Indulge In {Coconut Banana Bread French Toast}

If you're a breakfast fein like I am, you are always looking for new ways to mix up the menu. Sometimes that mix up comes naturally. The other day I made a loaf of homemade banana bread to use up some rotten bananas I had laying around. After snacking on about half of it throughout the day, I got this brilliant idea. Why not coat it in a bit of coconut egg wash and toast it up in the pan? Completely genius idea if you ask me. Once it was all said and done, the dish was like a tropical vacation in my mouth. Without a doubt, it's my new favorite weekend breakfast. Here's the recipe....

:: Ingredients ::
1/2 Loaf Day Old Banana Bread (Recipe Below)
3 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes
Maple Syrup

:: Banana Bread Ingredients ::
2 1/3 Cup Bisquick
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
2 Large Very Ripe Bananas
1 Tsp. Vanilla

:: Banana Bread Instructions ::
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine Bisquick, sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs.
2. Add bananas and vanilla. Throughly combine.
3. Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.

:: Directions ::
1. Slice banana bread into 1/2" slices. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with coconut and cinnamon.
3. Coat each slice of banana bread with egg coconut mixture and cook over medium high heat until egg mixture is cooked, approximately 3 minutes per side.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve!

Indulge In {Breakfast Boats}

Yesterday I gave you a few tips on hosting a home brunch and today I wanted to share one of my favorite brunch recipes with you. I've made these a couple of times and they are certainly a crowd pleaser. The genius part about this recipe is how easily customizable it is. I filled mine with chopped spinach and cheddar cheese, but you could fill it with just about anything. If you are hosting a brunch, try creating a breakfast boat bar. Include crispy bacon pieces, sausage crumbles, cheese, and an assortment of fresh vegetables. Scramble the raw eggs as guests build their boats to ensure freshness. The beauty is you only need to make one dish to satisfy all. Breakfast boats include your bread, vegetables, and protein all in a pretty little package that is sure to impress. Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
French Hoagie Rolls, hollowed
Raw Eggs (3 per Boat)
Assorted Vegetables
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (1/4 Cup per Boat)
Thin Sliced Pancetta (1 Slice per Boat)

:: Directions ::
1. Scramble raw eggs with whisk. Mix in desired vegetables and pour into hollowed hoagie rolls. Top with shredded cheese and wrap boat in slice of pancetta. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes or until egg is cooked through out.


Have an indulgent Thursday!

Entertaining Home {Brunch}

Brunch has always been one of my favorite dining experiences. You can sleep in a bit late, take the morning slow and progress to a meal that combines some of my breakfast and lunch favorites. But, heading out to brunch can get a little expensive when you start to factor in appetizers, your meal, mimosas and bloody marys. That's why I'm going to show you how to create the perfect stylish brunch experience right in your own home. Imagine a simple, flavorful menu accompanied by pitchers of the best bloody marys and mimosas you've ever had in the comfort of your own home. Invite friends over to join in the fun and it will be like you're at your favorite brunch spot. Here are some tips for throwing a stylish and delicious at home brunch.

1. Simply Decorate: Put a colorful table runner down the center of your table topped by a low, beautiful blooming centerpiece. That's all you need. You wouldn't want to take away from the food now would you?

2. Take a Pitcher. It'll Last Longer: That's something the restaurants definitely can't do. Make a pitcher of the two most popular brunch beverages, Mimosa and Bloody Mary, for guests to enjoy. Pitchers will also create ease since you won't have to mix up a new drink every time your glass runs empty.

3. Plan a Perfect Menu: The menu is key to any event. Focus on flavorful seasonal items that your guests will really enjoy. Blend the sweet and savory using both breakfast and lunch items to please the masses.

Have a great Wednesday!

