Supper Club and Fall Break Pictures

Fall Supper Club was recently hosted by Angela and Ryan. Unfortunately, Chad and Jenni were not able to attend so we had less food, which was a blessing because even being down 2 recipes we all left completely stuffed. Not a blessing that we were down two friends. They were missed and absolutely need to give all these recipes a try. The theme this season was Breakfast for Dinner and at first I was a little nervous but each recipe was amazing. 

Here are the three ladies of the Fall Supper Club and one Baby on Board!

Holly and Adam

Angela and Ryan

Kristin and Abel

PS...this is the last photo of me that you will see with long hair. I chopped 9 inches on Saturday and now am sporting the Jennifer Aniston bob!

Here is the menu:

Raspberry-Orange Sunrises

Mixed Fruit Granola with Orange Syrup over Yogurt

Ingredients

     3 cups uncooked regular oats

                     1/4 cup wheat germ

                     1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels

                     1/4 cup chopped pecans

                     2 tablespoons sesame seeds

                     1/2 cup butter

                     1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

                     2 tablespoons corn syrup

                     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                     1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Set oats mixture aside.

Cook butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Stir in corn syrup. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Pour sugar mixture evenly over oats mixture, tossing to coat well. Spread mixture evenly in a lightly greased jelly-roll or broiler pan.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring 3 times. Cool completely. Stir in dried fruit.

Orange Syrup

Ingredients

            1 cup sugar

                     2 teaspoons grated orange rind

                     1/2 cup orange juice

                     1 tablespoon lemon juice

                     1 tablespoon corn syrup

                     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

                     2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)

                     Fat-free yogurt, orange segments, and Mixed Fruit Granola

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients and, if desired, orange liqueur in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

Top fat-free yogurt with orange segments and Mixed Fruit Granola; drizzle with syrup.

Apple Waffles

This recipe is a for sure make again! In fact, the kids and I made it this morning but did pancakes since we   don't have a waffle iron. All it requires is a little extra regular milk to thin it out. They were so GOOD!

                                             1 cup whole-wheat flour

                     1 cup all-purpose flour

                     2 teaspoons baking soda

                     2 teaspoons baking powder

                     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

                     1/2 teaspoon salt

                     Dash of ground nutmeg

                     2 cups low-fat buttermilk

                     1 tablespoon honey

           1 tablespoon molasses

           1 tablespoon margarine, melted

           2 teaspoons lemon juice

           2 eggs

           2 cups finely chopped Granny Smith apple

Savory Ham-and-Swiss Breakfast Pie 

with Rosemary Potatoes

 The pie in my opinion was the hands down show stopper of the night! So creamy and full of flavor. 

Ingredients  

     1 2/3 cups water

1 cup whipping cream

                         2 garlic cloves, pressed

                         2 tablespoons butter

                         1 teaspoon salt

                         1/4 teaspoon pepper

                         2/3 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

                         1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided

                         8 large eggs, divided

                         1/2 pound cooked ham, diced

                         4 green onions, chopped

                         1/2 cup milk

                         Garnish: chives

Preparation

Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Lightly beat 2 eggs, and stir into grits mixture; pour into a lightly greased 10-inch deep pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes; remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°.

Sauté ham and onions in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Layer ham mixture evenly over grits crust. Whisk together milk and remaining 6 eggs; pour over ham mixture. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese evenly over egg mixture.

Bake at 400° for 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, and cut into wedges. Garnish, if desired.

Apple Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients

     1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

                   1 cup warm milk

                   1/2 cup butter, melted, divided

                   1 egg

                   2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

                   1 teaspoon salt

                   3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

                   1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped

                   1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

                   1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

                     ICING:

                   1 cup confectioners' sugar

                   3 to 4-1/2 teaspoons hot water

                   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

                   In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in milk. Add 2 tablespoons butter,

                   egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth.

                   Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a

                   floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place

                   in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in

                   a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

                  

                   Combine the apple, pecans, cinnamon and remaining sugar; set  aside.

                   Punch dough down; divide in half. Cut each half into 16 pieces. On a

                   lightly floured surface, pat or roll out each piece into a 2-1/2-in.

                   circle. Place 1 teaspoon apple mixture in center of circle; pinch

                   edges together and seal, forming a ball. Dip in remaining butter.

                  

                   In a greased 10-in. tube pan, place 16 balls, seam side down;

                   sprinkle with 1/4 cup apple mixture. Layer remaining balls; sprinkle

                   with remaining apple mixture. Cover and let rise until nearly

                   doubled, about 45 minutes.

                  

                   Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10

                   minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack. Combine icing ingredients;

                drizzle over warm bread. Yield: 1 loaf.  

Today is my second day off for Fall Break. Yesterday the kids and I went to my appointment with my doctor. Then it was over to the trampoline place for a little jumping. Today it was off to go park hunting. This is the best free activity in the world. You throw the kids and snacks in the car and you just drive and explore new parks. We found a few really cool ones!

 Gianni is doing great in school. He received an excellent report card for the 1st quarter and fantastic test scores for the start of the year. He has a bit more homework this year but he does a great job managing it with baseball. He recently competed in The Punt Pass and Kick competition and has started Kids Rock Stars which is an program that emphasizes fitness. He logs his miles of activity and it is an ongoing program this year. 

Carmelita is doing great in school too. She is a bit sad about not being able to start Kinder but I keep telling her it is just an age thing! She is doing great with writing her numbers and reading 3 letter words with short vowels. The teacher is going to start her on sight words and although she recognizes all lowercase letters and their sounds, the teacher has her working on writing all lowercase letters with accuracy. She is SUPER EXCITED for her upcoming birthday event this Saturday. It is very small compared to what we usually do but it is what she wanted. 

Papa comes to town tomorrow. We can't wait to see him tomorrow. Tonight I get to work out again. As you may have heard, I was recently back to the cardiologist for my very minor heart rhythm issues that had flared their ugly head again. After tests and a weekend heart monitor, I recently got cleared to work out again. Everything was because of an electrolyte imbalance. Supplements of potassium and magnesium have done the trick and I am excited to get back into action. 

Fall Break is going by fast but we plan to enjoy every minute of it. The weather is cooling off and we have lots planned for the weekend. I will keep you posted.