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The holidays are over now, and that’s always a bit depressing. Even though the weather hasn’t been disgustingly cold yet, it’s just brown, gray, black and a very ‘blah’ feeling outside. And now we have a few months of the cold, snow and chill coming up before we emerge for spring.

Outside of a potential spring break vacation, there aren’t many fun and exciting things to look forward to like there is during the holiday season. This is a time we typically hunker down in our houses, binge some TV shows, catch up on movies and just stay warm and comfy. So I’ll highlight some warm, comfy food here and put an emphasis on breakfast, because one thing I do look forward to in these cold months is to sleep in a little on the weekends, wake up and make a hearty breakfast and just watch the snow (or rain this year!) come down and hang out in comfy clothes and play some board games and put a fun movie on that we’ve all seen. It’s those little comforts that get our household through these next few months.

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I’ve used my breakfast cup recipe in this space before, and I’ve used slider recipes before, but this combines the two into a delectable little breakfast snack that makes enough to be filling to start the day but leaves enough leftovers to easily munch on throughout the day/week.

SHEET PAN 

BISCUIT BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

12 frozen buttermilk biscuits 

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. honey

1 lb. breakfast sausage

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

9 large eggs, divided

2 oz. cream cheese, cubed and softened

1/2 tsp. kosher salt 

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 green onions, thinly sliced

12 cheddar cheese slices 

1 tbsp. everything bagel seasoning

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On the prepared baking sheet, arrange the biscuits in a 3x4 rectangle with the sides of the biscuits touching. Bake until tall and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool while preparing the other ingredients.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and honey.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and onion, stirring frequently, until the sausage is no longer pink and the onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausage mixture to a plate and wipe out the skillet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 8 eggs, cream cheese, salt, and pepper.

In the same nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and let cook in a single layer for about 30 seconds. Stir, occasionally, for the next 1 to 2 minutes to create large curds of scrambled egg. Once the eggs are set, but still look slightly wet (like soft-scrambled eggs), remove from the heat. Fold in the green onion and immediately transfer to a plate.

Using a serrated knife, cut crosswise through all of the biscuits at once to divide the top half from the bottom (keeping the biscuits attached to one another). Place the bottom half of the biscuits on a parchment-line baking sheet. Spread with the mayonnaise mixture, then top with a single layer of sliced cheese. Add the sausage mixture in an even layer, then add the eggs in an even layer. Top the eggs with another single layer of sliced cheese. Top with the top half of the biscuits.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush the top of the biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Bake until the biscuits are toasted and the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Pull the biscuits apart and serve warm.. 

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These are commonly known or sold prepared as Potatoes O’Brien, but whatever you call them, they are a great way to start out your morning!

BREAKFAST 

POTATOES

1 bag (5 lbs.) red potatoes, cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 whole green bell pepper, seeded And roughly chopped

2 whole red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper and some kosher salt and pepper.

Pour potatoes onto two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the pan twice.

Raise the heat to 500 degrees and bake until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing twice.

Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper before serving.

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Sweets for breakfast isn’t always the go-to, but some mornings you just have that hankering. This recipe will satisfy that! This pairs wonderfully with a nice cup of Joe.

SOUR CREAM 

COFFEE CAKE

FOR THE STREUSEL:

1 c. slivered almonds

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. kosher salt 

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-in. pieces

FOR THE CAKE:

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Nonstick baking spray

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

For the streusel: In a medium bowl, stir together the almonds, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and, using your hands, pinch the mixture together until the butter is evenly incorporated and the streusel begins to clump together. Chill until ready to use. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Lightly grease a 10-inch tube pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. 

To the butter mixture, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream, beating on low speed until combined after each addition. 

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with half of the streusel. Repeat the layers with the remaining batter and streusel. 

Bake the cake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes, tenting with foil after 40 minutes if needed to prevent excess browning. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and let cool streusel side up, or serve warm.

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If you’re really feeling ambitious, and hungry, this is a great spicy breakfast recipe for the winter months!

BREAKFAST

ENCHILADAS

1 lb. fresh Mexican chorizo, casing removed

4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

12 large eggs, beaten

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese

10 8-inch flour tortillas

19 oz. red enchilada sauce

Nonstick cooking spray

For garnish: sliced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced jalapeño

Cook the chorizo over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet, stirring often to break into small crumbles until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet. 

Return the skillet with the chorizo drippings to medium heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring often until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the eggs, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are scrambled into large curds, but still soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the chorizo and 1 cup of the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the scrambled egg mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake the enchiladas until bubbly and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Garnish with additional sliced scallions, avocado, cherry tomato halves and sliced jalapeño. Serve hot.

TFD: Since I’m sure Harry Potter will be on at our house during these cozy months since my wife and our exchange student love these movies, I picked a good quote from those movies. "It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live." ― Albus Dumbledore

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