Food to Start Your Day

We've probably all heard the mantra dozens of times from many different sources: "Always eat a good breakfast; it's the most important meal of the day." Growing up, weekday breakfast usually consisted of cereal, perhaps a sweet breakfast pastry and a warm cup of tea. On weekends, pancakes, sausage, eggs, hash browns or homemade waffles were a welcome change of pace.

It seems everyone has their own favorite breakfast food, which may not always be eaten sitting at the kitchen table. Yogurt always seems to be popular; whether flavored or unflavored, with fruit or without. And speaking of fruit, summertime always brings with it the most delectable and freshest tasting fruits you'll eat. A juicy peach or a few tasty blueberries or raspberries with a bowl of cereal can really make for a flavorful start to the day. Then there are those purists who insist you must have eggs for breakfast. Well, you can have them poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, scrambled, shirred or fried to suit your particular tastes. Best of all, you get the protein you need to get you through the day. There are also those folks who enjoy a steaming bowl or cup of oatmeal for breakfast. This too is delicious on its own, but with the addition of fresh fruit or a drizzle of pure maple syrup, you might think about having a bowl every now and then.

Of course, I cannot forget to include those people who enjoy weird (well, not really weird, but unusual) items for breakfast. You know these types of people: the ones who eat a slice of leftover pizza cold from the refrigerator, the ones who grab whatever condiment they can find to slather on a bagel, the ones who think that chocolate cake is the hallmark of a morning breakfast. Yes, it seems all of us have our fondness for certain breakfast items. One of my favorites for a sumptuous breakfast feast is French toast, which for me is the ultimate breakfast comfort food.

What is your favorite breakfast item? Send me an e-mail here at Recipes and I'll post a few of your responses in a future blog.