Breakfast Burritos

Cook up these sausage, bacon, egg, potato & cheese breakfast burritos and freeze them ahead of time for complete and healthy breakfasts.

 

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There isn’t much of an exact recipe to these and you can choose how much of each ingredient you use. If you are more of a meat person, you can feel free to significantly increase the amounts of bacon and/or sausage in your burrito; just keep in mind that you may need more eggs to hold everything together. On the other hand, if you prefer more eggs to meats, then you can just as well increase the amount of eggs in your burritos.

Not only this but burritos allow the freedom to choose whatever toppings you desire. (Note: Toppings such as fresh chopped tomatoes and avocados won’t freeze well with the burritos; however, you can put them on your burritos just before eating)

ONIONS are probably the one thing most people would add to this recipe – I didn’t use them because I personally don’t like onions as much as most. Tip – Caramelize your onions before you cook the sausage. Then just leave the onions in the pan as you pour in and cook the sausages.

So have fun and enjoy!


Breakfast Burritos recipe – – – – PRINT

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Breakfast Egg Muffins

These Egg Muffins are an awesome way to have a quick and healthy breakfast. You can also make these ahead of time, and plan out a few mornings worth.

They are relatively easy and quick to make and require basic ingredients like hash browns, lots of eggs, cheese, and sausage.

Enjoy!

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Breakfast Egg Muffins recipe – – – PRINT

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Chewy Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

I realize this is my first post in a while, since I’ve been rather recently busy.

This summer I went to an AWESOME summer camp in the mountains. Generally, the food for every meal was amazing. This particular recipe I made, these “Chewy Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips,” were inspired by the  cookies that were served one evening at that summer camp. My goal was to get them nice and chewy, and rich and chocolaty–very much like the ones at camp, and I think they turned out amazing.

The second time I made them, (and by suggestion of one of my friends), we added crushed Heath Bars to the mix and it tasted PERFECT. So feel free to do that as well, but it is purely optional.

So try them out; if you love chocolate, you’ll love these cookies!

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with White Chocolate Chips RECIPE

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Almond & Fruit Cupcakes

These Almond & Fruit Cupcakes are simple and fast to make, happen to be gluten-free, and hold very little sugar. This makes them quite versatile, and can be served primarily at breakfast, lunch, eaten even as an after-dinner light dessert, or just snacked on whenever (in moderation).

Enjoy with a topping of your favorite fruit jam.

 

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I based this recipe off of the New York Times Food recipe for ‘Mini Almond Cakes’ which I really enjoyed but wanted to make my own recipe, and make it a little differently. I added egg yolks in addition to the usual fluffy egg white–but not before also fluffing the egg yolks with some confectioners sugar.

The cool thing about these Almond cupcakes is that they are automatically gluten-free, as they use almond meal instead of flour. They also do not use a ton of sugar and taste light, and go especially well with the sweeter fruit jam on the top. Enjoy!


 

Almond & Fruit Cupcakes Recipe   –   –   –   –   –   PRINT

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Hot Cross Buns recipe

Hot Cross Buns are sweet bread rolls, traditionally made for Easter, and have icing drizzled in the form of a cross. The bread is moist with a hint of cinnamon.

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This recipe is different from others because of the two egg yolks that are added to the dough. Make sure to save the 2 egg whites in two separate containers, though: you’ll need one for the icing, and one to spread thinly over the rolls just before baking them.

It makes around 18 rolls, but you can make them alot smaller if you want to serve them to a larger group of people. The balls of dough initially look small, but after their second rise time on the baking sheet, they should grow more than double in size, and get even larger in the oven. So don’t be fooled by their previously small appearance.

The ones in the picture (above) started at 1-inch balls of dough–so you can see how much larger they got.

Be sure to make these delicious rolls for your Easter celebration! And, although they are traditionally made for Easter, they make great rolls anytime of the year if you simply desist from adding the icing (WARNING: icing is a strong temptation). Remove the icing cross, and you have made these into multi-purpose baked goods.

Enjoy!


Hot Cross Buns Recipe                                                                Print

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Garlic Spiral Bread Rolls

These Garlic Spiral Bread Rolls are made like Cinnamon Rolls. But instead of spreading on sugar, you roll in fresh garlic, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. This makes a great savory twist on a dinner roll and is a good side dish to any dinner entree.

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Ingredients: (makes 12 rolls)

¾ cup milk

¼ cup butter

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 egg

¼ cup water

 

Filling:

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon minced parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat butter with milk in a microwave until butter is melted, stirring in between.

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, garlic salt, and salt. Pour water, egg, and milk-butter mixture into the flour mixture. Make sure that the milk mixture is very warm. Stir into flour mix until sticky and wet. Replace mixer with a dough hook. Add the remaining cup of flour ¼ cup at a time carefully, kneading with dough hook constantly until the dough is wet but doesn’t stick to your hand. It should take all the flour.

Once dough is done, take the dough out of the bowl and hand knead it. Then grease the large bowl, and put the dough back in. Let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Roll dough out on a large flour surface into a 12×9 inch rectangle. Mix the parsley, Parmesan, and garlic in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed. Spread softened butter over rolled out dough evenly. Then sprinkle cheese-garlic mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Roll dough up, starting at the 12 inch side, until it is a long log. This is very similar to cinnamon rolls. Cut out 12 even rolls from this long log. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Place rolls face side up in the pan. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

After ten minutes of rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After rise time is up, bake the rolls in the pan in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm.


