Things to Bring to a Tailgate: Breakfast

Getting in a good meal before tailgating is always important. Trust me, you don't want to drink beer on an empty stomach. Sometimes, early football games, or early tailgating, call for a breakfast with friends coupled with a good screwdriver, mimosa, or bloody mary. Make sure your tailgate is ready for game time with these amazing recipes.

Silver Dollar Sandwich
Pancakes are one of my favorite morning foods, but are not super portable. Try this recipe for an easy pancake sandwich. You can play with the pancakes too, making them apple cinnamon, blueberry, or strawberry.

12 silver dollar pancakes, about 4 inches in diameter
6 slices bacon, made into crumbled maple bacon
*try this recipe, or make your own. Simply cook bacon on a cookie sheet with real maple syrup and  brown sugar. the addition of dijon mustard ensures it isn't too sweet*
6 eggs, fried (scrambled eggs don't really work with this recipe)
Aluminum foil
Make pancakes, set aside. Make maple bacon, crumble and set aside. Make fried eggs, either hard fried or with a runny yolk. Set aside. Make squares with the tin foil large enough to cover the pancake sandwich (about 8 inches in diameter). Take 6 pancakes and place each on a square of foil. Smear the crumbed bacon maple compote evenly on each pancake. Add a fried egg and top with another pancake. Wrap each sandwich in foil. When at tailgate, place the foil covered sandwiches on the grill and heat for 10 minutes. Pass out foil sandwiches, open and enjoy!

Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich
Who doesn't like a biscuit sandwich. Again, biscuits are like a blank canvas. Try making sweet biscuits, adding cream cheese and apple slices in the middle instead. Post your favorite variations.

8 biscuits (use premaid, or make your own from your favorite recipe)
8 eggs
8 slices cheese
8 slices bacon or sausage
2 avocados
Optional: vegetables or your choice

Take made biscuits and slice in half horizontally. Cook bacon and break each strip in half. Take each biscuit, and place 1/4 of an avocado, sliced on each bottom. Next, place 1 slice bacon on each biscuit bottom on top of the avocado, making sure the bacon is placed as two half slices next to one another. Lay 1 slice of cheese on top of the bacon. Either fry eggs, or scramble, but make sure to place the egg HOT on the biscuit on top of the cheese so the cheese melts. Optional to put a ring of onion or tomato on the sandwich. Place tops of biscuits on the bottoms. Wrap each while hot in foil. Bring to tailgate; pass out to friends and fans, and enjoy!

Muffin Tin Breakfast
Easy to transport. Makes individual portions. It is almost a mini version of the Breakfast Casserole below (next recipe).You can change up the vegetables you use, as well as the cheese. Play around :)

12 medium eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (can also use sausage)
2 cups hashbrowns (you can make them yourself or use frozen ones)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 onion, sweated
1 jalapeno, diced (leave some seeds in for more heat)
Butter, enough to grease muffin tins

Preheat oven to 350. Dice up the onion, add some olive oil to a pan, and sweat the onion until pieces start to get tender. Near the end of the sweating, add the diced jalapeno. Set aside. Grease the muffin tins with butter. Mix together the hash-browns, onion/jalapeno mixture, 1/2 cup of cheese and bacon. Fill each cup evenly with hash-brown mixture. Press together, making a bowl shape in each tin. Add an egg to each tin:
     * Either scramble the eggs, and divide evenly in the muffin tins on top. OR....
     * Crack 1 egg on top of each muffin tin mixture, trying not to break the yolk. (my personal favorite)
Coat the rest of the muffin tins mixtures in the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until egg is completely cooked and cheese is bubbly. Cover with foil and take to tailgate. Pop out individual muffins, serve, and eat. These are great with sliced avocado on top.

Spicy Breakfast Casserole--> You can find it here. Posts were getting too long so I decided to break them up.

Pillsbury Crescent Roll Breakfast Ring
This is another one of those times where I cheat by not making everything homemade, bust crescent rolls are SO good!

1 can of crescent rolls, separated into their triangle shape
4 small to medium eggs, scrambled
1 cup shredded mozarella, cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack (Use your favorite cheese, or combine a few varieties for a delicious mixture)
8 slices of bacon, cooked
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay parchment paper on a pizza pan, organizing the crescent rolls into an 8 point star (bottom corners should be slightly overlapping). Place one slice of bacon on each crescent triangle. Put about half of your cheese in a ring at the center of the crescent roll star, covering the bottoms of the crescent triangles that are linked. Place scrambled eggs on top of the cheese ring. Sprinkle 3/4 the remaining cheese on top of the eggs. Fold over crescent triangles and bacon to make one large round ring, resembling a wreath.Try to get the tips to touch their base. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake on pizza pan, on top of parchment paper, for 17 minutes or until crescents are done and golden brown. Once out of the oven, wrap in foil and take to tailgate. You can heat it for a few seconds on the grill IN the foil. Slice and serve. This is especially good if you serve it with pico de gallo. Enjoy!


