By Susan McClanahan

Today just happens to be my birthday, and we will be spending time together as a family after church, most likely with a brunch meal. Quite often we have brunch when we get home from church, and that is usually the extent of the cooking on Sunday. We usually are well satisfied the rest of the day, so if anything, there may be a light snack later in the afternoon or evening.

In thinking about brunch, I am passing along a few recipes you might like to try at your next brunch or breakfast-for-supper meal.

Orange Brunch Special

I almost always make these for Christmas Eve brunch and only make a small recipe for the four of us. The nice thing is that you can adjust the amount of oranges, zest and sugar to suit your own personal taste.

• 10 navel oranges, closely peeled, removing outer white pith
• Grated rind of 1 lime
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Peel nine of the navel oranges, using a sharp knife to remove all outer white pith. Grate or zest the rinds of the lime and lemon. Add the juice from the remaining navel orange to the zest. Blend in sugar, adjusting to taste. Thinly slice the nine oranges across into rounds and place on a serving platter that is rimmed or with sides. Pour juice and zest mixture evenly over orange slices. Cover and refrigerate, basting occasionally with the platter juices until serving time.

Lemon Raspberry Bran Muffin

For the muffin:

• 1/4 cup fat-free egg product
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole-grain Total cereal, slightly crushed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces fat-free lemon yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen (partially thawed) raspberries

For icing drizzle:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Skim milk to consistency
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 or 2 tablespoons seedless red raspberry jam, or amount desired

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.

In large bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients, except raspberries, just until barely moistened. There still may be some dry ingredients swirled in the mixture. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Cool completely.

Mix the icing ingredients; drizzle over muffin tops. Store tightly covered.

Spicy Candied Bacon

• 1 pound bacon, thick sliced
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 (convection) or 375 (conventional). Prepare baking tray with aluminum foil to help cleanup and a rack. Spray heavily with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix 1/2 cup light brown sugar with 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cut bacon strips in half and trim any large chunks of fat from the ends. Dip bacon in the brown sugar mixture and coat well. Spread over the prepared rack, leaving a little space, then give them a light dusting of additional sugar and spice. Bake until bacon appears done, which is dark along the edges, about 20 minutes, but start checking at 15 minutes. The sugar can begin to burn when left in too long. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes and use a paper towel to carefully pat off any pools of fat on top. Serve piping hot or at room temperature.

Coconut Berry Macadamia French Toast

This recipe is delicious with the crunch and flavor of the coconut and Macadamia nuts. I don't bother with dividing the whipped cream and tinting it pink; I just use all uncolored to avoid that added red artificial color, but you do as you wish. I also do not stack two high; I do two pieces side-by-side, layering toast, cream cheese mixture, mashed berries and whipped cream.

• 1 loaf Texas Toast white bread
• 1 pound strawberries or raspberries
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/3 cup Macadamia nuts, finely chopped
• 2 whole large eggs or 4 egg whites
• 1/3 cup milk
• Red food coloring drops, optional

Mash berries and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

In pie plate, mix egg and milk. In different pie plate, mix nuts and coconut. Dip each slice of bread first in egg mixture, then in nut mixture and place in greased, hot skillet. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Sometimes with the thick bread, you may want to stand them on their sides to brown for a bit.

Whip pint of cream on high until stiff, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar toward end of whipping. Set aside 1/2 of the whipped cream in bowl. In remaining 1/2 of whipped cream, if desired, add red food coloring, mix and also set this whipped cream in the refrigerator until all the French toast is cooked. In separate bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth and airy. Fold into white 1/2 of whipped cream. Layer 1 slice of cooked French toast, cream cheese mixture, some of the smashed berries, another slice of the toast and then a dollop of the pink whipped cream and a lsome more berries.

Skillet Apple Pie Biscuits

• 8 frozen, thawed or homemade buttermilk biscuits
• 1 can (21 ounces) premium apple pie filling, or make from scratch (recipe below)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces

For the glaze (you may wish to double if desired):

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cream, half and half or whole milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter and brush on all sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until blended. Dip each biscuit in the butter and sprinkle all sides with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange side by side in the skillet. Cut the apples in the pie filling into smaller pieces and mix in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla. Arrange over the biscuits. Pour the remaining butter over all and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and puffy. Mix together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle on top. Serve hot.

To pan saute fresh apples to use in place of apple pie filling, follow this simple recipe:

• 4 cups Granny Smith apples -- peeled, cored and cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook 4 cups of cubed apples with the juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Thicken the juices with cornstarch if needed; it may not be necessary. Proceed with the recipe as written from this point.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.