BreakFast in the TreeHouses
The Best of the Breakfasts!

All the Rushing.
Never standing still.

The Automation
The ATMs
Ticket Machines
And Online Ordering…
Rarely encountering another person — Rarely experiencing what used to be called Customer Service.
Sometimes we need a Break from the Day to Day!

Summer in the TreeHouses
Brings BreakFast Recipes…
After all, we gotta’ eat!
So, maybe take a brief respite from our contemporary customs…
Maybe instead of Grabbing a Bagel and Coffee at your local place, on the run…
Maybe invest a bit more.
Cook something!
Cook BreakFast!
Cook BreakFast for someone you Love!

At Tree House Point, there are Magical Kitchen People who whip up Delicious Breakfasts with just the right personal touch.
I have been honored to work with this Community of, as MAYA ANGELOU would call them, Phenomenal Women!
One of the things I Love about this place is the sense of Community! We share tips and ideas and we try out one another’s recipes. So much of what I do in the TreeHouse Point Kitchen, I have learned from others in this Community, both past and present — although, like so many of us, I came equipped with all I had learned from my MOM!
Usually one person works in the Kitchen each day, and preps the Breakfast for the next day. So most days, you are making a Breakfast prepped by someone else. And you are prepping a Breakfast for someone else to make.
Very often, our notes to each other read something to the effect of
“Add Cheese, or not, as you like…”
We Trust each other’s Creativity and Ingenuity…
As with any Creative Endeavor, one stands Awakened (even if the shift does start at 7am), Opening to…
Intuition
Ideas
Openness
Willingness
Creativity
Defeat
Accomplishment
Unfailing Hope
And another essential ingredient…
Letting Go

When I create BreakFasts in the Kitchen there, I keep to these aesthetics…
It is a Creative Culinary FunFest of Cooking Sorcery!
And we Grow!

Nourish
Nurture
Savor
Enjoy
And Sure, by all means, employ some of the modern conveniences that serve to remove a few of the more arduous tasks.

Trying New Recipes…
Experimenting…
Offering Up what I know how to do — or could figure out.

Muffins & Cookies
Breakfast Bakes
Puff Pastry Creations

Several of you have asked what I’m making, and if I would share some of the recipes.
So, today begins a Five-Part Series entitled: “The Best of the Breakfasts!”
Your Ticket to Bewitching Breakfast Ideas…
We Encourage Your Creativity!
“Add Cheese, or not, as you like…”
I am delighted to coordinate this series with www.NelsonTreeHouse.com

Today: JOE MANGIELLO’S BIG ITALIAN SAUSAGE ROLL

This has become a bit of a Signature Breakfast Dish of Mine.
It’s a bit Labor Intensive, but don’t let that turn you off.
You can actually make several of these at once, as they freeze very well.
Then pop ‘em out and bake ‘em up for Breakfast, Brunch, or Dinner — when unexpected (or expected) company arrives, or just to make someone feel Special (maybe even YourSelf!)

I usually make between four and six at a time!
I use frozen Bread Dough which is a really great and tasty short cut!
(To those who would make your own dough from scratch, Bravo! Have at It! And don’t forget to invite me over for BreakFast sometime!)
For the rest of us, the Frozen store bought kind works Great for this!

Let the loaves of Bread Dough thaw on a cutting board or surface sprayed with Non-stick Cooking Spray (because, otherwise, as it thaws, it will stick to the surface.)
Let thaw about 4 – 5 Hours.

You start with the Miracle of the Onion.
Click Here to read about the Miracle of Sautéing Onions and how it might relate to your Life Journey.

Dice some Onions and Sauté ‘em.
Let Cool.
(You can even sauté some extras and save them in the refrigerator to use for other Recipes, which you shall see later this week!)
I prefer Vidalia Onions or “Sweet Onions,” as they have come to be called.
Estimate One Large Onion per Roll (so if making six rolls, use six. If making two rolls, use two. You won’t want to make less than two.)

 

 

 

 

 

Sauté some Diced Peppers — Red and Green and Even Yellow (although the latter are a bit more delicate for cooking.)
Let Cool.
(Again, you can double up and save them in the refrigerator to use for other Recipes.)
I usually use red and green, and estimate about 1 and a half Medium to Large Size Peppers per Roll.

