Brunch

Carolyn’s Cheese Strata

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Submitted by Carolyn Comai, who says, “Assemble this dish in the evening, refrigerate overnight, and pop it into the oven for breakfast or brunch the following day.”

  • 8 – 10 slices nice hearty bread (Trader Joe’s Tuscan Pane works great!)
  • 1 ½ cups grated Mexican mix cheese (combination of cheeses and taco seasoning)
  • 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella – colby blend (or cheddar blend) mix cheese
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2 cups milk (skim or whole)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • Optional – cooked, drained asparagus cut into small pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons butter

1. Lightly butter an 8”x12“ glass baking dish; line bottom with 4 – 5 slices of bread (fill in any empty spaces with pieces torn from another slice so a solid layer is formed) and sprinkle with half of each cheese.***

2. ***you can add cooked and drained asparagus spears cut into small pieces between the 1st cheese layer and the 2nd bread layer, if you like.

3. Add another layer of bread and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.

4. Wisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and dried basil. Gently and evenly pour this mixture over the bread and cheese layers.

5. Cover and refrigerate overnight .

6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

7. Bake strata, for 45 minutes – covered. Remove cover and spread 1 tablespoon of butter on top.

8. Continue baking until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 – 8

Easy Cardamom Coffee Cake

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Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 12 chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

  1. Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.
  2. Combine the flour, cardamom, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl (or the bowl of a mixer) cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and combine, scraping bowl down as necessary.
  4. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by about half the sour cream, mixing until just incorporated.
  5. Add half of the remaining flour mixture and the rest of the sour cream. Mix until just incorporated.
  6. Mix in the remaining flour and mix until batter is thoroughly incorporated.
  7. With a spatula, scrape the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and is just beginning to come away from the sides of the pan, about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come away clean.
  8. Place the cake (still in the pan) on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto rack and let cool completely.
  9. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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Submitted by Rob Anning.  I don’t know if he planned to coin the term, “cobeat”, but I like it!

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup softened butter
  • 2 mashed ripe bananas
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
  • ½ cup nuts

Heat oven to 350’. Grease and flour bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, cobeat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add bananas, sour cream, and eggs; blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt; blend well. Fold in chips and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake at 350’ for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Store in refrigerator wrapped tightly.

Note: I sprinkle the top very lightly with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

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From Cooking Light

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (The mini ones work great.)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a the top bounces back when gentle pressure is applied. Cool in pan 10 minutes on wire rack. Then remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition Info:

161 calories, 29% from fat; 5.1 grams fat; 2 g protein; 27.3 gm carb. 1.4 g fiber; 27 mg cholesterol; 1.2 mg iron; 145 mg sodium; 12 mg calcium

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

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From Simply From Scratch

Filling

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese — softened
  • 1 egg

Bread

  • 2 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 can pumpkin (16 ounce)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350F degrees.

In small mixer bowl combine all filling ingredients. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes); set aside. In large mixer bowl combine 2-2/3 cups sugar, oil, water, pumpkin and 4 eggs. Beat at low speed, scraping often, until mixture is smooth (1-2 minutes).

Continue beating at medium speed, gradually adding all remaining bread ingredients and scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Place 1/4 (about 2 cups) pumpkin batter into bottom of each of 2 greased and floured 9 X 5 inch loaf pans**. Carefully spread 1/2 of the filling mixture over batter in each pan; top each with half of remaining pumpkin batter.

Pull knife or spatula through batter and filling to create swirl effect. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

** I have had very good luck using 4-5 very small loaf pans instead.  It makes slicing, serving and gift-giving that much easier.  Reduce baking time to 45 minutes or so depending on the size of the loaves.

Banana Bran Bread

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  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups bran
  • 3 cups mashed bananas
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 cups flour
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat until light.  Stir in bran.  Mix bananas with orange juice.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas to creamed mixture, beating after each addition.  Fold in raisins.  Pour into greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Makes 2 loaves.