Warm Breakfast Waiting For You To Eat In The Morning - And It Tastes Just Like Apple Pie!

I just love apple pie but don't love all the calories! As the temperatures are getting colder and I started looking for oatmeal recipe, I found one that is a keeper!!! 

Through Pinterest, I came upon this Apple Pie Breakfast. You put it in a slow cooker the night before (7 to 8 hours on low) and Voila! It is sitting there the next morning just waiting for you to eat! It comes from the Cooking With Jax Blog . I did make a slight change - I added some brown sugar. And I always eat my oatmeal with some milk in it. That's how I ate it from when I was a little girl. And that is many years ago ;=).

 You just have to try it!

Steel cut oats are one of my favourite breakfast foods. Once cooked, this recipe keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days. My husband and I usually eat for three mornings in a row when I make this recipe.

Ingredients
- 1 cup of steel cut oats*
- 3 diced apples (I use Gala)
- 1 cup apple juice (I use Oasis)
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions - Slow Cooker


For Best Results: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like. Be sure to stir every hour or so.


* You can also cook longer without stirring, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier. Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker.

* It must be steel cut oats when cooked in the slow cooker, as regular oats get very soggy when cooked this way. You can find steel cut oats in your local grocery store (sometimes they are called "irish oats" or "pinhead oats"). If you would really rather use rolled oats, be sure to use the stovetop method below and adjust your liquid/cooking time accordingly.

McMuffin Casserole Recipe - Oh so good!

Yes! Another recipe that I saw on Pinterest (it took me to the Plain Chicken 
site) and thought I would try it. It looked easy and it looked good. Well,
it turned out delicious!! It is a light casserole.

It has all the flavors of an Egg McMuffin in casserole form. This casserole
is assembled in minutes the night before and baked when you are ready.

I used Thomas' English Muffins.

McMuffin Casserole
serves 4
(Printable Recipe)

4 English muffins, split (Bays)
6 oz Canadian bacon
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
salt
pepper

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Cube English muffins and chop 

Canadian bacon. Add half of the cubed English muffins in a single layer. 

Top with half of the Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Layer 
the remaining English muffins and Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup more
cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until 

combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Wrap the 
baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 
1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Then take the plastic wrap off of the baking dish and bake it at 325 
degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

French Toast Bake

I love French Toast! My daughter made it one year for my birthday - and it was just so good!! So I was on Pinterest and selecting items that interested me. After awhile you get so far away from Pinterest because you just continue to click on links and it takes you to another page or blog. Anyway, I ended up on the Sheldon Rachel Blog site. This recipe looks fairly easy and I think it would taste so great!

French Toast Bake

Last weekend I made a French Toast Bake for a bridal shower brunch. I love this recipe because it is so easy (Fia could do this by herself), economical (most expensive ingredient was the Texas Toast at $2), & oh-so-delicious! The best part is that it is made the day before so there is no fuss on the day you consume it....perfect for a Sunday afternoon or brunch. This food post will be step-by-step as I take you through the entire recipe with me...as I like to make my own tweeks & people get mad at me for not telling them EXACTLY what I did. *My additions to the recipe will be in red*


Before I begin....I must note that I was making a double batch (two 9 x 13 pans) so the pictures have double the ingredients. The recipe listed below is for 1 pan (9 x 13). Happy eating!!

** For those who are not familiar with Texas Toast, it is thickly sliced bread. The slices are about double the thickness of standard sliced bread. For a better description, click here **

Ingredient Checklist
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (covered for the first 30 minutes)
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup (I don't do the syrup part)

- Crack eggs & get them started (on low)
- Melt butter in microwave
- Add brown sugar & stir together


- Pour mixture into 9 x 13 pan
- Spread evenly to cover bottom of pan


- Add milk & vanilla to egg mixture
- *Add 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar to egg mixture*
- Spread even layer of Texas Toast on butter/sugar layer
- *I cut off the crusts...this is NOT necessary....I just think it looks nicer...it was for a bridal shower*-


- After you have 1 even layer, ladle on 1/2 of egg mixture

- *Sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon before next layer*
- Spread second layer of Texas Toast

- Ladle second half of egg mixture
- *Spread thin layer of butter*


- *Sprinkle lightly with white sugar & cinnamon*
(I think the butter & sugar help give the final product a crusty top....I could easily be wrong....but it sure doesn't hurt the flavor....and since this recipe is far from figure friendly...then why not?)
- Refrigerate overnight


- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar
- Top should be crusty, middle should be soft & moist, & bottom is just glorious!



- The recipe calls for eating it with warm maple syrup. I did not do this....it would be way too sweet....instead, I added the Tablespoon of powdered sugar in the egg mixture.
- I personally feel that eating it upside down is the way to go.....that way you don't waste any of the sticky bits of heaven on the plate

Easy Cheese Danish

This recipe is just SO good and it is easy!!! You just have to try it. I got the recipe from http://kitchengirljo.blogspot.com  and made it the other day. My husband just loves it. Everyone who eats it, just loves it. I love it!

You can go to the link: http://kitchengirljo.blogspot.com/2009/07/easy-cheese-danish.html or just see the recipe below:

Ingredients:
2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 350* degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

Kitchen Notes from the blog:
I have made this danish using low fat cream cheese and splenda (sugar substitute) and it was delicious! Also, the amount of filling the original recipe calls for makes a VERY heavily filled danish. I have halved the filling using 1 package of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 whole egg, and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and it was still very good. If you use the half filling method, bake for closer to 30-35 minutes.