I love the Panini Happy family. It’s not just me in my home office typing on a computer. There are a whole bunch of you out there who are grilling along with me, suggesting new combinations and bringing up interesting ideas and opportunities. Today’s Bacon Breakfast Burritos recipe was inspired by one reader’s comment…and it’s featured as a guest post for another reader.
My guest post for these burritos is over on Meal Planning Magic, a blog written by a longtime Panini Happy reader, Brenda. She launched a Breakfast Challenge for the month of March in an effort to “stop boring breakfasts” and encourage folks to exchange fun breakfast options. When Brenda invited me to create a breakfast recipe for the panini grill I recalled a recent comment from Andrew Davis in which he mentioned that he wanted to try making my Ham, Eggs & Cheddar Breakfast Crepes recipe with tortillas. I realized that I’ve never grilled a burrito on this blog. I’ve done a wrap and a quesadilla before, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch. Plus I always appreciate it when taquerias give the burritos a little toast on the flat top before serving. In my breakfast version I cook bacon in a skillet, sauté potatoes, onions and peppers and scramble eggs in some of the leftover bacon grease, roll it up with cheddar cheese inside a flour tortilla and grill the whole thing for those crispy, golden grill marks. With a little salsa and sour cream on the side, this is definitely a breakfast my family looks forward to. 
Check out my guest post on Meal Planning Magic – many thanks, Brenda and Andrew!
Last Saturday night a very rare event occurred – one that had eluded us for more than a year. My husband and I went out for dinner. By ourselves.
While our two little kiddies were home entertaining our fabulous, brand shiny new babysitter, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, Savory. Like most parents who are ecstatic to finally have time alone, we spent most of it talking about the kids. We reminisced about the darndest things our daughter has said and the milestones our infant son has recently conquered (he’s smiling quite a bit now, by the way!). Still, it was such a pleasure to finally take those few hours out of the house to enjoy a great meal and catch up like old times.
Valentine’s Day was the next day and I wanted to have another special dinner, this time at home. After coming across a guest post on Simply Recipes last week on how to make an Easy Duck Confit I decided to recreate a goat cheese salad with duck confit I once ate at The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro up the road in Encinitas. True to its name, the duck was incredibly easy – took just a few hours rather than a whole day – and resulted in fall-off-the-bone tender meat and wonderfully crispy skin. To make the salad extra special I panko-breaded and fried the goat cheese and added in some fresh strawberries. The combination is sweet and salty, crunchy and tangy – just amazing.
As we were devouring the salad we realized that the components would translate really well into panini. My husband practically insisted that I make this one! A boon to those of you without a panini grill – this one actually works best if you don’t grill it.
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One of the perks of Valentine’s Day falling on a weekend this year is the opportunity to make a special breakfast for the three valentines in my life – my dear husband, delightful two-year old daughter and cuddly new 7-week old son. Well, that last one doesn’t really get to enjoy any, but it’s the thought that counts.
I’ve often wondered what crepes might be like on the panini grill (when you write a panini blog, these are the things that occupy your thoughts). Would they maintain their soft texture? Would the pancakes stay intact? I’m pleased to report the answers to those questions are “yes” and “yes”. This post on the Stone Spoon blog ultimately convinced me to give it a try. So this year I will be treating my valentines to Ham, Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Crepes: sliced ham, a one-egg omelet and cheddar cheese rolled in a savory crepe and grilled on the panini press. With a little sundried tomato purée heart on the side.
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