Egg and Sausage Muffins and Winnners!

 

Today marks the last day of the E-Recipe contest and also the last savory recipe. It has been fun and it was a pleasure to do this with Shelby. Thanks for even considering me! At the bottom you will find out who the winners are! I didn't have a chance to make this recipe but I liked the fact that it was simple, few ingredients and would cook up quickly. Keri came up with the recipe for Egg and Sausage Muffins. She mentioned how the fillings to the muffins are endless. Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch decided to use red bell peppers instead of sausage. So the fillings are really endless and flexible! 

Here is the recipe from Keri for Egg and Sausage Muffins:

I don't have the exact amounts, but I never follow it exactly anyway. I actually got this off a "healthy" recipe website, so if you make it like they suggest it's less calories, if you're counting. 350 degrees for 20+  minutes (I usually have to cook it for longer because I put more stuff in my muffins then it actually calls for)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. 50% Less fat Pillsbury biscuits - 10 count (hard to find in the regular not Grands variety)
1 container egg beaters
1 pkg. 50% less ground sausage (Jimmy Dean makes it) or bacon
Light grated cheddar cheese

Make sure you spray muffin tin or use cups, muffins will stick. Put one muffin in bottom of each spot and gently spread out so it covers bottom and goes up the sides a bit. Put in cooked, crumbled sausage, pour in egg (2 TBL), sprinkle cheese on top and bake. You want your muffins to be golden brown and to make sure the egg is cooked all the way through. You can loosen with a knife to remove muffins to cool.

The possibilities are endless............
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DUN DUN DUN! Okay time for the winners. This was super exciting because it was hard to decide since each recipe was different in its own way. 

For the sweet winner it is Barbara of Barbara Bakes with her Citrus-Cream Cheese Pull-Apart Rolls!  

For the savory winner it is Lisa with Breakfast Bruschetta!

  

 

I'm so happy for the winners, congrats! Now I really need to try out Barbara's recipe. Lisa recipe will definitely be a repeat for me in the future, couldn't believe how good it was! Head on over to Shelby's blog to check out her post, and what she has to say about the winners!! I'll be back soon with my normal posts again. I hope you guys enjoyed the daily posts on the contest recipes! 

Always, 

Fallon

Crab and Swiss Quiche

Disclaimer: You will never ever see a seafood/fish post from me because I don't like it at all. I'm only posting about crab today because it was a recipe submitted for the Breakfast/Brunch Contest. This is the second to last recipe for the E-Recipe contest. I'm so excited that the winner will be announced soon. The recipe today was submitted by Carmen. She received the Crab and Swiss Quiche recipe from her daughter who is a great cook. The quiche actually looks quite good. I love when the pie crust is well done. It is a nice contrast to the creamy egg and cheese mixture. I just wish the crab wasn't involved. ;) Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch has the recipe listed on her site. You can click HERE to get the Crab and Swiss Quiche recipe. Enjoy, Fallon

Today is a special day

Welcome to day 5 of the E-Recipe contest! To keep this simple just head on over to Shelby's blog to check out the post for Raspberry Stuffed French Toast. Reader Heather submitted this recipe she found from the Kraft Canada website. Definitely a more decadent take on french toast with the custard sauce on top. Sadly this is the last of our sweet recipes, and only have a few savory recipes to share. So stay tune in the coming days.

Today marks a very special day for my mother and I. April 26th 2008 was the day I lost a very dear friend, hell I called her my second mother! She was my mom's sister and the best aunt any niece could ask for. Sandy I know you are still with us even though you are far away doing much better things now and living a more normal life. I just want you to know a day doesn't go by without ever thinking about you. Never thought I could miss someone so much. Life has been different, changes have been changed and I wish you were here to see it all and to enjoy it all. Today I'm spending the day with my mother and celebrating life! My aunt was "live your life to the fullest" type of person. Something I've been working on for a while. Today is your day! Love you. Miss you. RIP

Breakfast Bruschetta

So here I am again with another post. Crazy huh? It is the 4th recipe Shelby and I are sharing with you today for the E-Recipe contest I've been telling you about everyday. If you have missed out any posts check out day 1, day 2, and day 3 to catch up!

I'm in love with the recipe I'm sharing with you today. It definitely was a good change of breakfast for me. Usually I'm an oatmeal kind of girl but sometimes that can get boring! I think Shelby can agree! ;) Here is a savory recipe that can make a good brunch appetizer or easily into a breakfast meal. I made mine for dinner with my mom. This has her stamp of approval and let me say.. she is kind of a fussy eater! I had her eating bacon for heaven sakes. ;) I preheated my toaster oven so it be ready to melt the cheese at the end. So while it was preheating I toasted up my english muffins. Toasty bread that soaks up bacon grease and veggie goodness= delicious! 

