Cottage Full of Love

Category: Breakfast

Breakfast ideas that are tried and true in my home.

Breakfast Casserole for Two
This breakfast casserole for two is perfect for two people!

Every time I look for recipes, I come across recipes that are designed for a 9×13-inch dish. While leftovers are great, it’s only my husband and I in the house, and that’s just too much food.

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Also, I have been trying really hard not to have waste at the end of the week due to the cost of groceries, and I could freeze some breakfast casserole, but honestly, that’s just not my style. I’d rather make a new one in a few weeks so it’s fresh.

Ingredients
- Tater Tots, or shredded hashbrowns
- Pork Sausage, or whatever kind of crumbled breakfast sausage you like (my homemade pork ground sausage is perfect in this recipe)
- Eggs, of course
- Cheese, I used cheddar but feel free to change it up with Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, or anything else that sounds appealing to you
- Spinach, I only recently started adding this into the sausage once it’s cooked before layering it up, but it’s some added veggies that you don’t even taste
I know this list is short! It’s because this recipe is so darn easy!

Of course, feel free to add extra veggies. If you do I would recommend sauteing them for a bit before adding them to the breakfast casserole so they are a little soft when it’s cooked.

How to Cook the Breakfast Casserole for Two

Cook your breakfast sausage and add spinach at the end to wilt it down a bit and then set aside. It’s time to layer it up!

Spray the bottom or wipe the bottom down with a little oil so nothing sticks.

Layer of Tater tots on the bottom; fill that bottom up so it makes a platform for the meat and spinach.

Add the meat and spinach on top of the tots. Whisk your 8 eggs in a bowl until they are smooth with a dash of salt and pepper. (See my tips for making The Best Scrambled Eggs here)

Pour your scrambled egg mixture evenly over your Tator tots, sausage, and spinach mixture. Shred enough cheese to cover the top.

Cover and bake your breakfast casserole for two in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 mins. Then uncover and cook for another 10 mins til the cheese is browned and beautiful on top.

Other Things to Note

Dish Size: This recipe is made using an 8×8-inch glass dish which means there won’t be a ton of leftovers. I always cut this little casserole into 4 squares. I eat 1, and my husband will eat 1 or 2. Which means there is always 1 or 2 pieces left over. This is SUCH a more manageable amount of leftovers than cooking a 9×13-inch for just the two of us.

My favorite baking dish from Amazon includes a lid for easy storage or travel.

Serving: I always serve this breakfast casserole for two with a cup of coffee and some fruit! I’ve made this side dish with a person or two over for company and just cut up a bunch of fruit or made a side of pancakes or muffins, and it always works out.

Taco Sauce: This dish is PERFECT coated in taco sauce! Our favorite taco sauce is by Herdez to put on top! And we don’t skimp on it, we always keep it on hand! Check it out here.
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Breakfast Casserole for Two

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5 from 1 review

Wake up your taste buds and say goodbye to boring mornings with this ultra-satisfying breakfast casserole for two that’s bursting with flavor and guaranteed to fuel your day. Imagine layers of crispy golden tater tots nestled alongside juicy sausage crumbles, all smothered in a lusciously cheesy egg custard that bakes to fluffy perfection in just one hour. It’s comfort food made heavenly, perfect for a lazy weekend together or meal-prepped into baggies for a couple of days.
Author: Taylor Fuller
Ingredients

Scale

2 Cups of Tator Tots

1/2 lb Breakfast Sausage (Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe)

Handful of Fresh Spinach (about 1 1/2 cups)

8 Eggs

2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook up breakfast sausage til cooked through.

Turn down the heat and add spinach just til wilted. Then set aside.

Coat the bottom of an 8×8-inch square cooking dish with oil.

Layer Tator tots to cover the bottom of the dish.

Next, layer the sausage and spinach mixture on top tots.

Whisk all 8 eggs in a separate dish with a dash of salt and pepper (until smooth).

Pour egg mixture over sausage, spinach, and tots.

