Capering and Cookery: The Ideal Southern Breakfast food. :)

As it is Saturday morning and a beautiful one to be out in the countryside, I thought I'd share some of my favorite, tried-and-true breakfast recipes! :) One of the first things you ought to know about me as a cook, is that I am picky about breakfast. Here's a definition of the top breakfasts foods, per my opinion:

• French Toast: Soggy, egg-y, bread. Like someone dumped it in a pond, fished it out, heated it up, and tried to get you to buy it by pouring syrup on top.
• Pancakes: Fairly tasty things when fresh and hot, but soon hardening and crusting into soggy discs that don't bear putting a fork into
• Waffles: These and I had a love affair once-upon-a-time. When they are hot and crispy, Waffles and I are a pair. When they get a steam-bath, I will toss them out.
• Oatmeal: "Ye ain't a true Scotchwoman if ye doon't lak yer parritch." Guess I'm not Scotch. I want to like oatmeal--I try more often than not and I can always get it to smell fabulous. But somehow the porridge will not absorb flavor and I feel like I'm eating baby-food.
• Cereal: Come on guys, I'm not a horse. Don't feed me bran and corn-flakes and all that jazz. 

So what on earth do I like for breakfast, and what sort of recipes will you find in the body of this post? Let me tell you. I'm a huge fan of left-overs for breakfast. I love fruit cobblers and crumbles and things. I like a cinnamon-roll on occasion. I love granola and granola bars. But the epiphany of all breakfast foods (in my opinion) is a properly made, white-flour biscuit. Oh yes. So here's the scoop on this amazing food.

The Ideal Biscuit: Country, Southern Comfort

courtesy of pinterest

I don't believe I need to explain to anyone what I mean by that title. When you find one, you know it. When it isn't up to par, you know it too. My brother and I are a bit of biscuit aficionados. We like them done properly, and thus we generally take on the responsibility of making them. Here are my two favorite recipes. The first is our favorite in general because we usually have the ingredients on hand. The second is one that I had at a friend's house recently and fell in love with. Enjoy!

Cloud Biscuits

(from The Southern Living Cookbook)  
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour (if you don't have self-rising flour, make you own by using a ratio of 1 c. flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt.)
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg, beaten slightly
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter, melted

Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl; stir well. Cut in butter till mixture is crumbly. Combine egg and milk, then add to flour mixture, stirring only till moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a biscuit cutter. Be careful not to twist the cutter--punch, rather than twist. If you twist, your biscuits will not rise well. Bake on an un-greased baking-sheet for 10 minutes (or until golden) at 450 degrees F. (makes 10-12 biscuits)

Whipping Cream Biscuits:

(from The Southern Living Cookbook)

2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup whipping cream.

Combine ingredients, stirring with a fork until blended. Dough will be stiff. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and baking at 450 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. (Makes 12 biscuits)

courtesy of pinterest

Both of these biscuit recipes are ah-may-zing. They rise fairly high--not entirely sky-high, but the rich, buttery, flaky texture so makes up for the height that you will want to eat half-a-dozen yourself. I do have to stress again the importance of using white flour in these recipes. Yes you can use wheat flour. You can use half-and-half flour, but to get that perfect Southern biscuit, go white. :P

The other recipe you might want to take a gander at sounds really strange. I was laughing when I read the title, but the recipe totally won me over as soon as I'd mixed up the batter. What is it?

Breakfast Cookies.

courtesy of pinterest

I didn't know what to expect from a recipe like this. What came out of it were large, palm-sized cookies with a soft texture and spicy flavor. The batter seriously tasted like Oatmeal Raisin Cliff Bars. I could have eaten the whole bowl without bother to bake them. They are healthy, hearty, taste stunning, and make a great snack for any time of the day. I made a couple of alterations, and here is the recipe for you!

Breakfast Cookies:

3/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. ground flax-seed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup pureed carrots (you can use baby-food, but I make my own by boiling carrots and throwing them in my Bosch blender with a tidge of water.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1c. rolled oats (I've been using quick-oats and they work great)
1/2 c. raisins

Mix first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix butter, oil, sugars, egg, carrots, and vanilla in medium-size mixing bowl. Add the dry mixture. Stir well, then add oats and raisins. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and drop large spoonfuls of batter onto tray. Slightly flatten with palm. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. They cookies will be soft and fragrant when done. Let cool, then enjoy! (makes 1 dozen cookies)

These three recipes are my choice for breakfast--they are tried and true recipes that I know you and your family will love! :) Have a lovely Saturday--I suppose I'd better start making breakfast for my own crew now. Talk to you gals later!