Make the best breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day

On any given weekday, breakfast might mean a simple cup of coffee and perhaps a piece of toast — still warm if you’re lucky — gobbled up as you leave a trail of breadcrumbs to the door. But Valentine’s Day is a special day meant for spending with the one you love — and the food you love — so what better place to cash in on that merriment than in bed, cozied up with your better half? Here are a few tips for making the ultimate breakfast in bed.

Plan ahead

You don’t want to wake up and find you’re out of OJ, or coffee, or baking powder for your waffle batter or anything else you had anticipated being available. Get ready for your morning a few days before by planning a menu, making sure you’ll have everything you need, then head to the store to fill in the gaps.

Go for the good stuff

Valentine’s Day is all about decadence, luxury and romance. You don’t have to break the bank to impress, but get cheese from the nice part of the store, swap your usual strawberries for raspberries, get bagels from the bakery instead of the freezer aisle — that kind of thing. Your breakfast will instantly stand out as special.

Make a simple menu

Save the elaborate breakfast service for the chefs at your next 5-star hotel stay. Be realistic. You don’t have to make everything yourself. Homemade jam and fresh squeezed juice are great, but you’ll likely wake everyone up if you start grinding carrots through that juicer. Pick one or two things you can make well and make quickly, like French toast, pancakes or an omelette, and fill the rest of the breakfast in with quick items like a parfait, grapefruit halves (citrus is in season right now), English muffins, cheese cubes or tomato slices.

Know your audience

Keep in mind, you’re making breakfast for someone else. If your loved one is usually a fruit and yogurt kind of person, a pound of bacon might not be as well received as you had hoped. If they usually go for a bagel, elaborate on that and pick up some quality smoked salmon, capers, red onion and cream cheese. If they usually go for cold cereal, consider making homemade hot granola.

Prep what you can the night before

Of course, whoever makes breakfast will have to get up somewhat earlier than everyone else (try not to cause a commotion in the kitchen!), but that doesn’t mean you have to get up at 4 a.m. either. Fixing a frittata? You can prep those veggies the night before. Serving a side of fruit? You can prep that now, too. In fact, you can even make the whole meal the night before, so you have very little to worry about in the a.m. The night before is a good time to make homemade juice, too. Try this heart healthy Homemade V8 juice.

Make the service special

Use a solidly constructed tray that can handle transportation and any serious spills. Plate items in bowls and plates with wide bottoms, so they’re not tempted to tilt on your walk up the stairs. Putting jelly or jam, butter and condiments in little bowls looks better than plopping a sticky jar of jam on the tray (and takes up less space, too). Add a cloth napkin, single bud vase, glass of water, silverware and you’re ready to go!

Here are a few dishes that are easy to make ahead and sure to be a hit with your valentine.

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal

2 cups steel-cut oats (no substitutions)

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups milk (your choice)

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the cream cheese drizzle:

½ cup powdered sugar

4 ounces cream cheese

1-2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a 4-quart slow cooker, add the oats, milk, eggs, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir. Set slow cooker on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. Place lid on top and let cook. In a small bowl beat together powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and cream cheese. Add more or less milk to get desired consistency.

Serve warm oats in bowl and drizzle with cream cheese mixture.

(Adapted from Moms with Crockpots)

Meghan Rodgers | Tribune-Review

Spinach, Egg, Artichoke Breakfast Casserole is an easy recipe that makes for fantastic reheated leftovers for several days.

Spinach, Egg, Artichoke Breakfast Casserole

2 big handfuls of fresh spinach or 1 (8-ounce) package of frozen spinach, thawed and patted dry

½ cup onions, finely chopped

1 can (7.5 ounces) artichokes, drained, dried and chopped

½ diced red pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 eggs

¼ cup skim milk

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ cup feta cheese

Heat oven to 375 F. Spray 9-inch-by-9-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, add spinach, onions, garlic, artichokes and red pepper. Transfer to casserole dish.

In same bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add in ½ cup of feta and stir. Pour mixture over vegetables in dish. If using fresh spinach, make sure all leaves have been coated with egg mixture.

Bake in oven for about 35-45 minutes or until it passes the clean knife check. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Crumble extra feta on top and serve.

Meghan Rodgers | Tribune-Review

This fruity make-ahead French toast casserole is a perfect dish for breakfast in bed.

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Casserole

Serves about 10-12

1 pound sourdough or French bread, cut into 1-to-2-inch chunks

2 large apples, cut into ½-inch chunks

1/3 cup golden raisins

8 eggs

2 ¼ cups of whole milk

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons quality vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the crunchy topping:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoons ground cloves

½ cup salted butter, cold and cut into pieces

Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Add bread chunks, apples and raisins and toss until mixed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour evenly over the bread dish. Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours — preferably overnight. Bake casserole for 34-40 minutes in a preheated 350 F oven. As casserole bakes, combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Mixture should be crumbly.

Remove casserole dish from oven and sprinkle topping evenly across dish. Bake for another 5-8 minutes. Top should be slightly crunchy and lightly browned. Drizzle with syrup. Serve warm.