Breakfast Bowls

During the week, with everyone being on slightly different schedules, breakfast is usually a quick muffin or bowl of cereal.  However, on the weekends, I usually try to make breakfast for everyone to enjoy, and this is one of our favorites.  This bowl combines several different breakfast favorites into one bowl that is both hearty and tasty.

This recipe is more about technique than specific ingredients.  Although I call for certain ingredients, you could easily substitute your favorites in their place.  For example, I have used country breakfast sausage and sliced smoked sausage in place of the chorizo.  I have also done fried eggs instead of scrambled.  Any way you go, as long as you use things you know you like, you can't go wrong.

Breakfast Bowls

2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil

3 cups frozen potatoes O'brien

10 oz chorizo sausage

8 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Taco Bell Bold and Creamy chipolte sauce

Heat large skillet over medium high heat; add oil.  Add potatoes and cook over medium high heat until browned, stirring occasionally.  

Meanwhile in separate skillet, brown chorizo over medium heat, breaking up as you go.  Remove chorizo to paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Wipe out most of grease from skillet.  

In medium bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.  Add eggs to skillet chorizo was cooked in and stir continuously until eggs are set, about 5 minutes.  To serve, divide potatoes evenly between four bowls.  Layer chorizo evenly over the top of potatoes.  Divide eggs evenly between bowl, then drizzle chipotle sauce evenly over the top of eggs.  Top each bowl with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is by far my favorite pasta sauce. I like it served simply over some fettuccine, sometimes even with some grilled chicken and steamed broccoli on top. It makes a great dipping sauce for bread sticks. It tastes great as the sauce on a pizza with garlic and spinach. It even goes well in a pan of lasagna with mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini.

The keys to a good Alfredo sauce are quality ingredients and patience. By quality ingredients, I mean whole butter and an excellent quality Parmesan cheese. Stay away from the pasta aisle in your supermarket when looking for the cheese. Instead, head over to the deli and get the good stuff. This is definitely the time and place to splurge. In addition to tasting better, the real stuff will melt better and leave you with a smooth sauce, whereas the cheap stuff from aisle 6 will leave your sauce gritty.

This sauce needs to cook slowly. I never let the sauce boil. I cook it over very low heat and stir it continuously to prevent scorching the cream. I also add a little cream cheese to help smooth out the flavor and thicken the sauce slightly. If this sauce gets too hot, it can curdle or separate, neither of which is appealing to look at or taste.


Alfredo Sauce

2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic (optional for some, a must for me)
12 oz heavy cream
2 oz cream cheese
8 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In medium saucepan over very low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until garlic is softened. Add cream.

As soon as cream mixture begins to steam, add cream cheese and stir continuously to melt. Add Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until completely melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and pepper (no need to add salt, the Parmesan has plenty of that). Use immediately.

Double Chocolate Muffins

In my house, there is one thing I can usually get everyone to agree on. We all LOVE chocolate. Whether it be Hershey's bars, my Nutella Brownies, or my Chocolate Pie (don't ask, I've never shared that recipe with anyone), it will get eaten. These muffins are no different.

These muffins bake up light and fluffy, and have an intense chocolate flavor. I use a mixture of cake flour and all-purpose flour for these, but you could use just all-purpose flour if desired (if so, use a total of 3 cups + 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour). The chocolate chunks inside give a little added texture and a punch of additional chocolate flavor. While I like to use semi-sweet chocolate for the chunks, you could also use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if you prefer. Just go with what you like.

Just like my Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins, this recipe will make 12 jumbo size muffins, or 24 standard size muffins. Either way you go, just remember to line the muffin tins with paper or grease them well. There is nothing worse than putting the time and effort into making these, only to have the pan refuse to let them go.

Finally, the best thing about these muffins is... they are called muffins. If you called them cupcakes, you would be inferring that they are dessert. By calling them muffins, that makes them breakfast, right?


Double Chocolate Muffins

2 cups cake flour
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips + 1/2 cup chips or mini chips for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare muffin tins by greasing or lining with paper liners.  In large mixing bowl, stir together cake flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and powdered sugar.  In separate bowl, beat eggs.  Add milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine.

Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and stir until just combined (if there are a few lumps, don't worry about it).  Add 1-1/2 cups chocolate chunks and stir gently to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin cups (each cup should be about 2/3 way full, or 1/3 empty if you are slightly pessimistic).  Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over top of batter.

Bake at 375 degrees until toothpick inserted into center of muffin come out clean (16-19 minutes for standard muffins, 22-25 minutes for jumbo size).  Remove from oven and let cool in pan 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack until completely cooled.  Store in plastic bag for up to 2 days or freeze any leftovers.

Carnitas

Carnitas is on of my favorite dishes to order at a Mexican restaurant.  Now, when I say Mexican restaurant, I'm not talking about Taco Bell.  I'm talking about the small, one-of-a-kind places you can find spread along the southern border from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to San Diego.  I'm talking real, authentic Mexican food that tastes good.  If you've ever tried one of these places, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Carnitas (which means "little meats" in Spanish)  is basically just boneless pork shoulder that has been simmered until it is fall-apart tender and then roasted to produce a crispy outer layer.  Some people swear that the only thing that should go in the pan is pork, water, salt, and pepper.  Other people add all different kinds of spices and even some citrus in the form of oranges and/or orange juice.  I'm a middle-of-the-road type guy myself.  I like the simplicity of the pork, but with a little bit of added flavor meant to enhance the dish, not overpower it.

As with any good thing though, you will have to wait.  When I made this last weekend, I started it on the stove at around 1:45 PM.  I finally pulled the finished carnitas out of the oven at around 7:00 PM.  But let me tell you, the wait was definitely worth it.  I could have eaten these on a plate with just a side of rice and beans.  Instead I decided to go a step further and roll the meat up with some rice (I used my Chile Cilantro Rice), cheese, and onion in a flour tortilla shell.  It turned out to be one of the best burritos I have ever had.


Carnitas

4-5 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut pork loin into 6-8 large pieces.  Rub pork pieces with salt.  Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Sear pork, 3-4 pieces at a time, in oil until all sides are browned.  Remove pork and drain on paper towels.

Add 1 cup water to pan and stir in garlic powder, chile powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, bay leaf, and cinnamon.  Add pork back to pan and then add enough water to cover pork about 3/4 of the way (I used a total of about 2-1/2 cups myself).

Bring to a boil and then place Dutch oven, uncovered, in oven.  Braise pork for 3-1/2 hours, stirring hourly, or until pork is very tender.  Remove pan from oven and remove pork.  Allow pork to cool slightly and then break into smaller chunks.  Return pork to pan and pan to oven.  Cook another 1 to 1-1/2 half hours, uncovered, or until liquid is nearly gone and outer edges are lightly crunchy.