This is the last in my series of recipes for Breakfast in Bed.  In my opinion, I saved the best for last.  But then again, it’s no secret, my love for all things citrusy.  It’s a simple easy dish, there are very few ingredients that make up this dish, which is always a winner in my book. The most difficult part of the entire thing is the grapefruit prep, but even that is not so difficult if you know the proper technique (see video). Continue reading “Glazed Grapefruit and Breakfast in Bed Tips” »

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to be doing a “Breakfast in Bed”  cooking class; on the menu was Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordials, Glazed Grapefruit, Sunrise Champagne Cocktail and this French Toast.  My ‘adopted’ grandkids loved this, as a matter of fact they ate more than McGyver and I did!

What made them such a hit?  The French toast is reminiscent of a kids favorite sandwich, peanut butter and jelly and a kids favorite treat, chocolate.  Nutella and jam stuffed French toast.  No syrup needed, all the sweetness is inside. The youngest one really liked that he could pick up the French toast with his hands and eat it.

If you’ve ever had breakfast in bed, as nice as it sounds, it can be a bit awkward. Stuffed French Toast is easy to eat, even with a fork (and sans syrup makes a little more bed friendly also).  The fact that it’s reminiscent of childhood, makes it feel just as nostalgic as  luxuriating in bed. You know, when you thought you had all the time in the world… Continue reading “Stuffed French Toast” »

I think this is my first food post since Secret Recipe Club last month!  I’m delighted to say that this recipe is a great one to come back with.  If you haven’t heard me talk about SRC before, it’s a bloggers club that works a lot like a Secret Santa.  Each member is assigned another blog and cooks one recipe from that blog…secretly.  Then on our group’s assigned day, we reveal the recipe that we chose.

Today is Group C’s reveal day and my assignment was….drum roll please….Cooking with Stilettos…applause….  Can you believe Aly had me last month?  She Shepherdized my Shepherd’s Stuffed Green Peppers.  So I’m super pleased to have her this month! Anywho, every blog I’ve ever been assigned too, I always find more than one recipe that I’d like to prepare, but I find myself making (more often then not) an old family recipe.  Family recipes are not only tried and true and hold the test of time, they’re also laden with memories, making the dish all that more special.

So, once again it’s no surprise that I was drawn to  Aly’s  Bampa’s (her grandpa’s) recipes.    I giggled when I read the recipe for Bampa’s Corn Fritters, one of the ingredients was Bisquick and not too long ago I posted on how Bisquick was a staple in our house while growing up.   I felt a connection with Bampa right away and knew that this was the recipe for me.

Continue reading “Corn Fritters with Avocado Salsa – SRC Reveal” »

Today is National Eggs Benedict Day. Eggs Benedict is my all time favorite breakfast!  There,s nothing that I don’t like about it.  The traditional version starts with a crunchy sour base of English muffins topped with BACON, followed a poached egg and then smothered in a silky buttery lemony cream sauce.  Heaven on plate that’s all there is to it!

Nothing in the food world stays basic!  Even my version uses Redneck Bacon, grilled asparagus and a blender Meyer lemon hollandaise sauce with a touch of thyme.

Because I love Eggs Benedict, I’m forgoing Motorcycle Monday and sharing my eggs benny love.  I’ve gathered together some links so you can check out all the many ways of Eggs Benedict:

Continue reading “National Eggs Benedict Day” »

Raise your hand if you grew up with a box of Bisquick in your pantry.  We used it for biscuits, pancakes and the popular Impossible pie.

Continue reading “Impossible Egg Muffins” »

When Easter is hopping around the corner the first food that comes to mind for me is always eggs.  More than any other food, eggs represent Easter.  Colorfully dyed eggs, plastic filled eggs, cheap shiny grass as a nest for them.  Eggs are a birth, a beginning so is Easter and so is Spring.

Continue reading “Meyer Lemon Eggs Benedict and Grilled Asparagus” »

This week’s BWW submission “Iced Whisk”.  Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook hosts this weekly culinary black and white photography event.  If you’d like to know more about it you can find out about it here.  I enjoy participating, besides seeing all the beautiful B&W eye candy, there’s zero commitment.  In other words, participate if you like, if you can’t no worries.  Isn’t that nice!

More than the actual Thanksgiving meal, I look forward to the leftovers.  I love opening the refrigerator and seeing it over flowing with food.  I love the lazy day following the frenzy of cooking, “you’re hungry? you know where the microwave is.”

I also love getting creative with leftovers.  After day two of the identical food that we had on the big T-day, it’s time for me to change things up.  Incorporating leftovers into breakfast is the biggest challenge (if you don’t count eating the leftover pie for breakfast).

