Breakfast Pork Sliders w/ Autumn Maple

This month we've collected recipes for food made with or made to pair with our fall seasonal, Autumn Maple.  Today's comes from i Flip For Food.  Read below and check out their blog for some incredibly delicious food articles!

If there's one thing we're as passionate about as food and cooking, it's drinking - and, more specifically, drinking beer. Luckily, the two passions are never in competition for our affection and in fact, pair rather nicely with one another. Such was the case when we were invited to participate in The Bruery's Facebook Blogger Invitational and given the chance to create a recipe using one of The Bruery's newest seasonal brews, the Autumn Maple. The home cooks inside of us were eager to get cooking, but the beer drinkers inside of were even more excited to get our hands on a few of these bottles. 

For the uninitiated, The Bruery is one of our favorite Southern California microbreweries. Located in Orange County, the small brewery puts out a bold collection of innovative Belgian-style ales. Their small-batch specialty brews like the Black Tuesday are widely sought after and their seasonal brews are annually anticipated. Such is the case for The Bruery's Autumn Maple, a Belgian-style brown ale that is a unique alternative to the Pumpkin Ales that typically hit shelves at this time of year. Brewed with yams (17 lbs. per barrel), cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, this spicy, 10% ABV brown ale exemplifies autumn. 

Having grown up in Vermont, I can't think about maple without thinking about breakfast, so we decided to use the Autumn Maple to help make a sandwich we could enjoy for breakfast (or any time of the day, for that matter). We settled on the idea of pork sliders braised in beer and served with a fried egg, arugula and a maple hollandaise sauce inside a toasted English muffin. 

For Autumn Maple breakfast pork sliders:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 8 oz breakfast sausage patties
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, finely diced
• ¼ cup finely diced sweet onion
• 1 tbsp dried parsley (or 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley)
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme)
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup Autumn Maple beer
• 4 English muffins
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 4 fried eggs
• Arugula
• Maple hollandaise (recipe below)

Mix together ground pork, breakfast sausage, bacon, sweet onion, parsley, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper. Form into small patties about 3/4” thick.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of each English muffin with melted butter and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep warm until the sandwiches are ready to assemble.

Brush a grill pan with olive oil. Heat on the stove over medium heat, then add the patties. Without moving them around (so you don’t disturb the searing process), baste the top of patties with Autumn Maple every couple of minutes. After 6-7 minutes, turn the patties over and cook another 5-6 minutes, again basting the top of each patty with Autumn Maple beer. Turn the patties over one more time and cook an additional 1 minute, slightly smushing the patties with a spatula. Remove from heat.

For Maple Hollandaise:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup melted butter

Place egg yolks, maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt in the blender, cover and pulse just once to combine. Open lid, set blender to low speed and slowly pour the melted butter into the blender in a thin stream. Once all the butter is incorporated, keep warm until use.

For the eggs, heat 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium low heat. Crack a couple of eggs into small bowls, then carefully ease them into the heated pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, spooning the hot oil over top of the eggs and sprinkling them with salt and pepper, then cover the pan, remove it from heat, and let it sit another 5 minutes.

Place each pork patty on one half of an English muffin. Layer on a fried egg, then a bit of arugula, then drizzle with maple hollandaise. Finish with the top half of muffin. Enjoy with a glass of The Bruery's Autumn Maple Belgian Style Brown Ale. I know we said this was a breakfast post and it's not even noon, but you've earned it.

Don't forget to check out the original post and even more recipes at

I Flip For Food!

chard & scallion scrambled eggs on toast

My neighbor shared half of her CSA bounty this week. Lucky me. The big bunch of chard and dainty scallions became our brunch: sauteed in a bit of olive oil, and scrambled with a few eggs then served over a toasted slice of Alvarado Street California Protein bread. I added cheese to my husband's and kid's. Mine was delicious as is.

Simple and delicious morning - make ahead breakfast ideas

Mornings can be nutty. But that doesn't mean your family has to throw back a handful of cereal as you dash out to meet the school bus. With a little planning ahead, and maybe 1 hour of cooking each week, you can get a few recipes made ahead of time so that breakfast is ready to go on the busiest of mornings.

The photo above is our breakfast yesterday morning. Looks good, doesn't it? Particularly for a Tuesday morning! Total time spent making it Tuesday morning: about 5 minutes to plate and reheat the slices of frittata (which I had made on a lazy Sunday morning) and cut up an apple, and wash a few berries. I make a frittata at least once a week with a variety of veggies because it's so, so easy. Here is the original post that had my super simple frittata recipe.

