Great Mornings

There is nothing like a delicious breakfast.  Think about it.  It doesn't matter if you are on vacation, if you are home for the weekend, if there has been a sleepover or the night after a party, or if you are by yourself and you have woken up when you WANT to and not when you HAVE  to, a delicious breakfast begins the day and gives you the strength to deal with whatever life decides to hand you.  One of my most memorable breakfasts, was when we were in Bermuda.  Hubby and I had fresh pineapple, bacon, hot tea and coffee.  That was it.  But the pineapple was so fresh, it puckered your mouth while the juice ran down your arm. Served overlooking the beautiful, warm turquoise waters it was breakfast at it's finest.

There are many kinds of breakfasts.  There are the conventional kinds that include  cereal, eggs, and toast to the unconventional and just as delicious kinds that include cold pizza, chicken, or cheese and rice.  Breakfast is just that....breaking your nighttime fast.  On a day to day basis, I'm not a huge, regular breakfast eater.  I enjoy breakfast, but am often content with a scalding cup of freshly brewed  tea.  The experts will tell you that that is not wise and not good for the diet, and I agree.  So as a nod to this I will bring a bag of dry cereal or granola with me to munch on, or a piece of fresh fruit.  Except in the winter, when I will make steaming bowls of oatmeal, and how can you resist hot oatmeal with apricot preserves or maple syrup stirred in.

One of my favorite breakfasts is Sunday morning breakfast.  After church, when we come home, the skillets are taken out, the toaster heated, the tea kettle is on the back burner, and breakfast preparations commence.  It can be anything from toast, bacon, and tea, to french toast and sausage, to omelets with all the fixings, to Belgium waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.  Another favorite breakfast is when we go camping.  Bagels, sliced in half, and buttered thickly, and then cooked over the coals of the fire in a skillet and are to die for.  Buttery, toasted bagels, scalding cups of tea or hot cocoa, ( or coffee in Hubby's case), and thick slabs of ham or bacon fried in the same skillet that we toasted the bagels in.  Delicious!

We often have overnight guests, and I really enjoy prepping and making breakfast.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not at my best in the morning so I do most of the prep ahead, and many of my dishes are already put together the night before so I just pop them in hot water or in the oven while I get a hot cup of tea to get my brain moving.

This morning I found an old recipe from a friend.  It was a recipe from her grandmother and we hadn't had it in a very long time.  It was easy prep, and could be done while I drank my first cup of tea.  It was called Finnish Pancakes, and was prepped in the blender.  When baked, the dish is a delicious, hot, custardy, popover type pancake.  It puffs up beautiful and golden in the oven and is served with honey or maple syrup.  This would be a lovely, impressive, and easy breakfast to make for guests.  I was going to take a picture of it, but it was devoured before I had the opportunity to.  It may sound different, but it's delicious and very easy.  Serve with bacon and fresh fruit and you have a lovely breakfast treat.

This weeks recipes pay homage to breakfast treats...so break out the bacon and the maple syrup!
***Indicates recipe to follow.
Sunday
Finnish Pancakes***

Monday
Omelets for a crowd (YES, you can make omelets ahead, AND give your guests what they want!)***

Tuesday
French Toast Casserole***
Cheddar Apple Sausage Strata***

Wednesday
Homemade granola with dried cherries***

Thursday
My Grandfather's Favorite Buttermilk pancakes***
Bacon

Friday
Breakfast for One
Poached Eggs on Toast
Fruit Yogurt