Banana Breakfast Cookies

Hi Guys!

It's been way too long since I've posted!  Busy doesn't even begin to describe what's been going on around here.  First of all, my daughter moved to New York.  She's a grown-up now.  Not sure how I feel about that yet.  And, we drove her to New York.  You read that right, we DROVE from Louisiana to New York.  Over 1400 miles each way.  With all of her stuff crammed in to the SUV along with Old School Italian Hubby, me, her and her brother in the back seat reverting to younger and more annoying brats with every mile.  It was fun.  But seriously we did have a few silly spats but for the most part it was a great old-fashioned family road trip.  We stopped at fun roadside attractions along the way and made wonderful memories.  Most importantly, we got her moved into her new life and she's happy and thriving.  What more could a Mama want?

We also lost our beloved family dog, Peanut.  He was such a special part of our family and we were lucky to have him for more than 13 years.  I'll miss my little shadow who followed me everywhere and sat at my feet while I cooked, hoping I would drop something yummy.



The other day I noticed that a few bananas in the fruit bowl were very ripe.  Perfect for baking.  I usually use over ripe bananas to make banana nut bread but I thought I'd try something new.  I'm not a huge breakfast eater.  I'm more of a coffee and more coffee kind of gal.  But I've been trying to eat healthier lately so I thought breakfast cookies would go great with my coffee and more coffee.  These are easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. 

BANANA BREAKFAST COOKIES

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional*

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In a big bowl, mix the mashed bananas, peanut butter, vanilla extract, oats and cinnamon (if using) until combined well.  Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.  Scoop out with 1/4 cup measuring cup (I use an ice cream scoop) and roll into balls.  Place on the lined cookie sheet and flatten each ball.  Bake 15 minutes or until firm and lightly golden on top.  Let cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

These "cookies" have no added sugar and go great with a cup of coffee or tea.  They are healthy and filling.  You can substitute raisins for the chocolate chips if you'd like.  You can also use any nut butter you have.  This recipe is very versatile and a great way to use up over ripe bananas.  They keep for a week in an airtight container, even longer in the fridge. 

Bacon Waffles

Happy National Waffle Day!  Who knew there was a day devoted to waffles?  But why not?  They are pretty yummy.  Here is a way to make waffles with bacon right inside!  Wow.  Takes your waffles to the next level.

BACON WAFFLES

1 cup complete pancake mix
3/4 cup water
1 egg
2 TBS oil
Ready Cook Bacon (the kind that is already cooked, the heat and eat kind)

Heat your waffle iron.

Combine the pancake mix, water, egg and oil in a bowl.  Stir until the lumps disappear.  Allow the batter to rest a few minutes.

Lightly grease your waffle iron.  Pour about a 1/4 cup of the batter onto each side of the waffle iron (follow your waffle irons directions).

Place two pieces of the ready bacon on top of each side of the batter.

Close the lid and cook until the steam stops.  Remove and butter while warm.

Look how the bacon gets covered completely by waffle deliciousness.  Like a secret treasure waiting to be discovered,  Sorry, I get excited when bacon is involved.

These are so good!  The sweetness of the waffle with the savory of the bacon works so well together..  Add some good cane syrup (or maple syrup) and it's pretty close to perfect.

Give these a try the next time you make waffles.  You won't  be sorry!

Grits and Sausage Casserole

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted.  We have been very busy!  My son's school year came to end and so did my daughter's college program at Disney World.  We went to Orlando to help her move out of her apartment and bring her home!  Boy, have I missed my girl!  She had a once in a lifetime magical adventure but we are so happy to have her home.

Here is a pic of us with The Beast at Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom.  The Beast was very charming!  He helped me out of my mobility scooter and walked me over to take the pic then accompanied me back to my scooter.  Who says chivalry is dead?

We had an amazing vacation!  Now, back to cooking.

I grew up eating grits.  I never realized they were a southern thing until a friend from up north asked me what they were.  In case you don't know, grits are just a hot cereal, like oatmeal or cream of wheat, but they are made from hominy, which is a type of corn.  I always ate them plain, with butter and salt.  But, this recipe bumps up the flavor to turn plain old grits into something fantastic!

