Wake & Bake (Breakfast)

I’m not a big fan of the American breakfast, except insofar as it involves home fries.  Ahhh, I wrote home fires and that is not what I meant!  Instead I lean toward baked goods (on the semi-sweet side).

Living Vacationing in France and Italy was brilliant because the countless local cafes and patisseries were stocked up with just the kind of thing I get a taste for in the morning.
But when I’m at home I settle down to baking for myself.  Baking is a lot of fun- it requires much more exactitude than ordinary cooking- and there’s less room for experimentation- but there’s also something so satisfying about the delicious smell of baking, the rising of sweet loaves, and the blossoming of muffin tops in their metal trays.

As a creature of habit- especially early in the morning- I have a few tried and true recipes that make the *most important meal of the day* even more special.