Mother’s Day Breakfast 2011

The menu for Mother’s Day Breakfast 2011:

• Coconut French Toast with Butter Pecan Syrup
• Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries and Raspberries
• OJ & coffee

The strawberries came from the farmer’s market & they were sweet and juicy.

Menu made for Mom

This was a menu made especially for my mom. Coconut is one of her favorite things. Butter Pecan also tops her list. (I loved seeing her face light up when I told her what the was on the menu for the day.) She told us a story of when she was a kid there were pretty much only 4 flavors of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Neapolitan. But, if she rode her bike to the dairy she could get butter pecan ice cream. Now, there were usually only 2 little pieces of pecans in there, but it was butter pecan none-the-less. And, so, butter pecan is a perennial favorite for her. As, for the oatmeal, I know that’s the snack she used to sneak down to the kitchen and make for herself in the middle of the night. Oatmeal! What a healthy kid she was!

This menu (made especially for my mom) was really easy to prep too. I cut the strawberries in quarters the day before. I made the butter pecan syrup the day before and kept it in the fridge until we were ready to eat (then, just a few seconds in the microwave to make it toasty warm again). While my husband flipped the French toast on the griddle (that’s always his job; if I did the flipping we would end up with French toast scramble), I placed the oatmeal in the oven. The French toast went in the oven about half way through the oatmeal’s cooking time. And, the French toast and the oatmeal came out of the oven at about the same time.

Simple and delicious food

The meal was delicious. The simple, fruity, homey oatmeal made a nice counterpoint to the sweet French toast with butter pecan syrup. The French toast was crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. It was sweet and warm. It was golden brown and lovely. The Butter Pecan Syrup was like gilding the lily – the way it should be for mom. It was a nice hot breakfast shared with wonderful family. It was a bit more calories than I usually have for breakfast, but it was a holiday, a special occasion, it was for my mom, and is was so good. Of course, I made too much food for the small gathering we had, but I’d always rather have too much food than not enough.

Baked oatmeal with Strawberries and Raspberries: tasty, homey, and a feel-good breakfast!

This Butter Pecan Syrup would be great over any pancakes, waffles, or French toast. It would also be wonderful over vanilla ice cream. Or, for a nice simple dessert, drizzle some over sliced bananas.

There are three recipe cards here:

Baked oatmeal with Strawberries and Raspberries, Butter Pecan Syrup, and Coconut French Toast Recipe

Baked oatmeal with Strawberries and Raspberries Recipe

Baked Oatmeal

Debi

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Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup chopped pecans toasted
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups strawberries and raspberries

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.
• In a bowl, mix together the oats, pecans, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
• Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries into the prepared 8-inch baking dish. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats, and scatter the remaining berries on the top.
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown, and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Notes

This was my first time making this baked oatmeal dish. And, honestly, I’d leave out the fruit entirely the next time I make it. But, I’d definitely have some fruit on the side to serve with the oatmeal. I just think the fruit flavor overwhelmed the delicate oatmeal flavor. So, I’d prefer it plain next time. But, I thought the method of cooking the oats in the oven was great. And, the oatmeal itself was cooked perfectly.
Oh, and this could be made in little individual serving dishes. That would be so cute! Just cut the baking time a little.

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Butter Pecan Syrup Recipe

Butter Pecan Syrup

Debi

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1½ cups pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• Pinch kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Place first 4 ingredients (maple syrup through salt) in a small pan, and simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, and add vanilla. Serve warm.

Notes

Makes about 2 cups, 1/4 cup serving size.

This syrup would be great over any pancakes, waffles, or French toast. It would also be wonderful over vanilla ice cream. Or, for a nice simple dessert, drizzle some over sliced bananas.

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Coconut French Toast Recipe

Coconut French Toast

Debi

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Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 loaf unsliced egg bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• unsalted butter for cooking

Instructions

 

• Cut bread into 2-inch slices. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine eggs and next 6 ingredients in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Soak bread in egg mixture.
• Melt ½ tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle. Drain two bread slices, and cook in hot butter until golden on each side, about 2 minutes. Place in a second 13x9-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining butter and soaked bread.
  
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Serve with toasted coconut flakes (if desired) and butter pecan syrup.

Notes

Makes 8 servings (this will depend on how large your loaf of bread is)

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