Simple, Easy and Fancy!

That's three words you can use to describe Jessica Merchant's Puff Pastry Breakfast Quiche. Jessica is the author of a new cookbook called Easy Everyday. And this recipe, as she told Tonia's Kitchen is very easy. Jessica told Tonia this bakes up in just under a half-hour and makes for a fantastic brunch menu item. It includes cheese, bacon and just about everything a proper breakfast should have to be delicious!

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb. asparagus, cut into thirds
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 8 large eggs
• 1 ½ c. heavy cream
• ½ c. freshly grated white Cheddar cheese
• ½ c. freshly grated Gruyère cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ c. chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, thyme and chives, plus more for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain the excess grease.

Add the asparagus to the same skillet with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, just to soften it slightly. Remove it with the slotted spoon and place it on the paper towel with the bacon.

Lay the puff pastry in a 9- by 13-inch sheet pan. The pastry may go up the sides of the pan a bit. Poke it all over with a fork to keep it from bubbling up.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, cheeses, garlic and herbs until combined. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the bacon and the asparagus. Pour the egg mixture into the puff pastry crust.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is no longer jiggly and the crust is golden. Remove and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with the additional herbs. Slice into eight squares and serve.

Cookies For Breakfast

  

That's because they're fully loaded. But instead of a sugar crash, you'll get sustained energy throughout the day and a real fill-up before you hit the road. Registered dietician and author Marisa Moore stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her new cookbook The Plant Love Kitchen and recipe for loaded breakfast cookies. She says there's a lot here to like, including a short ingredients list that's very healthy. Marisa told Tonia she uses roasted and salted sunflower seeds to give the cookie a

crunch and the dried cranberries to add some chewiness. She says because there's not much in the way of sugar, but plenty of fiber and protein, these cookies will fill you up and not slow you down! Great for breakfast or a snack!

• 4 ounces dried cranberries
• roasted, salted sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ¼ cup almond butter (or sunflower butter, or peanut butter)
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a half baking sheet with oil or line with parchment.
• Blend the dried cranberries with hot water in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms.
• Place the puree in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the oats, brown sugar, almond butter, cinnamon, and salt until a dough forms. Use a tablespoon measure to scoop the dough, roll, then flatten 12 small cookies and place on the prepared baking sheet. 
• Bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly brown on the bottom and fragrant. Enjoy warm or let cool on a cooling rack before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days. 

Understanding LADA

  

It's a good question that you probably were not asking but should be. LADA is an acronym for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. It affects 3.4 million people in the US and has been known to medical researchers since the 1980s. Like most diagnoses for diabetes, those who contract it obviously have to make some changes in their diets. But we've come a long way with what we can and can't eat. And bookstores are full of cookbooks to cater to diabetic patients. This one though, Kickass Health Lada, is dedicated entirely to LADA, and how you can structure your diets around it. Jacqueline Haskins, who wrote the book, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen with an overview of the recipes and some new ideas. She told Tonia that the American breakfast is far different than what people eat overseas. She encouraged everyone to look at what makes up a breakfast in different countries and try it for yourself. Jacqueline also introduced Tonia to the concept of Carb-Craft, which in essence is how to safely enjoy various foods while dealing with LADA. For example, she says eat a rainbow, steer toward healthful fats (of which the book explains) and eat what you like. 

What is LADA?

It's a good question that you probably were not asking but should be. LADA is an acronym for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. It affects 3.4 million people in the US and has been known to medical researchers since the 1980s. Like most diagnoses for diabetes, those who contract it obviously have to make some changes in their diets. But we've come a long way with what we can and can't eat. And bookstores are full of cookbooks to cater to diabetic patients. This one though, Kickass Health Lada, is dedicated entirely to LADA, and how you can structure your diets around it. Jacqueline Haskins, who wrote the book, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen with an overview of the recipes and some new ideas. She told Tonia that the American breakfast is far different than what people eat overseas. She encouraged everyone to look at what makes up a breakfast in different countries and try it for yourself. Jacqueline also introduced Tonia to the concept of Carb-Craft, which in essence is how to safely enjoy various foods while dealing with LADA. For example, she says eat a rainbow, steer toward healthful fats (of which the book explains) and eat what you like. 

A Breakfast Ace in The Hole

 

It's called Eggs in a Hole! It's another way to use more of the leftover biscuit dough that's a specialty of Carey Morey. She's the author of the new cookbook Hot Little Supers. Carey stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for this delicious breakfast dish. Carey told Tonia her kids love this one. The concept is simple, take your cutter, punch holes into the biscuit dough and bake. Then add the eggs and bake again. When you're doing brunch, this one's definitely the winning hand!

• Leftover buttermilk biscuit dough from stamping out biscuits

• Melted butter (amount will depend on how much dough you’re using)

• Medium Eggs (one per biscuit cutout you want to fill)

• Freshly ground coarse black pepper

• Salt

• Garnish of your choice

• After making biscuits, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Transfer the leftover biscuit dough to the baking sheet after all twelve biscuits have been stamped out. You now have your “nest.”

  Brush the nest with melted butter and bake for 12 minutes.

  Pull the biscuit nest out of the oven and crack an egg inside each biscuit cutout. If garnishing with an item such as cheese, add now.

  Bake for an additional 7 minutes, or until the egg reaches your preference of doneness.

  Brush with melted butter again, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Start with an Irish Breakfast This St. Patrick's Day

  

And what's the right way to start any day? Why, with a delicious breakfast of course! This St. Patrick's Day, why not start the day with a traditional full Irish Breakfast. Gemma Stafford, who runs the website BiggerBolderBaking.com (and wrote a cookbook bearing the same name) stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about what's in a real first meal from the Emerald Isle. She says it includes pork sausages, bacon, Black and White Pudding (made from the sausages, recipe below) beans, a fried egg and potato farro. It's a bracing, filling and soaking breakfast for any St. Patrick's Day activity you might indulge in.

• 4 cups fresh pig's blood
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups steel-cut (pinhead) oatmeal
• 2 cups finely diced pork fat (or beef suet), finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease 2 glass loaf pans. (If you don't have glass loaf pans, line metal loaf pans with parchment to keep the blood sausage from reacting with the metal and creating an off-flavor.) Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into the blood.
2. 2 Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and stir in the oats. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until just tender, not mushy.
3. 3 Pour the blood through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in the fat, onion, milk, pepper, allspice and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. Divide the mixture between the loaf pans, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour, until firm. Cool completely. Seal in plastic wrap and wither freeze for extended use or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
4. 4 To serve, cut a slice about 1/2-inch thick off the loaf. Fry in butter or oil until the edges are slightly crisped and browned.

Instead of Hard Boiling, Try Steaming Your Eggs

Why you might ask? After all, the hard boiled egg has been a constant breakfast mainstay pretty much since man began to domesticate chickens. The issue is, and always has been, the act of peeling the egg once they've boiled. It's incredibly hard to get a perfect peel. Now, over the years, there have been lots of tips and advice given about getting that hard shell away from the soft membrane of the egg, but there is a better way. Lisa Steele, who wrote the new cookbook Fresh Eggs Daily, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her idea on hard boiled eggs...try hard steamed eggs. Lisa told Tonia you can place the eggs in a hot bamboo wok or vegetable steamer over boiling water. Leave them exposed for 12 minutes, and you're guaranteed a perfect peel!