Recipes

Mini “Monster” Banana Spinach Muffins

July 24, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

Looking for an easy way to include something green on your kids plates? These Mini “Monster” Banana Spinach Muffins are a great way to introduce green foods! They are packed full of iron and potassium and they look and taste great too! I hope you enjoy these cute little muffins as much as we do!

MINI “MONSTER” BANANA SPINACH MUFFINS

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or you could use vegetable oil)
1/4 cup milk (room temp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
To a blender, add spinach, banana, oil, milk, extract, syrup and lemon juice. Blend until liquified.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
Pour liquid into flour and fold until all ingredients are well combined.
Spray mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and use a cookie scoop to drop batter into tin.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes making sure not to over cook or your muffins will turn brown instead of a vibrant green.
Cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Recipes

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

June 27, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

These little muffins are the perfect size for your littles or even a big flavor snack for yourself! I really enjoyed making these this afternoon. They whip and cook up really quickly and are packed full of sweet flavor. This is a great recipe to get the kids to jump in on and they are adorably cute! Now, we hope you enjoy these cute little muffins as much as we do!

MINI CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp sour cream
Handful (about 1/4 cup) milk chocolate chip morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep a mini muffin pan with mini muffin cup liners and spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl mash banana then add, sugar, butter, egg, vanilla extract and sour cream; mix well.
Soft in flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder; mix well.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Using a cookie dough scoop add muffin batter to liners.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Allow to cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipes

Mile High Yeast Rolls

May 11, 2021May 11, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

I’m sorry, but I must go down memory lane for a moment here….my high school lunch lady’s had us all sprinting for the lunch line with their Yeast Rolls! Ever since then, I’ve always tried to match their excellence when it came to perfecting the perfect yeast roll. I must say these are as close to perfect as possible!!! I have loved on this recipe for well over a year and I’m happy with my results! These rolls are geared up to have country ham and blackberry mustard slathered all over them. This recipe is fast and easy and is a great accompaniment to any dish….or just by themselves….LOL! I hope I did my old lunch lady’s proud and I hope you enjoy this DELICIOUS recipe as much as we do!

MILE-HIGH YEAST ROLLS

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp dry active yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a stand mixer (with dough hook); mix together yeast and warm water. Allow to bubble for about 3 minutes.
Add egg, salt, honey and 1/4 cup melted butter; mix until well combine. Add flour a little at a time and allow to knead in mixer for a couple of minutes.
Lightly flour a kneading surface and turn dough out onto surface. Roll into a log and using a dough cutter cut into equal parts and set aside.
Roll each dough portion into a ball and place into a cast iron skillet (mine produced roughly 10 to 12 rolls….we always taste test the middle one!).
Cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until tops of rolls are browned. Pull out of oven and top with remaining 1/4 cup melted butter; place back in oven for 1 to 2 minutes to allow additional browning.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Breakfast · Recipes

Cheesy Pecan Biscuits

May 3, 2021May 3, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

I am always looking for a reason to bake and looking for even more of a reason to make biscuits! I wanted something savory and with a touch of sweet, so I decided to pair these Cheesy Pecan Biscuits with some Country Ham and Blackberry Mustard. These biscuits are fast and easy to make and will leave your guests wondering if you spent all day in the kitchen whipping them up! You can easily make these ahead of time or right before serving. I hope you like this recipe as much as we do!

CHEESY PECAN BISCUITS

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup butter (cold, I grated my butter with a cheese grater on the fine side)
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
Parsley (optional)
1 Tbsp melted butter (optional)
Finishing salt (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper.
Cut in butter and cream cheese using a pastry blender.
Stir in cheese and pecans.
Gradually add about 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, stirring until dry ingredients are just moistened, adding additional cream if needed.
Prep a workspace for kneading, rolling and cutting biscuits by lightly flouring surface and turning out dough; knead 5 or 6 times or until dough has fully come together.
Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and roll dough to about 1-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter (or as my dad used to do it, you drinking glass) to cut dough into round biscuits (I used a 2-inch biscuit cutter). You will need to re-roll and repeat the process for any scrap dough.
Place biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with the extra heavy cream and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Once out of the oven and on a cooling rack top with melted butter and a sprinkle of parsley and finishing salt (if desired).
Enjoy!

