Holiday Recipes- Breakfast

So with the holidays coming up, I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite recipes.  I like to cook and am always on the hunt for new recipes, but I wanted to share a few of my "staple" recipes.  These are the REALLY good ones and I have been making them for years. :)  I am a huge breakfast person to the point where I even like breakfast food for dinner.  Call me crazy, but it's good.  But here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes.  I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as I do. :)


My first favorite breakfast recipe is from The American Country Inn and Bed And Breakfast Cookbook.  This cookbook belongs to my mother, but I tend to borrow (steal) it whenever I can.  Maybe I'll get my own copy one day?  :)  It's my FAVORITE cookbook!  It's up there with Martha Stewart, Barefoot Contessa, and Paula Deen, yes the recipes are that good.  It's a collection of recipes from tons of top Bed and Breakfasts around the Unites States.  It's the bomb diggity.  Okay, so here is a great breakfast recipe for Strata.  You can make it the night before and then just bake it in the morning, Easy peasy!  And it's delish!

Strata
The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

(Submitted by The Pine Tree Inn-Wallace Idaho)

Ingredients
12 slices of bread, remove crust and cut into cubes. (I use a fresh baked loaf of white bread from our local bakery...it's my way of being fancy)
1 1/2 cups diced ham (You can buy diced ham at the grocery store)
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely minced onion
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese (I use shredded cheese from the grocery store)
3/4 cup grated Jack cheese (shredded store kind)
7 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons dry mustard
3 cups milk

Grease a 9x13-inch pan and place bread on the bottom. Combine ham, green pepper, onion, and cheese, pour over the bread. Mix together remaining ingredients and poor over strata. Let sit overnight in the refridgerator (this is key). In the morning, bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Serves 6-8.

Let cool before serving, strata will be more "firm".  Just sayin... :)

And my second favorite breakfast recipe takes a little bit longer to make, but it is SO worth it.  I made this recipe for my in laws last year and they were IMPRESSED.  Gold star for me.... :)  It's also a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  Ina Garten is a genius!  Love her...

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
(Barefoot Contessa Recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I don't use kosher salt...whoops)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I add more...because I love it)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (this is optional...my husband does not like lemon anything, but I do..he's a weirdo)
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup (pure maple syrup is hella expensive...Mrs. Butterworth works just fine)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whick together sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan. Add (sprinkle) tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely brown. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute, until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to pan. Continue cooking pancakes until all batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter, and maple syrup.
*I make these on our griddle, huge time saver and easy clean up.
*And they don't taste like sour cream...they are good I promise. :)

Okay, so there are my favorite holiday breakfast recipes. 

Stay tuned for appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.  Oh my... :)

Have a fabulous day! :)