Tag Archives: Breakfast in Bed
Breakfast in Bed – Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Post by Alison Hein.
Many (many) years ago, I entered a Girl Scout cookie contest and won! The winner was a sugary, crisped-edge, frilly concoction called a lace cookie. A wispy memory of brown sugar and beaten egg whites returned to my mind recently, and I decided to hunt for the recipe and recreate the magic.
The faded cookbooks of my youth have titles like Cookie Cookbook and The Cookie Book, and I know exactly where to find them. I flipped confidently through the first one, and there it was – Lace Cookies.
The recipe was different from my memory (where was the brown sugar? Where were the egg whites?), but that didn’t trouble me overmuch. I was puzzled when I was instructed to have on hand 2 cups oatmeal – surely that meant to cook the oats first? This didn’t seem right at all – should I make oatmeal? Use rolled oats? So I checked in with my sister, Janet. She agreed, the oats should be cooked. She also agreed that she did not remember oats in the original lace cookie recipe.
Still, I forged ahead valiantly. Everything was coming together nicely, until the cookies came out of the oven.
They looked all right, but would not be removed from the pan without balling into a squidgly mess. They even tasted okay, but required eating with a spoon.
They were a real mess and I had to toss them. But by this time, I liked the idea of adding oats, even though they were lacking from my original memory. I changed the recipe up a bit more, using brown sugar instead of only white, adding vanilla extract and an extra egg. This time, they slid sweetly from the pan, and were adorned with a tiny crisp of lacy edge (aided by melted butter and no flour in the batter). The rolled oats turned to autumn gold – sweet breakfast in bed bites.
P.S. If you have a great recipe for Lace Cookies, please send it to me.
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place rolled oats into large bowl. Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium low heat. When melted, stir into rolled oats until evenly mixed. Stir in brown sugar and white sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving about 1½ inches between cookies to allow for spreading. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown and crisped on the bottom. Let cool on cookie sheet for one to two minutes before removing to cool fully on a wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Breakfast in Bed – Stuffed Italian Frying Peppers
Post by Alison Hein.
I’m always on the lookout for a good, new restaurant, and happily, my husband, Kevin, is always on board. So when a homey new BYOB Italian storefront recently popped up, we promptly made a reservation after learning that the chef makes only fresh pasta, uses handed-down recipes from the old country, and is a CIA alum.
The interior was clean and welcoming, the wait staff cordial and professional. A daily specials menu featured an exciting appetizer of stuffed Italian frying peppers. When a trio of cubanelles was brought to our table, lightly charred and neatly lined up, I began to salivate. Then, Kevin and I each took our first bite, and our expectations were dashed. They were burning hot on the outside, yet cold in the center (heated in the microwave???). The stuffing was bland and over-bready.
“These could be so much better,” I said.
So I went home and began to experiment, using a stuffing of sautéed Italian sweet and spicy sausages, just a touch of breadcrumbs and parmesan, and a heavy hand with the seasoning. Cooking the stuffed peppers in a lidded foil pan on the grill seemed the logical next step. The results were delicious – an instant success of an appetizer.
A few modifications – pancetta instead of Italian sausage, no breading at all, and a couple of scrambled eggs – turns these lovely peppers into an instant success of a breakfast in bed that will keep your expectations intact.
Ingredients
1 Italian frying pepper (Cubanelle)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons diced pancetta
1 small red onion or shallot (2 to 3 tablespoons), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375º. Clean and core Italian frying pepper by cutting a circle around the stem and removing inner seeds. Remove as much of the ribs as possible with your fingers, and give the pepper a good shake to free any remaining seeds. Set pepper aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in small pan over medium heat. Add pancetta, and cook for a minute or two, until it begins to render. Stir in onion (or shallot) and garlic. Sautee for another minute until softened. Reduce heat to low and add beaten eggs. Stir and lift, cooking until eggs are fully cooked, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
Fill the pepper with the scrambled egg / pancetta mixture, tapping down a little on the work surface to fill completely. Rub the outer skin of the pepper with the remaining olive oil and bake for around 40 minutes, until pepper is cooked and lightly browned in spots. Serve hot.
Makes 1 serving.
NOTE: Peppers can be stuffed one day in advance, then baked when ready.
Breakfast in Bed –Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
by: Alison Hein
Whoever first thought to pair juicy, tangy lemon with tiny, mellow poppy seeds was on to a pairing as magical as peaches and cream, or strawberries and chocolate. I was curious, and decided to do a little research. A meandering trail of interesting (yet not useful) tidbits led me full circle.
The origin of lemons is unknown, although it is believed the fruit first grew in Assam (a region in northeast India), northern Burma or China. Poppy seeds (oilseeds obtained from the opium poppy Papaver Somniferum) may have originated in Mesopotamia or Sumeria. Viewing a bunch of ancient maps online left me unable to gauge the interconnected paths of these places (clearly a project for professional historians and geographers).
