Strawberry Banana Crepes

I have always thought crepes were hard to make, so never tried it. But when my little sister took French and crepes became a common breakfast at my house, I saw that they were just as easy as pancakes, if not easier. You don't even need a fancy crepe making machine, a regular frying pan will do. So when I was searching breakfast recipes and found this one for a smaller batch of crepes, I decided to try it. Not sure where I got the recipe from though, sorry. But it made 4 crepes, which is perfect for 2 breakfasts. They also freeze well I hear, so if you wanted you could make a larger batch and freeze some. I had some left over strawberries and a banana that was turning brown, so strawberry banana filling was the best choice.

Crepe batter:
1/2 c flour
1 egg
3/4 c milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Filling:
4 Strawberries
1 tbsp strawberry jam
4 marshmallows
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp cream cheese

Mix all the batter ingredients together. Mixing it in a large measuring cup is a good idea to make pouring easier. Then melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan, and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, the batter will start to bubble, and the bottom turns golden brown. To flip, use a spatula or get fancy and use your wrist to flip the crepe in the pan. Cook the other side until golden brown as well.

For the filling, melt the butter in a smaller pan. Add the cut whole strawberries and cook a few minutes until soft. Add the cream cheese, strawberry jam, and marshmallows. Cook until everything is melted together.

Take one crepe, fill it with the strawberry filling and banana slices. Wrap it up on both sides, and top with strawberry and banana slices.I drizzled chocolate syrup and maple syrup on top!

You can fill crepes with just about anything. I think of it as a breakfast food, but there are recipes that stuff it with veggies, meats, salads, all kinds of things. It can be used in lunch, dinner, or snacks. Just get creative!

Parmesan popcorn

I am a huge popcorn addict, I can literally eat about five microwave bags in one night. But stovetop popcorn is the best! It's healthier, cheaper, and you get to decide how much to make. There is nothing else like it. And my boyfriend is a cheese addict, so this idea seemed to be perfect. It kicked the popcorn up a notch, and was super delicious! Best part, it is pretty healthy overall.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup popcorn kernels
2 tbsp butter flavored salt
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put the oil, kernels and salt in a pan (one you don't mind ruining...) and put the heat on high. Make sure you shake and swirl the pan often, especially once the kernels start popping. Once the kernels slow down and you count 3-4 seconds between pops, turn the heat off. Wait until you don't hear any more popping, and pour into a large bowl. Coat with 1/2 cup of the cheese, and proceed to inhale it. Once you get about halfway through, add more cheese and shake to cover. The picture is what was left after 20 minutes of devouring, I wanted a picture for this blog before we demolished the rest! A great movie night snack. I imagine other types of grated cheese would also be delicious, and I have heard that adding spices like garlic or cayenne is tasty too.

Mini quiches

These were made for my thesis defense because it was at 10:30 in the morning and these are breakfast-like, plus I had all the ingredients already on hand. And they turned out amazing!!! The best part is, the dough is super easy and cheap, and you can fill them with just about anything.

Dough (makes about 4 dozen):

3 1/3 cup Bisquick

2/3 cup butter or margarine

6 tbsp boiling water

Fillling (fills about 4 dozen):

Crab

1 can crab meat

1/2 block cream cheese

Lemon pepper seasoning

Vegetarian

4 cups shredded zucchini and squash

1 bag shredded mixed cheese

Nature's seasoning

Custard (makes >12 dozen):

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk or half and half

sprinkle of nutmeg

Step 1: Mix the Bisquick and butter together. Add the boiling water and mix well. Roll 1 tsp. dough into a ball and place in a mini cupcake pan. Even out the bottom using a wooden tamper or a shot glass.

 Step 2: Mix the custard well. Mix whatever fillings you are going to use. Add about 1 tsp to the dough. Then add 1 tsp of the custard on top. If it covers the top of the dough, it's fine. But be sure to use a VERY tiny amount, because if you put too much dough or custard in, they will explode.

Step 3: Add cheese and/or seasonings on top, bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Step 4: Let them cool before popping them out of the muffin pans with a butter knife. Then enjoy! They are good to warm up the next day, or even at room temperature. These flew off the trays! I will absolutely be using this recipe again, and getting creative with the fillings in the future.