Crock pot Sweet Potatoes with the leftovers in Sweet Potato Waffles

These were so good!  I had made this crockpot sweet potato recipe yesterday to have with our grilled chicken, and then tonight I made the waffles with some of the leftovers that I mashed.

Orange Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Juice of 1 medium orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped pecans (optional)

Place all ingredients on the crockpot (except pecans), and stir.  Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or HIGH 2 hours.  Sprinkle with pecans before serving if desired.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Dry ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mashed baked sweet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Optional

• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron. Depending on the type of iron you have, you may need to lightly oil it. Use your experience with your own equipment in deciding.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until well combined.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, reserving both.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, mashed sweet potato, melted butter, and egg yolks. Whisk until well combined.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites at a high speed for about two minutes. Stiff peaks should form when you lift the beaters. Set aside.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined, but do not over mix. The batter should be nearly smooth.
7. Fold in the beaten egg whites. If you are adding the pecans, you should fold them in now.
8. The batter is now ready for your waffle iron. The amount of batter and cooking time will vary according to the size and temperature setting of your waffle iron.

Notes:

• Sweet potatoes should be baked for 1 hour at 400 degrees. I do this a day in advance.

Really Good Hashbrowns

I have to give a little back story!  A couple years after my husband and I married, our names were given to Andy's Uncle Charlie and Aunt Debbie in the Christmas Gift Drawing.  That year we were staying in in Nevada so out gift was mailed to us.  I was a little shocked to have gotten 2 cases  of dried hashbrown potaotes.  It turns out that these are THE gift to get in the family, and after tasting them I understood.    The brand is Nonpareil, and they come in what look like school milk cartons.  They are already seasoned and you just rehydrate them before cooking.  They are hard to find here (only at Winco) but they do have a website www.buyhashbrowns.com.

I took this to a lot of Mom's group brunches!   When we have it at home I usually serve it with eggs.

Here's what I do with them!

1 container of hashbrowns, rehydrated

1 small onion, diced

1/2 to 1 green bell, chopped

1 ham steak chopped (great use for leftover ham)

about 1  cup shredded cheese (I use chedder)

In a skillet heat about 1-2 tbls of olive oil, add hashbrowns, onions, pepper and ham.

Saute until the hashbrowns are as crisp as you wish.

Shortly before serving top with shredded cheese.  Leave on heat just until cheese is melted.

**this keeps well in a warm oven.

Maple Oat Nut Scones

I love these at Starbucks and had to share the recipe once I found it.  I think the key to these is the blending of the oats for the texture.  

Starbucks Maple Nut Oat Scones Recipe

For The Scones

1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 1/2 tablespoons cold butter (small pieces)

1 large egg

1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple extract

2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Maple Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

5 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Using a food processor or blender, finely grind the oats.

In a mixer mix the flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the maple syrup and butter and mix well.

In a small bowl beat the egg with the cream and maple extract. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.

Add the pecans and mix just to incorporate.

Place the dough on a floured surface. Knead and pat the dough into an 8 to 10 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.

Place the wedges on the baking sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until light brown.

Remove the scones from the oven to wire rack. Let cool about 3 to 5 minutes.

Mix the glaze ingredients until smooth. Adjust the amount of water to get to the desired consistency. I like the glaze to be rather thick. Spread lots of glaze over each scone and dry about 15 minutes before serving.

This recipe makes 8 Starbucks Maple Oat Nut Scones. 

Gingerbread Waffles

Fall is in the air (if not in the actual temperature) and these spicy waffles are the perfect fall dessert (or breakfast). I like them served with fried apples and they would be terrifically decadent if you served them with fried apples and ice cream. This recipe was a wedding present from Genaura along with a very pretty waffle heart shaped waffle iron. We used to make waffles every Saturday morning... right up until that second baby came along!

2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 egg white, stiffly beaten

Sift dry ingredients together. Combine molasses, milk, and beaten egg. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well. Fold in egg white. Pour on moderately hot waffle iron. Bake 3 minutes.

Oatmeal Blackberry Scones (to eat with your cider)

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)

Cut together until mixture resembles coars crumbs.

Add:

2 cups oats
zest of one orange

Mix well, then add all at once:

3/4 cup buttermilk (I just add a glug of vinegar to milk)

Mix until a ball forms and then add 7/2 package frozen blackberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

Eggnog French Toast

My family loves for me to make this as soon as eggnog is available in the stores. Janet said that she makes this too.

