Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

I just found this recipe on Real Simple's website while I was looking up lunch ideas for me and Natalie. If this tastes ANYTHING like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cream Frappucino, I'm ALL.OVER.IT!!!

Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup ice

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 tbsp honey

a pinch of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend that bad boy til it's all frothy and full of goodness!!

PW's Sunrise Punch

I haven't made this yet. But you bet I'm gonna! Especially on days when I start school, and I've got to get me and the kids out the door. :)

Sunrise Punch recipe:
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
Fill rest of blender with ice and blend

Lemon Pancakes (with blueberry syrup)

Now... before you balk... let me just say - the combination of lemon and blueberries is ABSOLUTELY divine!! When I worked at the spa last year, the fancy shmancy restaurant had a cheesecake one night that was a lemon and blueberry combination with sweetened ricotta cheese... I thought I had died and gone to heaven! These pancakes are a good substitute... and might I recommend, instead of butter, a smidge of sweetened ricotta cheese! :) (I didn't get to make the blueberry syrup when I made these... didn't have the ingredients on hand)

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 TBSP butter, melted

2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon you zested)

4 TBSP butter, divided (you use this for frying the pancakes and I needed more)

Fresh blueberry syrup - recipe in a minute

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (What this means for stand mixer users like me, use a glass measuring cup that holds 4 cups or more to mix the liquid part in, put the dry mixture into your stand mixer bowl.)

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 TBSP of butter over medium heat. Spoon 2 TBSP of batter for each pancake into skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter.

Serve with warm Fresh Blueberry Syrup.... or if your kids don't want that.. regular syrup is just as yummy. :)

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved.

Add blueberries; cook for 15-20 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly before serving. Sweetened ricotta is as easy as mixing whole milk ricotta with some sugar and vanilla! :)

Sunrise Smoothie

This is from another of my magazines that I love - Simply Southern. I tend to pick up magazines that have recipes that I want to try and most of the time, they end up being some of my most favorite recipes. This one is for a smoothie that is used in a brunch sequence. Way good!

Sunrise Smoothie

2 1/4 cups orange juice (if you can find the Tropicana Valencia orange juice, I highly recommend it)

2 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberry sorbet (if you can't find strawberry sorbet like me, I resorted to using strawberry sorbet fruit pops... enough to equal 1 1/2 cups. lol)

Garnish with fresh strawberries if you'd like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth... pour into glasses. It's not rocket science. lol

Cheese Grits

Let me first tell you ... anyone who has never had grits... PLEASE let this be your first recipe in trying them! These are simply DIVINE and it's so versatile... you can use them at breakfast or dinner! I know some of my friends have never had grits and thought they were supposed to be served sweetened.... although SOME people may like them that way, I assure you... Grits are a salty mash that for breakfast is awesome mixed with eggs and bacon and toast, and dinner, along side crab cakes or some other protein. This recipe calls for the brand Wade's Mill Stone Ground Grits... but regular old fashioned (slow cooking) grits work just as well.

Cheese Grits

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 tsp salt

1 cup grits (they NEED to be the slow cooking, old fashioned kind. NOT the quick cooking stuff)

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 cup warm heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I'm a cheese lover, so obviously I use more... and it HAS to be sharp, in order to get the cheese taste. Mild cheddar is just that... too mild. Using the cheddar you grate yourself tastes MUCH better in this recipe)

4 TBSP unsalted butter

1 dash hot pepper sauce (tabasco) optional

1 pinch nutmeg, optional (I didn't add this)

In a medium saucepan, combine boiling water and salt over high heat. Combine grits and cold water and then slowly add to boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes, for 20 minutes.

Add cream, cheese and butter, continue cooking until grits reach desired consistency. Season with hot pepper sauce and nutmeg, if desired.

You can look on the package of grits and change the liquid measurements according to the directions for 4 servings if you want to, and follow the rest of the recipe for the cream and cheese. I've done it both ways and if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think there was much difference in the measurements. Combining the grits with the cold water before adding them to the boiling water is what prevents lumps and keeps the mixture from spitting and burning you, which it will usually do if you add grits straight to the boiling water.

Early AM French Toast Casserole

Got it from mama, I think she got it from a recipe book. LOVE this recipe - it's always one that people request the recipe for after I make it.

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 (one stick) butter
2 tbsp corn syrup (I like the light corn syrup)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla (it really only calls for 1 tsp, but I like more vanilla... lol)
1 loaf of french bread- either presliced or sliced thick

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix and melt brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Spray a baking dish (9x13) and fill with butter mixture.

Mix eggs, milk and vanilla. Arrange bread slices in baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread, making sure to cover every piece. Any extra will be soaked up overnight, so make sure you use all of it.

Cover dish and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

I like using maple syrup once it's on the plate, but that's not necessary if you don't like it too sweet. :)