If you’ve been following me on twitter (and if you’re not, shame on you!), you’re probably aware that we’ve just completed our third move in three years.  This time it’s not just to another home in base housing, but my return to California while my wife is deployed to Turkey for fifteen months.

As hard as the seperation from my wife will be on our family, moving back to California means that Lil’B. and I will be surrounded by family for the duration of her assignment. We’ll have my sister and her family, my father, my grandparents and prehaps the most important part for me, my two other sons, Lil’ E and Lil’ D.

A large family group means more stability, more support and less time to  dwell on the fact that my wife is several continents away from us.  It also means large sit-down Sunday brunches; the kind that can really only be made on a weekend.  Huge portions of food put together with love and caring by a dad who doesn’t have an issue getting up early so that everyone can eat at 10:00am.

It means hours spent in prep and cooking, a reason to forget that I’m trying to loose a few pounds and keep my cholesterol levels down. It means twenty minutes or so of uninterrupted family time.  It’s a tradition I’m not only happy to participate in, but one that I want to have my sons carry on when they have their own families, and I think from their reactions, I’m doing a pretty good job; don’t you?

Lil'E. and Lil' D. Two of the most important people in my life. These are my boys.

I hope that everyone who frequents this blog can create a weekend breakfast tradition for their families.  To that goal, I’ll be continuing to showcase our brunches for as long as the kids will let me.

Home Style Potatoes and Bacon with Eggs, a Homecoming Breakfast

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

• 2 lbs. assorted red and russet potatoes, washed and cut in 1″ pieces
• 5 strips pepper bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled, bacon grease reserved
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 baby sweet bell peppers, quartered and sliced in thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
• Reserved bacon grease
• 2-4 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cheese, as topping

Eggs:

• 6 eggs
• 3 tbsp 2% milk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cheese, as topping

Method:

Potatoes:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon grease and heat until barely smoking.  Add potatoes and reduce heat to medium low.  Allow to cook until potatoes  slide freely when pan is shaken. (don’t try to force them!) Flip potatoes and add onion. Cook approximately 8 minutes, or until potatoes move freely when pan is shaken.  Do not try to hurry the process.

When potatoes move freely, add peppers and cook for approximately 5 minutes.  Stir mixture and season, adding oil as necessary.  Add garlic and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add bacon and cook until heated through.

Season and plate with shredded cheese as a topping.

Eggs:

Whisk eggs and milk together until frothy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and whisk through.

Heat butter in a nonstick over medium low heat skillet until foaming.  Add eggs and cook, stirring constantly until eggs are fluffy but still slightly damp.

Plate and sprinkle with cheese.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

To be completely honest, I wouldn’t change a thing.  This came out wonderfully, the boys and my wife enjoyed it and the breakfast as a whole was wonderful.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Dorris’ Fried Potato Recipe, My mom’s famous fried potatoes.
• Fried Potatoes, from cooked From The Heart
• Pan Fried Potatoes, from Steffen’s Dinners

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