Protein-packed pumpkin pancakes

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I had such a hard time photographing this blog post because I couldn't stop eating the pancakes. They're thick and fluffy and so full of flavor. They're perfect for autumn, but also, I would eat these any time of year. And even better—they're actually pretty healthy. One pancake has nearly 9 grams of protein (8.6 grams, to be exact) and no added sugar. Let me break down the ingredients.

Cottage cheese: This is probably a shock to most people, but cottage cheese is the secret to tender, fluffy pancakes that are packed with protein. I recommend using full-fat cottage cheese for the best flavor. You can use small curd or large curd cottage cheese, but the benefit of using small curd is that the curds will mostly melt into the pancake when cooked. But if you use a blender, it doesn't matter. I recently discovered whipped cottage cheese at Kroger, which is perfect for this recipe because the curds aren't really visible at all.

Eggs: Eggs are pretty standard in pancake recipes, and in this case, they contribute to the structure and the protein content.

Pumpkin puree: We can't have pumpkin pancakes without pumpkin puree. I'm so glad it's finally back in stock at stores. I've never tested this, but I imagine you could use mashed sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin if you're trying to recreate this recipe when pumpkin isn't in season.

Vanilla extract: Necessary for additional flavor.

Oat flour: Oat flour is simply ground up rolled oats. I have oat flour on hand almost all the time now because oats are great for lactating moms like myself. But you can make it yourself by grinding rolled oats or old fashioned oats in your food processor or blender. Also, if you use gluten-free oats, this is now a gluten-free pancake recipe. Also, oat flour has more protein than all-purpose flour. If you don't want to be bothered with oat flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour.

Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice: Essential for flavoring! I didn't include pumpkin pie spice in the first batch I made, and its absence was notable. If you don't have it, substitute an additional 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. 

Baking powder: Contributes to the lift and fluffiness of the pancakes.

Challenge Salted Caramel Snack Spread: The best way to top these pancakes is with Challenge Salted Caramel Snack Spread. The extra caramel flavor combined with butter is absolutely delicious.

I recommend making a big batch of these pancakes so you have leftovers for breakfast throughout the week. They last 3 days in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze them and store them for up to 3 months.

Protein-packed pumpkin pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup cottage cheese, small curd, full fat 
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup oat flour 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon Challenge Salted Caramel Snack Spread
• Optional toppings: Maple syrup, pecans

Directions

1. Whisk together cottage cheese and eggs.
2. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. In separate bowl, whisk oat flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until smooth with some lumps.
5. Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil (my preference is coconut oil).
6. Once oil is hot, use scoop to place pancake batter into pan.
7. Cook until pancakes are set around edges and golden-brown on bottom, about 3 minutes.
8. Flip pancakes and cook until second side is golden-brown, about 2 more minutes. If you're not sure if the pancake is done, you can check the internal temperature. It should register between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Serve pancakes with Challenge Salted Caramel Snack Spread, maple syrup, and pecans if desired.

Carrot cake monkey bread (homemade and store-bought dough versions)

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Carrot cake is a classic Easter dessert. In fact, I’ve made several variations for the holiday in years past. This year I’m putting an entirely new spin on it by making carrot cake monkey bread.

Most people make traditional carrot cake with carrots and a combination of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I also like to make my carrot cake with pineapple and pecans. This monkey bread encompasses those flavors but in a unique form.

So what is monkey bread? Monkey bread is a cake formed from pieces of dough coated in cinnamon and sugar, covered with a sugary sauce, and baked in a bundt pan. You eat it with your hands, just like a monkey. Most people serve it as a sweet breakfast treat or as a dessert.

I’ve made several variations of monkey bread in the past, including a blueberry lemon monkey bread and a pineapple upside down cake monkey bread, using store-bought biscuit dough. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But with this variation, I really wanted the carrot cake flavors to stand out in the individual pieces, so I made the dough from scratch. But don't worry! I still included a recipe with store-bought dough.

There are a few differences between the version with the homemade dough and the version with the store-bought dough. The homemade dough is an enriched dough meaning it has fat and sugar. It is important to add the butter after the structure is established, otherwise the gluten network may not properly develop.

In the store-bought version, I can't incorporate the carrots into the dough, so instead, I scattered the carrots across the dough in the bundt pan with the crushed pineapple and pecan filling. Another difference: the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are mixed in with the orange zest/sugar coating in the store-bought version.

