Chocolate Chip Pancakes

If you are one of my blog readers, by now you should know that I am all about easy, simple recipes. Just call me semi-homemade. :) Here is another one of my super easy recipes. Actually, it's not even a recipe, just something "extra special" for breakfast. :)

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pancake Mix
Water
Chocolate Chips

Mix pancake mix with water until you achieve the desired consistency. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour onto hot griddle or skillet. Lightly brown one side, then flip and brown other side. Enjoy!!

Now how super-easy was that? Haha, I know, I know. This was one of those "I cannot believe she posted this" posts. Well, I did. And let me tell you, these pancakes taste just like a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie! How can you resist that for breakfast??! :)

Fall is here....FINALLY!!!

So, I have a really good explanation for being absent from blogworld for 3+ weeks. As you can see from my previous post, I have had some "cravings" lately...followed by overwhelming nausea, followed by exhaustion, followed by.....well, you get the picture. Anyway, YES! I am preggo with Blessing #2! It has been a tough few weeks, but I am finally starting to feel better. In fact, I am feeling well enough to get out and enjoy this fall weather, to see the beauty of God's Creation amongst the bright fall colors that adorn the trees, to even start "fall baking".

One of my favorite ingredients to use in fall baking is cinnamon. I love the taste of cinnamon, as well as the amazing aroma it gives off when heated. Another of my favorite ingredients to use in the fall is pumpkin. Canned pumpkin, to be exact. I am not one of those people who buys a pumpkin, cleans out the guts, and spends hours trying to get all of the "good stuff" out of it just so I can make a pie. Nope, I take the easy way out.

The other morning, I was in the mood for something fall-ish for breakfast. I decided to whip up some pumpkin bread. Now, I don't really have a "go-to" recipe for pumpkin bread. I do have a recipe for pumpkin cake that I make quite a bit during the fall season, but it's not the same. I wanted some good, thick, hearty pumpkin bread. So, I did what any baker would do. I consulted Paula. :)

I found a great recipe for pumpkin bread in Paula Deen's Lady & Sons cookbook. It did not disappoint (not that I thought it would anyway!). Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Bread (makes two loaves)

3 cups sugar
1 cup *vegetable oil (I used canola)
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoos baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix sugar and oil with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly. Fill pans equally and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Enjoy!

*For the oil, you can substitute 1/2 cup oil and add 1/2 cup applesauce.

**I only had one loaf pan, so I used muffin tins for the rest of the batter. The recipe made 24 regular size muffins and one medium loaf. If you do use the muffin tins, the cooking time is cut in half (make sure you check them at around 25 minutes to see if they are done or almost done).

Breakfast....from the microwave!

Frozen breakfast burritos. PopTarts. Frozen pancakes and waffles. These are just some of the things that you might make for breakfast using a microwave. Doesn't sound too appetizing, right? Well, what if I told you that you can have Caramel Nut Sticky Buns for breakfast...and you can make them in the microwave? Well you can, and it is one of the easiest things you will ever make. Here is the recipe:

Caramel Nut Sticky Buns

3 T. butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 10-oz. can refrigerated biscuits

In an 8-inch round dish, combine butter, sugar, water and cinnamon. Microwave on HIGH for one minute. Stir in pecans.

Separate biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Place biscuits in sugar mixture, turning to coat each piece. Push biscuits toward outer edge of dish and place a small glass or custard cup in center of dish. Microwave on HIGH for 2.5 to 3 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Invert on plate or serving dish. Pull apart and serve warm. Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. My mom used to make it for us when we were little. It is so much fun to eat and delicious too!

Baby Food -- Breakfast

Since this blog is all about food, and my little one eats food, I think it is appropriate for me to post about some of the food that he eats (for a change). :) He just turned a year old this month and is now eating table food, but it is so hard to find things to feed him for breakfast, especially since I am not a breakfast person. And, since he is no longer on the bottle, I have to make sure that he is getting sufficient nutrients, vitamins, etc. from his food.

For breakfast every morning, he eats this (mixed with lactose-free Vitamin D milk):

and this:

There are actually several different kinds of the Healthy Harvest applesauce, and he loves them all. You can see all of the different kinds here. One of my favorite things about this applesauce is that it is just applesauce and pureed fruit with no added sugars. Plain and simple.

I try to have something in addition to these things for breakfast for my little man. Sometimes I will fix him blueberry pancakes (so easy! recipe below), regular pancakes, scrambled eggs, muffins, toast, or waffles. This morning we had pull-apart biscuits (his first time having biscuits!). He loved them. I've tried turkey bacon, but I don't think it agreed with him, and sausage is just too greasy for him right now. Anyone have suggestions for other breakfast items? Like I said earlier, I'm not much of a breakfast person.

