Sunday Breakfast

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is getting to have a nice big breakfast. I don’t eat breakfast at all on weekdays, so it’s something I look forward to every Saturday and Sunday. But by “big” I don’t necessarily mean “heavy.” A big breakfast can also be light, and it can be just as satisfying as bacon and eggs.

On today’s menu:
Pussyfoot
Spiced Americano
Cinnamon-Oat Scones
Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Pussyfoot

This is Nigella’s recipe. I have no idea where the name comes from, but it is what it is. I cut the recipe in half to make enough for two people. It’s just 1.5 cups grapefruit juice, 1.5 cups orange juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 tablespoon grenadine. The grenadine is what really caught my eye about this recipe. I’ve had a soft spot for it ever since I first laid lips on a Shirley Temple.

When I did my shopping for this I didn’t want to buy a carton of grapefruit juice and a carton of orange juice (crowded fridge), so I got a carton of grapefruit juice and a bag of oranges. In case you’re wondering, you’ll need about 6 oranges for 1.5 cups of juice. Also, half a lime will get you the tablespoon of juice you need. Nigella always uses “plastic lime,” as she calls it, which is just lime juice from a bottle. I find her no-fuss approach very refreshing, but I have to say that, when I have both fresh and plastic lime on hand, I’ll choose the fresh. There’s definitely a difference, and fresh is definitely better.

Spiced Americano

This recipe comes courtesy of Giada, and it’s just equal parts espresso and water sweetened with a spiced simple syrup and topped with whipped cream. The hardest part of this is making the simple syrup, which isn’t actually “hard” at all, but it’s something you may not want to bother with first thing in the morning. I suggest making it ahead, if you can, and storing it in the fridge. If you’re going to also make the strawberries and whipped cream, make some extra cream now while you’re at it.

Cinnamon-Oat Scones

This is a Betty Crocker recipe that is, of course, based on a Betty Crocker product. I love these kind of short-cut baking recipes. I love just dumping everything in the same bowl and being done with it, especially in the morning when you’re hungry and don’t want to wait forever for breakfast. One warning here: the dough is very sticky. The oats will suck up all that moisture in the oven, but working with it is messy. If you have a silpat, use it. Dump the dough onto your prepared pan and sprinkle it with some streusel mixture right away. This will keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Shape the streuseled dough into an 8-inch circle, top with the rest of the streusel, and cut into 8 slices. I used a pizza cutter, which worked well.

These aren’t real scones, of course, but they’re good and they’re easy. You could do muffins instead if you wanted to. I served mine with butter and strawberry preserves.

Strawberries and Whipped Cream

You don’t need a recipe for this, of course, but a good tip is to serve these along with the Americano, so that you can get twice the use out of making fresh whipped cream. I served this in the mini margarita glasses I just got from Crate and Barrel. So cute!

So there you have it. A weekend breakfast that is easy and elegant. Believe me, I love pancakes and sausage and bacon as much as the next person, but sometimes it’s nice to lighten things up a bit. Especially when the hours you’ve been spending in the kitchen have begun to translate into inches around your waist.