She dips the bread in just eggnog and cooks iton her griddle, but said that this way it never gets that crisp browning on it.

When I make it I use about 1 1/2 cups eggnog, 1/2 cup milk and an egg or two.

When your using eggnog you don't want your bread left in the mixture to long, in fact it's best to just dredge it through enough to just get it covered.

Mine gets crisp on the outside, but if you've accidentally let it soak up too much mixture I will sometimes bake it in the oven for an extra 10 minutes at 350, after cooking it in a griddle.

Lazy Morning Breakfast Casserole

When I just don't want to mess with cooking but my family wants a warm breakfast we make this easy casserole. I based it on what I remember of Pat's Christmas casserole but made a few changes so that it works when you cook it the same morning you make it. The crust is a little crunchy, a little chewy. Chris particularly likes the peppers with bacon, but ham and broccolli would work just as well.

8 slices coarse sourdough bread, torn

1/4 cup butter melted

12 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup milk

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup bacon bits (the real kind) or 4 slices bacon, crumbled

4 oz can green chiles, chopped

1 1/2 cups cheese, grated

Melt the butter in a 9x13 casserole dish. Toss the bread in the butter. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl beat the eggs and milk. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently. Slowly, pour the egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges are brown and the eggs are set, about 30 -45 minutes. Serve with fresh or canned fruit.

Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches

Today my husband wasn't feeling well so I let him pick what was for dinner and this is what he picked. We don't have these very often, and I know it sounds more like a breakfast thing, but at our house most breakfast foods (pancakes, omelets etc) actually get fixed for dinner way more often than for breakfast.

Bagel, cut in half and toasted.

Place cooked bacon slices on one side and cheese on the other.

Whisk and egg on a bowl and pour into a heated skillet. I let it run and cook it flat like the beginning of an omelet. When fully cooked I fold it in 1/4s with a spatula, than place on top of the bacon. Topping with cheese and bagel top.

Great Baked French Toast

Crème Brulee French Toast
Works really well for Christmas morning!

Ingredients:
1/2 C. BUTTER
2 C. BROWN SUGAR
4 t. CORN SYRUP
LOAF OF FRENCH BREAD
4 EGGS
1 1/2 C. HALF x HALF
1 t. VANILLA
SALT

Directions:

Melt the butter and add the sugar and corn syrup. Stirring constantly. Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with the mixture. Cut the French bread in 2 "slices and place in the pan.

Mix the eggs, half x half and vanilla with a little salt. Pour this over the top of the bread and refrigerate overnight. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 oven.

Great Grandmother Canfield's Kolache

When my mother was a young girl she worked hard to get a written recipe for these kolache. Her grandmother prepared them for special occasions and they are a family favorite. However, like many very old recipes there was nothing written down and the instructions were along the lines of, "add flour until the dough looks like this," "at this point the dough should feel like this," "the prunes should be just this consistency..." So Mom watched and tried to estimate measurements. Then she went home and got her mother to help her experiment until they made Kolache like her grandmother's and had measured quantities and more specific directions. These are a traditional Bohemian treat that has been passed down in our family for generations. Some Americanized versions call for an apricot or cherry topping, but we stick with the traditional prune filling. Many thanks to Mom and Grandma for documenting this lovely roll recipe. The recipe can be halved if you want to make the dough in your bread machine (but the texture is finer if you make it by hand).

3/4 Cup shortening

1 Cup boiling water

1 tsp salt

1/2 Cup sugar

2 eggs

1 Cup cold water

2 packages yeast

6 Cups flour

Mix shortening with salt and boiling water. Let cool. Add sugar, eggs, and cold water (which has been standing for 5 minutes with the yeast and 1tsp sugar dissolving). Add flour. Mix. Let rise in a greased bowl until double in size. Punch down. Turn out onto floured board and let rest 10 minutes. Roll 1/4" thick. Cut with a 2" biscuit cutter (we use a greased drinking glass).

While the dough is rising make the filling.

3/4 pound prunes (cover with water and cook until tender, then chop or grind- reserve liquid to thin filling). Add spices to chopped fruit. Use enough reserved liquid to make a spreadable filling.

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves or allspice

1 Cup sugar

Put the dough circles on a greased pan about 1" apart to rise. Press lightly leaving a small ridge around the edge. Spread with filling. Sprinkle with fresh bread crumbs and dot with butter. Let rise until double. Bake in a 350 degree oven until brown, about 12-15 minutes.