GRITS AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

1/2 cup quick cooking grits
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt (plus extra salt/pepper to season)
1/4 lb. breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean)
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 TBS chopped bell pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and slowly whisk in grits.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage with onion and bell pepper in a cast iron skillet (any oven-proof skillet will work.  If you don't have an oven-proof skillet you can just transfer everything to a baking dish before baking).

Once browned, drain off any excess grease.

Stir in the cooked grits and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste.  (If you want it spicy, use Cajun Seasoning or add a little hot sauce).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

This casserole is so darn delicious!  I couldn't stop eating it.  It's hard to believe something so simple can be so good, but it is.  Creamy, savory with just a bit of spice (or more if you're heavy handed with the hot sauce).  Feel free to garnish with some sliced green onions (I was out so no garnish here, sorry).  But you know how Cajuns feel about food?  It doesn't have to be pretty, just delicious.  This recipe delivers on that!

Breakfast Burritos

I call my son "Pickiest Eater Ever" for a reason.  He has always been, let's call it "particular" about what he would eat.  People said "Cover the veggies in ranch dressing".  Nope.  He wouldn't eat condiments.  Seriously, no condiments.  Not even ketchup.  People said "Mix everything together in a casserole.  He'll never know it's there".  Nope.  He would spend all of supper time picking out the tiny pieces of onion or peppers or carrots.  By the time he was satisfied they were all gone, the food was cold.  So, trust me, I've tried everything.  I finally learned to chill out and let him eat when he got hungry.  In other words, I'd treat him like a camel.  When he was hungry I would fill up the hump.  Let him eat till he was stuffed.  Then, if he didn't eat so much later, it wasn't that big of a deal.  It worked for us and avoided a lot of arguing and stress.  Now that he's gotten older, he's actually started to try things he would have never even considered just a few years ago.  Growth.  What do you know?

One meal he has always loved is breakfast.  When we would go out to dinner at a restaurant, I would ask if they could make him some pancakes.  Seriously.  Now that he is a growing teenager, he can really shovel some food down, including breakfast foods.  Here is a recipe I make for him that is easy, filling and he absolutely loves.  You can modify it to include your favorite ingredients.  You can wrap them in foil and take them with you.  You can make a bunch. keep them in the fridge and microwave them when you want one.  It's a good recipe to have in your pocket.

 

*Note:  I use 1 egg per burrito, 1 piece of ham or bacon per burrito.  The following recipe makes 2 burritos.  You can scale it up as needed.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

2 eggs

1 Tbs milk

Cajun Seasoning to taste (or salt and pepper)

2 slices of deli ham (or bacon), chopped

shredded cheddar cheese

2 flour tortillas (soft taco size)

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped ham to the skillet and let brown, stirring occasionally.  (If you are using bacon, make sure it is fully cooked and drain any excess grease).

  

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk and Cajun seasoning until well combined.

Once the ham is browned, lower the heat to medium-low then add the egg mixture to the pan.  The trick to making really good scrambled eggs is cook them low and slow.

Stir the eggs around occasionally with a wooden spoon.  (A metal utensil will ruin the finish of a nonstick skillet).

Don't over cook the eggs or they'll be dry and rubbery.  This is what they'll look like when they are done.

Turn off the heat so the eggs don't over cook.  Next, add some shredded cheddar cheese and let it melt.  You can add a little or a lot.  Whatever you like.

While the cheese melts, warm the tortillas so they will be pliable and easy to fold.  You can microwave them for a few seconds, but I like to put one in a warm skillet, let it sit a minute or so then flip it and let the other side warm up.  Really easy.

Once the tortilla is warmed up, transfer it to a plate.  Add half the egg mixture.  At this point you can add a little more shredded cheese if you like,

Fold in one side just a bit, like this:

Next, fold the bottom half way up, like this:

Then, fold the top half way down to close the burrito up, like this:

There you go, a delicious, handy dandy, portable breakfast.

If you are a vegetarian, just replace the meat with onions and peppers (or black beans, maybe).  You could use pepper jack cheese and add some salsa.  You could add chopped tomatoes and green onions.  The options are endless!  Give this one a try.  After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  (You knew I had to say it at some point, right?).  Enjoy!