LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING

I am obsessed with breakfast.  If I don't have a well prepared meal to start my day, I am miserable all day.  I am not a morning person, so I appreciate a breakfast that is easy to prepare and easy to cleanup after.  I am very anal about my eggs.  My wife makes perfect scrambled eggs, but eggs in any other form she leaves to me because I am an absolute tyrant about both presentation and taste.  

• After many years I have mastered the two egg omelet in two languages, the rolled French omelette and the folded Japanese tomagoyaki. 
• Perfectly poached eggs can be mastered freehand in a saucepan of rapidly swirling water, in a dedicated pan, or 4.5 minutes in shell (soft boiled),
• Fried over easy are actually no flip over easily accomplished by adding two tbsp water and cooking the eggs covered over medium heat for 4 minutes. 

Although I am from the south grits were not part of my morning tradition.  I do love breakfast casseroles and have three cheesy grits casseroles to share:

• Cheesy grits with sausage, bell pepper, and onions
• Southwest cheesy grits with chorizo, green chiles, jalapeño,  and cilantro
• Shrimp fajitas with cheesy grits

Some time ago I was introduced to the crustless quiches that Bisquick calls Impossibly Easy Pies.  The basic recipe couldn't be easier, a cup of protein, a cup of vegetables, a cup of cheese, a cup of milk, a couple of eggs, and a half a cup of Bisquick.  Mix it all together, pour into a oven safe skillet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  I often increase the eggs to four for a breakfast casserole.  Try these breakfast friendly variations: 

• Classic Quiche Lorraine with bacon, onion, and Swiss cheese.
• Bacon, mushroom, spinach, and Swiss cheese
• Ham, bell pepper, and Monterrey Jack cheese.

For holiday mornings we will have canapé sized offerings:

• Eggos mini waffles with chicken nuggets and honey
• Jimmy Dean snack size sausage biscuits with scrambled eggs and cheese
• Lox crostini with cream cheese, red onion, and capers
• Miniature cinnamon rolls
• Fruit

We try to avoid carbs where ever possible, but we are addicted to buttermilk biscuits.  So few can create a really good one.  Enjoy them with butter or jam, or couple them with ham & Jezebel sauce.   Try biscuits topped with sausage gravy or make your favorite breakfast sandwich.

A good quality French or sour dough baguette can be a real scene stealer in: 

• Eggs Benedict
• The best French toast ever
• A sweet or savory bread pudding
• The totally over the top croque madame (a hot ham and cheese sandwich drowned in a cheese sauce and topped with a fried egg.

I used to make hundreds of pancakes for our church's monthly pancake breakfast, a quick and easy breakfast solution.  These days I am much more likely to make the ultra thin pancakes known as crepes.  They are also quick and can be paired with limitless sweet to savory fillings.  Lately I have been substituting eggs for the pancake batter in the love child of an omelet and a crepe.  Bye-bye carbs!