Spotting Breakfast - Mushroom, Asparagus, Gruyere and Egg Casserole

I love eggs for breakfast and I always love finding something different to do with them. When I was looking for a few breakfast dish on TasteSpotting I found inn cuisine's egg casserole. One thing I really loved about the dish is that it uses asparagus. Spring is the time to enjoy fresh asparagus, and this is a great way to use up asparagus you may have left over from dinner. I never cook a whole bundle of asparagus since I'm usually only cooking for one or two.

Photo from InnCuisine

Mushroom, Asparagus, Gruyere & Egg Casserole

via InnCuisine

• 8 large eggs
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus (approximately 1 pound), rinsed, trimmed and cut into 1 & 1/2-inch pieces
• 3-4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) sliced mushrooms
• 3 ounces grated Gruyere, divided
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 controlled splash of dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

to prepare

Gently steam asparagus pieces for approximately 3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for baking. Spray your favorite casserole dish (approximately 9&1/2″ x 9&1/2″ x 1&1/2″ in size) with non-stick cooking spray.

to make the casserole

In a large bowl, break eggs and whisk gently. Add 2 ounces grated Gruyere (reserve remaining for garnish), minced shallot and garlic, splash of dry white wine, Herbes de Provence, salt and freshly ground black pepper; whisk until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Stir in steamed asparagus and sliced mushrooms. Pour egg mixture into prepared casserole dish and place on center rack of preheated, 350 degree F oven; bake for approximately 30-35 minutes (depending on size and depth of your casserole dish and accuracy of your oven). Casserole is done when eggs are set in the middle, i.e. eggs no longer jiggle when casserole dish is moved back and forth.

When eggs are set, remove casserole dish from oven and and sprinkle with remaining ounce of grated Gruyere. Cut into 4 large wedges (or 6-8 smaller ones) and serve warm.

Pair with warm, crusty bread and a mixed green sald or fruit. Optional—top bread and salad with a slight drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of grated Gruyere if desired. Enjoy!

Serves 4

The great thing about recipes like this is that you can use any kind of vegetables, cheese, or even add meats. Instead of mushroom, asparagus and gruyere you could use cheddar, ham, and red bell pepper. Try mixing this recipe up with your favorite ingredients.

Here's to spring vegetables and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast Birthday Edition - Eggs Benedict

So, it's April 17th... which happens to be my birthday! Today isn't just any other day of the week for me. I decided that I'm going to be picking out meals that are more on the extravagant side in honor of today. It took awhile of poking around on TasteSpotting to come across something I found suitable for today's post. I settled on eggs benedict because it's something I rarely ever have. There are a bunch of different versions of this dish on TasteSpotting but I chose doesnttaztelikechicken's.

Photo from doesnttaztelikechicken

Eggs Benedict
via doesnttaztelikechicken

To make the hollandaise sauce, you will need:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1/4 cup of melted butter

Fill a quart pan with water up to 1/3 of its height. The glass bowl will sit on the quart pan later so make sure the water just comes below, and not touching, the bottom of the glass bowl. Bring water to a simmer.

Put the egg yolks and lemon juice into the glass bowl. Whisk the yolks until it increases in volume, about 3 minutes.

Place the glass bowl on the quart pan. Continue to whisk quickly and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Whisk until the sauce is thicken, about 5 minutes. Add in salt to taste. Remove the bowl from the quart pan and keep it in a warm area.

To make the eggs benedict for 2 people, you will need:
- 2 eggs
- 1 English muffin , sliced in half.
- 4 pieces of English bacon

Bring water in a quart pan and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, bring the heat down to a simmer. Put a sieve in the water and carefully crack an egg into the sieve. Let the eggs cook for 4 minutes and this will give you a runny yolk. Repeat with the second egg.

Pan fried the bacon in a non stick pan until they are slight brown on both sides.

Toast the muffin in a toaster until they are slightly brown.

To assemble:

Place half of a muffin on a plate. Place 2 pieces of ham on top and then carefully slide the poached egg from the sieve onto the ham. If you find the hollandaise sauce too thick, mix a few drops of warm water into the sauce. Spoon a good amount of the sauce onto the egg. Sprinkle with parsley and a few dash of cayenne pepper.

