Syrniki

Yes, another Russian dish.  I don't know why the breakfast items were my favorite, but they were.  Here's another one.  These are fried cheese pancakes.  They are made with Russian cottage cheese, or Tvorog.  You can pick it up at an eastern European market or Russian market.  It is more dense than regular cottage cheese, lacking the whey that we are so use to having with the curds.  I have heard that you can use ricotta cheese as a substitute, but make sure you drain all the liquid.

Syrniki

Ingredients:
18 oz. tvorog/ricotta cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of Salt

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients.  It will form a soft dough, like drop biscuit dough.
2. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. 
3. Spoon the dough into 2 Tbs. portions.  Place into hot oil, slowly so you don't splatter and press lightly on top of the dough to flatten out.  Using a silicone spatula, turn the pancake after the edges begin to brown.
4. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Serve warm with honey, jam, or if you want something more savory you can use sour cream.

Oladyi

I spent a short amount of time visiting Riga, Latvia.  While there, I was introduced to many Russian dishes.  Most of them didn't agree with me, but this was one of my favorites.  Pronounced Oh-lah-dee, these are the Russian version of pancakes.  The biggest thing here is that you MUST use kefir.  You may substitute it with buttermilk, but it is just not the same.  Kefir is slightly thicker than buttermilk, but runnier than yogurt.  KEFIR, remember that, KEFIR!    I would eat them with jam, which was a nice contrast to the slightly sour taste from the kefir. 

Oladyi

Ingredients:
2 cups kefir
1 egg
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour

Directions:
1. Whip (by hand) kefir, egg, and sugar until well combined.  Add baking soda and salt. 
2. Stir in flour gradually until batter is the consistency of sour cream, but not quite pancake batter.
3. Heat about 2 Tbs. canola oil in a medium skillet until hot.  Using a large serving spoon, pour batter into the hot oil.  Fry in oil until the edges start to turn brown or curl upward.
4. Turn over and cook on the other side for about 1 minute.  Drain on paper towels before serving.

Quiche

Ever want something else to make besides your usual dinner? Ever have a craving for breakfast for dinner? I do all the time, only I get bored with the same old pancake, french toast, waffle ideas.  I like to cook with eggs - we eat omelets, crepes, and fried egg sandwiches all the time.  And now quiche is a part of my repertoire.  It's just a nice, light change and it's so easy you could even make this in the morning for breakfast or brunch!

Quiche

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup Miracle Whip Dressing
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 frozen pie crust (9 inch), thawed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cook mushrooms and onions in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach.
3. Beat eggs, milk and dressing in medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Add spinach mixture and cheese; pour into crust.
4. Bake 50 min. or until center is set and top is golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Okay, I'll admit it, I am a SUCKER for pumpkin. Especially once September hits, I am ready for my fall favorite pumpkin recipes. My house smells of pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin french toast, and when Coffeemate comes out with their holiday collection, I stock up on their Pumpkin Pie flavored creamer. I needed a new recipe this year though to add to my collection, and since breakfast is on the menu this week, I am adding pumpkin to a pancake recipe. Hmmmmm, maybe I'll even add chocolate chips and top them with whip cream.... oh, the goodness.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions:
1. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Chocolate French Toast

I am up to experimenting with french toast again! This time, I tried chocolate. Oh, my goodness. It turned out great. We topped it with whipped topping and hazelnuts. It's not terribly rich, so you can handle having it for a meal (we even had it with scrambled eggs), but it's also great for a desert. Oh, chocolatey goodness!

Chocolate French Toast

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 loaf white bread (yes, I used the WHOLE loaf. But hey, you can always eat leftovers!)

Directions:
1. Preheat griddle to 350 degrees. In a blender, combine all ingredients except bread. Pour into a shallow dish.
2. Grease hot griddle with butter. Dip each slide of bread, covering both sides, in egg mixture. Place on hot griddle and cook each side 3-5 minutes or until toasted. Repeat with remaining bread slices until mixture is gone.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

This is such a great recipe for when you want a quick pumpkin pie fix. I was messing around with various french toast ideas one day, and thought it sounded good. And voila! Serve it with whipped topping or syrup if you are going for the traditional french toast taste. This recipe serves 5 people, 3 slices each.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. vanilla
15 slices white bread

Directions:
1. Heat non-stick griddle to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients, except bread, and whisk until smooth. Coat each slice of bread in mixture and place on hot griddle. Cook for 5 minutes per side or until bread turns brown/toasted. Serve hot.

Banana Pancakes

Jack Johnson is performing in Salt Lake next week, and we are so bummed that we will not be able to go. Whenever I make this recipe, I have to put his CD in and listen to "Banana Pancakes." These are a great alternative to plain pancakes. We love them, especially our little monkey, Jocey! We eat these with fresh fruit, mostly fresh pineapple if we can get one!

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas, pureed
1 cup flour
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
1. Combine egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and bananas in large bowl. Beat until smooth.
2. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until batter has no lumps in it.
3. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium high heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto the griddle. When bottoms are golden brown and bubbles start to form on the tops, turn them over and cook until golden brown.