A Better Breakfast

"We plan, we toil, we suffer -- in the hope of what? A camel-load of idol's
eyes? The title deeds of Radio City? The empire of Asia? A trip to the moon?
No, no, no, no. Simply to wake up just in time to smell coffee and bacon and
eggs. And, again I cry, how rarely it happens! But when it does happen --
then what a moment, what a morning, what a delight!"
J. B. Priestley, British author (1894-1984)

Breakfast serves us as well as it is served. What could I mean by this?
This morning meal serves to greet us with almost intoxicating scents and
calls out to our taste buds before we make it to the table!
This first meal of the day welcomes us with steamy warmth on winter mornings
or cold fruit and crispy cereals when summer’s heat starts early.
We serve it… and it serves us.

Anyone desiring to learn how to cook would do well with breakfast basics.
Pancakes take practice and eggs require experience (pun intended:-)) but
they can be mastered easier than more complicated dinner dishes.

Even though I do most of our cooking and the kitchen is mainly my area to
keep up and work from, there are times when my husband shares this place in
our home. Sometimes, he just seems to need to brown some meat, gather hot
chili peppers, tomatoes, and more to stir together into an awesome chili.
During warm seasons (most of the year here) --- he enjoys grilling chicken
breasts, occasionally hamburgers (he and my sons insist on eating red meat
) as well as vegetables.

The one meal that he seems to enjoy preparing the most though… would have to
be breakfast.

This was the first meal he ever prepared for me. When we were dating, he
invited me over for a brunch-timed breakfast. I arrived to find scrambled
eggs with sharp cheddar cheese melted into and on top of, southern style
grits with butter, pancakes with a choice of butter and real maple syrup OR
freshly washed and sliced strawberries and whipped cream. He had bacon and
sausage heaped on a small platter and served it all with fresh orange juice
and strong coffee. I can still taste that time!

Now, we almost always have our breakfast meals in the am but my husband and
kids adore having this meal at night sometimes. I prefer to eat this meal in
the mornings but don’t mind it on occasion as an evening choice.

Regardless of when we serve this meal, it is a creative and charming array
of colors, tastes, aromas, and an all-in-all delight to the senses!
Beginning and gourmet cooks alike can have a grand time whipping this meal
up.

For those (like me) either desiring to learn more or gain ideas for personal
inspiration, I will share some notes from our kitchen:

We serve up pancakes with real butter and true maple syrup and usually add
something of a treat:

* Bananas and walnuts --- such fluffy and delicious pancakes!
* Ginger, fresh nutmeg, and cinnamon --- I just whisk the spices up with the
dry ingredients. After doing this for years, I saw a Rachel Ray show on TV
($40 A Day of Travel Eating or something) and she visited a place in Hawaii
where one breakfast specialty was macadamia nut and ginger pancakes with
coconut syrup! It gave me an idea so I plan to add these nuts to my next
batch and find a way to make the syrup as well!
* Pecan and cinnamon --- I use pecan halves for this.
* Apples and cinnamon --- freshly sliced apples or dried
* Walnuts, toasted almonds, pecans, raisins, coconut and chocolate chips.
These are more of a dessert and almost too sweet but they take care of a
sweet tooth quickly!

There are more since the ideas are endless but these are just a few.

For eggs, we have to watch it because everyone here LOVES almost anything to
do with eggs! We make scrambled with cheese and chives as a base and we may
or may not add sautéed green peppers, onions, garlic, parsley, and anything
else we think of. If we want the egg dish to be the main meal, we’ll add
bacon bits, crumbled sausage, or grilled chicken pieces.
I prefer to make the cheese and chive eggs and preparing any vegetables on
top of the eggs and meats on the side so we do this both ways.

My husband’s specialty is omlettes. He makes them filled with a cheese
mixture, sautéed vegetables, and serves them hot:)I make them but they don’t
turn out nearly as beautiful as his!

I have made some well-known recipes with eggs and they have all turned out
great. Eggs Benedict, Quiche, casseroles, and more. Trying some of these can
be fun and pull us out of our “too ordinary” lapses and provides an easy way
to cook something new.

A little note on keeping eggs from drying out or getting those “crusty”
edges: I learned from a cooking show, book, or something, to use a small
amount of olive oil AND real butter. Does wonders with eggs to keep the
taste delicious and the eggs looking lovely for presentation!

Standards at our breakfast table are the above-mentioned foods along with
oatmeal (brown sugar and cinnamon or maple syrup or fresh/dried fruit
pieces,) Cream of Wheat (prepared with same/similar ingredients used when we
prepare oatmeal,) healthy cereals, French toast, and morning muffins filled
with carrot, pineapple, and nuts. I have it on my week’s to do list to find
another good morning muffin recipe.

Whatever we prepare and serve for breakfast, may we see the significance in
what we are doing. We are serving and “tending His lambs”, dear meal
makers:-) I pray each of us will start serving in the morning and carry it
on throughout our days!

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son
of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You
know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." John 21:15 NASB

Love,
Sandy