Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe

There’s something about a fresh flaky buttery cranberry orange scone in the morning with a hot cup of coffee. Maybe because it reminds me most of my barista days in college at Starbucks when I was first introduced to this flavor combo.

Recently I’ve been trying to make recipes that are easy and quick to grab, now that I have a newborn. This recipe is both fast and hearty, mixed with a comforting feeling.

This recipe makes 8 scones and is great for when you’re strapped for time or looking for a cozy winter pastry to start your mornings.

Ingredients (Makes 8 Scones):

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

• 1 large egg

• Turbinado sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and work with your fingers onto pea sized crumbles, then toss in the dried cranberries and add the zest of 1 orange.

3. Add the heavy cream and eggs, then work into a dough. Transfer to a floured work surface and roll 1 inch thick. Smooth edges and slice into 8 wedges.

4. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan, then brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

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Loaded French Toast Brunch Burger with Fries - Fries Before Guys Burger

Hope you came hungry, because this brunch burger is not for the faint of hearts or stomachs.

This loaded brunch burger idea came just around one of my favorite holidays - Valentine’s Day. So officially, unofficially I’m also naming this burger the “Fries Before Guys” Brunch Burger.

Stacked mine with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The beauty of it is it’s sandwiched between two french toast slices, adding that sweet and savory element to the dish. Come hungry, eat it with friends or roommate while binging Netflix or make for a extra special date night at home, perfect for that brunch loving couple type.

Ingredients:

For the French Toast buns:

• Brioche Bread

• 2 Eggs

• 4 Tbsp - Milk

• 2 Tbsp Vanilla

• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

For the Burgers + Condiments:

• Burger patties or ground beef to form patties

• Cheese Slices (Optional Condiment)

• Lettuce ( Optional Condiment)

• Tomato (Optional Condiment)

• Fried Egg (Optional Condiment)

• Bacon (Optional Condiment)

• Avocado (Optional Condiment)

• Bag of Frozen Fries Fries/Tater Tots/Sweet Potato Fries - Your favorite potato.

Instructions:

Make the French Toast Buns:

• Slice the brioche buns into four slices

• In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon

• Heat a pan with some butter (or can use oil, or non-stick spray)

• Dunk the bread slices in the egg mixture and place in the pan, about 2 at a time to not crowd the pan.

• Cook until both sides are golden brown and little crispy (about 5 minutes each side), set aside

Make the burgers:

Season your meat with salt & pepper. On either the a grill or pan, cook your burger to your preferred temperature. Set aside.

Assemble:

Once the burgers are done. Time to assemble on the french toast buns. You can add as many condiments as you want to your burger. I went ALL out!

For the fries (in the photo) I did make these homemade. Honestly, it was a ton of work and I’d definitely recommend saving the hassle and time by just getting a frozen bag of your favorite potato and heating those up in the oven to go with the burger. Enjoy!

Reese Witherspoon's - Green Juice Smoothie Recipe

Let me just start off by saying I’m not a health nut at all and this green smoothie is amazing and addictive.

Admitting, this is actually Reese Witherspoon’s iconic smoothie recipe where I’m adding it to my favorite recipe drawer. Mostly, because it’s just that good and must be shared and added to your brunch files too. Super easy to make and prep ahead of time. It makes about 2 mason jars so easy to grab during a busy work day or post-workout. I feel it curbs my hunger and craving in the mornings too which always helps the waistline so I’m not reaching for extra snackies.

Here’s the recipe for all that green juice goodness:

Green Juice Smoothie (Makes 2 Jars)

Ingredients:

• 2 heads romaine lettuce

• 1/2 cup spinach

• 1/2 cup coconut water

• 1 whole banana

• 1 whole apple (core removed)

• 1 whole pear (core removed)

• 1 whole lemon (rind removed)

• 1 tbsp almond butter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine and blend all ingredients in a blender.

2. Store in 2 major jars in the fridge or drink right away as a delicious morning smoothie.

Red Pepper and Spinach Egg Muffin Quiche Bites

Being a big egg fan and not a big chef in the mornings… ( I love my sleep.) I make these quiche egg bites almost every week as my breakfast meal prep. It makes mornings so much easier to reheat in the microwave for a minute, make my coffee and be on my way.

These mini quiches pack a lot of veggies in and can easily switch up or add ingredients, this particular batch I added bacon and cheese. It proves to be a no fuss recipe as I use pre-made pie crust, sauté some vegetables, and bake.

Hope you enjoy these bite sized egg bites!

Red Pepper and Spinach Egg Muffin Quiche Bites

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 12

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Ingredients:

Base:

• 1 Pre-made pie crust (I use Pillsbury pie crust)

Fillings:

• 1 red pepper

• 1 6oz bag of spinach

• half an onion (diced)

• 2 cloves garlic

  • Optional or Additional Filling Options:

  • Cheese: shredded cheese, feta

  • Bacon

  • Mushrooms

Egg Mixture:

• 6 eggs

• 1/4 cup of milk

• Salt & Pepper

Hardware:

• Muffin Tin

• Mason jar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up and dice the garlic, onions, and red pepper.

Drizzle some oil in your pan and sauté the garlic, onions, and red pepper until slightly browned and softened (about 10 minutes).

Add in the spinach until wilted. Set the veggie mixture aside.

Get out your muffin tin and spray with some non-stick spray.

Roll out your pie crust on a clean surface. I use a mason jar to cut out circles in the dough. If you have a round cooke cutter that would work as well. When I use my mason jar it gives me 8 round dough circles before I have to re-roll out the dough for the remaining 4 circles.

Place the round dough into the muffin tin. Next, I put these in the oven for about 7 minutes to cook the dough a bit for a sturdier base for when I add the filling.

Meanwhile, start making the egg mixture.

Combine 6 eggs in a bowl. Add the milk and some salt and pepper and whisk up.

Add the egg mixture and fill each muffin tin to the top.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy for brunch, breakfast, or meal prep for the week.

That’s it! But here’s some additional notes….

Reheating: Place on a plate and heat up in a microwave for 1 minute.

In this recipe I used bacon. I prefer to bake my bacon at 350 degrees and let it bake until I start to smell the bacon and until it gets really crispy. You can then chop up some bits and add the the veggie mixture you create. I also added Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheese and it’s just so good in this recipe… options ;)