Crepes

I used to love having crepes, but for some reason with all the other breakfast foods we make we've never made crepes...until this morning when I decided to make them while Chris was still sleeping! I don't remember where this recipe is from exactly, except that it's in my recipe book from when I was a teenager, so it's definitely old school! The nice thing about crepes is the possibilities for filling them are endless. Chris gave me a bite of one of his creations (powdered / icing sugar and a little lime juice sprinkled on top) and it was yummy! But my favourite was a little peanut butter and sliced bananas and then drizzled (as you can see) with some homemade syrup! Wow...although I was full I sure wanted more! I think the only thing I might have liked more was some nutella instead;)

Crepes

4 eggs

1 1/3 cup milk

2 tbsp oil, or melted butter/margarine

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt (*optional)

Beat eggs slightly, then add remaining ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Heat crepe pan or non-stick skillet over medium high heat (approximately 375 degrees). Spray PAM to cover the pan. Using a ladle, pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges, making a nice round crepe. You can also use the bottom of the ladel to help swirl the batter outward into a large circle. Once you start to notice some small bubbles on the top and the edges are dry and have turned a light brown flip the crepe over and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Fill crepes with your favourite topping or combination of toppings and serve.

As I said, the possibilities are endless, but here's a few to get you started:
-strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bananas
-peanut butter
-Nutella
-yogurt

-strawberry freezer jam
-sprinke with powdered/icing sugar
-drizzle with caramel, homemade syrup, lime or lemon juice

Makes approximately 8-10 crepes, depending on how big and thick you make them.

*Note: To keep crepes soft and warm until you're ready to serve them, place cooked crepes in a baking dish with a lid or a tortilla warmer inside a 200 degree oven.

*Note: Crepes are supposed to be thin, but if you want them a little thicker, just use a little more batter!

Enjoy!

Æbleskivers

I'd never even heard of Æbleskivers until Chris and I got married. Whenever we go visit his parents in Cali or have family breakfasts together up here his mum knows she needs to make them. They're one of Chris's favourite breakfast foods (he couldn't commit to them being his favourite because let's face it he loves a lot of breakfast foods) and as they take a little longer to make than other breakfast foods we don't make them as often.

If you're wondering what they are, they're basically a Danish pancake in the shape of a sphere. Wikipedia noted that they are a cross between American pancakes and a popover. Chris's mum used to have to get her Æbleskiver pans from Solvang (a city in California that is known for it's Danish bakeries, restaurants, merchants and architecture), but lucky for you, you can get them pretty much anywhere now.

Æbleskivers
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups buttermilk *
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp melted butter

Stir dry ingredients together. Add the buttermilk, egg yolks, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Beat the egg whites separately and fold into the batter along with the melted butter.

Heat the Æbleskiver pan over medium high heat and pour a small amount of oil into the bottom of each rounded cavity. Once the oil is hot pour a small amount of batter into each cavity (almost filling each cavity). Use a skewer or fork to flip it over once the bottom is cooked and then cook the other side.

You can also drop little bits of banana, apple, or berries in the middle of each as well while you're cooking them!

They are traditionally served with jam and powdered/icing sugar, however we also serve them with fruit and homemade syrup (as pictured above).

Makes approximately 42 Æbleskivers (6 batches).

*Note: To make 2 cups of buttermilk, pour 2 tbsp lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 2 cups. Let it for 5 mins.

*Note: To keep Æbleskivers warm until you're ready to serve them, place them in a baking dish with a lid or a tortilla warmer inside a 200 degree oven.

Enjoy!

Coast Toast

When I was single we used to have breakfasts before General Conference and Sandra always made Coast Toast. It's basically an orange flavoured version of French toast! It's rich (and by rich I mean not so good for your figure), but the taste makes it worth it! Sandra had it at a restaurant on the beach in San Diego (I believe) and liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and they were nice enough to give it to her. Since then she's been spreading the love of Coast Toast so I thought I'd spread the love a little wider...it really is delicious!!!

Coast Toast
1 quart whipping cream
10 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp orange flavouring
1 loaf soft french bread, cut in 1" pieces
powdered sugar

Place french loaf pieces in a greased 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish.
Combine first 7 ingredients and pour over bread slices.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight).
Remove bread and discard liquid.
Spread butter / Pam on a flat grill and cook bread until golden brown.
Bake at 450 degrees for 5-7 mins until bread puffs up like a souffle.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with syrup on top.

Basic Pancakes

With the weekend quickly upon us I thought I'd post a couple breakfast recipes. I know pancakes are pretty basic and many would say not even worth posting a recipe for, but I do love my pancake recipe so I thought I'd share it with everyone anyway. They're nice and thick and have a touch of sweetness in every bite. In fact, I like the taste of them so much that I like to eat them fresh off the grill with a little butter on top. Though if you're anything like my hubby you'll want to slather them in as much syrup as possible!

Basic Pancakes
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp double acting baking powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 - 2 2/3 cups milk, depending on how thick you like your pancakes
6 tbsps oil

Combine first four ingredients. In a separate small bowl, beat egg slightly then stir in milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until flour is just moistened.

Preheat griddle or non stick frying pan and spray with PAM, then pour batter and cook over medium heat (I use level 4 or 4 1/2 on my stove) until bubbles form, then flip over and cook the other side.

Serve with syrup, fruit, peanut butter, or anything else you like on your pancakes.

Makes approximately 10-14 pancakes (depending on how thick you like your pancakes).

Modifications:
* Instead of 6 tbsp oil, use half oil and half apple sauce, or even 4 tbsp apple sauce and 2 tbsp oil
* Add any of the following to the batter: fresh or frozen blueberries (w/ lemon juice and lemon zest), chocolate chips, cinnamon, or anything else you like;)

* Note: I've learned the trick to getting really thick pancakes is to pour the batter onto your pan (amount depends on how big you want the pancakes) and then wait for it to set for a minute and then pour a little more batter into the middle of the pancake. This way the pancake won't get bigger, but will get thicker. Can you tell I love my pancakes nice and thick;) I usually use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour and end up using about that much per pancake, sometimes a little more.

* Note: I keep any left over pancakes in the fridge and warm up them up later in our toaster oven OR sometimes I leave left over batter in the fridge if I want to make more fresh pancakes later that day or the next day. The batter may start to separate a little, however if you mix it with a fork it will be just as good as the first day. I've never had my batter in the fridge for more than one day so I can't guarantee how the pancakes will turn out if you leave it longer than a day and then try to use it.

*Note: I always spray PAM on the cooking surface before I make the first set of pancakes, but not between making each set.

*Note: Place cooked pancakes in a glass casserole dish with a lid or in a tortilla warmer and in a warm oven (200 - 225 degrees) to keep warm until ready to serve.

Enjoy!