S is for Sausage Cheese Grits

Today I want to share one of my all-time favorite breakfasts: sausage cheese grits.  It is absolutely perfect for brunch or a family breakfast with lots of people around the table.  Expecting company?  Do you want to try something other than French toast and breakfast casserole?  If you prepare this dish, I promise you'll win over the hearts those stubborn northerners who claim not to like corn grits!

Growing up, my mom used to present this steaming dish on Saturday mornings and we would wrap up the leftovers to enjoy all week.  It will be creamy and smooth the day that you first prepare it, but after some time in the refrigerator, it will become more like a firm cake that can be cut into squares and reheated for a minute in the microwave.  Don't expect too many leftovers though.  Everyone at your table will be asking for seconds!  

Peter likes to make this dish when we have a house full of company.  Trust me when I say it's just as popular around the holidays as it is in the heat of summertime at the lake house.  Oftentimes, we put this dish together at night before we head to bed so that we can just pop it in the oven in the morning.  It does require nearly an hour of cooking and resting time before you can serve it, so I'll admit I sometimes set an alarm to get up to put it in the oven and then I go back to bed for a while.  I usually serve this dish along with toast and a mixed fruit salad.  Enjoy!

Sausage Cheese Grits

from Judy Diehl

1 lb. pork sausage, browned and drained

4 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1 c. grits (not instant)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 c. (6 oz) sharp cheddar, shredded and divided

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, softened

salt and pepper to taste

Brown and drain the pork sausage.  Set aside.  In a saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil.  Slowly stir in the grits and reduce the heat.  Cook 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add a small amount of hot grits to eggs while stirring.  Return the grits, now mixed with eggs, to the saucepan.  Add the butter and stir until it melts.  Stir in browned sausage, 1 c. shredded cheese, and milk.  Stir until well mixed.  Pour into a greased 13x9" baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes.  Once you remove it from the oven, let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.  

Variations:

This grits casserole is also fantastic with pepper jack cheese, spicy sausage, and a can of drained Rotel tomatoes with green chilies if you're looking for a Mexican flair to your breakfast.  

If you have swiss cheese and leftover spiral ham, substitute these ingredients for the cheddar and sausage. 

W is for Waffles

If you've ever looked for a waffle recipe that is light and airy, yet perfectly crispy on the outside, then call your search off.  Here they are.

I grew up on these waffles.  On Saturday mornings, Dad was the one running the kitchen!  He found the recipe in the 1971 Fannie Farmer Cookbook and no other waffle recipe we've tried even comes close.  If you really love dense, sugary Belgian waffles then maybe this isn't the best match for you, but I encourage you to give yeast waffles a whirl.  They are so melt-in-your-mouth delicious you'll want to eat them right out of the waffle maker...without sitting down with a plate...and gasp!  Even without syrup!  Maybe one of my favorite parts about Saturday waffles with Dad was the fact that he would tear apart the first waffle and share it with me and my brother, saying, "You have to eat the first one while the others are cooking."  Now it's hard for me not to celebrate this tradition at my own house!  

Whenever we get around to making fried chicken, waffles usually end up on our weekend menu soon after because Peter loves to top his waffles with slices of fried chicken.            

The trickiest thing about this recipe is that you need to begin the night before.  You also need a package of fresh yeast, and a thermometer so that your water and milk are the correct temperature.  If you mess around too much with the temperature of the liquids, the yeast won't be able to work its magic.  

Yeast Waffles
adapted from 1971 Fannie Farmer Cookbook

In a large mixing bowl, put 1/2 c. lukewarm water (105-115 F) and 1 package of yeast (2 1/4 tsp.).  Let this mixture stand five minutes.

Add 2 c. lukewarm milk (105-115 F), 1/2 c. melted butter or canola oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. sugar.  Beat this together on low speed of your mixer or you can use a whisk.  Gradually beat in 2 c. all-purpose flour.

Cover the bowl and let it stand overnight or at least 8 hours- not in the refrigerator.  While I'm mixing the ingredients together, I usually turn the oven on the lowest temperature setting for a couple minutes and let it get slightly warmer than room temperature.  Then I put the covered batter bowl in the oven to rest and rise overnight.  It should nearly double in size if you've done everything correctly!        

When you are ready to cook the waffles, add 2 large eggs and 1/4 tsp. baking soda.  Beat well.  The batter will be thin and not lumpy.  Cook the waffles in an oiled waffle iron according to your iron's directions.  They usually need to cook at my highest heat setting and I wait about 30 seconds after the steam has stopped coming out around the edges.  This recipe should make 8-10 large waffles.    

F is for Frittata

March has been a frittata month for me.  Last weekend my family came to Charlottesville for a day visit and I took the opportunity to make them brunch.  I made a basil, asparagus, and tomato frittata, a fruit salad, sausages, and toasted some multi-grain bread to serve with jams and preserves.

My mom brought a vase of beautiful orange tulips and I have enjoyed them all week.  After our breakfast, my dad helped me hang cup hooks in my china cabinet.  They look great!

We walked around on the downtown pedestrian mall and grabbed slices of pizza at Christian's for a late lunch.  Then we ventured over to UVA's grounds to enjoy the flowering trees and to see the work they've completed on the South Lawn project.  It's beginning to look very springy around here!  It was awfully nice to catch up with my family and show them a little bit of Charlottesville.  

