Friday, April 13, 2018

Breakfast Mushrooms

My family and I have parted ways over breakfast, and it's great! I had been still making breakfast for everyone every morning, a default mode left from the days when the big kids were too little to make their own.  They had started to grumble because different morning temperaments have different breakfast requirements, can I get an amen? 

It was one of these situations that happens often with growing kids where I forgot to step back and reevaluate the routine, and once I did, it seemed so obvious that we needed some tweaks! I still set Phoebe up with breakfast, but first and foremost, I please myself at breakfast time and provision everybody else.

Sometimes they want ideas, or I coax them to eat a perishable that needs to be used; sometimes I even make muffins or something and then they eat them . . . or not (I make sure the leftovers can be frozen so that food is not being wasted). The big kids and my husband really appreciate making their own choices, and I appreciate the break.

I'm on a savory breakfast kick, so I'm often making mushrooms. Simple, delicious mushrooms that make me feel like a hobbit at home eating breakfast (certainly not out on the lonesome, dangerous trail to destroy the ring - oh no, but at home in Bag End with the sun shining and the kettle humming).  


I chop a number of creminis, usually more than I think because they shrink as they fry, then I fry them in a little bacon grease over medium heat.  The trick to frying mushrooms is not to stir them too much at the beginning, but let them release their water and start to brown. 

I sprinkle them with some dried thyme, fresh pepper, and truffle salt.  I keep a small jar of truffle salt to really amplify mushroom flavor when mushrooms star in a recipe. 

When the mushrooms look nicely browned and the kitchen smells like a hobbit-hole, I turn the heat down to low and splash in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream as I stir.  The cream will sizzle and then disappear as it clings to the mushrooms. If you want creamed mushrooms, then sprinkle the mushrooms with a bit of flour before you add the cream, and add more cream to make a sauce that will thicken as you stir.  So so so so so good.  

How do you do breakfast at your house?

10 comments:

e said...

Oh, my goodness! I didn't know that I could like you anymore and then you referenced Tolkien. Insert heart emoji! Seriously, though, eating like a hobbit sounds great to me! Big lols!

My breakfast is a simple one. Coffee with 1/2&1/2 and english muffin - one side peanut butter, the other homemade jam. Sometimes I mix it up and make one side cheese, or salmon spread, etc.

Weekends can vary, and I have a super easy egg, cheese, muffin sandwich once a week or so... ('easy' is a key word for me with food prep!)

Really lovely to hear how the family dynamic evolves. We do want to raise humans who can look after themselves... well done on letting go of control of the process.

Lana said...

Empty nesters here and Hubby happily eats whatever I make but we do go out 2 mornings each week, one for us and one with our church small group. Hubby would most certainly revolt if I served him mushrooms which he picks out of every dish I put them in. Our youngest daughter in law loves them for breakfast which is funny since she is so, so picky.

Jenny said...

I've never considered mushrooms for breakfast, but they are so good with an omelette, so why not? Your way sounds very appealing!

I feel very much like a hobbit most days since I'm preparing food so often. With a 2 year old and 12 year old, someone is always eating something. Stepping back with both breakfast and lunch has been going on in my home since last summer. My big boy enjoys the freedom (with boundaries), and I enjoy not having to prepare quite so often. The only complaint I have is that I still have to be there because his cooking tidiness is lacking. I know that will improve with practice, though. My little one has both peanut and egg allergy, and those two foods are staples of the older boy's breakfast. I just don't feel comfortable leaving it all up to him.

My breakfast is always oatmeal and scrambled eggs, except Sunday when I prepare bacon.

Polly said...

The mushrooms sound divine. Which reminds me, morel season is upon us. Or maybe I've missed it. I hope not! I like the looks of your breakfast here!

My husband leaves the house before breakfast, so he eats at work (I pack his oatmeal in his lunch box). My children typically rotate between breakfast casserole (Sunday/Monday), baked oatmeal w/ peanut butter (Tues/Wed/Thurs), and buckwheat pancakes (Fri/Sat); I sometimes also make waffles for them. Occasionally I'll indulge them and cook bacon. As for me, I nearly always eat a Greek yogurt bircher muesli (with summer berries or cherries + some toasted almonds) or lots of veggies sauteed in olive oil with scrambled eggs. And always coffee. But on Sunday mornings my husband makes me an epic omelet with loads of veggies, half an avocado, and often chevre. Ohh, and a drizzle of hot sauce. It's the breakfast highlight of my week!

I like the predictability of my breakfasts. In the morning I am typically ravenously hungry and have no desire to think about what to eat. (Actually I plan out my meals and snacks the day before b/c I never want to try to decide what to eat on the fly!) But I'm also easily satisfied with similar meals over and over again, a mixed blessing for sure. My kids haven't started complaining about their breakfasts, so we all seem pretty satisfied.

Hazel said...

My children are all in their teens now and ordinarily sort out their own breakfasts which means at weekends when I announce were having X they're delighted somebody else is doing it for them!
Husband and son err on the side of lack of breakfast imagination (and possibly laziness!) so they like having something different. The girls are better at thinking outside the box and go through phases of making different sweet or savoury breakfasts.

We've only recently discovered Dutch babies (they're not common in the UK) which I like as a more hands off version of pancakes. Eaten too fast though!

Becky said...

I make the coffee and set the kettle on for my girl's tea while she walks the dog. Some mornings she gets her own breakfast, some mornings I do it for her. Depends on our moods and how much we slept in. I tend to grab something on the run as I head into the office - usually oatmeal or a yogurt/fruit/granola parfait. And my husband is totally on his own beyond coffee.

Anonymous said...

I tend to get on a breakfast "kick" where I eat the same thing over and over. It's good and easy, until it isn't anymore. Then I change to another kick. Right now, it's steelcut oatmeal. I eat it with applesauce, chopped walnuts, a tablespoon or so of flax seed, some shredded coconut and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I eat this every day except on the weekend when I have crustless quiche and a slice of toast with Trader Joe's organic cherry jam (so, so good).

Hattie said...

Breakfast for me is always toast and coffee only. My new favorite is mashed avocado on toast with lemon pepper topped with cherry tomatoes, if I have them. But I 'm a mushroom lover too and will happily try your concoction.

beth s said...

I've been making a simple cooked breakfast for my husband for a while now. potatoes and eggs, simple egg burrito, oatmeal, or smoothie and muffin. Thank you for the particulars on your mushroom cooking! I love mushrooms and will try this method.

Elizabeth said...

I love breakfast mushrooms, with a minced clove or two of garlic and a dash of salt. So delightfully savory. With eggs or without, so delicious.