 I kind of just winged the measurements since I was only cooking for 2. Plus with vegetables you can't go wrong with adding too much! The more the better for you ;) Lisa submitted this recipe but doesn't have a blog! I think she should start one. Thanks for sharing this recipe.  

Breakfast Bruschetta By Lisa  
Ingredients
3 Whole English muffins, split
2 cups Fresh Spinach, cleaned
1 Small tomato, diced
1/3 cup Fresh sweet red pepper, diced
4 Green onions, chopped
1 Clove of garlic, minced
2-3 Slices of bacon, crispy fried
3 eggs, scrambled
1 tbsp EVOO, (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese or any white cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tad of Hot Hungarian Paprika, Basil or Tarragon

1. Break up the Crispy Bacon into 1/2" pieces
2. In a skillet heat the oil. Add spinach, bacon, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato, onions, Paprika and Tarragon or Basil and saute until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach mixture and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, scramble the eggs until just fluffy. Set aside.

To assemble the Breakfast Bruschetta: 
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the split muffins on the sheet.
2. Put 2-3 TBL of Spinach mix on each English Muffin
3. Place 2 TBL of Scrambled Eggs on top of Spinach.
4. Sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella 5. Pop the baking sheet under the Broiler until the cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes. 

Check out Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grump's Honeybunch to check out her post and photos. Stay tune for the 5th recipe!

Fallon

Breakfast Gems

Hello hello! Welcome to the 3rd day of the E-Recipe roundup from the Breakfast/Brunch contest I'm helping Shelby host from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. I'm very excited about today's recipe because I actually made this one! Well actually it is because it sounded like a great recipe to have on hand, and it sure was. These gems came together in a matter of minutes and everything was mixed in the same bowl. Love that! Nan of Nan Cooks shared her recipe for Breakfast Gems. She made these muffins during her freshman home economic class in the 70's. I'm sad to say.. I still wasn't around but I'm sure it was a great decade! ;)

Mine look a bit rustic ;)

My dad really liked these. I had 18 muffins made and within 24 hours they were all gone. So you know these were well liked. They reminded me of a fresh biscuit. Not too sweet but flaky and melt in your mouth kind of muffin. The added fruit spread in the middle gave it the perfect sweetness. I made some with black cherry and apricot. I couldn't taste the crushed pineapple, but I think that what makes these muffins super moist. Nan recently shared her muffins on her blog once again and added some changes like coconut. Great idea!

I had to spread a little crunchy peanut butter on mine. Delicious!

You can get the recipe HERE for Breakfast Gems.

Hop on over to Shelby's blog to check out her post and photos for Breakfast Gems. Come back tomorrow for the 4th recipe!

Fallon

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

There are some days where I want a fresh chocolate chip cookie and no store brand or bakery will do. Luckily I came across a recipe for a chocolate chunk cookie with toasted coconut. Perfect because coconut has been an item I've been using a lot lately. I never was a huge fan of coconut, but now it up there with chocolate and peanut butter for me! I guess my taste buds are growing up. ;) I saw this recipe for Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies on this blog and this blog. These ladies are great, and if they make a recipe and rave about how good it is, then it is a good recipe! So I made it and now I'm raving about these cookies because they are really good! The toasted coconut gives great flavor and a nice chew to the cookies.

The warm, melted chocolate chunks (I used a Valrhona 71% dark chocolate bar) gave a powerful burst of chocolate goodness. For such a simple cookie I wanted good chocolate so I could savior the flavor and enjoy myself. It is a Cooking Light recipe after all, so I didn't feel guilty if I ate 3 or 4 cookies. ;) 

Click HERE to get the recipe for Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies. 

I'd also like to announce this is my 100th post for Fallon's Cucina! I'm so excited that I've come this far and I'm enjoying every bit about it. I'm so grateful for the followers and readers I have that come to visit my blog. It means so much to me and it makes blogging for myself even more exciting. I'm glad I took this up as a hobby. I can't wait to make my 200th post now. ;) With that said, as I'm working on my recipe page I can't believe how many recipes I've gone through! It is fun looking back from my first post, to more recent posts. How I've changed taking photos and the overall style of my blog. It is definitely a learning experience. Thanks to everyone for helping me grow and being there to support me!

