Breakfast Table: USA Breakfast

Breakfast is an appetizing morning meal. It is often considered the most important meal of the day for many. Breakfast is a delicious meal that is commonly consumed in the morning, but it is also a meal that can be enjoyed any time of the day. There are numerous traditional American breakfast dishes that are offered at many breakfast and brunch restaurants or coffee shops.

Breakfast: An Important Meal of the Day

In the United States, breakfast is known as a vital meal of the day. Bright and early in the morning may be a time when many people may not be hungry for a meal. This is when breakfast is generally skipped because most people are in a hurry in the morning or are just not very hungry to eat a full meal. It is ideal to start the day by eating breakfast prior to work or school. This is beneficial for concentration and productivity. Generally it is not good to work or study on an empty stomach, but it is ideal to eat a small breakfast meal prior to being productive in the morning.

 
Breakfast Restaurants in the United States

Breakfast is a popular meal in the states. Many people in the United States enjoy breakfast food at all times of the day. There are various American breakfast restaurants that are dedicated only to breakfast dishes. Then there are brunch restaurants that offer both breakfast and lunch items. This gives people the option of both breakfast dishes and lunch meals. Other places, such as coffee shops, offer light breakfast food items like pastries and numerous coffee options. Many fast food restaurants also offer breakfast items for a limited time in the morning. This is a great way to grab a morning breakfast meal before work.

Breakfast Table

Besides breakfast and brunch restaurants, homemade fresh breakfast dishes can be made at home, such as scrambled eggs, banana toast, or a fruit breakfast smoothie. Many different types of breakfast recipes are generally simple to make and do not take very long to make in the morning.

For this table, we set up a big breakfast that includes common and tasty American breakfast food items. This big breakfast table includes a combination of healthy fruits, common breakfast food items, and tasty drinks to start the morning.

Breakfast Table: toasts, English muffin, waffles, muffin top, omelette, bacon, orange juice, blueberries, bananas, oranges, pancakes, honey, butter, scrambled eggs, strawberry jam, apples, hazelnut latte, and shredded hash brown.

Toasts, Waffles, English Muffin & Muffin Top 

Toasts are common and popular breakfast items. Many breakfast restaurants often toast as a side with big breakfast meals. Generally, any type of bread can be toasted and then smeared with butter. White bread is a great option for toasts. Whole wheat bread is an excellent healthy toast choice for the morning. 

Waffles are another popular and common American breakfast food item. Many breakfast restaurants offer a variety of creative waffle flavors and a unique dish of waffles and chicken. Frozen waffles are readily available at supermarkets. Various frozen waffle flavors are often offered, like buttermilk and cinnamon, in the frozen aisle. With a waffle maker and waffle batter, delicious-tasting waffles can be freshly made at home.

English muffins are popular muffin types that can often be available at various supermarkets. Thomas English muffins are a popular brand in the states. There are various English muffin flavors from the original, whole wheat, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, and sourdough. English muffins can be made at home with English muffin mixes that can be found at supermarkets or online stores. This is a nice way of making fresh English muffins at home. 

Desserts may not be very common for breakfast, but sometimes it is nice to add a sweet treat to a breakfast dish. Sweet muffins can be considered a breakfast and dessert item to enjoy in the morning. Various brands of sweet muffins can be found at supermarkets and bakeries. 

I created a dish with toasts, English muffins, waffles, and a chocolate chip muffin. The white toasts were toasted then smeared with butter. I bought a package of Thomas English Muffins from the supermarket, then toasted the English muffins and added butter. For the waffles, I made the waffles by using a waffle maker. I used pancake batter for the waffles, which is a good alternative. For the chocolate chip muffins, I bought a package of Thomas chocolate chip muffin tops.

This was a unique and tasty breakfast dish. The toasts, English muffins, and waffles were warm and fresh. The chocolate chip muffin top was soft and sweet. 

Omelette & Bacon Strips

Omelettes are common breakfast items in the United States. It is considered a healthy breakfast option for the morning. There are various types of omelettes to make and try out. A few delicious omelettes include French, Spanish, and vegetable omelette. Various breakfast restaurants include variations of omelette options, including the American omelette, which has different types of filling ingredients such as diced ham, potatoes, cheddar cheese, and cheese sauce. Omelettes can be enjoyed at breakfast restaurants or made freshly at home.

