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How to throw the ultimate brunch (+printables!)
If you know me, you know I love a good brunch, and not just because I heart any excuse to eat a biscuit. Well, maybe… Brunch can be a great option for entertaining if you love to play host but are sick of staying up late with chatty dinner guests who just won’t leave, or you are a rose-all-day kinda gal. Even better, brunch parties tend to be low cost and low maintenance. If I’ve caught your attention, read on for some fabulous hosting tips, and check out some free brunch printables to get the party decor started. Like all great parties that revolve around food, your brunch begins with…
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Raspberry Scones
It’s a low-key weekend in the Stembridge household, which means getting caught up on housework… and baking! And since telling you all about the yummy raspberry scones I just made is much for fun than housework, alas, here I am, and the housework can wait! I first made these scones for my daughter Berkley’s tea party birthday back in December. I was a scone newbie, and so I scoured Pinterest for what appeared to be a delicious – and beginner-appropriate – scone recipe. I lucked upon this recipe and it delivered on its promise to be easy and so good. I made these again for a brunch baby shower, and…
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Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes
When our family first started going gluten free, one of things I was most bummed to give up were pancakes. Sure, I’d come across gluten free pancakes at the store, but what I longed for were my homemade pancakes. At the time I hadn’t cracked the code to turn my normal recipes into gluten free ones without compromising the taste or consistency. Well my friends, thanks to King Arthur’s gluten free multi-purpose flour and some tips on their website, I did crack the code! Add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum and an extra egg and voila! Behold, I give you really delicious gluten free pancakes. You’re welcome. 😉 Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes…
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Gluten Free Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins
Baking – ohh, how I have missed you. Ever since earlier this year when we learned my youngest son Beckett had food allergies (the most serious being gluten), I’ve put my baking on hold. Weekends used to mean homemade muffins and pancakes and biscuits, but trying these things without regular flour was more hassle than I felt like dealing with. It was unknown territory, and frankly with the baby, I didn’t have much time for experimenting. But a few weeks ago I wanted real pancakes and so I googled “how to substitute gluten free flour for regular flour” and was amazed by what I found – it’s actually pretty simple. Add…
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Crispy Belgium Waffles
I love waffles, but admittedly it’s more often than not the frozen variety. It’s something about the crispiness of a waffle right out of the toaster where you can spread your butter and get a little bit in every square. I just love it. And since I like to cook from scratch, I decided that I needed a waffle iron in my kitchen arsenal and I sought out to make homemade waffles. However, instead of my homemade version far surpassing the instant option, my waffles were a little lackluster – they were too sweet and worst of all, they were soggy. Such a bummer. So the other day I was home…
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Buttermilk French Toast with Strawberry Syrup
An upside to being in the midst of yet another winter storm… I’m home with my babies… and get to make them a big ole homemade breakfast. Breakfast just may be my favorite meal of the day. During the weekdays it’s a boring Greek yogurt and banana, but when I’m home, I love to do it up big! This morning, Brogan requested some strawberry syrup (just like Ihop, mommy). Okay. What to go with syrup… French Toast! Sounded good to Brogan so it was decided! As I started pulling out the ingredients, I was a little hesitant to use a lot of my milk (because we’ll likely be iced in…
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Blueberry Muffins!
This morning I decided on a little impromptu muffin making because I was seriously craving some blueberry muffins. I wanted a little tartness to go along with the blueberry, so I added sour cream, buttermilk and lemon zest (a little trick I learned from Ina Garten). Aside from the fact that I couldn’t manage to get equal amounts of batter in my muffin liners (despite using a scoop!), they turned out really, really good. Beckett and I ate 4 of them right out of the oven in about 10 minutes. And I’d like to blame it all on Becks, but this girl ate some muffins. They turned out light and…
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Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
I decided to take my new mini-loaf pan for a spin this morning with a new recipe. The three browning bananas on my counter have been calling my name but I thought I’d go for something other than your standard banana bread. And as I was thinking about bananas, old memories of peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches came to me, and so that was my inspiration for this bread. I added chocolate chips, because well, I like chocolate, so why not? The bread turned out really good. It’s moist, it’s heavy, and rich, and the peanut butter makes it stick to the roof of your mouth. My little taste-testers…
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French Toast Casserole
Breakfast casseroles are a must-have during the holidays. We enjoyed this French toast casserole at my in-laws this Christmas and it turned out delicious! It was really easy to make – we were able to make this the night before and throw it in the oven in the morning. This was my first time making this but it won’t be my last! French Toast Casserole 1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread, cut/torn into 1″ to 2″ cubes 8 eggs 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp vanilla extract Topping 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon (plus more…
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Pumpkin Bread with Tangerine Streusel
It’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve been itching for more pumpkin – it was time for another pumpkin bread. The boys and I love having yummy breads for breakfast, but it can take so long to make in the morning. So I made this bread tonight and we will enjoy it tomorrow without the wait! I looked to a couple recipes for the inspiration for this bread, but thought I’d jazz it up a little with some tangerine zest. Let me tell you – I had never had pumpkin with tangerine before, but oh. my. gosh. it is awesome! (Okay, so I know this is supposed to be…
