Bran Muffins

3/4 cup to 1 cup Kelloggs All Bran buds, smashed
1 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
3 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups Kelloggs All Bran

1. Mix bran buds and water; let stand.

2. In another bowl mix sugar and shortening. Add flour, soda, salt, and eggs one at a time. Beat well. Stir in All Bran.

3. Add bran buds mix to flour mixture and stir together. Fill muffin tins and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Keep remaining mixture in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Make muffins as needed, but don't stir it again.

Delicious Apple Pancakes with cider syrup

This recipe is one of our favorite breakfasts. We like the make the syrup all the time to have on hand.

2 cups complete pancake mix
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup grated apple
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Syrup:
1/ 2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup apple cider or juice
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Mix the pancake ingredients together and cook on a griddle using 1/4 cup batter per pancake.

2. For syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg. Stir in cider until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Stir in butter and lemon juice.

Makes 12 pancakes, 1 1/4 cups syrup

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

These are great for breakfast or a healthy snack.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin cups with liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pice spice; set aside. Combine brown sugar, while sugar, applesauce, pumpkin, buttermilk, and eggs. Mix until well blended. Pour pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in craisins and nuts.

3. Divide batter into muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool in the muffin pan on a wire rack before removing muffins.

Makes 12 muffins. Ready in 40 minutes.

*pumpkin pie spice substitute: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These may sound gross to you, but they are so yummy! I tricked my family into eating them one morning. They said they didn't like cottage cheese so I told them I would make something else. My husband and I went ahead and made the cottage cheese pancakes anyways because we knew they would like them. My family gobbled them up! Afterwards we told them they had cottage cheese in them and no one believed us.

In a blender, whip:
1 cup cottage cheese

Add:
1/2 cup flour
4 eggs
Blend.

With the mixer running add 6 tablespoons melted butter.

They have a running consistency and will be flat after cooking. They are good with syrup, but my favorite way to eat them is with jam.

English Muffins

Luckily for us, and you, there is a great recipe to make your own english muffins. They are so good! I could eat the whole batch in one day. Try them!

1 3/4 cups milk, warm

2 TBS sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

3 TBS butter, softened

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 to 4 1/4 cup flour, all-purpose or whole wheat

1 tsp baking powder

Combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Cover with a towel and let proof for 5 minutes. In a electric mixer with the dough attachment add remaining ingredients and mix throughly for about 5 minutes. Do not add more flour, the dough will be sticky. When mixed scrape dough from the bowl one a lightly floured counter top. Fold dough over a few times until it forms a smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and lay out on a surface sprinkled with corn meal. Roll out to desired thickness. (The muffins rise a little so roll them about 1/4" thinner than what you would like the finished product to be.) Cut out circles with a 3" cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.

Heat frying pan to low-med heat. Sprinkle pan with cornmeal. Cover pan and cook muffins for 6-7 minutes on each side.

Cool on a cooling rack. Store muffins in fridge or freezer.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

If you're one who likes breakfast for dinner on occasion, then this yummy sour cream coffee cake is for you.  Great with some fruit and either sausage or bacon.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (topping)

1. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and beat.

2. Mix sour cream and baking soda together, then add to the mixture.

3. Add flour and baking powder and mix. Then blend in vanilla.

4. Pour 1/2 of mixture in a greased 9 inch square pan and sprinkle with 1/2 the amount of brown sugar topping.  Then pour in the rest of the mixture and the remaining brown sugar.

5. Swirl the mixture and brown sugar together in the pan.

6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.