Tag Archives: Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast in Bed – Apple Walnut Cookies

Apple Walnut Cookies 11

Post by Alison Hein.

I like to fill a big bowl with colorful fruit for an inexpensive and cheerful centerpiece. Sometimes I’ll use all lemons, sometimes all limes, sometimes all oranges, and sometimes a mix of fruit. For a recent dinner party, I bought two dozen bright green apples and piled them high in an amber dish. It looked lush and bright adorning my kitchen island.

But after a party, what does one do with so many apples? Unlike cut flowers, it is wrong to simply discard food (it may be wrong to discard cut flowers too, but they mostly cannot be cooked). And, apples seem more well-suited to autumnal flavors. So how could I use them and make them taste more springy?

Apple Walnut Cookies 2

Cookies seemed like an apt solution. With a light batter and raw apples, the cookies tasted fresh and cake-like. I added a handful of walnuts for texture and a sprinkling of apple pie spices for a rich undertone. Be warned – these cookies are better when consumed within one day of baking. So. Bake. Rise. Consume. Ahh… breakfast in bed.

Apple Walnut Cookies 4

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled and chopped apple (about 2 medium apples)
½ cup chopped walnuts

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and blend in completely. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a separate small bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and blend well. Stir in chopped apple and walnuts.

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Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheet for a couple of minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

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Breakfast in Bed – Potato Farls

Potato Farls 12

Post by Alison Hein.

You never know just how important St. Patrick’s Day is until you marry an Irishman. J With Kevin’s encouragement (um, nagging?), I’ve had fun posting an array of Irish recipes suitable for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations during the past few years: St. Patrick’s Day Soda Bread, Irish Wheaten Bread, and Mrs. O’Callaghan’s Irish Scones. Oh my, I almost forgot Aunt Frannie’s Irish Coffee! (Just proves how un-Irish I am.)

Potato Farls 2

I love Irish cooking for its deep simplicity, and for the focus that captures a food’s essence. Take potatoes, for instance. In this easy (and simply devourable!) Potato Farl Recipe, only four ingredients are used – potatoes, butter, flour and salt. Mashed potatoes are mixed with a little butter and just enough flour to make them pliable. Add an egg, or a little baking soda, for an extra lift if you like, or remain pure and traditional without.

A “farl” is anything that is cut into a quarter round. Potato farls are often called potato cakes or potato bread. If you like them savory, top them with fresh chives or ground black pepper. If you like them sweet, sprinkle a little cinnamon and brown sugar on them. If you’re like me, pick them up directly from the hot pan, douse with salt, and eat them immediately while trying not to burn your tongue.

Potato Farls 4

I used golden potatoes because I love their sweet, mellow flavor and their sunny hue. But any kind of potato that is mashable (uh, I think that’s all of them) – reds, russets, fingerlings – will work well here for a devourable St. Patrick’s Day breakfast in bed.

Ingredients

1½ pounds potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, plus an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons for frying
1 cup flour
Salt, to taste

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Preparation

Peel, wash and dice potatoes. Place in a heavy pot and add water to cover and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, return to pot along with 2 tablespoons of butter. Mash, ensuring potatoes are smooth and without lumps. Allow potatoes to cool.

When cool, add flour and salt to the potatoes and mix well. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a minute or so, until mixture is smooth and somewhat elastic. Split dough in half and shape each half into a round, approximately 6 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick.

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Melt a tablespoon of the remaining butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. Cook the potato cakes until golden brown, turning once, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm.

NOTE: If you like, make the potato farls the day before and refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat them in a 350°oven for 15 minutes before assembling and serving.

Makes 8 potato farls.

Potato Farls 12

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Breakfast in Bed – Eggs à la Luis

Eggs a la Luis 6

Post by Alison Hein.

Google “Eggs à la Luis” and here’s what you’ll get:

Eggs Louis Armstrong (sounds intriguing!);

Huevos con Jamón (sounds delish!); and even

Dinosaur Egg Fossil (yikes! please don’t make me eat that!).

Eggs a la Luis 1

Well, the real Luis is my friend Luis Acevedo of Luis Acevedo Interior Design, and the real Eggs à la Luis is a healthy breakfast recipe I concocted just this morning. You see, I was having a bit of a design crisis, so I persuaded Luis to come over and help me out. He good-naturedly agreed to come first thing the next day. To me, this means breakfast must be served.

Only trouble is, my usual impressive fanfare of crêpes, pancakes and waffles was not going to cut it, as Luis recently put himself on a strict diet. Thus, I decided to do some simple scrambled eggs jazzed up with lightly sautéed vegetables still with a bit of crunch. I chose asparagus for bright, fresh flavor and a wild mushroom assortment for texture and depth. A dusting of salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a pinch of spicy chives finished the eggs.

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Crisped, whole wheat pita triangles served as cute, bite-sized shovels, just right for scooping up tiny gobs of savory eggs. Sweet, juicy grapefruit became a healthy mini-dessert.

