It’s day 4 of #BrunchWeek and what a great week it has been. I am co-hosting with Shaina from Take A Bite Out Of Boca. The week is half over and the delicious recipes keep coming! Our #BrunchWeek giveaway is still going on, so make sure you enter before the end of the week! I hope you enjoyed my 60-Minute Cinnamon Rolls yesterday, as well as my Whiskey Walnut Tart and Blueberry Sangria that kicked off the week – they are all delicious!

Today I am sharing a breakfast strata, which is kind of like a savory bread pudding. I always love a good bread pudding, like my Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding, Banana Bread Pudding, and Apple Pie Bread Pudding, and have never shared a savory version, so I thought this would be perfect.

I received some gorgeous produce and juices from Grimmway Farms, Call-Organic and True Juice and knew I wanted to use kale in my recipe. I love adding kale to salads and pastas and thought it would be perfect in this strata. Caramelized onions are a favorite in our house. We put them on tacos, with roast chicken and potatoes, and in every meal possible. The sweeter the onion, the better it is to caramelize. Vidalia Onions are the best, but if you don’t have Vidalias in stores yet, a sweet onion will have to do. I use Alton Brown’s method for caramelizing onions on the stove. Also, I love the new Le Creuset Revolution Bi-Material Saute Spoon for making caramelized onions. It is has a flexible silicone edge that is perfect for making sure the onions don’t stick and burn, while being incredibly sturdy.

Of course, you can’t have a strata without some good cheese. I was so excited to receive some amazing cheddar cheeses from Cabot Creamery Cooperative. In addition to their amazing cheeses, Cabot also offers yogurt, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, whipped cream and dips. The Cabot Cheese selection is fabulous! There are so many different flavors and I can’t wait to try them all, especially their Tomato Basil Cheddar, Garlic & Herb Cheddar and Everything Bagel Cheddar.

This strata is a mix of everything I like for breakfast all baked into one dish. The challah bread soaks up the egg and milk mixture and is layered with onions, kale, bacon and cheddar – such a delicious combination! You can even prepare this the night before and bake it in the morning, just be sure your baking dish is made to go from the refrigerator to the oven.

Caramelized Onion, Kale, Bacon and Cheddar Strata
A Love and Confections original recipe
Click here for a printable recipe

Caramelized Onion, Kale, Bacon and Cheddar Strata Ingredients:
– 12 ounces Challah Bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
– 2-3 teaspoons Olive Oil
– 5 ounces of Kale, rinsed, dried, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
– 2 pounds Caramelized Vidalia Onions
– 6 ounces Cabot Farmhouse Reserve Premium Aged Cheddar Cheese
– 12 slices of Bacon, chopped
– 10 large Eggs
– 1 & 1/2 cups Whole Milk
– Butter or Cooking Spray
– Salt and Pepper, to taste

Caramelized Onion, Kale, Bacon and Cheddar Strata Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350F. Toast Challah Bread cubes for 5 minutes in the oven while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Lightly saute the Kale in a large skillet with some Olive Oil, then set aside. Use Butter or Cooking Spray and prepare a deep 9 x 13 pan.
3. Place 1/3 of the toasted Challah Bread in the bottom of the dish, followed by 1/2 of the Kale, 1/2 of the Onions, 1/3 of the Bacon and 1/3 of the Cheese. Place another layer of Challah followed by the second 1/2 of Kale, second 1/2 of Onions, 1/3 of the Bacon and 1/3 of the Cheese. Layer the last bit of Challah Bread, last 1/3 of Bacon and last 1/3 of Cheese.
4. In a large bowl, crack the Eggs in and whisk to break them apart. Add in the Whole Milk, Salt and Pepper and whisk to combine.
5. Gently pour the egg mixture over the filling and let it sit for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the Strata is set and the top is lightly brown. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

Join us for Brunch today with these recipes from the #BrunchWeek Bloggers!

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Grape Mojito from The Spiffy Cookie.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Caramelized Onion, Kale, Bacon and Cheddar Strata from Love and Confections.
Kale and Toasted Quinoa Egg White Scramble from Take A Bite Out Of Boca.
Breakfast Enchiladas from Cooking in Stilettos
Croque Madame Breakfast Casserole from Bread Booze Bacon.
Rainbow Chard and Cheddar Cheese Frittata from My Catholic Kitchen.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:
Perfect French Toast from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine.
Oat Breakfast Cookies from Pink Cake Plate.
Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes with Spiced Pear Syrup from The Redhead Baker.
Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Muffins from Making Miracles.
Classic Buttermilk Pancakes from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Bacci Bread and Pear Pudding from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pear Coffee Cake and Fruit & Cheese Salad from Sew You Think You Can Cook.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Waldorf Quinoa Chicken Salad from Cupcake & Kale Chips.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Chilled Strawberry Soup from The Suburban Soapbox

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Orange Blossom Olive Oil Cake with Mango Citrus Glaze from Taste Cook Sip.
Walnut Meringue Banana Mess from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, California Walnuts, Dixie Crystals, Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic/True Juice, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Pacari Chocolate, Stonyfield Organic, Vidalia Onions, and Woot Froot for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Welcome to day 3 of #BrunchWeek. I am hosting this week along with Shaina from Take A Bite Out Of Boca. We are so excited to share such wonderful brunch recipes with you. 30 bloggers are sharing over 120 recipes this week and we are also having a huge #BrunchWeek giveaway with 12 winners! Don’t forget to use the entry form for your chance to win.