Once your dough is ready, the process moves quickly. I like to set up an assembly line with my bowl of dough, melted butter, sugar coating, and bundt pan. Just dip the dough in the melted butter, then the sugar, and then place it in the bundt pan. Repeat the process with half the dough. Then add the pineapple and pecan mixture, and continue the assembly line with the rest of the dough.

Before baking the dough, I made a simple sauce by combining melted butter, brown sugar, and juice from the can of crushed pineapple. I poured it all over the top of the dough which will allow it to seep through to the bottom and coat each piece as it bakes.

Carrot cake isn't complete without cream cheese frosting! I used Challenge cream cheese for this recipe because I know they use hormone-free milk from local dairies, resulting in all-natural and high-quality products. 

Carrot cake monkey bread with homemade dough

Yield: 10 servings

Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, lukewarm
• 2 eggs (100 grams), beaten, room temperature
• 4 1/2 cups (540 grams) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) Challenge unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
• 1 1/2 c (200 grams) carrots, grated

For the coating

• 1/2 cup (115 grams) Challenge unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 orange, zested

For the filling

• 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained but juice reserved for sauce and frosting
• 1/2 cup (65 grams) pecans, chopped

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup (57 grams) Challenge unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup reserved juice from can of crushed pineapple
• 1 cup (213 grams) brown sugar

For the frosting

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) confectioner's sugar
• 2 Tablespoons reserved juice from can of crushed pineapple
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the dough

1. Combine milk and eggs in large mixing bowl. Add bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
2. Knead everything together, using a mixer or by hand, to form a smooth ball of dough. Mix on first speed for 5 minutes to combine the ingredients, increase to second speed until dough develops and pulls away from sides of bowl. This may take up to 10 minutes. Dough will be sticky, but it should pull away from sides of bowl. If it doesn't, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Add half of butter on first speed and mix 2-3 minutes or until fully incorporated. Add remaining butter and mix on second speed 4-5 minutes until fully incorporated and dough “sheets” when window is pulled.
4. Add carrots and mix until evenly distributed throughout dough.
5. Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let double in volume at room temperature, around 90 minutes to 2 hours. 
6. De-gas dough and transfer onto pastry mat or lightly floured surface. 

For the coating and the filling

1. Prepare bundt pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Mix sugar and orange zest.
3. Create assembly line with melted butter, sugar mixture, and bundt pan.
4. Divide dough in half. Starting with first half, cut off small sections about 25 grams in size and shape into balls.
5. Dip 1 ball in butter, then sugar mixture, then place in bundt pan. Repeat with remaining pieces from first half of dough.
6. Mix pineapple and pecans and spread evenly over dough in bundt pan.
7. Repeat dough assembly line with second half of dough until there is no more dough.
8. Cover top of bundt pan with plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes.

For the sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat butter, pineapple juice and brown sugar until mixture comes to boil.
3. Remove plastic wrap from bundt pan and pour sauce over dough.
4. Transfer bundt pan into oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Or until golden brown on top. If top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Double check to see if dough is cooked through by testing with thermometer. Inside should register between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

For the frosting

1. Beat together cream cheese with sugar, pineapple juice, and salt until smooth.
2. Once monkey bread is cool, pipe frosting down sides of monkey bread.
3. Serve monkey bread with any extra frosting for dipping.

Carrot cake monkey bread with store-bought dough

Yield: 10 servings

Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the rolls

• 24 frozen dinner rolls, thawed, or 2 (16 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) Challenge unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

• 1 1/2 c (200 grams) carrots, grated
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained but juice reserved for sauce and frosting
• 1/2 cup (65 grams) pecans, chopped

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup (57 grams) Challenge unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup reserved juice from can of crushed pineapple
• 1 cup (213 grams) brown sugar

For the frosting

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) confectioner's sugar
• 2 Tablespoons reserved juice from can of crushed pineapple
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the rolls

1. Prepare bundt pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Cut each roll or biscuit into 4 pieces and shape into ball.
3. Mix sugar, orange zest, and spices.
4. Create assembly line with melted butter, sugar mixture, and bundt pan.
5. Dip 1 dough ball in butter, then sugar mixture, then place in bundt pan. Repeat with half of dough balls.

For the filling

1. Mix carrots, pineapple and pecans and spread evenly over dough in bundt pan.
2. Repeat dough assembly line with second half of dough balls. 

