Choose the All New Ruby's Diner Breafast Menu Items

Grace and I are big fans of Ruby's Diner! So when we had the chance to try out
a few of the eleven new breakfast items that Ruby's is testing out in several of its
Southern California, you bet we shooby on doobied down to check them out!
I love the Ruby's has a fun activity to keep the kids engaged while you wait for your
food. Grace had a great time building her Ruby's Diner food truck.

The first new breakfast dish we tried was the Southern Fried Benny. Oh mama, is it
amazing and delicious! It has poached eggs, chicken tenders, a buttermilk biscuit,
country gravy RubySpuds. I have never had a poached egg before and having it
combined with the gravy and chicken tenders was such a fun flavor combination. This
is my favorite savory breakfast dish I have very had.

Grace loved the RubySpuds that came on the side and she even tried the smothered

chicken tenders. I love when food is delicious and my adventurous toddler will try big

people food and enjoys it!

Next up we tried the 50/50 Hot Cakes Combo. These tasty hot cakes are infused with

orange and layered with orange marmalade and powdered sugar. These were yummy,

 but I felt like they need more orange. The hot cakes were beautifully cooked and 

perfectly fluffy, but the orange was too subtle for me. I think an orange marmalade

syrup or something would put them over the top. 

They are served with a side of maple syrup, but I didn't use it because I was worried

that it would totally drown out the orange flavor of the hot cakes. Grace enjoyed them

and she also loved the eggs and bacon that comes with the combo.

Last we had to try the French Toast Sticks. I learned from my server that they used to
be on the breakfast menu, took a little hiatus, and they are back again. They were so
crispy and yummy and Grace was a big fan of all the dips she had to choose from.
You will definitely want to get these and split them with a friend next time you're at
Ruby's for breakfast.

 

Ruby's Diner is currently testing these and 8 other new breakfast menu items at
five California locations including Laguna Hills, Palm Springs, Cabazon and Costa
Mesa. Now through January 15, 2017 you can help vote for your favorite new
menu items through a digital survey and help determine the new breakfast menu
that will be unveiled on January 16th and will be available at all locations
beginning January 25th.

In addition to the Southern Fried Benny, 50/50 Hotcakes, and French Toast Sticks,
the other new menu items that are up for review are Country Breakfast Sliders,
Breakfast Grilled Cheese, Mile High Quesadilla, Banana Nut French Toast Combo,
Egg White Burrito, Country Sausage and Biscuit Bowl, Hash Bowl and and the
Chorizo Bowl. Which item do you want to try? Be sure to head in before January 15th
so you can vote for your new favorite breakfast dish at Ruby's Diner!

Recipe: Leftover Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

So, this summer I declared Friday mornings "Oatmeal Fridays!"
It garnered collective groans from both JT and Isabella.
JT was the least thrilled about my declaration and vowed that he wouldn't
be having breakfast on Fridays ever again.
If you know JT, you know that's a pretty serious promise.

However, when our first Oatmeal Friday rolled around, JT actually
ate and Isabella was the one vowing to never eat breakfast on Fridays again.
Needless to say, I had quite a bit of leftover oatmeal and seemed like such
a waste to throw it out, so I went hunting for some way to use the leftover oatmeal.

That is how Leftover Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins were born!
I knew that Isabella was more likely to go for something in muffin form,
so I did some research and some experimenting and the results were a delicious
breakfast muffin that even Isabella couldn't turn down.



I also knew that if I added some dark chocolate chips, that would clinch Isabella,
give us breakfast for the next day and use up the leftover oatmeal.
They were delicious! And both of the kids loved them.
The muffins were dense and hearty and paired with a glass of milk,
they make the perfect meal for those busy mornings when you're dashing off to
school or work.

Isabella said, "Well, I might not eat breakfast on Fridays, but Saturdays I'll be having
muffins for sure!" What a silly girl! I'm just glad I found a yummy use for
the leftover oatmeal that everyone in the family can enjoy.
They're so yummy, you just might find yourself having Oatmeal Fridays
more than once a week, just to have leftover oatmeal!



Leftover Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 - 2 cups leftover oatmeal 
2 eggs
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cups dark chocolate chips
3-4 tbsp oats

DIRECTIONS 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or line with muffin papers.
3. Whisk together the oatmeal, eggs, coconut oil, milk and brown sugar until
the oatmeal is mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the oatmeal mixture until well combined, 
but be sure not to over mix.
6.  Mix in the dark chocolate chips.
7. Use a scoop or large spoon to evenly fill the muffin cups.
8. Sprinkle some dry oats on top of each muffin before baking.
9. Bake for 22-25 minutes - until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Let the muffins cool completely before removing from the tin.
11. Eat and enjoy!

French Toast Bake

 One of our family traditions for our Church's General Conference weekend is
a fun breakfast on Saturday morning.
This year my husband was in Australia on business,
so it threw off my schedule and Saturday came a day earlier than I expected.
So, I made French Toast Bake and we had our Saturday breakfast on Sunday instead
and the kids LOVED it!





I love French Toast Bake because you can fix it the night before
and then throw it in the oven the next morning and VOILA!
you have a yummy breakfast that you didn't have to get up early (my arch-nemesis) to make!
But beware - it does take an hour to bake, so don't wake up at 9:00,
thinking you'll be eating by 9:30 - a mistake I may or may have not made. 

FRENCH TOAST BAKE

1 loaf french bread (I used the loaf from Walmart)
8 eggs
2 cups milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. vanilla

Crunchy Topping:
1/2 c. flour
 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cube cold butter, cut into pieces (1/2 cup)

1. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter. Tear the french bread into bite-sized pieces and cover
the bottom of the pan evenly.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. You can
use more than 1/2 cup of sugar. Lots of the recipes call for 3/4, but a 1/2 cup is great for me.
Pour this mixture over the bread. Cover tightly and put in the fridge overnight.

3. In a medium sized bowl mix together the ingredients for the topping with either a pastry
blender or by using two knifes to cut in the butter until it is crumbly.
DON'T use a fork. It will just mash it up and you won't have a crumbly topping.
You'll have a solid butter sugar mass :) Store covered in the fridge overnight.

4. The next morning, have your husband get up an hour before you plan to serve, and preheat the oven to 350.
 Then evenly sprinkle the sugar crumb topping over bread/egg mixture.
Bake for 1 hour at 350.

I serve ours with a powdered sugar/milk glaze and the kids are wild for it.
Does your family like French Toast Bake?
Do you serve it with syrup or glaze?