some weekend recipes

My parents got into town Friday in the late afternoon, so I knew I’d need dinner for at least seven. But I wanted something my brother and his wife would be comfortable just grabbing when they got into town about 9 p.m. (Most of us don’t enjoy eating on the road that much anymore. And my brother is more of a drive-straight-through kind of guy rather than the stop-and-stretch-every-few-hours sort.) The rain was stopping, but it was warm outside so I wanted to keep the meal cool, as well as have the oven free for the make-ahead breakfasts I had planned. That’s why I turned to trusty old stand-bys which I’ve written about before. Then I turned my focus to having breakfasts ready.

Breakfasts are hard because I don’t like making a huge mess in my kitchen early in the morning. I am not a morning person, so I won’t jump in the car and go for bagels or donuts or anything of that sort, either. I move very slowly and, as far as I’m concerned, dragging out the toaster is enough work before 9 a.m. … which is one of several reasons Hubby’s in charge of making coffee. :) So I’m always looking for more satisfying breakfasts that can be created ahead of time and just sliced, opened or reheated in the morning. The guys were going golfing Saturday and, of course, we had to leave for church rather early Sunday … after all, that was the reason for this gathering. So I turned to an old reliable source of easy recipes, Kraft Food and Family magazine. The link is in the sidebar. I save all my copies of this magazine for just such occasions … easy … affordable … yummy!

The crustless quiche was baked, cooled, sliced and refrigerated. A few seconds in the microwave seemed to do the trick Sunday morning, along with a slice of the banana cake I baked Friday night. As for the cups, I made the stuffing and shaped it into cups Friday night. Covering the muffin pans with foil and refrigerating them until needed. Saturday morning I pulled them from the fridge, topped them with the eggs, cheese and bacon and baked them. Quite yummy. Mr. 8 helped with the parfaits Friday, but all we used from this recipe was the peaches, which we put on the bottom, then some Nature Valley Granola, then some Yoplait vanilla yogurt. Cottage cheese is just not on my program … for breakfast anyway.

So when I went to bed Friday night breakfasts were ready for the entire weekend (leftovers were sought out Monday before everybody drove home) and the meat for Sunday’s festivities was defrosting. Planning and working ahead got me some time with Mr. 8 as well as some quiet morning time on a busy weekend. Dad’s always up early, so some coffee and a parfait with him and my brother before they hit the links was a nice way to start Saturday. Shoving six adults through the shower takes time and so having the food ready on Sunday morning allowed us to eat in shifts while others readied for church, so nobody ate alone … this is important to me.

When you have a house full of guests sometimes one-on-one moments are hard to find. But with the food ready and an openness that allows folks to grab a plate and re-heat a casserole or reach in the fridge to butter their banana bread you can share a little meal and a few minutes one-on-one at the table. Let me know if you try these … or if you find something else interesting tucked away on the Food and Family site.

Banana Breakfast Cake from Bundt Classics
1¾ cups sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2½ tsps. Baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup shopped pecans

Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt Pan. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter, bananas, eggs and vanilla until very light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 70-80 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan; cool completely on rack.

Kraft Food and Family (Spring 2007)

Kraft Food and Family (Spring 2005)