Even if you live in Two Egg, Florida or Bacon, Delaware...Pancake, Oatmeal or Grits, Texas or perhaps Toast, North Carolina (but wait, there's more) let's see, how about Jelly, California or Hot Coffee, Mississippi...

you will still hear the question, “What's for breakfast?” FruitFromWashington offers these breakfast recipes to help get the family going in the morning!

Gruyere, Apple and Onion Frittata

Good addition to a breakfast buffet! Based on a recipe by Joanna Pruess published in The Register-Guard Entree, January 5, 2005.

5 eggs
1/2 t. water
2 1/2 T. butter, unsalted
1 t. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 apples, Granny Smith, peeled, cored and chopped finely
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. white pepper
1/2 t. salt
1 c. Gruyere cheese, shredded

Beat eggs and water. Place 1 T. butter and oil in 10-inch skillet, on medium-high heat. Sauté onion until light brown. Add apples, cook until they wilt (about 5 minutes). Add hot onion and apple mixture to bowl with beaten eggs. Stir in spice and seasonings. Place 1/2 T. butter into skillet and reheat to medium-high. Pour in egg mixture, spread to coat pan. Cook for 1 minute, sprinkle on shredded cheese and turn down heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 11-12 minutes. Be sure frittata is free from the bottom of pan, cover pan with large plate and flip to turn it, immediately sliding it back into the pan. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Serve cut into wedges. Serves 4-5.

Yogurt and Fruit Breakfast Cups

Great for breakfast or for dessert!

1 c. plain or flavored yogurt
1-2 T. honey (if desired)
2 c. fresh fruit slices, such as pear, peach, or apricot (canned or frozen fruit can be substituted)
1/2 c. granola cereal

Combine yogurt and honey and mix well. Prepare servings by placing 1/2 c. fruit into each of four bowls; top with 1/4 c. yogurt and about 2 T. granola topping. Serves 4.

High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Great to make ahead and eat for breakfast, or take-along on those mornings when you're rushing out the door!

2/3 c. margarine, or butter (softened)
1/3 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 c. raisins
1 c. apple, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream butter and sugar. Thoroughly mix in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Add oatmeal, cheese and raisins and mix well. Stir in chopped apple. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Cool on racks. Store in tightly covered containers in refrigerator or freezer.

The Bum Cakes

Despite the name, these pancakes are very good. First mix a large batch of the dry ingredients, then use it like a pancake mix for a quick breakfast.

3 c. white flour
2 c. wheat flour
1 c. cornmeal
3 T. baking powder
2 t. soda
2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon

For one batch of panckes (feeds four) mix:
1 1/2 c. flour mixture
2 T. oil
2 T. maple syrup
1 egg
2 c. buttermilk

Add applesauce for extra flavor.

Apple Cider Syrup

1/2 c. sugar
4 t. cornstarch
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 c. apple juice or apple cider
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 t. vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in apple juice or cider, lemon juice and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring continuously. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter or margarine and vanilla. Serve warm over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

English Cinnamon Apple Brunchies

Good holiday breakfast!

4 english muffins, split in halves
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 c. melted margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
cinnamon, to taste

Place english muffin halves on cookie sheet. Put a layer of apple slices on each, brush with melted maragarine, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Fruit Smoothies

Go blender crazy creating a concoction of your own fruit smoothie. Start with your main liquid, say apple or orange juice. Put about two cups juice into the blender container. Add a modicum of fresh or frozen fruit and berries such as pears, peaches, apricots, raspberries, and/or blueberries, depending on what's in season. Add a banana for extra creaminess, calories and nutrition. Drizzle in honey for sweetener. Add a dollop of yogurt for your calcium hit. Place the lid on the blender and blend on high (or higher) until smooth. Taste and correct as needed. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve straight away in a tall glass.

Apple Muffins 3/4 c. whole wheat flour 1 c. flour 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 c. milk 1 egg, well beaten 1/3 c. oil 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. peeled, cored, grated apple

Preheat oven to 400° F. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, egg, oil and sugar. Add this mixture along with the grated apple to the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. It will be lumpy. Fill greased or paper lined muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Pear Muffins - Variation I

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. ginger
dash allspice
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 cup (about 1 medium) pear peeled, cored & grated
1 egg
1/3 c.cooking oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, grated pear, egg and cooking oil. Mix with wire whisk or egg beater. Fold dry mixture into liquid mixture just until mixed. Fill greased of paper lined muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Note: Add about a cup of cranberries to the Pear Muffin batter for a special treat.

Pear Cranberry Muffins - Variation II

Delicate pear flavor blends well with the cranberry briskness.

