
| photography by Alex Lepe |
Now I know you were expecting a typical story about turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce, but I dare say that every magazine, TV show and food blog right now has got that covered. So for this month's story, I wanted it to be more personal. I hope you can relate.
My Thanksgivings are typically spent in the Hill Country in New Braunfels. My husband, the dogs and I spend the holiday there with his family. The patriarch is my very Polish 81-year-old father-in-law, Raymond Pollok, a widower. He runs the whole show, make no mistake about it, and once you have met him, you may and must refer to him as "Slick."
Most of the family drives in from all different areas of Texas, arriving at Slick's house the day before Thanksgiving. This means several things: lots of family and dogs,unusual sleeping arrangements, games, football watching, shooting the breeze in the beer garden while watching the deer, and of course endless eating and drinking.
When I think of Thanksgiving with my family, I often think of the mornings where Slick is making breakfast for everyone. Big batches of biscuits and gravy, spiked with house-grown chili piquins, fried egg sandwiches with the perfect runny yolks and crispy bacon, colorful vegetable frittatas, and his amazing savory breakfast breads. He is an excellent cook, but breakfast is his specialty. Oh, and don't ask what we are having or if you can help! No, you can't help (unless it's dishes), and you'll be satisfied with whatever he is making.
Breakfast is most likely eaten while still in pajamas, sipping coffee, reading the paper and actually chatting around the table. There tends to be several rounds of breakfast eaters - the early risers, the late sleepers each rotating at the dining table - and all the while, Slick stands at the stove cooking away. Once you hear "KITCHEN IS CLOSING" echoing through the house, a couple of groggy teenagers make the rush down the stairs for the last call of breakfast.
Meanwhile all the happy dogs start to gather around knowing they get a special treat: a bit of leftover bacon or ham. Now I know that the most special part of the holiday is supposed to be the big Thanksgiving meal, which of course is great, but there is just something so simple and special about lazy mornings and breakfast at Slick's house. Of course my family is not the only one with this type of story. So l am here to help the hard-working "Slicks" of the world and give you some great family breakfast ideas. I'm hoping to keep your house guests well fed and happy while nurturing the spirit of family and Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone...especially Slick.
BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST WITHVANILLA ICING
Butter, for greasing
6 eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 lemon, zested
3 (1-inch thick) slices (8 ounces) day-old challah or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen, thawed and drained blueberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
ICING
4 cups powdered (confectioner"s) sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy. Add the milk, honey, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Add the bread cubes and mix until coated. Stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, refrigerate for one hour.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the egg mixture in an even layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is set. For the icing, mix all ingredients in a bowl and top French toast as it's plated while still warm.

BISCUITS AND GRAVY
2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup all-vegetable shortening, butter or lard
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cut the shortening into the self-rising flour with a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Blend in buttermilk with fork just until the dough comes together. The dough will be sticky.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently by folding the dough 8 to 10 times. Press into a circle that is 1-inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Do not twist the cutter until the dough has been cut all the way through. Twisting the cutter will cause the biscuits not to rise straight up. Place the biscuits on baking sheet so that they barely touch. Gather up the scrap dough, press it into a circle, working it as little as possible and continue cutting until all dough has been used. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
GRAVY
l pound ground sausage
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups cold milk
salt and pepper
Fry up the sausage until it's thoroughly cooked. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon. Don't drain the grease. You'll need it to make the roux. You should have about 2 tablespoons of rendered fat. Add the butter and melt it. Then add the flour a little at a time over medium heat, constantly whisking. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Now start adding the cold milk a little at a time, whisking briskly. Toward the end of adding the milk, add the sausage back in. When it's thickened, add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the biscuits in half, pour the gravy over them. Sprinkle with chili piquins.

SLICK"S BREAKFAST BREAD
This recipe is very versatile; you could fill it with almost anything - bacon, ham, veggies and any kind of cheese you like. I will give you the way Slick likes it, simple and easy, but feel free to change up your ingredients and make it your own.
1 package frozen pizza dough
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 pound of country sausage
1 egg beaten with a splash of
water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let pizza dough come to room temperature. On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough into an oblong shape and move to a sheet tray sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brown sausage in a skillet until crisp, drain on a paper towel. Line sausage in a row in the middle of the dough, should be about 1/3 of the total width of the dough but in the middle. Fold one side of the dough over the sausage and seal edges with the egg wash. Sprinkle the cheese on the layer you just folded over, then cover with the remaining dough. Seal edges with egg wash and tuck ends under. Cut 3 to 5 slits on the top of the bread to let steam out. Egg wash entire bread, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly, then slice and serve.

BLOODY MARY BAR
Bloody Marys are a perfect do-it-yourself holiday breakfast/brunch drink. I like to do 1 part vodka to 3 parts Zing Zang. Be creative with the add-ins. You can do as much or as little as you like. Try some of these and enjoy!
Blue cheese stuffed olives
Pepperoncini"s
Pickled jalapeños
Caperberries
Horseradish
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Fresh lemon and lime wedges
Celery sticks