Always,
Fallon
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Continuing on with E-Recipe club Breakfast/Brunch contest we have Citrus-Cream Cheese Pull-Apart Rolls from Barbara Bakes. I must say I really, really wanted to make these rolls, but I was lacking so many ingredients and didn't have any time to get them to the store. I was excited when Shelby decided to make these rolls. These are such a sweet treat to have on the table for special mornings. I will make this recipe one day to try these rolls. I'm glad Barbara submitted this recipe because not only is it a sweet treat, it is also a Cooking Light recipe. ;)

Click HERE for Citrus-Cream Cheese Pull-Apart Rolls recipe. Also if you would like to subscribe to Shelby's E-Recipe club simply click this link HERE. Then you too will get in on the recipes and ask Grumpy questions!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Hey guys I'm really sorry for lack of posts. Just been really busy, had more computer problems, and too tired to even want to blog anything at the end of the day. I did my best to keep up with reading my daily blogs and leaving comments. I'll be back soon with new posts because I'm missing it already!
 

Thanks Shelby for letting me borrow your photos ;)

Back in March (yikes has it been that long already?) I mentioned on my blog I was going to help Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch host a Breakfast/Brunch cooking contest for her E-Recipe club! We ended up with 7 entries and decided it be fun to try them all out. I wish I had more time to test them all as well but I only decided to stick with the 2 that caught my eye. Shelby was more adventurous and tackled every recipe! I went with 1 sweet and 1 savory, which you will have to stay tuned for on those entries. ;)

Today I bring to you a sweet muffin recipe great to have at breakfast mornings and brunch gatherings. Strawberries are in season as of now, and what couldn't be better then adding it to a muffin recipe! Christine from Cooking with Christine submitted her favorite recipe for Fresh Strawberry Muffins. Click HERE to visit Christine and check out her recipe for Fresh Strawberry Muffins! Thanks for sharing Christine! Come back tomorrow and check out the next great recipe!

Always,
Fallon

Eggplant Parmesan

I once again had a lonely eggplant in my fridge. The last time I had an eggplant I baked it plain with sauce and spinach, topped with either ricotta or goat cheese on the side. It was absolutely delicious. I had more time around to actually make real eggplant parmesan, Fallon style that is. I can't always just stick to an original recipe because I always look for a healthier alternative if I'll be eating it. I know once my boyfriend comes home from Iraq he is expecting some eggplant parmesan from me. I'm not sure how I should make it because it will never compare to his grandma's recipe. Which I had tried during Christmas and it was so good! I warned him and he said something along the lines that he was sure it will taste good in a different way. I feel a little pressure on this task. I mean who wouldn't? I want him to love it! The recipe I share with you today basically came on a whim. I wanted it baked and then layered. I used panko bread crumbs with a mixture of almond flour. I've used almond flour for breading before, and everything has always turned out crunchy and nutty. My father walked in on me while I was starting to layer the baked eggplants with cheese and sauce. He actually flipped! He said it would lose its crunch. I was aware of this but I've seen plenty of people layer eggplant parmesan in a casserole dish. Let's just say he was surprised at how well it actually was and he said he didn't miss the texture from the crisp coating from the breading. You can still taste the baked breading deliciousness, with the marriage of the sauce! Yes I'm still using this brand of sauce because it is so damn good! I swear just like homemade.  

Baked Eggplant Parmesan By Fallon   
Ingredients
1 large eggplant
3/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup almond meal
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
Oregano, salt, pepper
Olive Oil
Tomato Sauce
Fresh or skimmed mozzarella cheese (I used 6 slices)

Preheat the over to 425 degrees F. Get all the breading ingredients ready. Crack the eggs in a flat bowl and mix with a fork till incorporated, season with salt and pepper. In another flat bowl combine both the panko and almond flour with oregano, salt and pepper. Next have a baking sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil. 


Slice the eggplant horizontally. This will allow for more coverage in the casserole dish and saves time. I kept the skin on, I figured more fiber. If you aren't a fan of skin, then peel it. Now start by dipping a slice of eggplant into the egg, making sure it is coated well, and to let any extra egg drip off before heading into the crumbs. Bread the eggplant well by pressing gently down into the dish. Then place onto baking sheet. Repeat till all eggplant has been coated. Place in oven. After 20 minutes flip the eggplant around to crisp the other side. After 15-20 minutes eggplant should be browned and perfectly crisp. If your oven cooks quickly, then please adjust the settings. Burnt eggplant is no bueno!

About to go into the oven.

