Sweet Potato Hash

This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes.  I love her recipes.  It is generally my first-stop for anything I am craving.  They are basic and delicious.  When I make this, I like to use a combination of sweet potatoes and yams.

1 lb mild Italian ground pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cups chopped cooked sweet potatoes/yams
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

Brown the ground pork over medium heat. Only drain if you have more then a couple tablespoons of fat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent. Mix in the potatoes/yams. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to high or medium high and press down on the mixture with a spatula.

Do not stir. You should hear them sizzling. Use a spatula to peak underneath and see if they are browning. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes are nicely browned.

Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and add salt to taste. Serve with fried or poached eggs.

If you don't know how... poached eggs.

Photo Credit

Vegetable Egg Casserole

This is a great substitute for the traditional egg souffle.  I used zucchini but you could add any additional veggies you like...mushrooms, spinach, peppers, etc.

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 pounds zucchini, grated
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
7 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon ground mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet pan, melt butter and saute zucchini and onion until tender.  Place zucchini in a colander to drain excess liquid.  Meanwhile, saute sausage until cooked.  Combine zucchini mixture and sausage together.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl.  Add ground mustard.  Combine zucchini/sausage mixture with eggs and pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish.  Cover with grated cheese.  Bake covered 30 minutes, then uncovered 15 minutes.

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Breakfast Sandwich

This is currently my favorite breakfast! You could go all gourmet and actually make your own biscuits but I like my breakfast a little faster then that so I buy the canned variety from the refrigerated section, like "Grands" from Pillsbury. You can also substitute the biscuit for an english muffin or a croissant but I think the biscuit is really the best.

My favorite part of these sandwiches is you can pile them as high as you want!



1 can biscuits (there are generally 8 in a can)
1-2 eggs per sandwich
Bacon (or whatever breakfast meat you prefer)
Cheese, at least 1 slice per sandwich and more if you like it cheesy.

Cook biscuits according to the package directions. Cook bacon on stove top in large skillet. You'll want a couple of pieces per sandwich but I always make more because bacon is so yummy! After cooked, drain bacon on a paper towel. Discard bacon grease, leaving just a small amount to cook the eggs in. You can fry or scramble the eggs depending on your taste.

Assemble sandwiches, allowing the cheese to melt on the hot eggs. Oh yummy!!

Super Easy Omelet

Making individual omelets on the stove top is not so difficult, but I liked this recipe for when you're making omelets for multiple people. It is also really easy for your kids to help with and to use when you go camping (if you do that kind of thing).


1 qt-size Ziploc bag per person
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper
toppings as desired

Have each person write their name on their bag with permanent marker. Add eggs to the bag and shake. Add additional toppings as desired, shake.

Make sure to get out all of the air in the bag and zip it up. Place the bags in a large pot of boiling water for 13 minutes. You can cook about 6-8 omelets in a large pot. After cooking open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily.

If making an omelet on the cook top: heat your 8-10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Melt a little butter, when the butter is melted pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Stir initially, then allow eggs to settle, rotating the pan and lifting the edges to cook the liquid egg. Allow the eggs to become solid but shiny before adding the toppings on one half of the omelet. Fold in half, allow to cook for another 30 seconds or so (so the cheese can melt) and serve.

Toppings: (chop prior to cooking)
Cheese
Ham/Bacon
Onion
Green Pepper
Tomatoes/salsa
Mushrooms

Bacon

Hopefully you all agree with me when I say that bacon is awesome! It is good on so many things as well as delicious when eaten alone.  However, what I dislike most about cooking bacon is that it stinks up your whole house when you cook it and also that you have to baby it on the stove top. But my whole life changed one day while watching Racheal Ray and she mentioned cooking bacon in the oven. Brilliant!


Use a rimmed cookie sheet. Layer the pan with parchment paper or a cooling rack. Layer bacon slices in a single layer. The strips will shrink while they cook so you can place them close together.  Do not preheat oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Be careful to not overcook it.

