Broiled Grapefruit with Honey and Cinnamon ***

As a rule, I really don't care for grapefruit.  I want to, since it's so healthy, but I just can't make myself.  My youngest, the 9-year-old, just adores it, for some insane reason.  So once I heard that broiling it can give it a completely different flavor, I figured it was worth a shot.  We actually enjoyed it.  Even hubby and the 11-year-old liked it, which really surprised me.  I just did honey and cinnamon, but I think the bananas or strawberries would be a good addition.  I'm thinking I might try slicing it into rounds (instead of just in half) and putting honey on each slice.  My only complaint was that the parts closest to the bottom tasted like plain old grapefruit (blech).  I only broiled it on the low setting this time, so I also think I'll give it a shot with broiling the halves on high.  The extra carmelization might help with distributing the flavor a bit more.  No matter what, I definitely know I'll make it again, because it makes for a great dessert that I don't have to feel guilty about.

BROILED GRAPEFRUIT WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ SheWearsManyHats)

grapefruit
honey
ground ginger (ground cinnamon is a good substitute or addition)
optional: banana slices (strawberries would be nice too)

Prepare oven for broiling. Position oven rack on top.
Cut grapefruit(s) in half. Using a small serrated knife or grapefruit knife, loosen the grapefruit sections from the membrane. Place the grapefruit halves on a baking sheet or shallow baking pan.
Drizzle grapefruit halves with honey. Place banana slices on top and flip once to coat both sides with honey. Dust with ground ginger (and/or cinnamon).
Place under broiler until bubbling and slightly browned in spots, about 4 to 6 minutes. Keep an eye on during broiling to avoid burning.
Serve warm.

Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts ****

We love these each time I make them.  They're super simple to throw together in the mornings, and the kids always immediately request to have them again.  I still haven't tried doubling it, since I can never remember when I'm doing my grocery shopping.  But with just the two boys eating, it gives me two mornings of breakfast for them.  Doubling would easily give two breakfasts for all four of us.  It's not super cheesy or super eggy, but it's the perfect combo of the two.

BACON-CHEESE PULL-APARTS

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Pillsbury)

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 (16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers Refrigerated Original Biscuits

1 (2.1-oz.) pkg. precooked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 oz. (3/4 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (4 medium)

Heat oven to 350*F. Spray 11x7- or 12x8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat egg and milk with wire whisk until smooth.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat evenly. Fold in bacon, cheese and onions. Spoon mixture into sprayed dish; arrange biscuit pieces in single layer.

Bake at 350*F for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares.
*Amy's notes: I left out the green onions and used a round glass pie dish.  Next time, I want to double and try in a 9x13 pan.

Previous reviews:
12/24/13 ~ These are pure heaven.  I did mine in a round glass pie dish, since I don't have the sizes suggested in the original recipe.  They came out perfectly at 23 minutes.  Next time, I'm going to double it and put it in a 9x13.  I'd love to see if leftovers (assuming there were any, lol) would reheat successfully for breakfasts through the week.  I did leave out the green onions, since I thought the flavors would be perfect without them.  Plus, the kids are not big fans of onions in breakfast food.  I also just noticed that it says to cut into squares.  I just pulled them apart at the seams.  I think the square thing wouldn't spread the flavors out right, for some reason.
We all fell in love at first bite, though.  The biscuits cook completely, so it's not like they're soggy and eggy or anything (one of my original fears).  It's an unbelievably easy recipe, so the kids can help throw it together (a concern for us right now, since both kids are getting big into helping in the kitchen).  This is definitely a winner.  I could happily eat it every Saturday morning for the rest of my life. ;-)

PB&J Spirals ***

There really wasn't any risk on this one for us.  The kids love the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crescents, and they love PB&J.  There was no doubt in my mind that they'd love these as well.  I skipped adding the peanuts, since I knew they wouldn't care for that.  I also skipped the powdered sugar.  Seemed to be a little bit of sweetness overkill in my mind.  I did half with grape jelly (the 11-year-old's favorite) and half with strawberry jelly (the 9-year-old's favorite), so it was pretty handy to be able to swap it up for their preferences.  I'd love to try the bananas and PB and honey that she mentions.  I'll have to do that one soon.  The jelly stuck to the pan and kind of ruined the prettiness of the crescents, so next time, I think I'll put a little bit of cooking spray on there.  But they were definite winners for us.

PB&J SPIRALS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MomsCrazyCooking)
Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners Cookbook 2010

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
8 tsp creamy peanut butter
8 tsp grape jelly (or whatever your favorite kind may be)
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
2 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Optional: We did some with bananas, peanut butter and honey. (these were equally good)
Unroll the dough and separate into triangles. Spread 1 tsp of peanut butter and 1 tsp jelly on the wide side of triangle; sprinkle with peanuts. Roll them up in crescent shape and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 11 -13 minutes or until lightly browned. Dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve Warm.

Baked Egg Cups ****

I try to make these once a month or so, since the boys (including hubby, lol) love them so much.  This time around, I tried them with Egg Beaters.  Still winners.  I made half of them with the southwestern-style egg beaters, and hubby and the 11-year-old actually said they preferred the flavor addition.  The 9-year-old is still loyal to the standard, though.  The Egg Beaters make them even healthier plus super duper simple.  You can get by with less egg in each cup that way too.  This will be my favorite way to cook them from now on!

Photo from The Simple Delights

BAKED EGG CUPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via TheSimpleDelights)

12 Eggs
12 thin slices of deli ham (round)
1/2 Cup of your favorite cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup diced scallions
Fresh cracked Sea Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Lay a piece of ham in each hole creating a little ham cup.  Crack one egg into each hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake the eggs for about 12 minutes…until the white is firm and the yolk is still nice and runny.
Carefully remove each egg from the muffin tin and top with grated cheese and scallions.  Serve hot!  Yield: 12

Previous reviews:
7/17/12 ~ My kids adore these.  It's a constant battle with them to find something they both will eat and enjoy for school morning breakfasts.  This one absolutely fits the bill.  The 6-year-old looked into the oven when he got up and immediately said, "Yay! You made my favorite!"  Plus, according to the original poster's calculations, each cup is only 100 calories.  Woo hoo!  Mine were probably a little more, since I used a cheddar cheese blend, but it's probably not too much more, considering how little you use on each one.  I normally cook mine for about 15 minutes, to give the yolk time to firm up enough not to be runny (and therefore messy), but it still allows them to have the over-easy taste to them.  Score!

Pull-Apart Pizza Bread **

I love bread, I love pull-aparts, and I love pizza.  This one seemed like a no-brainer.  I couldn't get it to cook right, though.  I used the bundt and lined it with foil, as suggested, and even with an additional 10 minutes of cooking time, I still had doughy pieces.  The flavor was great, though.  I have another pull-apart recipe that I love, Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts, and it calls for a glass baking dish.  I would definitely be willing to try this one again, using the glass dish instead.  I think that could make all the difference in the world.  My dad loved it, though.  He even asked for the recipe, which he never does, lol.  I can see giving this one another chance in a different baking dish.

PULL-APART PIZZA BREAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheCountryCook)

1 (12 oz) tube refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 tbsp. olive oil
16 slices pepperoni, quartered
1/4 cup shredded pizza-blend cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
t tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
pizza sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
(OP's Note: The original recipe states to line your bundt pan with aluminum foil, then spray with nonstick cooking spray. I just used the nonstick and I did have to kind of go around the edges with a butter knife before it would release. But it did end up coming out just fine.)
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, place in a bowl.
Toss biscuit pieces with oil and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well.
Add biscuits; toss well to coat.
Arrange in the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake at 400F degrees for 15 minutes (or until golden).
Turn bread out of pan onto a serving plate while still warm.
You may need to take a butter knife and gently go around the edges to get it to loosen it up.
I like to serve it top side up (the pretty side).
Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
Makes about 2 dozen pieces.

Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple Bites *

The youngest is absolutely crazy about bacon, in any shape at all, so we were pretty excited to try this one out for our Christmas Eve appetizers.  Sadly, it was just "meh."  The flavor of the pineapple was great, but the bacon just completely fell apart.  I used the thinly sliced bacon, like the recipe recommended, but it just didn't hold together at all.  The bites of bacon were almost chewy, which made no sense, considering that the rest of them disintegrated.  My mom mentioned that it might be better with the pre-cooked bacon.  If I try it again (big "if"), I'll probably go that route, but I honestly don't see this one hitting our menu again.  

BACON-WRAPPED PINEAPPLE BITES

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ KitchenVistas)

1 whole pineapple, cored and cut into chunks

1 pound of thin sliced bacon, cut in half

2-3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wrap each chunk of pineapple in a half a slice of bacon, trim off any fatty or excess bacon.

Place on a wire baking rack or on a lined sheet pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes... remove and sprinkle with brown sugar and preheat broiler to low.

Place the pineapple bites under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep your eye on these so they don't burn.

Let cool slightly and serve!