Breakfast

French Toast Casserole

Christmas morning can sometimes be a bit chaotic with hustle and bustle of gift giving, cleaning up of all the shreds of paper and ribbon, and then sometimes the mad dash to clean the house before relatives arrive for round two of Christmas. At least that’s how it is in our home. However, on Christmas morning I always want to sit down and have a nice breakfast with my crew, I just don’t always have the time to make a big Christmas worthy breakfast. However, I do have the time to throw a casserole in the oven. So here you have French Toast Casserole to save the morning!

Several years back I posted a recipe for Blueberry French Toast Casserole. Not to toot my own horn, but toot toot! It’s amazing if you haven’t given it a try. What I love about french toast casserole is you can prep the dish the day before, throw it in the oven in the morning, and boom! Just like that you have a hot and delicious breakfast with almost no work. This recipe has all that delicious cinnamon goodness baked into a sweet bread pudding with a crispy streusel topping. It is so tasty!

So if you are looking for a quick and easy breakfast that you can make in advance, then this is the recipe for you.

French Toast Casserole

INGREDIENTS
12 slices sourdough bread (or a sourdough loaf), cut into 1” cubes
10 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sugar
1 c brown sugar, divided
1/2 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c cold butter, cut into small pieces

STEPS

Cut the loaf of sourdough into cubes and distribute them in a greased 9” x 13” pan.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla.
Whisk in a 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and all the granulated sugar to the egg mixture
Pour the egg mixture over the bread.
Using your fingers or the back of a spatula gently press all of the bread pieces down into the egg mixture.
Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.
For the streusel topping, in a medium bowl, mix together the other 1/2 cup of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon.
Add the cut-up butter to the topping mix and using a large fork or pastry cutter mix it all together until it is a nice crumbly consistency.
Store the streusel in a Ziploc bag in the fridge until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, remove the casserole dish and streusel from the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the french toast.
Cover the dish back up with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is a nice golden brown and the egg mixture is set, about an additional 15–20.
Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut and serve with a pat of butter and some warm syrup.

Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Sausage & Cheddar Quiche

October 13, 2020October 14, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Sausage & Cheddar Quiche

I love breakfast! Yes, I do! I love breakfast! How about you!?

I will say however, that breakfast is a meal I don’t get to really prepare and enjoy often enough. Monday–Friday usually consists of something quick and on the go so sometimes I make breakfast for dinner just to get that breakfast fix. One thing I love about quiche is it is really perfect for any meal, breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Add some fruit and potatoes, you got breakfast. Add a green salad, now it’s lunch or dinner.

This quiche is really as easy as they come, especially with a premade piecrust. I know quiche might seem intimidating to make but I promise there is no need to be scared! It really isn’t complicated and is well worth the effort it takes to make. Plus, sausage and cheddar are just a classic breakfast combo that you can’t beat.

Sausage & Cheddar Quiche

INGREDIENTS
1 sheet of refrigerated piecrust at room temperature
8 oz mild or spicy breakfast sausage
5 green onions, thinly sliced
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 c half and half
6 large eggs
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground mustard

STEPS

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Unroll your piecrust and line a pie dish with a single sheet and set aside
In a non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until no pink remains.
Add the green onion to the skillet and cook for another minute.
Drain excess fat from pan.
Spread half of the sausage mixture in the pie crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese.
Spread the remaining sausage mixture over the cheese.
In a medium bowl whisk together the half and half, eggs, salt, pepper, and ground mustard.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.
Place the quiche into the oven and bake for 45–50 minutes or until the center is set when gently shaken.
Remove the quiche from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it and serving.

Brunch

Recipe—Chocolate Chip Scones

June 12, 2020June 9, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Chocolate Chip Scone

I can’t remember if I have brought it up on this blog before or not, but one of my first jobs in high school was working at a little mom and pop owned coffee shop in my small town. I loved it! So much so, that I frequently ponder what it would be like to throw my career out the window and open my own little coffee shop. There was just something so touching about being part of someone’s morning. Pretty much everyone was a regular and I knew what they did for work every day, I knew their families, and almost 20 years later I still remember several of their orders. I kind of have a crazy memory like that. LOL

While I started out as a barista for the first couple of months, I actually got the opportunity to start baking on the weekends too. I loved it! I would go in at 5 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings, crank up the radio, and had the whole kitchen to myself. I would bake dozens of assorted muffins, croissants, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and some of my favorite items were the scones. Chocolate chip scones to be exact. You have not lived if you have not had a scone fresh out of the oven. If they are done right, they are crumbly on the outside and just a little doughy in the middle, have just the right amount of density, and are a little sweet, but not too sweet (unless they are savory scones).

Scones are the perfect thing to make for special occasions, or even just on a lazy Sunday around the house. Making these for my family the other weekend brought back so many memories of that coffee shop. It is amazing how certain food can do that.

