Breakfast Menus

The week stretches ahead of me...and it's breakfast on my mind, not dinner!  Before John began working nights I had every other week off as far as breakfast was concerned.  There were just one or two things he wanted to eat during a work week and he was quite happy.  I, on the other hand, could eat or not, as I chose.  I usually did choose to eat, because I like breakfast. I'd often make something for myself that I knew John might not like so well: boiled eggs with hot buttered toast and orange marmalade, breakfast burritos, pop tart, smoothie...

Now I am making breakfast nearly every single morning that comes along ( I think we've eaten out twice in the past six weeks for this meal) and it's grown stale, truly it has.  I need to add some oomph to that morning meal.

So this week, I'm not going to share dinner menus.  I'm sharing breakfast menus.

Monday:   Raisin Bran cereal, Toast with peanut butter and honey
Why peanut butter and honey?  I confess that I'm on a bit of a honey kick of late.  I'll eat my way through this jar and won't touch the stuff for months.  The combination of wholegrain toast with peanut butter is a nice protein/fat combination to help make us feel full longer.  I find cereal seldom lasts as well, unless I add nuts to the bowl.  Since John poured my cereal this morning, I didn't 'dress' it up in any way.


Tuesday:  Scrambled eggs with sausage and cheese, Hashbrowns, Caramel Apple Muffins
 The muffins are an experimental take off of one I saw in the September issue of Southern Living.  I plan to chop an apple, some walnuts and use some of those caramel bits Mama bought and insisted I have a package of in the muffin batter.  Not so fancy perhaps as the roasted apple, caramel dipped recipe but should be easier to manage on an early morning.
I have about a patty's worth of sausage left in the fridge.  That's not enough for two people, but I'll break it up into bits and brown then stir in eggs and cheese and scramble.

Wednesday:  Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, Crisp Turkey Bacon, Maple Apple Syrup
You could substitute butternut squash or sweet potatoes for the pumpkin if you'd like.  I think I have some pumpkin in the cupboard.  I'll check and if not I'll bring out the squash I froze last winter to use instead.  I season my pancakes with ginger and cinnamon and nutmeg.
The syrup is just a mix of maple syrup with a bit of apple juice.  It's thinner than you might be used to, but very tasty.

Thursday:  Croque Madame Muffin Cups, Sweet Potato Fries, Orange Juice
 I saw a video of  "Little Paris Kitchen" on Youtube and she made these muffin cups.  I thought it a marvelous breakfast idea.
Flatten a large piece of bread (minus the crusts) and put into a muffin tin.  Then line with thin luncheon meat ham (I'll used smoked turkey).  Plan on splitting one egg between two muffin cups (multiply according to your own household).  Beat egg well, season with salt and pepper and divide between two muffin cups.  Top with a bit of shredded Swiss cheese and then top that with a tablespoon or so of Bechamel sauce and bake until just set.  This chef liked the eggs runny.  We don't...so I'll adjust my cooking time to allow them to get more done.  You can leave off the bechamel sauce and just top with a spoonful of cream or sour cream if you choose.

Friday:  Biscuits with sausage gravy, fried apples
I'll be doubling the biscuit recipe because I want to make easy cinnamon rolls for the weekend breakfast.  I'll just roll out and cut a few biscuits for our morning meal.
Sausage gravy is easy peasy to make.  I brown a bit of sausage (I like Honeysuckle White Turkey Breakfast Sausage) in a little oil, season with salt and pepper, douse with a handful of flour and stir about in the pan, then add about a cup or so of milk to the pan and stir until thickened. A splash of Worcestershire Sauce does not hurt a bit.
I'll slice an apple and saute in butter over low heat until tender, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar.  The apple is a nice accompaniment to the sausage gravy.

Saturday:  Dad's Eggs, Grits, Cinnamon Rolls
We're expecting the family to come up to spend the weekend with us provided our son doesn't have duty over the weekend.  John fries the best eggs to order, however we want them.  I'll make grits, which Lori likes and I don't think cooks for herself.
I'll make up the cinnamon rolls Friday morning.  I'll roll out biscuit dough (made with egg for richness) into a rectangle, slather with melted butter, sprinkle with a heavy dose of cinnamon powder, brown sugar and as a surprise a few walnuts and perhaps caramel chips, then roll like jelly roll and slice.  They can be put on a pan and kept in the fridge overnight.  I'll frost with a caramel glaze.

Sunday:  Bagels and Cream cheese or peanut butter, sliced apples or bananas
An easier breakfast this morning.  The family will be packing up to go home just about the time the twins are ready for their morning nap.  We can visit and not bother with breakfast clean-up before they leave for home.