Ah, Christmas morning. The twinkling lights, squeals of excited children, chocolate from stockings for breakfast....
Wait a sec. Chocolate for breakfast? Okay, I'm busted. Christmas is the only day in my house where we sample chocolate before our breakfast, but it isn't all we eat. You've gotta get something in those tummies for the big day to stave off meltdowns that might happen with overexcited, tired, strung out kids.
In my research on Twitter, Moms overwhelmingly said that a Christmas morning breakfast had to be three things: quick, easy, and of course, delicious.
Start out with some yogurt and fruit parfaits. I came up with these as a healthy snack for Jake when he was little. Use your favorite yogurt (pictured is Island Farms vanilla raspberry), then layer it in a fancy glass with some blueberries, drained canned mandarin oranges, and sliced banana. Use a high quality, delicious yogurt to make it more dessert-like. You could add granola, mini M&Ms or even mini marshmallows for the kids, and a touch of sprinkles on top! Mix and match whatever flavors of yogurt and fruit your family likes, or try the following combinations:
-lemon yogurt with raspberries and drained canned peaches
-mango yogurt with pineapple, banana, and coconut
-strawberry yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, and canned sour cherries (drained)
Next, Leave out a big bowl of Christmas oranges and whip up some oven roasted hashbrowns with a brunch bake.
Jake and I found this recipe one afternoon while we were watching Chef at Home on Food Network Canada. Delicious? You bet! Easy and fast? With some prep, you could have it in the oven in less than 15 minutes, and baked in about 40 minutes. When I was testing this recipe, Jake devoured every morsel on his plate and asked for seconds.
For the brunch bake you need:
-8 eggs
-1 1/2 cups of milk
-1/2 loaf of bread. You can use whole grain, which was in the original recipe. I think that french bread would be delicious as well.
-1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used Cheddar)
-8 small sausage links (I used turkey sausage)
-salt and pepper
-1 onion, chopped
-two sprigs of fresh tarragon, chopped (adds a slight licorice flavor. If you don't like tarragon, try 1/2 tsp of dried basil instead)
-garnish...some sliced green onion
To make ahead:
The day before, set the bread out on the counter on a baking rack so it becomes dry and leave it there overnight. Grate the cheese and put in a container in the fridge. Saute up the sausage, slice it up and put in the fridge.
On Christmas morning, Pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Get the oven hashbrowns going and in the oven because they need longer to cook. Now I know the recipe on my blog says the hashbrowns should be cooked at a higher temperature, but they will still work at 350-just take a little longer.
Saute the onion in a small amount of oil until it is soft and transluscent, then add the cooked sausage and heat through. Set aside.
Cube the dried bread. Toss it in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the cheese, the tarragon, and the sausage/onion mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 8 eggs and milk. Pour over the bread and sausage mixture. Stir. Pour the entire thing into a greased 9x9 inch baking dish.
Bake for about 25 minutes, then top with the remaining cup of cheese and bake another 10 minutes until set.
Serves 4-5
With tummies full, everyone will be ready to tackle what's under the tree and face the rest of a fun filled day!
Enjoy your Christmas Breakfast! Best wishes for a wonderful holiday from my family to yours. Merry Christmas!