So, what food item do you associate with certain memories or a time in your life? Share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you. 😀

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 c mini chocolate chips
3/4 c heavy cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

STEPS

Preheat oven to 400º.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Add the cubed butter to the mix and using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. (The mixture should become very crumbly with no large chunks of butter remaining.)
Stir in the chocolate chips.
In a small separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Transfer the dough mix to a cutting board and using your hands form the dough into an 8-inch circle.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 evenly sized triangles.
Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream and then transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 14–17 minutes or until the edges are a nice golden brown.

Brunch

Recipe—Strawberry Pop Tarts

May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Recipe—Strawberry Pop Tarts

Growing up, eating pop tarts was part of my morning school routine. They were quick and easy to throw in the toaster and chow down on as you were headed out the door. I thought they were the best! Now as a parent, I buy them for my son. Don’t go get all judgey on me here. He doesn’t eat them every day. I am a working parent with limited time in the morning and it is a child’s rite of passage to eat pop tarts. LOL

Recipe—Strawberry Pop Tarts

A couple of weeks ago I asked for a bite of his and I just have to say, they were not all that I had remembered them to be. Clearly my standards of quality food have changed over time. I started to think of what goes into a pop tart and realized I could easily make a copy cat version of my own. They were so simple and relatively quick to make. I literally just used refrigerated pie crust from the store and some strawberry jam and made a simple icing using powdered sugar mixed with a little water and vanilla. So basic and so easy!

It was fun to spend a lazy morning recreating something from my childhood and let me just tell you, they were so good, like way better than I would have ever imagined! Let’s be real, this is actually like eating pie for breakfast. The crust was so flaky and lite and the jam and frosting were the exact amount of sweet you would want for breakfast. Plus, they were just as good the next day and they looked super cute in my cake stand on the counter.

Next up, homemade toaster strudels!

Recipe—Strawberry Pop Tarts

Notes:

I was able to make a total of 8 finished pop tarts using the two pie crusts. I was able to cut out a total of 16 3” x 4” rectangles, 8 from each crust.
You can obviously use any flavor of jam you would like. I was a strawberry pop tart girl, so that’s what I went with. You do you.
The frosting will set on these within a couple of minutes of frosting so be sure and add sprinkles right after applying frosting to each..
Do not reheat your pop tarts by putting them in the toaster! They are delicious at room temperature, even the next day.

INGREDIENTS
1 package (2 sheets) of refrigerated piecrust at room temperature (I used Pillsbury)
flour (for dusting)
1 c seedless strawberry jam
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
water
sprinkles

STEPS

Cut out a rectangle template using cardstock or paper that is 3” x 4”. (You will use this as a template to cut out rectangles from the pie crust that are all the same shape and size.)
Preheat oven to 400º.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Dust a little flour over a large cutting board or work surface to help keep the pie crust from sticking when you are rolling it out.
Lay out one of your pie crusts on the floured surface and roll it out until it is 1/8” thick.
Place the cardstock rectangle template on the rolled-out pie crust and, using a knife, cut around the edges of it. Repeat this until you have gotten as many 3” x 4” rectangles as you can, transferring each one to the baking sheet as you finish them.
Take the scraps and roll them into a ball and roll that out to get more if you can. (I was able to get six initially and then rolled out the scraps to get two more, for a total of eight.)
Place about 2 tablespoons of jam in the center of each rectangle and spread it out slightly leaving about 1/3” of clear space around all 4 edges. (If your jam is thick and hard to spread, warm it in the microwave for about 15 seconds and stir it.)
Roll out and cut the second pie crust in the same manner as you did the first placing the second batch of rectangles on top of the jam.
Use your fingers to gently press around the edges to help create a seal between the two layers of crust.
Next, use a fork to crimp around the outside edges and poke 3 sets of holes down the center. This will keep the jam from leaking out the edges.
Bake for 12–15 minutes until they are all a nice golden brown.
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 3–5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool for another 10–15 minutes.
While the pop tarts are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, and the vanilla. Add additional water a little bit at a time as needed until your frosting is slightly runny and whisk until there are no longer any clumps.
Spoon the frosting onto each pop tart and add sprinkles immediately. The frosting will set really quickly once put on the pop tart.
Serve and enjoy!

Family Theme Nights

Family Theme Night—Saturday Morning

May 8, 2020May 12, 2020 Diva di Cucina

Good morning! Or good afternoon? Good evening? Whatever it is. I don’t know. The days blend together and the time drags on while also flying by. I decided to mail it in last week and fed my family breakfast for dinner. It was freaking fantastic. So, for this fourth installment of Family Theme Night I give you Saturday Morning!

