Kaake Family Blog

Our life has taken a few turns along the way since my husband and I have gotten married.  We are constantly trying to cut out stressors and simplify what we can.  Today I'll be sharing a few recipes to simplify breakfast.  You can find many recipes similar to this that have bread in them.   However, I've been trying to go gluten free and these fit the bill better.   I have not made any of these yet but do plan on making 1-2 of these per week and then rotate them.  In our family, we eat high protein in the morning instead of lots of grains/fruits because our body works much better this way. I found this picture online :)  Looks like a breakfast casserole with a hashbrown base. Breakfast Casserole - this recipes uses hashbrowns as the base with eggs, cheddar cheese, veggies and breakfast meat. Asparagus Breakfast Cassreole - this recipes uses hashbrowns as the base with eggs, asparagus, meat and swiss cheese. By using the above ideas, I th...

I can hear it already. Did your thoughts go something like this? "I'd love to cook with my kids but it's so much easier if I just do it myself" "Are you kidding? My kids aren't interested in spending time with me in the kitchen!" "Oh the mess. That's the only time I have alone during the day. I'd like to keep it that way." I'm sure there are other hindrances out there. All the points above I admit are somewhat valid. Think on this; as a parent, you are responsible for raising a healthy, productive adult. That includes an adult that can find their way around the kitchen. Here's some things we've learned while letting our kids pull up a chair and help us in the kitchen. 1. When allowed to make up one meal per week or every two weeks, the kids really get excited about not only cooking but shopping for the food as well. 2. Kids tend to eat more since they helped prepare the food. I don't know what it...

These were a very fun treat! The kids and I think they are much better than store bought. Dh even likes them. I used my homemade starter which you can find information for below. Sourdough English Muffins Makes about 12 1/2 C starter (mine is a 100% hydration white starter) 1 C milk 2-3/4 C AP flour 1 TBSP sugar 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda Semolina or cornmeal, for dusting Directions: 1. Combine starter, 2 C of flour and milk in a large bowl. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and leave out for 8 hours or overnight. 2. After the overnight rest, add remaining flour (I didn't add any), sugar, salt and baking soda and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes. 3. Roll out to 3/4" and cut with a biscuit cutter into rounds. You can reroll the scraps, but you may need to let the dough rest before cutting more muffins from them. 4. Place muffins on a piece of parchment dusted with semolina and let rest for 45 minutes. ...

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and we decided to eat in. The wonderful family we get our meat from gave us 2 filets. Matthew and I decided to use them for Valentine's Day and boy were they good! Matt's plate of filet, mashed potatoes and carrots. The carrots were from Door to Door Organics and the filet was from Turtlebee and Honeytree Farms in Byron, Michigan. The carrots were lightly steamed then put into a baking dish with butter and maple syrup. They roasted for about 10 minutes. The mashed potatoes were inspired by Rachel Ray. We put 5 cloves of peeled garlic in the pot while we cooked the potatoes. Yum! You can find the recipe for the filet here . Lyshie's chicken, potatoes and carrots. Here is the recipe Matt found for the chicken. Jon's macaroni and cheese - his favorite food! He also had chicken and carrots. Gotta love good company and good food!

Mmmm, can you say amazing! I always look for recipes that are yummy and sweet without using refined sugars. Sometimes I'm successtul and sometimes I am not. However, this time was a winner! Dh even thinks these nuts are very good. Maple Pecans 2 cups pecans (or other nuts) 1/3 cup maple syrup pinch of salt Directions: Heat a medium sized skillet and pour in your maple syrup. Add in nuts and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Keep stirring around now and then till most of the liquid has adhered to the nuts. Pour nuts out onto parchment or wax paper to dry. Store these in an airtight container or bag. Enjoy!

I bet you're wondering what the Brother in a Bag is eigh? Well you'll just have to wait and see. I found a recipe entitled PIzza Bites on the For the Love of Cooking blog awhile back. My mother-in-law had brought over a bag of frozen bread rolls not realizing I had already made some from scratch. I thought it'd be neat to alter the recipe a bit that I had seen online and make these fun little bites. You will see my daughter (or rather her hands) making these yummy treats. Ingredients: 1 cup meat 2 cups cheese pizza sauce 1 package frozen dinner rolls- thawed olive oil garlic powder freshly grated romano Directions: 1. Mix the cheese, meat of choice (we used cut up pepperoni) and just enough sauce to wet the mixture. 2. By hand, flatten out a dough ball and place a teaspoon full of mixture inside. Seal it up by pinching the sides together and place sealed side down on a baking pan. Repeat till all rolls are filled. 3. Mix together a bit of olive o...

(yes, the picture was borrowed) I've looked for years for something just like this. I've finally found it - yeah! The original recipe called for craisins as well but I didn't have them so I used dates in place of them. I would think you could use any kind of dried fruit (1 cup total) and it would be just lovely. Personally, I think these are just fabulous. For those who like very sweet muffins, these are not for you. On the plus side, my kids just love them! Enjoy! 1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces) 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1- 2 tablespoons flax meal 2 tablespoons wheat bran (optional) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats 2/3 cup pitted dates, chopped 1/3 cup raisins 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 1/4 cup canola oil (I used coconut oil) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup boiling water cooking spray Directions: 1. Lightly spoon flou...

Picture taken from Jimmy Deans link below. Now and then I will pick up a Jimmy Dean breakfast skillet recipe because of lack of time in the mornings on the weekends. Today I decided to make my own:) I usually pay between $4 and $5 for each frozen bag. Then to that you add 6 scrambled eggs. Well, not anymore. Here is a cost comparison for you:) Cost and ingredient break down. This will make 3 frozen bags of breakfast skillet starter. 1lb sausage or turkey sausage $2 (on sale) 2 peppers - $.58 (again on sale) 2 onions - $.20 1/2 bag frozen hashbrowns - $.75 Total - $3.53 Jimmy Deans cost per bag - $4-$5 My cost per bay - $1.17 So here's what you do. You take the pound of meat and cook it like you normally would - crumbled up of course. Let that cool. While it's cooling cut up 2 peppers and 2 onions. Fill 3 freezer bags each with 1/3 the peppers, 1/3 the onions, 1/3 of the cooked meat and about 1 cup frozen square hashbrowns (or more) from your local fre...

I found this recipe in my husband's cookbook called The Barbeque Bible. Absolutely amazing! Crazy thing is, he really liked it too. Enjoy! Ingredients Veggies: sliced eggplant sliced zucchini sliced red peppers (I used green) sliced red onion - peeled but root end left attached Basting Mixture: 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 CLoves minced garlic 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried salt and pepper For Serving: 1 long baguette (I used asiago cheese rolls) 8 oz goat cheese at room temperature DIrections: 1. Prepare veggies by slicing into long 1/4 inch slices. 2. Make basting mixture by combining all basting ingredients. 3. Set up the grill for grilling preheating on high. 4. When ready to cook brush veggies with the basting mixture. 5. Arrange veggies on grate and grill basting them once or twice more throughout cooking time. It should only take 3-6 minutes. Make sure to season with salt while grilling. 6. Transfer...