Category Archives: Breakfast

Dahlia Bakery’s Cherry Almond Scones

February 20, 2021

Like the Tomato Soup with Brown Butter Croutons, this recipe come’s from Seattle’s Dahlia Bakery, one of my favorite places to eat downtown. They’ve been closed during the pandemic and it has been more motivation for me to try their recipes at home! I made these scones for brunch last weekend, with soft scrambled eggs, chicken sausages, and green smoothies on the side, and my kids oohed and aahed over them! They’re not overly sweet but plenty buttery. And quite addictive with a crackly sugar top, bits of tart dried cherry, and crunchy almond flakes. I added lemon zest as directed but think they’d be just as, maybe more, delicious with orange zest!

Dahlia Bakery’s Cherry Almond Scones

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar + extra for sprinkling
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (or orange zest)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
10 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted and cooled (mine weren’t blanched and it was fine)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1/4 cup heavy cream, for brushing (I used whole milk in a pinch)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a small pan, toast almonds over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let cool completely.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda. Cut the butter into the dry mixture, using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Mix in the cherries and almonds.
  4. Add buttermilk and extracts. Using rubber spatula, mix until dough just comes together.
  5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly and quickly with hands until buttermilk is evenly incorporated into dry ingredients, being careful not to overwork the dough. Pat dough with your hands into a 9-inch round about 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 wedges with a floured knife or metal bench knife.
  6. Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush them with the heavy cream and sprinkle them generously with sugar.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotate the baking pan, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and finish baking until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool briefly on a wire rack. Serve the scones while they are still warm.

Makes 8 scones.

(Adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle and Luci’s Morsels)

Breakfast Quesadillas

February 10, 2021

Scrambled eggs + bacon (or ham, sausage, veggies, etc!) + lots of melty cheese all stuffed inside a crisp tortilla = the breakfast quesadilla. It’s a quick and easy breakfast/lunch/dinner option that is filling and delicious. I love adding fresh chopped chives (they go so well with eggs) and cilantro and pickled jalapeños to mine. My kids don’t love the “green things” inside but they will request a pile of sliced avocado on the side. Salsa and sour cream are also a must.

Breakfast Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS

large (I used 10-inch) flour tortillas
butter
eggs (I used 2 large eggs per tortilla), whisked
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
bacon, cooked and crumbled (or diced ham/Canadian bacon/sausage or make it vegetarian with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, red pepper or black or pinto beans, etc.)
Mexican cheese blend, shredded (or cheddar, Monterey/Pepper/Colby Jack, etc.)

optional add-ins:
fresh chopped chives
fresh chopped cilantro
pickled jalapeno

for serving:
salsa or pico de gallo or hot sauce
sliced avocado or guacamole
sour cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. To scramble the eggs, melt a bit of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are just set. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Set the eggs aside and wipe the pan clean. Return the pan to medium heat and place a tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle the surface of the tortilla with shredded cheese. Top one half of the tortilla with scrambled eggs and bacon (or ham, etc.) and any other add-ins such as cilantro and chives. Once the cheese has started to melt, fold the other side of the tortilla over the eggs. Continue cooking, flipping the tortilla partway through, until the cheese is melted and the outside of the tortilla is golden and crisp.
  3. Remove the quesadilla from the heat, slice, and serve with salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc.

(Adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch)

My Favorite English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

January 29, 2021

I love a good egg sandwich and this is my fancy English muffin version! (Yes, sometimes I just butter an english muffin and throw on a fried egg and cheese and that’s delicious too.) Although they’re messier to eat, I prefer scrambled eggs for my breakfast sandwiches because you get a bit of yolk with every bite and the eggs are softer and creamier. These scrambled eggs get topped with melty cheese and paired with ham (or bacon, avocado, your choice…), tomato, arugula, and a lemon-chive-mayo, all piled on a toasty english muffin.