I mentioned previously, these family theme nights do not need to stress you out or break the bank. It is all about getting out of the routine and doing something different! That is what makes it fun. It can be as simple as buying your family that sugar packed box of cereal you always say no to and letting them eat it for dinner none the less.

Growing up, I ALWAYS wanted that variety pack of all the little boxes of cereal. You know what I’m talking about? I don’t know what it is about miniature boxes of cereal but I wanted them! Even though I really only wanted about half of the types in the pack, so there were always a couple leftover that sat in the pantry forever. So guess what? I splurged, and bought those stupid little boxes of assorted cereal last week. Like Tony the Tiger says, “They’re grrreat!”

Family Theme Night—Saturday Morning

For this one we literally put on pajamas at 5 pm (Okay, we put on clean pajamas. You know, gotta change from those daytime jammies to nighttime jammies.) had breakfast in the living room, and watched CLASSIC 80s and 90s Saturday morning cartoons. I had the biggest freaking smile watching Gummi Bears while shoveling cereal in my mouth and drinking mimosas. In addition to cereal, I also made my breakfast pizza which is basically a croissant crust with eggs, sausage, and cheese and added some red peppers and then baked up some cherry cream cheese danishes for dessert.

Family Theme Night—Saturday Morning

So please do tell in the comments below, what is your favorite breakfast item? And what was your favorite thing to watch on lazy Saturday mornings growing up?

If you do participate in any of the theme nights please be sure to post your pics and tag me on Instagram @DivaDiCucina and use the hashtag #DivasThemeNight. I would love to see how you and your family incorporate any of the themes and put your own twist on them. Please also share any other ideas you have or links to other country or western themed recipes you enjoy in the comments below.

I hope you have as much fun with this as my family and I!

Breakfast Pizza

Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes

FOOD IDEAS
Click on the name of the food item below to be directed to a page with that recipe. Please note some of these link to recipes shared by other awesome food bloggers which will redirect you to their sites.

Breads/Muffins
Moist Banana Nut Bread
Pistachio Bread
Spiced Carrot Bread
Dutch Apple Pie Muffins
Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake

Pastries
Fruit Pizza
Blueberry Cream Cheese Danishes
Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes
Raspberry Turnovers
Puff Pastry Spirals

Egg Dishes
Leek Quiche
Breakfast Portobellos
Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Bake
Chard and Mushroom Frittata

Other
Asparagus Gruyére Tart
Asparagus Ham Rolls
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Breakfast Pizza
Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast Potatoes
Chicken & Waffle Sliders
Sausage Gravy
Breakfast Ramen

Drinks
Creamy Hot Cocoa in a Crock-Pot
Bloody Mary Shooters
Grapefruit Champagne Cocktails
Dalgona Coffee

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes

July 13, 2018June 26, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes

You know what is great about breakfast? It is the one meal during the day where it is acceptable to eat a dish that can be classified as dessert as the main dish. You can’t do that for lunch or dinner. While I typically prefer savory items when it comes to breakfast, I can not pass up a well done danish or doughnut. And if you recall from my Cherry Cheesecake Bars or Sweet Cherry Chip Dip, cherries and cream cheese are like totally my jam.

We were hosting Mother’s Day at our house this year and since I was going to be in the kitchen cooking for all the amazing women in my life, I decided I was going to make all of my favorite things, these danishes being one of them. Now don’t go tell anyone, but these are so quick and easy to make. You can whip these up in less than 30 minutes and look at how beautiful they are!

Note: I have a weak spot for cherry danishes but you can mix things up and use your favorite type of pie filling.

INGREDIENTS
1 package puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp Sugar
21 oz can cherry pie filling
1 egg
1 tbsp water

STEPS

Preheat oven to 400º.
On a lightly floured cutting board, unfold the puff pastry sheets.
Cut each sheet into 9 equal squares so you have 18 total.
With a butter knife, gently score a 1/2 inch border around the edge of each piece of puff pastry
Using a fork, poke each pastry square 3–4 times in the middle.
Combine the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until well combined.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each square and spread it evenly, ensuring it stays within the border.
In the middle of each square, place a large spoonful of the pie filling.
Transfer the squares to a parchment paper lined baking sheet as you finish each one up.
Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.
Brush the edges of each pastry with the egg wash.
Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and allow to cool.

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Fruit Pizza

March 28, 2018 Diva di Cucina

Fruit Pizza

Easter is just around the corner! (Does that stress anyone else out? LOL) I am someone who typically has my Easter menu planned weeks in advance but if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that last week I was gone at a conference and between that and my sons’ baseball season being in full swing, I have just been too darn busy to pull it together. So guess what I am working on today? My Easter menu!

I made this fruit pizza for Easter brunch last year and it was a total hit! It was so easy and the kids loved it! Plus, it was delicious and looked beautiful and “springy” with all the bright colors. I am thinking this one may have to make it into the rotation again this year. You basically bake a huge sugar cookie, frost it, add some fruit, and throw a glaze down over the top. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

What are some of your go to Easter menu items? Comment below and give me some inspiration!

