Semi Homemade...

If you can't make it from scratch,...make it special.
Often enough, I have house guests over from all over this land. So it's inevitable that I'm saddled with grocery purchases that would never otherwise find itself in my kitchen. This time, it was pancake mix. And since that great brunch/breakfast combination of sweet and savory is most irresistible for me, I indulged. But more than that, I got creative.
This particular mix called for 3/4 cup of milk. Instead, I used apple juice and caramelized apples to put on top. And since I had more of this stuff, I tried other ideas.

Vanilla nut pancakes: fresh vanilla bean, whipping cream instead of milk and spicy pecans (Trader Joe's).

Savory shrimp fritters: sautéed onion, celery, shrimp, Cajun seasoning and bacon. Deep fry.

Apple fritters: sautéed apples, cinnamon, nutmeg. Deep fry.

Orange cranberry pancakes: replace milk w/ orange juice. Add dried cranberries.

Maple bacon pancakes:
Add bacon bits, a small bit of sugar and maple to the batter

Honey ginger pancakes:
Ad honey and freshly grated ginger.

-EAT WELL

A Win - Win!

Ok, this one is a slam dunk! Pair the thing that women fantasize about most with the thing that men fantasize about most, for some mid-morning fun. No, not that! I'm talking about romance and a mean sandwich! Many a comedian have joked of a mans love of a great sandwich. The obvious implication is that his needs are simple and far less complex than the romanticized considerations of of hers. But fear not. The solution is a simple fix.

There's something significantly romantic and sexy about a weekend brunch. For women it reads, he will forgo an afternoon of channel surfing or delay tinkering under the hood of a car to lock hand and eye with you over...well...an egg. And what better way to express our appreciation than with the quintessential man-meal: a most amazing and hearty brunch sandwich. Pair it with a mimosa or a pitcher of bloody Mary's, and the volume of mid-morning fun just went up a few decibels.
First thing: make it a grown-up gourmet sandwich. Use French or sour dough bread. Slice it, add olive oil to each side, season with salt and griddle. For the fixings, try pancheta, prosciutto or even fried pork belly atop softly fried eggs. For lighter fair, go with smoked turkey, smoked salmon or chicken sausage.
Triple creamed Brie, provolone, Swiss, Havarti or manchego will heighten the flavor.
Here are some other interesting add-ons:
Grilled or red onions
Scallions
Fresh fig
Preserves
Bacon
Truffles
Avocado
Sliced green apple
tomato
Portabello mushroom
Red, yellow and green peppers

You can even try an open face lobster sandwich with poached egg and béchamel sauce. Delicious!

Round out the meal with a side if fresh fruit and breakfast potatoes.

Here's my favorite mimosa recipe:

~Grand Mimosa~
2 oz Orange juice - per glass
Top off with Champagne or Proseco
Splash of Grand Marnier


-EAT WELL