NORTHWOODS COOKS: Cozy breakfast dishes - Park Rapids Enterprise

Whether it's pancakes or waffles served with warm maple syrup or whipped cream and berries or a hearty egg dish, these recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "From Minnesota with Love,” make breakfast special.

Honey Oatmeal Pancakes

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbsp. honey

Beat eggs well. Gradually stir in 1 cup of buttermilk, oil and dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add remaining cup of buttermilk and honey, mixing well. Cook on lightly greased griddle. Turn pancakes when they are puffed and full of bubbles. Cook other side until golden brown. Serves eight.

German Apple Pancakes

1 cup cream style cottage cheese

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped peeled apple

Place all ingredients except apples in blender and blend for 1 minute. Stir in apples with a spoon. Cook pancakes on lightly greased griddle.

Pancake Puff

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

Pinch of nutmeg

Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

Mix flour, eggs, milk and nutmeg together, leaving batter a bit lumpy. Melt butter in 9-inch pie plate and pour batter on top of it. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Sift powdered sugar on top and serve at once with maple syrup.

High Wheeling Waffles

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

*1 cup sour milk

1 cup cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

Sift flour, baking soda, salt and baking soda together. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, sour milk, cream and sifted ingredients. Mix in butter and beat for 2 minutes or more until very fluffy. Bake on waffle iron until golden brown and serve immediately.

*To make 1 cup of sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of vinegar or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill with milk up to the 1 cup mark. Stir and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes so it can become soured and it's ready to use.

Baked Breakfast Omelet

6-8 slices American cheese

12 slices fried bacon

1 cup milk

10 eggs

1/2 cup each mushrooms, onions and green peppers (optional)

Butter 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Arrange cheese on bottom of pan. Beat milk and eggs together. Dice 9 slices of bacon and add to eggs along with mushrooms and diced onion and green peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into pan, placing remaining bacon slices on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and cut into squares before serving.

Ham and Eggs Breakfast Pizza

12-inch deep dish crust

4 oz. sliced ham

6 oz. Swiss cheese, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 lb. sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp. butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup half and half cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and mushrooms in butter and sprinkle in crust. Best eggs, half and half, salt and pepper together and pour into crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes until set.

Readers are invited to submit four to five of their favorite recipes to enjoy, along with a note about what makes them special. Send recipes to lskarpness@parkrapidsenterprise.com or by mail to the Park Rapids Enterprise, 203 Henrietta Ave. North, Park Rapids, MN 56470 and they may appear in a future issue.