Mmm. Breakfast. The ultimate comfort food. However, those bubbling fried eggs must be accompanied by a side of grits to be truly comforting.

Hell yeah!

Although I am a good bit fussier about the eggs. Over medium it has to be.

But ham, glorious ham. I love ham, perhaps more than pecans, which would be really, really difficult.

Time for breakfast.

AAaaaiiiiieeee, don't forget the smell of toast, toasting! And jam, you gotta have that.

Then saving the bacon drippings for that afternoon cornbread and ribs.

pure love

I'm wondering if you know Antonio Pelligrini's book "Unprejudiced Palate", and whether if so you remember his ode to American breakfasts? Thought that would be relevant especially since he's a Seattle writer.

I moved to Japan about a year ago and good diner breakfasts are one of the things I miss most, food-wise. Although the toast here is great -- giant thick slices of bread with lots of butter.

I'm going to daydream about bacon now....

Breakfast for dinner was always such a treat for us. My mother's specialty was always fried Italian Sausages (mild), cooked as you would links. That was sure fancy for us kids. Otherwise it was eggs over easy and piles of bacon. If we had a loaf of french bread left over from dinner, that would be french toast and fried italians sausage sandwiches ... but no matter fancy or plain, breakfast for dinner was somethign special and often requested for our birthday dinners. Even now, being on vacation means going out for breakfast every single day -- my favorite meal to have "out." Thanks for the post.

Breakfast at its best nourishes both the body and the spirit.The pleasures of visiting a bed and breakfast include a leisurely gourmet breakfast Egg dishes delight, muffins and pastries offer an
irresistible touch of sweetness, and refreshing fruits and glistening jams have an appeal all their own. With offerings like cornmeal crêpes, baked eggs, coconut coffee cake, homemade bagels and crisp English muffins, breakfast comes as a welcome wake-up call. Morning pleasures this alluring make it easy to throw back the bedcovers and race to the breakfast table. And best of all, you dont have to do the dishes!!

Here at the Fish Creek House Bed and Breakfast, each morning, you will be greeted with one of our fantastic breakfasts served in our sunlit dining room. Everything is fresh, beautiful and absolutely delicious. Rich coffees, fresh squeezed juices, the most gorgeous fruits, fragrant just baked breads and delectable main dishes. Yum

.. So this morning,I whipped up a plate of Benedict. I say whipped up. Worked out might be a better turn of phrase. Benedict is a multi-phase project, and timing is critical. You don't so much need a recipe as a Gantt chart. First, you clarify some butter. Then, you whip up the hollandaise. Then, you grill some ham or bacon ( Then, you poach some eggs. Finally you plate it all up on muffins (or toast), an serve.


Of Course our our breakfast menu here at Fish Creek House wouldnt be complete without a :
Catch of the Day Breakfast

Coffee, tea, Bloody Mary's or tomato juice
Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Trout, Parsley and Cream Cheese
Toast, bagels, cream cheese
Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Trout

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Trout

per person…

2 eggs
2 tablespoons smoked trout, flaked
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped parsley
4 1/4 teaspoons of cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter

Crack the eggs into a bowl...just break the yolks. Have the trout and the parsley in two small bowls. ( I dab the cream cheese around the edges of the bowl to keep each "dab" separate.) Heat a skillet on medium heat....add butter....when sizzling, add eggs, folding and fluffing so that the whites and yolks do not combine too much. When almost set, foldin the trout and parsley and drop in the cream cheese. Fold gently and serve. Wonderful with great bread or bagels toasted. You may also use smoked salmon.

We Make Montana Memories with this French Toast Casserole Recipe

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, and this post was most enjoyable regarding breakfast. It's been a pleasant repast for hundreds of years.

Coqco, a food history blogger

I'm in a similar boat as Anjali. Moved to China a little over a year ago, and breakfast is one of the food items I miss most (the other is microbrews).

A good breakfast is underappreciated. Even if you appreciate it, you probably UNDERappreciate it.

Great post!

Breakfast, well prepared, is one of the best meals a person can have.

Breakfast, badly prepared, is a sad travesty, and few things are as depressing as bacon improperly cooked, eggs turned to rubber and carbonized pancakes.

I love to cook breakfasts, but don't do it very often. Therefore, when I do it, whether it is in the morning at the proper time, or in the evening for supper, it is a treat, and thus is greeted with lovely anticipation.

Which is one of the best things a cook can ask for--to have her offerings treated as something precious and rare.

Totally agree with your appreciation of a good diner breakfast. I miss the hometown stool and counter and the warmth of not only the coffee and the right off the Hotpoint eggs-homefries-toast-sausage; but especially the "we're all in this together" attitudes of staff and fellow customers.
Is it me or to the eggs taste better when they're sitting on a slice of toast?