Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyère Frittata ~ page 8

I made this for a light dinner one night....the only change I made was to use cheddar instead of Gruyere. It was really good. My kids gobbled it up without realizing that they were eating asparagus!
I slightly overcooked mine...I also think next time I will rotate it while it is under the broiler to evenly brown the top. But mine still tasted great.
The changes I will make next time I make this are....to slice the asparagus thicker...my mom had a slice and she didn't even realize she was eating asparagus. The asparagus just looks like sliced green onions. I would do larger chunks of asparagus. Also, I would like a touch more cheese. Here I weighed the cheese to show you. They called for 3 oz. I used 4 oz and it still wasn't much. You will learn real fast that Cooks Illustrated LOVES to weigh all their ingredients, you might need to invest in a scale. Once you start weighing your food, you will be addicted like me and weigh everything! :) --Carissa

New York Breakfast ~ page 25

Adam and I LOVE smoked salmon...apparently our 5 year old does too! She kept snatching bites off the counter! This open faced sandwich tasted terrific. My only complaint was that it was messy to eat, everything would fall off as I bit into it. Adam liked it better without the tomatoes since that is what kept falling off. I opted for just making it a yummy full sandwich as you can see in the picture below. I would definitely make this again! --Carissa

Peanut Butter Split Smoothie ~ page 42

This was my first recipe from Ellie's book. I have to admit this was a little different. Not bad, just different. I had never drank peanut butter before. My girls loved it and begged for more, so I made it again and added a few ice cubes to add some texture so I couldn't feel the peanut butter particles, and then I added a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it up a bit. The only sweetness it had was the banana. With the addition of the ice and honey it was really good, I would make it again that way.

The above picture is to show you the easiest way to clean your blender!! Just fill half way with warm water and a few squirts of dish soap, then blend for several seconds. Then just rinse and dry! I think a dishwasher can be kinda harsh on blenders, this will preserve all the parts longer. --Carissa

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (p21)

I took Lou Ann’s advice and made these muffins. I would agree with her, that they really don’t taste like they are low-fat at all; they were really yummy, especially with my morning coffee!

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes ~ page 20

I made these the other day for my daughter's 3rd birthday that morning. I thought it would be a nice change from the boring bowl of cold cereal. She didn't like them, she said she didn't like the blueberries in them, I'm not really even sure if she would have liked them if they were berry-free. They did have a different kind of taste, but I didn't think it was bad, just healthy. My 5 year old only ate 1 pancake...that is a bad sign cuz she normally eats 6 pancakes! My husband took a bite and said it tasted like it had veggies in it! (although he did eat a stack of 4 pancakes himself.) Apparently not everyone likes the taste of buckwheat flour I guess.

Below is the stack I'm gonna have to eat myself since the rest of my family wasn't crazy about them. I froze them all for me since I didn't mind them. I thought Ellie's other pancakes were much better! The family gobbled those up when I made them. My advice is to try that other recipe before this one...-Carissa

Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes ~ page 20

These were not a huge hit at my house. I made them for my 3 year for breakfast on her birthday. She only had one bite. I thought they were fine, in fact I just warmed up a stack of these from the freezer for myself this morning. I don't know if it is the buckwheat that the kids didn't like or that my berries were a little on the tart side, My husband said they tasted like there were veggies hidden in there, although he did eat them, Below is a plate of all the leftovers to freeze for myself, since no one else will eat them! Sadly I wont be making these again. --Carissa

Pumpkin Pie Muffins p. 21

Thought I would give these a try after success with the carrot cupcakes. These are yummy and make your home smell really good when cooking - may not feel like fall but it can smell like fall!

You definitely don't taste the whole wheat flour and would never guess they were low fat! Pumpkin seeds on the top added a nice crunch. Try them!