Last week, I taught a cooking class for a group of young athletes. The topic was "healthy breakfasts" so they can be at peak performance at school, and at their meets. After hearing from so many friends that their kids are "picky eaters", or "they definitely won't try this or that", I was thrilled that this group of kids not only tried-- but relished-- each of the recipes we made together, including a veggie filled frittata. So, I encourage you to give that recipe a try. My go-to protein pancakes were another major hit at that lesson. The kids topped them with applesauce, berries and kept coming back for more. Since I am short on time to do in-person lessons right now, here's a video of the protein pancake recipe in action. Enjoy!

Simple Weekend Brunch: Veggie Hash

I wish I could say that I toodled out to our local farmer's market, two kids in tow this morning, and put a seasonal bounty on the table. But, the reality is: my husband's off playing tennis with the guys, I've got two kids who are totally beat from a big week in the sun, and I really wanted to sneak off and read during the quiet period when my kids were immersed in their LEGO creations.

Still, on a moments notice, we had a fabulous breakfast together. It wasn't the freshest, but it hit the spot. One of the secrets to being able to whip up quick, yummy meals for your family is to have a well-stocked pantry and freezer.

Brunch Veggie Hash
(4 servings)

1 package of Trader Joe's Country Potatoes with Haricots Verts and Wild Mushrooms (found in the frozen section)
6 eggs (or more if you'd like leftovers or your family is bigger)
handful of shredded Parmesan

Heat the contents of the country potato package in a medium fry pan. When potatoes and veggies are just about warmed through, add the eggs and cheese. Scramble everything together until eggs are cooked. Serve to your family. Don't mention there are mushrooms in there if your child hates mushrooms. Chances are they won't even notice them in the hodge podge of delicious flavors.

I served the veggie hash with biscuits smothered in strawberry jam, sections of a juicy orange, and dried cranberries (my little one's request...) I passed on the cranberries and also forgot to photograph my plate before thoroughly enjoying this meal.

(Effortless) pancakes and frittatas on a snowy morning

It’s a snow day today! So, with a little luck, I can pull out the Play Doh, sticker mosaics, pipe cleaners, felt, markers, glue and popsicle sticks and catch up on posts. This morning was another reminder that on the busiest-- or laziest-- of days, it’s so great to have meals made ahead. In today’s case, the boys wanted pancakes so I heated up some protein pancakes with vanilla yogurt and organic (frozen) strawberries on top. And I enjoyed a wedge of the frittata I’d made earlier in the week. Now, if only my children could have slept in, it would have been the perfect, cozy morning! Here are the recipes for the Protein Pancakes and frittatas, or you can always click here for the original post:

Canyon School’s “Cosmic Cookery for Kids” Protein Pancakes

1 lb cottage cheese (1 tub)
6 eggs
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 t vanilla (or more)
dash of cinnamon
lemon zest (optional)
butter (optional, for fry pan)

Blend everything in the blender until the batter is smooth with a consistency of sour cream. Bake small pancakes on hot griddle, turning once. Serve warm. These pancakes may be made ahead, cooled, and stored in a Tupperware in the fridge for several days. They reheat beautifully.

Veggie Frittata

About 2 cups of your choice of vegetables
9 eggs
½ cup of milk
½ cup any type of shredded or finely chopped cheese
+ another ½ cup of shredded cheese to go on top

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cheese. Set aside. Sauté the vegetables in a bit of olive oil in an oven-proof medium-sized skillet, until tender. Spread this veggie/meat mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over it, and lightly stir with a spoonula or spatula so the egg mixture is evenly distributed underneath.

When the egg & veggie mixture is about half set, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the frittata and put the skillet in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven and let cool on the counter for several minutes. You may serve it directly out of the skillet, or invert it onto a plate. If doing the latter, be sure to use oven mitts as the handle will still be very hot!! I recommend making frittatas on the weekend (or a lazy snow day!), and enjoying it that morning. Then let the remainder cool completely and slice it into individual servings, which can easily be heated in the microwave later in the week.

New Breakfast Idea – Egg Toasts

Scrambled eggs with a side of toast can get kind of ho-hum. I saw this in a magazine (which I’ll have to dig up so I can give it credit) and gave it a whirl last week. It’s become one of the new favorite breakfasts around here. It’s the hidden shape that sealed the deal.

