Breakfast Ideas

What helps you to wake up in the morning? Is it a cup of freshly brewed coffee from your automatic coffeemaker or the barking of a puppy from your smart phone that just won't stop? Whatever it is, we all need a reason to jump start our day, why don't start with spending a lil more time on the most important meal of the day. Making a good breakfast for my loved one, or myself has always been my motivation to wake up early in the morning, for I just love the culinary art and the finishing touch that adds colors to my edible creations. Thus, I'm constantly looking for interesting ideas to kick it up a nudge and still not hold me back in my busy schedule.

I've been in a craze to try out recipes with blueberries as main ingredients lately, not forgetting my parents love blueberries too, it would be nice to experiment with some recipes and pick the best so that I can impress them when I go home next time :p Here's one of the recipes involving blueberries, it's called my Crumbelievable Bluebberry Coffee Cake, which has a crumbly topping and is great with coffee.

Crumbelievable Bluebberry Coffee Cake

Streusel (Crumble) Topping:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spay a 9 inch cake pan with butter coating.
   
2. Making the streusel topping: Mix 1 brown cup sugar and 2/3 cup flour, a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine; mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.
3. For the cake: Beat 1/2 cup butter until creamy; add 1 cup white sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with the milk to the mixture, and beat well.
4. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Cover with berries, and add remaining batter by tablespoons. Then, cover with streusel topping.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, until deep golden brown. Finishing touch: Dust with confectioners' sugar (optional).

Blueberry French Toasts

Breakfast in Bed

As romantic as it sounds, I've always been a lil disturbed by the thought of having breakfast in bed, with dry throat, funny taste in the mouth, I just don't feel like eating the moment I wake up. Or am I just jealous over those who're lucky enough to have their loved ones prepare breakfast for them every morning?
I've been craving for nice buttery french toast over the week, and I offered to make him some for breakfast and he just said no everyday, he didn't feel like eating french toasts. One fine morning, just when I thought it's another day when I would wake up at the wrong side of the bed and had to crawl to work, I was awaken by the most amazing smell from the kitchen. He was making French Toasts! I crawled back to bed and wanted to continue my dream, and there he was bringing the french toasts to me, when I thought I was still dreaming about it.
I swear, that was the sweetest thing..Of course I didn't brush teeth, drank some water and had my breakfast. Though he forgot to add sugar into the egg batter, tasted some soy sauce in the bread, guess it's from yesterday's cooking still sticking on the pan, but I really appreciate the thought of him sacrificing his sleep, setting aside his stuffs...and made me breakfast in bed, my very first one...

We always have the fantasy of celebrating some quiet, romantic moments with loved one with breakfast in bed, this kinda perfect pictures doesn't fail to slip in my mind once in a while...However, forget about the hotel room service settings, though I wake up into my kinda shattered summer house where the ceilings always look like they's gonna fall down on me, what is most important is the company, someone that I can greet my morning to even though I just get off at the wrong side of the bed...

There's no soy sauce or unperfect finishing in this, all I see is a homemade french toasts that is ultimately made up of LOVE...

Sandwich: From Ordinary to Gourmet

An afternoon quick-fixed meal couldn't be better by preparing a hot grilled sandwich made with any ingredients you have in your pantry or leftover food in the fridge. Sandwich is one of my favorite lunch menus as it is ready in no time.

Creative versions of panini: Based with store bought sliced Vienna white bread and a good piece of cheese (choose from Cheddar, Gouda, Harvati, Monterey Jack, Provolone, Baby Swiss, Colby, Brick etc. These cheeses melt well). Top it with meat such as Salami, turkey or ham deli meat, leftover Rotisserie chicken breast, meatloaf, roasted beef or pan-fried spam. Additionally, roasted red bell pepper and baby spinach complement the sandwich in a colorfully nutritious and flavorful way. The finishing touch: Spray both sides of the bread with garlic flavored butter spray and grill it until the cheese is melted.

Grilled Cheese Topped with Smoked Turkey and Gravy:

Start with cutting off smoked turkey meat (may be substituted with roasted chicken, roasted pork or beef)
Gravy Recipe:
Ingredients:

1/2 lb of smoked turkey meat
1 1/2 cup chicken broth (may be substituted with broth from chicken cube)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced thin and lightly sauteed
1 large onion
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons of dill or 3/4 tbsp of dried dill
salt to taste

Directions:
In a saucepan, fry onions till softened, add in chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Seasoned with black pepper and add the mushroom.
Add in the rest of ingredients and whisk into the simmering chicken broth until thickened.

Alternative 1: If a grill is not available, try toasting the buttered sandwich on a covered frying pan on low heat on both sides until cheese is melted.
Alternative 2: Replace Vienna white bread with foccacia bread for more flavors. Half the foccacia bread and grill the white part of the bread while retaining the flavored part of the bread inside.