Since deciding to really work on my writing, I’ve disciplined myself to write at least three pages every morning- which leaves me less time to prepare the sort of fancy breakfasts my husband and I love. I’ve made night-before breakfast puddings, of course, and have a bag of croissants in the freezer, ready to pop into the oven for some buttery morning bliss. But I wanted something different- and remembered one of my favorite dishes when I was traveling Spain as a Vegetarian (!): Tortilla de Patatas.

At first, I thought Tortilla had something to do with the corn chips- and what a delight it was to discover that it was actually a thick omelette, filled with something delicious. Like fried potatoes.

I make this the night before, and don’t bother to heat it up, because my husband likes his cold, with lots of tomato ketchup. But by all means, give it a few minutes in the oven if you want it hot.

Oh, and these are perfect for other times of the day as well- like lunch, dinner, or as some late-night tapas.

Tortilla de Patatas
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4-5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
salt & pepper to taste
4 large eggs

First, cook the potatoes: heat the olive oil in a skillet over low to medium, and cook potatoes slowly. Do NOT fry them, you’re not making hash browns here. You want the potatoes cooked and soft, but not mushy. Drain, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes to the eggs, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Heat more olive oil in a large skillet, and pour the egg-potato mixture in. Shake pan around to prevent sticking and get it evenly cooked… after a few seconds, when the bottom is cooked and firm, flip. Cook until golden brown.

Have I finally reached my limit on breakfast food related posts, dear readers? I hope not, because today I want to post about what we’ve been having for breakfast around here for the past month: fresh blueberries.

On their own, blueberries are awesome, of course- not only are they considered one of the top “superfoods” nutritionally, they’ve got a flavor all their own, sweet and berry-esque and juicy and delicious. However, lately we’ve been having them in 2 amazing ways- which I share with you today:

Blueberry Smoothies

Hooray for breakfast smoothies! Take 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 cup milk (or soy milk, if you roll that way), 1/4 cup plain yogurt, and 3 tablespoons sugar, and whizz in a blender. Add ice if it’s a hot day. Pour into 2 large glasses, and dot with extra fresh blueberries.

Blueberry French Toast

I realize that French Toast, when prepared correctly, is perfect on its own (with some maple syrup, of course). But if you have some fresh blueberries around, try tossing in a few tablespoons per toast. Do it just before frying, so the blueberries are still a little crunchy and juicy. Heaven.

For the past few days, all my local stores, supermarkets and groceries have been out of cream cheese. And by that I mean those regular blocks, not that “whipped” or onion and chive-flavored stuff. I can only attribute this to the fact that Christmas will be here in four days (!), which apparently has sent everyone on a cheesecake-making frenzy.

Now, cheesecake doesn’t figure in my home-based bakeshop repertoire, but I do buy loads of the gorgeous white stuff- many times to make my perfect cream cheese frosting, but mostly just to slather on a slice of bread and go.

Which brings me to today’s recipe, which takes the cream-cheese-on-a-piece-of-toast idea a step further. And what a step it is. Once you’ve made this for your family’s breakfast, be warned: they will beg you for it over and over again. Since it’s so easy to make (it’s done overnight!), that won’t be a problem, of course:

Overnight Cream Cheese French Toast

4 thick slices bread, cubed
1 8oz. package cream cheese, cubed
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup whole or skim milk
8 teaspoons real maple syrup (pancake syrup will do in a pinch, really)
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional if you like nuts)

Liberally butter a 9″x13″ casserole dish. Place a layer of half of the bread cubes in the bottom. Over this, scatter all the cream cheese cubes- then add the other half of bread cubes on top.

In a measuring cup, combine eggs, milk and maple syrup. Mix well. Pour over the casserole. Cover well and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350. Sprinkle the casserole with nuts (if using), and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until it looks nice and lightly golden.

Serve with more maple syrup, and some good butter.

As a child, I had porridge every day- certainly a bowl for breakfast, and oftentimes another bowl as an afternoon snack. Recently, I’ve discovered Kasha, buckwheat groats that are very similar to oatmeal, but taste a little different. Good different. Know what knishes are? I love knishes- and no wonder: they’re traditionally filled with Kasha.

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and before the gluttony begins, I thought I’d share a nice, healthy recipe for Kasha with you. This is my favorite way to cook it:

1 cup buckwheat Kasha
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, dry-toast the Kasha for a few minutes, just until it darkens a little. Remove to a bowl, and set aside.

In the same saucepan, add the water, salt and butter, and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the Kasha. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about ten minutes, or until it thickens and the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat off, and leave it in the pan for about five minutes more.

Fluff with a fork, and serve!

It should be obvious by now that I’m a breakfast person through and through. Never mind that I’m never up in time for breakfast, I’ll take breakfast food over other types of food nearly every time… whatever time that might be. On lovely, lazy days, when I have a bit more time on my hands, I like to whip up a batch of these muffins for breakfast. They’re quick and easy, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Make these, and have a beautiful morning:

Sweet Breakfast Muffins Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 400F, and lightly spray a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, using a large whisk, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until well-incorporated. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a large measuring cup or bowl, stir the egg, milk and melted butter (or oil) together. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, stirring VERY lightly, just until moistened. It will be lumpy- that’s fine.

Scoop or spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling up to 2/3rds full only. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, checking often.

Let cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.