Eggs benedict is one of my favorite things to order if I'm going out to Sunday brunch. My family and I usually go to The Waterwheel in Doylestown if we're going to brunch, but that only happens once or twice a year. Besides the eggs, I usually end up getting a freshly made waffle with berries. All the food is great there and it would be nice to have a bit of that brunch experience on my birthday.

Here's to favorite brunch spots and full bellies.

- Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Orange Vanilla Bundt Cake

Sometimes I crave something sweet for breakfast... In my house, if there's leftover cake from a birthday or occasion of some sort - it often becomes a morning treat. I don't know how that habit started, but my whole family does it and we've done it for as long as I can remember. When I found uptowngirl's bundt cake on TasteSpotting, I thought that would be perfect. Why? Because it has orange in it! Yeah, I know... Cake that is flavored with orange doesn't count as a serving of fruit, but it would be amazing WITH fruit. Orange is a wonderful flavor to go along with something like fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. So yes, orange cake with a cup of coffee or strong black tea and fresh fruit would make a nice sweet breakfast.

Photo from erinsfoodfiles

Orange Bundt Cake
via erinsfoodfiles
from Taste of Home

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk

GLAZE:
2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in the eggs, orange peel and extracts. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Pour into a greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and juice until smooth. Spoon over cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.


Bake up this cake and brew yourself some french press coffee or a espresso. Enjoying this outside in the morning on a sunny day would definatly be a great days beginning.

Here's to Florida and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Scones with Honey and Dried Fruit

Sometimes I'm not in the mood for a full blown breakfast. That feeling really kicks in after something like a holiday weekend filled with all kinds of food goodies. I often enjoy a muffin or scone and a cup of tea or coffee instead of a whole meal, so when I saw carina's scone with honey and raisins on TasteSpotting I thought it would be the perfect addition to a morning checking e-mails or editing photographs. Not only did the scone itself look amazingly yummy, but carina's photography is breathtakingly beautiful. The only downside is that carina's website "carina-forum" isn't in english. The recipe is kind of "funny" looking because of the google translation, but it looks simple enough to mess around with to figure out.

Photo from Carina-Forum

Scones with Honey and Dried Fruit
via Carina-Forum

400 ml wheat flour
2 st.l. honey
50 g cold butter
2 st.l. orange liqueur
200 ml natural yogurt
70 g dried fruit
50 g chopped walnuts
1 ch.l. baking powder
1 ch.l. baking soda
dried peel of half an orange
1 egg
pinch of salt

preheat oven to 200 degrees C (392 degrees F)

cut dried fruit into pieces and put into orange liqueur

toast nuts in frying pan until golden

mix flour with baking powder and baking soda

cut butter into flour mixture

add orange peel, lightly beaten egg, yogurt, salt, honey and knead dough

add fruit and nuts last

sprinkle work surface with flour and roll dough to 3cm thickness

use circle cutter to cut scones

line baking pan with parchment powder, and put scones in a single layer

bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown

slice and serve with butter or jam

* carina's notes - The amount of flour depends on the thickness of the yogurt you use. It's better to use very thick yogurt.

I'm not super sure about the tempature. I'd probably choose to round it up to 395 degrees F and make sure to keep an eye on the scones. I'm going to have to experiment with this recipe... It was disappointing to find out the website wasn't in english, but I couldn't use that as an excuse to not post about the scones.

Here's to google translations and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast- My Valentines's Monte Cristo Panini

I never really had a Monte Cristo before... Rachel Ray did her take on them during an episode of 30 Minute Meals and I've seen the sandwich on menus, but I never got around to eating one. When I was looking for a breakfast idea on TasteSpotting I found PaniniKathy's Valentine's Monte Cristo Panini and thought it was a great take on the idea of the sandwich.

Photo from paninihappy

My Valentine’s Monte Cristo Panini
via paninihappy

Adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

Dijon mustard
4 slices country bread (I used Bread & Cie’s country levain)
Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
Ham, thinly sliced
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Confectioner’s sugar
Raspberry preserves

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the panini grill to medium heat (350 degrees).

Spread mustard on the bread. Layer 2 of the bread slices with Swiss cheese, ham, and cheese again. Place remaining bread slices on top.

In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture, turning to coat well.

Carefully place the sandwich onto the panini grill. Close the lid and grill for 4-5 minutes until the bread is lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar and, if desired, spoon a little raspberry preserves in the shape of a heart in the center. Another idea is to stencil in a little heart motif with the confectioner’s sugar. Happy Valentine’s Day - enjoy!