Allow to cool slightly on a paper towel. Your bacon will be crispy and flat! Enjoy!

Crepes

This recipe makes a nice thin crepe. You can top them with anything! Sweet or savory . . . your choice. Berries and cream, nutella and bananas, or cheese and veggies, eggs and meat . . . it's all yummy.


1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoon melted butter

Combine in blender. Warm a crepe pan on medium heat. Add a small pat of butter to pan then pour desired amount of batter and twist pan to spread a thin layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes (the edges will begin to curl). Turn and finish cooking. Serve warm.

Butterscotch Bread

This recipe is ooey and gooey! It is a great addition to any brunch. It is always a crowd favorite so make two if you have a lot of guests.



1 package frozen rolls (Rhodes White Dinner Rolls, about 18-24 rolls)
1 small package butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Grease a large bundt pan. Layer frozen rolls then pudding mix and nuts. Combine melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over frozen rolls. Make this the night before and let rise at room temperature overnight covered with a towel. Bake in the morning at 35oF for 25-30 minutes (cook on top of a cookie sheet to catch overflow of gooey ingredients). Cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto plate. Serve warm.

Caution: Even though you will be tempted, do not use extra frozen rolls. It just rises too much and it is not as good.

Waffles

This recipe is from my sister. She makes the best waffles! She has this great square waffle maker that makes it really easy to freeze the leftovers and rewarm them in the toaster.



2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon granulated or brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour a scant 2/3 cup batter from cup or pitcher onto center of hot waffle iron. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle. Serve immediately. Repeat with remaining batter

For lighter waffles substitute the following:
1 egg plus 2 egg whites for 2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for 1/4 cup of the oil

Egg Souffle

My husband's family makes this every Christmas (and thankfully, any other family gathering that involves breakfast). I add a few more eggs (from the original recipe) to make it more eggy and I let it cook longer for more browning. Everyone thinks the corners are the best so you can make it in two 8x8 pans instead of a 9x13 if you want.



6 Eggs
2 cups Milk
1 lb Lean Ground Sausage, browned and drained
6 slices White Bread, cubed
¼ lb shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese (about 1 cup)
¼ lb shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 1 cup)
1 tsp Dry Mustard

Make the night before. Mix the milk, eggs, and mustard first; then combine the remaining ingredients. Place in greased, glass casserole pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in fridge. Cook at 350, covered for 45 min, then take off foil and cook 30 min longer to brown the top.

Dutch Baby

This is a super easy breakfast that everybody loves! I found this recipe on the internet somewhere. Very delightful!

2 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
Lemon juice
Powdered sugar
Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Put butter in two 8" cake pans. Allow butter to melt in oven. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in flour and milk until mixture is well combined and no longer lumpy.

Pour the batter into hot pans over the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, until pancake is puffed and golden brown.

Remove the pancakes from the oven. Cut into wedges and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Serve with butter and maple syrup, if desired.

This recipe works just as well without the use of the butter. The butter just makes the crust in the pan more crisp and allows that end result to easily fall out of the pan. If you don't use the butter make sure you use cooking spray and non-stick pans!

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal

This is a warm tangy recipe from Ellie Krieger. It's a nice way to spice up your morning oatmeal.



3 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups Oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cherry jam
1 cup nonfat milk

Combine water, salt, oatmeal, and cherries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring a few times until the oats are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and cherry jam. Divide the oatmeal between four bowls, pour 1/4 cup of milk over each bowl and serve. I generally add one packet of Splenda to my bowl for a little extra sweetness.

Buttermilk Syrup

This is the recipe for the yummy syrup that you can get with your all-you-can-eat breakfast at Magelby's Fresh in Provo, UT. It is delicious! Try it! It makes about two cups. It's great for pancakes and french toast.



Buttermilk Syrup
1/2 cup butter (do not substitute margarine)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. light corn syrup
3/4 cup buttermilk

Cook these ingredients in a saucepan until boiling, then add:
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla

http://www.maglebys.com/fresh.php