Homemade Cinnamon Syrup

I wanted to make pancakes after both of my girls had sleepovers and we were out of maple syrup.  So I made my own!  Wow this was easy and soooo much better than the bottled syrup from the grocery store.  I loved the added cinnamon which made everything taste so warm and homey.  Super easy and I'm sure you have all of the ingredients on hand at home to whip up a batch of your own.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

In a microwavable dish add all ingredients except for butter.  Microwave at high for 1 minute.  Remove, stir and microwave a second time for 1 minute.  Remove from microwave, stir in butter until melted, cool and serve over your favorite pancakes, waffles or french toast!  Pour left overs in an air tight container and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

French Toast Casserole Muffins

It's a super chilly spring morning today and I wanted to make something quick and easy for breakfast that the kids can grab and go to my son's soccer game.  These little muffins are super moist, sweet and yummy and they are just as good without syrup as they are with.  What a perfect breakfast treat.  I'm packing up a bunch of these to take to the game for any other parents who would like a sweet bite with their coffee as we freeze together on the soccer field.

Ingredients:

12 small rolls like hamburger rolls or 18 slices of bread torn into small pieces

9 eggs

3 tablespoons brown sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling)

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/4 cup of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 tablespoons cinnamon

pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 2 muffin tins (24 muffins in all) generously with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large bowl beat the eggs until fluffy.  Add the sugars, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix together until well combined.  Add the torn bread pieces into the egg mixture and stir until coated well.  Let the mixture stand so the bread can soak up all the egg mixture, about 3 minutes.   Spoon french toast mixture into greased muffin tins filling each cup up at least 1/2 full up to 3/4 full.   Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with some brown sugar.  Bake muffins for 25 minutes until golden brown.  Drizzle with maple syrup and serve hot.

**This is not a like a cake muffin but rather like a super moist french toast casserole in muffin form.

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal - Oatmeal Party Bar

When we have family get togethers it's usually early so we typically serve Brunch.  It seems though we ALWAYS serve the same things over and over again.  Bagels, lox, salads, french toast casserole etc.  So this time when I had my entire family over for Brunch to celebrate my daughter's 12th birthday I decided to add a new item - Oatmeal.  I know many family members like oatmeal including many of the kids but I  also know that everyone likes to eat oatmeal flavored their own way.   For example, my kids love brown sugar and maple syrup in their oatmeal but my Mom always flavors hers with a little salt and prefers it more savory.   So I set up a "bar" of flavoring ingredients which was also a great way to make use of the case of mason jars I just bought at target.   I made a double portion of slow cooker steel cut oatmeal (recipe below) and set up mason jars filled with different ingredients.  Brown sugar, coconut, nuts, maple syrup, dried fruit, cinnamon -  just to name a few.  I also had a jar with fresh blueberries (not shown).  The options are endless! This was a fun  addition to our family brunch menu.  The kids really loved making their own oatmeal as did the adults.  

Ingredients:

1 cup Steel Cut oats (not the quick cook)- Also known as Irish Oats.

1 1/2 cups low fat milk or Almond Milk

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a slow cooker add all ingredients and stir.  Set your slow cooker to the low and let cook for 3 hours.  Check oatmeal after 3 hours and give it a stir and a taste.  Oatmeal should be thick but spoonable.  When tasted it should have a lot of texture but be soft not be crunchy.   If you feel your oatmeal is too thick add a splash a milk and give it a good stir.  If you feel it's too runny let it cook for another 30 minutes and check again.  Every slow cooker is different so you will have to play around with your recipe to see how long it will take for you.  If you want to cook it longer you can also set your slow cooker to warm intend of low and let it go for 4-5 hours before checking.