One of my favorite treats lately has been pumpkin donuts… crisp on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, a little spicy, and a sweet from the cream cheese frosting that is spread over the top… the downside is that those delicious deep friend treats are pretty high in calories and it can get expensive to buy them every day.

So what did I do? I baked some up cider glazed pumpkin donuts this weekend to have for breakfast with some fresh cider that we picked up at the the local farmers market. Baked donuts can be just as delicious as their deep fried siblings but are a little healthier and a lot easier since you don’t have to deal with a vat of super hot grease.

To try and keep the calories down a little more I substituted fresh applesauce for the oil and egg substitute for the regular eggs. The only downside is that the donuts tend to be a little more dense but the flavor is exactly the same and they are very moist, full of pumpkin & spice flavor.

As these baked the house filled with the smell of spices and pumpkin. It was such a warm, inviting smell that I couldn’t wait to eat one… or two.

I think that the cider glaze gives them a little extra flavor… and it’s better than just a regular glaze made with water. The flavor is delicious but subtle enough that it doesn’t overpower the pumpkin, which is the star of these tasty donuts. You also leave them plain for dipping in coffee, rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or topped with a bit of cream cheese frosting.

These might just become a weekend staple around here this fall and winter.

Adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner’s recipe.

Monday Menu ~ Cranberry Orange Scones

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Jackie

This past week while wandering around the produce section at the grocery store I happened to find some fresh cranberries. I grabbed a few bags with the plan of freezing some and then making some bread with the others. But then I thought that bread seemed like more work… cutting it all that once it’s baked as opposed to something that you can just pick up and take a bite out of.

Muffins… no… I only had one pan that makes the jumbo sized muffins and I didn’t want to use the little ones.

Finally, it came to me. Scones! I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to think of them because I love them! In just about any form I will eat a scone… sweet or savory.

I set out to make the most amazing cranberry orange scone ever and after scouring the internet for the most perfect recipe I finally found two that were close to what I wanted. I did what any other brave baker would do… I combined them. So thanks to Smitten Kitchen and Two Peas & Their Pod for creating inspiring recipes.

Ingredients

3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter – I used unsalted butter & Melt (coconut oil) spread
1 tbsp fresh grated orange zest
1 1/4 c fresh cranberries – chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk/half & half/heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.

You’ll need to use a food processor to chop up the cranberries or you can do it by hand but it takes a little bit longer. I love my food processor… it makes so many jobs a lot easier on me and actually a bit less messy since I don’t have things flying all over the counter and floor.

With a micro plane or veggie peeler remove the zest from the lemon. If you used the veggie peeler you’ll need to finely chop it up.

In a large bowl or food processer mix the dry ingredients, orange peel, and butter until it resembles course sand.

In a small bowl beat the eggs, vanilla, milk, and orange juice. Gently fold the wet ingredients and cranberries into the dry just until it’s combined. It will look a little lumpy but that’s okay.

Scoop out of the bowl onto a prepared baking sheet. I was able to get 12 good sized scones out of this recipe but you can make them as small or as big as you’d like.

Just a quick note… this dough is pretty wet & sticky so that means rolling it out and cutting is into neat squares, triangles, or using a round cutter is almost impossible. I know this to be true because I tried and failed.

Bake for about 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.

If you want to make a bit of glaze for them mix together some orange juice and powered sugar and then drizzle over top of them

The end result is a very moist and tender scone that is truly delicious!

Monday Menu ~ Breakfast Omelet Muffins

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Jackie

I’m a big fan of breakfast foods; pancakes, french toast, eggs & fried potatoes, any of it really. Breakfast foods aren’t just for breakfast either! We often have breakfast for dinner and it’s one of my kids favorites.

Recently I asked Stephanie from The Scoop on Poop and My Write Side if she wanted to guest post, she agreed, and then sent me the most amazing recipe! It’s an omelet and muffin combined into one rather delicious breakfast treat. I love how easy & versatile this recipe is. You can use any cheese you like, crumbled bacon or any other meat you want, or no meat at all, any veggies you want (spring onions taste divine and give a sweet touch of color too), and you could even let the kids help! Let them make their own Breakfast Muffin to help encourage them to eat their veggies!

These are so good, your whole family will want more than one!

Ingredients
1 pound Pork Sausage, diced
1 cup broccoli florets (or other veggie)
8 large eggs
1/4 cup cheese
1/4 cup milk (or half and half depending on how you’re feeling that day)
1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. baking powder (out of baking powder? Use 1-1.5 tsp. flour)
salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese as needed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large sauté pan, over medium high heat, brown Italian Sausage for about 5 minutes, or until the
sausage is no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, oil, cheese, and baking powder. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Lightly spray a 12-cupcake pan with oil. Spoon out the sausage and broccoli mixture evenly into each
cupcake.
5. Ladle the egg mixture over sausage and broccoli.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

If your out and about the internets go check out some of Stephanie’s incredible fiction writing over at My Write Side…. you won’t be disappointed.