For the sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat butter, pineapple juice and brown sugar until mixture comes to boil.
3. Pour sauce over dough in bundt pan.
4. Transfer bundt pan into oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Or until golden brown on top. If top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Double check to see if dough is cooked through by testing with thermometer. Inside should register between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

For the frosting

1. Beat together cream cheese with sugar, pineapple juice, and salt until smooth.
2. Once monkey bread is cool, pipe frosting down sides of monkey bread.
3. Serve monkey bread with any extra frosting for dipping.

Spanakopita pie

 This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible.

Spanakopita is usually described as spinach and feta pie, but it's typically baked in a large casserole dish or shaped into triangles. But in honor of Pie Day, I made it into an actual pie with phyllo dough serving as the crust to the spinach and feta filling.

I grew up making spanakopita with my mom and my Yiayia, so I want to share some tips I learned from them throughout the years.

Use clarified butter. The butter we buy from the grocery store consists of butterfat, milk solids, and water. Clarified butter is just the butterfat with everything else removed. Because the milk solids are removed, clarified butter has a higher smoking point. Phyllo dough is very delicate and using clarified butter helps it to brown evenly. I recommend using Challenge European Style Unsalted Butter. Challenge European butter is churned slower and longer, in the tradition of fine European butters, to produce a more flavorful butter with less moisture and higher butterfat than American butter (83% in European versus 80% in standard butters).

Use frozen spinach. I've used fresh spinach and frozen spinach, and I cannot taste a difference. Using frozen spinach is cheaper, and it eliminates the step of having to saute the spinach. You have to make sure to thaw the frozen spinach ahead of time and squeeze all of the water out of it. 

Use cottage cheese. Cottage cheese makes for a really creamy consistency. However, if you're very anti-cottage cheese or if you can't find it in the small curd variety, just omit it.

Use a damp towel and work quickly to prevent phyllo from drying out. Allow your phyllo dough to come to room temperature before working with it, but don't open the packaging until you're ready to work with it. Once you open the roll and expose it to the air, it will dry out. This is problematic because it will become brittle and break easily. Lightly dampen a tea towel and use it to cover up the phyllo dough you aren't currently using.

Spanakopita pie

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

For the clarified butter

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Challenge European Style Unsalted Butter

For the spankopita pie

• 18 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 3 bunches (about 6 ounces) green onions, white and green parts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 ounces small curd cottage cheese
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Zest from 1 lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 20 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Directions

For the clarified butter

1. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Don't stir!
2. Skim off foamy milk solids that rose to the top.
3. Carefully ladle golden butterfat into bowl, leaving behind residue of milky white solids that settled at bottom of pan.
4. Keep clarified butter at room temperature throughout duration of spanakopita recipe. When finished, cover and store in refrigerator.

For the spanakopita

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Drain and squeeze all excess water from spinach. This is very important! A potato ricer works really well for this task. 
3. In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of your clarified butter over medium-low heat. Add green onions and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and combine with spinach in large bowl.
4. Add feta, cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Combine with spinach mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in eggs. Set aside.
5. Brush bottom and sides of 10-inch cast-iron skillet with clarified butter. 
6. Lightly dampen dish towel. Unroll roll of phyllo dough and lay dish towel on top. Keep towel on top of unused phyllo while you work to prevent dough from drying out.
7. Working quickly, remove one phyllo sheet from rest of stack and gently press in bottom and up sides of skillet. Lightly brush entire sheet with butter.
8. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets, rotating each sheet in a different direction as you add it.
9. Spoon spinach-feta mixture into skillet and spread in even layer. 
10. Carefully fold overhanging edges of phyllo toward center of pan. Lightly brush exposed surface of phyllo with butter.
11. Cook skillet over medium heat on stovetop for 5 minutes to crisp bottom crust. 
12. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until phyllo is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
13. Remove skillet from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges and serving.

Recipe inspired by Skillet Spanakopita from NYT Cooking

Southwestern quiche with hot honey

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Quiche may very well be the most underrated breakfast food. I don’t understand why more people don’t get jazzed about quiche. The rich, custardy filling encased in a flaky pie crust is exactly what my dreams are made of. If I was a politician, I’d run on a platform of more quiche for America.

One of the things I love about quiche is that it can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. The first quiche I fell in love with was quiche lorraine. It consists of bacon, onion, gruyere cheese, eggs, and heavy cream. It sounds simple enough, but the flavor combination is nothing short of heavenly.

