Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I love Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. When my mom makes them it is a trial in willpower to stop myself at two. I'd never made them from scratch because it's something you have to start the night before (not that morning trying to decide what to make). As long as you know in advance you want to make them, it's not a lot of work and they're delicious. They're not quite as sweet as the Pillsbury variety and they're so doughy and warm and wonderful. This makes 12 and I don't think you'll have trouble finishing them off. I used this recipe from Alton Brown.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
6oz buttermilk, room temp
4 cups flour
1 package instant dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt

Hashbrown Fondue

I have been looking for an excuse to make this recipe for years, ever since I saw it on Alex's Day Off 5+ years ago. Last weekend, a whole big group of us went to my friend's house in the Poconos, I finally had a group big enough, and I was assigned breakfast duty - perfect! They were so, so good. So decadent and perfect for a group. This is not light in the least, but with enough people you're not eating too much of it. The wine adds a really nice flavor, but if you don't have any around, you can swap in chicken broth with a little vinegar in it. I used a mix of potatoes, including purple, just because they had them at the market, but any regular potato with do. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

2-3 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch scallions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 small wheel of Camembert or Brie with the rind cut off the bottom

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to lightly smoke, add the butter and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until they become tender and crispy. Add the scallions and the wine. 

Season again with salt and pepper and increase the heat. Cook for 5-8 more minutes so the potatoes are browning, adding more butter if needed. 

Put the cheese on top of everything in the middle of the skillet, open side down.

Pop the whole thing in the oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. 

The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a knife. 

We had a nice al fresco breakfast with some delicious strawberries and blueberries. 

And, of course, some bacon and eggs. Also, our friends got ENGAGED later that day. Congratulations Lane and Burgee!!

Monkey Bread

This is such a delicious breakfast, and great for a group. It makes a lot, so be sure to invite some friends over for this one. It's definitely not healthy, but it's so gooey and sweet and tasty, and it's fun to grab the pieces off with your hands. I didn't get a picture of it whole because no one could resist it. 

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Grands biscuits

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

Egg in a Cloud

I went to Almar the other day for breakfast and tried their egg in a cloud. It was so cool. They separated the yolk and whites and fluffed up the whites and baked them and poached the yolks and served it on top of brioche toast with ham and cheese. It was delicious. While it looks super cool, I didn't think it would be that hard to try at home. Mom and Jamie were my guinea pigs and it was great! Definitely more complicated than the average egg recipe but it's delicious and such a cool presentation. Would be great for a brunch!

Omelette

I'm usually a Bismarck person, and when it comes to eggs I usually go scrambled, fried, or One-Eyed Connolly, but last weekend I wanted to try out an omelette (mostly because I had spinach, fontina, and herbs in the fridge). It was really easy and very tasty, and you can put whatever you want in the middle. I opted for some sauted spinach and scallions with parsley, dill, and fontina. Yum. You just need a non-stick pan.

One-Eyed Connolly

There are a lot of names for this - One-Eyed Connolly, Egg in a Basket, Egg in a Hole... We always called it a One-Eyed Connolly. I made one the other day and decided to spruce it up a little. We didn't have much in the fridge that morning, but we did have some cream cheese and we always have spices. I split the bread in half (there's an easy trick to that) and spread a thin layer of cream cheese and spices and put it back together. It was so tasty and really added something extra. Mmm. I also always love having a little salad with my eggs.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 pieces of bread (I used whole wheat, but whatever you want/have on hand)

2 eggs

butter

cream cheese

mix of cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt

Coffee Cake

My brother in law Austen got me a great baking cookbook for Christmas last year and over the weekend I decided to make coffee cake. Yum! While it was baking, the whole house smelled like a cinnamon-filled bakery. I brought it into work and it was quickly eaten. Such a treat in the morning. The cardamom was a really nice subtle spice.

Ingredients:

For Streusel

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the Cake

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self rising)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

Eggs Benedict

I love Eggs Benedict. People are scared of making Hollandaise at home, but it's really not that hard. It's also such a special breakfast to have at home and makes dreary, cold Sunday mornings a bit more bearable. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 English muffins

4 pieces Canadian Bacon

5 eggs

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

1 tbsp vinegar

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

First you want to make the Hollandaise. 

Fried Eggs and Latkes

 

Another Smitten Kitchen recipe. This is a nice change from hashbrowns and a great little breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 large baking potato, peeled
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil
fried eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a food processor or with a box grater, coarsely shred the potato and onion. Transfer it to a cheesecloth or paper towel or dish cloth and drain it. In a large bowl whisk the flour, egg, baking powder, salt, pepper, ad egg together. Stir in the potato mixture until all the pieces are evenly coated.

Smitten Kitchen's Cinnamon French Toast

This is the a great way to make French Toast for a group. By making cinnamon toast first, the flavor is cinnamony and great, adding some extra sweetness. It's perfect for when you have a group of people to feed for breakfast and you don't want to serve everyone one by one and have to eat alone at the end. Very tasty!

Serves 4 (double to serve 8)
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
8 pieces of white toast
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
maple syrup

Directions:
To make cinnamon toast, preheat oven to 450. Whisk cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and place bread on the sheet.