Family Recipe File

It's like your mom's recipe index card box, but digital.

Author: Chef

  • Ham and Cheese Hashbrown Waffles

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Ham and Cheese Hashbrown Waffles.

    Ingredients

    • Prep Time 10 minutes
    • Cook Time 15 minutes
    • Total Time 25 minutes
    • Yield 6 servings
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated hash brown potatoes
    • 8 ounces black forest ham, diced
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
    • 3 large eggs, beaten
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    1. Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high heat.
    2. Lightly brush the top and bottom of the waffle iron with melted butter.
    3. In a large bowl, combine hash brown potatoes, ham, cheese, eggs, garlic, parsley, thyme and paprika; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
    4. Pour a scant 1/2 cup of the potato mixture into the waffle iron, close gently and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 4-5 minutes.
    5. Serve immediately.

  • Banana Stuffed French Toast

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Banana Stuffed French Toast.

    Ingredients

    • Prep Time 15 minutes
    • Cook Time 10 minutes
    • Total Time 25 minutes
    • Yield 4 servings
    • 2 bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 8 slices challah bread
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • For the coating
    • 2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed
    • 1 cup Fisher Nuts Pecan Halves, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

    Instructions

    1. To make the coating, combine cornflakes and pecans; set aside.
    2. Divide the banana slices among four slices of the bread, and then top with remaining bread slices to make 4 sandwiches.
    3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    4. Working one at a time, dip sandwiches into the egg mixture, then dredge in the cornflakes mixture, pressing to coat.
    5. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
    6. Working in batches, add sandwiches to the skillet, 1-2 at a time, and cook until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
    7. Serve immediately, garnished with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

  • Crunchy French Toast

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Crunchy French Toast.

    Ingredients

    • 3 whole Eggs
    • 1/4 cup Half-and-half
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • 1/3 cup Sugar
    • 4 slices Whole Wheat Bread (or Any Bread)
    • 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
    • 1 stick Salted Butter, Melted
    • Softened Butter And Maple (or Pancake) Syrup, For Serving

    Instructions

    1. In a pie pan, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, half the sugar, and half the cinnamon.
    2. Set aside.
    3. In a separate pie pan, stir together the panko breadcrumbs with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon.
    4. Use a fork to stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter so that the crumbs are slightly moist.
    5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the rest of the melted butter over medium-low heat.
    6. One by one, dunk the bread in the egg mixture (turning to coat), then lay them in the dish with the panko crumbs, turning them over and pressing them gently so that they stick and totally cover the surface.
    7. Place them into the skillet with the butter and let them cook on the first side for 5 to 6 minutes, watching closely to make sure the crumbs don't burn.
    8. (If they start to darken too fast, turn the heat slightly lower and watch.) Turn them over and let them cook for 3 minutes on the other side.
    9. Transfer the pieces to individual plates and serve with butter and syrup.
    10. Delicious!

  • Spinach and cheese egg cup

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Spinach and cheese egg cup.

    Ingredients

    • Spinach and Cheese
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
    • 2 cups chopped spinach
    • 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
    • START WITH THIS BASE RECIPE FOR ALL BREAKFAST EGG MUFFINS:

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
    2. Line a 12 count muffin pan with silicone liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray.
    3. Set aside.
    4. In a large 4 cup measuring cup or mixing bowl, crack in eggs and whisk together with salt and black pepper.
    5. Whisk in garlic powder and basil until combined.
    6. Stir in spinach and cheese.
    7. Divide evenly into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.
    8. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.
    9. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until set.

  • Mushroom, Pepper, and Spinach Egg cup

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Mushroom, Pepper, and Spinach Egg cup.

    Ingredients

    • Mushroom, Pepper and Spinach
    • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/4 tsp chili powder optional or to taste
    • 1 cup chopped mushrooms white button or cremini
    • 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
    • 1 cup chopped spinach
    • 1/4 cup diced cooked
    • Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until se
    • sausage optional

    Instructions

    1. Whisk in Italian seasoning until combined.
    2. Stir in mushrooms, peppers and spinach (Add sausage if using).
    3. Divide evenly into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.

  • Ham & Cheese Egg cup

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Ham & Cheese Egg cup.

    Ingredients

    • 10 large eggs
    • 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
    • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/2 tsp dried mustard or Dijon Mustard optional
    • 2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping
    • 3/4 cup chopped cooked or deli ham

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
    2. Line a 12 count muffin pan with silicone liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray.
    3. Set aside.
    4. In a large 4 cup measuring cup or mixing bowl, crack in eggs and whisk together with salt and black pepper.
    5. Whisk in garlic powder and onion powder until combined.
    6. Stir in ham and cheddar cheese.
    7. Divide evenly into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.
    8. Top with more ham and cheese if desired.
    9. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until set.

