I've never actually thought of this as a real soufflé but randomly, the other day when I made the batter the night before, it poofed! It's always stayed relatively flat. So I'm not too sure what chemical reaction went on there but apparently letting the batter sit does help. My mom makes this quite often and she got it from a friend. I like to top it with sugared fruit to enjoy a nice fruity treat in the morning. Best of all, this recipe is really easy so mix everything the night before and whack it in the oven the next morning (thus, great for company).

Ingredients:
3 eggs
5 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons butter for pan

Directions:
Beat eggs, sugar, and milk together

Add the remaining flour, salt, and vanilla. Cover and let rest in the fridge

Heat oven to 425F and put butter in an 8 inch dish. Put dish in the oven to melt the butter then pour mixed batter into warmed dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!

Oh, the delicious Avocado, Tomato, and Mozzarella salad. If I had to pick a current staple in my life (in terms of food, of course), this would be it. Contrary to the name, it's actually incredibly cheap to make, especially in England. I get Fresh mozzarella for 47p and tomatoes and avocado's at the market. And on rainy British days I like to dine on this and pretend I'm sitting in California sunshine.

Ingredients:
1 ball fresh Mozzarella
1 small hass avocado, or 1/2 of a large one (what they tend to sell in the States)
1 small tomato, juiced and diced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a large pinch of fresh cilantro, or in the winter I use about 1/4tea dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

crusty bread on the side

Directions:
Dice and salt the mozzarella, avocado, and tomato

Sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro/basil

Thats it! Enjoy! Sweet Pea won't touch this but she does like to steal my bread.

Apparently this is a great compliment with purple crayon, which Sweet Pea enjoyed just prior to eating the muffin. I had a difficult time naming this because I wanted to emphasize that these are Blueberry muffins with a hint of banana, and not the other way around. I'm not sure how well I did that but I have to say, the streusel topping gives these muffins extra get-out-of-bed power.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-2 extra ripe bananas
1 cup blueberries

Streusel topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, softened


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

Cream together sugar, oil, and egg. Then add milk and almond extract.

Add the dry ingredients and mix together.

Add fruit and mix again. Be sure to mix until just blended, over mixing adds air bubbles which aren't very tasty or pretty.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter

In a new bowl, mush together streusel topping. I like to use my hands, they do the best job.

Top the muffins with the streusel and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

A Spanish Omelet. Or as we at the Cheap household like to call it, Tortilla de Patatas! ... well maybe not. We probably couldn't even pronounce that right because I went to French camp (yes, it's true). Rumor has it that this fine fare is served at bars and cafés as tapas in Spain. We enjoyed ours as dinner. And although I don't believe it's authentic, we topped ours with cheese. We just had to. Egg and potato just beg for cheddar. An easy dish that's fast to prepare!

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, cooked and diced (I like to oven-roast mine ahead of time)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 6oz sliced chorizo sausage or casing removed and browned (depending on which type of chorizo you have)
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon salt

Garlic Aioli:
which we spread unashamedly all over the omelet...
4 Tbs mayo (we used light)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
In a hot, oven-proof, oiled pan add garlic and onions and cook until onion is translucent

Add cooked potatoes and chorizo and continue to cook

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, spinach, salt, water. Pour mixture over cooking veggies and turn the stove down to low.

Let the eggs cook over the stove until you see the edges starting to firm up

Mix together mayo, lemon juice, and garlic powder and place to the side

Turn on broiler and place the omelet (pan and all) underneath. Watch the omelet until the middle firms up (should take about 5 min or less).

Serve it up and enjoy!

We're typically whole wheat bread purists. We kind of figure that we might as well make our bread healthy and I personally think it tastes better... except with this. For us, French toast and wheaty bread make a bad combo. So, I'll occasionally buy some white or challah bread just for a yummy Saturday morning breakfast. I'm also a sugared doughnut fanatic, so this recipe is a happy moment for me. Another bonus, it's always nice to have an easy breakfast treat right at your fingertips. I think it goes without saying that Sweet Pea enjoyed this as well. Thanks Nigella!

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten together
1/2 cup milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 slices white bread or if you have stale challah bread (sweet braided bread), use that!
2 Tbs butter (or oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Mix beaten eggs, milk, and vanilla in a bowl

Pour mixture into a large baking dish (9x13ish) and place bread in mixture. Let the slices soak up egg/milk for about 2-3 minutes per side

Add butter to a hot skillet or griddle. Cook soaked bread on griddle until each side is toasty

While bread is toasting, mix cinnamon and sugar together in a shallow bowl.

Once toast is done, move directly to the sugar mixture and cover bread with crispy sugar and cinnamon.

Enjoy with jam, honey syrup, or just as is!

