Category — Breakfast

I am one of those people that cannot face my day without a hearty breakfast and when waffles are on the menu, I am one of those people that cannot exercise any self restraint. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a pat of salty butter with sticky sweet maple syrup…it’s waffle heaven. Of course the beginning of any good waffle recipe is the batter, waffle maker , and waffle stand cooling rack . This recipe from Better Home and Garden via Apartment Therapy is an interesting one—these waffles are called “overnight yeasted waffles” and are less sweet and less dense than traditional waffles.

ingredients

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-3/4 cups milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup cooking oil or butter, melted

directions

1. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, yeast, vanilla (if desired), and salt; add milk, eggs, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Cover batter loosely and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.

2. Stir batter. Pour about 3/4 cup batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker (I like the Cuisinart Nonstick Waffle Iron). Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm. Discard any remaining batter. Makes about 16 (4-inch) waffles.

If you’re an American and were born in the last thirty or so years, you’ve probably never heard of egg cups and egg spoons .  This clever serving set has been around for hundreds of years, and although virtually obselete in the US, is still popular in Europe.

The Egg Spoon & Egg Cup set above is just $16.99 at ChefTools.com .  The way to use this is to make a hardboiled egg, then place it in the egg cup.  Crack just the top and then eat the egg with a spoon – kind of an old fashioned thing, huh?

Although this is the traditional use of an Egg Cup & Spoon, you can also use the bowl to hold miniature egg creations.  I sometimes like to make scrambled eggs and then put them in the cup, and serve as a side dish with waffles or pancakes.

Mini Scramble Recipe (serves 4):

-4 eggs
-2 pieces of honey maple bacon
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1 pat butter

Grate about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (or even easier, buy the pre-shedded cheese!) Heat up a small frying pan , place 1 pat butter in pan and let spread around surface of pan. Place the two strips of bacon into the pan and cook until crispy.  Once crisped, remove from pan and set aside.  Crack the 4 eggs directly into the pan.  While they are cooking, chop the bacon into small pieces. When the eggs start to get slightly firm, start scrambling.  When it looks like eggs are almost the texture you want, sprinkle the cheese and bacon in.  Once cheese has melted slightly, remove pan from heat.  Scoop eggs into the egg cups and voila – mini cheddar bacon egg scramble!

The kitchen is a great and often unexplored part of everyone’s home. Whether hosting a get together or making it a hands-on experience for you and the hubby, or even hosting your own Iron Chef competition among friends, here are some gadgets to make getting messy in the kitchen more fun.

How adorable would it be to bring a giant cupcake to the next birthday party you’re attending? It’d make a kitschy and fun gift for the cupcake lover in all of us. Don’t forget the sprinkles!
Giant cupcake pan , $29.95.

On to the opposite of giant baked goods, mini donuts! This mini donut maker , $24.95, is a steal and would make a great surprise breakfast for a special someone or a nice treat to bring into the office. Plus, you don’t have to worry about frying these tasty treats with the easy non stick pan that works like magic.

Lastly, I came upon this one by chance but it was too genius not to post about…an all-in-one breakfast sandwich maker , $99.95! Cook eggs, bacon, and toast english muffins all at the same time. Perfect for a multi-tasker or someone who doesn’t have time to make breakfast in the morning. Wow your family one morning; they’ll be wondering how you churned out a homemade breakfast as quickly as you did!

Looking for something sweet to do for your honey this weekend? Yes, Valentine’s Day has passed, but romance should be spontaneous and not just a one time of year event.  What about breakfast in bed?! Need a little inspiration? Well, that’s what your beso buddies are here for!

When planning the perfect way to pamper your significant other, the first thing to think about is the menu. To that end, I’ve included a scrumptious recipe for buttermilk pancakes, from Bon Appetite . If you want to make them a little pinkish, substitute raspberries or strawberries instead of blueberries, or add a little berry yogurt and hold back a bit of the buttermilk:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• Pure maple syrup

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries.

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.

To make this an even better surprise, try cooking the pancakes in a heart-shaped mold, such as these, from Norpro:

To add balance, I suggest pairing the pancakes with a protein of some sort – whether that’s turkey/chicken, pork or tofu sausage, bacon or eggs is up to you. A nice dish of fruit, in addition to the fruit in the pancakes, makes a lovely side. So does a champagne cocktail!

So…how to serve…

First, you will need a tray, like this Bamboo serving table :

If you’re making a breakfast meat, you can present this on the same plate as the pancakes, but the fruit ought to be plated separately, in its own little dish. Not only will this add a pretty distribution of color on the serving tray, it will also keep the syrup from coating the fruit and making a big, goopy, too-sweet mess!

Warm the syrup and pour it into a graceful creamer or sauce pitcher, like this one from Mikasa :

Place a single red rose into a bud vase. Depending on your style, you might like either crystal or brushed stainless steel:

Tuck a delicate napkin to the left side of the pancake plate. Top with a fork, and place a knife and spoon on the other side of the plate.

Fill a champagne flute with a beverage of choice (sparkling wine/champagne alone or with orange or cranberry juice). Add a fresh violet, to rest just on top of the liquid, if available in your area (yes! they’re edible!).

