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biscuits, breads, pancakes, and other good things for breakfast noshing


popovers!
an ode to Bisquick
gingerbread pancakes
jalapeño corn bread
orange cream cheese biscuits
cinnamon raisin scone breakfast sticks
crepes
french toast
waffles
latkes

popovers!
(otherwise known as vanity cakes)

2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Grease muffin cups very well. Beat eggs and milk together. Add flour and salt. Beat until just barely blended (lumps are ok). Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees or until tops are golden. If they aren't done after 20 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees and check every five minutes.

I love these things. They are hollow on the inside (hence the name vanity cakes--they are all puffed up with nothing on the inside) and golden crispy on the outside and all egg-y. Allan's mom taught me how to make them--they are a Betty Crocker standard. This recipe makes exactly 12 popovers. The down side is they don't keep well, and after about 30 minutes of sitting, they loose the magic that makes them so delicious. So have some friends over and make these.

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an ode to Bisquick
Oh, magical baking substance, flexibility in a box. Happy is the cook who uses you to make so many easy dishes. And what's even better, the reduced fat version is tastier than the original.

Add some water--you have biscuits
Add some more water--you have dumplings
Add even more water--you have pancakes or waffles
And more than that--you have pseudo-crepes
If you want a richer taste, use milk.

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gingerbread pancakes

1 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup apple butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs

Mix all the ingredients together. Heat pan to medium low heat. Grease if necessary. Spoon batter onto hot pan. Cook until edges are just dry. Turn. Cook until brown. Burns easily--so watch it carefully.

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jalapeño corn bread

1 box Jiffy mix corn bread "corn muffin mix"
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, sliced thin
1/4 cup canned corn, well dried off

Combine Jiffy mix, egg, and milk. Stir in the peppers and corn. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Spread in a generously greased 9" pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. No kidding, this is delicious. In fact, Jiffy corn muffin mix makes excellent corn bread on its own.

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orange cream cheese biscuits

3 cups Bisquick
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (dry or fresh)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
sugar

Mix baking mix, orange peel and orange juice until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously 30 seconds. Turn dough onto surface dusted with baking mix or flour. Knead 10 times. Roll dough 1/2 thick. Cut with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter dipped in baking mix. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Mix cream cheese and marmalade. Spoon about 1 teaspoon onto center of each circle. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

If you don't have a rolling pin or biscuit cutter you can use an empty 2 liter soda bottle or a wine bottle as a rolling pin and a round drinking glass as a biscuit cutter. If you are adverse to all that rolling and cutting work (as I am), you can break off chunks of dough and pat them into flattened balls with your hands.

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cinnamon raisin scone breakfast sticks

2 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto surface generally dusted with flour or baking mix. Knead 5 times. Roll dough into rectangle 10 x 6 inches. Cut into 1 inch strips. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet Bake at 450 degrees 10-20 minutes or until golden brown.

These scones reheat well in a toaster oven and are very good warm and spread with cream cheese.

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crepes
(and no, you don't need a crepe pan)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Spread batter in a thin layer in a skillet (think skinny pancakes). Cook over medium heat. Flip over when outside edges are dry and the inside looks like it might hold together. Once the crepes are cooked it's time to think of what goes in them.

Things that go well with crepes:
powdered sugar
fruit
yogurt
cottage cheese
scrambled eggs
swiss cheese
onions
whatever

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french toast

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flour

Mix in the order listed. Dunk bread slices in mix then put in frying pan to brown both sides. That's about 3 minutes per side on medium heat. Mix is enough for about 10 slices of french toast.

This is another recipe that, once cooked, freezes well. It works very well reheated in the toaster. Now that we have a toaster in the lunchroom at work...hmmm...I think I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow.

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waffles

2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour

Mix in order listed. Cook in waffle iron.

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latkes
(potato pancakes)

3 large potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon rosemary
olive oil

Mix potatoes and onions in large bowl. In small bowl, beat eggs, add flour and spices. Add egg mixture to potato mixture and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes. Drain excess liquid. Shake olive oil onto skillet (you only need a little). Drop potato mixture onto skillet and brown both sides. Slotted spoons work best.