One of my family's most recent family traditions is the Breakfast Buffet. My family loves to get together for breakfast on holidays or weekends or just whenever we feel hungry. Usually we all just mooch off of my parents, but recently we have started a buffet style breakfast where we all bring a dish to share. It is so fun. There is always so much to choose from, plus I get to try out different breakfast recipes.

Most recently I brought baked french toast. It was delicious. I wish I had more pictures of it, but there was no time. I had to take a quick picture and then get some food. When you grow up with eight kids in the family you get while the getting is good or you might miss out.

 

Here is what you need:

1 Loaf French Bread

8 Eggs

2 C Whole Milk

1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream

3/4 C Sugar

2 T Vanilla

1/2 C Flour

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1 t Cinnamon

1/4 t Salt

1 Stick Cold Butter

1. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Tear the bread into chunks and distribute throughout the pan. Don't worry about making them uniform, it really doesn't matter.

2. In a separate bowl mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the top of the bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge over night.(I am bolding this so you don't overlook it. I hate starting a recipe for breakfast that day and then realizing I should have started it the day before.)

3. In another bowl make the topping. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into pieces and mix it in. I like to use my hands. Mix until it starts to look like pebbles. You can either make this the night before and store it in the fridge or make it right before baking.

4. The next morning sprinkle the topping over the french toast and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

You could also add nuts or fruit before baking. Our problem is I like nuts, but not fruit and Husband likes fruit but not nuts, so ours was plain which was also delicious. When serving you can top with a little syrup or whipped cream, or just plain.

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I have developed a great love of lasagna. It is so delicious and so versatile. For regular quick weeknight meals I make a very simple lasagna for my family, but when we have company I like to fancy it up a bit. I got this delicious recipe from Husband's brother and his wife, the same ones who gave us the secrets of cake mix peach cobbler.  Although I call this my fancy lasagna, it is still pretty easy to throw together.

Here is what you need:
9 lasagna noodles
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce- You can use homemade if you are feeling extra fancy.
4 oz. Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
2 Eggs
1 lb. Cottage Cheese
3/4 C Parmesan Cheese
2 T Dried Parsley
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Black Pepper
16 oz. Mozzarella Cheese

1. Cook Noodles according to package directions.

2. Brown meat with onions and garlic until the meat is fully cooked. Drain off fat.

3. Add sauce and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occassionally.

 

4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

 

5. Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 inch pan. Spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent noodles from sticking. Then layer noodles, cheese mixture, meat/sauce mixture, mozzarella cheese and repeat.

 

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serve with some garlic bread and something green and healthy. Enjoy!

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The colored pasta has become a favorite of Sweet Girl's for Mommy and Me School, and I'll admit I like to play with it too. I just love the vibrant colors. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:
Rubbing Alcohol
Food Coloring
Noodles

1. I wanted to use a variety of noodles and a variety of colors, so I poured some of each kind into a bowl and mixed them together. If you want only one color per type of noodle (i.e. all bow tie noodles are blue), you can skip this step.
2. Scoop noodles into Ziploc bags, one bag per color.
3. Pour in about 3-4 Tbsp of rubbing alcohol. You may need more depending on how many noodles you are coloring.
4. Add your food coloring. It takes a fair amount, but add in about 10 drops, mix it around and decide if you want to keep adding.
5. Let the bags sit for about an hour, occasionally moving them around to absorb the colors. You can let them soak longer if you want brighter colors.
6. Pour noodles out onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and paper towels to dry. They will smell so it's best if they can sit outside. Once they are dry, you are ready to play.

When we play with our colored pasta, I just dump it all into a bowl and give Sweet Girl scooping tools like a spoon and a measuring cup. She pretty much ignores me the entire time and focuses on scooping the pasta from one container to another. 

This time she was working on scooping the pasta into the paper cup with the spoon. You can see that while her scooping skills are coming along, we still need to work on aiming.

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I've got to be honest, I do not like peach cobbler. I don't really like peaches, and I don't really like cooked peaches, but this peach cobbler makes me want to eat peaches, mostly so that I can get to the delicious cake topping. I got this recipe from Husband's brother. He and his wife are amazing cooks and used to make us the most delicious food before we moved away from them.

This recipe is very easy and oh so delicious. Here is what you need.

