It’s called “breakfast” because it means “breaking the fast.”
I don’t know how people get through the morning without breakfast. There are about five to seven hours between the other two meals (lunch and dinner), but there are about 10-12 hours between dinner and breakfast. I personally couldn’t make it another five or six until noon.
Breakfast is not the same for everyone, and here are the menus for several levels of breakfast, according to Juanita:
— Extra light (and this one is hardly worth getting up for): Juice (or fruit) and coffee.
— Light: Fruit or juice; cereal, donuts, muffin or coffeecake; and coffee.
— Medium: Fruit or juice; bacon, sausage or ham; eggs; toast; and coffee.
— Heavy: Fruit or juice; sausage, ham or bacon; grits; eggs; toast; and coffee.
— Extra heavy: Fruit or juice; bacon, sausage or ham; grits or hashbrowns; eggs, pancakes or waffles (with syrup and butter); and coffee.
If you don’t like coffee, drink hot tea or milk.
For the breakfast meats, change from the ham, sausage and bacon to country ham, pork chops, fried catfish, scrapple or hangtown fry.
For the bread part of the meal choose among sliced bread, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, popovers, hot rolls, or Sally Lund.
Vary the eggs by serving them poached, fried or scrambled.
Try serving something over toast or hot biscuits. The “something” can be sausage gravy, creamed chipped beef, creamed eggs, etc.
You need the vitamin C of orange juice and it’s good, but vary the “juice or fruit” part of breakfast by serving baked or fried apples, stewed apricots, stewed prunes, diced cantaloupe, etc.
Don’t forget the condiments to go with the hot biscuits or rolls. Try jelly, jam, preserves, conserves, marmalades, butter, cream cheese, etc.
Here are two regional recipes served at breakfast. Both have been around a long time and, consequently, there is as much variation in their preparation as there is in making potato salad. The first is running over with South Carolina, and it’s good.
So eat a good breakfast Sunday morning and you won’t be hungry again until it’s time for … Sunday Dinner.
Hangtown Fry
1 pint medium-sized oysters
1 egg
1 cup fine saltine cracker crumbs
8 eggs
Flour
1 tablespoon milk
6 tablespoons butter
¾ teaspoon salt, pinch of pepper
Beat the one egg slightly with the milk.
Drain and dry the oysters, then dredge them with flour. Dip them in the egg mixture, roll in the fine cracker crumbs and let dry about 15 minutes.
Beat the 8 eggs, add salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the oysters, browning them lightly on both sides. Pour on the beaten eggs, stir once or twice, then allow to cook until done.
Turn them carefully onto a serving plate, folding them like an omelet or, using a pan or plate, turn the eggs over to brown on the other side. Serves 6.
Creamed Eggs
10 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup light cream or milk
6 slices buttered (or not) toast
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Hard-cook the eggs. Make a cream sauce by melting butter in skillet over medium heat. Add flour and blend. Add cream, stir, add salt and pepper, and cook on low heat about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Peel eggs, dice the whites and combine with the cream sauce. Pour over toast. Press egg yolks through a sieve over the creamed eggs. Sprinkle parsley on top. Serves 6.