Thursday, June 20, 2013

Breakfast Omelette Muffins

With kids on summer vacation that means it’s the season to find activities to do with your family. But why not spend some time in the kitchen cooking with your kids so they can learn while having a bit of fun.

I came up with an easy breakfast recipe that gets the kids out of bed and into the kitchen. It's a make-your-own breakfast muffin, which has an easy cleanup too.
 

Breakfast Omelette Muffins Ingredients

1 Green pepper
1 Red pepper
1/4 c. Bacon bits
½ Onion
Dozen eggs
4 tbs. Milk
½ c. Cheddar
1 tbs. Oregano
1 tbs. Parsley
Salt & pepper to taste



Start by chopping up all the vegetables and bacon, which the adult should do. Then help your kids whisk together the eggs and milk in a separate bowl with all the seasonings. It’s great opportunity to help them learn. The idea is to whisk the eggs like you do when you're making scrambled eggs.
Then what you want to do is use cupcake liners to line your muffin tin. The recipe makes 12 muffins and this will keep your eggs from sticking to the tin itself. Think of one egg per muffin. Then, spray the liners with cooking spray, because eggs like to stick to the liner too. Plus, with liners it makes for easy cleanup.
.
The fun part comes where kids get to build their own muffin. Kids get to put in how much pepper, onions and bacon they want in each muffin. The best part is you can add other ingredients like sausage, ham, mushrooms, spinach. It's honestly what your tastebuds prefer. The recipe included bacon and cheddar because that's the true heart of Wisconsin.

Once all your fix-ins is put into each muffin make sure your vegetables or meat only takes up about 1/4 of the muffin cup. Then, pour in the egg mixture almost to the top of the liner. You don’t want to overfill these, because these will rise in the oven a little bit, and you don't want them to overflow.

After everything is added, let the kids sprinkle how much cheese they want, because living in Wisconsin you have to eat cheese for breakfast. I use cheddar because it's my favorite, but you can use parmesan, asiago, or any other kind, just make sure the cheese is shredded.

Then, you pop these in the oven for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees. You'll know when they’re ready when you put a toothpick in them and the eggs are no longer runny. Once they’re done, they will look nice and brown on the top. Then you and your family can sit down and enjoy a home cooked breakfast together.

Friday, June 14, 2013

PB & J Rice Cake Bites

We all remember growing up and bringing that infamous peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school. The combination of flavors swirling around our taste buds just before heading out for recess. It's time we travel back to childhood and give our kids the same experiences.

It's why I came up with the simple and easy recipe of "PB & J Rice Cake Bites." Kids and adults can enjoy them because they fill our stomachs with happiness and our minds with memories.

PB & J Rice Cake Bites
- Peanut Butter
- Favorite Jelly
- Mini Caramel Corn Quakers Rice Cakes


When I said these were easy, I meant it. All you need to do is spread a little peanut butter on one mini rice cake and jelly on another.  For the rice cakes, I used Quaker's Oat Popped Caramel Corn Rice Cakes because they're healthy and they're sweet.

I also prefer creamy peanut butter and raspberry jam, so I used that too. Once, the ingredients are on, just put the two halves together like a sandwich. Then, take a bite of the best bite sized rice cake you've ever tasted. You can even add fruit like strawberries or bananas to make it even better. So trust the crunch and you'll make this again.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Waffle Cristo Sandwhich

Some of you may be familiar with the infamous "Monte Cristo" and how it has a lot of strange flavors combined. Yet, it's one of my favorite sandwiches whether I eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's meaty flavor and sweetness is what keeps me coming back for more.

However, I wanted to come up with a simple way that didn't require frying and used ingredients that I usually have at home. That's when it dawned on me that I could make my own "Waffle Cristo Sandwhich."


Waffle Cristo Ingredients
- 2 waffles (frozen or homemade)
- 5 thin pieces of turkey
- 1/4 c. cheddar cheese
- Spoonful raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar 
Makes 1 serving

Start by cooking your waffles in a toaster, like its directed on the box. I used Eggo waffles because it's easy to just grab them from the freezer.  While those are cooking, put your slices of turkey on a plate with the shredded cheddar on top and put it in the microwave until it melts.


The reason you want to put it in the microwave without the waffles is because the microwave will make the waffles soggy. Once your cheese is melted and your waffles are cooked then it's time to build your Waffle Cristo Sandwhich. 

Put your melted slices of turkey and cheese on one waffle and top with your other waffle. Then spoon your raspberry jam onto your plate for dipping. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top a and prepare yourself for a combination of flavors that you'd never think would taste like heaven.