Here is the recipe for blueberry pancakes (and they do turn out blue!):

Blueberry Pancakes

Pancake mix (prepare according to directions on box)
Frozen blueberries

Put about 1/2 cup blueberries in a microwave-safe bowl (or more if you like more berries). Heat in microwave for about 45 seconds or until thawed. Pour blueberries, juice and all, into pancake batter and mix well. Batter will be blue. :) Pour onto hot, greased griddle. Flip when one side is light brown and brown other side. These pancakes will be a little more brown than regular pancakes because of the density of the batter. Enjoy with maple syrup, blueberry syrup, or by themselves! (My little guy eats them plain - too much sugar = one hyper little baby!)

What about 2nd Breakfast?

**The winner of the cereal coupons is Amy Valle! Amy, please email me your address and I will send you your free coupons! Congratulations!!**

Any of you Lord of the Rings fans out there? Well, that is where I got the title of this blogpost. You can watch the clip of the movie scene here. Anyway, there actually is a such thing as a "second breakfast" that is eaten between breakfast and lunch and is traditional in Poland and Bavaria. Here is some more info about it.


Some of us do not even have our first breakfast, let alone second breakfast. We should be ashamed of ourselves! Don't we know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? We should be eating a healthy, nutritious breakfast every morning to get our day going...and I don't mean coffee and doughnuts, a Snickers bar and a Mountain Dew, or a Pop Tart and hot cocoa. I am guilty of this myself (actually, I haven't even had my breakfast yet this morning!), but have been doing better lately. For example, this week I have been eating egg sandwiches with juice and homemade Fruit-n-Yogurt parfaits (recipe at the bottom of this post).

So while some of us don't even make time for breakfast, others of us stick to the cereal routine, maybe adding some juice and toast on the side. This is actually a good breakfast for you, depending on the type of cereal, that is. In fact, according to My Blog Spark and General Mills, "ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters." Many of us became cereal eaters at a young age and it just carried on throughout our adult years. We may have different tastes now than we did as children -- some of us may prefer Fiber One over Trix and so forth. General Mills has recently announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving, making cereal even better today than 20 years ago. The company has also produced a report on the Benefits of Cereal. It is very interesting, I suggest you check it out!

General Mills, along with My Blog Spark, sent me 4 coupons for four free boxes of cereal. How awesome is that!? Although they have not yet been released, I cannot wait to try these new and improved cereals....and I would love for you to try them too! That is why I have decided to give away two of my coupons. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me either your favorite cereal, your favorite breakfast, or what you normally eat for breakfast every morning (or all three if you want!). The winner will receive two coupons for 2 free boxes of General Mills cereal. Free things are always good in my book!

Okay, now for the recipe I promised. You are going to love these!

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

1 container vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup mixed berries (if frozen, thaw them a little first)
1/4 cup granola

Layer the vanilla yogurt, then berries, then yogurt, then berries and so forth. Top with granola. It's that easy! You can also use peaches, strawberries, or any of your favorite fruit in place of the mixed berries. Enjoy!

The 9th and 10th days....

On the 9th (and 10th) days of Christmas treats, my true love baked for me...... Christmas Pancakes with Maple Cranberry Syrup!!

Christmas Morning Pancakes (ideas/recipes from Chef Pam Price)

I like to add cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg to my favorite store bought boxed pancake mix then pack it into a mason jar with the recipe for Christmas Morning Pancakes. Sometimes I add a package of country ham, apples and festive holiday cloth napkins.

Recipe for Christmas Pancakes:
Mix pancake batter using water and enough pancake mixture to form a smooth batter the consistency of sour cream. Peel two apples, core and slice into very thin slices. Place griddle or pan on medium heat for two minutes. Place one teaspoon real butter in the pan swirling to cover the surface. Add 6 apple slices in a circle shape. Pour batter over the apples. Lower the heat slightly and cook until bubbles come to the top and the edges appear dry. Flip and cook the other side. Remove to heated platter and keep warm . Repeat to make as many pancakes as desired. Serve with maple cranberry syrup and sliced fried country ham.


Maple Cranberry Syrup (also from Chef Pam)

1-cup maple syrup
½ cup whole berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup chopped walnuts

In a one-quart saucepan, combine the syrup and cranberry sauce. Heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberry sauce is melted. Stir in the walnuts. Pour into a small decorative jar. Give instructions on a recipe card to serve warm. Store covered in the refrigerator up to four weeks.

*This would also be a great gift for an anniversary, birthday, or hostess gift.