Ingredients:
1 Large Can of Peaches or 2 Small
1 Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 Cube Butter
1 Can Lemon Lime Soda
Cinnamon

1. Drain most of the liquid from the peaches and dump into an 8x8 pan. Try to even them out a little.

 

 2. Pour on the cake mix and smooth it out. If it's uneven it won't cook all the way through. Top with slices of butter and sprinkled cinnamon.

 

 3. Pour the entire can of soda on top. Pour slowly or it will overflow. Sometimes we don't get the entire can in, but it should be most of it.

 

 4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

 

Doesn't this look delicious?!

5. Let it cool a bit so it doesn't destroy your mouth, and serve it with a scoop of ice cream. (This is a must!) We comfortably served 9 with this pan. You could do smaller scoops and serve a couple more.

When I eat this, I eat the peaches first to get them out of the way, and then savor the delicious cake crust.

I just love how simple this recipe is. There is almost no way to mess it up, so even if you don't cook, you could still make a yummy dessert.

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My sister, Sarah, and I used to attend cooking classes at a local grocery store together. They were so much fun. We got to sit in the audience while someone demonstrated a new dish and at the end we all got samples and a copy of the recipe. Now that we have both moved away I really miss those classes.

Plov is one of the recipes we got there. It is a Russian dish, but I don't know how authentic it is when I make it. Either way it is delicious. It has become a regular on our dinner menu. Plus it is very easy to make and we generally have all of the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:

1 Large chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1 c. rice, cooked according to the package
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
Chicken Bouillon Granules - They work better than just the cubes, but I imagine you could
smash up a cube.
Curry powder to taste
1-2 T Oil

1. In a large skillet (sometimes we even break it into 2 skillets for easier cooking) heat the oil. Sprinkle the bouillon on the chicken, I always use extra because that's my favorite flavor in the dish, and place in the hot oil. Fry for about 5 minutes.

2. Add rice, carrots, onions and garlic to the chicken. Use more oil as needed.

3. Sprinkle the chicken mixture with the curry power, continue cooking until nicely browned. The browning can take awhile. Turn the temperature down and flip it every few minutes. We like it more on the crispy side. 

So yummy!

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Joudsas were my very favorite food growing up. On our birthday's my mom always let us pick what we wanted for dinner, and this is what I chose almost every single year. My mom started making these for my dad shortly after they were married. My dad served an LDS mission in Taiwan, and this is one of the things he liked to eat. Now, these are not super authentic Taiwanese food. they are very Americanized, but that doesn't mean they aren't delicious. They are very similar to pot stickers, but a whole lot less work.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Small Onion
1  Pkg. Won Ton Wrapper- They are found in the produce section of most grocery stores.

1. Dice the onion and green pepper. Mix it in with the meat. It works best to get your hands in there and really mix it up.

2. Place a small amount of the meat mixture in the center of the won ton wrapper. Dip your finger tips in a small amount of water and rub it on 2 adjacent sides of the wrapper ( this will help it stick as you fold it over and seal it shut.) Fold the wrapper closed and press the edges together. It's okay it they don't stay totally sealed or if they tear a little bit.

3. Place Joudsas in a steamer, and steam for about 14 minutes.

 Serve with rice and topped with soy sauce. This makes about 40-50 joudsas.

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"What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? Nothing. A muffin is just a bald cupcake."- Jim Gaffigan in Beyond the Pale

I am not a big cereal fan. Sadly I am also not a real morning person, so most mornings I'm too lazy to make anything besides a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Which is especially sad because there are so many delicious breakfast foods. These muffins are one of those yummy things I make when I'm feeling particularly tired of cereal. They are easy to make and taste so moist and delicious. Plus who doesn't want to get away with eating cupcakes for breakfast? This is the way to do it and not feel so bad about yourself.

I found the original recipe for these chocolate chip banana muffins on Allecipes.com, and have altered it slightly.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 C Flour
3/4 C Sugar
1 t Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Salt
1 Egg
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1/2 C Plain Yogurt
1 t Vanilla Extract
2 C Mashed Ripe Banana (About 4 bananas)
1/3 C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

1. Combine dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Mix egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla together in another bowl.
3. Add in dry ingredients until moistened.
4. Add bananas and chocolate chips.
5. Fill muffin cups about three fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

This recipe makes about 16 muffins.

