Ben Starr

The Ultimate Food Geek

Category: Breakfast

  • Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

    Who on Earth can resist a warm, yeasty, sticky, sweet cinnamon roll fresh from the oven?  ESPECIALLY if there’s cream cheese frosting to smear on top? The problem is that it takes a solid 3 hours to get cinnamon rolls finished once they are started, and who wants to get up THAT early?  The solution,…

  • Pumpkin Carrot Pancakes with Candied Nuts

    I adapted my now famous Pumpkin Carrot Cake recipe into a simple pancake recipe for my Christmas special at the Kenmore Live Studios, and this is a much simpler way to enjoy the same flavors you get from my very complex and time consuming MasterChef cake. In a bowl, combine: 2 cups all purpose flour…

  • One-Hour Buttermilk English Muffins

    I used to be grossed out by packaged English muffins.  In fact, all packaged breads give me the creeps.  I just can’t buy them.  If they’re not sitting in the open air on the shelf of a bakery, and I’m confident they came out of the oven that day, I can’t bring myself to buy…

  • Buttermilk Biscuits

    A video tutorial is located at the bottom of this recipe. Biscuits are SO easy to make, it blows my mind why people by those disgusting cans of biscuit dough in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, or attempt to use Bisquick, which is filled with salt, hydrogenated fats, and preservatives.  It generally takes…

  • One-Hour Yeast Risen Monkey Bread

    Monkey bread probably evolved out of a 1950’s housewife’s attempt to turn canned biscuit dough into a more glamorous breakfast food.  Traditionally it’s made from taking canned biscuit dough, rolling it in butter and cinnamon and sugar, and baking the dough balls in a bundt pan.  The theory was that the little dough balls would…

  • Ben’s Great Omelet Secret for Casserole Leftovers

    Trust me on this one, people, because it’s going to sound weird.  The BEST way to use casserole leftovers isn’t to reheat them in the microwave day after day for the rest of the week.  BORING!  Instead, use them as omelet fillings. I’m SERIOUS!  It’s delicious.  I have yet to try a casserole that doesn’t…

  • Ben’s Homemade Granola

    Granola is expensive in the store, and it’s packed with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.  You can make your own granola for far less…it tastes better…it’s much healthier…and it’s fun!  This is an especially good project for kids. Rather than give you a strict recipe, I’m going to give you a formula of dry-ingredients-to-wet-ingredients…

  • Pumpkin Gingerbread Pancakes

    Pumpkin is my favorite ingredient.  In the autumn, you’d be hard pressed to find me making a dish that doesn’t include pumpkin, and I’m legendary for finding ways to use it in almost every dish. These pancakes have been served every morning after my annual fall dinner party for years.  They’re always a hit. 2…

  • Mama Starr’s Nutmeg Coffee Cake

    Mama Starr is my Dad’s mother.  She and Daddy Bill, who made his living as a barber and a Protestant minister, were always very formal, straight-laced grandparents (as opposed to Meemaw and Peepaw who were ornery and occasionally a tad bit crude when humor called for it).  This is a photograph from 1927 when Mama…

  • Whole Grain Low Fat Banana Bread

    My parents raised me on a whole grain diet with NO processed sugars.  I’m talking course whole wheat and cornmeal, brown rice, with honey as the only permitted sweetener.  Needless to say, many of my mom’s dessert recipes, particularly cakes and quick breads, suffered as a result.  The texture was never comparable to recipes made…