Podzilla Friday Breakfast

The best thing happened at work last Friday. Our team (Podzilla) began a new tradition of bringing breakfast in every Friday morning. Best idea EVER. Susie, a fellow art director and cook/baker, signed up first and let me tell you, we were in for a treat. The day before she sent out a menu of what she was going to prepare. Yes, a menu of homemade whole wheat cranberry walnut bread, egg casserole with ham and hash browns, and lastly, fresh fruit. Everything she made for us was beautifully crafted and amazingly delicious. Lucky for you and me, she gave me the recipes she used, which I have included in this blog post. Many thanks to Susie for a great start to our Friday morning breakfast!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Walnut Bread
Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:
Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried with paper towels

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375º.
Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
Stir the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Cut in the butter cubes using a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form; set aside.
In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and honey.
Gently stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until blended.
Fold in the walnuts and cranberries.
Spread into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes.
Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
In the meantime, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle over the bread.

The whole wheat cranberry walnut bread was outstanding. It had a nice texture from the walnuts and some tartness from the cranberries. The simple glaze dressed the bread giving it some sweetness to every bite. Susie also brought a medley of fruits to accompany the bread and egg casserole. Strawberries, green grapes, sliced bananas and blueberries. Can’t get much better than this.

Last, but not least, the main dish. Susie’s egg casserole was so delicate and fluffy. It was baked to perfection. Very moist, didn’t feel heavy at all. I’ve had my share of egg casseroles and they tend to be very dense, but this was airy and light. Susie prepared it the night before and baked it in the oven the morning of. After the casserole was done baking, she wrapped it in foil and bath towels so that it kept hot during the car ride to work. It was steaming by the time the team broke into it. Genius!

Overnight Egg Casserole with Ham and Hash Browns
Serves 18

Ingredients:
1 cup (4 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup (4 ounces) extra sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1 package (30 ounces) frozen shredded hash browns (such as Oreda), thawed in the refrigerator
16 ounces (2 cups) fully cooked thick ham slices, cut into small cubes
1 can (7 ounces) chopped green chilies
12 eggs
2 cans (12 ounces each) evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Grate the cheeses and set aside.
Sprinkle the hash brown into the pan covering the bottom completely.
Then sprinkle on in layers the ham, chilies, and cheeses; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, evaporated milk, and pepper; pour evenly over the casserole.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Bake, covered with the foil, at 375º for 1 hour.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Loosely cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Thanks so much Susie for sharing the recipes with Pretty Tasty Things readers. But more importantly, thank you so much for treating us to this artfully prepared breakfast. It was such a delightful morning!

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Southern Pepperoni Biscuits

From the kitchen of: Southern Biscuit and Pearly Squirrely   Makes: 24 biscuits
Total time: 15 min to prep, 10-12 min to bake

I was first introduced to these Southern Biscuits during our trip to Ohio a few weeks ago for a wedding. I fortunately had a chance to talk and mingle with the bride and groom’s family. I was speaking to the groom’s grandmother, Pearly Squirrely, and the discussion of biscuits came about. Pearly Squirrely lives in Charleston, WV, a throw stone’s away from the infamous Biscuit World. She told me about her own recipe for pepperoni biscuits telling me that the secret was the flour. The next morning after the wedding, we gathered for breakfast where she baked these moist, airy biscuits with bits of pepperoni mixed in. When I asked her how she made them, she practically said, just follow the directions on the back on the flour. Haha. I guess her secret was not so much the ingredients, but the mix.

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups Southern Biscuit Complete Mix (found at Food Lion)
1 1/4
1/2 bag 7 oz Hormel Pepperoni, chopped
2 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:
1. Prepare the pepperoni. Roughly chop the pepperoni, about half a 7 oz bag. Set aside. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°.

2. Prepare biscuits. In a large mixing bowl, add the Southern Biscuit mix with buttermilk stirring with fork or wooden spoon. Stir together using as few strokes as possible, just mix until completely combined. At this point, also add the chopped pepperoni and lightly mix in with the dough. The dough will be a little sticky and loose. (We didn’t add the pepperoni until later, which was a mistake. Better to add the pepperoni at this step.)

3. Cut out biscuits. Place the dough on a floured surface using some of the biscuit mix. With a floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough 1/2-inch thick.  Using a floured biscuit cutter or glass cup, cut biscuits and place them in baking pans so the sides are lightly touching. With the remaining dough, reform and cut out more biscuits.

4. Bake. Place biscuits in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until tops are lightly golden brown. Remove biscuits from oven and brush melted butter over the tops. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Recipe for: Egg and Avocado Toast

FROM THE KITCHEN OF: Isabel Canfield
TOTAL TIME: 20 min to prep
MAKES: 2 pieces of toast

Eating perfectly cooked eggs with slices of freshly ripened avocados has got to be one of my favorite things in this world to eat. I don’t know where this combination originated from, but I can certainly eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This dressed-up toast is my go-to meal for Jared and me if all we have in the kitchen is cheese, eggs, bread and avocados. With these four main ingredients, you can whip up a very hearty meal full of protein in less than half an hour. And just so you know, it does take a little bit of practice to perfect an over-medium egg, so don’t fret if you mess it up the first time. In the end, you’ll end up mixing up the cooked egg anyway. This toast may be a little messy to eat, but let me assure you that it will be devoured in minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
2 slices of Artisan bread (Focaccia)
fontina cheese
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 eggs
1 teaspoons butter
salt + pepper

2. Cook over-medium eggs. In a small omelet pan, heat about 1 teaspoon of butter over medium temperature. When the butter has melted and tiny bubbles form, gently crack two eggs into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook this side of the egg for a minute or so. You’ll know it’s time to flip them over when the clear part of the egg has turned white. With a rubber spatula, separate the two eggs. Tilt the pan and gently slide the spatula underneath the egg. Carefully flip it over. Cook the other side for an additional 30 seconds for over-medium eggs.

