It’s in my blood. I think about food all the time, but it’s not my fault. I was born this way. Food has been an obsession in my family for generations. As a whole, my family (or at least many of the members of my family) believes that if we are not fed at regular intervals, we will surely die. And so you see, I’m wired to plan meals. I think about what to eat for my next meal of the day just as much as I think about what my meals will be on specific days that week, or even weeks away from today on special days.

One of those special days is quickly approaching… Christmas. People like to reminisce on Christmas Day. Many like to repeat family traditions on Christmas, and have the same meals that day that they had as children. I was like that for a while. I used to ask my mother to make Accra and Float on Christmas morning as a child, and indeed made it again for myself as an adult. (You can read about Accra and Float here.) Accra and Float is a lot of work, however, so now I mix things up and make different breakfasts and dinners too on Christmas Day.

This year, for Christmas dinner I am going to make the Brandy Braised Beef Roast with Beets, Carrots and Horseradish Cream out of my cookbook Blue Jean Chef: Comfortable in the Kitchen. For breakfast, however, I’m still deciding what to make. Breakfast is an important meal - it sets the tone for the day ahead. On Christmas Day a couple of factors come into play when deciding what to make for breakfast. First of all, will you have a houseful or just the regular family around? Secondly, will you have time to spend in the kitchen making breakfast, or would it be better to have something quick and easy, something made ahead of time? This year I’ll wake up on Christmas morning in a cabin in the Catskills. I also need to decide what equipment I feel like lugging up there. Most people have a busy Christmas Day, often involving travel and preparing a big dinner, so I thought it would be best to think of some make-ahead options to give you.

Here are two recipes for you to consider for Christmas morning. The first, Bacon Waffles with Bananas and Maple syrup can be made that morning, OR you can make them ahead of time, wrap in plastic wrap, freeze them and re-heat them in the oven for 5 minutes. Easy breezy. The second recipe is for scones. These scones are the best I’ve ever had and you can add whatever fruit flavor you like - cranberry-orange would be particularly nice on Christmas day. These are made ahead of time and then baked the morning of. Merry Christmas!

Bacon Waffles with Bananas and Maple Syrup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• maple syrup

Makes 8 to 10 scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 10 ounces (2½ sticks) of chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Add the cut up butter and pinch the butter into the dry ingredients with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract and add the liquid to the dry ingredients, along with the blueberries and lemon zest. Mix with your hands until the dough just starts to come together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper (optional, but makes moving the scones much easier) or onto the counter. Shape the dough into a long rectangle, about 16-inches long by about 3- to 4-inches wide. Score the dough into 8 to 10 triangles (the final desired shape of the scones). Cover with plastic wrap and transfer the dough to the freezer for at least 2 hours. (You can leave the dough in the freezer at this point for up to a month.)
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F. Remove the dough from the freezer and let it start to thaw lightly while the oven pre-heats. Cut the scones through, following the score marks. Transfer scones to a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.