Recipes

Asparagus and Prosciutto Tart

March 5, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

I’m always looking for something light yet scrumptious for dinner and that’s why I love this Asparagus and Prosciutto Tart. The crust is so light and flaky, but when you add the egg wash it becomes so crisp. This is definitely one of those meals that cooks up fast, but can easily be a quick dinner or even a delicious brunch. This is dish is crunchy, cheesy and the perfect balance of savory and sweet. Now, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO TART

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, whisked
1 bundle of asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
Prosciutto
2 Tbsp honey mustard (I like to use Maille Mustard Honey Dijon)
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out puff pastry into a large rectangle; wet fingers with water and apply to edges of puff pastry; fold edges over and press edges gently.
Brush entire puff pastry with egg wash.
Lay asparagus throughout pastry and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Gently tear prosciutto and lay throughout pastry.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until pastry is golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for a couple of minutes then carefully move to cooling rack.
Sprinkle a touch of Parmesan cheese onto the tart.
Using a piping bag; pipe mustard onto tart.
Enjoy!

Breakfast · Recipes

Banana Pumpkin Strudel Muffins

February 28, 2021February 28, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

Looking for a yummy and sweet breakfast to whip up for your favorite people? Well, this muffin is right up your alley! Everyone in my house loves a delicious muffin and we really enjoy bananas, pumpkins and strudels….so I decided to combine them all into one scrumptious muffin. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much we do!

BANANA PUMPKIN STRUDEL MUFFIN

Ingredients:

Muffin

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
2 very ripe bananas, smashed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk

Crumble Topping

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Strudel Icing

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, clove and salt for the dry portion of the muffin mix; mix thoroughly.
In a separate bowl mix the pumpkin, bananas, oil, eggs, milk and both sugars of the muffin mix.
Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture and fold together being careful not to over stir.
Place muffin liners in muffin tin and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Fill muffin liners 3/4 full and set aside to rest.
In a small bowl mix all of the crumble topping ingredients together until well mixed; top each muffin with a top layer of crumble.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.
Allow to cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes before moving to a cool rack to finish cooking completely.
While muffins are cooling; mix all ingredients for strudel icing. Place in piping bag and pipe onto muffins once muffins have finished cooking.
Enjoy!
These muffins can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for one day or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipes

Sunday Morning Apple Strudel

January 24, 2021 enbrookshireLeave a comment

There is perhaps no sweeter way to start your “Sunday Funday” than with this delicious treat. My family is a huge fan of my Sunday Morning Apple Strudel. It’s a wonderfully sweet and delicious dish that pairs well with a nice cup of hot coffee or tea. I like to make this for my overnight guests as well since it looks very impressive and makes the house smell divine. It’s also a great way to get the kids involved as my daughter loves tossing the apples in all of the spices and she loves mixing up the icing. It’s a simple, no fuss, sweet and delicious start to any Sunday Funday! Now, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family and guests do!

SUNDAY MORNING APPLE STRUDEL

Ingredients:

2 large Granny Smith apples, diced
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
A dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
A splash of lemon juice
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbsp water (for sealing the pastry)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out pastry dough into a large rectangle; set aside.
In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, salt, flour and 1 tsp vanilla extract until well coated.
Pour apple mixture onto center of pastry dough. Using a paring knife cut an even amount of strips onto each side of pastry.
Using a dab of water alternate strips in an overlapping pattern over apple mixture until you reach to end.
Brush with egg.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely (about 15 minutes).
Mix together powdered sugar, remaining vanilla extract and milk to make icing.
Pour into an icing bag and pipe icing onto warm strudel and serve.
Enjoy!

Breakfast · Recipes

Hello Fall Pumpkin Bread

October 10, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

Cool temps, football, changing leaves and everything pumpkin….oh how I LOVE Fall! There’s perhaps no better way to kick off pumpkin season than whipping up this delicious pumpkin bread. It’s great for breakfast and can even be served up as a sweet treat. I prepared this loaf for an after lunch dessert for my in-laws. It not only makes the house smell amazing, but is super easy and fun to make with the kids. Nothing says Fall like my favorite pumpkin bread…now I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin purée

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prep loaf pan with butter to prevent sticking; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl; sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
In another large mixing bowl; cream together eggs, both sugars, milk, oil and purée until well combined.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and incorporate well.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Slightly cover with a tent of aluminum foil to prevent over browning, but still allowing room for rising; continue to bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
Once bread is done; allow to cool in loaf pan for 10 to 20 minutes, then remove from loaf pan and allow to cool on wire rack until completely cool.
Slice and serve!
Enjoy!

