Serving Up {Breakfast}: Bite Sized Versions

Summer is here and school is out...we are enjoying the lazy starts to our days as much as I thought that we would be.  I think I didn't serve breakfast yesterday until 10 a.m. which is probably the latest so far...and half of us were still in our pajamas when breakfast was served!  What can I say?  We are enjoying it while we can because in July we begin all sorts of summer camps and morning swim lessons and we may as well be back in school for all the early morning commitments we have!

With all the time I've had in the mornings, I have enjoyed making our favorite breakfast meals but have mixed a couple of them up to give them new life.  You wouldn't think that serving "mini" versions of meals that my kids eat all the time would really make that big of an impact on the kids, but it has!

I baked my recipe for BAKED OATMEAL into muffin-sized servings and the kids went crazy for it.  Again, nothing was altered except the baking dish but it was enough to be new and exciting for the young'uns.

Baked in the muffin tins, I still put mine into a bowl, broke it apart and splashed a little coconut or rice milk over it.  But my husband ate his as a muffin -which makes a terrific "on the go" option and is a completely flour-free breakfast option should you be looking for such a thing.

Find my Baked Oatmeal recipe here and note that I reduced my baking time to 30 minutes when using the muffin tins.

With the success of the Baked Oatmeal, I had to try our EGG PIE (German Pancake) recipe in a similar manner.  Again - a total hit!

Find my recipe for Egg Pie here and note that I divided the batter between 24 muffin tins - you don't want to fill them more than 1/4 full or they won't puff and be airy and light.  I also decreased my baking time to 15 minutes when using the muffin tins.

One Year Ago: Cool Berry Soup

                        Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

Serving Up {Breakfast}: Fried Egg Sandwich with Bacon and Gorgonzola

I have been enjoying egg sandwiches quite regularly as of late - some for breakfast, others for dinner, last night it was eggs and avocado at 9:45 p.m. in hopes of getting the tummy to stop grumbling.  I get the most beautiful free range eggs from a local farmer and the yolks are literally ORANGE.  Gorgeous!  With eggs kind of on my mind, I saw this recipe posted at Smitten Kitchen and I knew that I had to make it!  And I did make it - the very next night (and again the next day)!  I mean, you use the bacon fat to make a dressing for the greens!  Are you kidding me?  All salads would benefit from a couple of tablespoons of good ole' bacon grease, but that is just my personal opinion...

I wrote the recipe as I made it which included a couple of tweaks - not necessarily because it needed tweaks, but because I made it with what I had on hand.  So the frisee became spinach and the blue cheese became gorgonzola.  While I can't speak for the sandwich with the original ingredient list, I can speak of the sandwich made with the substitutions and I can't imagine anything better.  Yum!

FRIED EGG SANDWICH with BACON AND GORGONZOLA
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)
printable version

2 ciabatta rolls

1 ½ cups favorite mixed greens
2 slices bacon, thick cut
1 Tbs. minced shallot
1 ½ Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

2 Tbs. butter
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper

Place mixed greens in a small bowl. Cut bacon crosswise into ½ inch pieces. Heat skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, reserving half of the bacon grease. Add shallot to bacon fat and cook for one minute, stirring. Add red wine vinegar, stirring for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and whisk in Dijon mustard. Pour hot dressing over mixed greens, add cooked bacon and toss with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Split rolls in half and toast. Divide salad between each roll. Top each salad with 2 Tbs. crumbled gorgonzola.

Reheat skillet over medium heat. Add butter and coat the pan. Crack each egg ino the pan, season with salt and pepper and cover the skillet with a small lid. Cook for one minute for a perfect sunny-side-up egg, although flipping the egg for 30 seconds more will keep the yolk from comepletely running off your sandwich. Remove the eggs from the pan and place on top of the gorgonzola. Replace top bun.

