Enjoying a Hearty Breakfast for Dinner

On February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes3 Comments

We have mentioned several times that we don’t often eat in the morning, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy eating foods that are typically served for breakfast. We have cooked several different styles of breakfast for dinner over the years and are sharing a few of them here. As you can tell, when we do have breakfast for dinner, it tends to be a little more decadent and heavy than perhaps what we would eat if we had it in the morning. One of the things that we enjoy about making breakfast for dinner as the meals are usually easy to make and don’t typically take a lot of ingredients. They also tend to be meals made from items that we already have in our refrigerator or pantry.

Croissant French Toast with Caramelized Apples

Croissant French Toast – This is a slightly upscale take on French toast with caramelized apples. It is absolutely delicious and could even be done as a dessert as well as a breakfast or dinner.

Classic English Breakfast – One of the things that we enjoy eating wherever we travel is a classic English or Irish breakfast. It is a unique combination of eggs, beans, sausage, ham, mushrooms, blood pudding, and tomatoes.

Breakfast Skillet – These are typically a combination of fried potatoes, eggs, cheese, and often a variety of vegetables. These can be modified to fit almost any style of food, but our version is Spanish in style.

Shrimp Frittata Just Before Putting It in the Oven

Shrimp Frittata – Frittatas are a wonderful way to take a variety of leftovers and turn them into something special. We used shrimp, which certainly made this more of a dinner than a traditional breakfast, but it was wonderful.

Poblano Pepper Scramble – Similar to a frittatas and omelettes, scrambles are another great way to add whatever fresh items you have on hand. They can also be modified to represent various parts of the world or country. This was definitely a Southwestern style scramble with use of the poblano peppers.

Regardless of what style of breakfast you like to have it is probably true that it can be converted to a hearty dinner. These are just a few of the ones that we have made and we certainly enjoyed them all. Do you ever have breakfast for dinner?

Croissant French Toast with Caramelized Apples

On September 23, 2020September 23, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes4 Comments

Using croissants to make French Toast is something that we would make when we wanted to have a fancier breakfast. The nooks and crannies in the inside of the croissants soaks up the custard and makes them different than using traditional bread. Also, unlike regular bread, you don’t want the croissants to be stale, but instead fresh and soft. Adding the caramelized apples makes it a perfect dish for autumn and if you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it, it also makes a wonderful dessert. Although it feels fancy, it isn’t really difficult to make and the presentation is really nice. We actually chose to make this for dinner because we love having breakfast for dinner sometimes, especially since we don’t eat breakfast often due to our busy days.

INGREDIENTS

4 Fresh Croissants – cut in half lengthwise
6 Granny Smith Apples – peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 Large Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Pinch Fresh Nutmeg
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Put the white sugar into a large, non-stick skillet and heat over medium-low heat. As the pan gets hot, the sugar will start to melt and turn to liquid. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until it turns a light brown. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, which will cause the caramel sauce to foam, continue to stir until it is smooth once again. Add the apples and slowly stir. The caramel will likely seize up a little until the apples come up to temperature and then it will loosen once again. Once it the caramel is loose again, add the syrup and brown sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Run the nutmeg across a microplane once or twice over the bowl. Whisk everything together until the custard is smooth. Heat another skillet over medium-high heat and the other 3 tablespoons of butter. Working in batches, dredge the croissants through the custard mixture and quickly transfer to the skillet, cut-side down. After it starts to cook, gently press down on the croissant with the back of a spatula, this will ensure that the croissant cooks more evenly. After the bottom begins to brown, flip the croissants and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. To serve, place 2 of the croissant half French toast onto a plate, spoon a quarter of the caramel apple mixture over the French toast, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Poblano Pepper Scramble – A Taste of the Southwest

On August 19, 2020August 19, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Recipes1 Comment

We don’t often eat breakfast because we’re usually out and about first thing in the morning. We do, from time to time, have breakfast for dinner. When we were in Telluride, we had breakfast where we got a poblano egg scramble, which was quite delicious. Since our poblano pepper plant had several ripe peppers on it, we decided to recreate it over the weekend. A scramble is nothing more than an omelet where you scramble up the eggs as opposed to letting it set. We always add milk to our eggs since we find them to be fluffier. We did end up having this for dinner, but obviously it is perfect for breakfast. This recipe was just for the two of us, but it easily scales to more people.

INGREDIENTS

4 Large Eggs
1/4 cup Tomatoes – diced
1/4 cup Poblano Peppers – seeded and diced
1/4 cup Red Onion – diced
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese – shredded
2 tbsp Milk
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the butter in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for about another 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk together the eggs and milk and add to the skillet. Stir frequently until the eggs are almost cooked to the firmness that you prefer and then add the cheese for the final minute or two.