The Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast and Brunch

September 2001 and March 2003

You have often heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – this is particularly true on a cruising boat – where your crew needs something warm, nutritious and good tasting to start their day out right. If you are anything like the Captain and me, we never take the time for a sit-down breakfast together during our working week. Treating breakfast as a culinary event makes our weekends on the boat even more special. Potlucks on the dock (or even at anchor) are always fun - but don't confine yourself just to dinner potlucks. Consider organizing a potluck brunch sometime and enjoy a combination of breakfast and supper dishes. One of the side benefits is that by having a late morning meal, you only have two meals to do that day. Mimosas (Orange juice with Champagne) or Bloody Mary's are always a good accompaniment. Here are some easy to fix (but don't look like it) dishes that you could contribute:

Rum French Toast - So yummy that you don’t even need syrup!

Combine: 6 eggs, ¼ Cup Cream, ¼ Cup Dark Rum, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar. Soak 8 slices of cinnamon raisin bread in egg mixture for one minute each. Cook over medium heat until golden brown and puffy.

Boater’s Special Breakfast - A good substitute for sausage and biscuits - Mix bacon, onion, soup and milk in skillet and bring just to the point of boil. Poach eggs in mixture. Serve eggs on toast with sauce.

4 slices of bacon, chopped up and fried

½ onion, chopped, sautéed in bacon grease

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small can of evaporated milk

8 eggs and 8 slices of buttered toast

Potato Pancakes

Mix ¼ cup milk, 2 eggs, 3 diced raw potatoes, 1 quartered onion, 4 T. flour, 1-1/4 tsp. Salt, and ¼ tsp. Baking powder in the blender. Ladle onto a greased skillet. Serve with applesauce and sour cream on the side.

Grilled Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

½ Cup Sour cream

8 slices of bread

4 green onions chopped

4 slices of cheese

2 hard cooked eggs cut into ¼ inch slices

8 strips of bacon, fried until crisp

To assemble: Spread sour cream on 1 side of 4 slices of bread and top with onions, cheese, eggs and bacon. Place other slice of bread on top and butter outside surface of sandwich. Grill in a large skillet.

Chicken and Egg Hash - This is a great way to use left-over chicken

Sauté 4 slices of diced bacon, 1 chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves (minced). Set aside bacon mixture. Add cubed leftover chicken and 2 peeled and diced potatoes to skillet, along with about 1 Tablespoon oil. Cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Add ½ cup frozen peas and ½ cup frozen corn. Make 4 wells in the hash mixture and break one egg into each well. Cover and cook on low until eggs are set (about 8-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon mixture and garnish with a little parsley.

Skillet Scramble --Bake the potatoes the night before - Sauté potatoes, pepper and onion in oil and add seasonings. Add eggs, ham, water, and salsa. Cook until eggs are set, stirring. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on cheese and cook until melted.

2 large potatoes, baked and cubed

1 chopped green bell pepper

1 small onion chopped

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

½ Teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and seasoned salt

8 eggs lightly beaten

½ pound of cubed, cooked ham (or other meat)

¼ cup water

¼ cup salsa

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Perfect Fried Eggs - Heat butter over high heat in a pan until just melted. Add eggs and cover pan. Keep on high until the butter starts to bubble (about 1 minute). Turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes – DO NOT OPEN LID AND PEEK. Eggs will be tender and perfectly done.

Easy Huevos Rancheros - Heat one jar of purchased tomato salsa in a skillet and heat until just below boiling. Break eggs onto a small saucer and gently slid into hot salsa mixture. Reduce heat, cover pan and simmer until eggs are set. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese and serve on warm tortillas. This is so good - the eggs absorb most of the sauce and need no additional seasoning.

Williamsburg Sampler Colonial Breakfast - Stephen and Annette of “Princess Aurora” shared this recipe with us one morning and it has become a company favorite. Combine eggs, milk, shortening and pancake mix. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 X 12 pan and top with sausage slices. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot with butter and syrup.

Corn Salad - Dana and Laurie, of “It’s Hers”, brought this to a potluck dinner, but it would be equally good to accompany a brunch. Combine ingredients; fold in dressing. Cover and chill overnight. Serve before serving.

Poached Eggs for a Crowd - The Captain came up with this recipe. Line the sides of each cup of a muffin tin a piece of partially cooked bacon and break an egg in the middle. Bake at 350 degrees until eggs are set (about 30 minutes).

Fresh Fruit Pizza - My niece Emma (pictured above when she was younger) makes the best fruit pizza. Here is her recipe: Start with a roll of sugar cookie dough and pat on to a pizza pan or cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown - about 15 minutes. Flatten middle section with a rolling pin - leaving a "crust" around the edges. Spread with a mixture of 1 jar of marshmallow cream and 8 oz. of cream cheese. Arrange fresh sliced fruit on top.

Ham and Egg Cups - This is one of our new breakfast favorites – easy to make, perfect for a group and low-fat, low-carbohydrate. Round out the menu with juice, coffee, fresh fruit, and croissants for an elegant company breakfast. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Fit each ham slice into cub (ends may be above cup edges) Divide bread among cups. Then divide egg beaters among cups. Sprinkle each with cheese and then pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Garnish with chives. Remove from muffin tin to serve.

Odds and Ends - Candace and Jym (“Shadowfax”) brought couple of really unusual combinations to a Sunday brunch potluck. One side dish consisted of Stuffed Jalapeno peppers (Get a big can of pickled Jalapenos, drain and soak in fresh water for a couple hours. Cut in half and remove seeds. Fill with peanut butter and serve. Another dish was Bacon-Wrapped Fried Bananas – banana slices that were wrapped in bacon strips, secured with toothpicks and fried. Both sound strange, but don't knock it until you've tried it - they were really good.