  • Air Fry Cinnamon Bites

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Air Fry Cinnamon Bites.

    Ingredients

    • 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted

    Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, combine flour, cereal, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    2. Stir in milk just until moistened.
    3. Shape into 1-in.
    4. balls.
    5. Preheat air fryer to 400°.
    6. In a shallow bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.
    7. Dip balls in butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar.
    8. In batches, arrange in a single layer in greased air fryer.
    9. Cook until browned and a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 8-12 minutes.

  • Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

    Description
    Family breakfast notes for Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes.

    Ingredients

    • for 8 servings
    • 2 cups flour
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter
    • oil, for frying
    • TOPPING
    • 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
    • Nutrition Info
    • View Info
    • Preparation

    Instructions

    1. Note: make your own pumpkin pie spice by mixing 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon nutmeg, and ½ tablespoon cloves; use 2 teaspoons in the dough, and 3 tablespoons in the topping mixture.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
    3. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, and butter.
    4. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir together with rubber spatula until fully incorporated.
    5. Set aside.
    6. Heat oil in a frying pan to 325˚F (160˚C).
    7. While oil is heating, use your hands to shape and roll the pumpkin donut dough into balls.
    8. (Greasing your hands with oil will make this process much easier).
    9. Fry the dough balls until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
    10. (For best results, fry only 3-4 at a time).
    11. Drain them on a paper towel and immediately transfer to bowl of the pumpkin pie spice-sugar mix.
    12. Gently toss to coat.
    13. Enjoy!

  • Sourdough Starter ATK

    Source
    Source: Raw notes label this recipe as America’s Test Kitchen (ATK).

    Description

    Ingredients

    • YIELD Makes 1 starter
    • TIME 35 minutes, plus daily restings until mature
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • by Andrew Janjigian
    • Sourdough Starter
    • Gather Your Ingredients
    • 1 ½ cups organic bread or King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 ½ cups organic whole-wheat or rye flour
    • Warm room-temperature (70- to 80-degree) bottled or filtered water
    • Before You Begin
    • *

