Have
you ever wondered about what breakfast is like at the Oaks Bed and
Breakfast? Today is the day that we want
to share with you some of our secrets to the amazing meal we provide our guests
every time they stay with us. We truly
feel that a great day starts with breakfast, and what is a better way to start
than with a farm to table breakfast experience.
Welcome to our bed and breakfast where we’re proud to serve a farm to table
breakfast that encompasses the rich agricultural heritage of North East Texas.
Some
of you locals may remember my in-laws, Bernie and Susie Thesing, who now live
out in the country and take care of a little hobby farm filled with animals and
produce. The animals on the farm provide
food for our table and theirs, and the garden provides produce. Some of the best eggs I have ever eaten have
come from the farm and are far superior to the eggs you can purchase at the
grocery store. There is just a better
taste from an egg of a chicken that has had the joy of roaming the land and
discovering the bugs that hop across their path.
As a rule,
studies have shown that the benefits of pasture raised eggs include:
1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more
vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7
times more beta carotene. Who does not
want to have more benefits from such a tiny specimen? You can even see the difference between a
store-bought egg and a pasture raised egg.
That is our first step in providing a great farm to table meal for our
guests to enjoy.
The
second item we pretty much always use for breakfast is fresh herbs from the
herb garden. Summer is the best time to
enjoy the fresh cut herbs, sauteed into a delicious meal, and one of my
all-time favorites, incorporates fresh tomatoes as well. Our crustless tomato quiche is a crowd
favorite. The flavors of the fresh herbs
mixed with the sauteed onion, baked with shredded mozzarella cheese, is nothing
short of mouthwatering. The summer is the best time for this dish,
because we can usually pull tomatoes from the garden to include them as the
topper. Each bite is a little taste of
summer.
Now
that the seasons are attempting to change, we will start to utilize those
amazing fall garden staples. The
remaining hot weather spinach will need to be used or saved, and sweet potatoes
that were planted earlier in the year are going to be ready soon. When we
prepare breakfast we always take into consideration the dietary needs of our
guests. Most often that means gluten
free items, which works out well, in a veggie and fruit heavy meal. You cannot forget about the fresh sausage or
bacon from the farm.
The
fresh meat that we use, tastes and looks so much better than their storefront
counterparts. I will say when we have
that fresh bacon and sausage, it goes quickly.
The guests love the flavor and the family does too. Any meat that we do not grow ourselves we try
to locally source from farms we know. Our beef often comes from The Tully
Family farm or we shop at Tolleson Family Market for those odds and ends we
might not have on hand.
