It's the Most Important Meal of the Day!

So, just as we all suspected, me finding time to maintain this blog hasn't exactly been as successful as I had hoped it would be.  I won't give you a long list of excuses because, well, I don't really have any good ones, so I will just post some recipes and wish you all a great weekend!

Today's Theme:  Breakfast!

Breakfast has never been my favorite meal.  I haven't liked eggs since I was a toddler and quite frankly, I don't care too much for eating first thing in the morning.  This proves to be a problem about 9am when my stomach is growling and my patience is wearing thin because all I care about is "when is lunch?"  So, help a girl out...post your favorite breakfast recipes. Things that can be made ahead and heated up and eaten "on the go" would be great. 

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Brunch Casserole

4 pieces of bread, cubed
1 pound sausage
6 eggs, beaten
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Line bottom of baking dish with bread crumbs.  Brown sausage in a skillet.  Drain.  Spoon sausage on top of break in baking dish.  Combine eggs, milk and dry mustard.  Pour over top of sausage and bread.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted. 

*This recipe works well for individual servings if you make it in a muffin tin.
**Can be made the day ahead and kept in the refrigerator or even frozen.

Sausage Mini Muffins

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2/3 cup water

3 cups biscuit/baking mix

Preheat oven to 350 degreees. In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. In a bowl, combine soup, cheese and water. Stir in biscuit mix until blended. Add sausage. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits

1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick butter), at room temperature

10 maraschino cherries

1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin. Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later. Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup. Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.


Iced Chocolate Chip Scones
(*We make this recipe in one of my cooking labs at school...if high school freshmen can do it, you can too!  They are always a big hit!)


2 cups flour + extra flour for rolling
2 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons cold butter
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips


Icing


1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa
1/3 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons milk (may need more)


Mix powdered sugar and cocoa together in small bowl.  Add the vanilla and milk and stir.  Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time if needed.


Preheat oven to 450.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Cut the 6 tablespoons of butter into very small pieces and use your hands to cut it into the flour mixture. (Should look like coarse crumbs.)  Add the chocolate chips.  Stir the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl and add to crumb mixture.  Stir until moistened.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Knead 8-10 times.  Divide the dough in half.  Pat into 5-inch circles.  Cut each circle into 6-8 wedges.  Place around 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.  Brush the tops of each scone with melted butter.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Use a spoon t drizzle icing on each.


Easy Buttermilk Biscuits


2 cups flour
5 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Preheat oven to 450.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil, set aside.   Measure flour and place in a mixing bowl.  Place the shortening in the middle of the flour and cut it in using 2 knives or a pastry blender.  When the flour/shortening mixture looks like "little peas" pour in the buttermilk.  Stir until moistened with a fork and roll into a ball.  Lightly flour countertop and pat out dough to the thickness of a deck of cards.  Cut out biscuits using a biscuit cutter (you can use a glass if you don't have a biscuit cutter).  Be sure to dip the biscuit cutter/glass into flour so dough will not stick.  Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, and brush the tops with melted butter.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.




I hope these recipes help you to get your days off to a great start.  Now it's your time to share your favorite morning time (or "breakfast for dinner") recipes!