Breakfast

"Man cannot live by bread alone; sometimes he needs a little buttering up." - John C. Maxwell

First let me say...I am SO not a morning person! I greatly dislike early mornings. Once I'm thoroughly awake I'm fine, but running on 4 or 5 hours of sleep and getting up at 8am...yeah not my favorite thing!

Breakfast table waiting,
pancakes ready

That being said, I get to see my wonderful husband for only about 4 hours a day right now. Every moment is precious. So I try my best to have breakfast ready and on the table when he gets home in the mornings so we can spend that time together.

It used to be that lunch was the biggest meal of our day, the meal we shared and enjoyed together. Now, however, breakfast is the focal meal of our day, which means I've had to start getting creative on breakfasts so we're not just eating the same thing every day.

Cereal and toast is a staple, as are pancakes with a variety of toppings - my sweetheart sticks to the basic maple syrup, I like to experiment with peanut butter, jelly, honey, cream cheese, etc.) or the variation of waffles (thanks to my inlaws for a nice waffle maker!). But nobody wants that every day, right? So I've been getting creative.

You can almost hear the sizzle!

Not everything is a hit - for instance, I made overnight oatmeal with chocolate. I thought it was fabulous, my hubby ate about half the mug and declared he was no longer hungry! Oh well...

I've played with the pancake recipe enough to know how to modify it just the way we like. The basic bisquick pancake recipe is so bland, I always add a little cinnamon, vanilla, and honey...and they turn out amazing! Great texture and flavor, and easy enough that I can have an oven-warmed plate stacked with hot, delicious pancakes on the table by the time my honey gets home.

Waffles are a bit trickier, but the key to a successful waffle recipe is to beat the egg first. This causes the waffles to be fluffier, while leaving them in the waffle iron for about 30 seconds longer than they need to cook causes them to be a little crispier on the outside. It's definitely a learning process, but I'm getting a lot better!

Breakfast quesadillas
of amazingness

Of course, there's the standard fare - eggs, bacon, and sausage. Oh, how versatile is this combination! One morning we can cook up entire packages of bacon and sausage, with about half a dozen eggs, and feast like kings! The leftovers, however, inspire more options for several more meals. For instance, one of our favorites is 3-cheese breakfast quesadillas: an artistic assortment of mozzarella, cheddar, and American cheeses with leftover scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage, all sandwiched between two tortillas and cooked on our quesadilla maker until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melty and gooey and awesome.

Another great breakfast idea I found recently was egg muffins. Stay with me, be open-minded, and just try this amazingness. A 12-cup muffin tin, with the bottom of each cup lightly covered in hash browns (or tater tots, or basically potatoes of any kind, or whatever your heart desires). Sausage and bacon, cut and torn into small chunks and bits, to nearly the top of the cups. A mixture of 5 or 6 eggs, half cup milk, and half cup Bisquick, distributed evenly among the 12 cups (spooning it in is slow and messy, but my sweetie came up with the brilliant idea to use a turkey baster!). Sprinkle cheese on top, bake at 350 for 20 minutes... Let me just say, they are incredible. And if you doubt me, keep in mind that the recipe made 12 and my honey ate 6! In all fairness, he had just come off night shift with nothing to eat since the day before, but still - they are husband approved!

Egg muffins. They're
seriously awesome!

And then on the special days, on the days worth celebrating, or just for a nice surprise, breakfast might involve something sweet. We have a tradition of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Sundays, as they are a quick special meal when we're feeling lazy, or an easy treat if we're rushing out the door to go to church. Another idea, that takes only a little more work, is crescent-roll dough wrapped around chocolate chips and marshmallows - the marshmallows disappear but you can still taste them. It's an easy, heavenly indoor alternative to s'mores. Extra special mornings, like Christmas, call for extra awesomeness, like french toast made with cinnamon raisin bread, covered in syrup and powdered sugar.

I'd love to hear your ideas on breakfast meals - the easier the better, but any delicious ideas welcomed! Or tell me about the main meal in your family and what creative recipes you have tried. And if you try any of the recipes I've mentioned, shoot me a note to let me know how it turned out!

Bekah out :)