Mini Spinach, Onion and Prosciutto Quiche

I love quiche. It is so versatile and delicious. Flaky, buttery crust filled with endless options. Veggies, meats, cheeses, herbs, or spices in any combination. You can really let your imagination go wild. I randomly had some leftover prosciutto and gruyere and decided that some mini quiche would be the perfect place to use it up. Along with a little diced onion an some spinach, it really was a wonderful combination. 

I just thought it would be fun to make some mini quiche, but this would be equally as good as a regular size quiche. Whatever you do, I highly recommend making your own pie dough. It really is so much better than anything you can get at the store. 

Spinach, Onion and Prosciutto Quiche

Ingredients

• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and very well dried
• A couple slices of prosciutto
• 2 ounces Gruyere (or your favorite cheese)

Directions

In a small sauté pan with a little olive oil in it, cook the onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften and become translucent. Set aside. Mix together the eggs and milk, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Evenly divide the prosciutto, spinach, onions and cheese between the prepared tarts. Pour the custard into the individual tarts, being careful not to overfill. Bake the mini quiches for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the custard is just set. 

Pate Brisee

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender or two fork.)

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together with out being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still to crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

When ready to use, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Press gently into tart pans, making sure not to stretch the dough. Place pans in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Remove tarts from freezer, and blind bake for 15-20 min at 375 degrees. Remove weights and bake about 5 minutes longer, until crust is lightly browned. 

Baked Egg "Muffins"

Now that I am super busy with school, it's a goal of mine to come up with recipes that I can make in large quantities and then freeze for a quick lunch or dinner during the week. Last weekend I looked in my fridge and found some leftover egg yolks that I didn't want to go to waste so I decided to bake them up in a muffin tin for some individual egg "muffins" that I can throw onto an english muffin along with some cheese and ham for a nice breakfast or lunch. Not fancy, but simple and delicious. It works for me!

There is no recipe with this, it is more of an idea. I just whisked together the egg yolks and a few whole eggs with a little milk, salt and pepper. Then just throw in whatever else you want; I did peppers and onions but cheese, or some type of meat would be delicious too. It's kind of like making scrambled eggs but instead of scrambling them in a frying pan, pour them into a (liberally) greased muffin tin and bake. Super easy and very versatile.

One word of caution; you don't want to fill up the muffin tins very full, about halfway is plenty. You can't tell from the pictures, but as they bake the egg really poofs up and you can have a mess on you hands if it all overflows. Once they come out of the oven they collapse and aren't nearly as tall, but mine looked almost like mini soufflés when they were fresh out of the oven.

I bake my little frittatas at 350 degrees for maybe 20-25 minutes. I didn't set a timer, but just kept my eyes on the oven and waited until they all looked set up. Just watch them to make sure they don't overbake. I threw the finished product into the freezer and have been eating them all week, yum!

Sour Cherry Coffee Cake

It's the Fourth of July, what better way to celebrate then with a beautiful and delicious breakfast treat? Last week I went up to Traverse City for a couple of days and came back with some cherries, so I knew this breakfast would be featuring some delicious summer cherries. I'd always wanted to visit Traverse City, but before this past week I had never made it there, even though it is just a few hours away. In case you don't know much about Traverse City, it is the self proclaimed cherry capitol of the world. They are especially well known for their tart cherries, growing 70-75 percent of tart cherries that are grown in the US. Cherry season was just starting last week, so I of course had to visit the local farmers market and buy a couple baskets of cherries. I got some delicious, sweet black cherries, as well as a few tart cherries that were perfect for this patriotic breakfast treat.

This cake turned out beautifully! The perfect thing for a summer holiday breakfast. The only extra effort involved pitting the cherries. I don't have a cherry pitter so it took me a few extra minutes, but nothing too extreme. Once that was done, it was easy to whip together the rest of the cake and the streusel topping. I absolutely love anything with streusel on top. It adds such a nice texture and sweetness to the top, yum!

I baked my cake in a 9-inch springform pan and it turned out great. A springform pan makes it really easy to get the cake out of the pan after it cools. Then it's a cinch to cut out some slices and dig in. This coffee cake was the star of a delightful holiday breakfast.

 Beautiful red sour cherries

 Put together the topping first, then set aside

For the cake, start by getting your dry ingredients mixed

Then it's time for the butter

and sugar

 Cream them together until light and fluffy

 Next is vanilla

 and two eggs

 Pour it into your prepared pan

 Smooth the batter out

 Then it's cherry time

 Spread the cherries out on top of the batter

 Look at all those delicious cherries!

