Breakfast Archives - Page 2 of 19 - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Breakfast Sausage

Great Breakfast Sausage

Making sausage is a fun traditional art that dates back to the Sumerians, in 3100 B.C. and is now cherished all over the world with different recipes. Today, I’m sharing an American style Breakfast Sausage that has been popularized by companies like Johnsonville or even the late famous country singer, Jimmy Dean.

This sweet and savory sausage has become an American staple that is served many different ways; links, patties or even cooked up ground and added to eggs with cheese or most widely known, probably, in sausage gravy, served over Buttermilk Biscuits and/or a Chicken Fried Steak.

Today’s recipe is all about the ingredients and how to get the best flavor and texture out of a breakfast sausage. So, I’ve listed all of the ingredients down below, along with my recommendations and a “how to” video tutorial. There are a few “optional” ingredients, like pink curing salt and msg, but if one comes out it should be replaced with an equal amount of salt in it’s place. The pink salt should only be added if you’re planning on smoking the sausage. MSG, obviously intensifies the flavor of the sausage and is an active ingredient in store bought sausages.

I didn’t add powdered skim milk to my sausage in the video but I have it listed in the ingredients for this recipe. It should be added if you want to retain more moisture and add the proper sausage texture that we’ve all come to expect in cooked or smoked sausage. Questions can always be asked in the comments.

Breakfast Sausage Ingredients: Makes 4 lbs

3 lbs Ground Pork, Dark Meat 70% to 75%
1 lbs Pork Fat, 25% to 30%

1/4 cup Brown sugar, light brown
1 tsp Curing Salt, replace with table salt if not using
3 tsp Salt
2 tsp Parsley
1 tsp Sage
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Red Pepper, crushed
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Clove

1 tsp MSG, optional but is used in most sausages to enhance flavor

Makes about 1/2 cup of seasoning.

BINDER
1/2 cup Dehydrated Skim Milk Powder, for moisture and texture
1/4 cup Vinegar
2 tbsp Dark Corn Syrup, Malasses flavored

Maybe 1/2 cup Lard if the fat content is low.
30% fat to 70% meat ratio is standard.

Approximately 2 tbsp of seasoning per 1 lb. of meat.

Breakfast Muffin French Toast Pancake

The Best French Toast you’ll Ever Eat

I recently bought way to many Lemon and Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Muffins thinking that my kids would eat them for breakfast, like they usually do, and I could have a few of my favorite as well. As it turned out, they weren’t getting eaten and I was afraid we weren’t going to eat them all. So, I started brain storming about how to make them useful because I can’t stand to waste food. Then it hit me… Muffin French Toast.

One lemon Muffin, crumbled into a medium sized stainless steel bowl.

What kind of Muffin should I use?

In my opinion, any fruit muffin will do but you have to consider the results. In this recipe and video tutorial, I’m using a Lemon Muffin and I think that the lemon really sets this recipe off but Blueberry pancakes are tasty too so, I’d imagine that Blueberry Lemon Muffins would be even better.

Maybe Chocolate Chip or Banana Muffins would make good Muffin French Toast but I might think twice about using a poppy seed or Chocolate flavored Muffin. I haven’t tried either but it’s my opinion that they wouldn’t turn out as well.

One fully cooked Breakfast Muffin French Toast Pancake, on a red plate, drenched in Maple Syrup.

Breakfast Muffin French Toast Pancake Ingredients:

1 5.5 oz Large Muffin, premade and preferably Lemon
3 Large Eggs
1/4 cup Half and Half
1 tsp butter, salted

Maple Syrup for topping or try my Berry Syrup

Follow the instructions in the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make Breakfast Muffin French Toast Pancakes.

Beef Steak Ranchero’s with Potatoes

Beef Ranchero’s with Potatoes in a frying pan.

The Best Beef Steak Ranchero’s

If you’re a fan of Mexican food and you’ve never tried this dish, you’re going to love it. Beef Steak Ranchero’s is so very versatile and it can be made mild or spicy. It can be served with or over rice, for breakfast with eggs, tacos, burritos, tortes, the skies the limit because you’ve got well seasoned and marinated beef, onions and tomatoes and, in this recipe, we’re adding potatoes.

2.37 lb. Raw packaged Beef Carne Taco Meat from the grocery store, $3.98 per lb.

What kind of Beef

As you read the title, “Beef Steak” Ranchero’s you were probably wondering what cuts to use. At my local grocery, they put together packages of beef for stews, tacos and burritos. It’s usually just the miscellaneous scraps from steaks and roasts that is too meaty to waste and throw away. Sometimes it’s even pre-seasoned but I like to get a few packages at a time that isn’t seasoned so, I can do whatever I want with it. One for the fridge and one for the freezer.

If you don’t have this available to you, I would recommend buying the cheapest cuts you can find because the meat tenderizes as it cooks so there’s no reason to get real spendy with this dish. Also, you’re going to need to get familiar with my Blackened Seasoning recipe because I use it on the meat.

Plate of Beef Steak Ranchero’s with rice, beans and a folded flour tortilla.

How to serve this Dish

As I mentioned above, there are so many different ways to eat Beef Steak Ranchero’s. The way I prepare it, in the video down below, I just serve it with beans and plain white rice. You can serve it with Spanish rice, if you prefer, but I find the Ranchero’s flavor has plenty of spice to blend in with white rice. Also, the addition of Potatoes in this recipe makes Ranchero’s great in burritos or along side a Chili Relleno. What ever you decide, you might want to consider a few classic Mexican additions because, you can never go wrong with a squeeze of lime, chopped green onion or chives and cilantro.

Beef Steak Ranchero’s with Potatoes Ingredients:

2 lbs Beef Stew Meat
2 tbsp Blackened Seasoning
2 tbsp Cumin, ground
1 tbsp Garlic, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped
1/2 cup Brisket Beef Fat, chopped
1 can of Tomato, diced

Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste (aproximately 1/2 tbsp each)

2 tbsp Beef Fat Rendered or vegetable Oil
1 Onion, chopped & sautéed
2 Potatoes, Pre-boiled then cubed & sautéed
1 tsp Oregano

Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste and consider adding lime, green onion and cilantro when serving.

Boiled the potatoes beforehand for 20 minutes then refrigerated overnight. Cook the diced potatoes and onions together but separately from the meat and tomatoes before combing. Follow the instructions in the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make Beef Steak Ranchero’s with Potatoes. Also, this meal can be cooked in a slow cooker.