Thanksgiving morning is a hectic time - roasting the turkey and preparing all the wonderful side dishes takes a lot of work and concentration! So how do you serve your family (and maybe those out of town guests?) something special and holiday-delicious? By preparing everything a day (or two) ahead of time!
My Thanksgiving breakfast menu includes an assortment of miniature muffins, crock-pot oatmeal with "fixings" on the side, a savory quiche, and an assortment of seasonal fresh fruit. I like to serve this buffet style, with pretty dishes and flowers. Coffee, tea, cocoa and juices round off this special tasty feast!
Pumpkin Mini Muffins
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a smidge more to taste)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
Method
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease mini muffin tins (or you can use standard muffin tins, yield 12)
Sift or stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl. Stir together the wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until moistened - about 15-20 strokes. Do not over-mix muffin batter or the resulting muffins will be small and hard - a few lumps are ok!
Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full (they will rise a bit).
Bake 15-20 minutes until done (skewer inserted into muffin will come out clean if done).
(Yield 24 mini muffins)
These spicy muffins are tiny preview of the desserts to come after dinner! I love to serve muffins on a tiered stand, with small side dishes of butter, cream cheese and jam for my hungry eaters to choose from!
Applesauce Mini Muffins
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a smidge more to taste)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup applesauce (I use my homemade applesauce!)
Optional: 1/2 cup raisins,1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease mini muffin tins (or you can use standard muffin tins, yield 12)
Sift or stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl. Stir together the wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until moistened - about 15-20 strokes. Do not over-mix muffin batter or the resulting muffins will be small and hard - a few lumps are ok!
Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full (they will rise a bit).
Bake 15-20 minutes until done (skewer inserted into muffin will come out clean if done). Cool and serve with butter or jam or other goodies.
(Yield 24 mini muffins)
Crock-pot Oatmeal is the ultimate in make-ahead deliciousness! I like to add in various dried fruits for variety - experiment and learn what your family likes!
Crock-pot Oatmeal
Ingredients
1 cup steel-cut oats (NOT quick oats!)
4 cups water
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/4 cup maple syrup OR brown sugar
1 Tbs butter
1 Tsp Cinnamon
Optional: 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries, 1 cup diced fresh apple
Method
Combine all ingredients in your crock-pot. Cook on "LOW" for 8 hours.
Serve with milk or cream. I often offer a selection of "toppings": raisins, dried cranberries, copped nuts, shredded coconut...whatever your family loves!
(Yield 4 servings, this recipe easily doubles)
This is basically a Quiche Lorraine, without the fancy name. I like to add in random bits of veggies to my quiches, or try different combinations of cheeses and meats - some minced ham with Swiss cheese and mushrooms, or bacon with cheddar and tomatoes - don't be afraid to try your favorites!
Breakfast Quiche
Ingredients
Pastry for 9-inch crust
4 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked and finely minced ham or cooked and crumbled bacon
1 cup mixed diced vegetables (I use onions, mushrooms and tomatoes - you use what your family loves!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Method
Preheat oven to 425F. Fit pastry into your pie pan. Some people like to pre-bake their crust for quiche, but I don't like to ass steps.
Beat the eggs with the cream. Add the other ingredients and stir well.
Pour into pie pan and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300F and bake an additional 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean.
If serving immediately, let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. If making this ahead, let cool thoroughly and wrap in foil before refrigerating. (If you do not cool before wrapping, the quiche will get soggy!) This quiche can be gently reheated in a warm oven.
If you are going to use a "wet" ingredient (zucchini, tomatoes, etc), try sauteing it first to release the water - otherwise the quiche might not set.
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