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Chocolate & Candy Cane Coated Marshmallows

These delicious and simple treats make perfect Christmas gifts for friends and family.

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Ingredients: (Serves 3)

3 medium marshmallows

1/4 cup chocolate chips

3-4 mini candycanes (= 1 medium candycane)

 

NOTE: Medium size of marshmallow is most preferable, and nothing smaller, but if you choose larger marshmallows, be sure to use more chocolate chips, and lengthen microwave time.

As shown, you can use mini candycanes or one medium candycane.

It is easier to keep them in their wrapper and crush them in there, and then you can pour it from the wrapper.

DIRECTIONS:

Place chocolate in small bowl and place in microwave for about 1 minute and 40 seconds, stirring in between. The time just depends on your microwave.

Leaving them in their wrappers, crush them with something like the handle of the knife coarsely. Size of normal chunks that candy-cane should be crushed into are shown above in bowl. Cut the wrappers, and pour all of it into a wide bowl that is good for rolling marshmallows in.

Place marshmallows on a paper towel or parchments paper (parchment paper works best). Using toothpicks to help holding the marshmallow without grabbing it with your hands, use a silicon scraper to spread the melted chocolate onto the marshmallows completely and evenly.

Roll chocolate covered marshmallows in candycane before chocolate hardens. Place on a platter and cool in fridge for ten minutes before serving or putting in gift bags.

To see more step-by-step  pictures, visit my original post of this recipe on instructables.

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Christmas Spritz Sugar Cookies

These are really cool little sugar cookies that you can give as Christmas gifts to friends and family.

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Ingredients:

(makes 6 dozen mini cookies)

12 tablespoons butter, softened

⅓ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 large egg

½ tsp. vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 ¾ all purpose flour

¼ whole wheat flour

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whip butter with salt and sugar until creamy.

Add vanilla, egg, almond extract and mix until combined.

Add flours (whole wheat & all purpose) and stir until combined.

Option no. 1: You can roll out the dough and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters.

Or Option no. 2: You can do it the ‘Spritz’ way and use a cookie press (I used OXO cookie press) and press cookies. Place/Press cookies onto ungreased baking sheet or silicone mat on baking sheet.

Add sprinkles if you want to make it look pretty.

Bake for about 8 minutes, or until just beginning to brown.

Cool before serving. Makes 6 dozen small spritz cookies.


Healthy Fruit and Nut Snack Balls

These healthy fruit and nut snack balls make a perfect snack anytime.

They are essentially dates, cranberries, cherries, almonds, and walnuts, and deliver the nutrition of the fruit and the protein and fiber of the nuts.

They are also very easy and simple to make.

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Ingredients (makes approx. 24 balls):

40 medjool dates

¼ cup cranberries

¼ cup cherries

¾ cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Optional, but recommended:

½ cup mini chocolate chips

 

DIRECTIONS:

Place dates, cranberries, and cherries in a food steamer.

Steam for about 10 minutes.

Place steamed fruits in a food processor, and blend them until creamed. Add cinnamon and salt and blend a bit more.

Place almonds and walnuts in a blender, and pulse until nuts are in very small little chunks, as shown.

Dump both the nuts and fruits into a large bowl, and mix and stir until completely incorporated.

If using chocolate chips:

Let fruit/nut mixture cool in fridge before attempting to stir in chocolate chips.

If you are using chocolate chips, now’s the time to mix those into the fruit mixture.

Roll mixture into little 1-inch balls with your hands, and place all on a parchment/wax-paper lined tray.

Place in fridge for 10+ minutes before using.

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Mix it all together…

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Healthy Lemon Poppy-seed Muffins

These Lemon Poppy-seed muffins are made healthy by using coconut oil instead of butter, coconut sugar instead of cane sugar, and some gluten free flour replacing some of the all-purpose flour. These make a great snack anytime of the day.

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Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)

½ cup softened coconut oil

½ cup coconut sugar

2 eggs, separated

½ cup + ⅓ cup all purpose flour

½ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons poppy-seeds

2 tablespoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup buttermilk (to easily make your own buttermilk, see step #_)

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins, or place little muffin papers in each.

(Optional but preferred: Put the lemon zest and sugar into a food processor and blend until zest is all blended in with the sugar. This is good to impart a more lemony flavor. )

In a large bowl, cream coconut oil and coconut sugar. Add eggs one at a time, until creamy and combined.

Place the egg whites separately in a medium deep bowl.

If you don’t have buttermilk, then you can easily make this substitute, that works just as well:

You’ll need 1/2 cup of buttermilk, so in a liquid measuring glass, pour in 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar. Then pour in the milk till it is filled up to 1/2 cup. Let sit for a few minutes, until curdled.

In a separate medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy-seeds, and lemon zest. (if you already blended the lemon zest in with the sugar like I earlier suggested, then obviously, you won’t be putting it into this bowl)

Dump the flour into the sugar/oil mixture. Alternate this with pouring in the buttermilk, and lemon juice, and then vanilla, until everything is combined.

With a high-speed handmixer, whip the egg white until tall peaks form, and it is light and fluffy.

Carefully fold in the egg white into the batter until completely incorporated. Spoon evenly into the 12 muffin tins.

Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

See some step-by-step pictures below, or go to my original instructable recipe.

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Beat the egg white…
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Mix it all together…