Place shredded cheese as the top layer.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove foil and bake for 10 more mins. (Disclaimer since all ovens are different: When checking to see if it’s done, you should be able to wiggle the dish a bit, and there should be no movement. The eggs should be set)

Let cool for 10 mins, then enjoy!!

We enjoy ours with a little taco sauce or salsa! Yum!
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January 2, 2024
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
These will blow your socks off. No joke, these are the best homemade cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had. My excitement to share this recipe cannot be contained! Lets get started!

Cinnamon Roll History

Cinnamon rolls began in Sweden as a yeasty roll with cardamom embedded and sprinkled with coarse sugar on top. When cinnamon rolls were brought to America, the thick, ooey gooey frosting that we all love was introduced. At some point we decided this could be a breakfast OR a dessert. Hahaha… I could enjoy this dish for breakfast everyday of the week but it should probably be accompanied with some protein, such as bacon or The Best Scrambled Eggs.

Bread Machine

This spectacular dough is made in a bread machine. The bread machine turns this long process into a very passive way to make these. There is a lot of “do it and walk away” which is so convenient. If you don’t own a bread machine, I highly recommend considering picking one up!

Using a bread machine to make dough for things like bread, biscuits, soft pretzels, dinner rolls or french bread loaves makes the machine a great investment.

Yeast

Living yeast cells thrive in warm, moist and starchy environment. When these little cells are comfy and happy they thrive, poofing up to make a soft dough full of air pockets. Be careful with the tempurature of the ingredients due to the sensitivity of the yeast. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast and if not heated the cells won’t activate.

For more info check out my article **Best Baking Tips.

Homemade Dough

The dough consists of all the usual suspects flour, sugar, eggs, butter and of course that special yeast. It’s the rising that’s important. The amount of time stated in the recipe for resting and rising is crucial.

“Let rise in a warm place”
– Every baker ever

“Let rise in a warm place.” The common statement we always read in recipes involving yeast leavened dough. This statement always messed with my head. My refrigerator never seems warm on top. Is room temp warm enough? If I pre-heat the oven and set the dough on top will that be too hot?? These thoughts drove me crazy for years! So I did the research for both of us!

Turns out the right “warm” temp is 75 – 78 degrees. If your fridge is warm that’s a great place, I elevate mine in the house a bit since heat rises. When it’s a little cooler in the house just let them sit a few extra minutes, they have always turned out perfect!

This dough will be soft and malleable, not too sticky and not tough. I’ve worked with plenty of different dough in the past and this dough is just lovely to work with.

Rolling & Baking the Rolls

Once the dough is made it’s time to style these babies up! As shown in the picture above, roll out this dough to a large rectangle, about 16 inches by 21 inches and smother in the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Start rolling them up from the side that is 21 inches long.

The long 21 inch roll of delight needs to be cut into 12 equal pieces. I’m sure you can see from my photo that all my pieces were uneven. If yours end up like mine…it’s fine. They all cook thru just fine haha!

Place these babies about 1-2 inches apart on a greased 9 inch by 13 inch dish and let them rest another 30 mins in a warm place. When done cooking they should be slightly browned on the edges.

Let them cool for a 5 to 10 mins so all your frosting doesn’t melt away. Then smother in this delicious cream cheese frosting, the recipe makes a really decent amount of frosting to allow them all to be thick in the goodness. Now enjoy your Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!
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Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

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These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls will knock your socks off. Enjoy these for dessert or for a sweet breakfast. They are worth every minute spent it takes to make these.
Author: Taylor Fuller
Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

1 cup Milk, warm (110–115 degrees)

2 Eggs, room temp

1/3 cup salted Butter, melted

4 1/2 cups Bread Flour

1/2 Sugar

2 1/2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast

Filling:

1 cup Brown Sugar, packed

3 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 cup Butter, softened

Icing:

2 cups Powder Sugar

1/3 Butter, softened

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 tsp Vanilla

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Instructions

Place all dough ingredients into bread maker in order; milk, eggs, melted butter, flour, sugar. Then create divot in dry ingredients and drop yeast into divot. Turn on bread maker to “dough”

Once bread maker is done turn out dough onto light floured surface. Cover with towel and let rest in warm place for about 10 mins.

