Breakfast of Champions: Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage in a Butternut Squash, Gouda, and Herb Frittata and a Potato, Squash, and Kale Hash

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Johnsonville sausages. The opinions, words, thoughts, and ideas are 100% my own. 

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” 

                                                               - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

It turns out all I needed to break my one-year-plus blogging hiatus was an offer of some free sausage. 

Of course, when the folks at Johnsonville Sausage contacted me to find out if I'd like to create a breakfast or brunch recipe featuring their sausages to share here on Tasty Trix I went through an existential crisis and tormented myself for over a month deciding whether I would do it. ... Oh wait, that's the narrative I told myself ... to add drama.  What actually happened was, I said "yes" right away. Given that this would include two things I love - sausages and breakfast/brunch - it wasn't that hard.  And I came up with not one but two recipes for your eating pleasure. 

I should mention that as part of their campaign, Johnsonville wants to encourage parents to create kid-friendly breakfasts and get their kids involved in the kitchen. That's a great goal to be sure, but I am not, never have been, and never plan to be a parent. Cats are the maximum responsibility for another life that I desire. I do, however, have a boyfriend and I think many will agree that it's not entirely different than having a kid in many ways, so don't let my kid-free kitchen stop you from trying this out on yours if you have them - I would have scarfed this up as a child. My boyfriend and I sure did, despite being what you might call grown ups. Technically, anyway. 

Steak, Pepper & Goat Cheese Crustless Quiche {Brunch, a Plea}

I made a surprising discovery recently while doing some research for my monthly Style recipe column. The concept of brunch, which I had long supposed to be a uniquely American invention, was in fact first mentioned in print 1895 by British author Guy Beringer in the rather melodramatically-titled article "Brunch, A Plea."

He opined, "Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a post-church ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers."

A man after my own heart, this Guy. Naturally, I heartily approve of supplanting the dreary moralizing activity of churchgoing with the life-affirming pursuit of eating, especially when it's undertaken at a civilized hour, like noon. And then there's his wholehearted approval of Saturday night carousing: no puritanical guilt or whiff of self-flagellation for an evening of indulgence here. A laudably healthy attitude.

Basque (Purple) Potato Tortilla for French Fridays with Dorie

I hope you won't be disappointed that I have no ever-so-slightly off color  story or amusing anecdote for you to go along with the recipe like I did last week. No, I am afraid that this week's French Fridays with Dorie post is a relatively tame affair. But then, tameness goes along thematically with the dish itself, in my opinion.

I'm not saying that the Basque potato tortilla wasn't good. It was ... fine. Luckily I didn't follow the recipe to the letter, but instead went ahead and put in some leftover rosemary and thyme and dusted the top with some sweet paprika or I think it really would have been impossibly bland. Oh, and I used purple potatoes, as you can see. That didn't really affect the flavor but I thought they were a fun and colorful touch, don't you?

A Spicy Bloody Mary ... Because I'm Sure It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

It's Friday afternoon,  and I keep daydreaming about cocktails. Not such a strange occurrence, I assure you!  But perhaps it's the rain and the sudden chill in the air that has me already looking forward to my Sunday brunch drink.  I love  the warm kitchen, the smell of onions and frying potatoes and eggs and toast ... but most of all, I love kicking back with a good brunch cocktail.

In the spring and summer, I gravitate towards light, fizzy cooling drinks. Think pomegranate juice and Prosecco, mimosas,  or a Bellini.  But come fall I want the hearty heat of a spicy Bloody Mary.  The thick vegetable juice, the celery stick, the tangy pepperoncini - it's practically a meal in a glass!

Brunch of Champions: Scrambled Egg Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Spicy Cheese Sauce

Each Sunday, my husband makes a delicious frittata using the week's leftover vegetables. It's definitely one of my favorite brunch dishes, and part of the fun is that I just sit back and sip a mimosa or pomegranate & prosecco while Poppa chops, preps, and cooks it up.