Using quiche lorraine as my muse, I wanted to create a quiche recipe with both savory and sweet elements. My answer was to make a southwestern quiche with sweet corn kernels and jalapeños in the filling and hot honey drizzled on top.

I even added a little cornmeal to my pie crust recipe to bring out the corn flavor, but it’s just as easy to leave it out if you don’t have cornmeal on hand. I only use Challenge butter when making pie crust. Superior ingredients make superior products, and you can really tell a difference when making the crusts how much better Challenge butter is than its competitors.

The hot honey really takes the quiche from tasty to incredible. You can certainly buy hot honey, but it’s awfully expensive considering how easy it is to make. All you need is honey, hot sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flakes.

Even though quiche is considered a “breakfast food,” don’t let that stop you from eating quiche for lunch and dinner as well!

Southwestern quiche with hot honey

Ingredients

For the pie crust

• 1 3/8 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) cornmeal (if you don’t have cornmeal, use an additional 40 grams flour)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 stick (154 grams) Challenge unsalted butter
• 4.5 Tablespoons (66 grams) cold water

For the custard

• 4 ounces bacon, medium dice
• 3 ounces sweet onion, medium dice
• 8 ounces corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 jalapeño, small dice
• 4 large eggs
• 6 fluid ounces heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

For the hot honey

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the pie crust 

1. Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, and butter until pieces of butter are very small.
2. Add water to flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time and mix just until dough comes together.
3. Shape dough into disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 385 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Roll out dough to 12-inch circle and transfer to 9-inch pie pan. Trim and crimp edges. 
6. Line pie shel with parchment paper and pie weights.
7. Bake until edges turn pale gold in color, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and remove paper and weights. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until bottom of crust turns light gold in color.

For the custard

1. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cook bacon over medium heat in skillet. Use slotted spoon to transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate. Leave fat in skillet.
3. Saute onion, corn, and jalapeno in bacon fat until onion is translucent and corn is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. In bowl, combine and whisk eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.
5. Place grated cheese, bacon pieces, onion, corn, and jalapeño in pie shell. Pour egg mixture over everything.
6. Bake until quiche is just set, about 35 to 45 minutes.

For the hot honey

1. Add all ingredients to small saucepan on stove over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, allow it to continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and carefully pour mixture into mason jar.
4. Allow to cool completely before topping with lid.

Puff pastry and lox

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love eating bagels and lox for breakfast on special occasions, and recently on a trip to Trader Joe's, I noticed they had Everything But the Bagel Seasoned Smoked Salmon. The product was practically shouting at me to use it for a bagels and lox brunch.

Sometimes I think bagels are too heavy, and they overpower the thinly sliced salmon and light, whipped cream cheese. As I thought about it, I realized serving it on puff pastry would be a good solution.

Before baking the puff pastry, I brushed egg wash on top, poked it with a fork a few times to prevent it from puffing up too much, and sprinkled Everything But the Bagel Seasoning from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's on top. If you don't live near a Trader Joe's, you can purchase the seasoning on Amazon., or the Food Netwok has a recipe for it here.

Since puff pastry is pretty delicate and flaky after it's baked, I wanted to make sure the cream cheese spread onto it smoothly. Using a mixer, I beat together my favorite Challenge cream cheese with a little bit of sour cream so it was less dense. I also added a little chopped dill and garlic powder to the mixture to jazz it up.

Once I spread the cream cheese mixture onto the puff pastry, I topped it with Everything But the Bagel Seasoned Smoked Salmon, red onion, thinly sliced lemon, capers, dill, and chives. You can customize this dish with whatever toppings you desire. Avocado, cucumber, arugula, and other pickled vegetables might be good additions, too!

I used Challenge cream cheese for this recipe because I appreciate that the company uses hormone-free milk from local dairies, resulting in all-natural and high-quality products. 

Side note: I recently found out that smoke salmon and lox are actually not the same. Essentially, smoked salmon is smoked after it is cured, whereas lox is cured but not smoked. Technically, this recipe should be named "Puff pastry and smoked salmon," but I wanted the title to be a play on "bagels and lox."