Indulge In {Breakfast Tostada}

Happy Thursday y'all! It's almost the weekend and almost time to start celebrating. Nothing big going on this weekend? Just celebrate the fact that you made it through another week. Work can get stressful and times hard so it's always good to take a step back, relax, and celebrate the fact that you hung in there! That's exactly what I plan on doing this weekend. I have a huge week coming up next week and am really looking forward to the calm before the storm. I'm going to indulge in a few of my favorite things to really celebrate life like a movie marathon on the couch, maybe a mani/pedi, for sure my magazines, and of course my favorite, the big weekend breakfast. It's 100% my favorite meal and I rarely get to indulge in it. I posted this recipe last year but sounds like the perfect one for my perfect Saturday ahead so I thought I would share it again for all who missed it the first time. The breakfast tostada is piled high with warm scrambled eggs, black beans, sauteed garlic tomato shrimp, fresh sliced avocado, and melted cheese. It's filling, delicious, and a lovely treat to start the day. Serve it up with a fresh mimosa for the ultimate experience. Here's the recipe!

:: Ingredients ::

Whole Wheat Tortilla

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Tablespoons Black Beans

1/4 lb Medium Shrimp

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Salsa

1 Tablespoon Sour Cream

3 Slices Avocado

:: Directions ::

1. Heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add garlic and sautee until fragrant. Add shrimp and tomato paste and cook until shrimp is done. Set aside.

2. Scramble eggs and set aside.

3. In a small pan, heat olive oil. Once hot place tortilla down and pan fry till crispy. Flip and crisp the other side. Plate.

4. On top of the tortilla place eggs, black beans, shredded cheese, shrimp, salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

Indulge In {Breakfast Skewers}

Hi dolls! Yesterday, we planned a fabulous at home spa day for Mom this Mother's Day. Now it's time to talk about what we are going to feed her throughout the relaxing day. Seeing as the two of you will be busy getting pampered all day, leave dinner up to Dad and conquer breakfast for yourself. Since it is such a special day, indulge in special treats like these breakfast skewers. Filled with fresh fruit and glazed doughnut holes, this breakfast sweet makes breaking the diet easy. Accompany it with chocolate or caramel for dipping and even shredded coconut for added flavor and texture.  Here's the how to from Val So Cal...

:: Ingredients ::

Doughnut Holes

Fresh Berries

Skewers

Chocolate Sauce

Caramel Sauce

Shredded Coconut

:: Directions ::

1. Skewer doughnut holes and berries.

2. Serve on a platter with a side of chocolate, caramel, and shredded coconut.

3. Enjoy!

Indulge In {Cake Batter Pancakes}

It's no secret, I have an obsession with pancakes. It began when I stayed with my grandparents during the summers and, preceded by a snack of Dunkin' Donuts, my grandmother and I made pancakes galore. Flavored with all sorts of things like cinnamon, bananas, vanilla, and more, they were the best and the highlight of each morning. One flavor we never tried though, was birthday cake. Combining my two favorite foods into one, how come I never thought of this? Talk about genius and majorly delicious! Imagine serving these up for a birthday brunch with friends accompanied by mimosas and fresh fruit. Here's the recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker...

:: Ingredients ::

Pancakes

1

cup Original Bisquick® mix

1

cup Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix

3

tablespoons candy sprinkles

1

cup milk

1

teaspoon vanilla

2

eggs

Glaze and Garnish

1

cup powdered sugar

1 1/2

teaspoons milk

1/2

teaspoon vanilla

Additional candy sprinkles

:: Directions ::

{1} Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)


{2} In medium bowl, stir together pancake ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until pancakes are golden brown. Stack on serving plates.


{3} In small bowl, beat powdered sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with whisk until smooth.


{4} To serve, top each serving with glaze and additional candy sprinkles.

Indulge In {Breakfast Pizza}

Pizza for breakfast? I think yes! This is nothing like your left over pizza from the night before though. Try a traditional breakfast a top warm, soft pizza dough. Sounds delicious right? I've been searching for a breakfast recipe for months to add into my rotation. During the week, I don't get a lot of time for breakfast and usually end up grabbing whatever I can as I run out the door. Therefore, on the weekends, I like to take my time and make something savory to indulge in while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Feeling a little exhausted with my traditional frittata I believe I'm going to mix it up this weekend with this breakfast pizza. Here's the recipe from Smitten Kitchen so you can try it too!

:: Ingredients ::

1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus more for dusting
Kosher salt
6 strips bacon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups grated mozzarella
6 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced


The night before, prepare the dough: Place 3/4 cup lukewarm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to high and mix until a smooth dough forms, about 2 minutes more. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal pieces and form each half into a tight ball. Place on a large floured sheet pan, place the pan in a plastic garbage bag, tie the bag loosely and refrigerate overnight.
One to two hours* before baking, place the dough in a warm spot. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and set a pizza stone on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the pizza.


