Easygoing Breakfast

Welcome the weekend with these top-rated dishes. They're worth getting up for.

There's more to holiday entertaining than fancy dinner parties. In fact, less formal gatherings often offer the greatest enjoyment. Busy mom and volunteer Beth Morris, who lives with husband Andy in Trussville, Alabama, has a gift for laid-back entertaining.

A talented artist, Beth is as creative in the kitchen as she is in her home studio. Many of her recipes have been passed along from family and friends-those must-have favorites everyone loves. Here she shares a few from her breakfast collection. All received rave reviews from our Foods staff. As an added bonus, most of the ingredients can be kept on hand in the pantry or freezer.

Don't pass up the Brown SugarPecan Coffee Cake. It's equally spectacular served warm from the oven or left on the kitchen counter to season overnight. Be forewarned; it's so delicious that it just may vanish into crumbs before company comes!

Five minutes and five ingredients are all it takes to stir up Beth's creamy Toffee-Apple Dip.

Breakfast Pizza

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., BAKE: 40 MIN., COOK: 10 MIN.

You can also bake this in a 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan or cake pan.

1 (8-oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 lb. hot ground pork sausage

1 (32-oz.) package frozen hash browns with onions and peppers

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

4 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1. Unroll crescent roll dough, and press on bottom and partially up sides of a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; press perforations to seal. Bake at 375° for 5 minutes.

2. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and sprinkle evenly over crust.

3. Prepare frozen hash browns according to package directions, and spoon evenly over sausage. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over hash browns. (Cover and chill up to 24 hours, if desired.) Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients; pour evenly over cheese.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.

No one will be sleeping in when Breakfast Pizza and Cheesy Baked Grits are on the menu.

Cheesy Baked Grits

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., BAKE: 50 MIN.

If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, they can be reheated in the microwave.

1 cup uncooked regular grits

1 (16-oz.) package pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed

½ cup butter

6 large eggs

¼ cup milk

½ tsp. salt

1. Prepare 1 cup grits according to package directions; remove from heat, and stir in cheese and butter until blended.

2. Whisk together eggs, milk, and salt. Gradually whisk about one-fourth of hot grits mixture into egg mixture; add to the remaining hot grits mixture, whisking constantly. Spoon mixture evenly into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes or until set.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Velveeta.

A crisp, buttery crust makes Brown Sugar-Pecan Coffee Cake the perfect morning pick-me-up.

Toffee-Apple Dip

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

PREP: 5 MIN.

One recipe makes enough dip for six large apples or pears. To prevent the cut fruit from turning brown, Beth soaks the slices for an hour in canned pineapple juice.

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (8-oz.) package toffee bits

¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Coffee Cake

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., BAKE: 30 MIN.

We added pecans to Beth's original recipe; it's delicious either way.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

¾ cup butter, cubed

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut ¾ cup butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or 2 forks until crumbly. Press 2¾ cups crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

2. Stir together sour cream, egg, and baking soda; add to remaining crumb mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Pour sour cream mixture over crumb crust in pan; sprinkle evenly with cinnamon mixture and pecans.

3. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Dec 2006
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