The Best Scrambled Eggs

This the way my mother taught me to make scrambled eggs.  She makes the most delicious scrambled eggs.  Most people overcook eggs.  You won’t using her method.

2 eggs per person

1 slice cheese per person (Velveeta is the best)

Crack eggs and add cheese.  Turn on stove to medium heat.  Constantly stir eggs.  Remove from heat when they still look a little undercooked (you will still see some liquid) because they will continue to cook in the pan.  Salt and pepper to your liking.

Sandwich Maker Oatmeal Bars

This is a very kid-friendly breakfast recipe. The batch makes 16 bars, so I am going to freeze them and get them out as I need them on busy school mornings. I got the recipe from everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com. I'll put the food storage ingredients you can use in parentheses. You can also bake them in the oven as muffins at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

1-3/4 Bisquick

3/4 cup quick oats

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg (or 2 TBS. dehydrated egg + 1/4 cup water)

1 cup milk (or 3 TBS. powdered milk + 1 cup water)

1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix ingredients together until moist. Fill sandwich maker or muffin pans 2/3 full and bake for 2 minutes in sandwich maker or 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven for regular muffins.

The Perfect Sandwich Maker Egg

A couple of years ago, my mother gave me a sandwich maker for Christmas. I'm excited to have new ideas to use it for. This recipe is quick and healthy, which makes it perfect for school mornings. I got the recipe at everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com, a wonderful website. She shows you how to use food storage ingredients in regular recipes.

1. Preheat the sandwich maker.

2. Spray the bottom of the sandwich maker (the eggs don't actually touch the top so if you spray the tops now, it burns off before you flip the machine and the egg ends up sticking to the top).

3. Crack eggs and salt/pepper. You can break the yolk and mix it with the white if you like it better that way.

4. Close lid and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Open and spray top.

6. Close lid and quickly flip entire sandwich maker over.

7. Cook for 1 minute and 45 seconds for what I call a "perfect egg" (runny yolk, but absolutely no runny whites) or cook about 45-60 seconds more for a firm yolk.

Note from Jen: My eggs had a firm yoke at 1 minute and 45 seconds, so you probably need to experiment with your sandwich maker.

Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes are usually our Saturday-morning tradition. One morning, I had a little fun with them and made them into pig shapes:

My mother insists the best pancakes are made from Bisquick. Sometimes they are a little too thick for me, but you can always add a little more milk. For the basic recipe, you mix together:

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

You all probably know the rest: pour onto hot skillet, and flip when you start to see bubbles on top.

I did try making Martha Stewart's Perfect Pancakes one time for an Enrichment Night I was in charge of, but they ended up being more like crepes! So, I've had the most success with the above recipe.

Buttermilk Syrup

I got this recipe from a friend named Lana. It would go great with Swedish Pancakes.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 TBS. corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Add first four ingredients to large saucepan. Bring to a boil; stir for 2 minutes, boiling. Take off heat. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir down (it will foam up). Let set for a few minutes before serving. Will keep in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Swedish Pancakes

I was also introduced to this recipe at the Christmas in July last year at church. It needs to be served with something, like maple syrup. Click here for a great homemade syrup.

2 cups milk
2 TBS. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in 9X13 pan. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine rest of ingredients until well blended. Batter will remain lumpy. Pout into pan (on top of butter) and bake for 35 minutes.

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

I was introduced to quiche at last year's Christmas in July at church. This is my favorite quiche recipe so far.

1 frozen pie crust, thawed
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 TBS. flour
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped ham
1/4 cup coarsely chopped broccoli
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, toss ham, 1/2 cup cheese, and broccoli with flour; spread over bottom of crust.

Place milk and cream cheese in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, whisking after each 30-second interval until smooth. Add whisked eggs and salt to cheese mixture and whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture evenly over ham mixture in crust.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Bacon-and-Spinach Quiche

Our family is on a "quiche kick" right now; we eat it about once a week. The first time I made this, my husband ate 5 pieces, so I knew it was a keeper. The vegetable mixture (spinach, onion, and garlic) is actually enough for two quiches (it will overflow if you use all of it), so I actually make what the recipe calls for and freeze half of the vegetable mixture for next time. I also bake the quiche on a cookie sheet in case the egg mixture overflows--it is very full!

1 frozen pie crust, thawed
4 strips bacon, crumbled (I use precooked bacon and microwave for 1 minute so it will be crisp)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 box frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (I use skim milk, and it still tastes good)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick bottom of crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on bottom of pie crust so it will melt over holes in crust.

Saute onion over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until clear. Stir in garlic and spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes. Spread cooked vegetables evenly in pie shell and sprinkle half of cheese and all of bacon on top.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour egg mixture over filling and sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes until slightly puffy and golden brown.

Makes 8 servings.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

This was a delicious Saturday morning treat. The syrup is so easy. This is one of those "power" foods (super healthy) because it has oatmeal and blueberries in it. One pancake with 1 TBS. syrup is 3 Weight Watchers points. This recipe comes from the January/February 2007 simple&delicious magazine, page 43.

2 cups flour
2 packets (1.51 oz. each) instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal mix
2 TBS. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Blueberry Syrup:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

In large bowl, combine first five ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, milk, and sour cream. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with nonstick cooking spray. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancake; cook until the second side is golden brown.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the syrup ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1-2 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with pancakes. Makes 14 pancakes and 1 1/4 cups syrup.

Peach French Toast

This recipe comes from my friend Diane, who loves to cook. She made this casserole for me, and I had to have the recipe. If I'm involved in any kind of brunch, this is what I make. In my version, I have added more peaches. Her recipe calls for just 1 29-oz. can of peaches.

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 TBS. water
2 29-oz. cans sliced peaches, drained well
French bread, sliced and then halved
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 TBS. vanilla
cinnamon

Bring brown sugar, margarine, and water to a boil over medium heat (not too high because the mixture can burn easily). Simmer for ten minutes. Pour into 9X13 pan. The mixture immediately hardens. Top with peaches. Place French bread slices on top. Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour slowly over French bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 6 hours). Get casserole out of the refrigerator half an hour before you plan to bake it (sometimes I skip this part and bake it a couple of minutes longer). Put foil over it and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 25-30 more minutes.

Strawberry Cream Crepes

This recipe came from the September/October 2004 Quick Cooking magazine (now simple&delicous), page12.

1/2 cup baking mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed

For crepes, in a bowl, whisk the baking mix, egg, milk, and vanilla. Spray 8-inch nonstick skillet and pour 2 TBS. of batter into the center. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and cinnamon until smooth. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonfuls down the center of each crepe; roll up.

Microwave strawberries and syrup until heated through and serve over crepes.

Yield: 4 servings.