Stephanies Kitchen – breakfast

Zucchini Muffins

August 1, 2011 By Steph 12 Comments

My garden is exploding with zucchini. If you don’t pick them while they ready, like if you wait 2 extra days like I do a little too often, they end up being as big as a Buick. So we have been having a LOT of zucchini bread in our house lately. But out of everything I have made, these muffins are definitely my favorite. Perfectly moist, perfectly sweet and oh so delicious! They puff up beautifully and you cannot resist them the second they come out of the oven. The tops are my favorite, so if you come to my house, you may see a lot of just muffin bottoms lying around.

Zucchini Muffins
makes 12

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest from 1 small lemon (about a 1/2 tablespoon)
3 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and butter. Add in Zucchini. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
**This part is super important. Instead of using non stick spray for your muffin tins, melt a little butter and using pastry brush cover the entire surface of the muffin cups. Distribute the batter evenly between the muffin cups. They will be full, and it’s okay! If you are nervous about that, feel free to use another 2 muffin cups, but mine turned out perfect. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. They will get brown and beautiful. Cool for about 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. These will stay good for a couple of days if stored in some tupperware.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, muffins

Orange Sweet Rolls

January 9, 2011 By Steph 7 Comments

I have been trying to master cinnamon rolls for who knows how long now. It seems an impossible task to get them with just the right ooey-gooey factor. It’s seriously keeping me up at night. So I decided to go a different route this time and make some killer Orange Sweet Rolls. These did not dissapoint. They taste just like they are titled. Orangy, sweet soft rolls. I kept the drizzle simple with just a mixture of powdered sugar and fresh orange juice.

Have an awesome week!

Orange Sweet Rolls

makes about 24 smaller sized orange rolls

For the Dough:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4-5 cups all purpose flour (may need a bit more)

Orange-Butter for the inside of the rolls
Mix together until well blended:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
zest from 2 large oranges

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the milk. Set aside to cool. Using a mixer, add the package of yeast, the warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar and let it sit until bubbly and foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, eggs, cooled milk/butter mixture and half the flour. Mix until smooth. Add remaining flour and any more extra flour until dough is just slightly sticky. It will become less sticky when kneading it. So don’t add too much or your dough will be tough. Knead for about 5-7 minutes. (I use the mixer to do this, but you can do it by hand if you want) Transfer to a glass bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, cover and leave in a warm place to rise double in size. Punch down and let rise again. Divide the dough in half and transfer the dough to your counter that has been sprinkled with flour. Roll out half of the dough into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread half of the orange butter mixture onto the dough and spread evenly all the way to the edges. Roll your dough up lengthwise and pinch the edges to seal. Using a sharp knife or dental floss, separate the dough into 12 rolls and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise double in size. Cook for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees until just lightly golden. Drizzle with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and fresh orange juice and enjoy!

Steph xoxoxo

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, rolls

The Best Banana Muffins

March 4, 2010 By Steph 7 Comments

I crave banana bread on occasion. This is really strange for me because until I became an adult, I never really liked bread that had even a hint of fruits or vegetables in it…banana bread, zucchini bread, carrot cake, you know what I’m talking about. But now, I crave it. My kids love it. They have no idea what is in it, but they love it. And I can totally justify them eating it because it is awesome when you can feed them something and you secretly know it has some nutritional value (minus the sugar) to it. But anyways, I made these the other day and I have to say it is some of the best banana bread (muffins) that I’ve ever had.

I’m going to let you in on a cool trick too. Maybe you already know it, but I didn’t. I had to google how to ripen bananas quick, because I was craving these so badly. Yes, I’ve heard the whole paper bag with an apple trick, but I was just not feeling that. So I threw them into the freezer overnight and took them out the following morning to thaw out. They were perfectly ripen and I didn’t have to wait around impatiently. I also like my banana bread to have a little banana chunks in it. I use a whisk to get it all smoothed out but I like to leave it just tad chunky. So much better this way in my opinion.

Add some nuts or chocolate chips to it if you like, but I personally like these as just plain ole’ banana muffins. I sprinkle a little turbinaro sugar over the top before I pop them into the oven to add a yummy sweet touch.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo
Steph

Banana Muffins
makes 12

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 or 4 ripened bananas (about 1 cup mashed bananas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas and add the sugars, egg and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix. Evenly distribute between 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, fruit, muffins, snacks

Baked Apple and Cinnamon French Toast Cups

August 26, 2008 By Steph 24 Comments

Oh my goodness. I am still licking my fingers on this one. Delicious. Masterpiece. That’s all I can say about this amazing treat. I decided to call these French Toast Cups because it has all the ingredients I use in my french toast, plus apples. Yum. My kids licked the plate clean. And let me tell you, that does not happen very often. Apples have been on my mind lately. I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some creative recipes using them, and then I remembered a bread pudding recipe that I saw and I decided to do something similar but with my own spin. The sauteed cinnamon apples were the perfect addition. Of course topped with a sugar glaze, it is the perfect treat or breakfast or brunch or whatever you want to eat it for! I hope you all have a lovely week and I will be back soon with some amazingly delicious recipes!

Baked Apple and Cinnamon French Toast Cups

recipe by Stephanie

makes 6 french toast cups

4 slices whole wheat bread, cut into cubes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of ground nutmeg

For the apples:

1 large apple of your choice, cut into cubes

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a medium skillet, saute apples with butter and cinnamon for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Add bread cubes and mix together until all the bread is saturated. Add the apples and mix until well distributed.

3. Using a regular size muffin tin, scoop bread evenly into 6 of the muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown.

4. Mix 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. Drizzle on top of french toast cups. Enjoy!!

These would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower! Your guests will be begging for more!!!

Filed Under: apples, breakfast, brunch

Whole Wheat Crepes with Strawberries, Nutella and Toasted Almonds

August 13, 2008 By Steph 25 Comments

This is my version of fancy food. I’ve always been a crepe lover, especially since my Mom and I picked them up on the streets of Paris 10 years ago. They have street vendors that make the most delicious crepes ever. They are simply covered in nutella and folded over in a little paper and you eat them in about 10 seconds because they are so good. I’ve been trying to master them ever since. They are really very simple. I decided to make a healthier version using whole wheat flour and they were just as tasty. And how can you go wrong with Nutella anyways? If you’ve never had it, it’s just a simple Chocolate Hazelnut spread that is absolutely divine. (You can buy it at almost any grocery store.) It goes perfectly with crepes. I like to add strawberries and toasted almonds for a finishing touch. Make these for guests and they will be so impressed with you and keep asking for more!

Whole Wheat Crepes

recipe by Stephanie

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Scrape down sides as necessary.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, (or overnight).

3. Lightly oil a preheated crepe pan, or a small non stick skillet. Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion until batter is spread evenly around the bottom of the skillet. (If you like thinner crepes, use 2 tablespoons of batter. I like mine thicker.)

4. Cook the crepe until bubbly and browned on the bottom (about 30 seconds). Carefully flip the crepe over using a long spatula. Cook for another 20 seconds or until bottom is lightly browned.

5. Fill with desired toppings and roll or fold.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: breakfast, chocolate, desserts