Weekday Brunch: Simple Sausage Strata

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What’s a strata? Well, a breakfast strata is a casserole made of egg, cheese, bread, and breakfast meat. Ron Swanson’s dream (other than a heaping pile of bacon on top of an additional pile of bacon, on top of sausage). Anyway, at work, our gracious overlord bought the staff breakfast, but we were also asked to bring a casserole of our choosing. …or juice. Well I wasn’t going to be the ass face that brought juice, so I went to one of my favorite brunch items that was also one of the easiest – Sausage Breakfast Strata. Why? Because I’m an awesome team player with a culinary hand that will blow your face off by surprise. Bitches.

What could go wrong? You have breakfast in one dish. Bread, cheese, sausage, and egg. That’s a 2-2-2 deal in diners across this nation. A staple that one shan’t take away. So I made it the night before, let it sit in the fridge, and woke up early to pop this in the oven. I brought it into work, and BINGO-BANGO – it was destroyed by all. “Oh, I didn’t know you were a good cook!” “YOU made that?!” “Hey, everyone loved that breakfast casserole you brought in.” Faces. Blown. Off. And you can too…here’s how.

Simple Sausage Strata
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Ingredients

6 Eggs

2 cups Milk

1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons of mustard (yellow or dijon)

1 loaf of bread (your favorite – something crusty)

1 – 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Sleeve of Sausage (1 lb crumbled sausage)

Salt & Pepper

Recipe

Cook the sausage to brown

Whisk together eggs and milk with salt & pepper

Cube your bread (I had a nice crusty loaf of Puerto Rican bread)

Grease an oven-safe baking dish (about 13 x 9)

Cover the bottom of the dish with cubed bread (use crust parts first). Eat the extra.

Sprinkle sausage on top of the bread – throughout entire dish. Use all sausage.

Sprinkle about half of the cheese on top of the sausage.

Cover with egg mixture

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top

Cover with foil and let sit in the fridge overnight. You don’t HAVE to do this, but it tastes better this way.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the dish (uncovered) for at least 35 minutes. Depending on your oven – it may be longer. To check, put a knife in the center and it should come out clean. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Homemade Fluffy Pancakes

DSC_0157Weekend mornings lead to the best breakfasts of the week. Some indulge in eggs benedict, others an omelet, and of course the classic: pancakes. I grew up nearly expecting pancakes at least one day of the weekend every week. My family went so far as buying a griddle for the grill so that we could make an evenly cooked pancake out on the deck. Pancakes are the bomb. Mixes are good, yes. But did you know that you can make them from scratch with staples that every person (should) have in their kitchen? Yes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp butter (melted)
  • Cinnamon and/or syrup to your liking

Recipe

Okay, ready? Mix dry mix wet, combine to lumpy consistency. Cook on the stove until fluffy.

Whoa Baby! Fruit-Filled Dutch Baby for Breakfast

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Didn’t we tell you that breakfast is the best meal of the day? Well if you didn’t believe us, maybe you will now. Adapted from Cooking Lightthis combination of funnel cake and pancake will satisfy anyone’s hunger. Bonus – it’s healthy! We filled ours with fruit. But think of the possible fillings: nutella, chocolate, homemade whipped cream, cream cheese icing, peanut butter, put chocolate chips in the batter…need I say more? Here ya go:

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 10 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter (melted and divided)
  • 1 tsp lemon rind

Recipe

  • Place 8″ or 10″ cast iron skillet in oven while pre-heating to 450 degrees
  • Combine all ingredients with only 1 tbsp of butter
  • Whisk for 2 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet when he is pre-heated and coat with cooking spray.
  • Swirl the rest of the butter on pan and add the batter to the pan
  • Cook for 20 minutes in a 10″ pan and 25 minutes in an 8″ pan

Fill with your favorite filling and enjoy!

Breakfast Gone Wild! Our Top 10 Favorite Breakfast Inventions

Breakfast. While named for the morning hours, it is the meal that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. In my book, breakfast holds the title of the best meal ever. Hell, we tried to make lunch better by naming it brunch and serving breakfast for lunch. Breakfast wins. So let’s get on with it…our top ten breakfast dishes from Endless Simmer

blueberry-french-toast

1. Blueberry Muffin French Toast

You think, “pancakes sound good this morning” but then you realize – I can have oh so much more.

 

Lexington Brass- Irish Cereal Milk Cocktail

2. Irish Cereal Milk

Whoever said “it’s too early to drink is just oh-so-wrong.

 

Port Aransas Shrimp Breakfast Taco

3. Breakfast Tacos

Through your breakfast in a tortilla….and add cheese. Lots of cheese.

 

Breakfast Flautas

4. Breakfast Flautas

Something about Mexican breakfast food just feels right.

 

5. Selma Cocktail

More booze for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do.

 

6. Philly Cheesesteak B-Fast Casserole

This one’s tough. I could easily eat a cheesesteak for breakfast. But this is not always realistic. Somehow hiding it in a breakfast casserole? Done.

 

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7. Zucchini Meatball Quiche

Still my favorite quiche. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner – this will not bore you.

 

Foreign & Domestic Kolaches 2

8. Kolaches

Donuts? Who the eff needs donuts?

 

Coconut and Raspberry Chocolate Muffin

9. Breakfast Muffins

Whenever I have an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast, I take it. Call them muffins if it makes you feel better – but these cupcakes are awesome.

 

sandwich

10. Philly Breakfast Sandwich

Yeah…I’m just going to leave this right here.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, Brussels Sprout Frittata vertical

Easy Like Sunday Morning: My Favorite Frittata

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, Brussels Sprout Frittata vertical

So, I’m in a book club. But as any good book club going individual will tell you, these gatherings are really 90% focused on eating and boozing, 10% focused on actual literary discussion. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love to read and I’m really glad I have friends who share my delight in devouring and analyzing a good book. But I’m under no illusion about our priorities here.

This frittata was my contribution – I knew we’d have plenty of festive Sunday Funday drinks plus some indulgent brunch sliders, banana bread, pie, etc. so I figured I’d even things out with some eggs and vegetables. This frittata has absolutely nothing bad for you in it, and besides caramelizing the onions, the whole thing takes about 10 minutes to throw together and another 10 minutes to bake.

Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, & Brussels Sprouts Frittata

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Port Aransas Shrimp Breakfast Taco

Food Porn Champion: Tacos for Breakfast

Port Aransas Shrimp Breakfast Taco

If you haven’t had a breakfast taco in your life, you (a) have never been to Texas, and (b) are doing yourself a huge disservice. And if you haven’t had a breakfast taco while hungover, you are doing yourself a HUUUUUGE disservice because breakfast tacos are some of the best hangover cures ever. This particular breakfast taco is from a teensy diner in Port Aransas, on the Gulf Coast of Texas. It features fresh gulf shrimp, battered and deep-fried, topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and shredded cabbage. Oh, and on the side? Hashbrowns. Why? WHY NOT.

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Runny Egg Bagel Sandwich

Now this is what we like to call… the money shot. What would a leisurely yet luxurious hotel room breakfast be without some luscious smoked salmon, and of course, a golden, runny egg yolk? This was how I started the day during a staycation at the W Austin last week. Perfection on a plate.

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