We enjoyed our Eggs à la Luis while working through my design solution. But you should have yours as a solution for breakfast in bed. Perhaps next time we google this will be on the top of the list!

Ingredients:

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup fresh asparagus, chopped
½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
4 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped chives, for garnish
1 whole wheat pita
1 ruby grapefruit

Eggs a la Luis 2

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in small, heavy pan over medium low heat. Add chopped asparagus and mushrooms to the pan and cook until gently cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Break eggs into a small bowl and whisk well. Add egg mixture to heated pan and allow to cook slowly and gently. Stir and lift frequently with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Continue to cook until eggs are to your liking, another 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

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Slice the pita bread into eight triangles. Place in toaster and toast until crispy. Peel and segment the grapefruit. If you like, peel off the grapefruit’s inner skin as well.

To serve, place four toasted pita triangles onto each plate. Divide the eggs equally onto each plate and top with fresh chives. Add a few grapefruit segments to each plate and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

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Breakfast in Bed: Melon Pear Smoothies

Melon Pear Smoothies 8

Post by Alison Hein.

Yay! It’s March! I was out in my garden this morning and spied tiny little green nubs wrestling to push themselves up through the earth. I even caught sight of a wayward robin! Soon the temperatures will climb and the earth and trees will be dressed in greenery. Time to start the switch from hearty pancakes and healthy oatmeal over to fresh fruit and frothy smoothies!

Melon Pear Smoothies 1

Cantaloupe may not be the first melon you’d think of when firing up the blender, but it’s dense consistency and sweet, mellow undertones make this a fruit made to be puréed. A little pear juice makes a nice contrast with the melon and adds a fresh note.

Melon Pear Smoothies 2

Variations are endless. Use apple instead of pear juice, or skip the juice altogether for a thicker smoothie. For all the juice-conscious out there, go ahead and replace the juice with fresh spinach, kale or wheat grass instead.

Well you get the idea. Smoothies couldn’t be simpler or more perfect, and for once, I don’t have much more to say on the topic. I’m not even recommending breakfast in bed. Just go froth yourself up some fruit, then take your lush and frosty smoothie outside. Take a deep breath in. Spring is in the air!

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Ingredients
2 cups fresh cantaloupe (or other melon), peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 cup ice
½ cup pear juice
½ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Wash the outside of the cantaloupe. Slice in half and scoop out seeds from center. Slice and skin melon, then chop into 1-inch cubes.

Place ice in blender. Add chopped melon, yogurt and pear juice. Purée until thick and smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into glasses. Garnish with sliced lime.

Makes 2 smoothies.

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Breakfast in Bed – Prosciutto and Parmesan Frittata

Proscuitto Parmesan Frittata 8

Post by Alison Hein.

We’d been trying to get together with our wonderful neighbors Ann and Frank for ages. (You may recall Frank for his tantalizing Frittata Italiana-Mexicana posted here a few years back.) But with daily responsibilities, weekend commitments, and intermittent travel plans, we have been finding it increasingly difficult to coordinate all of our hectic schedules.

We finally decided to simply invite them, spur of the moment, for a glass of wine and some snacks. They immediately accepted, but offered dinner in return. We, in turn, immediately accepted, and offered to bring dessert. Thus, a mini-progressive dinner was born. (Anyone out there remember progressive dinners – appetizers at Neighbor A, soup or salad at Neighbor B, entrée at Neighbor C, and dessert at Neighbor D?

Proscuitto Parmesan Frittata 2

We decided to go with an Italian theme. I kept it simple and served fresh melon with prosciutto to go along with Ann’s amazing fresh pasta with Bolognese sauce, eggplant parmesan, and chicken parmesan. Dessert was fresh berries with zabaglione.

My breakfast recipe lightbulb went off the next day. How about a savory frittata (homage to Frank), replete with a few bites of delicately aged and salted prosciutto, and finished, Italian-style, with some zesty parmesan? A sprinkling of green basil at the finish, and a sweet side of juicy cantaloupe made a delightful spur-of-the-moment breakfast in bed.

Proscuitto Parmesan Frittata 3

Ingredients

2 tablespoons high-heat olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 slices prosciutto, cut into small pieces
7 eggs
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
Fresh cantaloupe slices on the side (optional)

Proscuitto Parmesan Frittata 4

Preparation

Pour olive oil into a 10-inch ovenproof heavy frying pan, and place on stove over medium heat. Add chopped onion to pan, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, garlic and prosciutto and cook for about 2 minutes more. Reduce heat to low.

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Break eggs into a large bowl, and whisk until smooth and thickened. Stir in ½ cup grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg-cheese mixture over onion-tomato mixture. Continue to cook, gently moving uncooked eggs back around the sides of the pan, until edges are set, about 7 to 9 minutes. Sprinkle frittata with remaining parmesan cheese. Place frying pan under broiler, about 5 inches from direct heat. Broil frittata until eggs are firm and do not jiggle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately. Place a serving of fresh cantaloupe on the side, if you like.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

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