Prepare filling in medium bowl by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon & butter. Set aside.

Roll dough out into 16 inch x 21 inch rectangle.

Spread filling onto rectangle as evenly as possible.

Starting at the longest side, roll dough.

Cut dough into 12 pieces.

Grease 9 inch x 13 inch dish and place all 12 pieces evenly in dish, cover and let double in size (30 mins)

Preheat oven 400 degrees then bake rolls for 15 mins til edges are lightly brown

Mix icing ingredients together until humongous and spread onto rolls while still warm.
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November 16, 2022
How to Make the Best Scrambled Eggs

We all know the difference between bad, good and great scrambled eggs. This article hold all the secrets to make the kind of scrambled eggs you can eat with nothing else, the kind of eggs you want a whole plate of. Simple, delicious scrambled eggs.

Whether you’re trying to eat light and healthy or feeding the whole family for breakfast knowing how to make the best scrambled eggs is important. Also, it’s easier than you may think! So many recipes over the last decade advise to add this, add that, do this, do that but the perfection of eggs comes from simplicity.

So, are you ready to learn how to make the best scrambled eggs? Lets get started!

1: Buy Quality Eggs

This is probably a very obvious tip but quality of the eggs make a huge difference. A quality egg will be deep yellow, large yolk. Lesser quality eggs will be have yolk that is pale in color and the yolk will be smaller. (Home grown chickens lay a noticeably better egg than anything available to buy in the grocery store but no need to fret, just buy a quality brand of cage free eggs.)

2: Do Not Add Anything

You heard me. No milk, no cream, no cheese, no pepper, no meat. The only things that should be mixed together is egg, salt & pepper. So many recipes swear by “add milk, makes it so fluffy.” You don’t need anything to make your eggs fluffy, just leave it out.

3: Beat the heck Outta Them

Eggs should be beaten to a smooth liquid for good consistency and even cooking. Break the eggs into a bowl, add salt & pepper then just whip it, whip it good.

4: Use a Non-Stick Pan

When the eggs get any kind of stuck to the bottom of the pan that is definitely not how to make the best scrambled eggs. Using a clean, smooth surfaced, non-stick pan is the best way to achieve no flaky edges or burned pieces of egg.

5: Use Butter

Butter is what makes these eggs. Recently I made scrambled eggs with a little olive oil…it is not the same. AT ALL. Use butter if you are trying to make the very best scrambled eggs. No need to use a whole tablespoon but use enough to put a thin coating on the bottom of the pan, you want those eggs to come up cleanly without sticking.

6: Heat Low…but Not Too Low

On a scale 1-10 heat the eggs on a 2 1/2.

Heat the eggs too low and they won’t pull together. They will also ruin the lovely little layer of butter on the bottom of the pan. Heat the eggs too high and they will brown and burn on the bottoms. Even if you can save them from burning they will cook too fast to develop their flavor and will be too hot causing them to dry out. (More on the drying out later)

7: Continuously Build Egg Mountain

Once the eggs look like they are starting to form a layer on the bottom use your WOODEN utensil to PULL each side of the bottom layer towards the middle. Continue to pull more eggs up and on top as thou you are trying to make egg mountain in your pan, then break up, then rebuild. Keep your eggs together. We are trying to keep moisture in the eggs.

Melt enough butter to cover the whole bottom nicely. Add well beaten egg when pan is heated.

Once you see the bottom starting to form a layer you can begin to build Egg Mountain. Continue to pull inward and upward.

8: Do Not Overcook

Seriously. This is very very important. The eggs should be cooked but moist. If there are spots of brown anywhere they are overcooked. You want the eggs to look fluffy with spots of shine.

Bonus Tip: Cover them for extra fluffiness

If ultimate fluff is what you need you can stick a lid over top of the eggs just before they are done and turn the heat down to minimum for a couple of mins. I usually do this if I’m making breakfast sandwiches and want a little extra fluff. While fluffy is nice I do not believe it helps flavor at all and to be honest this is not my favorite way, I feel leaving them in the pan increases the risk of burning.

