Good Cheap Eats » Breakfast

Oven Baked Apple Compote

Jessica — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:01:14 +0000

Apples cook in the oven with brown sugar and spices, making for an easy delicious breakfast or dessert compote.

I’m on this little mission to make our meal prep easier and quicker. I love the process of cooking, but some days are just crazy with homeschooling (FIVE students this year), running kids to piano or hockey or science, keeping up on housework, and then of course, writing and cooking.

One way that I am streamlining the process is to teach my three older boys (14, 11, and 9) to do some more independent cooking. This has been met with fairly positive reactions. No one grumbles when I call him to the kitchen to watch a demonstration — unless the game is on — so I think we’re on the right track. They love to eat and want to know how to cook.

Another technique I’m utilizing is to convert into oven or crockpot recipes those that might have called for me to stand by at the stove. So, bacon and fried chicken are getting baked in the oven instead of the frypan. The same goes for our favorite sauteed apples. This recipe met with rave reviews when I first made it last week and has been requested several times over.

Amazing that it is so simple and yet so good.

Apples are tossed with melted butter, brown sugar, and spices and baked in the oven. The result is tender spiced apples perfect to eat on their own or to top pancakes or oatmeal for breakfast. They’d also be wonderful atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a simple and gluten-free dessert. Booyah!

This past weekend, I prepped 10 pounds of apples for this purpose to make ahead and freeze. (I used this thing to help me do it quickly!)

Then, I combined the mixture of apples, sugar, spices, and lemon juice in ziptop bags and tossed them in the freezer. Now, I can pull out a bag at night, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, empty the bag’s contents into a baking dish in the morning, dot with butter and then let it bake while I take a shower or tackle some other morning task.

If you don’t want to use your prepped and frozen apples for compote, you could also use them to fill a pie shell or puff pastry.

Recipe: Oven Baked Apple Compote

Ingredients

8 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used pink ladies)

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 °. Grease a baking pan.

In a medium bowl combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Stir well to combine. Dot with butter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the apples are soft and the juices bubble.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

What’s your favorite dish to top with apples?

Build a Better (Holiday) Breakfast

Jessica — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:27:42 +0000

Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it’s also a perfect meal to celebrate with friends and family at the holidays.

Christmas, New Year’s Day, and all the mornings in between are ideal moments to gather with friends and family to share a meal. Whether you have house guests, are visiting relatives yourselves, or just inviting the neighbors over for a mid-morning bite, breakfast or brunch can be a delicious celebration.

Consider one of these for your year-end morning repasts:

Chocolate Butterhorns

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Maple Granola with Oats, Nuts and Seeds

Multigrain Blueberry Pancakes

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Do YOU have a favorite breakfast for this time of year?

Easy Breakfasts for Holidays

Jessica — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:58:12 +0000

There’s this odd catch-22 about holidays. Generally speaking, we want to eat good food and enjoy good company. We also want to do some special cooking. But, it seems that means we’re always cooking — or dining out, which can be expensive. So, we’ll scratch that.

In my efforts to make breakfast on Thursday morning a little easier, I propose these easy — and mostly make ahead dishes:

Greek Egg Bake

Coconut Lime Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Bacon and Spinach Quiche

Bacon Cheddar Egg Bake

These Whole Grain Cinnamon Rolls are delicious. It is possible to have cinnamon roll convenience without the can!”

Turkey-Shaped Breakfast Rolls

Pumpkin Coffeecake with Pepitas (What’s On Your Plate?)

Jessica — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:32:15 +0000

Last winter I found canned organic pumpkin for 50 cents a can. I stocked up and thereby provided myself with dozens of cans. Dozens. We can eat pumpkin until the cows come home.

And we just might.

But, my stash won’t last long if I make things like this Pumpkin Coffeecake. Kind of a combination of coffeecake and pumpkin pie, this cake is rich and moist and very flavorful. The pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sugar crumb top add a nice crunch totally in keeping with the theme of the cake.

Why have I never thought to use pepitas in pumpkin baked goods before?

Well, nuts are delicious, that’s why! You could easily substitute your favorite kind of chopped nut for the pepitas. But since we have a nut allergy in our family, we’re sticking with pumpkin seeds.