Easy Cinnamon Sticky Bread--> You can find it here. Posts were getting too long so I decided to break them up.

Avocado Lemon-Pepper Bagels
This recipe comes from visiting a friend of mine in Santa Barbara. There is a bagel joint called Bagel Cafe, but the line is always so long in the morning. Determined to find a cheaper, faster way to my bagel fix, I came up with this recipe.

1 Pack of 6 Seasame Bagels (They happen to be my favorite. Use any kind of savory bagel you want, but I suggest something not too over powering)
3 Avocados
1 1/2 Package cream cheese
12 Slices Cheddar Cheese
Lemon Pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Start with slicing all the bagels and toasting them. While the bagels are being toasted, cut each avocado in half, thinly slicing each half avocado into crescent moon shapes. Once the bagels are finished, smear the cream cheese evenly on each half. Place all bagel halves on a cookie sheet. Between one whole bagel, split a half an avocado on each bagel half, leaving them open faced (essentially, 1/4 an avocado on each bagel half). Lay a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Sprinkle with plenty of lemon pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, until everything is melty. Enjoy!

My creation after a long night in SB. It was so good, I had to take one bite of it before the photo.

Breakfast Punch
You can make this plain or spike it. I suggest adding champagne or vodka.

2 Cans peaches in peach juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 can frozen lemonade (follow directions on can to make the lemonade)
1 can frozen grapefruit juice (follow directions on can to make the lemonade)
1 cup Minute Maid Pomegranate Lemonade

*If adding alcohol, either add 2 bottles of champagne or 1 handle of your favorite vodka*

Mix all ingredients together except for the canned peaches. Add the canned peach juice. Removed the peaches, dice them up, add them to the mixture. Stir and enjoy. Put in your favorite mini cooler to take to a game.

Stuffed Breakfast Bread
These bread recipes are so awesome for easy transportable breakfast to a tailgate. You can make this at home, warm on the grill, slice and serve. The best part about this is you can use a variety of breads to do it. Also, use whatever herbs you have on hand. I always have chives, rosemary and basil, so that is my usual mix. Make sure to use FRESH herbs... it makes a big differenc. Lastly, go for any cheese you like, I like mozzarella, but I don't see why you couldn't use fontina, brie or gruyere.

1 long loaf of bread, or 1 baguette (you can also use a large round boulle)
2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp green onion (or chives)
2 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary
4 eggs, scrambled
1 cup of shredded mozzarella (or your favorite cheese)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 olive oil
salt & pepper

Take the loaf of bread and slice in half, horizontally. Scoop out the middle, and save the insides for breadcrumbs later. In a bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients and mound into the hollowed out bread.
Put the lid back on the bread to cover and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Wait till cool enough to slice. You can also grill this on the top rack of a grill in the foil and it comes out terrific!

Breakfast Pizza
I can't get enough of Crescent rolls...they are so good. And perfect tailgating food. Easy to make, easy to transport. This recipe is so universal. Instead of bacon and cheddar, use goat cheese and prosciutto. You can also make this all vegetarian. The crescent roll is a blank canvas :)

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls NOT SEPARATED INTO TRIANGLES (in some stores, they even carry crescent roll dough sheets)
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, hard fried (season with salt and pepper), or scrambled eggs
4 slices bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 medium sized tomatos
1/2 an onion, sweated down or carmelized

Preheat oven to 350. Place crescent roll dough on a baking sheet, completely rolled out. Smear dough with cream cheese. Crumble the bacon into big chunks and slice the eggs into long strips 9(if scrambled, divide evenly on pizza). Sprinkle both on the dough. Next, dice the tomatoes, adding those and the onions to the pizza. Sprinkle everything with cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and no longer doughy. Cool, and then slice into squares. Bring in a Tupperware to your favorite tailgate (can also quickly reheat on a grill).

*This recipe can also be made into something sweet. For example, instead of just bacon, use maple bacon. Or, do cheddar cheese, apples, and eggs. Crescent rolls are very handy when it comes to parties, as they can be done any way. See here.*

Brie Breakfast Quesadillas
Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. Brie and apples are one of my favorite combinations. AND it just so happens I like quesadillas. The best part about quesadillas at a tailgate is that they are quick and portable... you can be playing beer bong in one hand, and eating breakfast in the other. Genius.

6 eggs, scrambled (make sure they are properly seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder BEFORE you scramble them)
3 (10 inch) flour tortillas (white or whole wheat)
6 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 fuji apple, cored, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange one-third of cheese slices over half of tortilla; cook 1 minute or until cheese begins to melt.  Arrange one third of apple slices over cheese; top with 1/3 of the scrambled eggs. Fold tortilla in half, press gently with a spatula. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Repeat process with remaining two tortillas. Cut each finished quesadilla into 3 triangles.

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If you have any other breakfast tailgating ideas, feel free to share them. During season, I should think up of some more new ones. Look for more pictures and recipes to come!