Notes: You can use any fruit you want. For mine I went with kiwis, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a can of mandarin slices. Got almost all the colors of the rainbow in there! Also, this recipe will hold up for a few days in the fridge so don’t hesitate to make it a day in advance.

INGREDIENTS
16.5 oz package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
assorted fruit, washed, chopped, and dried off
1/4 c apricot preserves (large chunks of fruit removed)

STEPS

Preheat oven to 375º.
Line a 12” round pizza pan with parchment paper or cover with cooking spray. (If you don’t own a 12” pizza pan they sell disposable foil ones at the store that are great, or you can always just use a regular baking sheet and shape the dough into a large circle. I just find the pizza pan helps maintain a perfect circle.)
Crumble the cookie dough over the lined pizza pan and press the dough down in an even layer to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 12–13 minutes.
Remove the cookie from oven and allow to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until nice and fluffy.
Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cookie crust.
Top the frosted cookie with fruit. You can place it randomly or in a fun circular pattern. (Kids will have fun with this part!)
In a small bowl whisk together the apricot preserves with one tablespoon of water.
Brush the apricot mixture over the entire dish.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Serve and enjoy!

Brunch

Recipe—Breakfast Pizza

June 26, 2015January 26, 2018 Diva di Cucina

I love breakfast and I love pizza. (Everyone does, right?) Put them together and you get the best of both worlds. Breakfast truly is one of my favorite meals but I just don’t take the time to enjoy it nearly enough. So when I can find recipes that are quick and awesome (like breakfast pizza) they are an instant fave. Come on, a savory breakfast pizza built upon a fluffy and buttery crescent crust topped with sausage, eggs, and melted cheese. I could seriously start every morning with this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb loose meat breakfast sausage
1 tube crescent roll dough (like Pillsbury)
1 c cheddar, shredded
6 eggs
1/4 c milk
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper

STEPS

Preheat oven to 400º.
Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat making sure to break up any large chunks until it is cooked thoroughly.
Transfer the sausage to a plate covered in paper towels to soak up the oil.
Unroll the crescent dough and lay it out in the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish and press the seams together to make one large sheet of dough.
Sprinkle the sausage evenly over the crescent dough.
Distribute the cheese over the sausage.
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the top making sure the pizza is evenly covered.
Bake the pizza for 15–20 minutes or until the crust is golden and eggs are set.
Remove form oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe adapted from Bran Apetit.

Uncategorized

Brunch Ideas for Mother’s Day

May 6, 2015May 6, 2015 Diva di Cucina

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! While going out to brunch is great, I personally think an elegant brunch with my family at home is the best way to spend the day. This time of year we have such fabulous weather in California so sprucing up a table on the patio with some nice linens and flowers can be just as nice as going out to eat. If you are planning on cooking brunch for Mother’s Day for your mom, or perhaps even your wife (hint, hint spouses) here are some of my favorite recipes that any mom would be sure to enjoy. Happy Mother’s day to all the moms out there!

Looking for more brunch ideas or perhaps you are thinking of cooking a nice dinner instead? Check out my recipe box. There are lots of great ideas listed by category there!

Brunch

Recipe—Blueberry French Toast Casserole

February 28, 2014January 26, 2018 Diva di Cucina

I run a household that always seems to be full of friends and family who come to visit on the weekends. I absolutely love entertaining and cooking delicious meals for my visitors. What I don’t love is when I’m in the kitchen for hours on end. It means I am missing out on valuable time with them. This is a breakfast dish that is perfect for when you are entertaining, or heck, even if you just want an easy breakfast in the morning for the family. You prepare this in advance before your company even arrives, and then just pull it out and pop it in the oven in the morning. And by make it in advance is that you literally take the ingredients, plop them in a dish (in an orderly fashion of course) and refrigerate. How much more easy could it get? Easy to prep and easy to bake. That is my kind of breakfast!

INGREDIENTS
12 slices French toast bread, cut into 1” cubes
16 oz (2-8 oz blocks) cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 c blueberries
12 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c syrup
1 tsp vanilla

STEPS

Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish.
Spread half of the bread cubes into the bottom of the baking dish.
Sprinkle about three quarters of the cream cheese cubes over the bread.
Sprinkle about three quarters of the blueberries into the dish.
Top with remaining bread, cream cheese, and blueberries.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, syrup, and vanilla.
Pour the egg mixture over the entire dish.
Using your fingers or the back of a spatula gently press all of the bread pieces down into the egg mixture.
Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake remove the dish from the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º.
Keep the dish covered in foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is s nice golden brown and the egg mixture is set, about an additional 20–30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut and serve.