Cookies · Recipes

Salty Brownie Espresso Cookies

August 28, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

So….with pre-school starting this week, I wanted a sweet treat that could be a delicious accompaniment to my dark roast coffee! I decided to make my version of a Salty Brownie Espresso Cookie. This cookie has such a rich chocolate flavor and a hint of Pink Himalayan salt which really makes it stand out as a nice treat. The recipe is simple and the cookies are delicious, BUT these cookies are not for children; I have to enjoy these while my little one is at school.

The espresso is a nice jolt to start your day or give you a quick pick-me-up in the afternoon. I like to enjoy these cookies with milk or a dark roast coffee to give me that extra kick of caffeine that I need. These cookies cook up flat because there is no baking powder in them. You will want to do these in small batches as that will allow the batter to spread out and have plenty of room to bloom into a nice size. The finishing salt will cut the sweetness by adding a nice salty flavor with each bite. Now, I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do!

SALTY BROWNIE ESPRESSO COOKIES

Ingredients:

8 oz dark chocolate (I like Ghirardelli dark chocolate)
6 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp instant espresso (I like Delallo espresso)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pink Himalayan salt for finishing

Directions:

Melt chocolate, butter and espresso in a double broiler until mixed well and smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a small mixing bowl sift flour and baking soda together. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla extract.
Temper egg mixture into chocolate mixture slowly until combined.
Slowly add flour mixture to chocolate mixture until well combined.
Cover cookie batter and place in fridge for 1 hour. This will allow the batter to stiffen up a bit for better baking.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prep cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop six cookies to a sheet. Keep in mind that these cookies will spread and be flat, so small batches and plenty of room between cookies is best.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Give each cookie a dash of Pink Himalayan salt for finishing.
Repeat two previous steps until there is no more cookie batter.
Enjoy!

Dinner · Recipes

Veggie Mac & Cheese

August 27, 2020 enbrookshireLeave a comment

One of my favorite dishes since childhood is Mac & Cheese, but now that I’m an adult I like adding a variety of veggies. That’s why this Veggie Mac & Cheese recipe is so great! This dish is packed full of deep rich flavors and will please the entire family. You can have this as a side dish or as the main course for a comforting family meal. This dish takes a little bit work and time, so it may be best to make this one on the weekend especially if you have a lot of after work/school activities throughout the week. This dish also reheats well thus making it a hit for leftovers!

This dish works best with fresh ingredients as opposed to frozen. If you were to use frozen vegetables it could make this dish a little on the soggy side. The style of noodles that I like to use gives this dish a nice bite and a fun appearance, but you may use any style of noodle that you are accustomed to. The key is not over cooking your noodles so they don’t turn to mush while baking. This dish has such a robust flavor and is nice and rich with all of the veggies and the cheese sauce. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

VEGGIE MAC & CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz) Cellentani Pasta, cooked al dente
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pint Sangria medley tomatoes
1 pkg (12 oz) pkg baby spinach
1 pkg mushrooms, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I like Better Than Bouillon Base)
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pkg (16 oz) mozzarella cheese, cubed
3/4 cup Italian Panko breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
Parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
Prepare a large and deep baking dish with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Set aside.
In a large stock pot boil noodles, drain and set aside.
In a large sauce pan add tomatoes to hot pan to blister and burst. Once most of the tomatoes have burst add onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft. Add spinach to wilt. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add mushrooms to saucepan and brown. Once browned remove and add to tomato mixture; set aside.
Add butter to pan and melt. Once melted add flour and whisk until mixed well and flour smell has cooked off. Slowly add milk while whisking. Slowly add stock while whisking. Cook for roughly 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add cheese; whisk until melted and incorporated.
Add veggies and noodles to sauce. Stir well to mix throughout.
Add to prepared baking dish. Top with panko and remaining olive oil.
Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Before serving top with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!