Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

I finally joined the Instant Pot bandwagon and am very happy with the results so far. The machine can be a little intimidating, but I think it will be worth the time to figure out. One of the first things I prepared were Steel Cut Oats and they turned out perfect. They were creamy and very favorable. I used Penzey's Vanilla Sugar to sweeten mine, although brown sugar, honey or agave would have worked just as well.

Steel Cut Oats

Add 2 cups Water, 1 cup Almond Milk, pinch of Salt, Vanilla Bean and 1 cup of Steel Cut oats into the pot, locked lid into place, set Manuel function to cook for 5 minutes and let the pressure come down. Remove bean, sprinkle with Ground Cinnamon and add sweetener of choice.

Proper Pancakes w/Caramelized Apples

Dan and I said while we were in England, a person could make a lot of money by opening up a pancake house there. Of course the English love their traditional breakfast, but some proper pancakes every once in while wouldn't kill you. We actually found a place that served pancakes on Sundays the last weekend we were there, but they were served on ice cold plates and cold by the time they reached us. The flavor was good, but how hard is it to warm a plate? I came across a recipe for pancakes while we were in England, but the serviced apartment we stayed in did not have all the proper tools for cooking. I bought certain things, which we then donated to a thrift shop on our departure, but I knew I could not keep buying kitchen items for a 3 month stay. I decided to work on the recipe and this is what I came up with. They are really good! No need for butter or syrup to top these because the caramelized apples are perfect as a topper.

Proper Pancakes w/Caramelized Apples

for the pancakes:
135g/ 4 3/4 oz. plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. caster sugar
130ml/ 4 1/2 fluid oz. milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla paste
Cooking spray

for the apples:
1 apple, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Turn the oven on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Lightly whisk milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla paste in medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and beat with a fork until batter is smooth. Let stand a few minutes. Heat a non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat. When the pan is heated ladle batter into pan and flip when the top bubbles. The batter may seem thick, but that is what you want. Place finished pancakes in warm oven until ready to serve. (Also warm plates in the oven.)
When the pancakes are prepared, add butter, apples and brown sugar to same pan. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Serve apples on top of pancakes.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

Here's a simple and yummy cinnamon roll recipe that you will find yourself using over and over. The icing is so good.... The only thing we did not like about the recipe were the toasted hazelnuts. So use them if you want, but they are really good without them. The recipe was adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. mascarpone cheese
1 Tbsp. buttermilk

Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 baking dish. cinnamon, and cloves in small bowl. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. brush 1 tablespoon of butter over dough. sprinkle with nut mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border along top and bottom sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up like a jelly roll, forming a log. Pinch seam to seal. Cut into 9 equal pieces. Arrange, cut side down in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm, draft free area for 45 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and heat to 325 degrees.
Bake the rolls uncovered for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar, mascarpone and buttermilk in small bowl until smooth and creamy.
Brush remaining butter on tops of cinnamon rolls and drizzle with icing. Serve warm.

Egg in a Nest

In my vast collection of recipes, I saw this picture of an egg nestled in hash browns, but could not locate it when I wanted to prepare the dish. So I came up with this one. They turned out pretty tasty and you could use any type of cheese.

Egg in a Nest

1 cup refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/3 cup Asiago Pressato cheese, shredded
2 eggs
seasoning salt and black pepper

Spray 2 ramekins (4 1/2 x 2) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl combine potatoes and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Divide in half and place in ramekins; pressing into bottom and up the sides. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove ramekins and crack an egg into each. Season with salt and pepper and return to oven for ten minutes. After the 2nd 10 minutes put under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn.