Bacon, Egg, and Maple Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

6 slices thick-sliced bacon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
9 slices Cheddar (about 7 ounces), one of them quartered
Eight 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche bread

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lay the bacon slices on a rack set over a baking sheet. Bake until the fat starts to render, about 10 minutes.
2. Baste the bacon on both sides with the maple syrup and continue to bake until caramelized and the edges just start to brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool on the rack, about 5 minutes. When cool, cut them in half.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until thoroughly set, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Put 4 slices of the bread on a work surface. Layer each with 1 whole slice of the cheese, 3 pieces of the bacon, 1/4 slice of the cheese and 1 egg and another whole slice of cheese. Close the sandwiches with the remaining bread. Thinly and evenly spread the remaining butter on both sides of the bread using about 1 1/2 tablespoons for each sandwich.
5. Place 2 sandwiches into the same skillet over medium heat. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the bread is evenly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook, uncovered, until the bread is golden brown and cheese is visibly melted, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Notes: Tasty. The maple flavor on the bacon wasn't terribly noticeable, but we used homemade syrup. Might need to try it again with some authentic maple syrup.

Source: Food Network

Shakshuka

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1/2 onion, chopped 

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 

1/4 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems separated, chopped 

2 small cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon paprika Pinch of red pepper flakes 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand 

4 large eggs 

Warm pita bread, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cilantro stems, garlic, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and the vegetables are coated with the spices, about 1 minute. 
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir the tomatoes with their juices into the skillet. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper. 
3. Use the back of a spoon to make 4 wells in the sauce, 1 to 2 inches apart. Crack an egg into each well. Run the edge of a rubber spatula through the egg whites to break them slightly, being careful not to break the yolks (this allows the egg whites to cook faster). Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are just set, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with the cilantro leaves. Serve with pita bread.

Notes: I had this recipe printed out for several months before trying it. I knew my kids wouldn't be excited about it and it takes long enough it wouldn't work on a school day. I'm glad I finally got around to making it because I really enjoyed it and we will be having this one again.

Source: Food Network

Wheat Hearts Cereal

Ingredients

1 cup cream of wheat

1/4 cup cream of rice

1/4 cup corn meal

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup wheat germ

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container. 
2. When cooking hot cereal, boil 1 cup water and gently and slowly stir in about 1/4 cup of cereal mix. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat.

Notes: Brittany's mom created this recipe after General Mills stopped selling it in stores.

Source: Stimpson family cookbook

Anytime Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Prepare Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1 large egg

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Vegetable oil spray

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Gather Cooking Equipment

2 bowls (1 medium, 1 small)

Whisk

Rubber spatula

12-inch nonstick skillet 

1/4 cup dry measuring cup

1-tablespoon measuring spoon

Spatula

Plate

Start Cooking

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk milk, egg, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
2. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently with rubber spatula until just combined (batter should remain lumpy). Let batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
3. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium heat until hot, about 1 minute.
4. Use 1/4-cup dry measuring cup to scoop 1/4 batter into skillet. Repeat 2 more times, leaving space between mounds of batter (you want 3 pancakes to cook up separate from one another).
5. Sprinkle each pancake with chocolate chips. Cook until bubbles on surface begin to pop, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Use spatula to flip pancakes and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer pancakes to plate. Repeat with remaining batter in 2 more batches. Turn off heat. Serve.

Notes: Shortly after the pandemic caused social distancing at stay-at-home orders, Brittany ordered a couple of cookbooks for the kids. It was a great move. They've been excited about cooking/baking and have made several breakfast, dinner, and treat recipes. Our 8-year-old made these (with just a little help). Recipe makes 8 pancakes.

Source: The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs (America's Test Kitchen)

Loaded Breakfast Biscuits

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, melted (divided - 2 Tbsp to oil cast iron pan and 2 Tbsp for brushing biscuits after baking)
1 pound ground breakfast sausage
4 eggs scrambled
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. In a large 12-inch cast iron skillet, crumble the sausage and saute until browned through.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. When the sausage is browned, drain well and then add to the flour mixture. Stir to combine until sausage is fully coated.
5. Drain any abundance of oil from the pan and then add the beaten eggs into the pan and cook to a soft scramble. Add the scrambled eggs to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
6. Next, add the cheese and milk. Stir the mixture until all the flour is incorporated and a slightly sticky dough forms. With a spoon, floured hands, or an ice cream scoop, drop biscuits into the buttered skillet or sheet pan.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until biscuits are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Brush the tops of the hot biscuits with melted butter. Serve warm.

Notes: These tasted good, but they came out more "loaded" than "biscuit" for us. The biscuit part was pretty dense. We might have taken them out before the biscuits were all the way cooked.

Source: Kitchen Dreaming