Now that I’m a mommy, Mother’s Day takes on a whole new meaning. Mother’s Day is now one of my favorite holidays and even though my little guy is too young to understand what it’s all about; I still feel special.
Just being a mommy is special.
One thing I didn’t expect when I became a mommy was how I’d never sleep in again. Like most moms, my sleeping-in days are over, which is why on Mother’s Day, one of the very best things you can do for a mom is allow her to sleep in–brownie points for making her an amazing breakfast while she’s sleeping.
What’s better than breakfast in bed?
Breakfast in bed is a really sweet way to show your favorite mom just how much you care. Even if mom doesn’t get to sleep in; she will appreciate a breakfast cooked just for her to start a very special Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is a great day to get together with family. Invite the in-laws and get the kids involved in creating a special day for the most important people in our lives. Moms are special because they value the simplest gestures that show how much you care. So this Mother’s Day, whether you are serving breakfast in bed or just helping to cook some delicious Mother’s Day recipes, take a moment to show mom how much you love her. Surprise mom with a special treat this Mother’s Day with breakfast cooked just for her.
In the spirit of all the hard-working moms this Mother’s Day, I gathered together some of my best breakfast and brunch recipes, plus some favorites from my fellow bloggers to help you celebrate your favorite mommy.
— and don’t forget to do the dishes!
ABOVE IMAGES (clockwise from top)
Eggs Benedict with Arepa, Roast Pork & Cilantro Hollandaise from Love and Duck Fat
Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Porridge from Love and Duck Fat
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from But She Can Bake
Chocolate Chip Banana Breakfast Cookies from Love and Duck Fat
Asparagus and Bacon Quiche from Love and Duck Fat
French Toast, Roasted Strawberries and Tarragon Cream from Love and Duck Fat
French Toast with Burrata and Sliced Peaches from Love and Duck Fat
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Sausage Gravy from The Egg Farm
ABOVE IMAGES (clockwise from top)
Gruyere, Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Quiche from Love and Duck Fat
Garlicky Goat Cheese Grits from Cooking and Beer
Soft-Boiled Eggs with Asparagus Soldiers from The Clever Carrot
Breakfast Flatbread Pizza from Modern Skillet
Strawberry and Cream Crepes from GI 365
Sunday Buttermilk Waffles from American Heritage Cooking
P.S…a little note to my family: I wouldn’t mind waking up on Mother’s Day with any one of these delicious recipes! They all look so good.
Which one would you like to wake up to? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
We recently went on a week-long trip to Puerto Rico, leaving a whole bunch of bananas sitting on the kitchen counter at home. We returned to find a whole bunch of very ripe bananas that needed to be used quickly or face the compost heap. Four bananas went into this tasty banana bread and two more ended up in the caramel on the top of this amazingly delicious banana bread upside down cake. It’s the best banana bread we’ve ever had and I’m excited to share the recipe!
If you read along in this blog (thank you if you do), you know I’m fond of upside-down cakes. They are easy to make and adapt well to all seasons. Living in the subtropics of Miami, we have access to all sorts of fruit. In my yard alone, there’s a papaya, coconut, starfruit, mango and sapodilla tree. Two of my favorite cakes to make with local fruit are this starfruit upside-down cake and kumquat upside-down cake.
The marriage of banana bread and upside-down cake was meant to be. Why isn’t this a thing? You end up with moist banana bread with a buttery-rich banana nut topping– similar to a Bananas Foster. It’s perfection. If you are in the mood for something really luxurious, add a bit of rum to the caramel topping. The alcohol cooks out in the oven, but the rum adds a little extra flavor. You can even take the recipe a step further and throw in some pineapple with the bananas.
I was limited in the ingredients available when I made this recipe, and walnuts were missing from my pantry. Given a choice between pine nuts or pumpkin seeds; I went with the pumpkin seeds. They worked out nicely, giving the cake a bit of crunch. Walnuts or pecans would still be my first (and second) choice.