Whole Wheat Pancakes ~ page 18

These pancakes were REALLY good!! I have been using boxed pancakes too much lately out of laziness.... These were so fluffy. I will definitely make these again and again. I didn't have buttermilk, so the only change I made in the recipe was to use half plain yogurt and half milk. I read somewhere that would work. When I tasted my yogurt/milk mixture it didn't taste sour enough, so I did add a splash of lemon juice which is what I usually do anyway. I guess it was a good substitute for buttermilk because the pancakes were delicious! I didn't have strawberries so I used peaches to make a sauce. Give these a try! --Carissa

Peach French Toast Bake ~ page 35

This was quite yummy. I love that you make it the night before...works great for when you have overnight guests. Again I didn't do the egg white thing, so I just used 7 whole eggs instead of 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites. The only change I would make for next time is to add a little sugar to the milk and egg mixture. I like my french toast a little sweeter. I found I was using a little more syrup than I would normally use because it wasn't very sweet. I sprinkled mine with powdered sugar to make it even prettier. My kiddos gobbled this up! Below is how I spread my bread out. I might add a extra couple slices next time cuz my favorite part was when some of the bread edges poked up and got crispy and toasted...but that was just on a few pieces since they were all laying so flat in the pan. I'll definitely add this to my rotation of brunch food when I have guests spend the night! --Carissa

Nutty Granola p. 38

I've been enjoying this granola all week for breakfast. I like it with vanilla yogurt and some blueberries or strawberries tossed on the top. I made it with half maple syrup and half agave nectar as I ran out of syrup. Was plenty sweet but not too sweet. I did not add the raisins - just forgot - although sometimes they get too chewy and I prefer using fresh fruit. I did not chop my walnuts, almonds and pecans as I like them in bigger chunks.

I will make this again but will probably throw in some other ingredients like flax seed, oat bran and wheat germ just because I like all that in my granola! I would also add more cinnamon - it had a hint of it but was not what Ellie calls "humming" with it!

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata ~ page 32

This was my very first Frittata to eat or make! It was very tasty. The changes that I made were to use whole eggs, I'm just not into Ellie's egg white thing to save calories...just give me the whole egg. I used 7 eggs and it was perfect. The other change I did was to add mushrooms which was a great idea, loved the addition of those. Oh, and next time I will up the salt. She has it at 1/4 teaspoon...I would do 1/2 teaspoon at least. The hardest part was to not stir it once I poured the eggs in. I had to just walk away to resist the urge to fiddle with it on the stove.
I wrapped the rubber handle of my skillet in foil since I wasn't sure if it was heat proof or not. But then the huge thing wouldn't even fit in the oven. The handle arched up so much that it hit the top of the oven, so I had to leave it sticking out of the door while it broiled for a few minutes. Even with that it still came out perfect! I can't wait to try this again maybe with some added ham. --Carissa

Blueberry Blast Smoothie

One of Brayden's favorite snacks or breakfast foods are smoothies- I usually use a bag of frozen mixed frozen fruit, milk, a sweet n low, and voila!  You have a great smoothie.

I can't wait to try all of hers and learned that the honey sweetens just as well as the sweet n low.

I added one cup of crushed ice because I used fresh blueberries and wanted some crunch.

I also added one banana just because we love them and they were turning brown :)

Very yummy!

Blueberry Blast Smoothie ~ page 41

This was pretty simple, only 4 ingredients. I didn't use all fat free like she calls for. My milk was 2% and my yogurt was low-fat. The only addition I made was to add a few ice cubes to make it more milkshake like. My 5 year old and 2 year old LOVED it!

I will definitely make this again. --Carissa

Mango Lassi

I made this for an afternoon snack yesterday and it was a big hit with the whole family! It's a snap to throw together and very yummy! At the time I made it, I didn't have plain yogurt, so I used the vanilla yogurt I had on hand and then skipped the honey - no one seemed to think it tasted funny, so this is probably an okay substitution. :)

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal ~ page 36

I have a chipped tooth that prevents me from eating anything hard, chewy or crunchy until I get it fixed. So, as soon as I saw this recipe I thought...there is something I can eat! (I sure miss my bagels!) I have been making several of Ellie's smoothies for the same reason. I'll get those posted soon.