Bacon is also another popular breakfast item. Strips of bacon are often served alongside a big breakfast dish. Bacon is one breakfast food item to enjoy every so often, as it is not considered a healthy breakfast choice but is still nice to eat occasionally and in moderation. Bacon is a common breakfast food at breakfast restaurants. Making bacon strips at home is simple enough. Supermarkets have different brands of bacon strips that are often available for purchase. 

I made a simple American omelette with yellow cheese filling. I also fried a few bacon strips and lightly seasoned each bacon strip with salt and pepper. This dish was a warm and delicious breakfast dish.

Orange Juice

A popular and common breakfast juice is the classic orange juice. When we think of a morning, freshly squeezed refreshment, orange juice is most likely the juice that comes to mind. In the states, orange juice is a very popular breakfast juice in many breakfast restaurants. It is an excellent morning juice that can be enjoyed at home, freshly squeezed with a juicer or blender. Supermarkets generally offer a variety of orange juice brands. Juice options include pulp and pulp-free orange juice. Pulp orange juice is juice that has flesh of the orange, while pulp-free orange juice has no orange flesh, and all solids have been removed.

For the orange juice, I bought Florida's Natural 100% premium orange juice with pulp. Pulp orange juice is my preferred juice option. It is a refreshing and delicious juice. 

Blueberries

Fruits are excellent for breakfast. They are healthy and light breakfast options to include in a light breakfast meal. Breakfast fruit bowls are great for the morning. This typically includes a variety of fresh fruits such as bananas, strawberries, apples, kiwis, or blackberries. Other types of fruits, seeds, nuts, and granola can also be added to fruit bowls. Fruit berries are also nice to add to yogurts and parfaits, such as raspberries and blueberries. A bowl of fresh berries in the morning is a great start to the day.

Blueberries are often available year-round at supermarkets. When fresh blueberries are not available, frozen is an excellent option. Frozen or fresh blueberries are both good options. I bought frozen blueberries and then defrosted the berries for this morning's breakfast table. I added the defrosted blueberries in a bowl. The defrosted blueberries were refreshing and taste similar to fresh blueberries. 

Bananas & Oranges

Fresh bananas and oranges make great breakfast fruit choices. They are also healthy fruits to add to a breakfast diet. Fresh fruits are often available in supermarkets, gourmet grocery stores, farmers markets, or small local international markets. Frozen bags of banana slices can be found at supermarkets. Frozen oranges are less likely to be found, but fresh oranges can be frozen at home. 

I opted for fresh bananas and oranges for this table. I added the bananas and oranges to a bowl. The fruit was a great addition to the table.

Pancakes & Banana Slices

Pancakes are a popular breakfast item throughout the states. They are also a common staple at breakfast restaurants. There are different types of delicious pancakes at brunch restaurants that include buttermilk, blueberry, chocolate, cinnamon, and fruit pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes are a common pancake variety on the breakfast menu. They are made with buttermilk and known to be a fluffy and soft type of pancake. Supermarkets have a variety of pancake mix brands available for purchase. This makes making pancakes at home simple. Only a few ingredients are generally required: egg, oil, and milk or water.

I purchased a box of buttermilk pancake mixes at the supermarket that only required vegetable oil, an egg, and water. I used milk instead of water. I also added a few fresh banana slices. Both pancakes and banana slices are a tasty combination.

Honey

Maple syrup and pancake syrup are commonly used for all types of pancakes. These syrups give pancakes a sweet taste similar to a breakfast dessert. Honey is an excellent alternative to sweet maple syrups. There are different types of honeys that can be used for pancakes. Honey color can range from a light yellow color to a dark brown color. Honey can also be classified as raw, organic, or conventional honey. At supermarkets a variety of honey can be available for purchase. The conventional honey type is generally the most common and often available.

Great value honey is a regular, conventional honey that is often available at supermarkets for an affordable price. I often use this brand of honey for many dishes. For pancakes, I generally use honey versus maple syrup. This is more of a preference, but it does make pancakes and other breakfast items have a natural sweet taste. 

Butter

Butter is a common dairy product used in various breakfast dishes. Toasts, waffles, English muffins, pancakes, and plain muffins are a few breakfast items that butter can be used on. Butter is often offered at breakfast restaurant tables. Individual small butter packets are usually found at restaurant tables along with other condiments.

Making butter can be done at home with several ingredients, including milk. Though butter can be made at home, the availability of different brands and types of butter makes it simple for people to purchase butter at the store.

