25 Sep 2015

Fruit, Granola and Yogurt Parfait

I had my first breakfast parfait in a restaurant in Washington, DC. It was so good, I had to make it. This is a great way to start the day. Berries, yogurt and granola, what else do you need?

Ingredients
Berries – Combination of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries
Granola – See Homemade Granola Recipe
Yogurt – Regular or Greek
Honey – Optional

Instructions

In a parfait glass, layer yogurt, berries and granola until you reach the top of the glass. Drizzle some honey over the last layer and sprinkle with additional granola.

25 Sep 2015

Strawberry and Walnut Pancackes

by Warern van der Biezen | posted in: Breakfast, Strawberry and Walnut Pancackes | 0

Pancakes are great for breakfast any day, but put this strawberry sauce on them and they are truly something special. The sauce is so flavorful and thick, its great.

Ingredients

1 ½ Cups Flour
3 TBSP Sugar
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup plut 2 TBSP Milk
4 TBSP Melted Butter
1 Egg
1 Cup Sliced Strawberies
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Instructions

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together. In a separate bowl, whisk the vanilla, milk, butter and egg. Combine both mixtures. Add the strawberries and walnuts. Mix gently. There may be lumps, which is ok.

Brush the griddle with butter. Use ¼ Cup batter for each pancake. Cook over med/low until the underside is golden, about 4 minutes. Flip over, cook until the other side is golden, about 2 minutes.

Top with warm Strawberry sauce (recipe below) and additional walnuts.

Strawberry Sauce
1 LB Strawberries
¼ C Sugar
¼ C Water
½ Lemon

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Sauce will be thick.
Serve warm or cold.

25 Sep 2015

Mini Frittata

by Warern van der Biezen | posted in: Breakfast, Mini Frittata | 0

Wow are these good. If you are hosting brunch, these should definitely be on your buffet table. They are also great for those busy school mornings. You can bake them ahead of time and warm them up when you want to eat them.

Ingredients

6 Extra Large Eggs
1 LB Breakfast Sausage
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese – Shredded
¼ Cup Half & Half
½ Cup Chopped Spinach, squeezed dry
Cooking Spray
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º.

Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray making sure you get into all the cups.
Cook the sausage in a frying pan until completely done. Drain on a paper towel to absorb all the grease. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and half & half, salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon of the egg/milk mixture into each mini muffin cup. Divide the sausage, the spinach and the cheese equally into all the muffin cups.Bake for 30-35 minutes

25 Sep 2015

Frittata

by Warern van der Biezen | posted in: Breakfast, Frittata | 0

Frittatas are amazing. You can add almost any vegetables you have on hand and they taste great. These are not only for breakfast, you an eat this frittata for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

12 Eggs
2 Peppers – any color will do
1 Onion
1 Cup Chopped Spinach
Salt and Pepper
½ C Parmesan Cheese
1 C Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 C Half & Half
2 Tbsp Butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400º.

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Chop the peppers and onion into small pieces and sauté in the butter until they are soft.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, half & half and both cheeses. Squeeze all the liquid out of the chopped spinach until it is dry. Add the spinach to the onion and peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the egg and cheese mixture to the skillet, and move the eggs around until they have set on the bottom. This should take less than 5 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the eggs are fluffy and the top is golden brown. Cut and serve immediately.

Try some different vegetables in your Frittata. Asparagus and broccoli are also great.

25 Sep 2015

Stuffed French Toast

by Warern van der Biezen | posted in: Breakfast, Stuffed French Toast | 0

Stuffed french toast makes you feel like you are at a luxury hotel on vacation eating breakfast. It is luxurious and decedent. Treat yourself to a some stuffed french toast, you’ll be glad you did.

Ingredients

1 loaf of Bread – unsliced
2 Eggs
¼ Cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon
Salt

Filling Ingredients
1 Banana
2 TBSP Light Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 TBSP Chopped walnuts

Instructions

Filling:
In a small frying pan, melt the butter. Slice the banana into the pan. Saute for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and chopped walnuts. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat.

Egg Mixture:
In a casserole dish or shallow bowl , mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until all the ingredients are combined.

Assembling the French Toast:
Slice 2 pieces of bread 1 ½ inches wide. Cut a pocket in the center on one side . Fill each piece of bread with ½ the filling. Gently squeeze together. Lay the bread in a baking dish with the egg mixture. If there is not enough egg mixture to completely cover the top of the bread, turn the bread over to coat both sides.
Let the bread sit in the mixture for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat a griddle to 400°. Grease the griddle with cooking spray or butter.
Cook the bread on the griddle until it is brown on both sides.

Top with sliced bananas, chopped walnuts and maple syrup.
Serve immediately.

**Bread alternatives: 2 slices any bread, croissant, rolls, any flavored bread or bread like cake