Seasonal Ontario Food's Top Ten - Breakfasts, Yeast & Non-Yeast Breads, & Sandwiches ~ Simple Delicious Food Recipes

I basically went down the list of breakfast entries, going, "Oh, that one... oh, that one..." I think that breakfast dishes may be my favourite of all. I could only squeeze one waffle recipe in; I'm not sure I think it's my favourite but the cornmeal makes them a bit unusual. I love waffles far more than this list suggests.

I think of myself as not a big bread eater but I got all misty-eyed putting together this list. Maybe it's just because it's a diet day, but I think that actually I love good bread. It's just that the way to get good bread is to make it yourself, mostly, as with so many things. I haven't made much bread the last couple of years as family life went all to pot; maybe I can start up again. I hope so.

Breakfasts:

Wild Rice & Buckwheat Pancakes -A bit luxurious, but really delicious. I have to say there really is something special about wild rice.

Sherry Stewed Rhubarb - Your basic stewed rhubarb is twice as amazing with a little sherry added. Who knew? Stewed Rhubarb Compote with Apples or Strawberries has been viewed far more often, though; the most viewed breakfast dish.

Eggs Baked in Tomatoes - A bit fussy, but delicious and just the thing for a special but not too heavy breakfast or brunch - always a hazard of fancy breakfasts.

Scrambled Eggs with Ramps & Mushrooms - This one has a very brief window when the wild leeks (ramps) are in season, but it's worth waiting for.

Cocoa Oatmeal - A delicious, and not as decadent as it looks, way to eat your morning oatmeal. For something a little more austere but also delicious and different, try Buckwheat Porridge.

Scrambled Tofu - A vegetarian classic and something I really enjoy even though I eat eggs all the time. Easy, and light but filling.

Ham & Potato Dumplings - This old-style Canadiana recipe deserves a revival! I had to tweak the technique, but once that was done the results were delightful.

Wheat Crepes - or Buckwheat Crepes - I struggled with making crepes for years, but now they are happening for me! So good, so much lighter than pancakes, and so flexible - eat them plain(ish) or fill them and roll them up. Not just for breakfast.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes - These sturdy, high protein pancakes are great for those of us who tend to crash if we just eat starchy things at breakfast. They are also pretty darn tasty! I like them with savory things like chives better than with sweet things, but they can go either way.

Cornmeal Waffles - Nice crisp waffles with the flavour of corn. Great for using up leftover cornmeal mush (polenta). Freeze and toast well (like all the waffles I've made). Super!

Scones, Tea Breads & Muffins:

Cooked Oatmeal Scones - I have a whole series of recipes for leftover oatmeal. (I bet I could use leftover Buckwheat Porridge too; hmmm.) Is it still leftovers if you did it on purpose? Planovers, then - a little advance planning to provide a continuous stream of delicious food. These are probably my favourite of the lot.

Cape Breton Scones - Here is an old family recipe from my Grandmother, so there is an extra layer of pleasure for me in eating them. Even without that though, I promise that these are really special.

English Cream Scones - To make these you need to make Clotted Cream which you can then put on your scones. How convenient! The only hard part is finding the right cream to buy. I am sad to report that Miller's Dairy whipping cream doesn't work; pasteurized at too high a temperature I guess.

Buttermilk Bran Loaf - Basically this is the offspring of Irish Soda Bread and Bran Muffins; and a very fine hybrid it is too.

Jam Tea Loaf - A great accompaniment to a cup of tea, and a good way to use up runny or extra jam. You can feel both frugal and self-indulgent at the same time, which is quite the feat.

Cocoa Zucchini Loaf - a classic loaf, very popular for the same reasons as the above. Cake! and thriftiness! Both at the same time.

Date & Banana Loaf - This little one has not gotten a lot of attention, which I think is too bad, because it's a nice little treat. Yes, it's quite restrained and that's the point; but that just means it can be eaten on a regular basis and not just saved for special occasions.

Pumpkin Bran Muffins -Bran muffins, with pumpkin. Two great tastes that taste great together, basically. Very popular.

Cocoa Banana Muffins - Eat them for breakfast; they are not too over the top. Or put a little icing on them, and call them cupcakes.

Carrot Bran Muffins - If we are talking about the genetic lineages of baked goods (and it seems that we are) then these are cross between Carrot Cake and Bran Muffins, and they too exhibit excellent hybrid vigour. My most viewed recipe in this category by a fair bit.

Pop-Pop's Biscuit Muffins with Haskaps - All the appeal of biscuits, in an easier muffin form. You can add berries, or not; delicious either way. Another one flavoured with nostalgia for me.

Non-Yeast Breads:

Chinese Green Onion Panbread, or Tsung Yu Ping - I haven't made these in a long time but I keep thinking about them. Especially since the garden is full of onion greens at the moment! One of my favourite things.

Scottish Potato Scones - These are a favourite thing too. Oh, all right; I love just about any chewy flatbread. But these have potatoes! So good, and also the most viewed recipe in this section.

Irish Soda Bread - This is what most North Americans think of as Irish Soda Bread; the Irish think no such thing. This one straddles the line between North American excess and Irish plainness. They say that compromise pleases no-one but actually, it suits me just fine, at least in this case.

Irish Soda Farls - This on the other hand is what the Irish think of as soda bread; when it's flattened out and cooked in quarters on a griddle it's called Farls, though. I've made it a few times recently and am getting to like it very much.

Whole Wheat Tortillas - Another chewy flatbread, and so much better than anything you can buy. Usually the case, isn't it?

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits - Quick and easy, so good hot out of the oven. Once you have made them a few times they will go together in next to no time.

Instant Biscuits - But if you want something even quicker and easier than the above, these will do the trick. Mmm, hot biscuits! I want some now.

Yeast Breads & Sandwiches:

Red Fife Whole Wheat Bread - A fairly basic whole wheat loaf adapted to Red Fife flour. Good stuff, and my most viewed bread recipe.

English Muffins - Homemade English Muffins! No harder than any other yeast bread and such a treat.

Sweet Fruit "Pizza" Made with Basic Sweet Dough - Whenever I want a sweet yeasted bread product, like cinnamon rolls or poppyseed loaf, this is the one I make. It seems "just right" to me and you can't beat that.

Sweet Breakfast Buns - Probably kind of resemble the above, with more in the way of spices and bits. I love these.

Piroshki - Stuffed buns! I give a classic filling, but you can put all sorts of things in them. And yes, my speculations about freezing them were spot on. They freeze very well.

Finnish Nisa (Pulla) Bread or German Stollen - It all depends on what, if anything, you put into the basic dough. Nisa (or Pulla; it seems to get called both) for everyday eating, Stollen for Chrismas.

Spelt & Rye Bread - Another good sturdy loaf, with spelt and rye flours this time.

Funeral Sandwiches, Otherwise Known as Ham Salad - This one got a lot of attention; it's your basic old-fashioned ham salad recipe and the story of how I came to know about it.

Bacon-Cilantro-Tomato Sandwich - Nothing wrong with a good BLT, nothing at all. But when the tomatoes are pouring into the kitchen in August sometimes you need to change things up a bit. If you like cilantro, this is a little twist that makes a big difference, and a good one too.