I often use butter on many breakfast items. For the pancakes, toasts, English muffins, and waffles, I use store-bought sweet cream butter, which adds a lightly sweet flavor to the breakfast food. 

Scrambled Eggs

There are different ways to prepare and cook eggs for breakfast. Besides omelettes, scrambled eggs are another popular method for cooking eggs. The process of making scrambled eggs is great for beginners because it is known as a simple way of to cook eggs. Various ingredients can be added to scrambled eggs, like pieces of ham, vegetables, spices, herbs, and cheese. Many breakfast restaurants also offer scrambled eggs as an option on the menu. Restaurant scrambled eggs can be creamier and more distinctive in flavor compared to homemade scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs are my favorite way of enjoying eggs. I whisk the eggs with milk. Once the eggs were cooked, the eggs were seasoned with salt and pepper. This was a simple, small bowl of eggs for this breakfast table.

Strawberry Jam

Jam is a common spread used for various breakfast items. Jam can be topped with toast, English muffins, and biscuits. There are many types of jam flavors. Many of the jam flavors are made with fruits. The jam is made by cooking the fruit until it has thickened to a gel texture. Jam flavors include apricot, blackberry, blueberry, plum, and peach. Strawberry is a popular jam flavor that is often available at many breakfast restaurants in the states.

Various flavors and brands of jams are often available at supermarkets and other gourmet stores. With a few ingredients and equipment, jam can be made at home with fresh fruits. I bought strawberry jam for the breakfast table. This flavor jam tastes great on toasts and muffins. 

Apples

Apple is a tasty and healthy fruit to include for breakfast. Apples can be cut into slices and then added to breakfast dishes. Slices or pieces of apples can be added to oatmeal, breakfast parfaits, and yogurts. Homemade apple smoothie or apple juice can make a great breakfast drink for the morning. With a blender, add apples, bananas, oats, yogurt, and milk; blend to create a tasty and healthy apple-oat smoothie.

Fresh apples are available year-round, which makes adding and creating apple recipes for morning breakfast ideal. Many supermarkets, farmer markets, gourmet grocery stores, and online grocery retailers often have fresh bagged apples or loose apples available for purchase.

I purchased both red and green apples, then sliced the apples and added them to a small plate. The flavors of the red and green apples were both tasty but mildly distinctive in sweetness. The red apples are often known to be a bit sweeter compared to green apples.

Hazelnut Latte

Lattes are a well-known coffee drink in the states. It is also a popular coffee milk drink worldwide. Latte is a type of coffee drink made with espresso, milk, and then topped with foam. It can be either hot or cold. For many, the latte is a cultural coffee drink that is enjoyed by many people around the world.

Coffee houses are known for serving lattes. There are various latte flavors one can opt for. Common flavors of lattes include cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut. The flavor of hazelnut latte can be described as rich, nutty, and sweet. A unique blend of tasty flavors that make this latte a great option for the morning.

For the hazelnut latte, I bought the McCafe iced one-step hazelnut latte. I brewed the latte and omitted the ice to keep the latte warm. This particular brand of hazelnut latte was good. It was sweet yet had a nice nutty flavor, which made a great warm breakfast drink for this table.

Shredded Hash Brown

Hash brown is a popular breakfast item. Various breakfast, brunch, and fast food restaurants and diners offer hash browns on their menu. Shredded hash brown is fried shredded potatoes that can be served with condiments such as ketchup or sweet or hot sauce. The classic eggs, bacon, and hash brown make a great breakfast meal.

Fresh homemade shredded hash brown can be made at home with a few ingredients. Russet potatoes are an ideal potato choice when making hash brown at home. Another option for enjoying hash brown at home is buying frozen hash brown. Supermarkets have different brands of shredded hash brown frozen packets.

I bought Simply Potatoes pre-shredded hash brown from the supermarket. Unlike other shredded hash brown bags, this brand is not frozen. It can be found near the refrigerated dairy section of the supermarket. This was great without the need to freeze the bag. It was simple enough just to get the shredded hash brown from the refrigerator and cook it. This brand of shredded hash brown is convenient and is delicious.

Summary

Breakfast is an appetizing and great meal to enjoy not only in the morning but also at any time of the day. Many restaurants and diners offer breakfast at all hours of the day. In addition, making breakfast at home can be affordable and simple. This breakfast table was simple to assemble, and many of the dishes were not hard to make. I purchased a few affordable breakfast items at the supermarket and cooked a few common American breakfast dishes in no time, making this table a simple and tasty USA breakfast table.