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Recipes
Breakfast Standbys
Scarborough Fair Omelets
"Fool the Yankees" Grits
Casserole
Cheese Strata – A Breakfast
Casserole with Fresh Peach Salsa
Mediterranean Breakfast Tart
Oven-Baked French Toast Casserole
Home-made Cheese Danish
Lemon Rosemary Tea Muffins
Evening Treats
New York Chocolate Cake with
Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Thumbprint Cookies
Apple Macaroon
Coconut Jam Bars
I like to grow my own herbs in a sunny part of the back yard, and "invented" this omelet dish as a way to use lots of them all at once. I pick the herbs in the morning just before making breakfast, so they are fresh and full of flavor.
1 Teaspoon each of the following freshly minced herbs:
Parsley – I grow the curly-leaf type in my
flower beds for bright green color
Sage – I grow the purple-leafed variety
and use the youngest tender leaves for this dish
Rosemary – my favorite cooking herb!
Lemon thyme – this has a nice flavor and
aroma
8 large white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup shredded Havarti cheese
8 fresh eggs
Sauté the mushrooms in a dab of butter until they are tender but not
browned. Mince the herbs and shred the cheese. Reserve a bit of cheese and
about 1 tablespoon of herbs and pick out 4 pretty mushroom slices for garnish. Beat
two eggs until frothy and pour into a non-stick omelet pan that has been warmed over the
heat. Cook eggs gently until set, then carefully flip over. Sprinkle ¼ of the herbs and
¼ of the shredded cheese on one-half of the eggs; then fold over the other half.
Dust the top of the omelet with a bit of cheese and herbs and place a mushroom slice on
it. Repeat for the remaining 3 omelets. I have a wonderful old black commercial
range so I can have 4 omelet pans going at once. If you are not so lucky, make them one at
a time and keep warm in a 250 degree oven while the others cook. At Barklin House we
also warm the plates in the oven and then serve the omelets with crisp bacon or locally
made sausage, and garnish the plate with tomato slices in season, or orange slices if the
tomatoes are not pretty.
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"Fool the Yankees" Grits Casserole
1 cup regular grits (not instant)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 ribs of celery, sliced very thin (split lengthwise first if ribs are big)
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1 can cream of celery soup
1 block (10 to 16 oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot; add the grits and salt.
Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, brown the
sausage and celery in a skillet, breaking sausage up into crumbles as it fries. Put
browned sausage in a colander and rinse the fat off with hot tap water. Drain sausage.
Stir the undiluted soup into the grits. Add the drained sausage. Stir
in most of the shredded cheese, but do not stir so much that it all melts – leave
some cheesy lumps. Put the mixture into casseroles – a big one or some small
ones that serve one or two. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese. You can
refrigerate it now and bake it in the morning if you wish. Bake at 400 degrees about
30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and browning a bit at the edge. If you want to
freeze it, just freeze it unbaked in the casseroles and thaw in the fridge overnight
before baking. We serve this to our "Yankee" guests as a "breakfast
side dish" and only confess to it’s being grits if we are asked! They love it!
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Cheese Strata - A Breakfast Casserole
1 loaf unsliced white bread – I usually use store-bought French
bread or homemade from my bread machine
¼ cup chopped onions (or 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 eggs
2 to 2 ½ cups milk
1 block (10 to 16 oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Cut the bread into thick (1 inch or so) slices and arrange one layer
in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with half of the onion and about half
of the cheese. Arrange another layer of bread and sprinkle with the rest of the
onion and more cheese. If there is room and bread left, make a third layer and put
the rest of the cheese on top. In a bowl, beat the eggs; add the salt and pepper and
the milk. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the bread, being sure to cover all the
slices. Press down lightly with a fork if necessary. Cover the casserole with
plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes,
until puffy and brown on top. Serve immediately. Good topped with salsa or picante
sauce. If you have leftover ham or cooked bacon or sausage, it can be
chopped/crumbled and sprinkled on the layers with the onions for variety.
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Fresh Peach Salsa for the Strata
2 large peaches, peeled and diced fine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or use bottled if you must)
2 to 3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Combine everything in a small bowl and let it chill, maybe overnight
with the strata. Remove from refrigerator about ½ hour before serving to let
flavors mellow.
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1 pre-made 9 inch pie crust (I use the Pillsbury package from the
refrigerator section at the supermarket – they come 2 to a package and are
wrapped separately so I can save the second one for another time)
3 plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons finely chopped sweet onion – we use Vidalias here in the South
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
3 eggs
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half or milk
Open the pie crust package and let the pie crust come to room temperature –
about 15 minutes – while you wait, the oven can be pre-heating to 350 degrees.
Place the unbaked pie crust in a 9 inch spring form pan. Gently press the crust
evenly on the bottom and part way up the sides of the pan and then flute the
edges by pressing down slightly with the tip of a finger. The crust will rise
about 1 ½ inches above the base of the spring form pan. Bake the crust about 8
minutes, just to set the dough. Let it cool about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile:
Finely dice two of the plum tomatoes – do not peel them but do remove the
seeds.
Slice the third tomato into 6 or 8 slices and reserve for garnish.
When the crust has been pre-baked and cooled, scatter about half of the shredded
Monterey Jack cheese over the bottom of the crust. Next, scatter the diced
tomatoes, onion and herbs over the cheese. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on top of
the herbs. Spread the remaining Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the crust.
Beat the eggs until they are foamy and add the half and half. Pour this into the
crust. Be careful not to overfill the crust as the filling will leak out around
the bottom edge of the spring form pan. You may have a little egg mixture left
over if the eggs are large.
