Brunch Ideas

I recently got a request to suggest a few ideas for brunch. This makes me happy.

After typing all of these recipes, I realized two things. First, apparently my obsession with muffins goes back really far - these are some old, favorite recipes! Second, you're going to need to invest in a mini-muffin pan if you want to try a few of these ideas...but it's well worth the $10 or so...nothing is cuter than edibles in a mini muffin pan!

I didn't include the always-a-hit egg bake or cheesy potato dish - I decided to look for something a little differnt. Of course, I can't NOT reccomend the cinnamon muffins that we all made not too long ago!

Suggestion #1
These scones were passed along to me from a friend of mine who has never made anything I didn't like. And these were no exception. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a baker, but these were easy and uncomplicated for my non-bakerish mind. They are soooooo yummy. **UPDATE**These freeze very well. Just pull them out of the freezer the night before you want to eat them and let them thaw at room temperature overnight.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbl butter, cold
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 egg, slightly beaten
water and extra sugar for tops

Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender, two knives, or a fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in dried cranberries and white chips. Combine egg with enough milk to measure 2/3 cup; stir into flour mixture with fork until mixture holds together. Gently form into a ball with fingers; turn onto lightly floured surf ace. Knead gently 10-12 times. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 3/4 inch deep circle.

Cut into about 8 wedges. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.
My notes: I used cherry craisins instead of dried cranberries, just as a matter of preference.

Ok, random dessert option here. I know this is a brunch post, but I couldn't resist throwing this one in. In made these mini cheesecakes yesterday and had to pass this along. I pulled this recipe from The Most Decadent Diet Ever. I was not disappointed. These were quick to throw together and taste really, really good.

**Bonus Recipe**

Skinny-Mini-Cherry-Topped Cheesecakes

Butter-flavored cooking spray

10 reduced fat vanilla wafers

12 ounces fat free cream cheese, room temp

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbl fat free, vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp unbleached all purpose flour

2 large egg whites

10 tbl cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 300. Line 10 cups of a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Lightly mist them with spray. Place one vanilla wafer, flat side down, in the center of each cup (they will be slightly smaller that the diameter of the cup). Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Add the yogurt, vanilla, and flour and mix on low until just combined (do not overmix).

Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites in a small mixing bowl on high speed until soft peaks form. Use the spatula to gently fold the egg mixture in two additions into the cream cheese mixture until just combined.

Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes until set. They will puff up and the tops may crack a bit. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight. Top each cake with 1 tbl cherry pie filling. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

1 Cheesecake: 99 calories, 17g carbs, 1 g fat, 3 mg cholesterol

My notes: I forgot to use the cooking spray and, unless it adds flavor, I didn't need it (the cheesecakes didn't stick).

Suggestion #2

I just saw Giada made these frittatas and I wanted to give them a try - I've like just about every recipe that I've tried of hers. Lo and behold, a day later I had a request for brunch ideas. It was just meant to be. :) I often make some sort of breakfast food on Thursday or Friday night, so this was perfect. Someone please try these...they're so good and they really are as easy as making an omlet.

Mini Frittatas
Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

My notes: My changes to this one were pretty significant based on the reviews of the recipe and what I had on hand.

I used the equivalent amount of egg beaters to 4 eggs and did not add extra milk (frankly, I forgot).

I didn't have ham, so I used smoked deli turkey and just sliced that up.

I also wanted to try some different flavors so I just put egg in each of the cups (I actually was only able to fill up 20 of my 24 cups) then did a different flavor in each of the five "rows."

I also sauteed some onion and garlic ahead of time to throw in.

Then, I tossed in the ingredients to each "row" and gently stirred each cup with a toothpick.

My ingredients: Smoked turkey (just lunchmeat, shaved style), cheddar cheese, mexican blend cheddar, feta cheese, sauteed onion and garlic, fresh cilantro, fresh basil

Row 1: Smoked turkey and cheddar

Row 2: Smoked turkey, cheddar, sauteed onion and garlic, green pepper

Row 3: Smoked turkey, sauteed onion and garlic, feta cheese, basil

Row 4: Smoked turkey, sauteed onion and garlic, mexican cheddar, cilantro and topped with fresh tomato

Row 5: Smoked turkey, sauteed onion and garlic, cheddar, basil

I tried these for the first time tonight. My changes sound waaay more putsy than they really were. This was really fast and very easy to make. We LOVED the frittatas with the feta and basil in them, but they were all extremely good. Just like an omlet, your options for fillings here are endless. I will definitely make these again.

Suggestion #3

And last but not least, I found this recipe in a USA Weekend magazine a year or so ago. It's a fun little muffin for the fall and the orange drizzle on the top goes really nicely with the pumpkin and cinnamon spices.

Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Drizzle

1 15 oz can 100% pure pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Orange Drizzle

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 tsp finely grated orange zest

4 tsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 425. Spray 36 mini-muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray.

Bring pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan until puree thickens enough to start sticking to the pan bottom, 6-8 minutes. Turn hot puree into bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar and oil, then slowly beat in eggs.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk into pumpkin mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let stand a few minutes, then transfer mini-muffins to a wire rack to cool. Mix drizzle ingredients together and drizzle over warm muffins.

I hope something here looks good enough to try. Let me know how it goes!