Serving Up {Breakfast}: Spinach Artichoke Egg Croissant

I try really hard to always site my source for recipes, whether it be a friend, another blog or the back of the chocolate chip package!  While I would like to properly site this recipe, I can't recall the exact source but I will tell you how it evolved.  I was reading a book and the character created an egg sandwich by spreading spinach artichoke dip over a toasted croissant, topped it with a poached egg and drizzled the entire thing with Hollandaise sauce.  So I guess my true source of this recipe was a character in a book, or more accurately, the author of the book, but I can't recall what book it was.  Regardless, you can bet that I jumped at the chance to recreat it and am really glad that I did.  I have served this as a quick breakfast for the hubby, as a dinner for the family and as the main dish for a holiday luncheon with twelve church ladies in attendance.  It just works!

Served beside some yummy breakfast potatoes (may I suggest these), this is a really satisfying meal.

  

Warning: make sure you have a fork and an extra napkin or two because as delicious as it is, it is equally messy.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE EGG CROISSANT     

printable version

1 large croissant

3-4 Tbs. Spinach Artichoke Dip (Costco sells a yummy version)

3-4 Tbs. Hollandaise Sauce

1-2 large eggs

salt & pepper

Cover the bottom of a small skillet with water about 1-2 inches and bring to a simmer (you don't want the water to be boiling).  Add 1 Tbs. vinegar to the water.  Crack the egg into a small dish and, from the dish, pour the egg into the simmering water.  Cover and allow to simmer for approximately 4 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water.  If you want two eggs on your croissant, then repeat the process with another egg.

While egg is cooking, slice the croissant in half.  Place in toaster oven to toast lightly.

Heat spinach artichoke dip until the cheese is melted.  Remove croissant from the toaster and spread the dip on the bottom half.  Place poached egg on top of the artichoke dip and season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the Hollandaise sauce over the egg and replace the top half of the croissant.

Serving Up {Breadfast}: Morning Egg Casserole

This is such a yummy egg casserole with endless possibilities for variations.  Ten years ago when I visited my cute friend on Gig Harbor in Washington, she served this casserole for breakfast.  She served it made with diced ham, yet my family really enjoys it when it is made with sausage.  The veggies could also be mixed up based on your favorite flavor combinations.  So my suggestion would be to make this recipe as it was served to me -  but then get creative and let me know what flavor combinations you create that takes something great and makes it even better :)

MORNING EGG CASSEROLE     Pin It
(recipe from Kim F.)
printable version

1 ½ cup ham, diced -or- breakfast sausage, crumbled
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 cups swiss cheese, shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 ½ cup Bisquick
5 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
3 ounce cream cheese, softened

Saute mushrooms and onion in 3-4 Tbs. butter.
Combine all vegetables, meat and cheese in a greased 13x9 baking dish.
In a blender, combine Bisquick, eggs, milk and cream cheese and blend until smooth.
Pour egg mixture over the vegetable, meat and cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and the center is set.

Serving Up {Breakfast}: Egg Pie (German Pancakes)

I'm sure that everyone has their own recipe for German Pancakes - they are pretty basic.  At our house they are called "Egg Pie" because back when I only had two kiddos making an entire 9x13 pan was too much for them to eat so I would make 1/2 batch and would bake it in a glass pie dish.  Even though we have graduated to needing the entire recipe with the size of our gang now, the name has stuck!

If you have never eaten German Pancakes with buttermilk syrup - I am telling you that you must try it at least once in your lifetime.  In truth, we make egg pie probably weekly but the syrup only makes an appearance on a rare and special occasion - but it's a good recipe to have nonetheless :)

EGG PIE (GERMAN PANCAKES)     

printable version

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place butter in a glass 13x9 pan and melt the butter by placing the pan in the oven while it heats.  Remove pan once the butter is melted and coat the pan with the butter by rotating the pan until the entire bottom is coated.

Place eggs, milk, flour and salt in the blender and process until smooth.  Pour the egg batter into the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar or serve with Buttermilk Syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup:

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbs. corn syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the first five ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil.  Boil for 7 minutes, being careful to not let it boil over.  Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla.