Wayfinder's Galley

breakfast

Fried Apples

by

These quick and easy fried cinnamon apples are a staple that can be enjoyed with oatmeal, on a burger, in a burrito, or as a stand alone side.

These quick and easy fried cinnamon apples are a staple that can be enjoyed with oatmeal, on a burger, in a burrito, or a as stand alone side.

Fried apples are delicious as a side or dessert,

These quick and easy fried cinnamon apples are a staple that can be enjoyed with oatmeal, on a burger, in a burrito, or a as stand alone side.

or mixed in oatmeal for breakfast,

The Funky Java burger is stacked with bleu cheese, cinnamon apples, caramelized red onions, and espresso rub to create an explosion of flavor!

and even on a burger!

Fried Apples

These quick and easy fried cinnamon apples are a staple that can be enjoyed with oatmeal, on a burger, in a burrito, or a as stand alone side.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 granny smith apples (sliced or chopped)
  • 4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or skillet (with lid) over medium heat.
  2. Core and slice/chop the apples. Mix the cinnamon and sugar well. Liberally cover the apples and place them in the skillet. Add water, stir well, and cover.
  3. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft and golden brown. Give them a good stir halfway through.
© Cody

Easy Breakfast Corn Dogs

by

These easy to make, 4 ingredient Breakfast Corn Dogs are a kid favorite combination of pancakes and sausage!

These easy to make, 4 ingredient Breakfast Corn Dogs are a kid favorite combination of pancakes and sausage!

 

The Keys to Ease 

There a couple of key things that help this recipe not turn into a kitchen disaster.  They are also pretty common items (in our house at least): a cup and toothpicks. To make a more traditional corn dog, stick the popsicle sticks about halfway into one end of the sausages before baking.  The problem here is that I, personally, seem to never have popsicle sticks in the house when we want them.  So, we’ve found that toothpicks work just as good, if not better, and are easier to handle in the fryer.  We stick the tooth picks in the sausages, dredge and batter, then slide them off of the toothpick and into the fryer.  Out comes little golden dippers comparable to the mini freezer corn dogs you can get at the store.

After mixing the pancake batter, pour it into a cup for dipping. This is WAY easier than using the mixing bowl.  Simply take the dredged sausage on a stick and dunk it into the cup, being sure to slightly twist as you remove it from the batter.  As the amount of batter lessens, just refill the cup. 

The Ingredients

Pretty much any breakfast sausage link and pancake mix will work here but we definitely have our favorites.  For this recipe, maple sausage links are the best! I mean they’re dipped in pancake batter so it only makes sense, right? As far as the pancake mix goes, the below recipe uses the instructions from the Krusteaz Protein Pancake Mix box. Like I said, though, pretty much any mix will work.  Just make sure that the batter isn’t too runny! We usually start with 4 servings, according to the nutrition facts on the back of the box, and end up with 1-2 pancakes worth of batter left in the cup when all is said and done. 

Easy Breakfast Corn Dogs

These easy to make, 4 ingredient Breakfast Corn Dogs are a kid favorite combination of pancakes and sausage!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2 cups Krusteaz Protein pancake mix
  • 1 package maple sausage links
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and the oil in fryer to 350.
  2. Place the sausages on a roasting pan and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Turn the links over and bake for an additional ten minutes. Remove and let cool.
  3. Mix your choice of pancake mix per the package instructions and pour some extra dry mix on a plate for dredging.
  4. Stick toothpicks about halfway into the sausage link through one end. Roll the sausage in the dry pancake mix, then dip into the pancake batter (using your preferred method from above). Make sure that the sausage is fully coated. Drop in the fryer until golden (2-3 min).
  5. Enjoy with your favorite syrup.

Notes

Required: Deep fryer, roasting pan, Popsicle sticks or toothpicks

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 758mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 8g

may vary depending on your choice of ingredients

© Cody
Category: Breakfast

Shrimp & Grits

by

A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

The thick, creamy, stone ground grits are spooned over a Cajun hot sauce and topped with shrimp, Andouille sausage, and bacon.