Puff pastry and lox

Ingredients
For the dill cream cheese spread

• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 4 Tablespoons dill, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the pastry

• 1 sheet puff pastry (Wewalka is my favorite because it's refrigerated, not frozen)
• Egg wash (1 egg, 1 Tablespoon water, mixed together)
• 2 Tablespoons Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, or lox
• 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons capers
• 1/4 lemon, very thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons chives, chopped

Directions
For the dill cream cheese spread

1. Beat the cream cheese at high speed for about 3 minutes or until it's light and whipped.
2. Add sour cream and beat until smooth
3. Add dill and garlic powder and beat until combined.
4. Let sit in refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the dish.

For the pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Unroll puff pastry and brush with egg wash. 
3. Use a fork to poke it a few times to prevent it from puffing too much.
4. Sprinkle Everything But the Bagel Seasoning on top.
5. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it starts to puff up and turns golden brown.
6. Remove from oven—you may need to poke it in the center if it puffed up too much.
7. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before spreading the cream cheese mixture on top.
8. Slice the smoked salmon into small pieces and evenly spread them out on top of the cream cheese mixture.
9. Add the rest of your toppings and cut into rectangular pieces. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Waffles Casserole

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Does anyone else ever think about how scary it is that we're all so dependent on technology? I've been thinking about it a lot this week as I deal with a broken laptop. Actually "broken" is a generous adjective for the condition my laptop is in -- it's dead.

I wasted hours of time on vacation time trying to fix it. Did you catch that? I wasted VACATION TIME because of a broken laptop. And I'm sure many of you would do the same thing. The unknown of whether it would work or not gave me extreme anxiety. 

I use my laptop to sort through emails, to study and read my textbook, to blog, to edit photos... It's my link to the outside world. Except, somewhere along the way I must have forgotten that I'm actually living in the "outside world," and I don't need a "link" to it because I'm in it!

I realize a lot of our dependence to technology is just a result of the direction the world is moving. And most people have obligations that require the use of technology. So my suggestion to you is that the next time you experience a laptop or computer problem, try to embrace it instead of becoming upset or anxious. Use it as an opportunity to disconnect and channel your energy toward more simple things in life. Learn from my mistakes!

Okay, now someone lend me a hand so I can get down from my soapbox.

I first learned about the "chicken and waffles" combination just a few years ago. Savory, sweet, and an incredible combination of textures. This is definitely a recipe I'd be interested in sharing with friends. But then I think about how I would be stuck in the kitchen serving up waffles while everyone else eats. No thank you. I am already the world's slowest eater. so you don't want me eating last.

That's why I like breakfast casseroles. Make them the night before, pop the whole thing in the oven, and everyone gets to eat at the same time! But wait, chicken and waffles can be turned into a casserole too! And that's exactly what I did.

Let's first talk about the waffles. I made cornbread maple waffles -- great texture and the perfect amount of sweetness. You could absolutely use freezer waffles if you prefer, but I feel like nothing compares to a homemade waffle.

For the fried chicken, I bought popcorn chicken from the freezer section of the grocery store. I chose the popcorn variety because it's already in bite-size pieces. But you can make you own fried chicken, oven fry your chicken, or buy it from your favorite restaurant.

I layered the waffles and the chicken in an 8 x 8 pan with cheese because why not cheese. And then I added a mixture of eggs, milk, maple syrup and spices to hold it together.

It was actually better than I imagined, and the pieces came out of the pan really well!

Chicken and Waffles Casserole

Yield: Serves about 8 people

Ingredients

For the waffles

• 2 (8.5 ounce) boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

For the egg mixture

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Also...

• 2 pounds fried popcorn chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

For the waffles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix Jiffy mix, eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, and brown sugar until there are no lumps.
3. Use batter to make waffles; cube waffles and set aside.

For the egg mixture

1. Combine eggs, milk, maple syrup, chili powder, garlic powder, and dry mustard; set aside

Assembly

1. Spray 8 x 8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. Add 1/2 of cubed waffles to bottom of pan; layer with 1 pound of popcorn chicken and 1/2 of cup cheese.
3. Repeat adding the rest of the waffles, chicken, and cheese
4. Pour egg mixture on top.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with more maple syrup if desired.

Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Every year on Mother’s Day I’m stumped. I have the hardest time trying to find a gift for my mother.

What do you get the most important woman in your world? What do you get the woman who gave you life… the woman who selflessly serves the needs of your family… the woman who compromises her sleep to ensure your well-being… the woman who loves you unconditionally?

If you have the answer, let me know. In the meantime, my mom’s getting a plant, ha!

