Strawberry Grilled Cheese

Should this be breakfast? No. Could it be breakfast? Yes. Shoot, we had it for dinner. It should probably fall into the dessert category, but everyone needs a treat for dinner now and then. It feels so sinful. It is decadent and a real treat. Who needs pancakes and waffles when you can have a strawberry grilled cheese!

1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz marshmallow cream
8 slices prepared French Toast
butter

1. In a small mixing bowl mix together strawberries and sugar. Set aside.

2. In another small fixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and marshmallow cream until well combined. Set aside.

3. Spread butter on one side of each prepared French Toast slice. Flip over half of the bread slices. Layer cream cheese mixture, strawberries, and top with more cream cheese mixture. Top with the remaining French Toast slices, buttered-side up.

4. Working in batches, cook the sandwiches until the cheese and strawberries warm and the bread is golden, about 5 minutes.

The Spicy Scrambled Breakfast Grilled Cheese

It's National Grilled Cheese month! And I am a grilled cheese lover. This month I'm going all out and making amazing, innovative, and down-right tasty grilled cheese sandwiches.

Today I bring you the Spicy Scrambled Breakfast Grilled Cheese. It takes all of the components of a delicious breakfast and combines it into one drool-worthy sandwich. I will warn you that it takes some effort, but the it is well worth it. I knew it would be good, but I didn't realize HOW good. One bite and my jaw dropped.

Picture it: Scrambled eggs with onion, jalapeno, and mushroom topped with crumbled bacon sandwiched between two slices of brioche french toast and pepper jack cheese oozing from every crevice.

Are you drooling? I am!


To make 4 delicious sandwiches you will need:

French Toast
8 slices brioche
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 T brown sugar
Butter (for coating the outside during sandwich assembly)

Bacon
4 slices of bacon cooked nice and crispy

Scrambled Eggs
4 eggs
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 onion, diced
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp olive oil

8 thin slices Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:
1. Cook your bacon. Just toss it in a pan over medium to medium-high heat and cook until it reaches your desired doneness. I like mine crispy, almost burnt.

2. Make the French Toast. In a small bowl scramble together the eggs, milk and brown sugar. Dip the sliced brioche into the bowl to coat both sides. Brush away the excess. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat. Each side should take 2-3 minutes, until browned.

3. Make your scrambled eggs. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the jalapeno, onion, and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the eggs and scramble. Cook until the eggs begin to set. DO NOT overcook your eggs here. They will continue to cook a little bit inside the sandwich.

4. Assemble your sandwiches. Butter one side of each french toast slice. Stack in twos with the buttered sides facing each other. Place 1 slice of cheese onto each stack. Spoon scrambled eggs onto each stack. Crumble bacon onto each stack. Top with another slice of cheese.

5. Cook your sandwiches. In a skillet over medium heat grill your sandwiches. Just take your stacks leaving the bottom slice of bread and place in the pan. Take the remaining slice and put it on top. Cook until each side is browned and the cheese is melted.

6. Enjoy your grilled cheese breakfast goodness!

Pumpkin Pancakes

It's just that time of year! Pumpkin everything! Can you tell we like pumpkins in our house? These are delicious pumpkin pancakes that make you feel like you are having pumpkin pie for breakfast (or dinner as usually happens here).


1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt


Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Butter

Fall...Halloween...Thanksgiving...it is the time of pumpkins. One of our favorite fall treats are Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Butter. Oh my, I'm salivating just thinking about them.


1 T instant dry yeast
1/3 C sugar
1 C milk, warmed to 110 degrees
7-8 c flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 C cold butter, cut in pieces
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 C pumpkin puree (16 oz)
oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Let stand a few minutes, until foamy.

2. In a second bowl, combine 5 C flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

3. Add cold butter, and cut in until mixture resembles cornmeal.

4. Put dry ingredients in large bowl with the yeast. Mix slightly.

5. Add egg and pumpkin. Beat on low until well mixed.

6. Continue to mix on low (knead), adding small amounts of the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

7. Beat another 3-4 minutes, and then transfer to a well greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).

8. Punch the dough down and transfer to a floured counter. Break off golf ball size pieces. Roll the balls out into flat pieces, 1/2" thick.

9. Fry in hot oil (375 degrees) on both sides. Cool on a paper towel covered rack. Serve with cream cheese butter.




Cream Cheese Butter
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Beat ingredients with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
2. Serve with warm pumpkin scones.
3. Refrigerate leftover mixture.

Breakfast Strudel

This is my go to recipe for brunches or anytime you need an impressive breakfast dish. It's easy, it's quick, it's tasty, and it looks like you know what you are doing. It can also be made ahead.

1 box puff pastry dough (1.1 lb.) Thaw according to package directions.
2 T butter
½ C diced onion
1 C frozen hash browns
1 C red or green bell peppers, diced
11 eggs
4 oz cream cheese
2 T fresh chives (or 1 tsp dry)
2 T orange juice

----
1 egg, beaten
1 T water
2 T Parmesan cheese, shredded


1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add potatoes and saute 5 minutes.

2. Add bell pepper and onion. Saute 3.

3. Whisk eggs, chives, salt and pepper (to taste) together. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until just set.

4. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and juice. Stir to combine.

5. Unfold pastry and roll to 10“ x 12”. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly mark dough lengthwise, in thirds. On each outside section, cut 8 slices.

6. Fill the center section with half the egg mixture. Fold the strips, right then left, over the egg to form a rbaid.

7. Beat the single egg and 1 T water. Brush on the strudel. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

8. Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Indian Frybread

 

This recipe comes from my dear Aunt Bonnie who learned how to make frybread from her friend Beverly, (Goshute). I have fond memories of devouring her frybread. You can put a little honey and powdered sugar on them for a dessert frybread, or you can make delicious Indian tacos.

4 cups flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
1 ½ or more cups HOT tap water
½ cup vegetable oil
frying vegetable oil or shortening

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add water gradually; mixing with your hands until very sticky. It will turn slimy like snot when it relaxes. Let sit for a couple of hours. Pour vegetable oil over top. DO NOT MIX. Cover hands in oil to keep the dough from sticking to your hands, then carefully stretch out a ball of dough to paper-thin. The thinner, the better. In a large fry pan, heat more oil or shortening until almost smoking. Cook stretched fry bread in VERY HOT oil, turning once. Transfer plate covered with paper towels to drain oils. Serve warm.

Fried bread can be kept warm in the oven until there is enough to serve.

**For those that get tough dough or crackers, you've kneaded or worked the dough too long or added too much flour. As for cooking frybread, I always try to use an old black cooking skillet. It keeps the oil or shortening temperature more consistent. 

Honey Bun Cake

This is a delicious little treat. It's a dessert that you could rationalize into eating for breakfast. It's quick, it's simple, it's delicious.

Recipe courtesy of The Craft Patch who posted their recipe courtesy of Dinner's on Me who got their recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

That being said, here's the recipe:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan. Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife until it looks like a honey bun (or whatever design you want to make).

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.

4. To Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.


***TIP: the cake batter is pretty thick. It won't pour very well. I think spreading is a better word.