Marathoner's Breakfast!

This weekend I had our current Team in Training marathon participants over for breakfast after our long run! After our long runs we love to go out for a big breakfast to local restaurants and replenish with carbs and protein for all of the calories we burned. This weekend I wanted to host everyone over to my house for a celebratory feast! People ran anywhere from 8-20 miles so I knew they were going to be HUNGRY afterward! It was a COLD COLD morning starting out at 5:00AM, temps in the low 30s! But we all survived and loaded up on some carbs once we finished! Here are 3 of the recipes that I made for breakfast, the Blueberry Baked Oatmeal was the favorite by all!

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (recipe from Southern Living Feb 2007)

Ingredients

2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 (18 oz) container regular oats
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

• Toss 2 cups blueberries in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and spread evenly on bottom of lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
• Combine oats, next 9 ingredients, and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Pour oat mixture evenly over blueberries.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 more minutes or until golden brown and set.

Praline French Toast Casserole (recipe from Paula Deen & Friends cookbook)

Ingredients

8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
10 to 12 slices soft bread, 1 inch thick

Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

• Generously butter a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
• Mix the eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup, and sugar in a large bowl. Place the bread slices in the prepared casserole dish and cover with the egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator.
• Make the topping: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugar and maple syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture over the bread and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake (Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking Cookbook)

Ingredients

For the streusel filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the batter:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
• To make the streusel filling, in a small bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or fork, mix until crumbly. Set the streusel aside.
• To make the batter, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Using a mixer, in a large bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium-low speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the sour cream and mix on low speed just until the batter is blended and almost smooth.
• Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the rubber spatula. Sprinkle evenly with half the streusel filling. Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Hope you ENJOY these 3 yummy recipes!