‘Twas the Morning of Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (because all the online shopping was done!).
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Almost Home danced in their heads.
When out of the blue, a thought burst through your dreams,
“WHAT AM I GOING TO SERVE FOR BREAKFAST TOMORROW????”
(with apologies to Clement Clark Moore)

Ah, holiday breakfasts. You’ve done so much already, and you’re going to have lots of food later on. Do you really need more food?

Unfortunately, the little, um, darlings insist on eating on a regular basis, so yes, you need more food. There was a lively discussion in the Tanglewood Moms Facebook group a few weeks back about holiday breakfasts, and that inspired me to share some of my recipes for easy, do-ahead breakfasts!

Make-Ahead Monkey Bread

I am NOT a baker. For this, I use the canned or frozen biscuits readily available in any supermarket. Sooo much easier! And little hands can help with this without making too much of a mess. Bonus!

Ingredients

½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch salt
2 cans large biscuits or 1 bag frozen biscuits, thawed
½ cup toasted almonds or pecans (optional)
½ cup dried cranberries (optional)
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup packed light brown sugar

Directions

Do ahead
Cut each biscuit into quarters. (This can be done with a dull knife by little hands.) Combine the white sugar, spices, and pinch of salt in a gallon-sized zippered plastic bag. Roll the biscuit quarters into balls and drop in the bag o’ sweetness. Make sure the bag is well-sealed and toss the balls in the sugar, making sure each is well-coated.

Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray and arrange the dough balls in it. Sprinkle nuts and cranberries in among the dough if using. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over the dough. This can be make to this point the day before, covered, and kept in the refrigerator.

To bake and serve
Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the Bundt pan from the fridge. Melt the butter and combine with the light brown sugar and pour over the dough balls. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned and a metal skewer or knife inserted in the middle comes out hot. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then loosen the edges from the pan with a knife and turn out on a plate.

Quiche

Quiches are great because they’re refrigerator Velcro. You can put almost anything in them, and they taste great. I use them to use up leftovers – meats, roasted veggies, little bits of cheese that need to be used, whatever! They can be made the night before, so I love them for holidays.

Ingredients

1 pie crust (I don’t make my own, but I prefer the ones that you roll out over the frozen ones)
4 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup half and half
Dash (or two) of hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups fillings

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°. I par bake the crust to ensure that I don’t get a soggy bottom. Really, who likes soggy bottoms? To par bake the crust, prick it all over the bottom with a fork, line it with parchment paper, and fill the paper with dried beans. If you’re fancy and have pie weights, use those! Bake for about 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and let cool.

While the crust is par baking, assemble your custard and fillings. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and extra yolk well. You want the eggs to be completely mixed and frothy. Add in the half and half, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Dice the meats and veggies and grate the cheese. Place the fillings in the cooled crust and pour the custard over the top. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is just set. DON’T overbake the quiche! Remove the quiche from the oven, allow to cool, and loosely wrap before storing in the fridge. Before serving, allow the quiche to come to room temperature.

Combinations we like include ham and aged gouda, leftover steak and smoked cheddar, roasted broccoli with shallots and goat cheese, and caramelized onions and Gruyere. Use your imagination! That’s what makes quiche such a wonderful dish!

Breakfast Tacos/Burritos

Who doesn’t love eggs, cheese, and meat in a tortilla? This is a great meal for teens to help with – they can get everything ready for people to assemble. (Who doesn’t love a bit of child labor?) In my house, Teen 1.0 scrambles the eggs while Teen 2.0 makes the bacon and gets everything laid out. They wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the toaster oven.

Ingredients

Cooked bacon
Diced ham
Cooked sausage
Shredded cheese
Leftover roasted potatoes (if you have them!)
Pico de gallo
Salsa
Hot sauce
Guacamole
Sour cream or crema
Warmed tortillas
Scrambled eggs

Directions

This is the beauty of this breakfast – everyone makes their own. There are no rules when it comes to breakfast tacos. They’re like quiches: you can throw leftovers into them, and they’re always good!

Here are some more ideas for easy holiday breakfasts!

• Coffee cake
• Sister Schubert’s sausage rolls
• Cinnamon rolls
• Make ahead French toast or breakfast strata
• And one of my favorites – Sister Schubert’s yeast rolls, an assortment of jellies and jams, cheese, fruit, and maybe, if I’m feeling wild and crazy, some prosciutto or jamon serrano

Holiday breakfasts don’t need to be fancy to be memorable. A mug of hot chocolate under the tree while listening to carols will be remembered by your little ones forever!