Blueberry Mascarpone French Toast

 

Updated on February 

We made this for a bridal shower brunch and it was delicious! The make-ahead step is perfect for making it easier the morning of the event. 

Ingredients:

• 3 (8-oz.) French baguettes

• 8 oz. mascarpone or cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 tsp. vanilla

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 cups fresh blueberries

• 6 eggs

• 2 cups milk

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Slice the Baguette 

   Grease a 3-quart baking dish. Cut each baguette into 1-inch slices, cutting to but not through bottom of loaf.

2. Make Filling 

   For filling: In a medium bowl beat mascarpone and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar until combined. Fold in blueberries.

3. Assemble 

   Spoon filling between baguette slices; arrange baguettes side by side in prepared dish.

4. Chill Overnight 

   In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, remaining vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour over bread. Cover; chill overnight.

5. Bake and Serve 

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover dish. In a small bowl stir together remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over bread. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until egg mixture is set, covering with foil the last 15 minutes if necessary to prevent overbrowning. Remove; let cool slightly. Makes 12 servings.

EASY DELICIOUS Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS

• Cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• Topping:
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray
2. In a large bowl, mix everything together for the ingredients of the cake.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. For the topping, mix all of the ingredients well in a small bowl.
5. Drop spoonfuls of topping on the batter and then swirl it with a knife.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. (You can reduce the glaze and the cake would still be yummy.)

Baked Oatmeal with Berries and Almonds

4T melted butter
3 c. berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or combo)
2 c. oatmeal (not quick oats)
1 c. toasted almonds-coarsely chopped (I used raw and toasted them in a pan until browned)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 c. milk (regular or coconut or almond)
2 eggs
1/2 c. brown sugar (I used coconut sugar and some pure maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla

Spray 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Scatter berries in baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together dry ingredients. In another bowl combine melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix the oat mixture with the milk mixture and then pour over berries, shaking the dish to distribute evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Serve warm.

Applesauce Bread

Found this recipe on a website I visit now and then-delicious and super easy. I love that it is made with whole wheat flour and honey as part of the sweetness! It's so good you will probably want to make 2 loaves!!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add applesauce, eggs and butter.  Stir well.  Pour into a buttered bread pan or stone.  Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

No-Bake Energy Balls

These are our new favorite snack! 

They're easy to make and packed full of goodness. 

Make them. You'll love them. 

And you won't feel bad eating one (or two, or three!)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, etc...)

1/3 cup honey (or agave)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flax

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. 

Put the bowl in the fridge and the let the dough chill for 20-30 minutes. 

Once chilled, roll the dough into balls and enjoy!! 

Store the rest of the balls in an air tight container in the fridge.

Baked Oatmeal

We have loved this for breakfast since the mornings have turned colder-it feeds everyone and makes the  house smell delicious!!

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2  cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

 1/4 cup applesauce

Additional milk

 

 

Mix together the dry ingredients. In a seaparte bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and then combine them until well blended.  Pour in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until set and slightly browned around the edges.  Serve warm with additional milk, fruit and nuts if desired. Serves 8

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

While we were in Austin, Texas we had breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe on South Congress our last morning there.  The Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes came highly recommended and they were fabulous! It was probably because we had to say goodbye, but I didn't want that breakfast to end! I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website and these come pretty close to the real deal!!

Ingredients

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 cup cornmeal

·         1/4 cup sugar

·         1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

·         1 teaspoon coarse salt

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

·         1/4 cup whole milk

·         3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for griddle

·         1 large egg, lightly beaten

·         2 cups fresh blueberries ( I used frozen-rinse first)

·         Pure maple syrup, for serving

Directions

1.     Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, butter, and egg and fold in blueberries. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (mixture will be lumpy).

2.        Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat.. Brush griddle with melted butter. Spoon batter onto griddle 1/3 cup at a time.  Cook until edges are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are just as tasty as they sound.

The muffin has the the most perfect amount of graham cracker flavor and

the buttery, graham cracker topping is crunchy and delicious.

Make them. You'll love them.

recipe and image via

Ingredients

• 2 cups Flour, All Purpose
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• ½ cups Sugar
• 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs, They Can Have Small Bits In Them
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• ⅓ cups Canola Or Vegetable Oil
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ¾ cups Milk Chocolate Chips
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• ¼ cups Flour, All Purpose
• ¼ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• ¼ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line muffin tins with liners or spray well with cooking spray and set aside.

For the muffins, in a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs until blended. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir in by hand.

Using an ice cream size scoop, fill each muffin liner or tin with 1 scoop, about 2/3 full.

For the topping, in a bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and stir to combine all the dry ingredients well. Add the melted butter and mix well until crumbly and looking like wet sand.

