Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Better Times Cookbook Home ... Justpeace Home ... Bookstore ... Better Times Webzine Home

Not everyone agrees, I suppose, but this is what my grandmother told me. Breakfast doesn't have to be an expensive meal, it can be one of the most thrifty -- and yet, the most tasty -- of all your meals. I'm not fond of expensive packaged cereal products; seems to me all too often to be another case of paying big bucks for snob appeal. (I want my designed cereal!) I'd much rather munch on these fine foods first thing in the morning. Somehow, they make the world seem to be a better place.

Sausage Gravy

1/8 - 1/4 pound sausage -- 2 tbspn flour -- 1 cup skim milk

Crumble sausage and fry until done, draining all the grease except one to two tablespoons. Add flour, fry for about 1 minute. Add milk, stir until it thickens, salt and pepper as desired. This recipe serves one adult or two children, for each additional person, add an additional cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sausage grease. Increase sausage if desired. Bacon variation: fry bacon, mix flour with bacon grease, add milk. You can also make this with half milk, half water.

Rise and Shine Casserole

6 slices dry bread -- 1/4 cup margarine, melted -- salt -- 2 cups milk -- shredded cheese -- ½ tsp dry mustard -- 3 eggs, beaten

Tear bread into small pieces. Layer 1/4 of the bread and 1/4 of your cheese 4 times in a casserole dish. Pour melted margarine on top. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well. Pour mixture onto casserole. Refrigerate overnight. First thing in the morning, bake for 1 hour in 350 degree oven. Variations: add crumbled fried sausage or bacon, ham, cooked beans, jalapenos, shredded cheese. Smother casserole with chili, chili sauce, cooked beans, or gravy.

Home Made Hashbrowns

Slice potatoes in half and boil for ten minutes. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight. Shred (peeling the potatoes is optional) and fry in oil in skillet until brown on both sides. Note: if you go directly from the boiling to the shredding, there are a bit mushy.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Large biscuit buns -- 2 eggs, boiled -- two potatoes, hash browned -- 2 cups cheese sauce -- 1/8 pound sausage, or some bacon

Make 4 biscuit buns using biscuit recipe and bake until done. Slice in half, layer on each biscuit half: fried hashbrowns, 1/4 boiled egg, fried sausage or crumbled bacon, top with cheese sauce.

Potato Pancakes

3 medium potatoes, shredded -- 2 eggs, beaten -- ½ cup flour -- ½ cup shredded carrot (optional) -- salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste -- 1/4 cup onion, shredded

Put shredded potatoes in cold water for about 15 minutes, drain and pat dry. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. Drop potato mixture by the spoon fulls onto hot skillet greased with melted margarine. Turn when golden brown, brown on other side, serve with applesauce.

Creamed Eggs

Add 2 to 4 hard cooked eggs, cut into quarters, to 1 cup medium white sauce. Serve hot over toast or biscuits or rice. You can sprinkle with paprika and parsley, crisp bacon bits, etc. Variation, add small amount of fried sausage to the white sauce.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup oats -- 1 cup flour -- 1 tsp baking powder -- 1-1/2 cups milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar in it (or use buttermilk) -- ½ tsp baking soda -- 1 egg, beaten -- 2 tbsp melted margarine

Soak oats in one cup milk for five minutes. Add other ingredients, mix well. Heat griddle (test for hotness by sprinkling some water on it, if the bubbles "skitter" around the pan, it's ready). Make small pancakes, turn when brown. If you don't have vinegar or buttermilk, use regular skim milk and increase baking powder to 1-1/2 tsp and omit baking soda. To make the pancakes extra fluffy, separate the egg yolk and white, beat separately, add egg yolk and milk, then add stiffly beaten egg whites.

Favorite Best Pancakes

1-1/4 cups buttermilk -- 2 tbsp margarine -- 1-1/4 cups flour -- 1 egg, beaten -- 1 tsp baking powder -- ½ tsp soda -- dash of salt

Mix ingredients, cook as described in Oatmeal Pancakes. If you use plain milk rather than buttermilk, adjust baking powder as described in Oatmeal Pancakes.

Breakfast Tacos

1 cup cooked rice -- 1/8 - 1/4 lb sausage -- chopped onion -- corn or flour tortillas -- 2 eggs, beaten -- chopped jalapenos -- hot sauce/salsa

Fry sausage (or bacon, or ham) with the onion and drain the grease. Add rice, jalapenos, and beaten eggs, scramble together with the sausage. Meanwhile, heat the tortillas on a griddle or directly over a low flame. Divide sausage/rice mixture among the tortillas, add hot sauce/salsa, and/or cheese as desired. Makes 6-8 tacos. Variations: (1) use fried potatoes instead of cooked rice. (2) Add a can of hot dog chili sauce to the mat mixture. (3) Add fresh chopped tomatoes, and/or chopped black olives, and/or chopped green onion.

Breakfast Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough -- 4 eggs -- 1 cup hash brown potatoes -- grated cheese -- ½ lb sausage -- 1/4 cup milk -- salt and pepper

Cook sausage until browned, drain fat. Place pizza dough in an ungreased pan, spread melted margarine on the dough. Spoon sausage over dough, sprinkle with potatoes, top with grated cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour onto crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Variation: sprinkle eggs with Parmesan cheese.

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