I actually think that I saw something like this in a Pampered Chef cookbook back in the 90’s, but I can’t remember exactly.  Consider the source,  I’m in my mid-ish 40’s and I can’t remember that I put my glasses on top of my head.

Purchased crescent rolls makes quick work of these deliciously creamy stuffed gems.The drizzle of an orange glaze makes you feel like you’re eating dessert for breakfast.

Other than using the mixer, the crescent rolls are easy to make and assemble, a great dish for the kids to help make.

Sit back and pour yourself a cup of coffee, enjoy the long weekend and the reinvention of leftovers.

Recipe_______________________________________________________

Cran-Orange Crescent Rolls

• 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a medium mixing bowl mix cream cheese, cranberry sauce, 1/2 the orange zest and 2 tablespoons of the orange with a mixer until homogenous and creamy (add more juice if needed), scrapping down the sides as needed.

Unroll and separate the crescent rolls.  Drop some of the cran-orange filling into the center of the roll by the rounded teaspoon.  Roll up the crescent roll starting with the largest side, then curve gently to form a crescent shape.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until they are lightly golden.  Let rolls cool slightly.

Meanwhile prepare the icing.  In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, the orange zest and the orange juice 1 teaspoon at a time until the powdered sugar is dissolved but not too runny.  Drizzle the icing over the cooked rolls.

Note:  If you are using my Cranberry Orange Sauce, omit the orange zest and orange juice in the cream cheese mixture, replace with milk to make it creamy.

It’s no secret, I have a split personality.  I don’t mean like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, it’s more of redneck/white trash versus socially refined, kind of way.  In other words, you can take the girl out of the trailer park but you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl.

I don’t live in a trailer park any more, no more Section 8 housing, no standing in line for free government cheese.  Now I can afford to buy good food and even spring for some pricy items like truffles or lobster if I want too.  But something about your roots, they just pull you in.  Taking you back to another time, another palate.  One, that frankly, I still enjoy (read my bio and you’ll see it’s true).

There are some of you who wouldn’t touch this sandwich with a ten foot pole, but I’m telling you, try and embrace the redneck that’s somewhere deep inside of you.  If you can’t seem to find any low budget trashiness inside of you, imagine this sandwich is a star feature of Guy Fieri’s Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives.  Because this is exactly the kind of ‘dive’ food that people can’t get enough of.  This sandwich was ridiculously good!  You can pretend it’s the “in” thing.

This sandwich kind of represents both sides of me, a perfect mix of good ingredients and naughty ingredients.  It starts with a beautiful croissant, toasted.  Between it’s buttery and flaky layers is some crisply fried canned corned beef hash, topped by a perfectly cooked over easy egg sprinkled with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper then topped off by canned sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Perhaps I was just channeling “Chopped” and my ingredient basket contained: croissants, eggs, canned corned beef and canned cheese.  How will I impress the judges? Believable, no?  Of course I actually purchased the items, paid hard earned money for them, which means they are stocked pantry items…no way to cover it up, I like canned cheese and canned corned beef hash.

I have a confession, sometimes I like to squeeze the canned cheese directly into my mouth.  Forget the crackers, my taste buds need to be instantly infused with the salty, creamy, cheesy, fake orange goo.  If I’m trying to be good I’ll squeeze a little on my fingers, mmm, mmm, finger lickin’ good.  Then when the can starts to sputter, pushing the last bit of cheesiness out, I put the nozzle in my mouth, clamp my lips down tight on it and suck…just like a straw (and if you were thinking anything else, shame on you).  I suck out that last little bit that sticks in the nozzle…just too good and too naughty to waste.

BTW, I know I’m not the only one.  I’m speaking to you, lady, from the party last Friday night.  There, it’s out in the open, my secret love affair with canned cheese.  Do any of you have a naughty taste for trashy food?

Recipe_________________________________________________

Redneck Sandwich on a Croissant

For 1 Sandwich:

• 1 croissant
• 1/4 cup canned corned beef hash
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Split the croissant in half and toast.  Heat a non stick pan over medium high heat, add the corned beef hash.  Cook the has until it is brown and crisp on one side (3 to 5 minutes), then flip with a turner and cook the other side until it is crisps and browns, another 3 to 5 minutes.  Note: While cooking the has push it together and flatten it so it makes a little patty, it’s much easier to flip and serve that way.  Place the corned beef hash patty on the bottom half of the toasted croissant.

In the same pan, melt the butter and add the egg, fry according to taste.  Sprinkle the egg with a little salt and pepper and place on top of the corned beef hash patty.  On the top side of the croissant, squeeze a layer of canned cheese over it.  Place the top layer over the bottom half.  Serve immediately.

