Crisp Morning Breakfasts

This is my happy place. Ranch wife, ranch mama. Raising cows and a feral ranch baby on the shores of the Laramie River. Growing up, my favorite meal to both cook and eat was always breakfast. My mom always made sure we had breakfast before school, which I believe helped shape how our days went. If we started with a good breakfast, our minds were ready to work when we walked into the school. I was raised on the belief that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Now, I fell off the wagon on this belief a time or two during my years in nursing school and again as a bedside nurse as I felt that the days were just too busy, but I know I always felt my best and had better days if I ate something before beginning my workday.

On the ranch, it is often hard to have time to cook a nice breakfast every day, so I do what I can, when I can do it. Being a stay-at-home mama has helped me in many ways, because I am around in the mornings now. I used to have to get up between 3:30 and 4 in the morning so that I could be on the road early and make my hour-long drive to work every day. These super early mornings cut down on the time I had around the house and even the time spent with my husband during the week. He would, more times than not, still be sawing logs in bed when I left in the morning. I still had my weekends when I worked, but let’s be honest, all I wanted to do on my days off was sleep in and be lazy!

Now, I have a lot more mornings that I am able to get in the kitchen and whip up all sorts of breakfast food. But for those days that we know we are too busy or know the day will get away from us if we take the time for a good breakfast, I have come up with a breakfast burrito that is quick and easy and can be thrown together even at a run! I’ll share the recipe below. My husband loves what he calls “build a breakfast” which is after an item on one of our favorite restaurants menu, so nine times out of ten, our breakfasts consist of eggs, hashbrowns and sausage with the occasional piece of toast. From breakfast pizza, biscuits and gravy to eggs benedict and Belgian waffles, I love starting my days in the kitchen making a big spread of food. My husband is not a fan of biscuits, so anytime I make biscuits and gravy, I always make him hashbrown patties and serve his gravy on top of that instead of biscuits. The hashbrown patties make a great vessel to hold warm, yummy gravy!

As a ranch wife, I also love making sure the cowboys get breakfast during gatherings, brandings and shipping. My usual go to for this is to make breakfast sandwiches. These are an easy, on the go breakfast that the cowboys are able to grab and even eat horseback as they head out to gather cattle! And they are also very easy to make in bulk. On cattle work mornings, I always make sure there is a hot percolator of coffee ready to go, especially if the morning is chilly and crisp. We have an awesome ranch hand who has been in the business longer than most and I absolutely love making his cup of coffee on the mornings we have cattle work to do. Coffee with a little sugar and a little cream is exactly how he likes it! It’s always an honor to hand over the cup of coffee I have made for him and reminds me that I am living the dream as a ranch wife! When I make breakfast sandwiches for just my husband and me, he always calls them “Meg Muffins” and it always brings a smile to my face!

Breakfast has been the first type of foods that we have introduced to our little one and she is quite the fan. Her favorites so far have been pancakes and French toast. She also loves eggs and hashbrowns. It has been so much fun watching her get all messy and truly enjoy her meals. Mom hack: I bought some of the leftover container covers that have an elastic band around them and I use them to cover her hair, since she has a lot of it! It makes her look like a little lunch lady and I promise that it is the cutest darn thing you will see today! What do you do for easy breakfasts around your house? Especially on the days you don’t have time for a big production. I am always looking for options that don’t include a box of cereal or box of pop tarts! This is the Laramie River Ranch Wife, signing off… from my happy place.

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS:

Easy Breakfast Burritos

(makes 2 burritos)

2 large burrito size tortillas

3 frozen hashbrown patties

4 eggs

3 fully cooked sausage patties

1 cut shredded cheese

Sour cream

Taco Sauce

Salsa

Cook the frozen hashbrown patties in the oven. I use air fry at 450 degrees for about 7 minutes. Once crispy, cut or tear into bite size pieces. Warm the sausage patties in a fry pan while the hashbrowns are cooking. Remove from pan and cut into bite size pieces. Scramble the eggs in the same pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese on a tortilla. Warm the tortilla and cheese in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Then put half the eggs, sausage bites and hashbrowns in the middle of the tortilla. Top with ¼ cup more cheese. Roll up the burrito and serve with your favorite Mexican condiments. Our go-to is sour cream and taco sauce.

TIP: This recipe can be made in bulk, and the burritos can be wrapped in foil and frozen. To warm, just throw in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until warm inside.

Easy Bulk Breakfast Sandwiches

12 English Muffins

12 Eggs

12 Fully cooked sausage patties

12 american cheese slices

Butter

Salt and Pepper

Foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a muffin pan, spray with cooking spray and crack 1 egg in each muffin hole. Using a fork, lightly beat each egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until the egg yolks are hard. Remove the eggs from the pan using a soft spatula. Warm the sausage patties in a skillet while the eggs are cooking. Cut open the English muffins and spread both sides with butter. Place an egg, sausage patty and cheese slice between each English muffin. Wrap with aluminum foil and keep warm in a 175-degree Fahrenheit oven until ready to eat.

TIP: These can be made ahead of time and rewarmed the day of the gathering, branding or shipping. Warm in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until warm inside. They can also be frozen and will last a month or two. Warm the same way from frozen but add 10 minutes or so to the warming time.