Thursday, March 26, 2009

My 3 favorite "breakfast for dinner" menus

I like having breakfast for dinner, because breakfast foods are pretty much always frugal, tasty and quick to make! Here are my 3 favorite breakfast food menus.

Pancakes with grits and bacon

Pancake recipe
2 1/4C Bisquick
1C milk
2 eggs
1tsp baking powder
1Tbsp sugar
1Tbsp lemon juice
1/2C fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix together all ingredients except the blueberries in a large bowl until combined. Add the blueberries and stir a few times to incorporate them. Begin heating a pancake griddle or large skillet over medium high heat. The griddle or skillet is ready when a drop of water sizzles and jumps. Lightly coat the bottom of the skillet or griddle with butter and drop the batter onto it in 1/4-1/3C measures. Make sure to leave space between them for easy flipping. Cook the pancakes on the first side until bubbles appear all over the surface and the edges look pretty dry. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side until done. Remove the pancakes to a cookie sheet or plate. Repeat the process until all of the batter is used. Serve the pancakes with syrup and enjoy!
Note: I use Bisquick in this recipe because it is easy and I bought a HUGE box of it from sams club for like $4.

Grits recipe
4C water
1C grits
1tsp salt
4tsp butter
Heat the water until boiling. Slowly add the grits, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat, cover and simmer the grits until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add butter and salt, stirring to combine. This makes a lot of grits, but the recipe can be easily halved. I bought 15 pounds of grits from sams club a while back for like $5!

Waffles with eggs and grits and fruit topping

Honey bran waffles
3/4C all purpose flour
3/4C whole wheat or spelt flour
1/2C oat or wheat bran
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp baking soda
1 1/2C buttermilk
1/3C honey
1/2C melted butter (1 stick)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2tsp vanilla extract
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon. Don't stir a whole lot, or the waffles will be tough. Cook in a preheated waffle iron until done.

Fruit topping
1/4C water
1/4C sugar
1C blueberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries
1Tbsp lemon juice
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the berries and lemon juice, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Polenta with eggs, bacon and cinnamon rolls

Polenta recipe
1C cornmeal
5C water
1Tbsp butter
1-2tsp salt
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour all ingredients into a large ovenproof skillet and stir until blended. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir briefly. Return skillet to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the polenta rest for 5 minutes, then pour it into a large, buttered bowl. I like this polenta even more than grits!

Classy cinnamon rolls
(These take less than an hour to make!)
For the dough:
3/4C cottage cheese(whole milk!)
1/3C buttermilk
1/4C sugar
4Tbsp butter, melted
1tsp vanilla extract
2C unbleached flour
1Tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp baking powder

For the filling:
1 1/2Tbsp melted butter
2/3C brown sugar
1 1/2tsp cinnamon
1C chopped pecans or walnuts

For the glaze:
2/3C powdered sugar
2-3Tbsp milk or cream
1tsp vanilla extract

Make the dough first. In a food processor combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, butter and vanilla. Process until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and pulse just until the dough clumps together. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead it about 6 times with floured hands. Roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 12x15 inches.

Make the filling second. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides that is unbuttered. Combine the cinnamon, sugar and nuts together in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the buttered part of the dough and lightly press it in with your hands. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, lengthwise. Gently press the seam to seal and roll the dough so that it is seam side down on the counter. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place the rounds into a greased, 9 or 10 inch springform pan. The rounds should be lightly pressed together in the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan and then remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a large plate.

Make the glaze last. Mix the sugar, milk and vanilla together in a bowl. It should have a smooth, thick, but pourable consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and let sit for 15 minutes. So delicious!

1 comment:

Mary said...

I'm definitely going to try the polenta meal. Breakfast is my favorite meal--at any time of the day!