Breakfast for Dinner

Sometimes there's just nothing better than having breakfast for dinner. All sorts of elaborate breakfasts just take too long to throw together most mornings when you're rushing to get off to work or to get the kids fed. Quality breakfast takes a little more time. Either you can make these more time-consuming breakfasts for dinner, or you have to save it for lazy Saturdays and holidays.

Yesterday, I shared my all-time favorite type of breakfast: pancakes. Today, I'm going to share some other favorite breakfast-for-dinner options.

Below, you will find recipes for waffles, breakfast casseroles, French toast, and omelets.

Oh, and just a quick note on the French toast. I don't typically follow a recipe...I just eyeball it. But I'm sharing a good recipe to be used as a guideline if you don't feel comfortable just winging it. However, I'm also sharing my method as well.

As for these yummy recipes, I hope you like them as much as we did!

Mom's Best Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon granulated or packed brown sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat waffle maker. If necessary, brush with vegetable oil before batter for each waffle is added (or spray with cooking spray before heating). In large bowl, beat eggs with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.

Pour about 1/2 cup batter from cup or pitcher onto center of hot waffle maker. (Check manufacturer's directions for recommended amount of batter.) Close lid of waffle maker.

Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle. Repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information: 380 calories, 22 g fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 9 g protein.

Recipe Notes: Set up a serve-yourself waffle bar and offer pie filling toppers like cherry, blueberry, and apricot.

For 7 grams of fat and 255 calories per serving, substitute 1/2 cup fat-free cholesterol free egg product for thee eggs, use fat-free (skim) milk, and decrease oil to 3 tablespoons.

Source: Betty Crocker. I don't think this recipe can be found online at this time. I found it in an old recipe book/magazine from at least ten years ago.

Notes: I would strongly recommend that you spray your waffle iron in-between each waffle. I decided to skip this step for my very first waffle and the whole thing stuck to the waffle iron and I had waffle crumbs instead of a whole waffle. After that, you can bet that I greased my waffle iron each time. I also used cooking spray instead of the oil.

Also, the recipe says that it makes 6 servings. Perhaps their waffle iron is bigger than mine, because mine made more than 6 waffles. If I remember correctly, it made 9 (or maybe even 10). I guess it just depends on the size of your waffle iron. But this is a great basic waffle recipe. You can't go wrong with this one.

Classic French Toast

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

6 slices (1-inch-thick) bread, preferably day old

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Place bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold bread slices in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn slices over; soak until soaked through, about 10 minutes more.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread slices until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread. Wipe skillet, and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Serve warm with pure maple syrup, if desired.

Source: Martha Stewart website. You can find it here.

My Easy Version of French Toast

Ingredients:

Eggs

Milk (even skim milk works)

Cinnamon, to taste (optional)

Vanilla extract, 1-2 teaspoons, to taste (optional)

Cooking spray

Wonder Bread Texas Toast (I really like this because it is already cut thick)

Maple syrup, fruit, powdered sugar, whipped cream, or any and all of your favorite toppings)

Directions:

Slice each piece of bread in half diagonally. Whisk together eggs and milk. The ratio of milk to eggs that you use is up to you. It just depends on how eggy you want your French toast. I prefer about 2 parts milk to 1 parts egg. For instance, something like 6 eggs to two to two-and-a-half cups of milk. As I said, I just eyeball it. You can make this to suit your own tastes. Once your eggs and milk are beaten together, you can whisk in some cinnamon and/or vanilla, if you like.

Heat a pan on medium to medium-high heat on your stove top. When the pan is heated, spray with cooking spray. One by one, dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture and then place into your pan. Repeat until the pan is full (but no overcrowded). Allow your bread to brown (1-3 minutes) and flip over to brown the other side. Remove from pan and place on plate. Repeat in batches until you have made as much French toast as you want (whether that's half a loaf or the whole thing--it's up to you!).

Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Source: Just me.

Canadian-Bacon Strata

This savory breakfast pudding can be prepared the night before through step 2 and baked the next morning. Let the strata chill for 2 hours, and it will be nice and moist. If you leave it overnight in the refrigerator, it will be even more custardy.