Top each muffin with 1 heaping tablespoon of crumb topping.

Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Moist, delicious muffins that taste kind of like a warm cookie. Makes 15 muffins.

Lemon Blueberry Quinoa pancakes

recipe and image via

I love quinoa and had bookmarked this recipe a while ago to try.  We had a big carton of blueberries that needed to be used in the fridge, so I decided to try it out. They were delicious! If you didn't know there was quinoa in the pancakes, you might not be able to pinpoint the secret ingredient.  But they have an incredible texture and will keep you full all morning. Not to mention, they're healthy!!

1 cup cooked quinoa

3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large egg whites

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

2 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

Stir dry ingredients and the quinoa together in a small bowl. In a medium size bowl, whisk together egg whites, yogurt, milk and brown sugar until smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in quinoa, lemon juice and vanilla extract until combined. Fold in fresh blueberries.

Lightly coat a griddle or skillet with butter or cooking spray over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet (I kind of spread it out into a circle on the griddle, as the batter is thick). Cook for about 2 minutes until bubbles appear on the top and the underside is golden brown, flip and do the same. 

Makes about 8-10 pancakes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

This muffin recipe comes from my friend Kristine and is absolutely delicious. They're easy to make, no tricky ingredients, and the crumb topping makes them oh so good. These might be the perfect banana muffin, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

Crumb Topping:

2 T packed brown sugar

2 T all-purpose flour

2T quick oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter (cold)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin

papers.

In a large bowl, mix together first set of dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat

together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour

mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until

mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center

of a muffin comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Yields 12 muffins

Garden Scramble

Sometimes having breakfast for dinner is what just sounds good. This is a one of my favorites. Granted, it is better in the summer when I can go out and pick fresh zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes from the garden, but its delicious at any season. It's good and good for you!

1. Chop to a small dice and saute in a small amount of olive oil, your favorite vegetables:

any color bell peppers, red or yellow onion, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, cooked potatoes, etc.

2. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl, scramble enough eggs for the number of people you are feeding.

4. Pour over sauted vegetables and gently stir until cooked through.

5. Top with your favorite cheese-crumbled feta or sharp cheddar are my favorites.

Serve right away.

Over-Night Apple Butter

A friend of mine went apple picking and shared the harvest with me. I've been waiting to try this recipe and now was the perfect time. I think this would make a great Christmas gift for neighbors!

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
10 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks (about 2 1/2 pounds of any variety or a mixture!)

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 10 hours or until apples are very tender.
Puree using an immersion blender (or conventional blender in batches) . Continue to cook, uncovered, on high 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon into jars; cover and chill up to two weeks or freeze.

Delicious on toast or even pork chops!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Wondering what to do with your over-grown zucchini?? These are amazing! Serious chocolate goodness-moist and delicious and nutritious, right?



Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and blend all of the wet ingredients and the chocolate chips in another bowl. Add the dry to the wet and stir only until combined. Fill each cupcake pan 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the center appears firm. Do not over-bake to insure ultimate moist chocolate goodness.

Egg and Steel Cut Oats

Awhile back I saw this recipe on Framed Cooks and finally tried it-delicious! I love steel cut oats but usually top them with chopped nuts or dried fruit or brown sugar or maple syrup....or a combination of everything! But taking a savory approach instead of sweet is also very yummy. Oatmeal and poached eggs are both comfort foods for me and so the combination is oh so comforting.

Prepare oatmeal according to directions. Stir in your favorite grated cheese.

Ladle in a bowl.

Top with poached egg.

Sprinkle with chopped greeen onions, additional cheese and salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Granola

So, I was trying to get to our Twopeasandapot.blogspot.com website, but twopeasandtheirpod.com was saved in our recent web addresses and so I started thumbing through the recipes. I was craving homemade granola because we ran out of our last week and I stumbled upon this recipe. I LOVE pumpkin anything (except pie interestingly enough...) and decided to try it out. I left out the pepitas and dried cranberries but it is so incredibly delicious and chewy and tasty. It's like a holiday party in your mouth. It is so good on our homemade yogurt! Try it out!

Pumpkin Granola

ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. Mix well.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*Note-serve granola with yogurt, milk, or enjoy plain.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I sent my mom a picture of the blueberry coffee cake I had made for dinner yesterday
and she responded that she had made the same dish for breakfast!
Great minds think alike - and this is one delicious coffee cake!

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, baking powder, salt and soda. Alternating, add flour and sour cream.
Fold in blueberries. Pour into a well buttered 9x13 pan.
For the topping: Cream brown sugar and butter.
Add flour to get a semidry, lumpy mixture.
Spread on top of batter. Bake for 40 minutes
or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The topping should melt and partially sink into the batter.