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 ripe pears (we suggest Bartlett or Red Sensation), medium sized, stems and cores removed, grated
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cranberries

Mix dry ingredients. Beat together grated pear, eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients. Add cranberries and mix gently. Put batter in greased muffin pans and bake at 375° F. for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Health Benefits of Breakfast

Here's a quiz for you. What are the three parts of a nutritious breakfast? Can you match up the items below? Click for the answer!

Great Apple Scones

2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 apple, cored & grated
3/4 cup buttermilk
Cinnamon & sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 400° F. In mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and sugar. Cut in shortening. Stir in grated apple. Add buttermilk, mix until soft dough forms. Turn out onto floured board. Pat into round about 6-7" across, sprinkle top with cinnamon & sugar mixture, cut into typical, triangular shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Enjoy with apple jelly or pear jam.

Fresh Apple Bundt Cake

Mix:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
Add:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups fresh apples, diced or sliced
Mix together:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased and floured pan. Bake at 300° F. for 35-40 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar.

Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake, Toss the pancake,
-- Catch it if you can.
- by Christina Rossetti, Sing-Song

Better Than Plain Pancakes
Jazz up your plain pancake recipe with apple!

Improve any plain pancake recipe by adding apple to it. Halve, core and grate an apple (no need to peel it first), then fold the grated apple into your favorite pancake batter before pouring or scooping it onto the griddle. Cook as usual, look for bubbles to form, then flip and cook the other side until brown. Serve hot with jam or syrup.

Apple Oat Pancakes

This recipe was created by Sue Ballo of Washington. If you get tired of ordinary pancakes these are tasty and (I would think) more nutritious than ordinary.

1 1/2 cups Bisquick®
1 cup regular or quick cooking oats
1 2/3 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 apple peeled, cored & finely grated (use Jonagold, Gala or Winter Banana)

Mix ingredients thoroughly, cook at slightly lower temperature than normal.

Applesauce Sourdough Hotcakes

Basic Sourdough recipe
Applesauce with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

On a hot, greased skillet drop sourdough batter making small pancakes. Place a teaspoonful of applesauce in center of each cake. Dribble more sourdough batter covering sauce. Bake until bubbly. Turn carefully, cook until the other side is brown. Serve hot off the griddle with butter, maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Sourdough Starter

The easiest way to make your own sourdough starter is to get a cup or so of good, lively sourdough starter from someone else and feed and care for it in your own sourdough pot. Add 2 c. water, 2 c. flour and 2 T. sugar and cultivate in a warm place, between 65° F and 77° F. When bubbly and active, remove amount needed for your sourdough recipe, cover and store remainder in the refrigerator until next use.

If you don't know anyone who has a working sourdough pot where you can get some starter, you'll need to start your own. The traditional sourdough starter recipe calls for 1 package active dry yeast, 2 c. warm water, 2 c. flour. Combine all ingredients in a large glass or ceramic bowl and mix. Let stand, uncovered, in a warm place for about 48 hours. Stir occasionally. If mixture begins to dry out, add more warm water and stir.

Commercial sourdough starter packets are also available in the market. Fleischman's® Yeast offers a San Francisco Style with Ready-to-use Sourdough Starter kit. However, this product is for one time use such as in a recipe for sourdough pizza, sourdough bread, sourdough waffles or pancakes. It is not for setting up a sourdough pot that you can keep going for a long time. However, for the cook who doesn't want to care and feed for a sourdough pet, I mean, pot, this is a good way to go.

Apple Pan Coffee Cake

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. butter
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 medium sized apples (Fujis or Granny Smiths are good)
whipping cream

Heat over to 350° F. Sift flour and add in baking powder. Cut in butter until reaches crumbly stage. Blend egg with milk and stir into flour mixture. Spread batter into well greased 11 x 13 inch baking pan.

Fruit Fritters - Apple Fritters - Pear Fritters

Fritter Batter -
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
2 T. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. milk

Combine sifted flour with sugar and salt. Beat eggs and milk together. Add dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

For Apple Fritters prepare fritter batter. Add 4 T. sugar, 1 1/2 c. pared, chopped apples and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Drop by spoonfuls into deep fat heated to 365° F. Fry until evenly browned. Drain on crumpled absorbent paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple or fruit syrup.

For Pear Fritters prepare fritter batter. Add 1 T. sugar, 1 1/2 c. pared, chopped pears and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Drop by spoonfuls into deep fat heated to 365° F. Fry until evenly browned. Drain on crumpled absorbent paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple or fruit syrup.

Fried Apples

This recipe comes from the apple growing regions of Virginia.

6 Red Delicious or Rome apples
1/4 c. water
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 T. lemon juice

Peel, core and slice apples into thick slices. Place in a skillet with the water and butter. Cook over moderate heat, until tender. Stir to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and lemon juice. Toss, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with fried ham slices or homemade sausage for breakfast. Serves 6.