New Years Eve Breakfast

For many years a few years back, I used to throw a New Years Eve breakfast for my friends. I felt a solid breakfast would start the day right for the revelry that was to ensue later. Here is a loose compilation of what I would serve.

Pancakes and/or Waffles with lots of butter and maple syrup
Sausage
Bacon
Hash Browns with Peppers and Onions
Scrambled Eggs with or without cheese
Mimosas and Poinsettias
Bloody Marys

None of the above mentioned food items are a science. You probably have tried and true recipes or ways of cooking these. My life has changed enough in the last few years to require a gluten-free alternative for the pancakes/waffles. Real maple syrup vs. the fake stuff found in most sugary aisles of the supermarket. As well as nitrate free bacon and MSG free sausage. I prefer sweet potato hash browns which are excellent with Poblano peppers. And drinking alcohol will almost undoubtedly ensure a need to crawl into bed about 3 hours post consumption. All of that aside, I hope to have such a breakfast this New Years Eve morning.

Bloody Mary

2 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Tomato juice, V-8, or Spicy Hot V-8
Lea and Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce
Olive juice from Queen Olives
Tabasco brand hot sauce
Salt, Celery Salt if you like
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Ice
Tall Glass
Lemon juice (optional)
Prepared Horseradish (optional)

Pour about 2-3 ounces of Vodka over the Ice in the glass. Add Salt and Ground Pepper to taste, two short dashes of Worcestershire sauce, 4 dashes of Tabasco, 1 Tablespoons of Olive juice and finish the glass with the tomato juice. Pour back and forth a few times from one glass to another to blend. Spear a few Olives onto a toothpick and promptly lose them in your drink. Enjoy.

Breakfast Cocktails

I love to serve Sparkling White Wine mixers. Very easy to make, simply blend equal parts of Sparkling White Wine with your favorite juice. I find that “Brut” or “Extra Dry” types of wine work very well. Orange juice is very popular as is Cranberry juice. I like Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice. When it comes to citrus juice get the freshest possible if you can’t squeeze some yourself. You’ll be amazed at the difference.

Buckwheat Pancakes

1 cup of Buckwheat flour
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of Buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 egg

Heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Grease with butter. In a mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients. Beat in milk and egg till blended. Using a ¼ measuring cup dip batter and pour into skillet. When batter begins to pit flip cakes over and cook till lightly browned on other side. Re-grease skillet between batches. Serve with maple syrup or berry compote and whipped cream.

Cornmeal Waffles

1 cup of cornmeal
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of milk, buttermilk, or yogurt
¼ cup of oil
1 egg

Pre-heat your waffle iron. Combine dry ingredients, beat in wet ingredients till blended. Pour enough batter in waffle iron to cover ¾ of the griddle and close. When the iron stops steaming the waffle is ready.

Sweet Potato Hash browns

1 Large sweet potato scrubbed and cubed
1 medium onion peeled and diced
1 Poblano pepper diced
¼ cup of Canola Oil
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl toss all ingredients coating thoroughly with the oil. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Every 5 to 10 minutes pull out cookie sheet and stir or flip ingredients. Cook till desired doneness. This may take up to 30 minutes. To get sweet potatoes to brown you must first soak them in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and strongly pat dry.

Scrambled Eggs

This by far is one of the easiest ways to make eggs for a group. For every person factor 2 eggs, 2 Tablespoons of milk, a dash of salt, and leave out the pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and grease with butter. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the milk and salt. Pour into the skillet and wait till the eggs set across the pan, about 1 minute. Using your spatula push the bottom set eggs across the pan and let the uncooked portion run into the open pan. Wait until eggs have set across the bottom again and push to the side. Keep doing this till the eggs stop running then flip the entire mass over and turn off the heat. Serve right from the skillet. What you will have are eggs that are not over or under cooked and you can break off as big or little of a piece as each person enjoys.

It is indeed possible to find Nitrate free bacon and MSG free sausage, and not just at a natural foods market. Private Selection brand from Kroger has a bacon, and Tennessee Pride brand has a "natural" sausage.

Now don't go makin' yourself sick before the big night.