 

This is my spin on the classic favorite.  The thick, creamy, stone ground grits are spooned over a Cajun hot sauce and topped with shrimp, Andouille sausage, and bacon. Anywhere I’ve been that served grits, I tried them.  Some were good, some weren’t, and some were so inconsistent that the quality depended on the day.  I like my grits thick, sweet and buttery, yet salty and savory!! I don’t want them bland and runny to the point of watching little particles spin in the liquid every time the spoon hits.  Also, I don’t enjoy fishing for solo shrimp in a sea of grits.  There’s a reason those things are caught with nets! So, this version provides ample opportunity to ensure each bite is full flavor; rather it be from the meats, shrimp, cheesy grits, sweet bursts of tomato, or the crisp pop of green onions. 

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs of Large or Jumbo Shrimp (peeled, tail off)
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 2 Andouille Sausage links
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar (medium/mild)
  • 1/2 cup yellow stone ground grits
  • 1/2 cup white stone ground grits
  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 green onion stalk, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp Zatarain's Cajun Hot Sauce
  • 2 tbsp butter (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat.
  2. Bring 1 quart of water and a teaspoon of salt (optional) to a boil in a separate pot. Slowly stir in grits, reduce heat to low, and let cook (covered) for approximately 12 minutes. Stir often.
  3. Remove cooked bacon from skillet and let cool. Add chopped Andouille sausage to the same skillet over medium heat. Prepare the sausage to your likeness and remove from skillet.
  4. Using the same skillet that you cooked the bacon and sausage in, saute the shrimp over medium high heat for about three minutes per side, or until done. For extra flavor, immediately add 1 tbsp butter once removed from heat, sprinkle some Cajun seasoning, and toss; allowing the butter to melt and coat the shrimp.
  5. Return to pot and remove grits from heat, add 3/4 cup of cheese and butter (optional), stir well, and cover.
  6. Chop bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and mix with Andouille sausage.
  7. On the plates, drizzle hot sauce in the shape of a 'z'. Spoon the grits onto the center of the plate. The grits should spread, pushing the hot sauce along with it.
  8. Add the bacon, sausage and tomatoes.
  9. Top with shrimp. Garnish with green onions and remaining cheese.

A Southern staple, this flavorful Shrimp and Grits can be enjoyed at any meal!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 425mgSodium: 2189mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 53g
© Cody

Jon’s Stuffed French Toast

by

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

Stuffed French Toast       

 Several years ago, on one of my trips abroad, I met this guy named Jon.  He was an interesting, humble dude with so much salt that he had to push super sweet meals like this to counter.  We worked together and ended up living next door to each other for several months. One morning, I saw Jon feeding another co-worker by the front entrance.  I grinned and began walking towards the two wondering what he was doing, which is exactly what I asked once I made it to them.  He responded with, “this French toast I made, want a bite?” I declined at the time. But shortly after, Jon and a few guys were at my place indulging in one of the best French toast meals that I’d ever had.

              Jon also enjoyed cooking, or at least seemed to, so there were several “science project” type meals that were created in our kitchens (like Reese’s pancakes with chocolate syrup).  One of his Cajun meals actually inspired a chicken and rice recipe that you can find here.  I think it’s fair to say that some of my kitchen creativity was created during this time, as well as some of my skills and tricks; especially considering the amount of food network that I binge watched while there. 

Why this Stuffed French Toast is a game changer

              Fast forward to my return home, where I decided to throw a party.  A girl showed up that instantly, for reasons still unknown, became the center of my world.  The biggest problem was that, for reasons definitely not related to alcohol consumption, I could not, for the life of me, remember her name! Luckily, our paths crossed again a few weeks later.  We began dating and the very first thing I ever cooked for her was this recreation of a delicious stuffed French toast that I had recently learned to make through a friend (Jon).

              On our fifth wedding anniversary, I decided to call Jon and tell him that his French toast recipe (with a little help from my Boston Terrier) helped me convince this angel to marry me. Today, it is still one of my wife’s favorite breakfast meals.

  There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

How to make Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast is essentially a sandwich that is battered and fried like French Toast.  You spread cream cheese on one slice of bread, fruit preserves on another, then place the slices of bread together just like you would a PB&J.  Dip the “sandwich” in  the egg mix, toss it in the buttered skillet until golden brown, and enjoy!