 Then top with the streusel 

 Time for the oven

 Baked to golden perfection!

 It's time for breakfast

 Cut a nice big slice

 Look at the cake/cherry/streusel goodness

 It's time to eat!

Sour Cherry Coffee Cake
From Lottie and Doof
Ingredients
For the topping:

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dish
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish, dust with flour, tap out excess.

In a medium bowl, stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Set topping aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Dot top with cherries, and sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool before cutting.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Peanut Butter Glaze

I love it when I plan on making something, and I know it will be delicious, but then when I actually end up making it it just blows me away with how good it is. These pancakes are case in point. I love pretty much all pancakes so when I decided to have pancakes for breakfast, I knew it was going to be good. What I didn't count on was how these thin, tender, creamy pancakes would pair perfectly with some leftover peanut butter sauce I had on hand in the fridge. Just add some sliced banana and mini chocolate chips and voila, breakfast is served!

I was planning on eating these pancakes with a nice drizzle of pure maple syrup which I'm sure would have been delicious, but when I remembered the peanut butter glaze in the fridge I thought that it would be nice poured on top of the pancakes. As I was thinking about this my eyes fell on a pair of perfectly ripe bananas lying on the counter. Bananas and peanut butter anybody? Yes please! So I thinly sliced a banana, laid out the pieces on top of the pancakes, and drizzled it all with the peanut butter glaze. 

It look so yummy, but I knew it was missing just one thing, chocolate! A sprinkle of mini chocolate chips finished the plate off perfectly. It doesn't get much better than this mouth watering trio. Eating this perfect combination of flavors made me feel like I was in a restaurant. This is a breakfast that I won't forget to try again. 

Yum!

Buttermilk Pancakes
From: Tasting Table
Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2½ cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and oil. Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

In a large skillet or griddle, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Working in batches, spoon ¼ cup of the pancake batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes until the edges have begun to brown and air bubbles form on the surface, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve hot, spread with butter and drizzled with maple syrup or peanut butter glaze. 

Peanut Butter Glaze
From: Lawfully Wedded Wife
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 c. peanut butter
• 1 T. powdered sugar

Directions
Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until bubbling. Whisk in the peanut butter until it melts into the milk completely. Remove from heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar.

Baked Pumpkin Spice 'Donut'Holes

I think donuts are absolutely delicious, but I rarely ever eat them. I have no problem eating sweets for breakfast, but when it comes to donuts, all I can think about is all the oil they are fried in. Granted, it is all of that oil that makes them so delicious, but it also makes me think twice before I stuff one in my mouth. When I saw this recipe for a baked version of donut holes floating around the internet I knew I had to give them a shot. There is no way anything baked can compete with a true donut, but that doesn't mean they can't be tasty in their own way, and these don't disappoint.

To make these donuts, all you need is a mini muffin pan. A small scoop of batter in each hole bakes up as a small little cake, pretty closely resembling a donut hole. I found that you don't want to fill each hole very full or the donuts end up looking more like a muffin than the donut you're going for. Slightly under filling each indentation helps them bake up round like a true donut hole.

When they're still fresh from the oven, quickly role each donut in butter followed by cinnamon sugar, or just roll them in some powdered sugar. Both versions are delicious. I did find that if you go the powdered sugar route you may need to dip them more than once because the sugar kind of melts into the warm donuts. But that's no problem, with sugar I always figure the more the merrier!

These donut holes turned out extremely moist and tender. They tasted a lot like the inside of a normal donut. Because they aren't fried you don't get the crisp exterior like a normal donut has, but they're so tasty you will hardly even miss it!

Ingredients and muffin tin ready to go

Mix it all up

Start filling those mini muffin holes

(not too full or they will look more like muffins

than donut holes)

Ready for the oven

Beautiful fresh from the oven

Coating options

Butter with cinnamon sugar!

Powdered sugar is also delicious; they were

both so good, I can't pick a favorite

On it's way to my watering mouth

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
From The Craving Chronicles
Ingredients
For Donuts

• 1 3/4 cups (8 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (200 grams) canned pumpkin 
• 1/2 cup (130 grams) milk

For Coating

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• Powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven 350°F. Spray each cup in a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray or butter generously.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices (through cloves). In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined – do not over mix!

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl and put powdered sugar in a third bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Dip each muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat or dip each muffin directly in the powdered sugar.