Breakfast recipes for any time of day

Back-to-school time gets everyone back into a routine and a schedule. Many families make a nice breakfast to send children off to school to have a good start to their day. For some families, it works better to make ahead and rewarm or do an overnight recipe. For our family, we enjoy breakfast at any meal, so breakfast foods always are on our radar to fix anytime.

It's all breakfast today! Recipes for pizzas, muffins, benedict -- a little bit of everything to hopefully be pleasing to everyone.

Asparagus Breakfast Pockets

• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled fine
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 inch water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and steam for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the peppers, onion, bacon, salt and pepper. Unroll crescent rolls and separate into triangles; place on the prepared cookie sheet. Spoon 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into the center of each triangle; top with asparagus. Top each with another teaspoonful of cream cheese mixture. Bring three corners of dough together and twist; pinch edges to seal. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

French Toast Casserole

• 1/2 cup butter
• 12 slices white bread
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Melt 1/2 cup butter and pour it in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Lay 6 pieces of white bread on top of the melted butter. Mix 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour half of the brown sugar mixture on top of the first layer of bread. Add the second layer of 6 pieces of bread over the top of the brown sugar mixture. In a separate bowl, mix 5 beaten eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole. Top with the remaining brown sugar mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with syrup or additional cinnamon-sugar sprinkling and a serving of fresh fruit.

Texas-Sized Breakfast

• 30 ounces frozen shredded plain hashbrowns
• 1 to 2 cups cooked bacon, ham or sausage, diced or chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined. Dice the onion and bell pepper. Evenly add frozen hashbrowns to the bottom of a sprayed slow cooker. Pour the egg mixture over top. Add the ham, veggies and cheese. Mix well. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. If you're doing an overnight version, just make sure your slow cooker will switch to warm automatically once it reaches the cook time. Many slow cookers have a built-in timer. Plate servings and serve dish by itself or add some fruit to the side.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Ring

Try this delicious bacon, egg and cheese breakfast ring for dinner or a special treat for breakfast one morning. It is a really good recipe to prepare ahead of time for breakfasts on the go, or for a brunch or get-together.

• 2 packages crescent roll dough
• 8 to 10 eggs, scrambled
• Half package of turkey bacon, fried
• Shredded cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown bacon and prepare the scrambled eggs; set aside.

Open packages of crescent roll dough and arrange each slice around the edge of a round pizza pan in the shape of a sun, overlapping corners and layering one after the next, with the small pointed end out.

Use a dough roller or fingers to press down on the overlapped seams to seal them. Arrange scrambled eggs onto the dough first, then the bacon (you can crumble the bacon or lay half-slices over top). Top the eggs and bacon with shredded cheese, and season well. Begin folding up each dough triangle over the egg, bacon and cheese, tucking the points into the dough on the other side. Continue doing this with each triangle until completed. With a basting brush, brush some melted butter onto the dough and season. Place ring into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Slice with a pizza cutter or knife and serve.

Southwest Breakfast Pizza

This is a great Tex-Mex meal and wonderful treat for kids and adults. For added deliciousness, add crispy crumbled bacon and sliced or diced black olives.

• 3 thin and crispy personal pizza crusts
• 1 cup sausage gravy
• 1/2 cup bell pepper
• Onion, diced, desired amount
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cooked crumbled sausage

For the avocado cream sauce:

• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place pizza crust on an ungreased baking sheet. In a blender, blend 1/2 of the diced jalapeño, salsa verde and sour cream. Set to the side.

On each pizza crust, layer with the sausage gravy, crumbled sausage and scrambled eggs. Using the bell pepper, onion and the rest of the diced jalapeño, sprinkle over each pizza. Top each pizza with cheese. Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top pizzas with the avocado cream sauce, using as much or as little as you like, and serve.

To make a nice presentation of the cream sauce, put sauce in a squeeze bottle and apply in a back and forth or zigzag pattern over pizza.

Quick Eggs Benedict

• 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 English muffins, split and toasted
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 1/4 teaspoons horseradish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced chives

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, mayonnaise and garlic; spread over each muffin half. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.

Place 2 to 3 inches of water in a large skillet with high sides; add vinegar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently. Break cold eggs, one at a time, into a custard cup or saucer; holding the cup close to the surface of the water, slip each egg into water. Cook, uncovered, until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken (but are not hard), about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms and shallot in oil until tender. Stir in the cream, horseradish, mustard, white pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

With a slotted spoon, lift each egg out of the water. Top each muffin half with an egg and 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings.

Scrambled Egg Muffins

As with most recipes, this recipe can be adjusted to your own personal preferences. For instance, you can add bacon or Canadian bacon as the meat source, or omit the meat and add more vegetables, such as mushrooms and spinach for a meatless option. Experiment and try different options until you get it just the way your family enjoys it the most.

• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add onion, green pepper, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Stir in sausage and cheese. Spoon by 1/3 cupfuls into muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Freeze option: Cool baked egg muffins. Cover and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets and freeze until firm. Transfer to resealable plastic freezer bags when frozen; return to freezer. To use, place in greased muffin pan, cover loosely with foil and reheat in a preheated 350-degree oven until heated through. Or, microwave each muffin on high for 30 to 60 seconds or until heated through. Yield: 1 dozen.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.