While the eggplant is baking, make sure to have a casserole dish, sauce and cheese ready for layering. I took them out early so they wouldn't be as cold. Once the eggplant is done, let it cool off for about 10 minutes. Up the oven to 475 degrees F, so the cheese will melt, everything is warmed through, and the top becomes lightly brown and bubbly. In a casserole dish start by spraying it with olive oil and then spreading sauce on the bottom. Layer in the eggplant trying not to overlap. Then top with more sauce and 2 slices of cheese. Continue to repeat till you have 3 layers, maybe 4, and you top it off with the last layer being cheese!

This is the first layer.

Place in the oven for another 15 minutes or until perfectly bubbly and light brown on top. Serve right away either with a side of pasta or a nice hearty piece of bread for dipping!

Love brown cheese!

This was my messy serving! I was hungry ;)

This tasted better even the next day! Everything came together well and I actually had a clear shot of the layers. It shows the division of the eggplant and the nice coating of breading. 


Ciao,
Fallon  

PS: I'm slowly making some changes to my blog like the layout and colors. Trying to complete my recipe page and maybe some other pages as well. It may take some time but I just wanted to let you guys know. I'm always open for suggestions, tips, comment etc. on my blog. You guys read this for a reason and if there is something you'd like to see let me know! My email is listed on here so send me one if you have any advice. I definitely need it since I'm new to this blog thing! The beautiful header you see above was made by my friend Nidia. She is very creative and artsy when it comes to design and graphics. She surprised me one day with a few graphics for my blog. I was actually quite thrilled she randomly sent me these graphics because I knew it was time for a change! She will definitely be helping me out with some of the changes to the blog, and I just want to give credit where it is deserved! Thanks Nidia!

Kodiak Cakes

Once again another post on breakfast. What can I say it is my favorite meal! I started training a week and a half ago for another 5k on May 1st. Race for the Cure! I'm pretty excited to be doing another 5k this year. It has been rough trying to focus on running and "making" myself run, but I'm setting goals and doing better then ever. Plus after a nice training run I always try to plan a real yummy breakfast! Makes me run just a little bit faster to get to that meal sooner. ;)


If it isn't french toast I want, then it is pancakes. Nothing like homemade pancakes. Just sometimes I don't feel like "fussing" and getting all the ingredients out and making a huge mess. I've been looking for a simple pancake/waffle mix but it had to be 100% whole wheat. Kind of a challenge you think, but it was actually really easy. I saw Kodiak Cakes pop up on several blogs like here and here. Can you say yum? I couldn't wait to order some for myself. 1 serving can make a huge pancake or 3-4 smaller ones for only 130 calories, 100% whole grain, and you just add water. I wanted to add so many toppings like fresh berries, greek yogurt, pure maple syrup and roasted cashews. Which I might add I've been addicted to cashews lately and that's all I want over say ALMOND BUTTER! Crazy huh? I don't know what it is about a roasted cashew but they are delicious.

Beautiful berries! Finally it is their season.

The pancakes came together beautifully. I cooked them in a lightly greased pan with extra virgin coconut oil. As soon as the cakes were bubbling I knew it was time to flip.  

Can you believe I was starting to take pictures and forgot the cashews? 

 

Now that's more like it. Mmm Cashews. ;)  

When breakfast looks this beautiful I can't help but enjoy every single bite. 

Licked that baby clean!

Until next time,
Fallon

MMM CHILI!

Hey Guys. I just wanted to share with you an awesome Chili Cook Off Roundup from Aggie's Kitchen. I submitted my mom's recipe for Turkey Taco Chili topped with spaghetti squash and made it on the page! It is a great recipe to always have on hand because it makes a great meal. Plus it is fun to add in new toppings. I was checking out some of the other chili recipes... I'm kind of drooling over here. I already bookmarked a few. ;) Mind you I just ate dinner and I'm pretty full but looking at chili makes me kind of hungry! Come back on Thursday, I finally made pancakes using a new pancake mix and they is awesome!! Fallon

Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing

I woke up one morning and decided I want to master cupcakes. Okay maybe not master but definitely brush up on my cake baking skills and decorating. Cake and decorating are definitely a challenge for me when it comes to baking. The cake either falls apart or too dry. Then I rush to decorate it and it looks awful. You know what I mean? If I start making cupcakes I will learn to have more patience with decorating and hopefully learn how to cook a cake properly. Plus they are so darn cute and the perfect serving! A while back I bookmarked a recipe from Pioneer Woman who made Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing. It looked easy but the frosting is what had me! Over the weekend I was invited to a get together to watch UFC, and I figured cupcakes would be the perfect item to bring! Cake Flour. The recipe calls for cake flour and I've experienced with this item before while trying to bake a cannoli cake. I actually bought cake flour and my sponge cake was not moist and pretty hard. I thought cake flour was suppose to make everything lighter! I wasn't about to buy cake flour again and I remember reading I could make my own! I found how to make cake flour from this blog. 1 cup of flour minus 2 tablespoons that are replaced with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. I sifted it 5 times and the flour looked beautiful. I followed Pioneer Woman's recipe exactly for her yellow cupcakes. The batter looked silky and beautiful. I baked them for 22 minutes, and by the time they came out they were cooked and lightly brown on the sides. I let them cool overnight covered and frost them a few hours before I had to leave.


