German Pancake

Hello, Saturday morning breakfast. This is quick and easy to throw together while you're still waking up. :)





What's Needed:
4 large eggs
1/2 C. whole milk (you can probably lighten this recipe up by doing 2% or skim)
1/2 C. flour
1 T. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (this is important. NEVER use imitation.)
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 T. unsalted butter
Confectioners' sugar, for serving
Lemon and raspberry preserves, for serving (optional)

1. Heat oven to 425.

2. In a blender, puree the eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt until well combined.

3. Heat a medium or large (9- to 10-in.) skillet over medium heat. (IMPORTANT: Make sure you use a skillet with a METAL handle. This skillet will be going in the oven.)

4. Add the butter and melt. Add the batter, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, 12-15 minutes.

5. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 5 (for 1/4 of the pancake)

Inspired by: Woman's Day Magazine, April 1, 2011 edition

St. Valentine's Day Baking: Cinnamon Love Knots

Yep, I cheated. I tried one already. WOW, are they good. Especially considering the points value. I know that my husband and son are going to gobble these up tomorrow morning!






What's Needed:
LOVE KNOTS:
2 packages (1/4 oz. EACH) active dry yeast
1/2 C. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 C. warm milk (110-115 degrees)
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt

TOPPING:
2 C. sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon
3/4 C. butter, melted

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Stir in enough flour to form a stiff dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; kneed until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.











3. Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Cover two with plastic wrap.

4. Shape one portion into 12 balls. Roll each ball into an 8-in. rope.

5. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip rope into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar.











6. Tie into a knot. Tuck and pinch ends under and place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.










7. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Let cool completely.

Husband's Grade: A
PointsPlus Value: 3 per knot

Inspired by: The Taste of Home Baking Book

7 point breakfast--Homemade Creation of a McDonald's Classic

I recently discovered that I like McDonald's Egg McMuffins. I decided it would be easier to make them at home. After experimenting, I was able to slash a whole PointsPlus point off of the original. Hope you enjoy!




What's Needed:
1 egg
1 slice Canadian bacon (pre-cooked)
dash of salt and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (just enough to sprinkle over the top)
1 whole wheat English Muffin

1. Toast English Muffin--I usually do mine for 4-5 minutes so it's nice and crispy.

2. Put egg, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Whisk together.

3. Add egg to skillet pre-heated. Leave it alone until it looks like this. Takes about 2 minutes.











4. Flip egg. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Take off of the skillet.










5. Add Canadian bacon to skillet. Brown on both sides (about 1-2 minutes--just to heat/brown it).

6. Cut egg in half. Then fold in half.

7. To assemble:
*Place 1/2 the egg on the bottom of the muffin. Sprinkle a bit of cheese.
*Add Canadian bacon then the other half of the egg. Sprinkle a bit of cheese
*Top with other half of the muffin. Enjoy!

MY Grade: A+ (This, plus some coffee, keeps me full until lunch, and I normally eat early in the morning.)

PointsPlus: 7

Inspired by: McDonald's Original Egg McMuffin (8 PointsPlus)

Cinnamon Rolls

Is there anything more perfect than the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls coming out of the oven? I think not. That smell brings back many happy childhood memories. My mom would make those every time my Nana and Papa came to town because Papa loved them so much. This is officially my new Christmas Eve tradition--cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Boy, were they a hit!










What's Needed:
4 1/2 - 5 C. All-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 C. milk
1/3 C. butter
1/3 C. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 T. ground cinnamon
1/2 C. butter

For the Powdered Sugar Icing:
1 C. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 C. of the flour and the yeast; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, 1/3 C. butter, granulated sugar, and salt; heat and stir just until warm (120-130 F) and butter is almost melted.

3. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping side of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes total). Shape into ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours).

5. Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.

6. For the filling, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, the 1/4 C. flour and the cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 1/2 C. butter until crumbly.

7. Roll out dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling over dough. STarting from a long side, roll up dough rectangle into a spiral. Press seam to seal. Cut spiral into 12 equal pieces. Arrange slices, cut sides up, in prepared pan.

8. Loosely cover; let dough rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 45 minutes).

9. Preheat oven to 375. Break any surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully invert cinnamon rolls onto a wire rack; remove pan. Cool slightly. Invert again onto a serving platter.

10. Make the icing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until icing is of drizzling consistency.

Husband's Grade: A
PointsPlus: 10 (but oh, so worth it!)

Inspired by: 9x13: The Pan That Can

Breakfast :)

It was my grade-level's turn to make breakfast for the hungry teachers at school. My donation to the cause was this totally easy, very scrumptious strata. It was a cinch to put together the night before. In the morning, all I had to do was stick it in the oven while I got ready for work! I wish I had taken pictures, because they looked as good as they tasted.

What's Needed:
1 1-lb. loaf cinnamon-raisin bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 eggs, slightly beaten
2 C. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 21-oz. can pie filling (either apple, cherry, or peach)
1/2 C. slivered almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar

1. Grease a 9x13-inch pan. Place prepared bread in pan; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and almond extract. Stir in your choice of pie filling and half of the almonds. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread in the pan. Press down lightly with the back of a wooden spoon to moisten all of the bread. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 325. Bake, uncovered, about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Sift powdered sugar over. Makes 8 (rather big) servings

Co-workers rating: (based on the comments I received) A
PointsPlus: 10

Inspired by: Better Homes and Gardens: 9x13 Pan That Can