Category Archives: After School Snacks

August 5, 2011 · 9:24 am

Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies

The kids were a little surprised this morning when I offered them cookies for breakfast. These would also be good for a snack. (Remember, they have pecans in them, so probably not the best option to send to schools that don’t allow nuts/tree nuts.)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter, softened but not melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.

Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl using an electric mixer beat the applesauce, maple syrup, butter, egg, and vanilla.

While beating the mixture on a low speed add the dry ingredients until well blended.

Fold in the nuts with a spatula.

Drop onto prepared cookie sheet with a spoon. Bake for 8 – 9 minutes or until they start to brown.

Did I change anything? There wasn’t any cinnamon in the original recipe.

What did the family think? My oldest gobbled his down this morning. I had some for a snack last night. We both thought they were great. However, if you are looking for a sweet dessert-tasting cookie this is not the cookie for you.

Where did this recipe come from? 100 Days of Real Food

Photo from 100 Days of Real Food

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Vegetarian

August 3, 2011 · 5:41 pm

Pesto and Tomato Naan Pizzas

The pictures of this pizza from Simply Scratch were enough to make me want to try it. I am glad I did.

Ingredients:
2 whole pieces of Naan (I bought mine at the store. I didn’t make them.)
4 tablespoons Basil Pesto, more or less to taste
1 Large Tomato, sliced thin
6 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, sliced thin
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes, for garnish {optional}

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place naan on a sheet pan and spread with equal amounts of pesto on each. Top naan with slices of tomato, season with kosher salt and black pepper, and finally with some mozzarella slices.

Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes OR until cheese is melted and the crust is a deep golden and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes and serve!

Did I change anything? I also added a little spicy ground Italian sausage.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, but the boys and I liked it. I did change one of the pizzas to a tomato sauce for the pickiest eater in our house.

Where did this recipe come from? Simply Scratch

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 2, 2011 · 3:46 pm

Sour Cream Pancakes

These pancakes aren’t super sweet, so feel free to pour on a little extra syrup. Also, the tanginess of the sour cream is just enough to remind you that it’s there, but not too overpowering. Different and delicious.

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Maple syrup

Instructions:
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to over mix. The batter will look kind of slimy and not at all like the pancake batter you are used to. It’s okay. They will turn out perfectly.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

We had this with bacon, eggs and strawberries. Breakfast for dinner!

What did the family think? There were no leftovers and we wish this recipe would have made more. (Made about 7 pancakes.)

Where did this recipe come from? I got it from Smitten Kitchen. She got it from The Pioneer Woman.

photo from Smitten Kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

July 31, 2011 · 2:07 pm

French Peach Pie

My friend Christie had posted a wonderfully yummy-looking picture of a peach pie on her blog. I inquired about it and she was more than happy to share. I like it because, as far as pies go, it’s pretty easy to make and it’s a great way to eat some of those yummy summer peaches. Also, it makes a great dessert and an even better breakfast the next day.

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar (or less)
7 T unsalted butter, melted

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs (you can either buy the crumbs or just put whole graham crackers in the food processor), the sugar and the melted butter. Press firmly and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for seven minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes and then stick in the freezer to really cool it off.

Filling:
Slice 8 ripe peaches (I left skins on, but could remove)
1/2 c sugar (or less)
1/3 c flour
juice from a medium lemon
2 T butter, sliced thinly

Mix sliced peaches with sugar, flour, and lemon. Pour into cooled graham crust. Top filling with thinly sliced butter. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350, or until golden.

Did I change anything? I had to change the crust a little because I didn’t have the right kind of graham crackers. I also didn’t use as much sugar as the above recipe calls for in the crust, maybe half of that.

What did the family think? I knew when I was making this that I would be the only one eating it. No one in my house likes peaches. I know. They have no idea what they are missing.

Where did this recipe come from? my dear friend, Christie

photo from Christie

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Desserts, Easy, Vegetarian

July 26, 2011 · 10:30 am

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins

These just scream summer and they are so incredibly delicious that you should probably just go make them right now. Seriously. Go.

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 1/2-pint containers (about) fresh raspberries

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line 14 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Top each large muffin with 3 or 4 raspberries.

Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Did I change anything? I left a few without raspberries just in case someone decided they were opposed to raspberries on their muffins.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did the recipe come from? Smitten Kitchen

photo from Nom and Glug

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

July 20, 2011 · 9:44 am

Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes

We had these for dinner last night with some eggs, breakfast sausage and some blueberries. Yum!

