Blueberry Baked French Toast w/ Blueberry Sauce

• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar (loose, not packed)
• 2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1 loaf rustic french bread cut into 1" cubes
• 8-10 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup cream (or milk)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Spray 9"x 13" pan. Pour melted butter into bottom of pan. Sprinkle brown sugar into butter. Drizzle in maple syrup. Mix in pan then spread it around bottom evenly. Place cubed bread over brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle with blueberries.  Whisk together eggs, milk and cinnamon until frothy. Pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator let sit for 20 minutes. Press bread down into egg mixture. Remove plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cover pan loosely with foil to prevent top from burning. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove foil cover. Bake another 15 - 20 minutes uncovered.

In the mean time mix up blueberry sauce.


Blueberry Sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Corn starch
• 1 - 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

 In small bowl mix sugar with corn starch. Add with water to small saucepan. At medium heat ring to boil stirring constantly. Boil for approximately 2 minutes continue stirring constantly until thickened. Add blueberries. Return to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally cook until most of the blueberries have popped and the sauce is a rich blue color. Approximately 10 minutes for unfrozen berries. A bit longer if berries are frozen.  Remove from heat.

The casserole is done when the center is firm. Remove from oven. Serve hot topped with sauce and/or syrup or powdered sugar. I've seen similar recipes that include 8oz of cream cheese. This is cubed and tossed in with the bread. I have not tried it, just not a fan of stuffed french toast so I didn't think I'd like it, but feel free to give it a shot and let me know how it is.

Hash Brown Egg Breakfast Bake

• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk of any kind)
• 3 cups hash browns (thawed)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 1/2 pound cooked bacon
• 1 breakfast sausage

Beat eggs and milk. Stir in potatoes, onion, seasoning cheese and meat. Pour into a 9" x 13" sprayed baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for approximately 35 - 45 minutes.

This recipe is very flexible. Feel free to add all vegetables and no meat, or a combination of both. Whatever you like works. My favorite is spinach, onion and feta.

Oatmeal Soda Bread

• 2 ½ cups Irish Oatmeal (Steel cut)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• flour for dusting
• ½ teaspoon butter

In a food processor pulse the oatmeal until the meal is very fine (I used my coffee grinder first cleaned out with rice to remove coffee flavors). Turn ground oatmeal into a mixing bowl. Stir in the buttermilk until everything is moistened. Cover with plastic and leave to steep for at least 12 hours.
In a mixing bowl sift remaining ingredients .  Make a well in center of dry ingredients.  Pour steeped oatmeal into well.  Mix well only until all ingredients are well incorporated. If the mixture is too wet add a bit more flour.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease 9" round cake pan with the butter.  Lightly dust work stone with flour. Turn the dough out onto  surface and kneed dough a couple times to form a soft ball shape. Press the dough into a round shape about 2" thick. Using a sharp knife make a criss-cross cut into center of bread.  Place into the prepared 9" round pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven.  Cool slightly on wire rack . Serve warm with real butter.  It's wonderful with home made jam the next day too!

Almond Rhubarb Coffee Cake

• 1½ Cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups flour (I used wheat and added ½ serving sized container of strawberry or vanilla yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ cups rhubarb, chopped
• ½ cup sliced almonds (toasted if you desire)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two 9 inch round pans.  In a large bowl, beat brown sugar with oil. Add egg, yogurt if using wheat flour and vanilla beating until smooth. Combine flour salt and baking soda. Add to wet mixture alternating with milk. Beat only until smooth. Fold in rhubarb and almonds. Pour into prepared pans.
In a small bowl combine white sugar with cinnamon. Add melted butter and ½ cup almonds. Sprinkle over batter divding between the two pans.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tests done.

Scones

• 2 cups flour (plus 1 or 2 Tablespoons to toss fruit with)

  

  Cherry-Almond Glazed Scone

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• Variety of optional additions to mix or match: 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit. 2/3 cup dried fruit. 1/3 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 400ºF

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two forks until the butter pieces resemble crumbs.

In another small bowl mix buttermilk and egg together.  Add dry ingredients. Mix just to incorporate. Do not over mix.  In a separate bowl toss fruit with 1 to 2 Tablespoons flour (this prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the dough while baking). Shaking off extra flour, add optional ingredients gently folding it into dough.  Drop large tablespoons of batter on to an ungreased cookie sheet. (Makes 6-12 depending on the size you desire)

Bake 15 to 20 minutes

Let cool and glaze if desired.

The Inn at Irish Hollow Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Bananas Foster

• 1 1/2 Cups Water 
• Dash Sea Salt
• 3/4 Cup Oatmeal
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Boil water and salt in pot on stove. When water is boiling, add steel-cut oats. Cover pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stir occasionally. When the oats are drying out from the water, add 1/2 cup Heavy Cream. Remove from stove and is ready to serve.

Bananas Foster

• 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/8 Cup Irish Whiskey (we use Jameson)
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 Bananas, sliced horizontal, then vertically

Melt butter in a sauté pan on the stove at med heat. When butter is hot and melted, add brown sugar. When mixed and bubbling, pour whiskey in and light a match carefully, putting it to the sauce, lighting the alcohol on fire (be very careful with this if you've never done it). When it burns off, add 1/4 cup Heavy Cream. Once all mixed well, add sliced bananas and heat in the foster sauce for about a minute.