Anyway, this was really yummy, the cherries add a very sophisticated taste that I didn't expect, a little tartness. By the time I splurged on the dried cherries I didn't feel like buying special jam, so I went with what was in the fridge using plum jam.
I usually think most sweets are too sweet, but this wasn't the case here, I actually had to sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top. Overall, it was very good, and made enough for me to keep in the fridge and eat on for breakfast the next couple mornings as I continue to baby this cracked tooth! --Carissa

Sour Cream Pancakes and Breakfast Bowls

A couple of weeks ago I decided, on Sunday morning, that I had enough time to make breakfast. Unfortunately, I miscalculated and we ran out the door for church before the breakfast bowls were cool enough to eat. James was disappointed since the sausage-bacon-egg-cheese dish sounded very promising.

Later in the week, I bought English muffins and served the breakfast "bowls" McMuffin style - a very thick egg McMuffin. James approved, though he was certain they would have tasted better fresh. Sorry, no pictures.

Today being Saturday I have plenty of time for breakfast! And yet these pancakes were fast and easy to make - I should have made these Sunday and the breakfast bowls on a Saturday. The pancakes were very simple, and since I am used to making pancakes I had almost all the ingredients assembled before re-reading the recipe. I was surprised to note that there was no milk, but I suppose the sour cream replaces that.

We decided that they have a strange spongy texture, a little dense for my tastes. I prefer my pancakes light and fluffy, more airy. Also, the recipe says that it makes 12 4-inch pancakes, so I halved the recipe. My pancakes must be bigger in diameter since the batter only produced 3 1/2 (small one) pancakes. At least that was enough for James and me. They were good, but not amazing, and they're not replacing my regular pancake recipe.

Marmalade Muffins

So I'm glad we're going to start a more heath-conscious cookbook but sad to say good-bye to PW so soon. I bought the cookbook late, I suppose, and I haven't been consistent in blogging. But I've really enjoyed the recipes in this book, and I hope y'all don't mind seeing some more of them as I catch up on posting.

Looking through previous posts I realized I never wrote about these tasty muffins. I made them for a brunch at school and hardly got to taste them since they disappeared once I left them unattended in the conference room. I mistakenly didn't even save some for James and myself before I took the batch to school.

These were fun and easy, and I liked the glaze, though at first I had put them on a plate and drizzled them. When my first dozen or so had soggy stumps I decided it would be better to drizzle over the cooling rack. Much more balanced in glaze-y-ness.

Egg in the Heart!

Part of the fun of raising 2 little girls is everything gets to be pink or heart shaped! So, here is our version of Egg in a Hole! My oldest daughter (4 years old) just ate the heart egg out of the middle of hers, saying that she only wanted to eat the bestest part! I was trying out my new cast iron griddle...like Kara, my cast iron was a gift, an early Mother's Day gift. So far I love it! --
Carissa

French Breakfast Puffs

These were so easy to make, though they did take a little while. And when you don't wake up early on a Saturday morning and breakfast ends up being closer to lunch time, they seem to take a looong time.

I think the batter makes more than 12. Here's the results of trying to fit all the batter in one muffin pan. They overflowed a bit and the tops were almost as big as the stumps.

The tops came off when I tried to get them out of the muffin pan. I tried to be gentle when extracting them, but there were still a few casualties.

Turns out after dipping them in butter and rolling them in sugar, they were too sweet to eat! James and I each ate one for "brunch" and decided to bring them to our home fellowship group for dessert that night! I cut off all the tops then quartered the stumps and tops, making a total of 8 bite-sized pieces out of each muffin. This made plenty for our church group with the kids begging their moms to get the recipe for these "cookies."

Breakfast Potatoes

You have to have the right situation going on in your home to get these potatoes on the table for breakfast--because you have to bake the potatoes for 45 min. before you start browning them on the stove. So that means you have to get up pretty early! This past weekend I had 4 grandkids at my house, all under 3 years...and that meant early mornings!! So as soon as I heard the first little peep of noise, I got up and stuck these potatoes in the oven to bake, and got the kids interested in toys while they waited for breakfast. By the time the two mommies of these 4 kids were awake, I had the hot baked potatoes cut up and in the frying pan.

I cooked bacon while the potatoes were baking, so I just used all the bacon grease to fry the potatoes and onions. That just gives them so much flavor!

Here they are seasoned, and patted down in the pan to crisp up. I didn't get a pic of the browned potatoes because you can hold off kiddos only so long for breakfast...~Janice