(L)Oven Monday – The Best Food Gifts from Your Kitchen

December 5, 2016November 29, 2022 RefreshHer2 Comments

As I make my preparations for a more “simple” Christmas this year, I’m reminded that giving gifts from what you love is the best kind of gift to share. If I do what I love – I bake and the receiver knows that it was prepared especially for them with lots of (L)oven from my oven!

I have many recipes on my blog that I have given away, and I’m going to compile a short list of some of my favorites for you today. These are simple to make and are LOVED by those that receive them. Let’s get shopping/baking…

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake – – This is a fancier form of Monkey Bread. It’s made from canned biscuits, cream cheese and cinnamon and sugar. It’s pretty, it’s easy to make and is so good it became a Christmas tradition for our breakfast!
Cranberry Crumble – Another great coffee cake that anyone would LOVE to receive!
French Bread Loaves – A good old crusty bread tied up in a linen kitchen towel is as lovely as it is delicious!
Homemade Granola – Gifted in a jar with a pretty ribbon, this granola is perfect for any breakfast lover!
Cream Cheese Coffee Cakes – These are more like Danishes and who doesn’t love a Cream Cheese Danish???? This recipe makes four, so it really makes great use of your time in the kitchen!
Deep Dish Hershey Brownies – This is my family’s favorite brownie recipe and I’ve made them for years. Any chocolate lover will be delighted to receive a plate of these!
Microwave Caramel Popcorn – This is the easiest caramel popcorn! It makes a nice pile of popcorn for the snacker on your list!

You can also go here for a list of some fabulous cookies to bake up and place in cellophane bags or pretty Christmas tins.

Food is a wonderful gift of love from your oven to the recipient. Get baking and finish your gift list!

Which of these recipes will you make and give away?

With love from my country kitchen,

breakfast · Cooking · Lunch · Uncategorized

(L)ovin’ Monday

November 28, 2016November 27, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Every Monday I’m showing you what’s been in my Oven that I’m lovin’! Ready?

omelets2

This was Thanksgiving Dinner at my mom’s last Thursday at 1:00. Don’t you wish every day’s lunch looked like this…

Ha, well, maybe not that much food, but tell me, is it just me, or do others find lunch a difficulty? I’m usually well into a busy day and just need a quick bite to eat, but I find it hard to stop my day and fix something that’s tasty and quick.

As a matter of fact, even breakfast poses problems. I’m not ready to eat when I first get up, and by the time I’m ready for a bite, it’s too late to want to get into any big cooking ordeal to accomplish what I need to give me energy for the rest of the morning!

Recently I prepared these Make-Ahead Omelets and froze them. I made tiny ones for the shower I hosted. I took the leftovers and froze them in a plastic container, putting sheets of waxed paper in between the rows of omelets.

Then I popped a frozen muffin into the microwave and it made the perfect breakfast! In a matter of about 4 minutes everything was hot and ready to eat. That’s better than instant oatmeal – and a lot tastier!

omelets1

Then another help came for lunch. I had made Sloppy Joe’s for our meal after Sunday night church, and had plenty left over. Wrapping them individually in waxed paper, I warmed them at about 80% power for about 45 seconds.

It dawned on me then – why don’t I make up something like this at the beginning of each week and have it prepared in the fridge? Lunch could be less than a minute away each day! If you take your lunch to work, it would be so easy to have it packed and ready in the morning before you head out the door.

I’ve come up with a few ideas of things that would be made ahead and ready. Here’s my starter list:

Breakfast:

Omelets

Waffles

Baked Oatmeal

Lunch:

Sloppy Joes

Broccoli Soup

Salad in a jar – Like this one (I haven’t made this particular recipe, but I made one similar and they are great do-ahead salads!)

Chicken Salad – Ready for sandwiches, or to eat alone.

20150208_133005_resized

I hope this encourages you to prepare ahead for your busy mornings and lunchtimes. When you’re heading into Christmas, why not take away a little stress by having some nutritious breakfasts and lunches all ready to serve?

What quick tips do you have for breakfast and lunch?

With love from my country kitchen,

8E63C63AC0BC189BF1C68B03C74DBB5F

baking · breakfast · Uncategorized

Week-Long Muffin Batter

September 5, 2016September 2, 2016 RefreshHer4 Comments

Muffin batter - Copy

Coming up with a great breakfast is difficult to me. Oh, I know there are lots of options – French Toast, waffles, omelets, etc., but most people don’t have time to be stirring up great recipes first thing in the morning, myself included. The best way to have a something good is to prepare ahead.