My cupcakes felt hard and dry. I overcooked them, 20 minutes would probably been just enough time. I still went with it though because I still had to bring something. The frosting came together and I went ahead to top the cupcakes. The frosting was sticky, gooey and everything it is suppose to be. It was everywhere! The table, hands, sticking to other cupcakes etc. It was dripping like crazy. It eventually set and left a nice shiny top. Of course my icing/frosting skills looked nothing like Pioneer Woman's cupcakes but this will take time and patience. Right?

Don't worry after I cleaned up, I was eating the frosting off the table with my finger. ;)

Whoa hold your horses frosting!

As she stated she had 12 cupcakes and 2 extra ones. I had the same thing! So I was able to taste test a cupcake. It was good but dry. Darn it! Yellow cake should be moist and buttery. The next time I bake these cupcakes with be for 20 minutes. This recipe has potential! If they are still hard and dry after 20 minutes, then I believe it the cake flours fault. ;)

I love my cupcake carrier! Holds a cake too.

The cupcakes went well, but I think it because people thought they looked good and took one. Two of my friends thought the frosting was way to sweet, but between my best friend and I we loved the frosting, just not the dry cake. I think this frosting be good for something else but not cupcakes.

Click here for Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing recipe.


So I was VERY excited to have leftover frosting. I was thinking an oatmeal topping, stuffed french toast, stuffed between a banana, or melted on top of vanilla ice cream! Well not so much because it is gone. Yes gone. My mom ate it all by microwaving it and eating it with a spoon. I was sad, very sad but guess what! It just means I have to make this all over again! bahaha!!

Always,
Fallon

Peanut Butter and Jelly STUFFED French Toast

Phew that title is a mouthful! I've been dreaming of this breakfast for a while now since Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch asked me to help her out with her E-Recipe club. This month she took my idea of doing a Breakfast/Brunch contest. I hear the prizes are really cute, and there will be one winner each from sweet and savory. Head on over to Shelby's blog and subscribe to the right. It real simple and she is always sharing some family recipes! Plus she extended the contest till April 10th! So since this, I've been craving a real yummy breakfast. French toast is probably one of my favorite decadent breakfasts and I had stuffed french toast in mind. I also always have a way to make something more healthier in mind too. This breakfast was packed with whole sprouted grains, healthy fats, and a little extra sweetness! I made this as one serving but if you make this for multiple people, just double or triple everything. I ended up splitting my half with my mom because I just got back from the gym and didn't want something so filling. I averaged it to be around 440 calories for the whole thing, and half was around 220!

Peanut Butter and Jelly STUFFED French Toast (By Fallon)
Ingredients:
2 slices of bread (I used Ezekiel sprouted grains)
1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon of jelly (I love apricot)
2 large egg whites Splash of milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 packet of stevia (agave, honey or sugar works too)
Dash of cinnamon Dash of pure vanilla extract  
Optional: Ground flaxseed Powdered Sugar

I first like to get my custard ingredients together. Just place everything in a white bowl for dipping and mix well to combine. Next heat a skillet up, lightly greased. I used my Misto with extra virgin olive oil. Smear peanut butter and jelly on both sides of bread. No matter what you do it will end up spilling out of the sides. Press together well and drench in custard mixture. I pressed gently on both sides.

Next I sprinkled flaxseed on both sides to give it a crispy texture and just some added nutrition! Cook the french toast on both sides till it starts to brown and custard soaked in the bread has cooked through.

I served mine with powdered sugar for an extra sweetness and to make it look pretty. My french toast wasn't overly sweet and a drizzle of maple syrup would of been just right.

I went a little wild with the sugar ;)

It was warm, gooey and absolutely delicious. I'm loving that peanut butter from Wholefoods right now. Thanks to Ashley constantly raving about it on her blog! The flaxseed was nice on the crust of the french toast and you couldn't even tell it was there. I love french toast but when I'm able to make it more healthy and nutritious I'm all about it because then I can have it more often then once in a blue moon!

Gooey= GOOD!

Enjoy,
Fallon