I know it's past Valentine's Day, but the concept of the panini is perfect for any day of the year. If you want to really get into this sandwich with a knife and fork I'd heat the raspeberry preseves in the microwave or on the stove until they are of a "syrup" consistancy and pour it over the Monte Cristo. If raspberry isn't your thing, you could use pretty much any kind of preserves instead - or just go with maple syrup (the real stuff).

- Here's to breakfast and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

I love omelets... I usually make myself an egg white omelet for breakfast close to every morning. Making an omelet for a group of people can be annoying though. Everyone ends up finished eating before you've even sat down to start eating your omelet. When I saw realmomkitchen's ham and cheese omelet roll on TasteSpotting I knew I had to share it.

Photo from realmomkitchen

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll (6 serving version)
via realmomkitchen

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 plus 1/8 cup milk
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup finely chopped fully cooked ham
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Line the bottom and sides of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper; grease the paper and set aside. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and slowly add milk until smooth. Add flour and salt; mix until combined. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until blended. Add cream cheese mixture; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are puffed and set. Remove from the oven and use parchment paper to remove egg from the pan. Immediately spread with mustard and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Sprinkle with ham, onions and 1/2 cup cheese. Roll up from a short side, peeling parchment paper away while rolling. Sprinkle top of roll with the remaining cheese; place roll in pan and bake 3-4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Yield: 6 servings.

There's also a recipe variation that serves 12 which can be found here.

On a side note - I found the realmomkitchen blog to have a cute design and a nice layout.

You could easily put any type of filling into the omelet instead of ham and cheese... Lightly sauteed cherry tomatoes and spring asparagus with fontina or cheddar would be a great use of spring vegetables. My favorite kind of omelet would have to be made with my special mushrooms and cheddar.

Here's to chickens and warm bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Sunday Morning Waffles

Lately I've been in the mood for "sweet" breakfast foods. I love pancakes and homemade waffles. They are a real "treat" for me, probably because I don't eat them very often and usually have egg white omelets. I got a waffle iron for Christmas two years ago, and it has been a "blessing". Homemade waffles are AMAZING, so when I came across aggieskitchen's Sunday Morning Waffles I knew that would be "breakfast".

Photo from aggieskitchen

Sunday Morning Waffles
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or regular sugar)
3 TB baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups lowfat buttermilk (can substitute lowfat milk)
3 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
2 TB flax meal
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, applesauce and flax meal to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour approximately 1/3 cup of the batter per waffle into the waffle maker and cook according to waffle maker directions.

Serve with a small bit of butter, maple syrup and fruit.


If you want to give homemade waffles a "go", try this recipe. It's simple to prepare and you probably already have most of the ingredients. If you don't, the recipe even tells you what you can substitute... For a flavored maple syrup - add a few teaspoons (to taste) of your favorite jam or preserves (not jelly) to the syrup and heat either on the stove or in the microwave.

Here's to the upcoming berry season and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

The second edition to my "Spotting Breakfast" posts from TasteSpotting.

I came across foodisluv's banana sour cream pancakes and was "wowed." Whenever I think of banana pancakes I think of Jack Johnson and Curious George. I've only ever had banana pancakes once in my life before... I don't remember those pancakes at all, but I think these would be memorable. The sour cream would be a nice balance to the sweetness of the banana and maple syrup. Check out the foodisluv blog!

Photo from foodisluv

banana sour cream pancakes
via foodisluv
from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten
*her recipe says it makes 12 pancakes but i only got 10
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (i used 1 teaspoon table salt)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest (i made w/o since i didn't have any lemons)
unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
maple syrup

in a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. in another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, mixing only until combined.

melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. use a 1/4 cup measure to drop the pancake batter into the pan. distribute diced bananas on each pancake.

cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the top and the underside is nicely browned. flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two, until browned.

wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. pancakes will stay warm in a preheated 200 degree oven for 15 to 20 miutes.

serve with butter, sliced bananas and maple syrup.


If you're planning on making pancakes, do yourself a favor and buy REAL maple syrup. Most commercially packaged maple syrup is actually flavored corn syrup... This recipe would be a great way to use up bananas that are about to go bad - as an alternative to making banana bread!

Here's to warm ovens and full bellies.

- Cait