Breakfast – Parmesan Princess

Category: Breakfast

03
Mar
2017

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Homemade Honey Cinnamon Syrup!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Breakfast, Dinner, Fun for Kids, Recipes

My kids can talk me into anything. You know, when breakfast for dinner ends up being a sweets, dessert menu. We start with ham and egg sandwiches and it turns into chocolate something with sugar syrup and ice cream on top!!

I did make my kids wait until after their “dinner” to eat the ice cream. This actually made me feel better about the whole thing. I should mention that my kids eat almost everything from kale to salmon to liver and onions, so a special treat every once in a while is a great thing.

Smiles, giggles and sweet treats are what life is all about! Pick a day and surprise them = ) Here is the recipe…

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Honey Cinnamon Syrup

Ingredients:
Pancakes:
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips + some for topping
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Honey Cinnamon Syrup:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup honey
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger

Directions:
Mix the pancake batter by first combining wet ingredients: eggs, milk, and oil.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture until incorporated.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour 1/4 cup measuring cup of the batter onto a hot pan until the batter bubbles.
Gently, flip the pancake and cook until golden brown.
Repeat this process , makes approximately 10 pancakes.

For the syrup:
Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Add honey and spices and cook until cohesive syrup forms.

Top pancakes with syrup, a handful of chocolate chips, and ice cream if you want!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

22
Mar
2016

The Best Egg Salad Ever!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Breakfast, Dinner, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Lunch, Recipes

Use up your leftover hard boiled eggs and transform them into a creamy egg salad you can slather on some fresh bread. The flavor is bold, but very comforting. I totally forget about egg salad! With Easter right around the corner, you have the eggs already made, so….

Of course you could just mix the eggs with mayonnaise, but that is totally boring. Channel the flavors of your favorite deviled eggs, the spicy, the sweet, the savory. By savory I absolutely mean BACON! First, you need my perfect hard boiled eggs recipe. Now, the egg salad…

The Best Egg Salad Ever

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs
1 cup chopped bacon, cooked
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp. spicy mustard
1 lemon
salt/pepper
fresh dill, finely chopped
paprika, sprinkle
your favorite soft bread

Directions:
Add hard boiled eggs to a large bowl.
Mash with a fork or coarsely chop into squares.
Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix in chopped bacon.
Squeeze 1/2 lemon.
Top with fresh dill.
Spoon a heaping pile of egg salad between two slices of fresh bread.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

17
Mar
2016

How To Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Time!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Breakfast, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Recipes

Hard boiled egg perfection. It can totally happen. The process requires us to filter out the bad habits and shortcuts we have collected over the years. Most of us will hard boil eggs to color for Easter, unless we happen to stubble upon lovely, already pastel-ed eggs. Good luck! Blue eggs are really just that, a regular egg with a beautiful, light blue shell. Most are laid by the Araucana, also known as an Easter Egg chicken. Nope, unfortunately they are not blue and don’t sport cute bunny ears. No problem, we will make our own. So cool though, right?

Here are the 5 , ok 6, most important hard boiled egg tips:

Don’t use fresh eggs. Seems counterintuitive, I know, but older eggs have a weaker hold on the shell, making them easier to peel. We will add salt, too. Just in case.
Don’t crowd the eggs in the pot. Overcrowding a pan or a pot in any cooking situation is never a good thing. Give the eggs some room to absorb heat slowly and evenly.
Cover with COLD water. You might think adding hot water is speeding up the time-to-boil, but thats not what we want! Start with cold water and inch or two above the tops of the eggs.
Turn off the heat when the eggs start boiling. But don’t jump the gun. Let the rapid boil begin before killing the heat. The start of tiny bubbles is just the beginning, wait until things get crazy.
Cover for 10 minutes. 10 is my lucky number for the perfect hard boil. Depending on pan temperature and surface area this could vary. Experiment and max out at 15 to avoid overcooked yolks.
Treat the eggs to a nice cold ice bath. We want to stop the cooking and make a last attempt at easy peeling.

Now that we know why we are doing what we are doing, Here is the recipe…

Hard Boiled Eggs:

Ingredients:
6 eggs, not super fresh
dash of salt
water, to cover eggs
ice

Directions:
Cover eggs with water until 1 inch above tops of eggs.

Add salt.

On high heat, bring to a boil.

Turn off heat and Cover for 10 mins.

Transfer eggs to an ice bath.

Dry with a towel, color, or peel and eat.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

20
Jan
2016

Spiced Grapefruit Tea!

categories: Breakfast, Drinks, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Recipes

A stuffy head, sore throat, and 10 degrees high temperature calls for some tea! I am typically not a tea drinker, but I was looking for relief coupled with enjoyable flavors. The grapefruit component adds a sense of being full. Perfect for someone looking to curb extra snacking while being stuck indoors. I added some coconut oil because it has wonderful antibacterial, antifungal, and anitmicrobial properties. We don’t have time to get sick!
It is 9am or I would totally add a shot of bourbon to this amazingly delicious, flavorful warmup!