Prepare the dough and toppings: Fry the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Cool on a paper-towel-lined plate; roughly chop.
Dip your hands and a ball of dough into the flour. On a lightly floured countertop, pat the dough into a disc with your fingertips, then drape the dough over your fists and carefully stretch it from beneath to form a 12-inch circle.
Generously dust the surface of a pizza peel or large inverted sheet pan with flour and place the stretched dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with half of the Parmesan, mozzarella and bacon. Crack 3 eggs over the top and season with salt and pepper.


Bake the pizza: Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Carefully lift any sections that are sticking and sprinkle a bit more flour underneath, then slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone in one quick forward-and-back motion. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted and the egg yolks are cooked, use the peel to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle half of the parsley, chives, scallions and shallot on top. Let cool for 2 minutes, slice and serve immediately. Prepare the second pizza in the same way.

Let's Do Brunch {Breakfast Casserole}

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas morning, my step mom makes this amazing breakfast casserole. It's the type of casserole you don't get any other time of the year (part of why it's so good, I'm sure.)  It's so good, though, that the rest of the year I dream about this breakfast casserole. Hers is usually a combination of sausage, egg, cheeses, and bread. Sometimes there's bacon too. Basically it's this gooey mashed up goodness of everything that is bad for you, which is probably why we only get it twice a year. Anyways, while I don't have her exact recipe, I found this one the other day on The Kitchn and it is definitely worth sharing! Hope you enjoy!

Bacon, Potato & Egg Breakfast Casserole
serves 6 as a main dish

4 slices thick bacon, cut into strips about 1/2-inch wide
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cleaned out and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons salt, divided
8 large eggs
1 cup milk, fat content between 1% and 4% (whole)
1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups frozen diced potatoes, unthawed

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9" baking dish with baking spray or olive oil.

Put the bacon slices in a large skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook over medium heat until all the vegetables are fragrant and soft — about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly and whisk in the milk. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of salt, and the black pepper. Stir in the cheese, frozen potatoes, and the bacon and vegetables from the skillet. (Don't worry; the frozen potatoes cook just fine!) Pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

When you are ready to bake the casserole, bake for 40 minutes, or until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Serve immediately with fruit and rolls or toast.

Delightful Dining {Bacon Pancakes}

Uh huh. That's right. Bacon IN your pancake. I mean holy deliciousness. It seems like such a crazy thought. But think about it. If you are anything like me, you dip your bacon in syrup. And naturally, you dip your pancakes in syrup. So why wouldn't you put the bacon in the pancake and dip them both in syrup? Together. Okay, so if you aren't already convinced, allow me to persuade you. 

Pancake: nice texture, subtle sweetness, soft, melt in your mouth

Bacon: crunchy, salty, delicious

Syrup: sweet, goes good with pancakes and bacon

My suggestion to you, try this asap. R and his brother were so skeptical and I'm pretty sure thought I was crazy...Until they ate it.  Okay so here's how it works....

{1} Fry the bacon

{2} Mix the pancake mix (I use Bisquik because well I use Bisquik for everything.)

{3} Place the bacon on the griddle, pour the pancake mix over it, and cook till done. 

{4} Smother in syrup and enjoy!

Delightful Dining {Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits}

Hopefully, your mouth has already started watering. But, if it hasn't already, forewarning, it's about to. First, let me tell you what this actually is. This delectable treat you are feasting your eyes on is a sweet cinnamon biscuit topped with warm cinnamon apples. And holy moly if it is not the best damn biscuit you have ever had, then you have had some damn good biscuits. Well last week, Paula Deen informed me that September is national biscuit month and clearly that meant that a batch of biscuits were in my future (and yours!).  But, these ain't your momma's biscuits. Let me tell you what we have going on here...

For the biscuits...

{1} 2 1/4 C Bisquik mix

{2} 2/3 C plus a dash of milk (I used Vanilla Soy instead of regular)

{3} 1/2 C cinnamon sugar (I mixed my own. I would say the ratio is about 2:1 sugar to cinnamon.)