They are amazingly delicious fresh from the oven and still pretty darn delicious for several days, although they rarely last that long around here.

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I love pizza. For awhile I went through a weird pizza hating phase, but luckily that has passed, and pizza and I have gotten back together. Lately I have been trying out some new pizza variations. I attempted a BBQ chicken pizza, and it was so bad we had to throw it all away, so if you know of a good BBQ chicken pizza recipe let me know. Fortunately this Pepperoni Bread is absolutely delicious. This is another recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Maree. She made it for us once and I had to have the recipe.

This particular recipe calls for a bread maker. You can just mix the dough in a mixer and let it rise for about 60-90 minutes, but the bread maker makes it so much easier.

Ingredients:
1/3 C Oil
1 Egg
12 ounces warm, not hot, water
4 1/4 C Flour
1/2 C Milk
3 T Sugar
1 1/2 t Salt
3 tsp Yeast
Pepperoni
Cheese

Add the first three ingredients to the bread machine pan. Then add the dry ingredients. Set the bread machine at the dough cycle and push start. This cycle usually last 90 minutes to 2 hours.

This makes two loaves, so divide the dough in half. Roll the half portion into a large rectangle. Cover the middle third of the dough with pepperoni slices and cheese. Be generous. Fold one side of the dough over the pepperoni slices and cheese. Now repeat, placing a second layer of pepperoni and cheese on top. Fold the other side of the dough over the top and pinch the ends and edges closed. You can use a knife to cut the top of the loaf to make it look like french bread. Repeat the whole process with the second half of the dough.

Allow loaves to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Brush loaves with a whole beaten egg and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

This makes a lot. To give you an idea, I followed this recipe exactly, added a couple salads and fed 8 adults and 2 children.

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When I was little I remember loving when my mom made homemade play dough for us. It was way better then the stuff from the store because it was a lot softer and easier to work with. It was especially nice when it was fresh from the pan. Warm play dough is very soothing for some reason.

I found a great homemade play dough recipe from A Small Tribe. It looked identical to the one my mom made for me as a kid. The thing I love most about this recipe is that it is made from ingredients I in my kitchen. Even though play dough is not meant to be eaten, if Sweet Girl put some in her mouth, which she did, I didn't have to worry too much about what she might be putting in her body with that play dough.

I didn't even think to take pictures of me making the play dough, but here is the recipe. You can also click the link above to see her pictures.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Flour
1/3 C Salt
2 t Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 C Water
1 1/2 T Oil
Food Coloring- As much as you want to get your desired color.

Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the other ingredients and mix in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes until it makes a nice big glob. This recipe makes about a pound of play dough.

Now onto the playing. Sweet Girl loved experiencing the squishing sensation of play dough.For awhile we both just sat and squished and turned and rolled it. I added in some squishing sound effects that Sweet Girl tried to imitate.

Later we added in some toys. I grabbed a few buttons, some cut up pieces of straws, a comb, and an egg beater (not all at once though). We both had fun experimenting with the different designs we could make. Sweet Girl loves it when I roll little balls for her to squish. Husband even joined in the fun. Who doesn't love play dough?

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Ice cream and Oreos together in a pie. What more could anyone ask for? This pie is super easy and delicious, and I credit it for bringing my sister and her husband together. Who wouldn't want to marry someone who had an ice cream pie in their freezer?

Here is what you need:
1 Package Oreo cookies (I use the store brand and they work fine.)
1 Container Ice Cream (I made 2 pies, one with mint Oreo and one just plain Oreo.)
Cool Whip
3 T Butter

First, chop the cookies very finely. I used my food processor to break them down quickly. That food processor was such a good investment. Be sure to leave 4-5 cookies to go on top of the pie at the end.

While my back was turned grinding up the cookies, Sweet Girl, who was in her high chair helping me, reached over and stole a cookie. She is truly my daughter.

Back to the recipe. Melt the butter and mix it in with the cookies until they are combined.

 

Press the cookie mixture into a pan. I made one in a pie plate and one in an 8x8 cake pan. Place the crust in the freezer for a couple hours.

 

Pull the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften. Once the ice cream has softened spread a nice thick layer over the crust. Don't worry how it looks, because it will be covered up. Put the pie back in the freezer until it rehardens. 

Top with cool whip and the remaining Oreos. I like to leave big chunks of cookies for the top. Place back in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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