Start To Finish, This Sunday Was Full of Decadent Food

Breakfast/Brunch / February 23, 2016

My kitchen receives the blessing of the morning sun and I eagerly open the blinds to let those rays pour in like a flood of healing waters. Drinking up the warmth is just the perfect beginning to my day. Sundays with morning sun are almost too wonderful to describe, and hard to top. Unless of course you’re planning to make something delicious!

The fruit you see here is the way I like to start my day and it’s made all the more wonderful when you just make it simple. Fresh cut pineapple, red pears, navel oranges and bananas. Toss with a tiny bit of sugar and grab your favorite chair by the window for a few moments of bliss.

That is, until the buzzer goes off and the breakfast casserole emerges. Isn’t this gorgeous? And SO, SO, SO easy! If you have a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread you’re on your way to creating brunch Nirvana. A dab of Greek yogurt with the eggs helps create low calorie richness. And be sure and heat up your maple syrup so you don’t spoil the warmth of this toasty treat.

Sooner or later, the sun rises to the top of the sky, and my warm kitchen fades into the late morning. Chores must be done. Clothes folded. Pantries cleaned out. But soon it will be time for dinner and I’ve been saving some items from previous dinners to become a delicious and sinful end to this 7th day of bliss.

Cheese. Pasta. Bacon. I could end here and you’d be happy. But let’s just add some photos and let the drooling begin. Especially when you know that nested at the bottom of this veggie, bacon cheese sauce are beautiful and rustic mushroom raviolis. Yeah, I know. Makes you swoon, eh?

Isn’t this a great way to start and finish a Sunday? For that matter, wouldn’t this be a great way to start and end every day? I think so. And I can’t wait for a new day, more sun, and more inspiration.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Breakfast Casserole

Servings 4-6

Ingredients:

8 slices of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon
Raisin Bread, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 T butter
1/3 C heavy cream
5 eggs
½ t nutmeg
Dash of kosher salt
1 t vanilla extract
Syrup and/or powdered sugar for
serving

Method:

Butter the bottom and insides of a small glass baking dish, about 9 by 9. Arrange the cubes of bread in the dish. In another bowl blend the eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg and whisk well to combine. Pour all over the bread. Push the bread down into the eggy mixture. Let sit on counter for about 30-45 minutes.
Place the dish in the center of a preheated 375 degree F oven and cook for 35 minutes. Remove, let cool for just a few minutes. Cut, cover with your favorite syrup or just powdered sugar.

Mushroom Ravioli with Veggie Bacon Cheese Sauce

Servings 3

Ingredients:

9 mushroom ravioli (I buy the fresh pasta in the dairy section. You can buy any kind of stuffed ravioli.)
3 mini orange peppers, julienned
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ C thawed frozen corn (do not cook)
1 t fresh rosemary chopped finely
¾ C grated Mozzarella cheese
6 slices of bacon, cooked
1 T sunflower oil
Dash of liquid smoke
1/3 C heavy cream
¼ C chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Handful of fresh, flat leaf parsley to garnish

Method:

Cook bacon. Drain, cool, and rough chop. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the ravioli until done, about 4 minutes. They will float to the top when done. You can test by cutting an edge to see if it is soft.Drain. Set three ravioli in each of three large pasta bowls.
Wipe out the saucepan that you cooked the bacon in, but don’t get rid of the little pieces of flavor at the bottom.Heat it again, add oil, then add the tomatoes, peppers, and corn, with a little of the salt. Sauté for about 4 minutes until the peppers are soft. Add the stock and the liquid smoke, and lower heat. Cook for about 2 minutes.Now add the heavy cream, and the cheese(you can do more cheese if you like!),stir, add the bacon and combine.
Cover the ravioli with the cheese sauce, garnish with parsley,and serve.