Fry up some Sausage Meat.
Estimate approximately ¾ lb – 1 lb per Roll.
Let Cool.
(Again, you can fry up a lot and refrigerate it to have it on hand for future recipes. Notice a pattern here?)
Always Use the Best Quality Sausage Meat you can find — fresh ground from a local butcher shop is likely to have better quality than what you will find in most supermarkets. And you want it without casing if possible (though the casing is fairly easy to remove.)

Scramble some Eggs, and break ‘em up into manageable chunks.
Put ‘em in a bowl.
(Approximately 8 – 10 eggs per Roll)

Have some Cheeses on Hand:
Shredded Mozzarella (approx. 2 cups per Roll)
Lots of Grated Parmesan (To Italians like me, it’s kind of like Table Salt, and we put it in nearly Everything!)
(Plan on approximately one cup per Roll.)

Lay out all of your Bowls of Ingredients.

Move the Bread Dough onto a Large Cookie Sheet lined with parchment paper, sprayed lightly with non-stick spray.
(You may choose to do this part on the Large Cutting Board or Butcher Block on which it has defrosted, but then you will have to deal with moving it onto the pan lined with parchment paper, when you are done assembling it. It is unwieldy, but doable.)
Spray the top of the Bread Dough with Nonstick Cooking Spray.
Roll out the Bread Dough into an oblong rectangular shape.
It is a bit tricky to work with, as it will keep trying to retract back to smaller than you need it. Fear Not! You will win this one!

Imagine the Oblong Rectangle as if there were three long columns drawn onto it.
You only want to place fillings in the area of where the center Column would be.

I start with Mozzarella — I like how the Cheese Cooks to the Bread.
Then, sprinkle on a bit of Parmesan here, if you like (although we will use more later.)

Then, add Cooked Sausage Meat.

Then, add Cooked Onions.

Then, add Cooked Peppers (It’s nice to add the Color toward the Top!)

Then, add Parmesan Cheese.
Add some Fresh Ground Black Pepper if you like.

Then, add Cooked Scrambled Egg chunks.

Then add More Mozzarella!
(And add More Parmesan if you like.)

This next part may seem slightly intimidating, but if so, that is just because it may be unfamiliar. It is actually quite simple.

The Column of Dough to the Left and Right of Center may have shrunken a bit, or the volume of filling ingredients may make it seem overwhelming. It’s not.
After All, we have not named this DANNY DEVITO’s SAUSAGE ROLL!
We have named it JOE MANGIELLO’s BIG ITALIAN SAUSAGE ROLL!

Have you Ever Met that man?
His hands are the size of My Head!
You want it ABBONDANZA!!!

Gently work the Dough to extend it outward a bit — each side, outward from center, being careful to extend it, but not to break it.
Then, make 7 or 8 diagonal slice marks

Lift the parallel extensions of dough across the top and squeeze each pairing to seal (You may use a drop of warm water if necessary.)

Continue to lift and seal parallel extensions of dough, working from top to bottom to form a Beautiful Braid.
And Yes, the dough will resist — it will keep unsealing and falling apart, and the filling may fall out a bit… All Part of the Process.
Just keep sealing and resealing, until you have a completed braid(s) (Lift the End pieces up and over to attach into the braid, as well.)
Pick up any pieces of filling that have fallen out and stuff them back into the exposed areas of filling. (Some of the filling may get on the surface of the dough braid. That’s Fine!)

Freeze the Roll.
Or Bake right away.
Either Way… Delicious!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 -40 minutes (from the freezer, a bit less if it is going directly into the oven without freezing first), until the top is Golden Brown.

Remove from Oven and let stand for just a few minutes.
Slice with a Bread Knife!
Enjoy!

I made these the other day for a Wedding BreakFast at TreeHouse Point.
What a Festive Celebration!

Seriously, it’s like Pizza for BreakFast!
It summons memories of all-nighters with friends in College when you stayed up until 6 or 7 in the morning and then ate the cold pizza from the night before and it tasted delicious because the secret ingredients were Youth and Good Friends in an environment of Learning and Fun…

This dish turns any occasion — even the Miracle of an Ordinary Day — into a Most Festive Celebration!

Tomorrow… More BreakFast Ideas from the TreeHouses…

 

Recipe: JOE MANGIELLO’s BIG ITALIAN SAUSAGE ROLL

(Makes Two Rolls*. Why have just One!?)

 

The Ingredients:

(*Feel free to Double or Triple this recipe, if you have the Freezer Space.)