This weekend our friend Scotty is visiting from Atlanta to enjoy the Libel Show over at the UVA Law School.  Peter and I sorely miss our law school friends.  Although C'ville is amazing, we have loved it the most when all our friends are around.  The toughest part of staying to live in your college town is that everyone who matters to you during college ends up leaving.  When they come around for weekend visits, it's really fun to go wine tasting, linger on restaurant patios, and try new recipes at the house.  This morning I made a smoked salmon and green onion frittata and it was oh-so-good.  I got the idea to add smoked salmon from one of my favorite Food Network stars: Ina Garten.

Guests seem easily impressed by frittatas, but they're super easy and great for company because they don't require a lot of attention (unlike pancakes, waffles, French toast, and other breakfast favorites).

          
Make-Your-Own Frittata
This recipe requires you to do a little picking and choosing, just like when you make an omelet.  The possibilities are endless!

6-8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. milk or cream

handful of a chopped, fresh herb (like basil, dill, or parsley)

kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 c. vegetables (asparagus, carrot, artichoke hearts, potato, pepper, onion, squash, broccoli, etc.)
1/2 c. meat (cooked sausage or bacon, smoked salmon, chorizo, smoked turkey, chicken, etc.)
1/4 c. shredded or crumbled cheese (swiss, gruyere, gouda, parmesan, cheddar, feta, chevre, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 425 and move the top rack about 6 in. from the heating element.  In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.  In a large non-stick skillet, cook your vegetables in a bit of oil or butter until tender crisp.  Add your cooked meat to the skillet and pour egg mixture over the veggies and meat.  Cook over medium heat, lifting the edge of already set eggs so that the uncooked mixture can flow underneath and cook.  Cook until the whole dish is nearly cooked, but still shiny on top.  Sprinkle with the cheese you choose.  Set the skillet in your oven for a few minutes (3-10, depending on doneness) to melt the cheese and set the eggs.  To serve, use a pizza cutter and serve triangular slices.

B is for Blueberry Muffins

My mom makes really delicious blueberry muffins and I distinctly remember her serving them with dinner in lieu of a roll or biscuit.  Most people think of muffins as a to-go breakfast or as a treat with coffee, but it doesn't have to be!  Try serving hot blueberry muffins along with a salad topped with grilled chicken, blueberries, pecans, and a lemon vinaigrette dressing.  Sounds delicious, right?  It'd be even better on your porch or patio with a glass of Viognier!

I like Williams-Sonoma's blueberry muffin recipe, but I don't put the buttery brown sugar crumble topping on as they suggest because they're decadent enough as is.  Before baking, I like to just sprinkle a few oats on top for texture.  Below is the recipe sans streusel topping.  Try these out!

Blueberry Muffins

from The Willams-Sonoma Baking Book

7 Tbsp. butter, room temp
3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries (unthawed)

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Using the mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar and then add the eggs one at a time.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry goods to the butter mixture gradually and mix the milk and vanilla.  Stir until just moistened because the batter should be a little lumpy.  Fold in the blueberries carefully using a spatula.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until level with the rim.  Bake the muffins until golden, about 20-25 minutes.  

B is for Bacon & Egg Cups

I'm a big fan of breakfast food, and I love coming across a new way to enjoy the staples of a good Saturday morning breakfast.  By this, I mean bacon, eggs, and toast.  Naturally.  Throw a little cheese in there and I'd be perfectly fine with that.  In fact, I prefer my scrambled eggs with pepper jack cheese--just the way my man makes them.  Delicious!  

I stumbled across an adorable blog called The Noshery & I love her take on bacon and eggs.  She put the combo in muffin cups!

Bacon & Egg Toast Cups

6 pieces of bread
6 slices of bacon
6 eggs
1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used x-sharp white cheddar)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 and spray your muffin pan with Pam.  Use a drinking glass or round cookie cutter to make 3" circles with the bread.  Drop the toast discs into the muffin pan.  Cook your bacon in the skillet or in the microwave about 1/2 way, so that it is still pliable and not yet crisp.  Shape the bacon around the edges of the toast cups and then drop a spoonful of shredded cheese in each.  Place the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes.  While this is toasting in the oven, crack your eggs to separate the whites and yolks.  Take the toast cups out of the oven and top each with 1 egg yolk.  Bake again for 8-10 minutes.  The yolk should be hard on the outside to the touch, but creamy inside when you bite into it.

You and your family or your breakfast guests are sure to enjoy these!

B is for Baked Oatmeal Cups

I am a big fan of oatmeal and love to have it in the mornings before work, but I am not a big fan of the wait time involved if I cook it on the stove.  I don't like overnight oatmeal because it just seems so soggy and cold.  I DO like baked oatmeal because it's got a firmer, more cake-like consistency and it reheats nicely when I'm in a hurry.  I decided to do a little experiment with baked oatmeal in silicone muffin cups tonight with the intention of heating up a cup or two each day this week before jumping in the car on my way to school.

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups oats
2 cups skim milk
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon into muffin cups until 3/4 full.  Bake at 375º for about 25 minutes.  The oatmeal will not be firm or completely dry;  it has a moist consistency but can hold its shape when you pop it out of the silicone muffin cup.  

I topped the unbaked cups with all sorts of goodies- pecans, blueberries, frozen peach slices and blackberries, flax seed, raisins, butterscotch chips, and dried papaya.  I would say that a few of these toppings should just be added AFTER cooking because they lose their good looks in the oven.  If I made these again, I'd skip on the blackberries and blueberries because they bleed into the oatmeal mixture and look unappetizing even if they taste fine.  

Just out of the oven, these oatmeal cups were very tasty!  I hope they'll be just as delicious when I'm reheating them this week for breakfast.