Recipe: Pumpkin Coffeecake with Pepitas

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pepitas

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, and butter. Pulse until coarse crumbs form.
Remove 1 cup mixture and set it aside.
Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, egg, pumpkin, and milk to the remaining flour mixture. Blend until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
In a small mixing bowl combine the reserved crumb mixture and the pepitas. Sprinkle this crumb topping over the batter.
Bake the coffeecake for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 40 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

What’s on YOUR plate?

What’s on Your Plate? is designed to be a conversation amongst good eaters.

Tell us about a recent meal. Did it meet with rave reviews? Or did it bomb? What side dishes did you pair with the star of the show? Did you try a new ingredient? Find the groceries at great prices?

What’s on YOUR Plate?

Share with us a recent meal you prepared. Either link it up below or tell us about it in the comments. Please make sure that you link to www.goodcheapeats.com in your post so others know where the dinner party is.

And don’t forget to visit the other good eaters participating today. I’m sure you will be inspired to make all sorts of Good Cheap Eats at your house.

Baked Pears with Ginger Crumble

Jessica — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:38:06 +0000

A few weeks ago Joy the Baker shared these beautiful peach cobblers. She rocks when it comes to putting beautiful things on a plate. And she always has such great ideas!

Since I didn’t have peaches, and quite honestly, don’t like cooked peaches, I decided to make something different.

Baked Pears!

Henry’s had organic pears for $0.25 a pound. How could I resist? And while my kids love to eat pears fresh, it was a fun breakfast to doll them all up with a crumb top. Yum!

These are pretty simple. Nothing fancy. Turns out my kids would have preferred that I peel the pears first. I found the evidence in the bottom of the pan. They scooped up the pear and the good stuff and left the peel behind. I don’t know how they did that, actually. It was an amazing feat.

Let that be a lesson to you.

I used four pears and gave each a very generous topping of ginger-flavored crumbles. You may want to use more pears for a thinner crumble top.

Recipe: Baked Pears with Ginger Crumble

Ingredients

4 to 6 pears, peeled, halved, and cored
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup quick oats

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 °.
Grease a large baking dish.
Arrange the pears in the dish, flat sides up, and drizzle the pears with the lemon juice.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, butter, and ginger.
Stir in the sugar and the oats.
Spoon the topping over the pears, dividing the topping evenly.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

What a sweet fall breakfast or dessert!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Jessica — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:24:07 +0000

I had heard about baked oatmeal years ago, but I was extremely skeptical. I don’t like mushy oatmeal and I was worried that baked oatmeal would be mush. But, after hearing about it and hearing about it, and finding it in multiple cookbooks, I started to wonder, Could all of these people be wrong?

In the midst of a Pantry Challenge, I had spotted a bag of raspberries in the freezer, so I decided to give it a try. Blueberry Bake Oatmeal didn’t attract me; neither did Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal. But, Raspberry Baked Oatmeal? I could go for that!

After intense consultation with the woman I consider to be the expert on baked oatmeal, I set to work tweaking her basic recipe and making something that I loved, that reheated well the next day, and that I have a sneaky suspicion might freeze well also. This raspberry and oat concoction was delicious, served with a little barely sweetened whipped cream.

Unlike the original recipe, I did not refrigerate this overnight prior to baking — and the result was exactly what I wanted: oaty goodness, not too sweet, with dots of tart sweet berries and no mush involved.

10/11/11 – Update: Recently I experimented with freezing this breakfast casserole prior to baking. It was great. Wrap well and freeze prior to baking. Pull it from the freezer the night before you want to serve it and store in the refrigerator. Continue with baking directions as noted.

Recipe: Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups raspberries
heavy cream, whipped or plain

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry, and add the raspberries.
Fold gently to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.
Serve with cream, whipped or not.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

How do you like your oatmeal?

Maple Yogurt Parfait

Jessica — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:34:16 +0000

Welcome to What’s On Your Plate?!

What’s on Your Plate? is designed to be a conversation amongst good eaters. Tell us about a recent meal.

Did it meet with rave reviews? Or did it bomb? What side dishes did you pair with the star of the show? Did you try a new ingredient? Find the groceries at great prices?

Share what’s on your plate! Each week a featured foodie* will share his or her plate and then the rest of us will get a chance to link up our own posts or share in the comments what good cheap eats we’ve been enjoying.

What’s on MY Plate?

