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Brunch is a widely popular weekend activity. Who doesn’t love meeting up with friends and family to enjoy some wonderful breakfast food and maybe a cocktail or 2? With spring right around the corner and Easter coming up, I thought it would be fun to share some of my new breakfast recipes, and perhaps get you out of the winter slumber and motivated to host a get-together. Here are the recipes I’ve been working on:
- Pepperjack Baked Eggs
- Pepperjack Baked Eggs Breakfast Sandwich
- Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake
- Sheet Pan Cheesy Hash Browns
All are relatively easy to make and taste aaaaaamazing! I’ll walk you through how to make each recipe and give you some tips along the way.
Pepperjack Baked Eggs are my new obsession. They are loaded with pepperjack cheese and have a little kick. Don’t worry, they aren’t spicy by any means, but you will taste a little heat in every bite. Think elevated egg bake that’s rich, creamy, and will have you going back for seconds.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F and use your fingers to rub a Tbsp of softened butter all over the inside (including the sides) of an 8×8 baking dish.
Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the shredded pepperjack cheese, cottage cheese, flour, and salt. Stir to combine then pour into the baking dish and spread in an even layer.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the eggs are completely set. Basically, you want the top of the eggs to start turning brown and the center shouldn’t jiggle when you move the dish. Now you can slice into squares and serve immediately…. hot out of the oven. Enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
I think you can get 9 generously sized portions out of the 8×8 baking dish but if you are serving a larger crowd or want leftovers, you can double the recipe. Use a 9×13 baking dish and double the ingredients but reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and increase the bake time to about 45-50 minutes. That should be sufficient bake time. This is also a meatless recipe, but you could easily add diced ham or chopped bacon bits to the mixture before baking.
The next recipe I want to share with you is for Pepperjack Baked Eggs Breakfast Sandwiches. This is the same recipe as above (Pepperjack Baked Eggs), but you are going to turn the egg bake into yummy breakfast sandwiches (drool) 😊 I love the Pepperjack Baked Eggs as is…they are delicious and can’t be made much better in my opinion. BUT…sometimes you are craving a breakfast sandwich and this recipe really fits the bill. Without repeating the entire recipe for you here, I’m going to explain the process for creating the sandwiches.
The recipe can be found here.
Prepare the meat of your choice, whether it be bacon, a sausage patty, slices of Canadian bacon, etc. and prepare the meat according to package instructions. I like to use 2-3 strips of bacon, cut in half, so there is plenty of bacon in each bite. If you use sausage patties, depending on the width and thickness, I suggest using 2 patties. You get the idea – load the sandwich high! Next, choose your sliced cheese. Cheddar is a wonderful fit, but you could use pepperjack (if there isn’t enough in the eggs for you) or any flavor of your choice. Then, grab your favorite bread item, a croissant, English muffin, perhaps a biscuit, etc. I tend to make these with English muffins, but a croissant would be phenomenal. Do this while the eggs are baking. You should have plenty of time to prepare the meat during this time.
When the eggs are done baking, you can assemble the sandwiches. I like to use a round biscuit cutter to have a nice round egg on my English muffin, but this is completely optional. There is no shame in having a square egg on a round piece of bread 😊 It’s also one less dish to wash later…. So, slice the eggs. Place once slice of cheese on the bottom half of your bread. Top with the meat of your choice. Then add a slice of the egg bake. Add the other half of the bread on top and dig in!
The recipe can be found here.
If you are making these for a crowd, I suggest having a variety of each item (meat, sliced cheese, and bread) available and let your guests build their own. It’s a fun activity and your guests will appreciate the sandwich being catered to their individual tastes. You could also serve jam or an aioli on the side to add a little “sauce” to the sandwich or perhaps some maple syrup for dipping. Go a little crazy! It’s brunch, it’s not supposed to be healthy, just fun 😊
Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake is a French toast casserole that is sweet, decadent, and finished with a wonderful homemade strawberry syrup. It was a big hit in our household and would be the perfect brunch item. I like that is has a fruit element, so it feels like you are eating a little healthier or at least getting some fruit at breakfast.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by spraying a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add ½ of the bread cubes to the baking dish. I used white bread, but brioche would also work well. Top the bread with the cubed cream cheese and 1 ½ cups of sliced strawberries. Then, add the other ½ of the bread cubes on top.
Add the half & half and eggs to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the maple syrup and blend again. Pour the mixture evenly over the baking dish.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to bake in the morning, let the baking dish sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the eggs are set.
While the French toast is baking, prepare the strawberry syrup. Add the sugar, water, and cornstarch to a saucepan. Whisk to combine and heat over medium heat until a slow boil begins. Add 1 cup of sliced strawberries and stir to combine. Continue the slow boil for about 10 minutes to allow the strawberries to soften and release their juices, and the syrup to thicken. Remove from the heat.
Once the French toast bake is done, slice and serve warm. Drizzle the strawberry syrup over the top and enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
I personally loved the flavor of the strawberry syrup and preferred it to regular maple syrup. It was light and fruity making it quite refreshing…not too sweet. But I recommend you try it with maple syrup in case that is your preference. You could also try different fruit in the recipe. I have not tried this so I’m not entirely certain how it would work out, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t use blueberries, raspberries, etc. or a combination of berries.
The final recipe is Sheet Pan Cheesy Hash Browns. These are cheesy, crispy, and perfect for a crowd! They are made on a sheet pan so you don’t have to worry about watching another pan on the stove and can bake until they are as crispy as you prefer. Any they are super easy to prepare…
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the THAWED hash browns, cheese, butter, olive oil, beaten eggs, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine, then pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the hash browns are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately, while hot. Enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
These are delicious and couldn’t be simpler to make!
There you have it folks! An easy, yet delicious weekend brunch menu, so start contacting your friends and family to see who is available for good conversations and laughter, and of course, breakfast food 😊
Happy Cooking!
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