Moving on, I learned that poppy seeds (which from my amateur research I determined to be far older than lemons) have been found fossilized, suggesting that Neanderthal man may have used them more than 30,000 years ago! They have been found in other ancient sites (Sumerian and Minoan), and were mentioned in an Egyptian scroll dated circa 1550 BC. According to Wikipedia, “poppy seeds have long been used as a folk remedy to aid sleeping, promote fertility and wealth, and even to provide supposed magical powers of invisibility”.
Invisibility?? At this point, I decided to give up my “research” and just trust in the magical lemon / poppy combination, perhaps even more magical than I had originally thought.
Add the teaspoon of lemon oil if you enjoy extra powerful citrus flavor. Feel free to reduce the recommended ¼ cup of poppy seeds by as much as one half for less intensity. Finally, remember to fill the prepared tin no more than ¾ full of batter to avoid fallen or flattened muffins.
Eat your Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins warm or lightly toasted, for a magical breakfast in bed…
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Juice and grated rind on one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon oil or lemon flavoring (optional)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup poppy seeds
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk to dry ingredients, stirring to mix in evenly. Add vegetable oil in the same manner, then the beaten eggs, lemon juice and rind, and lemon oil. Fold in sour cream, then poppy seeds.
Pour into greased or papered muffin tin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly golden, or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins
Breakfast in Bed: Peach Pie
Post by Alison Hein.
The glorious weather we’ve been having has put me in a bit of a funk: beautiful, sunny days + low humidity + perfect temperatures + shorter days = end of summer. 🙁 🙁
So I turn to the perfect pick-me-up – peach pie! There are a few good things the close of August brings, and one of my top picks is luscious, ruby-red, drippingly sweet peaches.
This time I’ve made my pie open face, but the recipe yields enough dough to place a top crust on, if you like (freeze any extra pie dough for a future quick dessert or savory quiche). If your peaches are extra sweet, use a little less sugar. If they’re extra juicy, add a touch more flour.
At this time of year, I recommend acquiring a few more peaches than needed, just in case you nibble some away before preparing your peachy, perfect, pick-me-up breakfast in bed. J
Ingredients
Pie Crust
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ice cold water
⅓ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
Pie Filling
4 to 5 large, ripe peaches
¼ to ½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup flour
Preparation
To make crust, sift together flour and salt. Remove half of the flour mixture and add to a separate small bowl. Add water to flour mixture and stir to make a paste. Cut butter into small cubes and cut into remaining flour mixture, using a pastry cutter or two forks. Mix all ingredients together until a smooth, uniform dough forms. Split dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dough from refrigerator. Gently roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured board, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll dough to form an approximate 12-inch round. Place dough in pie dish. Trim edges and crimp with the tines of a fork.
To make filling, peel peaches by cutting a small “x” in the bottom of the fruit. Carefully drop the peaches into boiling water and blanch for up to one minute. Remove peaches from pot and immerse in ice water. Peel off peach skin starting at the “x’. Slice peaches by cutting lengthwise to the pit, and pulling slices away from pit. Place peach slices in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and flour. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.
Place pie in oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until crust and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Makes 1 pie.
Breakfast in Bed – Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Post by: Alison Hein.
Ever try using a giant, meaty Portobello mushroom as a base for your breakfast eggs? Well, you should! Portobellos are large and stuffable. Their dense texture and earthy flavor make them filling and satisfying – a particularly nice ingredient for a vegetarian meal.
In this recipe, I recommend acquiring a Portobello with its stem intact. You can finely dice the stem and sauté it along with a bit of delicate shallot, and tangy sun-dried tomato. Scramble some eggs, add chopped spinach and melted cheddar. Voila! An entire meal stuffed into a mushroom.
Don’t concern yourself about whether it’s Portobello, portabella, or portobella – they’re all the same thing – an overgrown relative of the common button mushroom, and the perfect base for your breakfast in bed.
NOTE: If you’re interested in reading up on the history of these tasty giants, take a look at the info on Foodtimeline.org
Ingredients
1 large Portobello mushroom, with stem attached
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomato
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup cooked chopped spinach, warmed
1 slice sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Clean and trim Portobello mushroom. Remove stem by pushing firmly to one side, then the other. Chop stem into a fine dice and set aside.
Brush the outside of the Portobello with a little olive oil. Place in an ovenproof dish and bake until cooked through but firm, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add diced mushroom stem, shallot and sun-dried tomato. Sautee until softened but not browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add beaten eggs to pan. Continue to cook on low, gently folding and lifting egg mixture until cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the Portobello, spread cooked spinach on top of the baked mushroom. Top with egg mixture and cheddar cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is melted, less than one minute. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 stuffed mushroom.
