Buttermilk Pancakes and White Syrup

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup oil

In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

IN another bowl, mix milk, egg and oil. Add to flour mixture and stir just until blended. (It's normal for some small lumps to remain in batter. Batter should be slightly thick, but pourable. Add an additional tablespoon of milk, if needed.

Preheat griddle or skillet to medium-high and spray lightly with cooking spray.

With ladle, pour approximately 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle for each pancake.

Flip each pancake over when bubbles form and edges are set. Flip only once and do not flatten pancake while cooking.

Cook until golden brown. Serve with homemade syrup.

*Makes 6 (5") pancakes.

This syrup recipe was one in the New Nelson Family Cookbook. After I tried this for the first time, I definitely prefer it to regular maple syrup. It makes quite a bit, but keeps for quite a while covered in the fridge.

Famous White Syrup

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Do NOT boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place in blender and blend on low until well blended. Serve over waffles of pancakes. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Baked French Toast

The Winegar side all headed town for our annual trip to St. George to see the parade of homes. Mama Winegar assigned each couple a meal and I was in charge of breakfast one day. I liked this one off of Mel's Kitchen Cafe because it takes hardly any preparation and you can do all of it the night before so the morning of all you have to do it throw it in the oven. Be aware that the bread needs to soak in the egg/milk/brown sugar mixture up to 8 hours so plan ahead!

1 French bread baguette
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 stick plus 1 teaspoon butter
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained (I used a bag of frozen mixed berries and it turned out great. I'll bet fruit that is in season would be even more awesome though)

Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Cut 1 1/2 inch slices from the baguette and arrange in one layer in the dish (about 6-8 slices). Whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large bowl and pour evenly over the bread. Refrigerate mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by the bread, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

When you are ready to bake and serve, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread pecans evenly in a shallow baking pan and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Toss pecans with 1 teaspoon butter. OR you can toast the pecans in a skillet in one layer over medium heat, stirring often. Toss with 1 teaspoon butter. (I did this the night before to save time the morning of.)

Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture. Cut remaining 1/2 stick butter into pieces and heat with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan, stirring, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake mixture
30 – 40 minutes or until any liquid from blueberries is bubbling.

Makes 6 generous servings.

Cinnamon Rolls (Cousin Heidi's version)

I don't know why, but I am on a cinnamon kick lately! I've been craving it for the past week, made Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread a few days ago and my mom and I made this today at our mini Mantua Getaway. My cousin's wife Heidi shared this link to her blog, Tasty Sensations, with me and I'm glad I tried it! Thanks Heidi!

Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm milk

2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter (slightly salted), melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 TBS ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Put warm milk and yeast in bowl to bubble for 5 min. Scramble eggs. Place in bowl with remaining ingredients, add yeast mixture. Mix all together, knead well (5-10 min) and let rise in bowl once. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls - we suggest using floss to make 12 equal rolls . Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes - we suggest covering them with tin foil halfway through to prevent overbrowning. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Pecan Cinnamon Ring a.k.a. Sticky Buns

A Christmas tradition growing up in the Webster home, I love love love these buns!

It's a super easy recipe as you do all the prep work the night before and just get to enjoy them the next morning.

1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped pecans

18 frozen dinner rolls

1 3oz. pkg butterscotch pudding (not instant)

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Grease sides and bottom of bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place the frozen rolls on the nuts and sprinkle the dry pudding on top. Melt the margarine and combine it with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour this mixture over the top of the rolls. Set it out overnight of for 6-8 hours. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Tip out on large platter and serve immediately.

*only set out overnight if the room isn't too warm (above 65 degrees), otherwise you'll have rolls all over the counter.