Breakfast and Brunch Dishes
Western Omelet Casserole
Mary Louise Martin, Boyd, WI
Jan Mast, Lancaster, PA
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
32-oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes, divided
1 lb. cooked ham, cubed, divided
1 medium onion, diced, divided
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
18 eggs
1½ cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1. Layer one-third each of frozen potatoes, ham, onion, and cheese in bottom of slow cooker. Repeat 2 times.
2. Beat together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour over mixture in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
Note:
This is a great breakfast, served along with orange juice and fresh fruit.
Eggs ’n’ Spinach
Shirley Unternahrer
Wayland, IA
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
1 lb. sausage with bacon (Farmland offers this)
1½ 10-oz. pkgs. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
⅓ cup, plus 2 Tbsp., grated Parmesan cheese, divided
8 eggs
⅛ tsp. black pepper, ground or cracked
1. Sauté sausage with bacon in skillet until browned. Drain off half the drippings.
2. Coat interior of slow cooker with cooking spray. Place sausage and reserved drippings in slow cooker.
3. Stir spinach into slow cooker.
4. Stir in ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.
5. Break eggs directly onto mixture in slow cooker. Be careful not to break yolks. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours, or on Low up to 8 hours (you can turn it on right before you go to bed).
7. Sprinkle with pepper and 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese before serving.
Sue Hamilton
Minooka, IL
Makes 4-5 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
3 cups milk
5½-oz. box au gratin potatoes
1 tsp. hot sauce
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Combine milk, au gratin-sauce packet, hot sauce, eggs, and mustard in slow cooker until well blended.
2. Stir in dried potatoes, drained mushrooms, and bacon.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2½-3 hours, or on Low 5-6 hours.
4. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover and let stand a few minutes until cheese melts.
Apple Oatmeal
Sheila Plock
Boalsburg, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
3-4 apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter
½ cup walnuts
3 cups uncooked rolled oats
6 cups milk
1. Layer apples in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
3. Dot with butter.
4. Scatter walnuts evenly over top.
5. Layer oatmeal over fruit and nuts.
6. Pour milk over oatmeal. Stir together until well blended.
7. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.
Note:
Wake up to the smell of freshly baked apple pie!
Slow-Cooker Oatmeal
Betty B. Dennison
Grove City, PA
Makes 2 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½-qt.
1 cup uncooked rolled oats
2 cups water
salt
⅓-½ cup raisins
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours.
3. Eat warm with milk and brown sugar.
Barbara Forrester Landis
Lititz, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
4 cups liquid – milk, water, or combination of the two
1. Combine all dry ingredients in slow cooker. Stir well.
2. Pour in liquid ingredient(s). Mix together well.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2½ hours or on Low 5-6 hours.
Variation:
If you wish, substitute fresh or dried blueberries, or raisins, for the dried cranberries.
Fruit and Grains Breakfast Cereal
Jean Butzer
Batavia, NY
Katrina Eberly
Wernersville, PA
Makes 10 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
5 cups water
2 cups uncooked whole-grain cereal of your choice
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped dates
2-4 Tbsp. maple syrup, according to your preference for sweetness
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 6-7 hours, or until fruits and grain are as soft as you like them.
Note:
This hearty breakfast dish reminds me of the old-fashioned oatmeal that was a winter staple in our country kitchen many years ago. My dad would put it on to cook before he went to the barn to milk cows. It would be cooked to perfection by the time he was done with chores and ready for breakfast.
Jean Butzer
Batavia, NY
Our local historical museum hosts an annual “Wonderland of Trees,” inviting organizations to decorate a tree for display. Our quilt guild decorates one with homemade fabric ornaments and fabric garlands. A kitchen shop uses kitchen notions—whisks, measuring spoons, etc. The garden club does one in a gardening theme. There are usually 20-30 trees on display from November through December for the public to enjoy.
Jean Butzer, Batavia, NY
Rosemarie Fitzgerald
Gibsonia, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Soaking Time: 8 hours
Cooking Time: 10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 cup dry wheatberries
5 cups water
butter
milk
honey
1. Rinse and sort berries. Cover with water and soak 8 hours in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low overnight (or up to 10 hours).
3. Drain, if needed. Serve hot with honey, milk, and butter.
Variation:
Eat your hot wheatberries with raisins and maple syrup as a variation.
Note:
Wheatberries can also be used in pilafs or grain salads. Cook as indicated, drain, and cool.
Mexican-Style Grits
Mary Sommerfeld
Lancaster, PA
Makes 10-12 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1½ cups instant grits
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 4-oz. cans diced chilies, drained
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, cut in chunks
1. Prepare grits according to package directions.
2. Stir in cheese, garlic powder, and chilies, until cheese is melted.
3. Stir in butter. Pour into greased slow cooker.
4. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or on Low 4-6 hours.