Egg Toast

Butter
Piece of bread (1 slice per toast)
Cookie cutter that fits within the size of the bread
Egg (1 egg per toast)
Shredded Cheese (optional)
Ham (optional)

Warm a fry pan, and drop in a pat of butter. Let it melt over medium heat.

On a cutting board, you’re going to start with a piece of bread.

Using a cookie cutter, cut out the center of the piece of bread. (Make sure to leave the whole outer edge in tact, since that’s what is going to frame the egg.) Put the piece of bread into the warm fry pan (that already has melted butter).

Then you crack an egg into the opening. The egg will ooze around and fill the shape you cut out. Cover with a lid so the egg cooks more quickly. (As you'll see above, I started adding some cut up ham and shredded cheese after I got the hang of it. But first, I'd just try it with the eggs...then you can get a little more creative!)

Once the egg is a little past halfway cooked, you’re going to flip the piece of toast. It may splatter. That’s ok! As long as one side is pretty, you’re good to go!!

Let the egg finish cooking, the toast finish toasting. Then remove it from the pan and wow! Look at that. After my kids have ogled the hidden shape, I have been cutting it into quarters for them to eat it more easily.

A quick note on bread: you cannot use that funny, really thin bread for this. It will not work…the egg will run everywhere and you’ll have one disappointed mom and child. Go for a nice hearty thick piece of bread. Our favorite is Eli’s Health Bread (which you can get in 4-piece packs at Aux Delices in Darien). La Brea’s Seeded Wheat or Whole Wheat would probably also work well.

And, as you see above, the buttery, egg-y bread is wonderful dipped into your favorite jam too.

4 Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for Busy School Mornings

I have no idea what my 2+ year old did with the little piece of paper I’d written notes for my next post on? As the school year starts, I promised you some make ahead breakfast ideas. But after biking around with the kids all day, finally getting two over tired little boys to bed (hours past bedtime), then sharing a bottle of wine with my mom while we read our respective books by the outdoor fireplace, I find myself re-creating the post. And given the choice of frolicking in the mountain air, or sitting at the computer typing all of this up...well, frolicking won out. But though the post is delayed a couple of days, we've got several months of school mornings ahead, so let’s get a couple of great make-ahead breakfasts into our repertoire early in the school year so that morning time goes smoothly...and deliciously.

If you have not yet tried the “Protein Pancake” recipe posted months ago, I urge you to whip a batch up. They are moist and delicious, and if you add enough vanilla and lemon zest, they don’t even need a topping. (Handy for those who are handing breakfast to the backseat in a mad dash to preschool…) Should you find yourself at a table, you can of course always do syrup, but here are a couple other ideas for toppings:
- fresh berries, or cut up nectarines, peaches, etc.
- apple sauce and a sprinkling of cinnamon
- your favorite flavor of yogurt

I am re-posting the recipe here for those who want all four of these make ahead breakfast ideas in one place:

Canyon School’s “Cosmic Cookery for Kids” Protein Pancakes

1 lb cottage cheese (1 tub)
6 eggs
pinch salt
1/2 cup flour
2 t vanilla (or more)
dash of cinnamon
lemon zest (optional)
butter (optional, for fry pan)

Blend everything in the blender until the batter is smooth with a consistency of sour cream. Bake small pancakes on hot griddle, turning once. Serve warm. These pancakes may be made ahead, cooled, and stored in a Tupperware in the fridge for several days. They reheat beautifully.

(Thank you to Erincooks.com for letting me borrow this photo until I get home and can download my own.)

My kids really like my mom’s oatmeal, which I always avoided making because who has the time to cook it in the mornings (never mind then cooling it down, since my children like their food room temp, not warm thank you very much...)? But now that I know the trick, I will avoid those little microwave packets at all costs! This is so easy to prepare the night before, and so much healthier.

Meme’s Oatmeal

4 cups water
1 cup McCann’s Irish Steel Cut Oats*
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

If you are including them, add the cup of dried cranberries (or raisins) to 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 1 cup of McCann’s Irish Steel Cut Oats. Simmer the oats for 1 minute, give it a stir, then place a tight fitting lid on the pot, turn the heat off and go to bed. In the morning, you will have a pot of oatmeal ready to reheat on the stovetop, which will only take a couple of minutes (add a bit of water if it is too thick). Or you can always heat up individual portions in a microwave, if you prefer that route.

