breakfast

Croque Monsieur Bake

Aug282013

I love the start of a new school year. Fresh notebooks and pencils. Backpacks and lunchboxes that haven’t been ripped and dirtied. A whole new set of classes and teachers. It’s my inner nerd that really gets excited about these sorts of things. I have a whole set of goals that I’m working to implement that will keep our family running smoothly with the start of school. This will be the first year that Brandon goes to school every single day (though just in the mornings), and I’m thinking that having to have everyone up and ready 5 days a week is going to be an interesting challenge.

One of the things I’m focused on is revamping our breakfast routine. My kids aren’t huge breakfast eaters. They just aren’t super interested in eating as soon as they wake-up, and are usually content with just some cereal and fruit. I’m not great about breakfast either, since I usually run around 9 am, which means I can only handle a small snack when I wake-up. I generally wait until lunch to have a real meal (for all you interested runners – I do have a recovery shake right after my runs so I’m not totally going without). Since Brandon will be at school all morning, I want to make sure that he has something more filling in his stomach, so I’ve been experimenting with different hardy breakfast options. And I LOVE the idea of breakfasts that can be made the night before.

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Lunch, Recipes · Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, cheese, croque mosieur, ham, lunch, make ahead

Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Jul232013

I sort of can’t believe this is my first sweet breakfast recipe that I’ve shared here. See, I love muffins and pastries, but since we have incredible bakeries (Magnolia, Boulud, Bouchon) a stone’s throw away, I generally just pick something up on my way out. NYC is a dangerous place to live like that. I can’t walk a block without passing multiple temptations, and given that I have about zero self control in that department, I almost always give in. But alas, the smell of freshly baked muffins lofting out of the oven is enough to have me shunning all my favorite treats. If only a candle could accomplish what a little baked good can.

When I saw piles of gorgeous blueberries (on sale at Whole Foods!), I just knew that muffins had to happen. And there is no better muffin than one with a serious crumb topping. It’s rather essential in my book. The streusel needs to hold together but not be overly crunchy. Just enough to add some texture and a little more sweetness. I also love the brightness the lemon gives these as well. It’s subtle, but takes an ordinary muffin to the next level. Make a batch and freeze any leftovers, making for quick and yummy weekday grabs. These are by far the tastiest muffins that have ever come out of my kitchen, and I know you and your family will love them.

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes · Tagged With: blueberry, breakfast, lemon, muffin, streusel, sweets

Mommy Happy Hour

Jun282013

Happy Friday! This is actually a very exciting Friday for us because tomorrow we leave for vacation! Wahoo! Before we had kids, Brad and I would go away a lot and to some really fun places. Now, my idea of a great vacation spot is simply my parent’s house down south – built in babysitters! It also helps that they live in our favorite place (which is also where we got married – which we did before Carrie Underwood copied us!). There’s nothing like a week at the lake. I plan on doing a lot of reading and working on correcting my sad, pale state. Anyone have any good book recommendations? Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Happy Hour · Tagged With: books, breakfast, brunch, food, make-up, NYC, Restaurants, shorts, sunscreen

Sausage, Fontina & Pepper Strata

May232013

Are you a breakfast for dinner kind of person? I am a huge breakfast for dinner person – eggs, pancakes, even cereal when I’m on my own, I seriously could eat breakfast for any meal of the day. My husband, not so much. It’s probably the only food related discrepancy we have. Since I’m the one cooking dinner, he sometimes just has to suck it up and eat what I fix, but we now have reached a very happy compromise. This casserole is the best breakfast casserole I’ve ever had. Seriously, so ridiculously good. It’s like your average breakfast casserole with the meat, cheese, and eggs, but much more polished and gourmet tasting. Make this for breakfast, brunch, or dinner and your dinning companions are bound to be swooning. The great thing is that you can prep it ahead of time, let it soak up in the fridge, then pop it in the oven when you are ready to go. This one is a keeper!

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: bell pepper, breakfast, brunch, casserole, dinner, eggs, fontina, sausage

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

May142013

I have a heck of a recipe to share with you! This hash brown casserole is pure comfort food. I mean seriously, I could not stop eating it. It’s cheesy and smooth, with just the right amount of crunch from the buttery cracker topping. YUM! When I was at the grocery store loading a few bags of these frozen shredded potatoes in my cart, some well meaning woman stopped me and told me that I really should buy something else. She claimed that she had bought them for her kids and they were awful and totally tasteless. I asked what she had added to them and she said “nothing.” I told her not to worry, that I would be adding more than enough goodness to them to make them tasty. I think this woman (who possibly would have blown away with a strong breeze) was more than a little taken aback when I described what I was making. All things in moderation, my friends. These are definitely not diet friendly, but I think they are more than worth the splurge every once in a while. You could serve these up for breakfast (they would be amazing for a brunch) or as a side with dinner. Or you could be like me, and reheat the leftovers for every single meal for the next 2 days. Just don’t tell your trainer.

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Sides · Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, cheese, crackers, hash browns, potatoes, side dish

The Wifesaver

Dec212012

Originally posted on Culinary Wannabe – this is one of my favorites!

Need the perfect dish to serve Christmas morning? Look no further than the Wifesaver! This recipe is courtesy of my lovely mother-in-law, Terri. It is aptly named the Wifesaver because it can be conveniently prepared the night before, then baked up in the morning. It takes about an hour to bake – just enough time to open a few presents before you dig in. The casserole is hearty but not overly heavy. It has almost a quiche-like texture, combined with salty ham, sharp cheddar cheese and a crunchy cereal topping (the Special-K topping, though weird sounding, is awesome). Really delicious, and it makes Christmas morning a snap. Hope your family enjoys this as much as ours!

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes · Tagged With: breakfast, casserole, cheese, christmas, eggs, ham, make ahead

Veggie & Bacon Breakfast Hash

Nov22012

Every couple of weeks, I will clean out my veggie drawer by either making a fritatta or a hash like this one. They both make for fantastic dinners – quick, easy, warm and filling. And there’s always something fun about having breakfast for dinner. This would, of course, make an amazing breakfast as well (especially if you’ve had a few too many cocktails the night before). And I doubt you would need lunch afterwards! We still (thankfully) have power here in nyc, but the pickins at the grocery store were slim, so this was the perfect meal to use up what we already had on hand. I’m sure a few fellow New Yorkers could benefit from a meal like this. Have a great weekend everyone, and a special good-luck to all the marathoners out there – although I’m still a bit torn as to whether or not the marathon should go on, we will be out cheering!

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