Of course, you can make this easy banana bread upside-down cake recipe without nuts at all-it’s really up to you. However you make it, it’s a delicious treat the whole family will love—even the ones who don’t usually like banana bread. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did and I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Banana Bread Upside-Down Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
You can make the entire cake in an 8-inch cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a skillet, use a buttered 8-inch cake pan. You will need to make the topping on the stovetop and carefully pour it into the cake pan while it’s still hot.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C.
Melt the butter in an 8-inch cast iron skillet or saucepan. Add the brown sugar and orange juice or rum. Stir until the mixture begins to boil and the sugar is melted. Remove from the heat. If you are using a cake pan, immediately pour the caramel into the bottom of the pan.
Once the caramel is cooled, arrange the sliced bananas around the outside edge of the skillet in a pinwheel design. Sprinkle nuts in the middle or arrange them in a design as well.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mashed bananas and mix until well combined.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and slowly add the wet ingredients. Add the vanilla. Stir in the nuts.
Carefully spoon the batter on top of the caramel layer and spread smooth. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out smooth.
Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully flip the pan onto a serving platter, being careful not to burn yourself on the hot caramel that may leak out.
Banana bread recipe adapted from lkadlec’s Best Banana Bread
I’ve been holding onto this recipe for a while now, so it’s only fitting it goes out as Love and Duck Fat’s last recipe of 2013. It’s the ultimate “Miami-style” Eggs Benedict, perfect for the morning after a long night out in the warm December air. Tender roast pork, poached egg and fresh cilantro hollandaise perched on top of a buttery-sweet arepa. The recipe isn’t too complicated. I use leftover roast pork, and store-bought arepas. The hollandaise is freshly-made, using lime juice and cilantro. Make sure you serve it with some hot sauce on the side.
Eggs Benedict | Arepa, roast pork & cilantro hollandaise
Eggs Benedict can be made so many ways. I came up with this one with my husband while we were discussing the ultimate “Miami-style” Eggs Benedict over brunch one morning. If you have visited Miami, you may have come across the arepa vendors in popular parks and events. They are grill corn flour patties, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are slightly sweet with the taste of corn, and delicious sandwiched together with warm melted cheese.
You can buy arepas in the refrigerated section of many Latin markets (usually next to the queso fresco). They come in a regular and mini-size. I prefer using the regular size for this recipe, trimmed down to the size of the Eggs Benedict. The mini arepas are more dry, but will work if that is all you can find.
Of course, you need some good roast pork. I like to slow roast a pork shoulder every few months with lots of onions, lime juice and cumin. It goes into tacos, appetizers (like this Cuban sandwich crostini) salads and then the freezer, to thaw for recipes like this (roast pork recipe to follow). If you are a true Miami native, you may have some roast pork left over from your Noche Buena celebration.
As my last post of 2013, I wish everyone a Happy New Year filled with love, family, friends and delicious food. Thank you for spending time with me (even if it was just a minute or two) on Love and Duck Fat. It’s been a blast!
Eggs Benedict | Arepa, roast pork & cilantro hollandaise
Ingredients
Method
Whisk together the egg yolks and lime juice in a stainless steel bowl until they are lighter in color, and thickened. Heat about 2 inches of water in the bottom of a small saucepan to simmering (or use a double boiler). Place the bowl on top of the saucepan, without allowing the water to touch the bottom of the bowl. Be careful not to get the eggs to hot or they will scramble.
Continue whisking the egg mixture rapidly. Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the eggs until the sauce is thick and double in volume. Remove from the heat.
Add the cayenne pepper, salt and cilantro to the sauce. Cover and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
I like to poach eggs in a small nonstick skillet filled with a few inches of water. I add a touch of white vinegar to the pan and bring it barely to a simmer.