 

2 Loaves of Frozen Packaged Bread Dough

6 Large Cloves of Garlic, Peeled and Sliced in Half

2 Large Vidalia Sweet Onions, Diced

1 Medium-Large Size Red Pepper per Roll, washed and Diced.

1 Medium-Large Size Green Pepper per Roll, washed and Diced.

Olive Oil (Approximately 6 TableSpoons, for those who desire a measurement.)

1&1/2 lbs Sausage Meat (Good Quality, Not in Casing)

16-18 Eggs, lightly beaten together, (plus one additional egg, reserved for eggwash when ready to bake)

1 to 1&1/2 Cups Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided in half

4 Cups (approximately) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided in half

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, if desired

 

The Process:

Leave Bread Dough out to thaw (approx. 4-5 hours) on a Cutting Board sprayed with Non-Stick Cooking Spray.

 

Pour approximately 3 TableSpoons Olive Oil into Large Frying Pan, to coat the bottom of the pan well.

Heat Garlic Cloves until fragrant and Slightly Golden in Color — Then Remove the Garlic Cloves and Discard.

Immediately, add the Diced Vidalia Onions, and Raise the heat to Medium-High.

Cook until they are lightly Brown, stirring often but not constantly.

Remove Onions to a Bowl.

 

Clean Pan (after letting it cool), or using a different pan:

Heat the other 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Add the Diced Fresh Pepper, and Sauté over medium heat until the Pepper is Soft, and cooked.

Remove Peppers to a separate Bowl.

 

Clean Pan (after letting it cool), or using a different pan:

Cook Sausage Meat — Cook thoroughly, breaking it up with a spatula, as you go. Let some of the smaller bits get crispy, but don’t burn the meat.

Remove Meat to a separate Bowl.

[If baking the Rolls right away, this is a Good Moment to Preheat the Oven to 350 Degrees. If not, save that step for when you are ready to Bake ‘em!]]

 

Clean Pan (after letting it cool), or using a different pan:

Lightly Grease pan with NonStick Cooking Spray or a bit of oil.

Heat pan, Medum-High.

Add the Lightly Beaten Eggs. Let cook a bit and thenswirl from the bottom upward with a spatula; let cook some more, and then swirl again, repeating this process until the eggs are cooked through and no longer wet (but don’t let them get too dry, either!)

Remove Eggs to a separate Bowl.

 

Add Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese to separate Bowls.

Line up the Six Bowls on the Counter (Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cooked Sausage, Cooked Onion, Cooked Pepper, Cooked Scrambled Egg.)

 

Place Bread Dough on a Large Jelly Roll Pan or Baking Sheet covered with Parchment Paper and lightly sprayed with Non-stick Cooking Spray

(or you may do the rolling and filling right on the sprayed Cutting Board on which the Bread has thawed, but be aware that you will have to move the Filled Roll onto a Cookie Sheet with Parchment Paper sprayed with Non-Stick Cooking Spray before you Bake it. (If freezing the roll first, this will be easier.)

 

Using a Rolling Pin, Roll Dough into an Oblong Rectangular Shape (maybe 16-20 inches long.)

In your mind’s eye, imagine that the dough is divided into three equal columns.

Place Fillings to cover the center column layering as follows:

½ Mozzarella

½ Parmesan

Sausage

Onions

Peppers

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, if desired

Egg

½ Parmesan

½ Mozzarella

 

Gently Tug the sides of the dough a little further out to elongate, as above.

Using a knife, cut 7 or 8 diagonals in the dough remaining on either side of the filling (equal number on each side.)

Bring the dough flaps from either side up together, around the filling and over the top; Pinch the two flaps together at the top. (use a dab of warm water to seal, if necessary.)

Continue this process until a completed Braid is formed.

 

When ready to Bake ‘em,

Make sure the Roll is on a Large Jelly Roll Pan or Baking Sheet covered with Parchment Paper and lightly sprayed with Non-stick Cooking Spray.

Brush top of dough braid with Egg Wash (i.e.: 1 Egg Lightly Beaten with 2 teaspoons of water.)

Bake in the PreHeated Oven for 30 – 40 minutes, or until Golden Brown.

Using Safety Mitts, carefully remove the pan from the Oven.

Let Cool for 3 to 5 Minutes.

 

Slice with a Bread Knife.

Serves 10-12 people.

 

Celebrate your Act of Love.

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