Place the tomato slices evenly around the edge of the tart on top of the
filling.
Place the spring form pan on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and bake at 350 degrees
about 40 minutes. The filling will become puffy and just slightly browned.
Run a knife blade along the inside of the spring form rim to loosen the crust.
Remove the rim of the spring form pan. Insert a long knife between the base of
the pan and the crust to loosen the tart, then gently ease the tart onto a warm
serving plate. To serve, cut the tart in 6 or 8 wedges and garnish the center
with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Notes:
If you prefer a less flavorful morning dish, omit the onion and the diced
tomatoes in the filling and just garnish with one sliced plum tomato. To
serve this as a supper dish or to use thin wedges as an appetizer, add a little
diced and sautéed bell pepper (a mix of red, green and yellow) to the herb
ingredients in the crust.
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Oven-Baked French Toast Casserole
1 loaf unsliced white bread or cinnamon raisin bread
1 cup goodies (chopped pecans or macadamia nuts, golden raisins, dried cherries or
cranberries, etc.)
6 eggs
2 to 2 ½ cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (if using white bread)
Spray a 9" square baking pan or a round flat baking dish with
Pam. Slice the bread (thick slices) and arrange one layer in the pan. Fill in the
gaps with small pieces of bread. Sprinkle the goodies on the layer. Arrange a second
layer of bread over the first, alternating slices for good coverage. Beat the eggs;
add vanilla, sugar, nutmeg and milk. Pour over the bread slices. Make sure bread is
evenly soaked. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake at 375 degrees
for about 40 minutes, until puffy and brown on top. Serve immediately. Cut in
squares or wedges and top with warm syrup. I like to use macadamia nuts and dried
cherries (from our son in Michigan) and then put some finely chopped macadamia nuts in
warm Vermont maple syrup for the topping.
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This recipe is from a friend at my former workplace. If you like cheesecake, you might like this for breakfast. She used to bring it to our departmental "feasts", as it travels well.
2 packages crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg
Spread one package of crescent roll dough in bottom of a 13 x 9 pan
– stretch to cover bottom and press out the perforations. Combine cream cheese,
sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Spread in pan on top of
rolls. Stretch remaining package of crescent rolls and place on top of the cream
cheese mixture. Brush with egg white. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or
until golden brown. Let set about 10 minutes before serving.
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1 cup milk
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with paper
cups. (I use the non-stick mini-muffin tins but still spray them lightly with non-stick
spray). In a small pan, combine milk, rosemary and lemon zest. Bring to simmer, and
cook over low heat 2 minutes. Cool. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and
salt. In large mixing bowl beat eggs until frothy. Beat in butter, sugar, and then cooled
milk mixture. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. Do not over-mix or the muffins
will be tough. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Makes about 9 regular sized muffins or
24 to 30 mini-muffins. Bake about 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. (Check
mini-muffins after 12 minutes for doneness). I keep a small herb garden and love to
use the fresh rosemary in cooking and baking. I have grown both the bush-type and trailing
plants with success.
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My mother used to make this a lot. It is good with just ice cream on it and no frosting. It has to be made in a flat cake pan (9 x 13) because it is too moist to put in layers.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons powdered baking cocoa
1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center of
the bowl. Put the Miracle Whip, water and vanilla in the well. Beat until well
mixed. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Test for
doneness with a pick in center of cake. To make a fancy dessert, top squares with a
small scoop of ice cream, either vanilla or black raspberry if you can find it, and then
drizzle chocolate fudge sauce over the top.
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In a small pan, heat 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 6-ounce
package chocolate chips, 1/2 stick of butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla, stirring until chips
melt and sauce has thickened. Serve warm.
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I have made these just forever. They are good at Christmas with red jelly in the center, but you can actually use any kind of jam or jelly. My grandchildren like to help roll the balls and make the little thumbprint dents and eat them later.
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup confectioner’s sugar (10 X powdered)
1 egg
2 ½ cups flour
jelly or jam
Cream butter or margarine with sugar until fluffy. Add egg and mix
thoroughly. Add flour and mix to a stiff dough with a wooden spoon (too stiff for most
hand-mixers). Take a teaspoonful of dough at a time and roll into a ball. Place
balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb or handle of a wooden spoon,
make an indentation in each ball. Fill dent with a dab of jelly or jam. Bake
at 350 degrees until jelly bubbles and cookie edges are barely brown – about 15
minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. You can also press a nut into the ball,
or a mega chocolate chip or a maraschino cherry or almost anything you think might
look and taste good.
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This is an easy recipe from my Mother. It is especially easy if you have one of those apple peelers from one of the gourmet kitchen shops!
4 apples, sliced thin
½ sugar
dash cinnamon
Butter a 5 x 10 baking pan and place the apple slices in it. Sprinkle with the sugar and some cinnamon.
Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
½ sugar
1 egg
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, then the flour, baking
powder and salt. Spread this over the apples – it will be stiff and you will
miss some spots – don’t worry! Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes until
apples are done and crust is brown. This is good served warm with ice cream or whipped
cream on top.
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1 package Pillsbury Plus Yellow Cake mix
1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
½ cup seedless red raspberry preserves*
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1 ½ cups flaked coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. In large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/3 cup margarine and one egg. Mix at low speed until just crumbly. Press into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. (Crust will be soft). Cool slightly. Spread preserves over crust. In medium bowl, mix sugar and 2 tablespoons margarine. Add eggs; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until blended. Fold in coconut. Pour over preserves and gently spread to cover entire crust. Return to oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely; cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.
* I use seedless raspberry preserves,
but this could work with apricot preserves, or any other tangy jam or preserves.
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