Add a cup of coffee or tea, if that is what your true love’s heart desires.

Viola! If your sugar didn’t love you before, this ought to do the trick.

Strawberries are a delicious way to add more antioxidants and fiber to your diet.  According to the California Strawberry Commission, a serving of strawberries, just 8 berries, contains more vitamin C than an orange, and 2 grams of fiber!  What’s even better, is that a cup of strawberries contains just 50 calories.

I’ve found that the best and fastest way to get my daily intake of fruits and veggies is to make a power-packed morning smoothie. Here’s a strawberry smoothie recipe to get you started.  It also contains blueberries–another superfood!

Strawberry & Blueberry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 individual size container of yogurt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or smoothie maker, and blend until mixture reaches desired consistency.  To add a little zip, replace some of the milk with orange juice.  Yogurt can be any flavor, depending on what you like.  I’ve also added a handful of uncooked quick oats to this recipe for increasing my whole grain intake.

I’ve just added this great new toaster to my most wanted kitchen gadgets list.   The Back to Basics Egg ‘N Muffin Toaster will toast a muffin, and poach an egg…at the same time.  I see 3 big benefits here.  First, there’s no skillet or egg poacher to wash.  Second, I think older kids could do this themselves. Third, it’s faster than doing things separately.

The Back to Basics egg and muffin toaster makes a muffin (and egg) in 4 minutes.  There are switches to turn off the toaster or the poacher if you just want to use one feature.   The toaster will also hard boil up to 4 eggs at one time, and it shuts off automatically.  I found the egg and muffin toaster combo at In Cooking.

If you’re trying to turn back the hands of time, you may want to give blueberries a try.  These plump and royal-hued berries should be considered little gems when it comes to maintaining a youthful appearance and good nutrition.

Here are just a few of the health benefits of eating blueberries:

• Blueberries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.   Eating blueberries wards off cancers and heart disease because of their high concentration of anthocyanin.
• Blueberries slow the aging process, preserve eyesight, and help us stay mentally alert.
• Blueberries prevent urinary tract infections.

Here’s a recipe that will help you add blueberries to your diet!

Banana Blueberry Bran Muffins

• 4 ripe bananas, pureed in blender or food processor
• 1 package frozen blueberries
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1 quart of buttermilk (see below for substitute info)
• 4 cups Kellogg’s All Bran cereal
• 2 1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas, blueberries, walnuts, eggs, baking soda, sugar, vanilla, and oat bran until coarsely blended.  Then, add buttermilk, cereal, and flour.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  Fill muffin pans 2/3 full and bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes.

No buttermilk?  You can make your own buttermilk substitute in 5 minutes.  To make 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup.  Then fill to the one cup line with regular milk.  Gently stir, then set aside for 5 minutes before using.  The muffin recipe above requires 1 quart (4 cups) of buttermilk, so you’ll need to do this four times, or quadruple the recipe.

Here are many more blueberry recipes.

Sunday morning breakfast is a big tradition in our family, so I’m always looking for weekend breakfast recipes that are delicious and convenient.  This breakfast casserole recipe has to be my all-time favorite because you prepare it the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.  It feeds a crowd, too.  Plan on leftovers, or you can cut the recipe in half.

• 12 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 lb of sausage, bacon, or ham (fully-cooked and drained)
• 9 rectangular hash brown patties, frozen
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups of grated cheese (I like cheddar)
• Chopped onions, mushrooms, or spinach to taste (optional)

Use a wire whisk to gently blend the milk and beaten eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Spray a 13X9 baking dish, or stoneware baking crock with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the dish with frozen hash brown patties.  Place cooked and drained meat over hash brown patties.  Place vegetables over meat.  Gently add egg and milk mixture to the casserole dish, taking care not to mess up the layers.  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Cover with foil, and place in fridge overnight.

To bake:  Remove foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until center is set.

Just a thought- this one doesn’t have to be just for breakfast.  I’ve been known to whip this up in the morning, and cook it for dinner.

Don’t forget about breakfast when it comes to finding Halloween recipes.  Nothing tastes better than warm pancakes in the fall, and there are plenty of creative twists for turning pancakes into real Halloween treats. The pancakes above were made using these Halloween pancake molds by Williams-Sonoma.

Here are some ideas for a fun Halloween breakfast:

Add some color:  Some natural orange food coloring would turn any pancake into a jolly Halloween pumpkin. If you don’t have pancake molds, you could add some eyes, a nose and a mouth using apple or orange slices.

Add more shapes:  Open-top Halloween cookie cutters (metal only) would work for making pancake bats, ghosts, or any other shape.  Spray them with non-stick spray before placing on your griddle or skillet, and remove just before flipping.

Here’s a recipe for apple pecan pancake batter to give your pancakes real autumn flavor:

Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Franken Berry cereals always seem to be more present on store shelves around Halloween, but perhaps the scariest thing about these cereals is their ridiculously high sugar and preservative content.  Still, I really loved those cereals growing up and I always get nostalgic when I see the boxes in stores around this time of year.  In honor of my affection for the super sugary Halloween treats of Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Franken Berry cereals, here is a classic commercial: