Christmas breakfast

[Ashful]

With our oldest at age 4, we're just getting into the swing of those special childhood Christmas mornings. Last year was really our first, in which our son was old enough to really get into the whole ceremony of things.

I remember my family's Christmas mornings, as a kid. We would spend Christmas eve at church and an old neighbor's annual open house, not necessarily in that order (our church had their last service at 11pm - midnight), and get home very late. Us kids would be sent to bed, and wake up early... like before 6am early. Of course we never knew it, but my parents must have stayed up until at least 3am, arranging what always appeared to be truckloads of presents around the tree. Our parents would make us stay in our beds as long as they could, trying to get that last wink of shut-eye themselves, but we'd always be downstairs by 7am. We'd spend a few hours opening gifts (there were 7 of us), and then eventually mom would get around to making a big breakfast, before the rounds of guests started rolling in (grandparents, aunts, uncles...).

We're just trying to figure out our own routine, now. One thing we haven't really done right is breakfast. My wife's too tired to do it, and while I am usually the pancake and waffle cook in the house, she doesn't want me making a mess with guests on the way (two rounds of grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). What to do?

I've thought about getting take-out, like picking up some pastries and meats the night before. Perhaps there's some business that does Christmas breakfast delivery, which I don't know about (if there's not, there should be!). Then I got to wondering... what do the rest of you do, when the kids are young, and Christmas mornings are wonderfully hectic?

 

[begreen]

WTH Joful, it's not even Thanksgiving. I'll be thinking about Christmas a few days before and no sooner.

 

[Ashful]

I'll be thinking about Christmas a few days before and no sooner.

You clearly don't have a 4 year old boy in the house! He started asking about Christmas on the way home from the fireworks display on July 4.

 

[Grisu]

You clearly don't have a 4 year old boy in the house! He started asking about Christmas on the way home from the fireworks display on July 4.

Yes, ours also seem to be ahead by at least one or two holidays. I was recently asked when it is Easter again.

Our families live far away so the holidays are rather quiet. Nevertheless, a dish that I like to make and that is essentially no work in the morning is a make-ahead french toast. Since I cannot find the exact recipe online anymore here it goes:

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 Tablespoons maple syrup (real; grade A dark amber or B works best)
5 eggs
1.5 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 baguette, challah or (not quite as tasty) toast

Melt butter in small pot, add maple syrup, stir in brown sugar and let slightly boil briefly. Pour in 9"x13" baking dish.
Cut bread in slices, arrange in baking dish.
Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract. Pour mixture over bread. Push bread down with fork that it is well soaked with the egg mixture. Cover dish with aluminium foil and keep in fridge overnight.
Next morning set oven to 350 F, put the dish in right away. After oven has reached temp wait 10 min, then uncover. Bake for another 15 to 20 min.

We serve it with cut-up fruit which for the most part can also be prepared the evening before.

 

[Augie]

Egg bake is even easier, prep it a few days before, don't cook it, but toss it in the freezer. After church services pull it out pop it in the oven and let it defrost overnight. It will still be a bit frozen in the middle when the oven kicks on so adjust cooking time as needed, set the oven timer for say 8am breakfast is about an hour after the oven comes on. So breakfast before presents start oven at 6am, adjust accordingly. There are many egg bake recipes out there here is one. PM me if you would like more info, I do these for everything from weekend skit trips,make one up for every day at the cabin, to having one in the freezer ready to go almost at all times just incase I end up having people, or person, spending the night.

Here is one
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/brunch-egg-bake-2/

 

[Ehouse]

With our oldest at age 4, we're just getting into the swing of those special childhood Christmas mornings. Last year was really our first, in which our son was old enough to really get into the whole ceremony of things.

I remember my family's Christmas mornings, as a kid. We would spend Christmas eve at church and an old neighbor's annual open house, not necessarily in that order (our church had their last service at 11pm - midnight), and get home very late. Us kids would be sent to bed, and wake up early... like before 6am early. Of course we never knew it, but my parents must have stayed up until at least 3am, arranging what always appeared to be truckloads of presents around the tree. Our parents would make us stay in our beds as long as they could, trying to get that last wink of shut-eye themselves, but we'd always be downstairs by 7am. We'd spend a few hours opening gifts (there were 7 of us), and then eventually mom would get around to making a big breakfast, before the rounds of guests started rolling in (grandparents, aunts, uncles...).

We're just trying to figure out our own routine, now. One thing we haven't really done right is breakfast. My wife's too tired to do it, and while I am usually the pancake and waffle cook in the house, she doesn't want me making a mess with guests on the way (two rounds of grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). What to do?

I've thought about getting take-out, like picking up some pastries and meats the night before. Perhaps there's some business that does Christmas breakfast delivery, which I don't know about (if there's not, there should be!). Then I got to wondering... what do the rest of you do, when the kids are young, and Christmas mornings are wonderfully hectic?

Gobble up all the leftover Halloween candy!

 

[FanMan]

My family's Christmas breakfast was always a Christmas stollen, ordered in advance from a local Jewish (go figure) bakery. Pop it in the oven and serve it warm with butter, mmmmm. My wife's family always made hot cross buns... so naturally now we have to have both.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

You clearly don't have a 4 year old boy in the house! He started asking about Christmas on the way home from the fireworks display on July 4.

Nothing wrong with that, I have a wife that started the countdown for the next x-mas the day after the last one.

 

[firefighterjake]

When we were youngsters and growing up in a family that was poor middle-class (didn't know that then) . . . and we were pretty jazzed up about opening the gifts . . . an orange in the stocking and a Pop-Tart was enough for us.

These days my wife and I have made it a tradition to have cinnamon buns . . . although I cheat and just buy the buns in a can from the store.

 

[Paul L]

Kahlua and coffee. The parents deserve it and the kids don't care about eating.

You're welcome.

 

[firebroad]

If your kids like pancakes, you can make them ahead and freeze them. Then on Christmas morning, pop them in the oven on a baking sheet (lined with foil for no clean-up) or put them in the toaster oven.
Reminds me of a story of my own--
I always had a big breakfast for Yule, eggs, potatoes, bacon sausage, etc for my family. After my husband passed and my daughter moved away, my mother would come to visit, so I started having the breakfast again, which she loved, because she usually ate out at restaurants. One year we went to visit the daughter afterwards, and Mom excaimed, "Oh, we just had the most WONDERFUL breakfast!" to which my daughter inquired, "Really? Where did you go?" Kinda deflated my vanity.

 

[Jags]

Mmmmmm...cinnamon buns.....

 

[Delta-T]

we too are cimmanin buns on xmas morning people. Santa always.....ALWAYS brings my son a can of sardines, which he loves to eat on xmas morning (gross I know...but he just lights up at sardines, too much fun).

 

[mass_burner]

we too are cimmanin buns on xmas morning people. Santa always.....ALWAYS brings my son a can of sardines, which he loves to eat on xmas morning (gross I know...but he just lights up at sardines, too much fun).

that's weird, my 7yr old tried a bite off my plate of sardines the other day and almost ate the whole plate. i had to open up another can. i didn't see that coming.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

I didn't see this coming either, sardine talk on x-mas morning

 

[firebroad]

we too are cimmanin buns on xmas morning people. Santa always.....ALWAYS brings my son a can of sardines, which he loves to eat on xmas morning (gross I know...but he just lights up at sardines, too much fun).

I didn't see this coming either, sardine talk on x-mas morning

Well, the Brits eat kippers for brekkie, so why not? Hmmm--cinnimon buns with sardines--gotta try that one.

 

[BrotherBart]

Well, the Brits eat kippers for brekkie,

Me too.

 

[mass_burner]

Me too.

I'm partial to smoked Salmon. Another Christmas favorite in the Netherlands?

 

[BrotherBart]

When I would sit down in a restaurant in England for breakfast invariably the snooty waiters would say "Ham and eggs I presume?" and I would say "No. Kippers and eggs over easy Old Stick." Always surprised them.

 

[BrotherBart]

Another Christmas favorite in the Netherlands?

Yeah. But that mayo on their French Fries!

 

[tfdchief]

With our oldest at age 4, we're just getting into the swing of those special childhood Christmas mornings. Last year was really our first, in which our son was old enough to really get into the whole ceremony of things.

I remember my family's Christmas mornings, as a kid. We would spend Christmas eve at church and an old neighbor's annual open house, not necessarily in that order (our church had their last service at 11pm - midnight), and get home very late. Us kids would be sent to bed, and wake up early... like before 6am early. Of course we never knew it, but my parents must have stayed up until at least 3am, arranging what always appeared to be truckloads of presents around the tree. Our parents would make us stay in our beds as long as they could, trying to get that last wink of shut-eye themselves, but we'd always be downstairs by 7am. We'd spend a few hours opening gifts (there were 7 of us), and then eventually mom would get around to making a big breakfast, before the rounds of guests started rolling in (grandparents, aunts, uncles...).

We're just trying to figure out our own routine, now. One thing we haven't really done right is breakfast. My wife's too tired to do it, and while I am usually the pancake and waffle cook in the house, she doesn't want me making a mess with guests on the way (two rounds of grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). What to do?

I've thought about getting take-out, like picking up some pastries and meats the night before. Perhaps there's some business that does Christmas breakfast delivery, which I don't know about (if there's not, there should be!). Then I got to wondering... what do the rest of you do, when the kids are young, and Christmas mornings are wonderfully hectic?

Oh this sounds so familiar.

 

[Ehouse]

Yeah. But that mayo on their French Fries!

Ja, and malt vinegar on 'em for the Brits, Old Stick!

 

[BrotherBart]

The worst is breakfast anywhere in Europe but the UK. You can only eat cold cereal, fruit and cold cuts so many times before ya just gotta have something hot and greasy. I used to come off the plane running for a restaurant in Heathrow for a nice greasy English breakfast after a week of "Continental" (bloody awful).

Never had fries there though.

 

[begreen]

We stayed on a farm outside of Edam last time we were in the Netherlands. The breakfast was huge. No cold cuts it was their own sausage, turkey and ham from the farm. And with all the fruits, eggs, breads and hot cereal there were slabs of great local cheese.

 

[Ehouse]

I remember a big difference between a city breakfast and a country breakfast. In Holland it was something that sounded like Ouitsmater, Denmark was Pittipana, ( diced pork and taters with 2 fried eggs on top); Sweden was blood pudding (yum!) with eggs and Lingonberries.