I was too tired to go to the grocery store, so we had to settle for whatever the pantry would provide…  This is how most of the dinners went this week. Sadly, there were not a lot of choices. On nights like this, I often resort to breakfast for dinner… enter, the pancake. Pancakes are never refused in this house, and I enjoy “mixing up” the flavor just for fun. As a last minute idea, I sauteed some thin sliced apples and placed them on top of the cinnamon pancake batter. The combination of cinnamon, sugar and apples was tremendous. It reminded me of a snickerdoodle. Here’s how I did it:

BTW, if the ease of preparation doesn’t convince you, the aroma of cinnamon sugar and apples will.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients:

• Pancake batter (your preference)
• 2 medium apples, thinly sliced
• Cinnamon sugar
• Syrup
• Whipped topping

Directions:

Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar over sliced apples. Spray a small fry pan with butter spray and saute the apples until they begin to soften. Meanwhile, prepare your favorite pancake batter. Add cinnamon sugar to taste. On a hot griddle or fry pan, pour equal amounts of pancake batter and top with an apple slice, pressing down just slightly, but not covering the apple. Continue to cook the pancake as normal, flipping only once. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar and whipped cream if desired.  

Notes:

1. I have found that it works better to place the apple slices on top of the batter, versus pouring the batter over the slices.
2. I didn’t measure the cinnamon and sugar. I rarely do. I have trained my nose to measure certain seasonings.

This recipe was one of my first posts. I have been wanting to update it, and post some decent photographs. The opportunity to recap the recipe came this morning. This is a very simple recipe, and a good healthy option, as it uses egg beaters and incorporates veggies.

Frittata’s are a great way to serve an easy, scrumptious meal with many possible variations. It is also a way to introduce new veggies to your kids, without them really knowing… BTW, the Southwestern Style Egg Beaters has a little zing to it. If you choose to use regular egg beaters, you will want to add some salt and pepper, or other seasonings.

Hash Brown Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped or broken into small pieces – divided
• 1 Bag Simply Potatoes Hash browns, with or without onions
• 1 Carton Egg Beaters Southwestern Style
• 1 – 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 – 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
•  Optional Toppings: Salsa, sour cream, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Set oven to broil.

Spray a 10″ oven proof skillet with cooking spray. Saute onions and 2 slices of bacon pieces until tender, you may have to add some water to keep from burning (or oil). Add hash brown potatoes and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and “mostly” cooked. Spread mixture out evenly in pan and pour in Egg Beaters. Cook for about two minutes – lifting the edges to allow the “runny” part of the egg beaters under the sides (like you do an omelet). Top with shredded cheese and “strategically”  place the sliced tomatoes on top of the cheese. I like to make it proportional – so I can cut slices in the frittata without having to cut the tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining bacon pieces the top and place under broiler until the cheese begins to melt and the center is set. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes, then slice and serve with optional toppings.

Finally – this is a lower calorie food – Using the Egg Beaters, the potatoes, veggies – and I use 2% cheese… Eight servings runs about 200 calories without the extra toppings.

Alton Brown's French Toast

It is COLD here in Florida. I think our low last night was in the 20′s, making it very hard to get out of a nice warm bed. Reluctantly I did, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Saturday is the day I like to prepare a nice breakfast, as opposed to the less time consuming toast and jelly that school mornings entail. I wanted to do some type of french toast. I recently saw a recipe for french toast waffles on Baking Bites, but all I have is a Belgium maker, and a regular waffle maker is recommended. So I set out to find another recipe that was different than your everyday recipe.

Enter, Alton Brown. I have always been pleased with my version of french toast, but I do have to say that I never cared for the soggy center. So I was excited about trying this method. Basically, you prepare your classic french toast, but once it is cooked, you place it in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes, which helps firm the toast up. I followed his recipe to a tee and enjoyed the results. I will certainly use this method from now on. I will spare myself the extra typing – here is the link to AB’s recipe.