Ingredients:

Butter, softened (for pan)

4 English muffins, split, toasted, and cut in half

1/2 pound sliced 9about 10 slices) Canadian bacon, halved

1 1/4 cups shredded (6 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

8 large eggs

3 cups milk

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions:

Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish (oval or square), set aside. In dish, alternately arrange, cut side down, muffin halves and Canadian bacon. Sprinkle with cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper, and hot sauce until combined. Pour over muffins and bacon; cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet; remove plastic wrap. Bake until puffed and set in the center (see note above), about 1 hour and 30 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if strata starts to brown too quickly.) Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Source: Martha Stewart website. You can find it here.

Notes: This is so, so good. So much better than you would ever think from the picture. I made this originally because I was scrounging for a recipe to make because I hadn't gone shopping and needed a dinner to make from what I already had in my fridge.

I used more English muffins, however. I think the original recipe is supposed to be more eggy than bready. I made this in a 9x13 baking dish (which is a 3-quart baking dish and the recipe called for a 2-quart baking dish) and if I had only used 4 English muffins, they would have been swimming around instead of being beautifully lined up as in the picture of the recipe on the website, found here. Also, I think their Canadian bacon was a lot thicker than mine was (which was very thinly sliced--25 calories per slice).

So, here's what I did: I used eight English muffins. Rather than only placing one halved slice of Canadian bacon between each halved slice of English muffin, I used two halved slices between. I did NOT increase the eggs, cheddar, Parmesan, milk, Dijon, salt, pepper, or hot sauce. Yes, this made mine more of a bready casserole than the one on the Martha Stewart website (which I believe was intended to be more eggy).

But it was still FANTASTIC. The egg mixture is so flavorful. This is such a savory and comforting strata. Serve it with some fresh fruit and possibly some juice and that is all you will need for a hearty meal.

Do-Ahead Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

1 cup diced fully cooked ham (6 oz)

2 boxes Betty Crocker Seasoned Skillets hash brown potatoes

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 tablespoon dried chopped onion

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1 cup Original Bisquick mix

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 eggs

Directions:

Grease 13x9 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.

Layer ham, potatoes, bell pepper, onion, and 1 cup of the cheese in baking dish. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper, and eggs until blended. Pour into baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown around edges and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes.

Tips: For fewer calories and less fat, use Bisquick Heart Smart mix instead of the Original Bisquick mix, and use 1 cup fat-free egg product instead of the 4 eggs.

Try different types of cheeses in this recipe. Swiss and Monterey Jack work well, but you can also try seasoned cheeses, such as shredded taco cheese or pepper Jack cheese.

Makes 12 servings

Nutrition information: 240 calories, 12 g fat, 105 mg cholesterol, 620 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 14 g protein.

Source: Betty Crocker. You can find it here.

Notes: I really liked this, but I think in the future, I would use frozen hash browns instead of the box of freeze dried potatoes called for in the recipe. It would significantly cut down on the sodium in this recipe and I think it would taste even better. I might also use fresh (or frozen) diced onion instead of dried.

Mozzarella Omelet with Sage and Red Chile Flakes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, at room temperature

Fresh sage leaves, optional

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, stirring gently with a whisk.

heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of egg mixture to pan, and spread evenly in pan. Cook the egg mixture until edges begin to set (about 1 minute). Slice front edge of spatula between edge of omelet and pan. Gently lift edge of omelet, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. repeat procedure on opposite edge of omelet. Continue cooking until center is just set (about 2 minutes). Sprinkle half of cheese evenly over half of omelet. Loosen omelet with a spatula, and fold in half. Carefully slide omelet onto a plate. Repeat the procedure with remaining oil, egg mixture, and cheese. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information: 256 calories, 19.7 g fat, 18.2 g protein, 1.8 g carbohydrate, 0.1 g fiber, 431 mg cholesterol, 2 mg iron, 538 mg sodium, 165 mg calcium.

Source: September 2011 Cooking Light. You can find it here.

Notes: I almost always use cooking spray in place of oil for these types of recipes. This can also be made in the microwave. Spray a flat bowl or a plate with a lip (to avoid spills) with cooking spray. Beat egg mixture and pour onto the bowl or plate. Microwave for 30 seconds. Check for doneness. Sprinkle with cheese and microwave for an additional 15-30 seconds. Check for doneness. If necessary, microwave for an additional 15-30 seconds. Remove omelet from microwave, fold in half, and enjoy!