Ingredients for Stuffed French Toast

This Stuffed French Toast recipe is incredibly simple but, as with most easy recipes, the result depends on the quality of ingredients. You will need:

  • Bread
  • Cream Cheese
  • Jam/Preserves
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Butter or Oil

What bread do I use for French Toast?

In this house, we typically use whatever we have for French toast, but brioche or homemade sourdough are by far our favorites for this recipe. While I love sourdough and it is my overall favorite bread, brioche has the edge here.

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.  

Tips for Making the Best Stuffed French Toast

The best part about this dish is that it is only limited by your creativity.  You can change the bread type and/or the flavor of preserves to give this thing your own vibe.  We like to use brioche or homemade sourdough stuffed with whipped cream cheese, fresh fruit, and homemade preserves.  And we’ve used almost any type of jam/preserve that tickle our fancy…..apricot, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, blueberry, you name it!!!

There are a few tips to keep in mind when making this recipe that can drastically impact the turnout:

  1. Stir the eggs, cinnamon, and sugar before every dip. If not, you’ll find that some of your French Toast will be full of flavor and others will have a dominant egg taste.
  2. If you do choose a bread such as brioche or sourdough, soak for approximately 5 seconds. This type of bread just works better, trust me.  If you use any other bread, which is fine, just make sure to not soak it in the egg mix for as long.  This will help avoid over-saturation.
  3. If homemade jams/preserves aren’t an option, give these brands a try: Dickinson’s Preserves, Santa Cruz, Stonewall Kitchen, Polaner.
  4. Don’t be afraid to rotate the toast. I know plenty of people that are “one and done” when it comes to flipping food.  With this Stuffed French Toast recipe, I find that three flips are the number of flips for me, with thirty seconds between each flip. It helps prevent burning the toast and provides a more even, through cook.  
  5. Top with fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

Stuffed French Toast Fillings to Try

Freshly sliced  or muddled fruit between the whipped cream cheese and preserves will crank the sweetness up a bit as well freshen up the dish. They work great as toppings, too!  You can also fry bananas, like in the Banana Burrito recipe, and use those with cream cheese as filler. 

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

Syrups for Stuffed French Toast

While the girls could give Buddy the Elf a run for his money (or in this case, syrup), I tend to shy away from it for this Stuffed French Toast.  It is sweet enough as it is, especially when topped with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, and a touch of honey. If you do use syrup though, a little maple syrup should do the trick. If you are just using blueberries, try this blueberry maple syrup. Caramel syrup is amazing over Banana Stuffed French Toast.

Other Breakfast Recipes:

Easy Breakfast Corn Dogs

Salmon Hash

Healthy Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Mexican Hash

Yield: 2

Jon's Stuffed French Toast

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously filling Stuffed French Toast.

There’s a whole lot of history behind this scrumptiously sweet and simultaneously
filling Stuffed French Toast. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of bread
  • 2-4 tbsp whipped cream cheese
  • 1-2 tbsp fruit preserves
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

    1.  Set up your station. Beat egg, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a square bowl that is large enough to fit your sandwiches.

    Tip: Make sure to stir immediately before dipping the bread in or all your flavor may go to the first one and leave you with a fluffy fried egg taste on the rest.

Place the skillet on medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter. Allow butter to melt and spread over skillet. You will repeat this step for sandwich number two.

2. Make your sandwiches:

Think of this like you're making a PB&J except you're subbing whipped cream cheese for
the peanut butter.  Spread the preserves
on one slice and the cream cheese on another. 
Put those two slices together and……. Voila!!!

3. Place your sandwiches in the egg mixture,
letting each side soak for about 5 seconds on each side.

4. Remove from egg mixture.

5. Add sandwich to skillet and cook each side to
golden brown. 

6. Move sandwich to plate and cut in half,
diagonally.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with fresh fruit or
drizzle with your favorite syrup (optional).



Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 744Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 350mgSodium: 643mgCarbohydrates: 90gFiber: 4gSugar: 43gProtein: 19g
© Cody