For children who need a little prodding to enjoy this, offer up a “toppings bar” and let them doctor up their own bowl. Some ideas: honey; maple syrup; fresh berries or chopped fruit (blueberries and peaches are favorites over here); cinnamon; raisins; dried cranberries

*start with the real stuff—Traditional Steel Cut Oats—which all major supermarkets should carry. It comes in a 28 oz metal can, pictured above.

At least once a week, I heat up a slice of a frittata for the kids. Either on Saturday or Sunday morning I’ll make a big one, and then I store the extras in the fridge for a quick, healthy breakfast during the week.

Basic Frittata

2 cups of your choice of meats and/or vegetables**
9 eggs
½ cup of milk (preferably whole milk)
½ cup any type of shredded or finely chopped cheese (Parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, Dubliner, Feta…)
+ another ½ cup of shredded cheese to go on top

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and your choice of cheese. Set aside.Sauté your choice of vegetables and/or meat in a bit of olive oil in an oven-proof medium-sized skillet, until tender. Spread this veggie/meat mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over it, using a spatula to lift up the “filling” along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.

When the mixture is about half set, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the frittata and put the skillet in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven and let cool on the counter for several minutes. You may serve it directly out of the skillet, or invert it onto a plate. If doing the latter, be sure to use oven mitts as the handle will still be very hot!! Again, you won’t want to tackle this recipe on the school morning, but it stores well for several days in a Tupperware. I recommend making it on a weekend and enjoying it that morning, then letting the remainder cool completely and slicing it into individual servings, which can easily be heated in the microwave.

Here are a couple of our family's favorite frittatas:

Chicken sausage, bell pepper, tomato and Trader Joe’s Quattro Fromaggio cheese;

Spinach, mushroom and Feta;

Broccoli and cheddar;

Roasted red pepper, artichoke and goat cheese

(Thank you to House Beautiful for this pretty frittata photo. My own photo will follow shortly.)

And last but not least, for those who might like to keep a hearty, comforting casserole on hand, a Strata is another great make-ahead breakfast to serve on busy school mornings. Again, I'd recommend making it over the weekend, then slicing it into individual servings that can easily be warmed in the oven or microwave:

Basic Strata

5-6 cups bread, chopped into 1” cubes (your choice of sourdough, whole wheat, English muffins, etc…even better if it is slightly dried out/stale as it will soak up the eggs more readily) 4 cups of your choice of vegetables (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, etc.) and/or meat (ham, chicken sausage, bacon, etc)
12 eggs
3 cups of milk
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups grated cheese (your choice: Parmesan, cheddar, etc.)

Lightly butter, oil or spray the bottom of a baking pan (9x13). Line the bottom of the pan with the chopped bread. Sauté the vegetables and/or meat in a bit of olive oil until tender, then layer on top of the bread. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and mustard then pour the egg mixture over the veggies/meat. Top with shredded cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as 2 days at this point. When ready to bake it, preheat oven to 350. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, lightly browned and set in the center, approximately 50 to 65 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving, then package up the remainder in a Tupperware to serve throughout the busy week ahead.

(Thank you to Land o Lakes for this strata photo, which I will replace shortly with my own.)

The REAL "Protein Pancakes" of my childhood

Thank you to Loren Kaplan, my Rustic Canyon neighborhood pal, who located the original Canyon School Cookbook: Cosmic Cookery for Kids. This cookbook from the 70’s contains the real Protein Pancake recipe I so fondly remember my mom whipping up. I thought I'd done a good job of recreating the recipe through memory and the combination of a bunch of recipes I'd found online, but this makes much more sense with the ratio of cottage cheese to flour. Since the cookbook is likely not an easy find, here’s the recipe:

Cosmic Cookery for Kids' Protein Pancakes

1 lb cottage cheese (1 tub)

6 eggs

pinch salt

pinch sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 T soft or melted butter

2 t vanilla

Blend everything in the blender until the batter is smooth with a consistency of sour cream. Bake small pancakes on hot buttered griddle, turning once. Serve hot with a little cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. Also good served with sour cream, applesauce, jam, etc. May be used as a main dish.

Now I know what I am making the kids for supper tonight. Mmmm, I wonder if the cookbook also has my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Toy’s Egg Foo Yung?