{Instructions} Preheat the oven to 450. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. You now have two options. You can either roll it out and cut with a cookie cutter, or you can do what I did. Make drop biscuits. Take a spoon and just dollop it on to the cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

For the apples...

{1} 4 Granny Smith apples

{2} 1 C cinnamon sugar

{3} 1/3 C water

{Instructions} Peel, core, and cut your apples into bite sized pieces. Combine apples, cinnamon sugar, and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until apples are soft and sauce is thick. 

For assembly and enjoyment...

{1} Cut your biscuit in half

{2} Ladle cinnamon apple over the biscuit 

{3} Eat and enjoy!

Dining Uncorked {Breakfast Basket}

So, for someone's first big prelim last week, I decided to get creative and throw down with an amazing (if I do say so myself) breakfast basket for him to eat during the test. It's four hours long and that kid was bound to get hungry! Anyways, I filled the basket (or box in this case) with a frittata, some chocolate chip cookies, a thing of orange juice, and these amazing sausage rolls! Seriously, they are so good and a household favorite.  And, they are incredibly simple. Here's the rundown on how they're made....

Ingredients: 

1 roll of sausage (I use maple)

1 pack of crescent rolls

Direction:

{Step 1} Unroll the crescent rolls keeping the sheet of rolls together as much as possible.

{Step 2} Spread the pack of sausage evenly on top of the crescent dough. 

{Step 3} Roll the sausage and crescent sheet up and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. (The point of freezing it is to make it easier when you go to slice it.)

{Step 4} Take a serrated knife and slice the roll into equal size pieces.

{Step 5} Bake at 390 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Also, a breakfast basket would be a great idea for a first day of school or any big day. I love the idea of doing it for a wedding welcome basket. Have your favorite snacks, a bottle of wine, lots of water, and maybe some Tylenol.

Sunday Brunch {Frittata}

Who doesn't love brunch? I'm pretty sure it's my favorite faux meal! I mean think about it. Weekend brunch is the only time where you can sleep in and still be able to get breakfast food where ever you go. Plus brunch constitutes mimosas. Breakfast does not. Anyways, today we did brunch at home and I decided to make a frittata.  The best thing about frittatas is that you can pretty much add everything but the kitchen sink and it's still good. Every time I make it, it's different.  I just add whatever I can find in the fridge and that's it. So, today's frittata included green and red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and hot sausage. By the way, it was delicious and the whole thing is now gone. So, since there are no set ingredients for a frittata, here is a little basic step by step so you can make your own, however you please!

{Step 1} If you are including meat that has not been cooked already, cook your meat and set it to the side.  For example, we put sausage in it, so I had R. cook the sausage (I'm afraid to cook anything where grease pops.) and let it drain on a plate while I did the rest. 

{Step 2} In a separate (oven safe) pan, begin to cook what veggies need to cook down. So, since I needed to wilt the spinach, I cooked it first.  

{Step 3} Add whatever veggies do not need as much time to cook.  Example. I wanted my peppers to be a little crunchy still so I added them next, followed by the tomatoes. 

{Step 4} Add your eggs. The number you add is entirely up to you. It depends on the size and how egg-y you like it. I like when the add ins are more prominent than the egg, so when I make it for just R. and I, I usually do 6-8 eggs.  Anyways, crack them in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, mix together and pour in your pan with the vegetables.

{Step 5} As the egg cooks on the bottom, with a rubber spatula, begin to scrape down the sides to let the runny egg on top move to the bottom and cook.  It's almost like scrambling an egg.  

{Step 6} When the egg is about half way cooked, add in the meat.  Move it around to incorporate.  Also, in this step, add in the cheese if you so wish to use it. Obviously, since my recent milk allergy discovery, R. has had to enjoy his frittata sans cheese. But, honestly, I don't think it really makes that much of a difference whether it's there or not. 

{Step 7} When the egg is almost throughly cooked, but still slightly runny, add more cheese to the top (if you included cheese) and put it under the broiler until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. 

{Step 8} Pull the frittata out, turn the broiler off, cut a slice, pour a mimosa, and ENJOY!

So, I understand this seems like a lot of steps for one little egg dish, but it only take about 10 minutes from start to finish. Swear. Just wondering, what would you put in your frittata?