9: Let Them Cool

Cooling another important step to take these from great to the best! Just like a good steak or Thanksgiving turkey; eggs need a min to rest. When they cool, the flavor of the salt and pepper really come out and add to the flavor of the eggs.

10: Enjoy!

Now that you have all the tips on how to make the best scrambled eggs it’s time to get cooking! My husband and I have always had eggs where people add milk, cheese, making scrambles with meat and veggies. Since learning the right way to make eggs we truly enjoy what I refer to as “Simple Scrambled Eggs” they are delish and I hope you enjoy.

If you make these please leave a comment!

November 11, 2022
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
This savory, sweet, and hearty Homemade Breakfast Sausage is great for any breakfast! With a combination of pork, sage, and maple syrup, this pork sausage is delicious. It’s a perfect recipe to turn into patties and also for breakfast sandwiches.

This ground version is great for a breakfast bake, made into breakfast burritos, breakfast bowls, or even breakfast quesadillas.

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Why make Homemade Breakfast Sausage?

This recipe came about from my husband. Every time I would attempt to bring home some pre-made sausage he wouldn’t be able to stand the gristle and little hard pieces that always seem to be found in packaged pork.

Although frustration would hit me after making a whole meal he was no longer interested in eating, I also understood not wanting to eat meat with little pieces of ick in it. Hence, trying to branch out and try something new!

..branch out and try something new!

Plain ground sausage available in your local grocery store’s meat department is amazing. it’s smooth and ground to perfection! No more gristle! No more weird little icky hard pieces ruining a meal!

Add all your own seasonings and BAM! Homemade Breakfast Sausage! Plus, being able to tell the family or your guests, “It’s made with homemade sausage,” always feels really good!

Ingredients
- Ground Pork
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Rubbed Sage
- Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- Maple Syrup
The list of ingredients might seem long, but I am willing to bet you have most of these items in your pantry. I didn’t always keep Thyme, Oregano, and Parsley around. Now that I do, it has opened a whole new world of flavors and recipes!

You’ll notice I used freeze-dried herbs; if you are using ground herbs, just reduce the amount a little bit. Same with the rubbed sage, it’s a little fluffier than ground, so if using ground, just be light-handed with it.

If these are things you don’t normally have around, pick them up. I bet they will open you up to adding a little to dishes you never knew needed it!

All the ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. There have been times when I left out the Maple Syrup just due to the dish I was preparing.

Make this recipe your own, and have fun with it!

Instructions for Homemade Pork Sausage

This recipe is super simple! Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then cook! Also don’t skimp on the maple syrup, it adds a moisture to the sausage that makes it so much better!

The frying pan sitting in my Amazon cart! Just in case you’re in need of a new one, it has great reviews and isn’t crazy overpriced!

The only tip I have to share about this easy recipe is to dirty that extra bowl to mix together before cooking.

I know so many of us chefs are tempted to just toss the meat into a pan and season on top, then mix in the pan to save the dish. I have done this recipe both ways many times, and it is very worth it to mix before cooking. It helps the flavors meld together for this homemade breakfast sausage.

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Homemade Breakfast Sausage

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This Homemade Breakfast Sausage is so easy and delicious, this savory dish is full of seasonings and a dash of maple syrup to give it that sweetness that goes along with any breakfast meal. Feel free to turn this recipe into patties for Breakfast Burgers! Just make sure to cook on low heat, this process really does help all the flavors cook into the pork.
Author: Taylor Fuller
Ingredients

Scale

1 lb Ground Pork

1 tbsp Thyme

1 tsp Parsley

1 tsp Rubbed Sage

1 1/2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Spinkle of Paprika

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

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Instructions

Place Ground Pork in bowl big enough to mix

Combine all ingredients with raw pork

Heat medium sized skillet on medium/low heat

Cook pork, breaking meat into small pieces while cooking

Cook until pork is done, about 15 mins

Enjoy!
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August 26, 2022