Here is the recipe…

Spiced Hot Grapefruit Tea
Ingregients:
1 cup water
1 grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
2 cinnamon sticks
A Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
4 cloves
(honey, sliced grapefruit, cinnamon stick for garnish)

Directions:

Heat water and grapefruit juice with cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper, and cloves.
Submerge teabag or your favorite loose leaf tea preparation and let steep for 4 minutes.
Add honey to taste, coconut oil, sliced grapefruit and a cinnamon stick for garnish.
Feel like a Hot Toddy? Add a shot of bourbon!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

28
Sep
2015

Cinnamon Raisin Egg Bagels

categories: Breakfast, Recipes

There is something so mouthwatering about sweet and spicy, sweet and savory, sweet and salty combinations. We can’t get enough when it comes to snacks, desserts, appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees. Why not bring these delicious flavor combinations to breakfast? Instead of accompanying your egg dish with a sugary bread, donut, or breakfast pastry, join the two together for a flavorful blast of yum!

Feel free to get creative! Top cinnamon bread, a donut, or even a cinnamon roll using this “baked in egg” method! Basically you need to make a nook for the egg. This can be done by either pulling out some of the bread, smushing it down , or in the case of the bagel, pressing the middle dough together. You don’t want the egg to roll away! It totally will! LOL If cooking your dish in a skillet, this hole problem is no big deal because you are directly on the heat source.

Of course I added parmesan cheese, too! HA!

“I want the recipe!”- There really isn’t a serious recipe, but here are the super simple guidelines ; )

Cinnamon Raisin Egg Bagels
Makes 6
Ingredients:
6 cinnamon raisin bagel or other sweet breakfast pastry or make your own!
6 farm fresh eggs
fresh grated parmesan cheese
salt/pepper
parsley for fancy styling

Directions:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Close center of bagels by pressing dough together and squeezing to secure.
Naturally, the bagels will create a nook for the egg. If using bread or another pastry, remove to create a nook.
Crack eggs into nooks – its ok if a little spills over.
Grate fresh parmesan cheese over eggs and salt/pepper to taste.
Bake 16-22 mins or until eggs are set. Note: The egg will appear runny, give it the shake test to see if yolk is set. Seriously, shake the cookie sheet and watch for jiggling. If no serious jiggling you are good to go : )
OR- Cook in a pan until egg cooked through.
Top with chopped parsley for a fancy finish!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

05
Jun
2015

Cherry Goat Cheese Pastry!

categories: 20 Minutes or Less, Breakfast, Desserts, Party Time, Recipes

Sometimes the most simple recipes are the best! Do you glance at a recipe and move on when you see a super long list of weird ingredients not to mention weird kitchen instruments you have never heard of? If I’m trying to find recipe inspiration, I tend to skim to something more basic, a recipe where I can taste the list of ingredients. (And totally tell what ingredients I would swap and change!)

As an appetizer, brunch pastry, or dessert, these cherry goat cheese pastries are simply perfect! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Cherry Goat Cheese Pastry
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry -1 roll fillo dough- fillo shells already cooked
10 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 lb. fresh cherries, pitted and quartered mixed with 2 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. lemon juice OR 1 21oz. can cherry pie filling
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. heavy cream
Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pit and quarter your fresh cherries and mix with sugar and lemon juice Set aside until juice thickens.

Flour work surface and lightly roll out puff pastry to be 1/2″ longer on all sides.

Cut dough into an even number of squares or circles.

Divide the cherry filling and goat cheese evenly and place on half of the shapes.

Cover with another shape. press sides and pinch to close.

Beat egg and heavy cream together and brush to seal and coat top of pastry.

(If using Fillo dough, keep dough damp so it doesn’t dry up. Fill, cut into rectangles and fold like a present. Brush with egg mixture to keep closed. )

SUPER EASY BUTTON!! (If using Fillo shells, just fill with cherry and goat cheese filling and bake to melt until golden and bubbly.)

Slice 2 slits on the top and sprinkle with sugar.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-25 mins. until golden brown and puffy.

Don’t burn your mouth! Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

For dessert, I topped my pastry with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

17
Apr
2015

Banana And Coconut Skinny Muffins Scream Summer!!

categories: Breakfast, Healthy Living, Healthy Snacks, Recipes

Sometimes we need an easy to make, low fat, healthy muffin… that reminds us of vacation! Because summer is so close we can taste it, literally. One of my favorite baking opportunities occurs when super ripe bananas are staring at me. I can’t help but think about the delicious possibilities!!

Usually a healthy muffin is hard as a rock, because of the wheat flour, and dry, because we take out all of the fat and sugars. These muffins are sweetened with honey and the natural sweetness of the super ripe bananas! A little brown sugar and cinnamon even out the sugar profile and add a pop of flavor! They taste totally tropical! Hmmm… maybe some rum next time 😉

Guilt Free and Fabulous! Here is the Recipe!