My Favorite English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

2 english muffins, toasted
1 tsp. butter
2- 3 large eggs, whisked (I find that 3 large scrambled eggs for 2 english muffin sandwiches is just right)
salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
squeeze lemon juice
fresh chives, chopped
2 slices ham (or Canadian bacon, bacon, or avocado, etc.)
2 slices sharp Cheddar cheese (or a fancier cheese like Manchego)
tomato, sliced
handful arugula
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the whisked eggs and cook, stirring frequently with a spatula, until the eggs are scrambled and just cooked. (I turn off the heat while they are still a little wet to avoid over-cooking.) Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with chives.
  2. Meanwhile, lightly toast the english muffins and prepare the mayonnaise by combining the mayo with a squeeze of lemon juice and pinch of chives.
  3. Preheat oven broiler.
  4. Spread half of the mayonnaise on the bottoms of the english muffins and top each with a slice of ham (or bacon, avocado, etc.), half of the eggs, and a slice of cheese. Place under the oven broiler for about a minute, just until the cheese is melted.
  5. Spread the remaining mayo on the top halves of the english muffins. Top the melted cheese with sliced tomato, a bit of arugula and the top of the english muffin. If needed, broil the entire sandwich for another 30 seconds to toast the top. Serve warm.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Sheet-Pan Roasted Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)

January 16, 2021

These crispy sheet-pan roasted potatoes (and peppers and onions) make for an easy breakfast/brunch or dinner side dish. I served them with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, ketchup on the side. They’d also make a great base for a breakfast burrito (with scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, etc. wrapped in a tortilla) or a hash (add meat/herbs/veggies and top with a fried egg).

Our current home has a convection oven and I’ve began using it nonstop lately for roasting veggies. You have to be careful because it cooks things hotter and faster (so I usually reduce the temp by 25 degrees) but it’s awesome because it results in extra crispy edges! Perfect for any potatoes (especially sweet potato fries). So if your oven has convection capabilities, I recommend using it here.

Sheet-Pan Roasted Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. red potatoes, diced (or another potato such as Yukon or Russet)
1/2 yellow or red onion, diced
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced (or yellow/orange/green bell pepper)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. (I baked mine on convection at 400 F which I recommend for getting them extra crisp!)
  2. Place the potatoes, onion, and red pepper on a large baking sheet. (I line mine with parchment or foil for less mess.) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings (garlic powder, salt, and paprika) and toss until vegetables are well coated. Season with freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
  3. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast until potatoes are crispy, 30- 45 minutes. (Mine only took about 25-30 minutes with the oven on convection.) Serve warm.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Cornmeal Biscuits

January 11, 2021

Cornbread and biscuits are two of my favorite comfort foods. Much like the cornmeal dinner rolls we love, this recipe is a hybrid of the two. A buttery biscuit base with the addition of cornmeal makes for a fluffy moist biscuit in the middle with a crunchy nutty crust. With a pat of butter and drizzle of honey, it’s carb heaven!

These biscuits can be dropped with a spoon right onto the pan for a rustic look, sliced into triangles or squares like a scone, or gently kneaded and cut into rounds for a more traditional biscuit look. Any way you do it, they’re quick and easy and if your family loves them as much as mine, they’ll be devoured in no time.

Cornmeal Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar (can use 1 Tbsp. for a more savory biscuit)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup cold buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 450 F. (I baked mine on convection at 425 F because I was roasting vegetables at the same time.)
  2. Stir flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bottom of a large bowl with a fork or whisk. Add butter and toss to coat cubes in dry mixture. Use your finger or a pastry blender to break the butter into smaller and smaller bits, until the largest is pea-sized. Add buttermilk and stir once or twice, until a dough comes together.
  3. Press the dough gently into the bottom of your mixing bowl into roughly a circle. Cut into 8 or 12 wedges and drop onto a baking sheet. (I kneaded the dough once or twice into a round and used a biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Leftover scraps I pressed together to make one last biscuit.)
  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size, until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Makes 8-12 biscuits, depending on size.

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)