Birthday Breakfast With Daughter #1 at Penny Ann's Cafe - A Review & Celebration!

You may have noticed by now that I like breakfast. I am not a breakfast snob, it need not be omelettes at a nearby resort, It can be something as simple as a Sausage McMuffin. I credit my mom for my love of breakfast. We always had something good and homemade to start our days off right. I think because of that I have always liked making breakfast for my family. But until recently, I didn't make it for myself very often. My gandboys LOVE dippin' eggs and once told me I should open a restaurant that served only breakfast. I never tire of fixing breakfast for them and the never seem to tire of eating it. They will both request it when they come over and I happily oblige.

But this post is not about me or my grandboys, rather it is about the birthday of our first born, Daughter #1. Somewhere it became a birthday tradition to celebrate family birthdays at places featuring breakfasts. This year I decided to take my Daughter #1 somewhere she had never been Penny Ann's Cafe. A side note here - Daughter #1's middle name is Ann as is the middle name of my #2 sister and my grandmother. Penny is also the name of by youngest sister who lived less than a month. So Penny Ann has a familiar ring to our family.

This nice little restaurant is tucked away in a shopping center and isn't really visible from the street, so you have to know where you are heading to get there. No big, bright signs or marquee. I will say that my first experience at this place was several years ago after hearing rave reviews. I took grandboy #1 and we were unimpressed, so I have not returned. But I mentioned it to my daughter and she seemed game so we headed there.

Penny Ann's is famous for what they call "heavenly" hot cakes. My daughter also ordered their scone and boy was it a giant. I went bor their "big breakfast" and my daughter dis an ala carte thing. We were othe amazed and delighted. I tried my pancakes with both maple syrup and boysenberry syrup (they charge extra for real Vermont Maple Syrup), and they were both just right for their hot cakes.

Daughter #1 Ordered a Sausage patty that was almost as big as her pancakes. My big breakfast included two eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, potatoes and, of course, their heavenly hot cakes.

Because it was her birthday, (which I made sure to mention), they offered my daughter a free slice of their freshly made pie. I don't normally have dessert for breakfast, but I had signed up on their website and and in return they gave me a slice too!

My daughter had the chocolate mouse flavor and I had a childhood favorite, coconut cream. We were too full to eat it there but is was very tasty later that day.

I went in only having tried Penny Ann's once, and not enjoying it, but today they totally won us over. Everything was tasty, the portions were more than ample and the service was excellent all around. My only regret is not having been back sooner, something I will rectify soon!

By the Numbers:
Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price 💲💲 (not cheap but well worth it and you get what you pay for)

Conclusion
This is a great place for for a lovely breakfast. If you go, sign up online and get a free slice of pie, but even if you don't get one free, the pie and everything we had was well worth it.

Earl Eats Denny's Biscuits & Gravy - Lunching with Len & KC - A Review

I have always thought of Denny's as a breakfast destination and since breakfast is not only an important way to start your day, it turns out to be a good way to lunch at mid-day!

After working to feed others all morning, batteries needed recharging. Burger King was mentioned but both Capt. Len and I were looking for something besides fast/drive-up food. Denny's was the choice.

I have eaten breakfast at Denny's hundreds of times, but never remember having their biscuits and gravy! I don't know why but when Len ordered it, it sounded good to me too!

My Daughter #1 has always loved Biscuits and Gravy, and if I say so myself, I make a very good gravy with lots of sausage, but I usually leave the biscuits to someone named Pillsbury. 

Denny's Biscuits & Gravy is as good as any I have eaten (with less sausage than my own) and I highly recommend it. For under $5, I ate well and had 2 eggs, a pile of hash-browns and biscuits smothered in creamy sausage gravy. 

Another meal with workmates, that was relaxing and filling—a great way to spend some time.

By the numbers:
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service  ⭐⭐⭐ 
Price 💲💲 (better than reasonable—it is a great value)

Earl Cooks Sausage Gravy Over Fries - Who needs Poutine?