Banana Coconut Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour- 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white or all white (If all whole wheat they will be hard)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 super ripe bananas- smashed
1/4 cup almond milk or cow’s milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded coconut + 2 tbsp. for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour your favorite muffin tin. Mine is USA Pans! They are fabulous!

In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda, light brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Add the honey, vanilla, mashed bananas, egg, and coconut.

Slowly and gently fold in the ingredients, breaking and chunks apart.

Add the milk. It will thin out the batter, but it will still be a nice, thick consistency.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.

Bake 15-17 minutes. Rotate pan and sprinkle with coconut after 10 minutes.

Bake until the toothpick test shows a clean toothpick. Insert into center to test.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

10
Feb
2015

Breakfast In Bed!

categories: Breakfast, Recipes

There are so few surprises in life. For the majority of us, Valentine’s Day will bring the expected- a romantic card, sweet smelling flowers, delectable chocolates, maybe some jewels!! Ok, maybe jewels if it’s a big year.
The ultimate form of pampering with an unexpected exciting element of surprise is breakfast in bed!

Breakfast in bed does not need to be a complicated breakfast recipe. Nope, it can be as simple as a quick egg and toast served on a TV tray!
With a few simple details, your sweetie’s surprise Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed will be perfect! Let’s get started!

First Shhhhhhh! It’s a surprise!
Be sneaky! Get up early and start cooking. Prep your tray, serving items, and glassware the night before. Store it in a closet or under the table overnight!

Create an amazing presentation with color!

•Prepare a beautiful bowl of fresh fruit.
•Garnish the plate with parsley.
•Serve a bright fruit juice.

Get fancy!

•Serve breakfast in bed on your china.
•Add a soft texture with a linen napkin.
•Add a valentine, flower, or personalized note to the tray.

Here are 3 quick and easy breakfast basics …

#1 Eggs!!

Butter a hot pan with a pat of butter. It will sizzle.
Crack eggs onto pan.
Flip when white becomes opaque.
Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add Parmesan cheese, Sriracha, salt and pepper.
Lay the eggs on toasted bread atop a bed of greens and veggies!

#2 French Toast!!
Panettone French Toast
Eggnog French Toast

#3 Pancakes!!
Banana Bread Pancakes

Remember, serve your valentine breakfast in bed because it is a gift from the heart, homemade with love, and most importantly, totally unexpected!

Enjoy!
Ciao!

22
Jan
2015

Banana Bread Pancakes!

categories: Breakfast, Recipes

So I guess I didn’t realize it until today, but we really looooove breakfast in our house! The kids and I, that is. When Kevin is long gone for work we whip up pancakes, french toast, crepes, frittatas, bacon, sausage, and all the fixings.

Today was a snowy morning and we needed the comforts of a sweet and delicious breakfast to get us moving. Our Winter WarmUp Breakfast of choice? Banana Bread Pancakes! They warmed our bellies and made us smile! Try them!

Banana Bread Pancakes
Makes 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients:
2 bananas, ripe and smashed
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
butter and maple syrup

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and stir.

Add mashed bananas.

Add in vanilla and milk.

Whisk until well combined. If mixture is too thick add a little more milk and stir.

Heat a frying pan and add a pat of butter.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup of mixture and drop onto pan.

Cook until batter bubbles and flip.

Cook until pancakes are done on the bottom and cooked through.

Remove from pan. Add butter and your favorite maple syrup.

Enjoy!
Ciao!

31
Dec
2014

EggNog French Toast! Happy New Year! Salute!

categories: Breakfast, Recipes

I am not an EggNog fan. EggNog as a beverage, that is. We buy it and everyone has a must-have glass/shot WITH or without an alcoholic additive and then, there are tons of thick, milky leftovers! Instead of dumping it down the drain, make a beautiful EggNog French Toast!

New Year’s Day is the best morning to surprise your family and guests with a fabulous, alcohol- absorbing breakfast!
Here is the recipe:

EggNog French Toast

Ingredients:

1 French baguette or raisin loaf or your favorite French toast bread sliced into 1 inch slices
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup EggNog
2 tbsp. Cinnamon
2 tbsp. Vanilla
1 tbsp. Ginger
2 tbsp. Sugar
1/8 stick of Butter to coat bottom of the pan.

Directions:

Heat butter on medium heat in a frying pan.

Whisk all ingredients in a shallow but deep enough bowl to soak bread.

Soak bread with eggnog mixture on both sides.

Add coated bread to frying pan once water sizzles when flicked onto hot pan (yes, super technical terms)

Let it cook until slightly browned on first side.

Turn and cook until slightly browned on other side.

Remove from heat.

Add butter, sifted powdered sugar, and your favorite maple syrup.

Serve and enjoy!
Ciao!