BREAKFAST

ORANGE MUFFINS

This recipe is adapted from Marion Cunningham's wonderful "The Breakfast Book" It makes a dozen moist and pretty muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line the muffin tins with paper cups.

2 large oranges
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the orange zest. Trim off the white pith and membrane of the oranges and discard. Chop the orange zest and the oranges into small bits, discarding any seeds. Set aside in a small bowl.
Combine the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt and mix well to blend.
Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk to blend, then add the sugar and melted butter, and stir to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and when well blended, stir in the chopped nuts.
Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cups and bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin



MAUI COFFEE CAKE - A QUICK BREAKFAST BREAD

4 teaspoons of melted butter - let it cool while you get out the other ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat over to 375 degrees and spray a pie pan with Spam

Combine the flour with the 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Sift this mixture 3 times! I pass it through a strainer from one small bowl to another.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork, add the milk and melted butter. Add the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine it. It will be fairly dense, Pour into pie pan, smoothing the top and sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture over the top. It will seem like you have abit too much sugar but it's just right.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the top is browned and slightly cracked. Serve warm. It can serve one large son, or 4 - 6 people! This is from the Honolulu Junior League Cookbook "Another taste of Aloha".


CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips.

Mix flour and baking powder and then beat in the butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and add flour mixture mixing only until blended.Add the yogurt and sprinkle chocolate chips over batter and fold in.

Scoop 1/3 cup fulls of dough onto cookie sheet, cover the mounds loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 45 minutes. At this point you can place each scone into an individual sandwich size plastic bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks.

To bake, heat oven to 350, bake 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake another 13 minutes until golden brown. Eat immediately.

Note that you can make 1 dozen from this recipe or make them a little smaller and get about 16 out of the recipe.



THREE FRUIT MARMALADE FROM SUE

If you like marmalade you'll never go back to store bought!

1 grapefruit
1 orange
1 lemon
sugar

On the first day, cut the fruit in half and remove seeds. Cut away and discard the ends. Slice the fruit as thinly as possible and place in a china or enamel bowl and add just enough cold water to cover. Leave overnight at room temperature, covered.

Put the mixture in an enamel or aluminum pan and boil for 30 minutes. Now you can let it sit covered for another day at room temperature.

Now measure the fruit/water mixture and add an equal amount of sugar and cook over a very low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. After an hour it should be getting thick when you put a little of it on a cold saucer. If it's still runny, cook a little longer. Pour boiling water into 3 or 4 small glass jars to sterilize them and spoon the mixture into the jars. When cool, store in the frig just to be safe.
This makes about 1 pint.

RED PEPPER FRITTATA

Note - this is great for brunch and serves 6 - 8 It is really easy with a food processor

5 oz mozzarella cheese cut into 1 inch cubes
1 slice firm white bread torn into pieces
3/4 parsley leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 red peppers, cored, seeded and sliced thinly
1 medium onion sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 leaves of romaine lettuce or equivalent amount of spinach
10 eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Drops of Tabasco
3/4 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Chop the mozzarella finely, set aside. Finely chop the bread, parsley and basil and set aside.

In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add peppers, onion, vinegar and sugar. Cook 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are tender.

Thinly slice the romaine or spinach and add to the red pepper mixture and cook 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine eggs, Worcestershire sauce,, Tobasco, salt and pepper to taste with a whisk. Add the herb mixture and one half of the reserved cheese and mix. Stir in the vegetable mixture.

Brush the skillet with the oil and set over high heat. When oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium low, add the egg mixture and cook for a minute without stirring. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes (depending on size of the pan) or until the eggs are set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note - I have poured the mixture into an oiled earthen ware casserole which I can't heat on the stove top. I sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese mixture as directed and bake it and it comes out fine too.

CRANBERRY MUFFINS

Just in time for Christmas - these are very moist!

12 Ounces of whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup sugar mixed in 1 cup of water

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 butter at room temperature
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange or lemon rind
1 egg beaten

Mix the sugar and water together, bring to boil and add cranberries - cook about ten minutes at a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, soda and salt together. Cut in the butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly. In a separate bowl mix the orange juice, rind and egg. Add to the dry ingredients and fold in the cranberry mixture.

Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake about 20 minutes - check the center of a muffin with cake tester or tooth pick to be sure they're cooked through. Makes about 2 dozen muffins - slightly tart and very moist and pretty.