Poutine (pu ˈteen) is a dish originating from the Canadian province of Quebec consisting of French fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. I like fries, cheese curds AND brown gravy but I must say, I have been a bit unimpressed by those I have tried at food vendors, and my attempts to make them myself have only been half-hearted at best. But I came across a dish I developed a while back that puts poutine to shame...country sausage gravy over fries! 

What you Need:

• Fries - homemade, cooked from frozen, or leftovers from your takeout.

• Breakfast Sausage - This can be cooked from the package or from the microwavable precooked versions, or from the Sausage McMuffin you ordered with fries and saved for this.

• Country Gravy - This can be from a package, bottle, or can, or you can whip some up yourself,  just make certain you use a lot of fresh ground pepper. 

The fries will need to be as hot as you can make them, but DON'T USE THE MICROWAVE. Microwaves will make the fries soggy. Use a skillet or the oven to heat or reheat them. After mixing the crumbled sausage into the the country gravy, pour over the fries.

These can be eaten with your fingers, but you will want a knife and fork to get every drop. Try this with a runny egg on top to make it even better. It is a great way to use up leftover gravy from biscuits and gravy too!

Birthday Boy's Birthday Super Slam is a Home Run - A Review

My Granboys and I have a long standing relationship with Denny's. It started when my daughter (#1) would take the day off for her son's birthday. For years we would go to breakfast for grandboy #1's birthday, and for many years Denny's was our go to. Then 2 things happened. The first was the opening of of "The Original Pancake House" nearby, the second was the closing of the Denny's nearby. My grandboys and I have eaten in many Denny's in Utah, Idaho & Nevada. Their prices are good and our favorite meal, breakfast, always hit the spot. So it has been quite awhile since we ate at a Denny's for a birthday breakfast, but this year they are offering their Super Slam Breakfast for just 6 bucks! I stole their site ad just to show you how good it looks and we loved it.

2 Eggs, 2 sausage links, 2 slices of bacon, 2 pancakes and hash browns! It was as good as good as it sounds.

Daughter #1 went a bit lighter with the Value Slam. A good value, if you don't want as much  food as we MEN wanted! She also scrambled her eggs but we got ours runny, as eggs should be cooked and eaten, but she likes to use them to absorb ketchup.

Our server was excellent. She was friendly and funny. The only thing was she couldn't find a Chewbacca cup. They were sold out.

We arrived hungry and left full and fulfilled. Happy Birthday to My Grandboy #1

Earl Cooks Shrimp, Sausage & New Potatoes

To start this adventure, I bought RAW shrimp. You may be saying, "so? I always buy raw shrimp!", but I don't. I bought frozen, COLOSSAL, raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, with the tail ON. I wasn't quite ready to try deveining (clean out the intestinal tract, i.e. POOP) and removing the shell. Baby steps. I thawed according to package instructions and dried them thoroughly. I left the tail in tact because I know how my wife likes to eat her shrimp!


I then took 3 McCormick Smoky Applewood & Cheddar Smoked sausages and sliced them to match the shrimp in length. So that's a pound of shrimp and half a pound of smoked sausage, for those keeping score.

Now, for something you may have never tried. Because my wife has a sensitivity to the deep red color of new potato's skins, but loves new potatoes, they have to be peeled. I, however, am allergic to peeling small potatoes, so to accommodate both, I used a 15 oz. can of sliced new potatoes, water packed. I rinsed them thoroughly in cold water and dried them with a paper towel. 

Next, I took my Calphalon Grill Pan, a gift a few years ago from my daughter for my birthday, and heated it to smokin' hot, put in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and tossed in the smoked sausage. It is fully cooked, but needs grill marks and heating up. Next the potatoes, seasoned with seasoning salt and seasoned pepper. (note: don't use too much season salt)

Now the shrimp. Season the shrimp with the same seasonings after coating with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil. Thanks Rachel Ray), and add to hot pan. According to Rachel Ray, raw shrimp is done when it is pink throughout, a couple of minutes on each side, just long enough to get grill marks. I adjusted the temp down to medium high, and moved the sausage and potatoes to the cooler side so they wouldn't burn. All done in in our bellies!

I almost forgot to mention that I grilled lemon halves, first with the cut side down then flipped them over. The juice really runs well when heated, if you like your shrimp with lemon!