3. Toast bread and slice avocados. While you’re frying the eggs, place the bread with fontina cheese under a low broiler in the oven. The broiler gets hot, so keep an eye on it to prevent burning. At this point, slice an avocado in half and remove the seed with a knife. Take a spoon and scoop out the avocado from the skin. Lay the avocado flat on a plate and slice into long pieces.

4. Assemble toast. As soon as the eggs are to your liking, remove from pan and place in a bowl. Using a fork and knife, dice and mix the eggs together. Remove the toast from the oven and place the slices of avocados over the melted cheese. Next, add the “scrambled” eggs over the avocado. Serve hot and eat immediately.

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Famous Blueberry Bread Pudding

From the kitchen of: Paula Ramirez, Proprietor of Historic Mankin Mansion

I am so excited to showcase our very first recipe submitted by a Pretty Tasty Things reader, Meghan Ely. I fortunately know Meghan outside of Pretty Tasty Things though my 9-5 job. She is definitely a go-getter, so driven and just a talented individual. She is the owner of OFD Consulting, a wedding marketing and pr services firm. Meghan shares with us a little background on Historic Mankin Mansion’s famous blueberry bread pudding:

Paula’s blueberry bread pudding is a family favorite, passed down to her from her own mom while growing up in California. The secret, Paula says, is allowing the concoction to be refrigerated overnight so that the flavors blend and, of course, to be sure to make it with love. Paula’s mother claims that, as a baby, “blueberry” was her very first word!

Historic Mankin Mansion opened its doors as a wedding resort and Bed and Breakfast in 2006, after extensive renovations to bring the property back to its early 1900s splendor. The blueberry bread pudding was one of the first items on the breakfast menu and has been a staple ever since. Some travelers contend that their stuffed french toast may rival the longtime favorite but for now, the bread pudding continues to reign supreme.

Ingredients:
cubed sweet bread, approximately 3 -4 cups
3 cups frozen blueberries
18 farm fresh eggs
2 ½ cups half and half
2 tbs pure vanilla extract (recommend Pure Madagascar Organic Vanilla Extract by McCormick for its rich flavor)
1 tbs. cinnamon (we love Penzey’s Korintje Indonesia Cinnamon)
1 cup of sugar

Directions:
1. Combine the bread and blueberries. Spray bottom of baking sheet casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place cubed bread and top with berries.

2. Mix the wet ingredients together. In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until combined smoothly.

3. Pour wet ingredients over bread mixture. Combine the wet and bread mixture together. Allow the bread to soak up the liquid. Sprinkle the top with Cinnamon. Cover and place in fridge overnight.

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Semi-homemade Belgian Waffle with Blackberry + Mango Compote

From the kitchen of: Isabel Canfield

Special guest writer: Sharon Ramos, my older sister, attended VCU from 1998 to 2003 (super senior) and is a huge Joey Rodriguez fan.

VCU, Rams, Skaka, “Boo Boo” Joey, black and yellow have been on the news a lot lately, don’t you think? All of a sudden, VCU’s alumni have come out of hiding wearing their black and yellow for their beloved school and team. As an alumna of VCU, I remember VCU’s basketball team well. When I was a freshman, the basketball team played their home games in the Franklin Street gym, which was more like a high school facility before it went under major renovations. It was a stone’s throw away from the Hibbs Cafeteria.

I don’t think I ever had a class with a basketball player, but I always came across them at Hibbs. A favorite dish for freshmen was the Belgian waffle. There were only two waffle irons that were brought out for breakfast. The staff provided batter and you’d make the waffle yourself. There was always a line for the waffle station and there was always a basketball player in line. Most students there, including myself, did not wake at 7 a.m. before class, but we came after long all-nighters of finishing essays and study sessions. The waffles were a great way to fill our stomachs before turning in our papers and taking a test. Waffles at Hibbs, good times at VCU.

In honor of VCU’s run in the tourney, Isabel makes her own version of the Hibbs’ Belgian waffle – in black and yellow style using blackberries and mangos in the compote. And it was just as good as my days at VCU Hibbs.

Ingredients:
3 cups of Krusteaz Belgian waffle mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup of water
2 pints of blackberries
1 mango, largely diced
3 tablespoons of lemon
1/4 cup of sugar or less
powdered sugar
maple syrup

Directions:
1. Make the blackberry and mango compote. Combine the blackberries, mango, lemon and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine and cook for about 10-15 minutes until liquid thickens and the berries become nice and soft. You can substitute the sugar for honey, and can use whatever fruit you like. And depending on how sweet you like it, add a little less than 1/4 cup if you don’t like it too sweet.

2. Make the Belgian waffle batter. So why make it from scratch if you know there’s something out there that tastes just as good? My all-time favorite mix for Belgian waffles is Kruteaz. Just like their box says, it’s light and crispy. Follow the directions for 4-5 waffles. Easily combine 3 cups of mix, eggs, oil and water. Use a whisk to create a smooth batter.

3. Cook the Belgian waffles. Be sure to preheat your waffle machine. I use Pam butter spray to prevent the batter from sticking. Works really nice. We were lucky enough to get a pro waffle machine for our wedding from our dear friend, Erin. It was one gift we used right away! My machine came with a handy measuring cup that scoops out the perfect amount of batter. Scoop batter onto the iron plates, close the lid and leave to cook until the light turns green!

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