Summer break has almost passed and many of us are gearing up for another year of school. If you’re going back-to-school shopping or if you’re heading off to a long day of work, start your morning off with one of these hearty and home cooked breakfasts—something I know college students long for during the school year.

As a child I always adored reading the “Pick your own adventure” books so today I’m letting you experience them too.

We have two adventures to explore today—both will turn out fabulous but it all just depends on what kind of individual you are: one with a lot of imagination who loves to put in the extra effort or one who is more straightforward and loves the simple, yet delicious finished product.

Both meals can easily be paired with hash browns from the freezer section of your local grocery store and a sunny-side-up egg or two.

Home made crepes are a great way to start off a Saturday morning. | All photos courtesy of Bethany Linnenkohl

Adventure 1- For the Daring

When I was younger I would make crepes or some other fun and tasty breakfast dish every Saturday morning because it would take way too much time on weekdays. Many people go to creperies, farmer’s markets, or even France to get their crepe fix but crepes are surprisingly easy to make. It is true, when anything is home cooked there is sure to be more love in the finished product!

The Ingredients:

-2 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 tablespoons butter, melted
-Array of toppings

Step by Step:

1. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and salt then liquefy the batter until smooth. Add in the butter and blend the mixture again. Scrape the sides of the blender and continue blending until there are no chunks. If the batter is too thick, add 1 tbsp more milk.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle, frying pan, or crepe skillet over medium heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/4 cup for each crepe. Coat the surface of the griddle evenly by tilting the pan in a circular motion.
3. Cook the crepe for about a minute and a half, until the bottom of the crepe is light brown. Loosen with a spatula or thin wooden tongs (or practice your flipping skills), turn and cook the other side of the crepe for approximately 15 seconds. *Note: The first crepe usually doesn’t turn out as good as the following crepes as the griddle is still heating up—the chef eats the mess-ups!
4. Serve hot with toppings such as nutella, whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon and sugar, yogurt, jam, cottage cheese, maple syrup, cream cheese, applesauce, or peanut butter and bananas.

Quick muffins are perfect for a busy college student. | All photos courtesy of Bethany Linnenkohl

Adventure 2- The Simple Pleasures

Meet the easy and satisfying quick breads—a culinary jumble. All quick breads involve the basic ingredients, dumping, mixing, and baking. Equivalent to chocolate chip cookies, quick breads are perfect for the beginner baker or those looking to impress.

This past year on campus about every week or two I turned out at least one or two batches of banana bread, with some bathches including chocolate chips.

Banana bread to me is a very simple analogy of God’s interaction in our life through the process of salvation; He has taken something putrid and on the verge of being thrown in the trash and turns it into something noteworthy and beautiful. So, reduce your trash and use those brown, bruised, and sometimes black bananas!

The Ingredients:

-4-5 mashed overripe bananas
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs, beaten
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla
-1/2 cup butter
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-a handful (or two) of chocolate chips

Step by Step:

1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.In a large bowl or an electric mixer, combine mashed bananas, both sugars, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Add in the melted butter and mix well as you do. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda or you can just add it in to the same bowl as the liquid mixture and save a bowl. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture until well incorporated, moistened, yet still lumpy. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into muffin cups in a muffin pan filling the muffin cups 3/4 full.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top of the muffin is slightly browned and a toothpick inserted into center of the muffin comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Preferably serve warm. Yields 24 muffins.

*I love to share my culinary passion with the public, but as these are my recipes, please give credit where credit is due! Enjoy!