Enjoy a Champagne Breakfast this Sunday with your family of four for less than Denny’s Grand Slam. Only $3.90 per person!

I would say Sunday morning breakfast is as American as apple pie, but that would be wrong. It is a much, much more American tradition than apple pie. (Actually, we should start a movement to change that saying. I can think of ten things off the top of my head that are more American than apple pie. Not to knock apple pie, of course. Apple pie is delicious.) When I am abroad, the one thing I miss most is an American breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, the novelty of a light breakfast of a croissant in France or fish in Japan may be a refreshing change at first, but I guarantee that after a week in another country you will begin to crave eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and all the things that make a great weekend morning breakfast in the contiguous fifty.

The weekend breakfast tradition is so ingrained in our culture that we have whole restaurant chains that thrive off of breakfast alone. Unfortunately, I fear too many people are finding their weekend breakfasts at these chains.  I am here to tell you, you can have a better tasting, healthier breakfast at home for less money, including a refreshing mimosa. (Not that I want to single-handedly destroy the American economy. Eating out once in a while is fine. Although, maybe check out the more locally owned and ran restaurants? They often have better deals and better food. Use Yelp if you are worried about taking a risk. Their reviews will make sure you are finding a tasty meal. More on yelp later.)

First it must be said that I am picky about my pancakes. I was raised on buttermilk pancakes made from scratch and now I find that while most people are satisfied by bisquick pancakes, they’re just to dry and cakey to satisfy my occasional craving for griddle cakes.  I have recently found a dry mix that satisfies me for a tenth of the price and effort of my Mom’s pancakes.  Trader Joe’s makes a Buttermilk Pancake mix for $1.99! (I know I talk a lot about Trader Joe’s and while they are easy to find out here on the west coast, I know some people may not find them as accessible. If you know of any good dry mixes in your neck of the woods, please post them below.)

We topped the pancakes with strawberries (which have gone on sale for 99 cents during strawberry season her in Southern California,) lime butter, and whipped cream. But pancakes were not enough for a feast, so we also wanted some scrambled eggs and sausages.  We bought some eggs and some bleu cheese to add a slightly special taste to the eggs. Bleu cheese is also a great counterpoint to both the champagne and the strawberries. And we bought Jones All Natural Light Sausages on sale two for four dollars. These sausages prove that the word “light” is not always a dirty word in cooking.  I like these sausages better than many…let’s say…full fat sausages. Also, I cannot tell the difference between light whipped cream and regular, so I grabbed that as well. We also bought orange juice and an affordable Cava for $4.99 to make mimosas for everyone.

Now, there isn’t really a recipe for this breakfast, but here are the basic instructions for what Jodie and I made for our Champagne Breakfast:

Pancakes

1 package pancake mix (We used Trader Joe’s Buttermilk mix, but I also like pancake mix from bulk containers if you have a store that still sells dry goods this way. Henry’s Market is a locally owned store that sells in this fashion.)

2 eggs (or follow the ingredients listed on your pancake mix)

1 small clamshell of strawberries

¼ cup lime butter (recipe follows)

whipped cream

canola or vegetable oil

1. Make pancake batter as directed on package. Refrigerate if you are not going to use right away.
2. Rinse strawberries. Remove green tops, and half lengthwise.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Brush the skillet with oil. Pour pancake batter onto skillet in desired size (about two inches in diameter for the classic pancake stack.) When the batter begins to form bubbles all over the top of the batter, flip the griddlecake with a spatula. Cook on this side another minute or two and then remove to a plate.
4. Serve 3 pancakes, stacked, topped with lime butter, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Lime Butter

Basically this is 2 parts butter, 1 part sugar, and ½ part (if you can say that) lime juice

¼ cup butter

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. lime juice

zest from the same lime (optional)

1. Soften the butter. (Preferably by leaving the butter out for a half hour, but you can also soften the butter in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. Do not allow the butter to melt.
2. Mix in sugar, juice, and optional zest. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Scrambled Eggs

Here is how I make my scrambled eggs, but follow whatever recipe you like best. Just add bleu cheese in at the end.

6 eggs (I always use 1 egg per person and add 2. It seems to always work out to a perfect portion per person. Well, at least when you are serving under 10 people.)

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp milk (this is very approximate)

2 Tbsp bleu cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Crack eggs into a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, and add 3 small splashes of milk. Using a fork, whisk egg mixture until well blended.
2. Melt butter in a pan.  Add egg mixture. Stir the eggs occasionally with a wooden spoon as they cook. (Everyone likes their eggs differently. I prefer mine very fluffy, so I stir the eggs a lot to get small “curds” of eggs. If you prefer a more diner style, let the eggs cook longer and stir only a few times toward the end of cooking.)
3. Add bleu cheese as the eggs finish firming up. Remove eggs from flame and serve immediately. (Again, everyone likes their eggs cooked to a different degree. Eggs are completely safe if left a little runny if you prefer them that way, or you may cook them “hard” if you prefer the eggs cooked well. I like my scrambled eggs somewhere in the middle.)

Sausages

1 package frozen Jones All Natural Light Sausages (or your favorite affordable sausages)

1. Cook the sausage according to the directions on the package. Serve immediately.

Mimosas

1 bottle sparkling white wine (Cava, Proseco, Sparkling Chardonnay, Champagne, etc.)

Orange Juice

1. Pour champagne glass ¾ full of sparkling wine. Add orange juice to fill the glass. Enjoy cold.

Accounting

Buttermilk Pancake Mix (1/2 package @ $1.99) $1.00 + Strawberries $.99 + light whipped cream (1/2 bottle @ $1.99) $1.00 + 1 box Jones light sausages $2.00 + 1 package of cage free eggs $2.29 + ½ carton of crumbled bleu cheese (@$2.99) $1.50 + ¼ carton of orange juice (@ $1.99) $1.00 + Cava from Trader Joe’s $4.99 + 1 lime $.33 + 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter $.50 = $15.61

÷4 people

$3.90 per person!

Notes

While I didn’t use nearly half the pancake mix, whipped cream, or bleu cheese, I added that much to the accounting to keep the price as fair as possible. I also added butter to the accounting even though I often consider it a kitchen basic, because so much is used in this recipe.

Kitchen Basics Used:

Canola or vegetable oil, sugar, milk, salt and pepper

Please comment below and share the sales in markets in your area!