One of my favorite foods is plain yogurt. It goes oh so well in baked goods. And with fresh fruit and granola? Delish! I also like it plain, drizzled with maple syrup. It makes the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Recently, I made this yogurt parfait with all of the above: fresh blueberries, plain yogurt, homemade granola, and that sweet drizzle of maple syrup.

It had been a busy day of cooking and I was finally going to put my feet up. I had this pretty “staged” photo all set up, but I thought since this is all about “real meals,” I show ya exactly how it was served — on the couch, in my lap, with my feet curled up beneath me.

That apron makes a pretty good back drop, don’t it?

Needless to say, it was a great lunch and a tasty pick-me-up.

What’s on YOUR Plate?

And don’t forget to visit the other good eaters participating today. I’m sure you will be inspired to make all sorts of Good Cheap Eats at your house.

Pancakes with Apples and Whipped Maple Butter

Jessica — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:17:01 +0000

Breakfasts have taken a hit around these here parts since my youngest was diagnosed with an egg white allergy. I’m not cooking the morning meal in the same way and, truth be told, I’ve let it go to “fend for yourself” mode on a number of occasions.

While flax seed meal works incredibly well in most of my baking, certain members of the family aren’t warming to it as quickly as I had hoped. I’m confident we’ll work it out, especially if we have more breakfasts like this one.

This particular morning was rocking! We had a wealth of farm fresh apples as well as cream and maple syrup. How could you go wrong?

I sauteed sliced apples in butter and a little maple syrup while the KitchenAid worked on maple cream. My lack of good multi-tasking resulted in “a happy accident.” Instead of whipped maple cream, we had whipped maple butter, and it was fantastic when paired with pancakes and cooked apples.

Pancakes with Apples and Maple Butter

1 batch Basic Pancakes

Apple Topping
2 Tablespoons butter
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Maple Butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

In large skillet melt butter. Add apples and toss to coat. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until beginning to soften. Stir in maple syrup. Continue cooking until desired tenderness.

For maple butter, combine cream and maple syrup in large mixing bowl. Soft peaks will form, then stiff peaks, then a thick texture will develop, almost like butter.

Serve apples and maple butter with hot pancakes.

How do you like YOUR pancakes?

Baked Potato Homefries (Leftovers Find New Life)

Jessica — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:45:38 +0000

One of the best ways to save money on food is not to waste it! When you read the statistics of how much food Americans throw away each year, the number is staggering. And while I am not a proponent of dumpster diving for food, I do think we should be proactive in not letting things go to waste.

A great way to divert good food from hitting the trash can is to eat it up within four days, the USDA guidelines for leftovers that are properly stored. However, sometimes, we get a little tired of eating the same item several days in a row.

That’s when we need to give leftovers new life! A little creative work in the kitchen can take last night’s dinner and make it into something tasty and new. Corn on the cob becomes Corn Salad. A little bit of meat and veggies becomes a great soup. And leftover chicken and gravy create the filling for a delicious Chicken Pot Pie.

One favorite Re-Do at our house is Baked Potato Homefries. Simply chop leftover baked potatoes and saute them in oil with spices, onions, and pepper. Easy, filling and a delicious way to enjoy leftovers.

Baked Potato Homefries

2 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 baked potatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet heat oil until shimmering. Add potatoes,onions, and diced pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until onions and peppers are tender and potatoes are lightly browned. Stir in parsley and salt and pepper. Serve hot.

What would YOU do with leftover baked potatoes?

Use Flax Seed Meal to Bake Without Eggs

Jessica — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:31:49 +0000

A month or so ago, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and egg whites. Since then, nuts have been completely eliminated for her — and our — diets. It’s just easier that way.

Egg whites, on the other hand, is a more complicated food allergy to deal with. Interestingly enough, when the lab saw her test results showing a sensitivity to egg whites, they immediately ran a test for flax allergy. As it turns out, flax seed is a common replacement for egg!

Just mix 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed meal with 3 Tablespoons water. Set for two minutes and then use as you would an egg.

I’ve been amazed at how well this works for most of the things that I’ve tried. Muffins turn out great, as do pancakes and biscuits. Yeast breads haven’t worked out so well, but that could be user error. One night I forgot to add the yeast!

So, barring unusual circumstances — or a really dumb chef — I think flax seed meal is a great replacement for eggs in your regular recipes. You can even order Organic Flaxseed Meal for a great price through Amazon.