Cornmeal Mush
Betty Hostetler
Allensville, PA
Makes 15-18 servings
Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
2 cups cornmeal
2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
6 cups hot water
2 sticks (½ lb.) butter, optional
1. Combine cornmeal, salt, and cold water in greased slow cooker.
2. Stir in hot water, stirring until well blended.
3. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour. Stir well. Cook on Low 3-4 hours. (Or cook on Low 5-6 hours, stirring once every hour during the first 2 hours.)
4. Serve hot with butter alongside for those who want to add a chunk to their individual servings. Or serve warm with milk and syrup.
Variations:
1. Pour cooked cornmeal mush into loaf pans. Chill until set (several hours or overnight). Cut into ½”-thick slices.
2. Dredge each slice in flour. Melt butter in large skillet. Fry slices in butter, being careful not to crowd the skillet or mush will steam and not brown. When the first side is well browned, flip each slice to brown the other side.
3. Serve slices for breakfast with maple syrup, bacon, sausage, or ham and eggs.
4. Mush is much like polenta. It is also delicious topped with chili for a lunch or supper.
Note:
When we lived on the farm, Mother would prepare boiled mush for the evening meal.
The rest she poured into pans and fried for supper the next evening. I adapted this recipe for the slow cooker several years ago when Mother was living with us and I needed to go to work.
Breakfast Apple Cobbler
Anona M. Teel
Bangor, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.
8 medium apples, cored, peeled, sliced
¼ cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
2 cups granola
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 7-9 hours (while you sleep), or on High 2-3 hours (after you’re up in the morning).
Hot Applesauce Breakfast
Colleen Konetzni
Rio Rancho, NM
Makes 8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
10 apples, peeled and sliced
½-1 cup sugar, according to the sweetness of the apples and your taste preference
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours (while you’re asleep?).
Serving suggestion: This is yummy over oatmeal or mixed with vanilla yogurt. Or serve it over pancakes or waffles.
Variation:
Add chopped nuts for an extra treat, either before cooking or before serving.
Breakfast Prunes
Jo Haberkamp
Fairbank, IA
Makes 6 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
2 cups orange juice
¼ cup orange marmalade
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup water
12-oz. pkg. pitted dried prunes (1¾ cups)
2 thin lemon slices
1. Combine orange juice, marmalade, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and water in slow cooker.
2. Stir in prunes and lemon slices.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours, or overnight.
4. Serve warm as a breakfast food, or warm or chilled as a side dish with a meal later in the day.
Variation:
If you prefer more citrus flavor, eliminate the ground cloves and reduce the cinnamon to ½ tsp. and the nutmeg to ⅛ tsp.
Jean Butzer
Batavia, NY
Makes 3 loaves
Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold 3 cans upright
3 16-oz. vegetable cans, cleaned and emptied
½ cup rye flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins
1 cup buttermilk*
⅓ cup molasses
1. Spray insides of vegetable cans, and one side of 3 6”-square pieces of foil, with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine rye flour, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Stir in walnuts and raisins.
4. Whisk together buttermilk and molasses in a separate bowl. Add to dry ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Spoon into prepared cans.
5. Place one piece of foil, greased side down, on top of each can. Secure foil with rubberbands or cotton string. Place upright in slow cooker.
6. Pour boiling water into slow cooker to come halfway up sides of cans. (Make sure foil tops do not touch boiling water).
7. Cover cooker. Cook on Low 4 hours, or until skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean.
8. To remove bread, lay cans on their sides. Roll and tap gently on all sides until bread releases. Cool completely on wire racks.
9. Serve with butter or cream cheese.
* To substitute for buttermilk, pour 1 Tbsp. lemon juice into a 1-cup measure. Add enough milk to fill the cup. Let stand 5 minutes before mixing with molasses.
Dulce de Leche (Sweet Milk)
Dorothy Horst
Tiskilwa, IL
Makes 2½ cups
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold 2 cans upright
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
1. Place unopened cans of milk in slow cooker. Fill cooker with warm water so that it comes above the cans by 1½-2 inches.
2. Cover cooker. Cook on High 2 hours.
3. Cool unopened cans.
4. When opened, the contents should be thick and spreadable. Use as a filling between 2 cookies or crackers.
Note:
When on a tour in Argentina, we were served this at breakfast time as a spread on toast or thick slices of bread. We were also presented with a container of prepared Dulce de Leche as a parting gift to take home. This dish sometimes appears on Mexican menus.