Crack an egg into a small glass bowl. When bubbles begin to appear on the bottom of the pan, carefully pour the egg into the water. Cover and turn down the heat to low. Allow to cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spatula (you may have to carefully pry off the bottom of the pan), and place on paper towels.
In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter until foaming. Add the arepas and cook until slightly browned on both sides. Just before serving, top the arepas with shredded cheese and allow to melt.
Arrange two arepas per plate, cheese-side-up. Top with warm roast pork and press down slightly so you have a flat surface. Place a poached egg on each and spoon hollandaise sauce on top. Serve immediately.
http://loveandduckfat.com/eggs-benedict-arepa-roast-pork-cilantro-hollandaise/
The Thanksgiving countdown is upon us and I’m completely unprepared. I’m not cooking Thanksgiving this year, because we will be visiting family, but it’s my first year with a food blog. What does that mean? Apparently, I need to be posting gorgeous, exciting new Thanksgiving recipes like mad. I’m looking at my fellow bloggers (those ones with much more experienced than me) and they are clearly on a mission. A well planned out mission.
I don’t have one of those, so I’m left feeling a little inadequate with my sad little banana & chocolate breakfast cookies. They don’t have pumpkin, cranberries or nutmeg (but, please, feel free to add those ingredients). These cookies are filled with healthy bits that taste like not-healthy bits and they are meant to be eaten on any regular day. Filled with banana, whole wheat, flax meal, chia seeds, nuts and chocolate chips, they have a soft, cake-like texture and are full surprises in each bite. I make these differently every time. Sometimes I add almond butter, protein powder, raisins or dried cherries. Other times, I pack them with lots of dark chocolate chips. That’s the beauty of this recipe. It’s forgiving. You get about 30 cookies, and they freeze well. Make a bunch and you have breakfast cookies to take with you to work, stick in the kid’s lunches or just enjoy for dessert.
I promise next year to post a bazillion holiday recipes. In a well-thought out fashion. I’ll start planning now. For now, we eat cookies.
Banana & chocolate breakfast cookies
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 350° F/ 180° C
In a small mixing bowl, combine flax meal and water. Set aside.
Mash the bananas with a fork until they are smooth. Add the nut butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Stir until combined.
Add the whole wheat flour, flax meal, baking soda, chia seeds and salt. Stir until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds and/or dried fruit.
Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. The bottom of the cookie should be very lightly browned on the bottom.
We don’t eat a lot of cereal in this house. Breakfast is usually some form of toast with butter, jam and tea. It’s not the most nutritious meal, I know. A few times a week, I’ll scramble up some eggs. On a special occasion, it’s French toast or pancakes with bacon. Something like this coconut quinoa breakfast porridge recipe is a bit on the healthy side for us. I didn’t think my husband would like it, but after scoffing at my “sounds like California” meal, he managed to scarf down the whole bowl.
If you love coconut, this recipe is heaven. There’s coconut three ways. The quinoa cooks until tender in creamy coconut milk; it’s sweetened with coconut sugar and topped with coconut chips. A little seasonal fresh fruit and some chia seeds make this a super healthy meal that is as satisfying as it is delicious.
I topped mine with Danielle Roasted Coconut Chips. These are so incredibly buttery good. Grab them to try if you see them in them in the store. You can use coconut flakes as well. In fact, you could add just about anything to this and it will be good. Here are some of my suggestions:
Coconut quinoa breakfast porridge
Ingredients
Method
Rinse quinoa in a strainer. In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk, quinoa, coconut sugar, salt and nutmeg over medium heat until simmering. Cover and cook on low heat, 15 minutes, stopping to stir a few times. While it is cooking, soak the chia seeds in the 6 tablespoons of milk, water or almond milk. Add the chia seeds and liquid to the quinoa towards the end of cooking, as the coconut milk is absorbed. Add more liquid if needed to get the consistency you want.
Serve with fresh fruit and toasted coconut flakes.
http://loveandduckfat.com/breakfast-recipe-coconut-quinoa-porridge/
