Blueberry Cream Souffle

Here is another recipe from my anniversary brunch.

Ingredients:
1 pkg cream cheese
5 c. french bread, cubed
1 c. fresh blueberries
4 eggs
1 c. milk
1/4 c. maple syrup

Blueberry Syrup:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. blueberries
1/2 tsp vanilla
(makes 1 cup)

This recipe is halved so that I could make smaller portions and bake it in my souffle dishes. Double it to make in a large casserole dish.


Recipe:
Place the bread cubes and blueberries in a large bowl. Cut half of the cream cheese into small cubes and toss with the bread cubes and blueberries.  Spray the soufflé dishes, and over-fill with the bread mixture.

Soften the rest of the cream cheese in the microwave. Wisk together the cheese, eggs, milk, and syrup until well blended. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Before baking bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. In a saucepan on the stovetop, blend the sugar, corn syrup, and blueberries. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.

Let the baked soufflés cool for a few minutes before serving, and top with blueberry syrup.

Fresh Peach Bellini

Ingredients:
2 peaches
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Champagne or sparkling wine

Recipe:
Cut the peaches into small pieces and place them in a blender along with the lemon juice and sugar. Blend until pureed. Spoon about 2 oz of peach puree into a champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.

Spinach Cheese Strata

This year for our anniversary we stayed in and I made a fancy brunch. The menu included spinach and cheese strata, blueberry cream souffles, fresh pineapple, and peach bellinis. 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 c. Italian or French bread, cubed
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. mozzerella cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk
salt and pepper


Recipe:
In a pan over medium heat melt the butter, and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and spinach, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spray a 2 ½ quart baking dish and layer the bottom with half of the bread cubes. Top with half of the spinach mixture and half of each of the cheeses. Repeat with the remaining bread, spinach, and cheese.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper until blended. Pour the mixture over the bread, spinach, and cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours for up to 1 day.

When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator and let it sit for 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Apricot Granola Bars

Ingredients:
3 c. oats
1 c. dried fruit (I used craisins and apricots)
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. applesauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. nuts or seeds (I used almonds and sunflower seeds)
3 tbsp flax seed (optional)

Combine the melted butter, sugar, honey, applesauce, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together the oats, dried fruit, salt, nuts and seeds.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until all the oats are coated.

Transfer mixture to a lined 9x13 pan, and press down until flat and even. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Let the granola cool before cutting into bars.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Onion

Mustard

Mayonnaise

Celery

Boiled eggs

Salt/pepper to taste

Measurements depend on how much you want to make and what your preferred consistency is. I just play around with the quantities until it looks and feels like enough and of course tastes good. 

 

Dice the potatoes and boil them until soft. Also, dice the onion, celery,and boiled eggs. Combine all ingredients and chill.

..

Banana Bread with Sunflower Seeds

I used my friendship bread starter for this recipe, but you can still make regular banana bread (omit starter and pudding mixes) and add sunflower seeds to it.

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1 cup of friendship bread starter

3 bananas, mashed

1 c oil
1/2 c milk

3 eggs
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c oats
2 small (or one big) boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two bread pans.
Mix together the starter, bananas, eggs, oil, milk, sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and pudding mixes.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and then stir in the sunflower seeds and oats. Pour the batter into your prepared pans. Sprinkle oats over the top and bake for one hour.