These Cinnamon Rolls should really be called 60 Minute and Thirty Second Cinnamon Rolls, because that is how long it takes to both make, then scarf eat one of these delicious baked beauties. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t love a warm cinnamon roll right out of the oven. I usually equate Cinnamon Rolls with special occasions. We always eat them on Christmas morning, before opening presents. They are a welcome treat at both Easter and Thanksgiving mornings too.

Granted, you don’t need a special occasion to eat these delicious, gooey, sweet rolls. They are glorious any day of the week! I love working with this dough because it is so easy to use. In just a little bit of time, you can have warm, fresh, right-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls slathered in a scrumptious glaze.

For this recipe, I went with the original filling of cinnamon and sugar. You can definitely customize the filling with different sugars, nuts, fruits or chocolate and I plan on blogging about a few of my other cinnamon roll creations soon. The glaze is dotted with vanilla seeds from my Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. Vanilla Bean Paste is one of my favorite ingredients, because I love seeing all the flecks of vanilla throughout my baked goods, frosting and glazes.

These cinnamon rolls use yeast to make them rise. Be sure you get the correct type of yeast. If you are new to using yeast in baked goods, I have a helpful bread-baking guide with yeast that you should look at. Also, don’t forget to enter our #BrunchWeek giveaway! Enjoy!

60-Minute Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from a Culinary School recipe
Click here for a printable recipe

60-Minute Cinnamon Roll Ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
– pinch of Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
– 1 & 1/2 cups warm Water
– 1/2 cup Milk
– 1/4 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 12 tablespoons unsalted Butter, room temperature
– 5-6 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
– Dixie Crystals Cinnamon Sugar Shaker
– 1 & 1/2 cup Dixie Crystals Powdered Sugar
– 2-4 tablespoons Whole Milk
– 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

60-Minute Cinnamon Roll Directions:
1. Place Yeast in a clean, small metal bowl and sprinkle a pinch of Sugar on top. Add in the warm water and stir gently to insure all the yeast is wet. Let the Yeast sit and bloom while you prepare the other ingredients. If your yeast does not bubble and grow, it is dead and you will need new yeast before moving forward.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of Butter, Milk, Sugar and Salt until the Butter is just melted.
3. In a large bowl, place 4 & 1/2 cups of Flour. Add the Yeast mixture into it and stir with a spatula. Add in the Milk mixture and continue stirring. The dough will be extremely sticky.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using your hands or a bowl scraper add in the remaining flour, a little at a time, while kneading it into the dough. The amount of flour you will use depends on your dough, so don’t worry if you don’t use it all. Weather and humidity affect dough, and if it is humid out, you might use all 6 cups of flour. The dough needs to be soft and pliable, but not sticky.
5. Spray the inside of a large metal bowl with cooking spray and place the ball of dough inside. Turn it once to coat, wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
6. Once it has risen, roll it out onto a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle. I usually do either 22 x 14 or 24 x 16. With an offset spatula, spread the remaining softened Butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the Cinnamon Sugar.
7. Roll the dough, into a tight log, starting with the long side. Cut into even slices and place into two pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. I usually get 24 pieces so I divide them between a 9 x 13 and 9 x 9 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise for another 15-20 minutes while your oven heats.
8. Heat oven to 425F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls for 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool the rolls for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the Powdered Sugar, Milk – one tablespoon at a time, and the Vanilla Bean Paste, until you get a good consistency. You don’t want the icing too thick or thin. Spread it on the rolls and enjoy! Best if eaten immediately, but can be store for up to 2 days.

Come see what today’s #BrunchWeek Bloggers are creating!

BrunchWeek Beverages: 
Mixed Berry Yogurt Smoothie from Taste Cook Sip.
Tequila Sunrise from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Sparkling Pineapple Mojitos from girlichef.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes: 
Baked Eggs over Maple Roasted Vegetables from Big Bear’s Wife.
Bacon and Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Making Miracles.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries: 
60 Minute Cinnamon Rolls from Love and Confections.
Chocolate and Walnut Challah from The Little Ferraro Kitchen.
Braided Ham and Cheddar Bread from Sarcastic Cooking.
Pear Oatmeal Crème Brûlée from The Spiffy Cookie.
Tattie Scones with Cheddar and Chives from The Redhead Baker.
Chocolate Chip Flaxseed Waffles from Hip Foodie Mom.
Chile Relleno Quiche from Cooking in Stilettos.
Double Chocolate Sweet Rolls from It Bakes Me Happy.
Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola from Baking a Moment.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes: 
Harissa Chorizo Hash from greens & chocolate.
Smoked Salmon Canapes with Whipped Chive Cream Cheese from The Suburban Soapbox.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides: 
Kinpura Gobo from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Tropical Fruit Salad with Vanilla and Lime from Healthy Delicious.
Beet and Heirloom Carrot Rosti with Creme Fraiche and Caviar from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.
Carrot Salad from My Catholic Kitchen.
Italian Carrot Salad from {i love} my disorganized life

BrunchWeek Desserts: 
Nutty Banana Bread from Take A Bite Out Of Boca.
Gluten-Free Pear and Walnut Crumble from It’s Yummi.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, California Walnuts, Dixie Crystals, Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic/True Juice, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Pacari Chocolate, Stonyfield Organic, Vidalia Onions, and Woot Froot for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.