Breakfast

Breakfast Strata

I made this delicious strata for weekend brunch with dear friends visiting from Austin and New York.  The Horns lost, but the strata was a winner indeed!  I served it alongside fresh fruit, muffins, coffee and mimosas…my idea of a perfect Saturday morning.  This recipe was adapted from the BHG cookbook and I’m sure would be delicious as vegetarian…add some fresh spinach and tomatoes; or you could use ham or proscuitto…you get the idea.  Leftovers are delicious and makes for a great lunch with a side salad.  Enjoy dear friends!

BREAKFAST STRATA (serves 6-8)

8 oz. chorizo, removed from casing (italian or pork sausage can be used)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups French or Italian bread cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (or Monterrey Jack)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TBSP snipped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Preheat oven to 325°F

In large skillet, cook sausage, onion, pepper and garlic until sausage is cooked and veggies tender.  Drain off fat and set aside.

Lightly coat 2-quart baking dish with oil and add bread cubes.  Spoon sausage mixture over bread cubes.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.

Combine eggs, milk, salt and cilantro in bowl.  Pour egg mixture over bread  layers in baking dish and gently press down layers with spoon.  Let stand for 15 minutes.

Bake, uncovered, at 325°F for about 45 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese last 5 minutes of baking and let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Salud mis amigas!

(BRUNCH TIP: You can prepare this the night before so your morning is hassle-free.  Prepare as above BEFORE baking, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hrs.  Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.)

Autumn Pumpkin Bread.

I love autumn.  I love pumpkin bread.  In my childhood, the two were one in the same…which explains my adulthood affinity for both.  So, every year, with the first inklings of an Indian Summer, the simple thought of pumpkin bread warms my heart and makes me flatout giddy.  I swear the bourbon in-hand has nothing to do with it.

Enjoy this one dear friends!  It’s a good one.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can pumpkin puree
3 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour (or, for every cup of flour, add 1  1/4 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated (it seriously makes all the difference!)
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 cup toasted pecans

PREHEAT oven to 300°F

Combine wet ingredients first in large bowl (that’s everything up to the flour); combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients in parts until all is combined.  Pour into 4 greased 13 oz. coffee cans (a shout out to the old school days…plus the shape of the loaves is super fun!) or 2 loaf pans.

BAKE at 300° for 1 hr. 10 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

CHEERS to Autumn.

Not my mama’s French Toast.

Growing up, my mom made French toast and I thought for the longest time I just didn’t like French toast…until I had Austin’s Chez Zee’s stuffed French toast.  So I tried my hand last weekend at my own and it was a success.  Super simple, easy to put together on a weekend morning.  The only thing missing was a Mimosa.

Better Homes and Gardens recipe

Serves 4

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. orange liqueur (I used orange juice)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg 

8  1/2-inch slices bread (I used my cinnamon oatmeal bread, but you could use challah, brioche, croissants, etc.)

2 TBSP butter (also, a non-stick skillet and cooking spray can cut on this if you are concerned)

Real maple syrup or honey

1. In a shallow mixing bowl (think baking dish or pie plate), beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange liqueur/juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Dip bread slices in egg mixture and let soak until bread appears saturated (you want all the flavors to permeate the bread).

2. In a skillet or on a griddle, melt 1 TBSP butter over medium heat; add as many bread slices as will fit and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining butter and bread slices.  Serve warm with syrup.  I garnished my french toast with toasted Seguin pecans (pops sent us 5 lbs.) and sliced bananas.  It rocked.

Salud!

German Pancake

Posted by Amy

This is incredibly good.

“Tia B’s German Pancake” was a childhood breakfast favorite, and it’s always in high demand in Warrenton.  This makes 4 large slices that could be breakfast with fruit for 4 people.  However, two people can also eat the entire thing (I speak from personal experience.)

German Pancake

Use a large Teflon skillet.  Protect handle with heavy foil.  Preheat oven 425*.

Melt 1/3 stick of butter in skillet on stove top.

In a large bowl blend:

• 3 eggs
• 1/3c. flour
• 1T. sugar
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• dash of nutmeg
• a few dashes of cinnamon (or just cinnamon if you’re nutmeg-less)
• pinch of salt
• 1t. vanilla extract
• 1/2c. milk

Gently stir in blend from bowel with the butter in the skillet–it won’t totally mix up, but that’s ok.  Bake the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375* and bake 10 minutes more.  If it looks really puffy in the over, don’t freak out.  The puffy deflates once removed.

Slide pankake onto serving platter.  Squeeze lemon juice over and sprinke with powdered sugar.  (You can also serve it with hot berry jam on the side; I usually do just lemon juice and powdered sugar.)

Enjoy!