This was my attempt to be very sneaky and get Sweet Pea to consume her loathed veggies. It worked... sort of. She had a full square right out of the oven. Cheap and some of my gal pals really enjoyed them as well, so they were a success all the way around. These are great for brunches, showers, or afternoon snacks.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup flour
1 tea salt
1 tea baking powder
1/2 tea garlic powder
1 onion, diced and sautéed, or 1/2 tea onion powder (to make it easier)
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 8oz package shredded sharp cheddar, or about two cups

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F

Reserve about 1/2 cup sharp cheddar then mix all the remaining ingredients together. Seems simple, I know.

Dump mixture into a greased baking dish (8x8 would be a good size) and top with the remaining half cup of cheddar

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Enjoy!

"Mmmm...Mmmm...Mmmm!" --Sweet Pea
Talk about a satisfying response! I love happy, emphatic toddlers!

When I was younger, I used to meet up with High School buddies at the Original Pancake House. One Saturday the waiter made a mistake on our neighbor table's order so instead of throwing out the food, they offered it to the teenagers- of course they would eat it... and we did! It was an apple pancake and oh my, it was delicious! Reliving my teenage good eats, I've been making this with Cheap since we've been married. It's cheaper than the restaurant version (except on the rare occasions where it's offered for free) and a great way to use up aging apples. We're big fans of large weekend breakfasts-- "Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!"

Ingredients:
Apples:
2 Tablespoons butter (or oil)
2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pancake:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F and add butter to an oven-proof skillet and melt

Dump in the sliced apples, cinnamon, and sugar and mix together. Stir occasionally and let apples cook until soft

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, water, flour, and salt together in a mixing bowl

When apples are soft, pour batter over apples and immediately put the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dutch pancake is tall and golden

Once the apple pancake is finished baking, take it out of the oven and flip it onto a plate so the apples are on top. Enjoy quickly, the pancake will fall a bit but it still tastes wonderful. We eat ours with maple syrup or powdered sugar. Enjoy!

I'm now going to go play with my toddler who's wearing her winter coat and taking her bear for a ride in a stroller around the dinner table.

Yes, it's true. The actual name of this dish is in fact, Bubble & Squeak. The name refers to the sounds the ingredients make while cooking (not too sure how that was concluded...). The dish got some press around Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) when folks use leftovers from Christmas or Sunday roast to cook breakfast. How could I not try a recipe who's very essence is about being thrifty and using leftovers (and with such a fun name)?! I actually roasted some veggies specifically for the "Bubble" since I had some onions, carrots, and 'taters that needed to be used up anyway. It took me about 5 minutes to chop things up and I didn't bother peeling a thing. A few turns of oil, salt, whack it in a 400F degree oven for 45min, and voilà. Roasted veg ready for some Bubble.

Ingredients:
Measurements very with the amount of vegetables and potatoes leftover
40% Leftover roasted veggies (mine were onion, carrot)
60% Roasted potatoes
salt to taste

Eggs for scrambling (1-2 eggs/person)
Shredded cheddar for topping

Directions:
Mash potatoes and veggies together (I just used my fingers and mushed -works better than a masher)

You can do 1 of 2 things, make a few small mash pancakes or add the whole mash to the skillet and make 1 large veggie pancake (the smaller ones are easier to manage)

Cook "bubble & squeak" or pancakes until crispy on the bottom, than flip

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs for scramble. I also like to add 1 Tbs water per egg to make them a bit fluffier

Once the "bubble" is crispy on the other side. Put on a plate and set aside.

Add eggs to the hot skillet and cook (should take just a few minutes)

Put scrambled eggs on top of the "bubble" and top with shredded cheddar. I like to serve bacon and sausage on the side.

Even my toddler, the veggie-hater herself, liked this! A little traditional English to start your day. Maybe serve it up with some tea!

Ahhhhhhh... Saturday morning breakfast. We love greeting the day with warm buttery pancakes (with the occasional chocolate chip added...) This is a "buttermilk" recipe without the buttermilk. I can never figure out what to do with the rest of the buttermilk when I buy it, so this is my answer. Cheap fries up crunchy bacon on the side as a nice complement. Mmmmmm... my mouth is watering as I type...

Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract


Canola oil for pan frying

Optional add-in's:
Chocolate chips (our fave)
Banana
Blueberries
Toasted Nuts
Cinnamon

Directions
Mix milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit and milk will sour and thicken like buttermilk (about 5-10 minutes)

Whisk dry ingredients together

Add egg, vanilla, and almond to "buttermilk" and whisk together.

Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix together.

Pour oil in pan so there is a thin layer covers the bottom (this helps make the edges of he pancakes nice and crispy). Heat oil.

Ladle batter into the pan and fry 'em up!


I love Saturday mornings!

I'm posting this recipe to remind myself of this very easy, very classic breakfast. I tend to make this with croissant's when living abroad, and with biscuits when living State-side. We find that this delight is a great way to greet the morning and have the day start on a special note. My mouth is watering at just the thought of this diddy.

Ingreidents:
(Serves 1, you can figure it out from here)
1 croissant or flakey biscuit
2 strips of crispy bacon
1 egg beaten, slightly salted
1 slice of cheddar (brie can work well too)

Directions:
Toast croissant in the oven or bake the biscuit

Cook egg over the stove as to make a thin pancake (when we need to speed things up we cook the egg in the microwave for about a minute and you can do that with the bacon as well. About 1 min 30sec per slice, it gets nice and crispy)

When all is warm, put the egg, bacon, and cheese into the croissant or biscuit and dig in! Oh, this is so yummers.

Since we're in England, I thought I'd post something a bit more English, yet still very cheap. I saw J.Oliver make something like this and my first thought was... Mmmmmmmm. Cheap and I made this dish one morning and it got a big thumbs up. It has quite a simple flavor and goes well with coffee, a nice combo on an early morn.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
2 Eggs, beaten together
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 crumpets (they're 57p for 8 in the UK, I know you can purchase them in the States at large grocery store chains)
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (or favorite cheese)

Directions:
Beat eggs, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl

Soak crumpets, one at a time, in the eggy mix

Place soaked crumpets on a hot pan and cook until crumpets are nice and toasty

Once ready, place crumpets on dish and top with cheese. Eat immediately.

We like to have a side of bacon or sausage with ours.

Definitely an impressive way to whip up something easy for breakfast, or as a side to a main dish or salad. The first time I served this to Sweet Pea, around 14 months old, she took one bite and proceeded to stuff the rest of it into her mouth. As a kid, I still remember sitting on the kitchen floor watching these gems inflate in the oven. Needless to say, this recipe is fun for kids, and infants apparently.

Ingredients:
This recipe is for a 6 cup muffin tin, double if using a 12 cup one
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tea salt
1/4 cup melted butter
Optional: 1/2 cup favorite shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450F (230 C)

Whisk eggs and milk together, then add salt and flour. I mix until slightly frothy on top. If you want cheesy pudding, add the cheese now too, it's quite delicious (pictured above)!

Pour melted butter into the bottom of the muffin cups, just enough to cover the bottom

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until towering and golden.

Serve immediately because puddings deflate a bit. I usually use a knife to punch a hole in the top of each to let the steam escape.

Just like crepes, these can be eaten salty or sweet. Top with jam or powdered sugar for sweet, or butter for savory. Enjoy the doughy, eggy goodness!

I know there are a gazillion crêpes recipes out there but this is my favorite to date. Living in the land of chocolate spread, how could we not enjoy these delights every so often.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tea salt
1/2 tea almond or vanilla extract

Directions:
I'm sure I could make this much more technical but I just dump everything into a bowl and whisk.

Turn stove to med-high and add a bit of butter or oil to skillet


Once warm pour enough batter that you make a thin pancake that is the width of the skillet. I usually lift my pan off the burner and spread batter by tilting the pan.

When the bottom starts to brown or curl, flip the crêpe and lightly cook on the other side. I like mine soft. Repeat with the rest of the batter.


Crêpes filling ideas:
Chocolate spread
Chocolate spread with fruit (on this occasion we used rasberries)
Sugar and lemon
Jam
Honey
the possibilities are endless...

I just can't understand why quiche receives the misnomer of "women's food". Why is quiche the antitheses of masculinity in today's culture? Think about what's in it besides egg... lots of cheese, meat, more cheese, heavy milk. If we're talking stereotypes, isn't "women's food" supposed to be dainty and low-calorie? Quiche is one of the hardier breakfasts that one can eat, and I have yet to find a man who doesn't enjoy the tasty dish when it is served to him.

The Ingredients:
5 slices or more of crispy bacon, crumbled into bits (I truly believe you can never have enough bacon)
1 diced med onion
2 cups shredded cheddar (I used sharp/mature)
1 Tbs flour
3 eggs
1 1/2cups milk (I used 1%)
1/2 tea salt

1 pie crust- I used Light Pie Crust

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and par-bake pie crust for 10 minutes. After crust is done, increase oven temperature to 400F (200C).

While crust is in the oven, beat eggs and add milk. Mix together.

Toss cheddar with the 1Tbs flour. (The flour helps thicken the quiche but won't get as clumpy since it's dispersed throughout the cheese). Reserve about 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the quiche.

Add most of the cheese/flour mixture, and all the bacon, onion, and salt to the milk/egg mixture.

Pour mixture onto par-baked crust and top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 30-35min, or until golden on top.

After baked, let the quiche rest for 10 minutes.

We love this and I switch up the meat depending on what I have on hand. Pictured above, I used English Richmond pork sausage since I had some cooked up. It was good but slightly mild for my taste. I like bacon better but both worked. Cheap liked it, Sweet Pea preferred a slice of plain whole-wheat bread. Go figure.