Chocolate Zucchini Bread (or muffins)

Seriously, this is a totally acceptable options for breakfast.  It's full of zucchini.

2 C. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
6 T. cocoa powder
1/2 C. oil
1 C. sugar
1/4 C. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. grated zucchini
3/4 C. chocolate chips (minis disburse much better than regular size)

Topping:
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. white sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine oil, sugars, and eggs until slightly fluffy.  Add vanilla, zucchini, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cocoa until mixed.  Stir in flour and chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 degrees in two 8-inch or 9-inch loaf pans for 50-60 minutes.  Sprinkle on the topping mid-way through baking.  Instead, I made muffins.  20-25 minutes at 350 degrees and I got about 30 muffins.  I ate 4.  That's totally healthy, right?

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

They look very pretty sitting here on the big plate.  I'd have a picture but "someone" broke my camera.

2 mashed bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour (I used whole wheat because it's just yummier and better for you.)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix bananas, milk, and egg together.  Add baking powder, sugar, flour, and chocolate chips, stirring just until combined.  Batter will be pretty thick.  Place into prepared muffin cups.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Carrot Bread

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease a loaf pan, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 or 9x5x3 inches. Mix carrots, sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Jam Muffins

I made strawberry, black raspberry, and apricot.

1 3/4 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Jam in the flavor of your choice

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except jam and mix just until combined.  Batter should be slightly lumpy.  Lightly grease muffin cups.  Fill each cup 1/3 full.  Top each with 1 tsp. or less of jelly, jam, or preserves.  Then cover with enough batter to fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from pans and serve warm.  Makes 10-12 muffins.

Banana Cinnamon Muffins

Okay, okay.  I know it sounds like an odd combination but they were delicious!  The kids all went BONKERS over them!

2/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. oil
2 eggs
2 small very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 C. flour (the recipe called for white but I used wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together sugar, oil, and eggs.  Add bananas and vanilla and mix.  Add in remaining ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Divide among 12 greased muffin cups.  Sprinkle each liberally with sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes.

Swiss Oven Omelet

I used a little less onion because I was running low.  And I used white instead of red because that's what I already had.  I also added 3 strips of torn up leftover turkey bacon.  We also think it might possibly be better without the sugar, but it was definitely good the way it was!

2 cups chopped red onion
2 tsp. sugar
1 T. oil
2 tsp. yellow mustard or dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 eggs
1/4 C. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 C. shredded swiss cheese

In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, cook and stir onion and sugar in oil over medium heat to desired tenderness.  Add mustard and thyme.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a small bowl, beat eggs, water, salt, and pepper.  Pour into skillet.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Top with remaining cheese.  Cut into wedges.

Easy Homemade Hashbrowns

Potatoes - 4 mediumish ones were barely enough for us last night
Oil
Salt/pepper/other seasonings you like

Bake potatoes in oven or microwave the day before and store them in the refrigerator so they get nice and chilled.  When you're ready to start cooking remove them and shred them either in a food processor or with a hand grater over a plate.  Heat oil in a big skillet (over medium-high heat) with some salt and pepper sprinkled over it.  Spread potatoes evenly in skillet.  Salt and pepper the top.  Then let it cook until the bottom is browned to your liking.  Flip them in sections with a spatula and cook until that side browns.  Done!

Breakfast Ravioli

This is my latest concoction for brunch last Sunday.

2 tubes crescent rolls
7 eggs
1/2 C. chopped veggie combination (onion, red/green/yellow bell peppers, tomato, mushroom)
Shredded cheese of choice, if desired

Scramble eggs in a skillet with veggie combination.  Mix in cheese and let cool so it's easier for you to handle and doesn't make the crescent dough soggy.  Separate the crescent dough so you have 8 flat rectangles (each made up of two triangles with the perforation pressed together).  Distribute the egg mixture evenly onto one side of each rectangle.  Fold the other side of each rectangle over the eggs and press the edges together.  Carefully place them on greased cookie sheets and bake at the temperature and time advised on the crescent roll tube or until golden brown.

Tricks & Ideas:
-My veggie combination was made up of leftover stuff from the kabobs we grilled a couple nights before.
-You could also add some sausage or crumbled bacon to the egg mixture.  I just served turkey bacon along side.
-Depending on how much you put in and how fluffy you get your eggs, you may have some mixture left over.  If it doesn't get eaten up, save it to put into a tortilla for later.  Almost any leftovers are yummy and convenient to grab when wrapped in a tortilla.

Quick Pizza Crust

2 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp. oregano
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup milk
Desired pizza toppings, sauce, and cheese

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cheese, and oregano in a bowl. Measure oil and milk into one measuring cup but do not mix. Pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir until mixture forms a ball. Divide mixture into halves. Roll each half between sheets of wax paper to pit a 15-inch pizza pan. Place crusts in pans and form edges. Bake at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes. After adding sauce, toppings, and cheese bake another 15-20 minutes.

Tricks & Ideas
-I didn’t use waxed paper to roll it out. In fact, I think I just patted it onto the pan.
-I also use this to make breakfast pizza. Use a little butter or a butter/sour cream mixture for the sauce. You don’t need as much as you would pizza sauce. I use scrambled eggs and sausage or ham or Carl Buddig-type ham lunchmeat and mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese.

Fun Hot Dogs

Package of hot dogs
Can of crescent rolls
Shredded cheese (any kind)

Unroll and separate the crescent rolls. Flatten the triangular pieces of crescent roll a little. Place a hot dog and a little cheese on the shortest side of each triangle. Roll up from that edge like you would a crescent roll. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at the temperature advised on the crescent roll package until the crescents are done.

Tricks & Ideas
-Serve with box macaroni and cheese.
-You could do the same with link sausage and serve with eggs for breakfast.
-Make these with lil smokies for an appetizer.

Caramel Puffs

3 tubes of biscuits
½ pint (1 carton) whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar

Grease 9x13 pan. Cut each biscuit into fourths and throw into the pan. Mix whipping cream and brown sugar in the carton that you’ve opened all the way up. It works well with a fork. Pour over rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let sit a few minutes after baking and then invert onto a cookie sheet larger than the pan. Do it fast or boiling caramel will run everywhere!

Tricks & Ideas
-Whipping cream is in little cartons like you had for milk in school. You can find it near the sour cream and cottage cheese.