Bountiful Fall Breakfast

This past weekend, JiT and I drove out to Rockford to visit my parents. Well, actually, we were out that direction because I was attending a wedding in Madison on Saturday night. Since Madison is only an hour north of Rockford and I didn't want to stay by myself in Madison after the wedding, it made sense to make a weekend out of it. Instead of attending the wedding, JiT stayed in Rockford for the evening with my parents, since a planned business trip had been cancelled at the last minute.

The wedding was for one of my knitting group friends, Cassie. She is super-crafy and her wedding was absolutely beautiful, personal and full of amazing little details that made you smile (hand-sewn customized table runners, tissue paper flowers resting on each persons napkin, butterfly placecard holders). All in all, it made for a very sweet event.


In between the ceremony and the reception, I was able to spend some quality girl time with the ladies from my knitting group. We ended up at a nifty little dive bar in downtown Madison. The bar has a tree in the middle of it! Here I am with Jessica from Everyday Adventures (right in blue), Anne who doesn't have a blog, and Amanda from Simplified Mom (sitting right of me). We had fun.

On Sunday, back in Rockford, we enjoyed a wonderful, lazy morning. My mother declared that she was making breakfast -- pecan waffles and pancakes (she and JiT prefer pancakes, my father and I prefer waffles). Before I knew it, nearly the entire family was in the kitchen making a contribution. JiT decided to make country-fried breakfast potatoes, fresh baby potatoes diced and tossed with onions and green peppers, seasoned and cooked in a skillet until they're brown and crispy. Then G-ma helped JiT whip up cheesy scrambled eggs.

Since we'd been to the apple orchard the previous morning, I decided that pecan waffles would be even better topped with warm apple compote. This is such a simple and versatile recipe -- wonderful as a topping for pancakes and waffles, or eaten alone as a chucky apple sauce. For dessert, its delicous served warm over vanilla ice cream (like a crustless pie).

We ate our breakfast out on my parents screened porch, enjoying hot coffee and a cool breeze. A perfect way to kick off the fall.

Easy Warm Apple Compote
Serves 4 as a pancake or waffle topping

2 large apples, peeled cored and diced (I used Jonagolds)
1/4 sugar (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples are soft and mixture has a texture like chunky applesauce. If mixture becomes too try, add a bit of additional water.

Apples will begin to soften and break down. Use a fork to smash cooked apples until the texture reaches a consistency you prefer. Taste and adjust sugar and cinnamon to your liking. Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, ice cream or with a spoon. Can also be refridgerated and served cold as an applesauce.