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for buttering skillet
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup barley or rye flour (I bought some rye flour in the bulk food section for ten cents.)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried

Instructions:
Melt half of butter. Remove from heat and stir in second tablespoon of butter until melted. This keeps your butter from being too hot when you next want to add it to the wet ingredients.

Whisk egg and yogurt together in the bottom of a medium/large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, zest and vanilla extract.

In a separate, small bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into wet only until dry ingredients are moistened. A few remaining lumps is fine.

Preheat your oven to 200°F and have a baking sheet ready (to keep pancakes warm).

Heat your skillet or saute pan to medium.

Melt a pat of butter in the bottom and ladle a scant 1/4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) batter at a time, leaving at space between each pancake. Press a few berries into the top of each pancake.

When the pancakes are dry around the edges and you can see bubbles forming on the top, about 3 to 4 minutes, flip them and cook for another 3 minutes, until golden underneath. If pancakes begin cooking too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer pancakes to warm oven as they are done cooking, where you can leave them there until you’re ready to serve them.

Did I change anything? Some of us wanted blueberries in our pancakes and some of us didn’t. So I left out the blueberries in some of them. Next time I think I might try blueberry yogurt instead of plain yogurt though to make it even more blueberryish.

What did the family think? There were no leftovers.

Where did this recipe come from? Smitten Kitchen

photo from Smitten Kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

June 29, 2011 · 5:13 pm

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

My husband has been out of the country for the past four days, so I thought he might like to come home to these. Also, my lovely neighbor from Bangladesh brought over some yummy food the other day and I thought these might be a nice way to say thank you. Sweet and salty…hard to resist! 🙂

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
One 12-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. On low, beat in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Press the batter down with a spatula. If you want to use the sprinkles, sprinkle them on top of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Use a knife to go around the side of the pan to loosen the bars. Cut the bars in squares and serve.

What did the family think? It has chocolate. Enough said.

Where did this recipe come from? Food and Wine

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

June 19, 2011 · 3:12 pm

Emma’s Belgian Waffle Recipe

I don’t know who Emma is, but we loved her Belgian waffles this morning for our yummy Father’s Day breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
2 cups warm milk
2 egg whites

Instructions:
In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar. Beat in vanilla extract, butter and salt. Alternately mix in flour and milk until blended well.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they have formed soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter and let stand for 40 minutes.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and fluffy.

Did I change anything? I got tired of trying to make the egg whites form peaks, so I just put them in the batter. It was fine. I also didn’t wait 40 minutes before cooking the waffles. I let the batter sit for as long as it took me to clean out the dishwasher and refill it. Again, it was fine.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? allrecipes.com

photo from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

June 17, 2011 · 10:49 am

Strawberry Butter

I made this with store bought strawberries. We got some strawberry plants this week though, so hopefully I will be able to make this with our own strawberries soon.

Ingredients:
1 pt. strawberries, hulled
3 T powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth.

Pack into an airtight container and refrigerate.

Great on toast, pancakes, french toast, biscuits and waffles.

Did I change anything? I cut the amount of sugar in half. I would also like to try this with blueberries. One other variation I might try is to substitute cream cheese for the butter.

What did the family think? Yum!

Where did this recipe come from? our grocery store strawberry sampling fair

photo from Right at Home

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

June 9, 2011 · 2:11 pm

Strawberry Nutella Muffins

This recipe has been floating all over the internet recently and since it IS my duty to try out new recipes for you all, I sacrificed for all of you and made these. Really. It was torture having to sample these so I could tell you whether or not they were any good. Oh, the sacrifices I make.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/3 cup Nutella
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top of muffins

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

In a small bowl, combine canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together. Use a fork or whisk and mix until well combined.

Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and gently stir, you don’t want to over mix. The batter will be thick. Carefully fold in the strawberries.

Fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Next, add a small spoonful of Nutella to each muffin cup. Cover the Nutella filling with the remaining batter. Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar.

Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

Did I change anything? I left off the turbinado sugar and I baked them for a little bit longer.

What did the family think? Everyone is at work and school right now, but really, it’s chocolate and strawberries. Who’s going to turn that down?

Where did this recipe come from? Two Peas and their Pod

photo from Two Peas & Their Pod

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian