Peanut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie

Good Morning! Breakfast smoothies make me feel so good and give me a jump start on my day. This one is so smooth and creamy, you can even add chocolate chips for your sweet tooth.

I started with 2 chopped bananas.

I ground up some oats and threw in a tablespoon or so for some healthy bulk. You could add ground oats to almost anything — soups, yogurt, ice cream, and meatballs for example.

Then I added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (chunky or creamy is fine) and 1/2 cup of milk (I used skim).

And there you have it! There are millions of ways to make smoothies with bananas as the base. Avocado and banana smoothie anyone? Try it! It's delicious.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

I'm on my day off from work and I haven't been able to leave the couch because of Bravo's evil marathon of Real Housewives. Why? Why must they do this ALL week long?! I can't resist to watch, even if I know I've seen that episode a million times...ughgh. BUT, I did get up once to make these biscuits because I wanted to wake up the next morning and have fluffy biscuits for breakfast. These were sooo good smothered with mascarpone and strawberry jam.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

adapted by Joy the Baker

makes about 12 biscuits

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick and a half)

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.

2 In a mixing bowl, sift flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

3 Grate cold butter and incorporate into flour with your hands until it resembles coarse meal.

4 In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork.

5 Add to flour mixture all at once and mix until incorporated.

6 The dough is very sticky so dump it on a floured surface and knead a few times until is comes together.

7 Pat the dough into 1 inch thickness. Cut into a 2 inch rounds, reuse scraps to make more biscuits.

8 Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Fried Egg Sandwich – the perfect hangover breakfast

I recently bought the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics and once I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. New years day was the perfect opportunity after a long night of celebrating until 4 am! I surprisingly woke up at a reasonable hour, and this was exactly what I needed — fried cheesy bread topped with a fried egg. I used multigrain bread instead of white because thats what I had at home. I also used sharp white cheddar instead of gruyere or fontina, and arugula instead of fresh oregano. This sandwich is easily adaptable to whatever you have lying around the kitchen, so be creative! That's the beauty of sandwiches after all.

Fried Egg Sandwich

serves 2

4 slices of bread, I kept the crusts on but you can cut them off if you'd like

3 eggs

splash of milk

a few slices of white cheddar

a few arugula leaves

salt and pepper

chives optional

1 Prepare two sandwiches with a few slices of cheddar, some leaves of arugula, and salt and pepper. 

2 In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg with a splash of milk. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat.

3 Dip the two sandwiches into the egg mixture and let the excess drip. Pan fry the two sandwiches until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Set sandwiches aside on plates.

4 Crack the two remaining eggs into the pan, until the white is set but the yolks are still runny.

5 Top the sandwiches with the fried eggs and serve. Garnish with chives (optional)

Cinnamon French Toast

I've been experimenting with french toast lately. A lot. Is that a crime? I didn't think so.

I've tried:

-orange french toast (just add some orange juice to the beaten eggs)

-vanilla french toast (just add a touch of vanilla to the beaten eggs)

and

-apple french toast (just add some apple juice to the beaten eggs)

All of them were good and I still licked the plate and all, but I think cinnamon is by far the best because its closest to the classic french toast flavors. I added cinnamon to the beaten eggs and light brown sugar and maple syrup as a topping. Doesn't it look delicious? I served it with grapefruit juice as something tart to balance the sweet. I wish I had time to make this every morning! What's your favorite way to eat french toast?

Cinnamon French Toast

Challah bread, however many slices you need

2-4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Slice up your challah, medium thick slices. Prepare a bowl with the beaten eggs and add the cinnamon.

2 Dip the challah slices into the beaten eggs and let it absorb for a few moments, both sides.

3 Place egg'd challah on a skillet over medium high heat and cook until brown on both sides.

4 Continue to dip and cook the slices until all the slices are cooked. Top with favorite toppings (Maple syrup is a must!)