Breakfast Casserole

Casserole Comfort
I consider all breakfast foods comfort foods. It’s all of the carbs and fatty meats. Whipping up a plate of scrambled eggs after a difficult day can sometimes make all the difference. (Bonus points if you wrap said eggs in a tortilla because…carbs.) And while perfectly scrambled eggs can be a warm blanket for your soul, they can be made transcendent by the addition of so many wonderful things. (Also, a great way to use up what’s in your produce drawer.)

If I had to pick my favorite bite of egg it would include eggs, potatoes, green onions, and cheese (glorious cheese!) I am also open to the addition of sausage or bacon as well as chilies or bell peppers. But, the foundation will always be eggs, potato, green onions, and cheese hereto after known as EPGC bite.

The potatoes can be home fries, hash browns, or tots. Though, I think tots work best. (I have a serious weakness for tots.) The ideal cheese is generally cheddar, but I won’t turn away some gruyere or a lovely pepper jack. Nine times out of ten, if I were eating scrambled eggs straight up, I would go with a sausage chaser. But, when everything is all mixed together, I like the flavor of bacon. There’s something about the smokiness of the bacon with the cheese and potato that hits just right.

Below is a recipe for a breakfast casserole. This is what I think of when I am craving that EPGC combo.

Breakfast Casserole
Yields 8 servings

This casserole can be assembled the night before. Just slide it in the oven in the morning. Read more…

Angel Biscuits

Sop It Up With A Biscuit
I am a lover of biscuits with any meal. A fried chicken feast is never complete without the biscuit. Not to mention they make great slider sandwiches. Especially the cheezy kind. Breakfast is my favorite time for biscuits, though.

I will admit I am not a huge fan of biscuits and gravy. It’s just too much. Although, on rare occasions, that ridiculous amount of fat and carbs will hit the spot. I would much rather consume my biscuit-flavored carbs slathered in butter with a generous drizzle of honey or a dollop of jam and a good cup of coffee. Heaven.

Crazy thing is how many options there are for biscuits. I ran across this one recently which looked interesting mainly because it has the look of monkey bread (Yum!). I will be giving it a go this weekend…outside on the patio to enjoy the sun before it goes away…again.

Angel Biscuits Recipe
Adapted from Southern Living Magazine
Yields about 2.5 dozen biscuits

These light fluffy Angel Biscuits are as if buttermilk biscuits and Parker House rolls had a child. They are great with any meal—especially breakfast! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a baking dish or sheet. Read more…

Breakfast Potatoes

No Power Potatoes
Like many in the Bay Area, I have been without power since Tuesday at noon. It could be worse. At least no trees came crashing down on my house. We lost a section of fencing but that’s no biggie. We’ll fix it. It’s all about perspective. All my people are safe, so all is well. If there is one silver lining for me to all of the mayhem and destruction it is this, no electricity means I got to test drive my camping kitchen.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I bought a used teardrop trailer with the intent of filling our empty nester weekends with new activities and adventures once the kids are all out of the house. I love camping. But, both of us agree that the days of our 50-year-old selves sleeping on the ground in a tent are over. So, we essentially bought a tent on wheels that sleeps 2—with a mattress.

What we got was pretty bare-bones and in need of customization. Naturally, I have taken the ball and run with the cooking equipment. But, I haven’t had the opportunity to test everything out—until dinner last night.

In an attempt to not lose the refrigerator full of food that I purchased over the weekend (the timing is impeccable), I scrambled up some $20 eggs and cooked some sausage along with some home fries. Divine intervention definitely occurred because normally I don’t have extra already-cooked potatoes in the fridge. But, due to an over-calculation of how many potatoes I needed for the previous night’s curry, I had potatoes.

You can never go wrong with fried potatoes at breakfast. I will take Breakfast Potatoes over hash browns any day. And, last night they fried up beautifully on my new camp stove.

There is no right or wrong way to do breakfast potatoes. The options are endless. Sometimes I use spices and sometimes just salt and pepper. Sometimes I sauté them along with some peppers and onions, and sometimes not. This is very much a case of you do you…just, preferably, not in the dark!

Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
Adapted from Anne Burrell and The Food Network
Yields four servings Read more…

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

Sunday Soufflé
If you have been anywhere near Instagram or TikTok lately, you have no doubt come across the latest fad in breakfast, Japanese Soufflé Pancakes. I never thought pancakes were trend worthy, frankly. I mean, it’s pancakes. I figured IHOP had exhausted all the Rooty Tutti pancake possibilities years ago. Apparently, I was wrong.

This latest craze comes direct to us from our friends in Japan. And, I have to say this is a trend I can roll with. Soufflé Pancakes are the lighter fluffier cousin of your favorite flap jacks—and even use the same ingredients. The difference is in the eggs, man. When making soufflé pancakes, you separate the eggs and make a meringue that is then gently folded into the batter before spooning it on a hot griddle. (It sounds more complicated than it is but novice cooks might need to try the recipe a few times to get it right.)

The addition of steam to the cooking process is what makes these pancake rise. The result is mile-high pillowy goodness that you can top with any of your favorites. I like them with a little powdered sugar and sliced fruit or berries. But, you can never go wrong with tried and true syrup.

Give these a try this weekend if only to put a smile on your face that the torrential rain can’t wash away.

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes Recipe
Adapted from Just One Cookbook
Yields 1 serving (3 pancakes)

These Japanese Soufflé Pancakes are like fluffy clouds. This recipe makes one serving and can be multiplied by the number of servings you need.

You will need a 12-inch nonstick frying pan with a lid to steam the pancakes. And for the fluffiest pancakes, be certain to sift your cake flour–even if the package says pre-sifted. Read more…