An easy breakfast recipe, just in time for the weekend!  There is nothing better than feeling the luxury of time.  Time to cook up a nice hot breakfast, enjoy your coffee, read the paper while still in your pajamas.

I know there are people out there who think it’s a waste of a good day off, this relaxing thing, but I believe it re-energizes the soul, a reset from the busy week.  Sometimes McGyver and I are selfish and let the Baby boy sleep in, while we sit at the table and eat breakfast, sometimes silently reading the paper other times chatting about the days plans.

Go ahead, take a weekend morning off to relax.  Make a nice hot breakfast, enjoy a cup of coffee (maybe a Bloody Mary if that’s more your style), read the paper and reset, reenergize.  You’ll be glad you did.

Recipe___________________________________________________

Bacon Hash and Broiled Eggs

• 1 pound bacon, sliced crosswise into small strips
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2” dice
• 1 small onion, halved then sliced into think strips
• 4 eggs
• 2 ounces grated cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat cook bacon until the fat starts to render.  Add potatoes and onions.  Cook covered, stirring occasionally,  for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and onions are slightly caramelized.  Remove lid and turn heat up to medium high.  Cook until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes are browned.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon hash into  4 individual ramekins.  Crack one egg on top each bacon hash filled ramekin.  Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and place under a broiler for approximately 3 minutes or until the whites are done (longer if you like your yolks cooked more.  Sprinkle some cheese on top and return to the broiler.  Broil until the cheese melts, about 30 seconds.

Cook’s Note: If you don’t have 4 ramekins or don’t feel like washing 4 more dishes, leave the hash in the frying pan (make sure it is oven safe), crack the eggs over the hash and place the whole pan under the broiler..

Health Alert Warning!  Before proceeding please check your cholesterol, blood pressure, lipids, blood sugar levels or anything else that may be affected by a totally decadent sandwich.

Oh, it looks innocent enough, no more then a couple of pieces of French Toast, you’re probably thinking.  But it is so much more.  I thought about calling it “Stuffed French Toast Breakfast Sandwich” or perhaps “The Monte Cristo – Breakfast Style” because it is both a stuffed French Toast, part Monte Cristo Sandwich and part Croque-madame(a.k.a. grilled ham and cheese with egg).  With all those elements, well, it’s The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich!

I’m not a proponent of names like ‘best ever’, ‘the ultimate’, ‘perfect’, etc. in recipe titles because there is always someone who also has the ‘best ever’ and ‘the most perfect’ recipe also, and it all is really a matter of taste.  However, in this case I broke my own rule to call this The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich, sometimes things just seemed to be the right thing to do, even when it’s breaking the rules and ruining your HDL count!

Here’s the breakdown:

• French Toast: Texas Toast, dipped in egg batter and griddled, maple syrup and butter
• Monte Cristo: Bacon (replaces the ham), cheese, strawberry jam, dipped in egg batter and griddled
• Croque-Madame: Bacon (replaces the ham), cheese, fried egg and griddled

All that equals The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:

• Crisp peppered bacon, sliced cheddar cheese, fried egg and Texas toast that is spread with strawberry jam then dipped in an egg batter and griddled.  Top it off with butter and maple syrup and die…

It’s hard to believe with the list of ingredients that this works, oh it works baby!  It is so incredibly good, it’s positively sinful and should only be eaten on Sunday’s with a prayer for forgiveness!  All kidding aside, the sandwich is a perfect Sunday brunch meal, don’t worry about whether you want a traditional eggs and bacon brunch or a French toast brunch…have them all together. Brilliant!

Then promise yourself on Monday that you’ll run 5 miles do a hundred sit-up and push-ups and detox for the day.   In my case that would be a fantasy!

Recipe

The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

• 8 slices Texas Toast
• 8 slices peppered bacon, cooked crisp
• 4 fried eggs
• 4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 teaspoons of strawberry jam
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• butter and maple syrup

Heat a large griddle over medium heat.  In a shallow bowl whisk together milk and eggs.  Assemble sandwiches, lay the slices of Texas Toast bread out on the counter, spread 4 slices with strawberry jam top with two slices of bacon.  On the other half layer the cheese then the egg, put the two halves together and dip in the egg batter, about 30 seconds on each side.  Lightly butter griddle and griddle sandwiches until they are light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.  Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Cooks note:  I made these two at a time.  While two were cooking, I was cooking the other two eggs this ensured everyone’s eggs were hot.  Also, please assemble the sandwich per the directions, assembling the sandwiches with cheese and bacon on the outside prevents the eggs from overcooking and makes the cheese melty and wonderful.