But seriously, my mother is the hardest person to shop for. She’s definitely not a “material girl,” and she doesn’t care for perfumes or jewelry or purses. So if you’re in a similar situation, I recommend making your mom something to eat! The way to any woman’s heart is through her stomach. That saying is typically reserved for men, but trust me, it applies to women too!

This year for Mother’s Day I really wanted to make something unique. One of my favorite spring flavor combinations is blueberry-lemon, and somehow I got the idea that it would work well as a monkey bread. I always have monkey bread on my mind. And although it took a few tries to perfect, I love the way it turned out. I think it’s the most beautiful brunch recipe I’ve ever made.

I’m going to walk you through the process of how I made it so you don’t make the same mistakes I initially did.

The first step is to macerate your blueberries, and it’s important to note that you should allow plenty of time for this. If you don’t know, macerating draws out the natural juices in fruit so it develops a thin syrup. You do this by adding sugar to the bowl of berries. That’s really all it takes. Because blueberries have skin, the maceration process takes a bit longer. I recommend doing this step up at least several hours in advance. If you didn't prep that far ahead, don’t worry about! But try to at least let them macerate for a half hour.

Secondly, don't forget to add butter to the dough mixture! If you skip this step, the dough is more likely to stick to the pan. I always use Challenge butter because they use 100% real cream without any hormones, additives, or fillers, and I think it makes a big difference in the taste.

Next, when you add the blueberries to the bundt pan, add half of the biscuit dough first, then add all of the blueberries, and finish with the remaining biscuit dough. It’s important that the blueberry layer goes in the middle. I tried adding the blueberries a couple of different ways, and this looks the best by far!

Lastly, don’t wait too long to flip the monkey bread out of the bundt pan after you bake it! I like to invert the monkey bread onto a plate about 20 minutes after removing it from the oven. If you wait too long, it will stick to the pan and fall out in pieces. I’ve had that happen before, and it’s the worst!

Let me know if you make Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread for your mom for Mother’s Day, and thank you to all of the strong, gracious mothers out there! You don’t hear it enough, but we appreciate you!

Blueberry Lemon Monkey Bread

Ingredients

Macerate the blueberries

• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the monkey bread

• 2 (16 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Macerate the blueberries

1. Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice; set aside until ready to use. You can make this up to a day in advance.

For the monkey bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; prepare bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and add dough to large bowl.
3. Add sugar and lemon zest to bowl, and mix until all of the sugar sticks to the dough.
4. Add melted butter to bowl, and mix until dough is coated.
5. Evenly spread half of dough along bottom of bundt pan; add all of the blueberries.
6. Finish by layering the remaining dough on top of the blueberries.
7. Bake monkey bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until dough looks golden brown.
8. Let monkey bread cool for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.

For the icing

1. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The icing should be thick, but it should flow enough that you can still drizzle it. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
2. Drizzle icing over monkey bread and serve.

Recipe adapted from Mind Over Batter

Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

This time of year I'm always looking for new brunch and breakfast ideas with Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up. I look for easy recipes that can be prepped in just a few minutes and made ahead of time, ad this recipe for Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket definitely fits the bill.

All you need is one can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and sausage links. You ca use regular sausage or turkey sausage. Personally, I prefer the sausage that's already cooked because it makes the prep even easier. Then you just take a cinnamon roll, unravel it, and cut it into 3 or 4 equal parts. (Obviously you can get a higher yield if you cut it into 4 parts, but if you don't have many sausage links, you can just cut it into 3 parts.) And then just wrap the cinnamon roll around the sausage.

After the Pigs in a Blanket finish cooking, I like to add a maple glaze on top. It's just a few ingredients (butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar), but it makes a huge difference in taste!

And that's it! The result is a portable treat that's the perfect combination of a little salty and a little sweet. The yield is pretty large, so these would also be great for a tailgate or bridal shower or other brunch function with a big group of people.



Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket
Yield: Makes between 15 and 20 Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredients

• 1 can Grands Cinnamon Rolls (you can use another cinnamon roll brand as long as it unravels)
• 15 to 20 sausage links
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit; line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. Unravel each of the 5 cinnamon rolls and cut into 3 or 4 equal pieces
3. Wrap one piece of dough around each sausage link and place on baking sheet
4. Bake between 20 to 25 minutes, or until cinnamon roll starts to turn golden brown
5. Mix together butter and maple syrup; slowly add powdered sugar and mix until combined and there are no lumps
6. Drizzle glaze over pigs in a blanket and serve