With Two Spoons

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

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Lemon Blueberry MuffinsMuffins. Oh, how I love you. And oh how very picky I am about muffins. Why? Well, if I’m going to eat cake for breakfast (because, let’s face it, they really are just unfrosted cupcakes that we all pretend are not desserts), I want them to be juuuuuust right. Not too sweet, definitely not too dry, and studded with the sweetest bits of tart fruit. After a long search, I’ve finally found a recipe for the best Lemon Blueberry Muffins and I’m going to share it with you today. You’re welcome.

I’ve long been a fan of America’s Test Kitchen and a few years ago was given a copy of their Family Cookbook (I use this edition; here is a link to the newest one). Like just about everything ATK does, this cookbook is filled with great, near foolproof recipes for just about anything you could want. One of my favorite finds in that book is the recipe for “Big Beautiful Muffins.” You guys, you have to have make these muffins. They are super easy to make and (scout’s honor!) turn out perfectly every time. I love to make a double batch and freeze them for later – 20 seconds in a microwave and they make a perfectly fresh on-the-go breakfast!…

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A Simple Summer Green Smoothie

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Simple Green Smoothie

Ya’ll, the heat is ON. Minneapolis is under a “heat dome” right now and with heat indices over 100 degrees, the last thing I want to be doing is cooking: enter the smoothie. A 3 minute meal that satisfies toddlers, hungry husbands, and pregnant women in one fell swoop. This Simple Summer Green Smoothie is exactly what is sounds like: Easy, green, and full of summery flavor. …

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Vanilla Cardamom Waffles

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Vanilla Cardamom WafflesUsually when it comes to breakfast foods, I am solidly in in Camp Salty. I love a good omelet, studded with veggies, cheese and bacon. I love breakfast potatoes, roasted and crispy. That being said, I also have a weak spot for really good waffles. A good waffle (in my mind, at least) is a bit crisp on the outside, and perfectly light and chewy on the inside with just a hint of sweetness. I have been searching for a go-to recipe for a few years now. …

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Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

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Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper QuicheQuiche. I have a life long love affair with quiche and this Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche is my latest obsession.  My love for all thing quiche started when I was a teenager. Having stubbornly become a vegetarian as a pre-teen, eggs were a staple of my diet and one of the recipes that my (very understanding) mother came to master for me was a crustless vegetarian quiche filled with broccoli, cheese, and onion. It was always such a comforting and filling meal and I know my mom was thrilled that my meat eating dad and brother would devour it as well. …

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Healthy Egg White Breakfast Muffins

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Healthy Egg White Breakfast Muffins

Let’s just get this out of the way: I am not a morning person. While having a toddler has certainly forced me to be an early riser, mornings are still not my most productive time. I much prefer a slow wake up, a lazy cup of coffee, and a leisurely breakfast. Unfortunately for me, being a full time working mama doesn’t mean that I can indulge in mornings MY way very often. So, I try and keep some healthy breakfast options on hand to ease the way. These Healthy Egg White Breakfast Muffins are a staple around here. They take less than 10 minutes to put together and freeze beautifully, all while being full of fresh veggies and tangy cheese. Paired with a lovely breakfast sausage or a glass of vegetable juice and it’s a filling, easy way to start the day.

The best thing about these egg muffins really is how versatile they are. I love to make mine with egg whites (to allow more calories for cheese!), bell peppers, and spinach. They are amazing with bacon, goat cheese and sundried tomatoes, too. Frequently, they are filled with whatever needs to be used up from the vegetable drawer….

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Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles

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Waffle Stack

These Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles have been a huge hit with my family.  Brunch, is my favorite meal, and if you haven’t noticed don’t worry, there will be many more brunch posts coming!.  So many different things you can eat for brunch-sweet, savory, sweet AND savory!  My kids, however, lean towards the sweet, every time.  So when I was rifling through my many cookbooks (Shhh…I might have a little cookbook addiction) and food magazines, I found this beauty.  We happened to be up at the cabin for the weekend, and when I decided to make these waffles for breakfast on our last day up there, there were three very enthusiastic supporters.

Waffles are a “all hands in” food in our house.  My daughter measures ingredients, my son cracks the eggs, who ever is the most awake stirs the mixture, and my husband mans the waffle iron.  We can churn out a very respectable stack of waffles in a very short amount of time, which is good when my clan is hungry.  Luckily, these waffles are pretty quick, even if you’re making them on your own-hopefully while enjoying some alone time in the kitchen with a strong cup of coffee.