Pour sauce (with bananas) over oatmeal in serving bowls and garnish with fresh berries and mint. I used about 2 Tablespoons sauce per bowl. My husband likes much more than that.


**The original recipe comes from here (The Inn at Irish Hollow) a wonderful B&B we stayed at for the weekend this February. I've altered it only by cutting the foster sauce in half. The first time I made this we had a lot of sauce left over in spite of my husband using quite a lot. It was okay though, a little zap in the microwave to reheat and he used it to top his ice cream the following day. If you want leftovers or prefer to really pour it on your oatmeal go back to the original recipe. Happy eating!

Bonnie's Cinnamon Rolls

CINNAMON ROLLS

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

FILLING

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter , softened

FROSTING

• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl
Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.
Knead the dough into a large ball, using your kitchen-aid mixer and bread hook or hands on lightly dusted surface with flour.
Put in a greased bowl, and lightly grease dough cover bowl with warm wet towel and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.
It should be approx 1/4 thick preheat oven to 400 degrees
To make filling, combine the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar/sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the surface.
Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge
Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan, 4 across on most cookie/jelly roll pans
Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
While the rolls are baking combine the frosting ingredients.
Beat well with an mixer until fluffy.
When the rolls are done, spread generously with frosting.

** I like to add raisins or pecans to my cinnamon rolls. You can too. Just sprinkle a generous hand full along with the butter and cinnamon sugars.  I also prefer caramel coating to frosting. For this I boil 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar to a rolling boiling. Boil for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and pour a generous amount over each cinnamon roll. To make Caramel Pecan Rolls, simply add a generous amount of pecans to the top of the rolls before pouring the caramel over the top.

Monkey Bread

• 3 can's Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Dough (Pillsbury) (or standard buttermilk biscuits)
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 400º F. Grease a bundt pan well or spray with Baking spray. Combine cinnamon and sugar in 1 quart plastic bag. Open cans of dough. Cut each dough section in half and roll each piece into a ball. Place several at a time into bag of cinnamon sugar and toss until well coated.  Once coated drop into bottom of bundt pan. Repeat until all dough sections are used. In a small pan melt butter and brown sugar and cinnamon together stirring until sugar is dissolved (once it begins to bubble around the edges cook about 2-3 minutes). Pour over dough balls in pan.  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Add 1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) milk (or almond milk) by half teaspoons to frosting that comes with the dough until it's of drizzling consistency.  Drizzle over top of monkey bread before serving. Omit this step or make your own drizzle if using buttermilk biscuits. This is also wonderful if you drop in pecan pieces in the bottom of the bundt pan and around dough balls.

Skiers Toast (Make Ahead, Baked French Toast)

1 loaf french bread
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Spray a 9X13" cake pan. In a small pan, over low heat, melt butter with brown sugar and syrup just until smooth. DO NOT BOIL Pour caramel mixture in bottom of cake pan.  Cover caramel and pan bottom with layers of sliced french bread or thick cut pieces. Whip egg, milk and cinnamon until frothy. Pour over bread. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight..  Remove from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Bake for 45 - 55 minutes or until center is firm. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar

(I've added blueberries between layers of bread, sprinkled the caramel with chopped nuts, a couple wonderful options for you or make up your own,)

Overnight Baked French Toast

• 2 Tablespoons corn syrup (I skipped this)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional) (use whatever nuts)
• 1 pound loaf of day old bread (French is fine but I used cinnamon raisin)
• 5 eggs
• 1½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1) Combine corn syrup (omit if you wish), 1 stick of butter, and brown sugar, in a small sauce pan over med heat.  Cook to boiling stirring often.  Cook one minute more. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of a well greased 9X13 inch pan or casserole dish (glass pans work best for this dish).
Place bread slices over the sugar butter mixture filling the bottom of the dish, sprinkle pecans or nuts if using over the butter sugar mixture.  Top with the bread,doubling up slices to use the entire pound of bread, and covering the whole bottom of dish.
Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and salt until foamy.  Pour mixture over bread.  Cover dish and let sit in refrigerator over night.
The next morning preheat oven to 350ºF.  Uncover dish and bake 45 – 55 minutes. Allow to cool just slightly once removed from oven. Serve while hot or warm.  This dish can be reheated.

Blueberry Boy Bait

(originally found at Smitten Kitchen)

• 2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great)
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.
With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl.
Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk.
Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture.
Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour.
Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries.
Spread batter into prepared pan.

Topping

• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Scatter blueberries over top of batter.
Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
(Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)
Serves 12, generously

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  1 stick unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 cup pecan halves (optional)

In small bowl combine sugars, and spices. Stir in melted butter, then flour, and finally pecans. Mix until well incorporated and set aside.
Cake:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 2 extra – large eggs at room temperature ( I didn’t have extra large so I used 3 large eggs instead)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup sour cream (I didn’t have this either so I used a 6 oz carton of vanilla yogurt, just as good and less calories)
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 pint fresh blueberries 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour an 8" square baking pan.
In separate bowl mix dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about five minutes) . Reduce speed of mixer and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each until batter is creamy. Add vanilla and sour cream (or yogurt) and lemon zest. Add flour mixture only until incorporated. Fold in blueberries and gently stir until all ingredients are mixed in being careful not to over mix. (The room temperature ingredients and not over mixing is what keeps the cake moist and tender.)
Pour batter into prepared baking pan, spread to edges evenly. With you fingers crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake in 350ºF oven for 40 – 50 minutes, testing until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.