Alright you breakfast haters...

Enough are the days where breakfast is the forgotten meal. I am catering this blog to those of you who think breakfast food simply consists of bland dull cereal that looks like it could have come from a cement truck, and to those who won't give the most important meal of the day credit for what it truly is: good eats! I have a husband who only eats oatmeal plain (no water added), only has cereal with a very small amount of milk, and who would prefer to eat chocolate chip cookies instead of Kashi fiber cereal. So I have had to come up with some ways to make breakfast appealing to him! And I think I have been successful. Try these three recipes, and I am confident that even the most stubborn breakfast hater will be converted.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
(12 servings)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar (any type of brown sugar will work)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter--melted and cooled
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 package to 1 package of chocolate chips (semisweet)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease up twelve muffin cups

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling.


Granola
Tyler Florence

• 4 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cups whole almonds, shelled, but skin till on
• 1/2 cup flax seeds (you can't even taste them and they are so good for you!)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil (canola)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• And if you feel like it, add some dried fruit such as dried cranberries, apricots, and/or bananas

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix oats, almonds, flax seeds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour the honey, oil, vanilla mixture over the oat mixture and mix gently, but well. Mix with spatula and eventually your hands. Spread out onto a sheet pan and bake for 40 minutes (stir after the first 20). Cool and break up any clumps. Mix in dried fruit.

Yields about 9 cups
















Cinnamon French Toast

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• good loaf of bread

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and egg whites until foamy. Whisk in milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat butter in heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Dip slice of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat thoroughly. Let excess drip back into bowl. Place coated bread slices in hot skillet. Cook, turning, until both sides are nicely browned, about 2 minutes each side. To serve, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Serve with maple syrup.