Waffles up closeThese waffles were perfect.  Not overly sweet, just right.  Tangy due to the addition of the lemon zest.  Best of all, these Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles allowed me to use up that last bit of ricotta left over in my refrigerator, and I do like to use up leftovers!  Speaking of leftovers, if you run out of blueberry syrup before you run out of the waffles, you could try topping the waffles with a little bit of lime curd (from our last post)-I bet it would be fabulous!

What are some of your favorite brunch foods?

5 from 1 vote
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Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles

This is a delightful waffle recipe that will please your pickiest eaters! My kids love leftovers, so I always double this recipe. These waffles are easy to reheat in a toaster or toaster oven the next day.
Course Breakfast
Servings 6 waffles-4 inch (although the final yield will be dependent on the size of your waffle maker.)
Author Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter + extra for coating waffle iron
  • 2 Tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest + extra for garnish
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Cup blueberries + extra for garnish
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200ºF.
  2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl.
  3. Combine wet ingredients (milk, ricotta cheese, melted butter, canola oil, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, lemon zest and egg) in a medium sized bowl.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients to the well, and combine until moistened.
  5. Coat waffle iron with melted butter or cooking spray, to create a nonstick surface.
  6. Spoon waffle batter onto waffle iron (use amount suggested by your waffle iron manufacturer). How much you need to use per waffle will impact how many waffles you get...
  7. Cook until golden (my waffle iron has a timer, if yours does not, the cook time will be anywhere between 3-5 minutes).
  8. Place waffles on a plate in the 200ºF oven to keep warm.
  9. Repeat until batter has been used up and you have a plate of golden waffles
  10. In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
  11. Bring blueberry mixture to a boil.
  12. Use a spatula, fork or wooden spoon (be careful here, your wooden spoon could get stained!) to mash the blueberries.
  13. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.
  14. Serve waffles with syrup, garnish with additional blueberries and lemon zest!

 

A Make It Your Own Breakfast Bake

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As much as I love to bake sweet treats, my own particular eating preferences lean heavily toward the savory. Give me a plate of salty carbohydrates any day over pastries and pies. This sentiment is most true at breakfast time. I can easily pass up the donuts and pancakes, but put a plate of bacon, eggs, and potato in front of me and I don’t stand a chance. Enter: the egg bake. The nemesis of my skinny jeans and my favorite breakfast indulgence. It’s a make ahead, one pan wonder with salty and cheesy carbs. When I got married, my mother and mother-in-law gave me a handwritten book filled with treasured family recipes. Included in that wonderful book is her basic egg bake, which I have made a thousand times and love, for it’s simple goodness and ease of adaptability to all tastes.

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The specific recipe below is her classic combination, a tried and true standby, with only a minor decrease in the amount of butter used in the hash brown crust. It requires minimal chopping and mixing, though I do recommend shredding your own cheese if you have the time.  The dish can be made ahead (fully baked) and gently reheated in a 200 degree oven in the morning, but truthfully it comes together so quickly that it’s not much of a chore to toss it together while sipping on some coffee in the quiet moments before your hungry crowd gathers. Try it as written, or mix it up with chicken sausage and sliced jalapeño, bacon and roasted red peppers with melty gobs of goat cheese mixed in, or leave out the meat and add in some onions, broccoli, and peppers for a vegetarian options. The possibilities really are endless.

Serve it with some good coffee and fresh fruit and you have a hearty breakfast that will feed a crowd!

More Breakfast Egg Bake Inspiration from around the web: 

A leek, ham, and cheese bake from Smitten Kitchen.

Naturally Ella‘s herb and grain filled version.

Giada gives us an Italian twist on the breakfast staple.

And for the more adventurous, Saveur’s Persian Herbed Frittatas.

What family breakfast traditions do you have? Leave us a comment on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and let us know!

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Basic Breakfast Egg Bake

A classic egg bake with cheese, hash browns, and diced ham.
Course Breakfast
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Author With Two Spoons (adapted from a family recipe!)

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces frozen hash browns
  • 1/4 cup of butter melted
  • 2 cups diced ham
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack or swiss cheese
  • 5 Eggs beaten with a pinch of salt
  • 1 Cup milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the frozen hash browns in a 9x13 pan and pour the melted butter over the potatoes.
  2. Bake until lightly browned.
  3. Decrease the oven heat to 350 degrees.
  4. Sprinkle the ham and cheese over the has browns.
  5. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together the eggs and milk until just combined.
  6. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and hash browns.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (Note: I like a crispy, slightly burned cheese layer so tend to bake mine on the longer side of 30 minutes.)