Last winter, Restaurants & Institutions Magazine published an article outlining their predictions for the major food trends of 2010. One of their predictions was that eggs would be the new bacon. I thought they were crazy. Who would ever pass up bacon - especially if only to replace it with an egg? Pure silliness.

I should have given them more credit. It pains me to say it, but I'm a bit baconed out. And I'm finding eggs - poached, fried, or baked with their quivering yolks - completely irresistable. Which might explain why as I was thumbing through Michael Symon's cookbook the other day, the crab tater tots caught my eye. I thought they would go beautifully with a softly poached egg.

I bought all of the ingredients but as the week wore on, I thought about it more and more and the dish became more about the eggs than the tots. Plus, they seemed like more work than I wanted to invest in them: boil the potatoes, mash the potatoes, fry the tots. So the dish evolved. I used many of the same ingredients and emerge from the kitchen with the recipe reinvented as a quick and easy crab hash. That took a quarter of the time to make and is healthier since its not fried. And that was delicious topped with a poached egg. [...]

When I was really little, we would go to my grandparents house for Easter. At breakfast, they always had this really good bread called babka. I had forgotten all about it until a few years ago, when something triggered the memory. I went searching for some, but I could only find one bakery that had them and it was way more than I wanted to pay. Ever since, I've looked for them each year at Easter to no avail. This year, I decided I would just make my own already. A quick search of the internet showed me that this was easier said than done - recipes were few and far between, they seemed to have crazy differences (some had tons of sugar and few eggs, others few eggs and tons of sugar), and most recipes seemed like they would feed an army.

  

I know I just posted a breakfast recipe a few days ago, but I've been loving weekend breakfasts lately! You may have noticed that in my post about waffles, I wrote that we've been having them almost every weekend. The rest of the time, we've been eating these baked eggs. We're pretty much obsessed with them - they're so good! And so easy to make! As much as i love breakfast, I never really feel like cooking in the morning. The great part about these is that there really isn't much "cooking" that needs to be done: no standing over the stove, no measuring. Just throw them in the oven, set the timer, and a few minutes later you have a delicious breakfast. (If you can conjure the energy to cook a few slices of bacon, you're really set!)

Plus there's something so beautiful about eggshells. They never fail to make me smile. Any day that starts with something so beautiful can never be bad. [....]

Buying Shawn a waffle iron for Christmas may have been one of the best things that I've ever done. We've wanted one for a while, but were hesitant because people kept telling us that we would never use it and it would ust take up precious cabinet space. Well, guess what? They were all wrong. We've been making waffles just about every weekend since we got it.

There's something about a homemade waffle that just doesn't compare to the frozen version. If you've ever ordered one at a diner you know what I'm talking about - they have that beautiful crispy exterior that gives way to a fluffy, light interior. These buttermilk waffles are perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast, or for a weeknight dinner. I like to make extras, which I reheat in the toaster for weekday breakfasts.

There are so many waffle recipes out there that it can be a little overwhelming. Cornmeal waffles, yeast waffles, chocolate waffles...the options are limitless. But my favorite are these buttermilk waffles, which call for whipped egg whites. They're the closest that I've found to the diner waffles that I love so much. I think the whipped eggs result in an extra light and fluffy center.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk toppings. Syrup is a classic, but I don't like to use too much since it can be so sweet. For these, I used just a drizzle of real maple syrup and some bananas that I sauteed with a little bit of grand marnier. The creaminess of the bananas was a really nice contrast to the tender-crisp texture of the waffle itself. As another alternative, I really like these waffles topped with a little bit of raspberry preserves. [....]

For those of you who are still too intimidated to try your hand at bagels (I promise they're not as hard as you'd think!), here's another great breakfast that you can make ahead of time - granola!

I've been flat-out obsessed with making my own granola lately. In addition to tasting great, it travels well so I've been eating it with yogurt for breakfast pretty much every weekday. I've already been through thee huge batches since I started making it earlier this fall! I've made each batch slightly different, while following the same general formula... until the last time. I was halfway through when I realized that I was almost out of oats! I mixed the last of what I had in and hoped that the higher honey to oat concentration would work. Best. Mistake. Ever! The extra honey really shines through and lends a great flavor without being too sticky or sweet, while pecans and raisins add texture.

Since honey is the predominant flavor here, you'll want to use something that's high-quality. I used a darkly colored wild honey from Germany that I picked up on a whim. I wouldn't be able to even begin to tell you where to find the same kind, but I would use a dark/ amber honey. You should be able to find a decent on in any grocery store.

Once you have the basic oat/ honey combination down, you can really experiment with any other mix-ins that you want. If you don't like pecans and raisins, how about dried cranberries and walnuts? Or coconut and macadamia nuts? The combinations are endless.

Since granola is relatively calorie-dense, I like to balance it out with yogurt and fruit instead of eating it with milk like cereal (which usually results in me eating way too much). Pictured above is a combination of granola, vanilla yogurt, and pomegranate seeds. It's also fabulous with roasted or sauteed pears. What's your favorite way to eat granola? [....]

What could be better than waking up to a Christmas morning breakfast of homemade bagels (with smoked salmon and cream cheese)? Not much if you ask me!

If you've ever had a bagel from New York City, you know that they are't anything like the bagels that you can get at the grocery store or at chain bagel bakeries. My grandparents used to bring bagels from NYC with them when they would come visit, and it was always a huge production. The bagels weren't bready. Instead, a crispy outer crust encases a soft, chewy center. I've been able to find a few good approximations at independent bagel bakeries in other cities (DC has a good one; Albany, sadly, does not), but now... I can make them at home. And so can you!

I know what you're thinking - but I promise that these are a lot easier to make than you (or I!) would ever imagine. You can make them on a lazy afternoon with simple ingredients that you likely have on hand. And once you have a bite of one, you'll be hooked. Trust me. [....]

Without a doubt, pears are my favorite fruit. I've loved them ever since i was a little kid. I actually remember one time when I was about 5 or 6 and I was eating one at my grandmother's house it was sooo juicy and sooo good. I ate the entire thing. And I mean the ENTIRE thing! My mom came in and asked when I did with the core and I was like "what?" Yeah, I ate that pear core, seeds, and all!

Anyway, it's easy to overlook pears in the Fall because of all of the excitement that surrounds apples. I decided to make a pie in celebration of the season's "other" fruit. When thinking about what I wanted my pie to look like, I decided on a crumb top. Then I remembered that Deb over at Smitten Kitchen posted an apple breakfast granola crisp that looked amazing, and my pear crumble as born. With a combination of pears, apple, cranberries and a lightly sweetened granola topping, this crumble is delicious for breakfast, dessert, or anything in between. [....]