    Instructions

    1.  The key difference between this starter and most others is scale.
    2. Typical formulas start with several cups of flour, and you might churn through a few pounds before you can bake a single loaf of bread; this starter takes just a few teaspoons to get going and uses just a few cups total before it’s ready to bake with.
    3. (Making a tiny starter is an idea that I came up with in April 2020, when flour and yeast were scarce due to the pandemic—I affectionately dubbed it “quarantinystarter." But I quickly realized that this is a smarter, substantially less wasteful approach to maintaining sourdough starter under any circumstances.)
    4. For the best results, weigh your ingredients and use organic flour (which is richer in microorganisms than conventional flour) and bottled or filtered water (which is free of the chlorine in tap water that can kill those essential microorganisms) to create the starter.
    5. Be sure to include white and either whole-wheat or rye flour in the bulk flour mixture; whole-grain flours are more nutritious than white flour and are more likely to contain the bacteria and yeast we want, making them ideal nourishment for the nascent culture.
    6. (Once the starter is mature, you maintain it with just white flour; nonorganic is fine.) Once the starter is ready for use, it can easily be scaled up to the necessary proportions.
    7. Note that the time frame of each step is approximate: How quickly your starter moves from one step to the next will depend on the flour you’re using to refresh it and how hospitable the environment is for yeast and bacteria activity.
    8. Let visual cues be your guide and use the day count as a reference.
    9. You'll need 2 small lidded containers, such as 4-ounce canning jars, and 1 larger lidded container, such as a 16-ounce canning jar.
    10. For more information on making a starter, be sure to read this article.
    11. CREATE AND PROOF INITIAL STARTER: Create bulk batch of flour mixture by combining bread or all-purpose flour with whole-wheat or rye flour in sealable container (weighing ingredients will become vital later, but volume is fine here).
    12. Using spoon, mix 4 teaspoons (⅓ ounce; 10 grams) flour mixture and 2½ teaspoons (⅓ ounce; 10 grams) water in small jar.
    13. Cover with plastic wrap or loosely with lid and let sit at warm room temperature (70 to 80 degrees) for 1 to 3 days.
    14. Visual cue to move to the next step: Starter is bubbly, wet-looking (there might even be liquid pooled on top), and fragrant—even pungent.
    15. REFRESH STARTER ONCE DAILY: Stir starter well and transfer 2 teaspoons (1/3 ounce; 10 grams) to clean jar; reserve remaining starter as backup in original jar and store in refrigerator.
    16. Stir 4 teaspoons (⅓ ounce; 10 grams) flour mixture and 2½ teaspoons (⅓ ounce; 10 grams) water into starter mixture until no dry flour remains.
    17. Cover with plastic wrap or loosely with lid and let sit at warm room temperature for 24 hours.
    18. Repeat every 24 hours for 4 to 10 days.
    19. Visual cue to move to next step: Starter is bubbly and fragrant less than 12 hours after previous refreshment
    20. REFRESH STARTER TWICE DAILY: Refresh starter as before every 12 hours.
    21. At this stage, in addition to saving leftover starter as backup, you can collect generations of backup starter in a larger sealed jar; store it in the refrigerator to keep on hand for use in other nonbread applications such as pancakes, biscuits, and crackers.
    22. If at any point the starter activity slows down or stops altogether, return to refreshing the culture once daily.
    23. Cues that starter is mature and ready for baking: Starter doubles or triples in volume within 12 hours of being refreshed and smells yeasty/bready/yogurty.
    24. CHECK MATURITY/READINESS FOR BAKING: Conduct a “float test”: Place a blob of starter in a jar with water.
    25. If starter floats, it’s producing and retaining ample amounts of carbon dioxide, meaning the yeast population has increased sufficiently.
    26. STORE AND MAINTAIN MATURE STARTER: If your starter exhibits the signs of maturity and passes the float test, you can move it to the refrigerator.
    27. Measure out 1½ tablespoons (1 ounce; 28 grams) starter and transfer to clean bowl (save any leftover starter in refrigerator as backup culture).
    28. Stir 7 tablespoons (2 ounces; 57 grams) all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup (2 ounces; 57 grams) room-temperature (70 degrees) water into starter until no dry flour remains.
    29. Place mixture in jar, seal it well but loosely, and let sit at room temperature until it has about doubled in volume, 3 to 6 hours (use rubber band around container to mark the mixture’s starting volume).
    30. Once mixture has doubled, transfer jar to refrigerator.
    31. Repeat process every 7 to 14 days.

  • Easiest Ever Biscuits ATK

    Source
    Source: Raw notes label this recipe as America’s Test Kitchen (ATK).

    Description

    Ingredients

    • YIELD serves 10
    • TIME 40 minutes
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Easiest-Ever Biscuits
    • Gather Your Ingredients
    • 3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour
    • 4 teaspoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons table salt
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional)
    • Before You Begin
    • *

    Instructions

    1. We wanted to combine the ease of cream biscuits (which eliminate the step of cutting cold fat into dry ingredients) with the ease of drop biscuits (which skip the rolling and cutting) to create the easiest biscuits ever.
    2. But the most obvious solution—increasing the amount of cream in a cream biscuit recipe until the dough had a droppable consistency—produced biscuits that spread too much and were greasy.
    3. Instead of increasing the amount of cream, we found a way to increase its fluidity: We heated it to between 95 and 100 degrees, which melted the solid particles of butterfat dispersed throughout.
    4. This made a dough that was moister and scoopable but that rose up instead of spreading out in the oven, producing biscuits that were appropriately rich and tender but not greasy.
    5. These biscuits come together very quickly, so in the interest of efficiency, start heating your oven before gathering your ingredients.
    6. We like these biscuits brushed with a bit of melted butter, but you can skip that step if you're serving the biscuits with a rich accompaniment such as sausage gravy.
    7. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
    8. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
    9. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    10. Microwave cream until just warmed to body temperature (95 to 100 degrees), 60 to 90 seconds, stirring halfway through microwaving.
    11. Stir cream into flour mixture until soft, uniform dough forms.
    12. Spray ⅓-cup dry measuring cup with vegetable oil spray.
    13. Drop level scoops of batter 2 inches apart on prepared sheet (biscuits should measure about 2½ inches wide and 1¼ inches tall).
    14. Respray measuring cup after every 3 or 4 scoops.
    15. If portions are misshapen, use your fingertips to gently reshape dough into level cylinders.
    16. Bake until tops are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
    17. Brush hot biscuits with melted butter, if using.
    18. Serve warm.
    19. (Biscuits can be stored in zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
    20. Reheat biscuits in 300-degree oven for 10 minutes.)