Years ago, I found a Bran muffin recipe that you stir together and put in the fridge. I call them Morning Glory Muffins because they make the morning glorious!!!! The batter stays fresh for a week! During that week, you can heat up the oven, bake up as many as you need without having the work and mess first thing in the morning. These are healthy and delicious! This month during Sabbatical, I mixed up the batter and it was a great addition to my yogurt and fruit. I took some batter with us when we went to Pigeon Forge for a few days, and it was great to have it all ready to bake!

muffin batter1 - Copy

Here’s the simple recipe:

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup bran cereal (not flakes, preferably a wheat bran)
1/3 cup (vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups bran cereal – not flakes. (Though they say “not flakes” that’s what I had on hand and used, and they turned out great!)
1 – 2 tsp Grated Orange peel

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the half cup of cereal. When cooled, mix in the vegetable oil and egg.
While the water/bran mixture cools, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the raisins.
In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and brown sugar, and stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in remaining cereal, then the softened bran mixture and orange zest. Cover the batter and refrigerate it overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F for 15 minutes. Line a muffin tin with papers, and spray the insides of the papers. Or just grease the muffin cups themselves, if you like a crustier muffin edge.
Stir the batter once or twice, then scoop a heaping 1/4-cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

muffins

If you want a nice hot muffin without having to be in the kitchen more than a few minutes, this recipe will be your morning glory, too!

With love from my country kitchen,

Denise Signature 150 px

breakfast

An Ocean of Waffles

May 2, 2016November 22, 2024 RefreshHer7 Comments

Waffles 2a

Breakfast cravings can be difficult to deliver. It’s early, you’re busy. Who has time to make waffles on a regular workday? My solution to this is to find a day that’s not as busy and make up a whole recipe of waffles and freeze them for those busy days! I know, I know, you’re saying, “You can buy these in the store already frozen!” But it’s hard to beat a homemade waffle that has egg whites beaten into it that make them light and fluffy!

This recipe is one I’ve made for years; it’s our very favorite. My husband will even eat them plain! They’re that good! This made up an ocean of waffles; about 20 individual squares. They smell so good you might have a hard time saving some for the freezer, but try to resist!

Everyday Waffles

1 ³⁄₄cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 ³⁄₄cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
¹⁄₂cup cooking oil (I used 1/4)
2 egg whites, beaten stiff

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, slightly; stir in the milk, oil and the vanilla.
Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (the batter should still be slightly lumpy).
Beat 2 egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter, leaving some fluffs of egg.
Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups batter onto the grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle iron . Close the lid quickly and do not open until done.
When done lift the waffles of the iron with a fork.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter.

waffles 1 — A whole tray of Golden Waffles ready for the freezer!

strawberries — Fresh Strawberries came in the right time!

Waffles 2 — This breakfast is possible even on a busy day! Pop a prepared waffle into the toaster to warm it up and top it with fresh strawberries and a little syrup! Yum!

Layer these in Freezer bags with waxed paper in-between. You’ll be able to take out one or two at a time without them sticking together!

Refresh your breakfast with homemade waffles!

With love from my country kitchen,

Bread · breakfast

French Breakfast Puffs

April 4, 2016April 2, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

Has anyone you know well ever walked past you without speaking? Or maybe they spoke, but they just barely gave you the time of day? Well, I realized that my dear sweet friend, the French Breakfast Puff kind of got overlooked; slighted if you will here on my blog! It’s just wrong because these little guys are the sweetest and the best breakfast treat! I shared them on my blog about five years ago, but they just did not get the attention and recognition that they deserve! Soooo, without further ado, I give you The French Breakfast Puff:

French Breakfast puff

I made these last Easter weekend and realized that I needed to post them again, just in case some of my readers hadn’t tried them. These are a cross between a muffin and a donut – how does that sound?!

French Breakfast Puffs

1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 C butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 C butter, melted

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add milk, beaten egg, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Mix well. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove while still hot, dip in melted butter, then mixture of sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Makes 1 dozen

puff platter.jpg — I made up a double batch and shared them with my neighbors, along with an invitation to join us for Easter services!

Let’s give this treat the rightful place they deserve – your breakfast plate or even dessert plate! Run, don’t walk to the kitchen and mix up a batch. They require no special ingredients and can be made in a flash!

With love from my country kitchen,