Maple Sausage & Apple Fall Breakfast Sandwich

My palate for fall is endless. Apples, maple, cheddar, and a hint of mustard made this the best breakfast sandwich ever. Ever. I could liiiive on breakfast sandwiches and definitely have my favorites. The apple provides the crunch and freshness with a little kick from the mustard in the sauce.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Sausage & Apple Breakfast Sandwich

Maple Sausage, Egg, Cheddar, and Apple Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients: (serves 1)

1 everything bagel
3 maple sausage links, casing removed and formed into a patty
1 egg
1 slice white cheddar
1/2 macintosh apple, sliced thin
1 teaspoon mayo
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon maple

Directions:

Pan fry the sausage patty until cooked through.
Toast the bagel.
Mix together the mayo, mustard, and maple spread.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Sausage & Apple Breakfast Sandwich
Fry the egg in the pan from the sausage. Flip and add the cheese. Cover to melt the cheese.
Assemble the bagel with some mayo/mustard/maple spread, then apple slices, then sausage, then egg and cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Sausage & Apple Breakfast Sandwich
Enjoy!

This was a treat for a day off. I really loved the sweetness of the sausage, and the sharp white cheddar. The sauce was subtle and a nice touch. Everything bagels from my town bagel place are even better when they’re day-old and less than half off!
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Sausage & Apple Breakfast Sandwich

What I Ate: Bacon & Blue Dog

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

Originally this was going to be a burger but somehow I missed getting any meat on the grocery store run. Thus here’s a fun ‘dog!

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Blue Dog

The little one LOVED that there was bacon for dinner. I served these with some awesome new salad kits and this one had green cabbage, kale, craisins, pumpkin seeds, and poppy dressing. This dog was a good combo with the crunchy bacon, creamy dressing. It would be super fun for a hot dog topping bar!

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Blue Dog
This one is not rocket science but just you wait till you see the burger I have coming up!

Smoky Bacon & Pork Ragu

I put one cooler/low-humidity day to good use after a beach vacation to cook comfort food! This porky pasta sauce has been on my list to make and I had just the night to make it! Get some liquid smoke or this won’t be the same at all (pssst! I get it on Amazon but some specialty food stores have it too. You’ll also use it in chili, burgers, pulled pork, etc.)

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Pork Ragu

I froze half, despite the fact that I’m compulsively trying to use up frozen stuff. I just didn’t want to eat it twice in a week given the warm forecast but I can see popping it out for some not-hot night for variety of the many grilled dinners we’re having this summer!

Smoky Bacon & Pork Ragu for ~4

Ingredients:

4-6 strips of bacon, chopped
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage out of the casing
1 small yellow onion
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
~6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

In a dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp and drain. Then brown the sausage and drain. Then saute the onion until cooked through.
Add the crushed tomatoes into the pot, add in sausage, onion, bacon, garlic, and liquid smoke.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Pork Ragu
Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes and add in the red pepper flakes, onion powder, Parmesan, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and basil. Stir well.
Reduce to low and cook for another 5 minutes.
Boil the pasta and cook to al dente.
Spoon sauce over the top and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Pork Ragu
I loved it. It definitely wasn’t your average tomato sauce. The salty and smoky flavor came out and I took great care for it not to be greasy. Bacon & sausage needed to cook separately to each get to their best. Each needed to be drained, for sure.

I can see pulling out the sauce for a quick dinner or putting ontop of a pizza or in a calzone!
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon & Pork Ragu

Sausage, Arugula, and Walnut Rice Bowls

This rice bowl continues the obsession! I used grilled sausage, arugula, mushrooms, apple, toasted walnuts and rice with a drizzle of honey mustard. It was the perfect barely-needing-cooking for a summery dinner. It kind of is a nod to fall with the apples & nuts but the sausage, apples, walnuts, and arugula beg for the mustard.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Arugula, and Rice Bowl

Sausage, Arugula, and Walnut Rice Bowls

Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings)

1-2 cups of rice/grain of choice (I used brown rice)
2 Sweet Italian Sausage (or chicken sausage)
1 cup mixed mushrooms
1 apple, chopped
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup honey mustard

Directions:

Preheat the grill then grill the sausage.
Cook the rice and keep warm until serving.
In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts stirring regularly for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Empty the nuts out and saute the mushrooms in a little butter until golden in the same skillet.
Assemble the bowls with rice at the bottom and top with sliced sausage, nuts, mushrooms, arugula, apple and then drizzle with honey mustard.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Arugula, and Rice Bowl
Love! I live for the bites with all different elements.  I like the nutty brown rice, with arugula, with apple, with nuts, with honey mustard. Ohh yes.

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Bake

Sausage, egg, and cheddar bagels for everyone! I made this savory bread pudding with my favorite bfast sandwich fillings for an Easter brunch. It was SO good and perfect for a group since I prepped it the night before and just popped it into the oven. It puffed up and was nicely soft. The leftovers were delicious too!

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Smitten Kitchen made this with cream cheese, onion, capers, and smoked salmon. I went with my preferred sausage/egg/cheddar combo.

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Bake

Ingredients (serves 6):

3 everything bagels
6 links breakfast sausage
4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese
5 egg whites
3 eggs
1/4 cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Chop the bagels into bite size pieces. Chop the cheese into 1/4 inch cubes.
Pan fry the sausage until cooked through. Then chop into bite sized pieces.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. Add in half the bagel pieces, then top with half the sausage and cheddar pieces.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Place the remaining bagel pieces and the remaining sausage and cheese pieces on top. Turn the very top bagel pieces over so the outside of the bagel is facing out. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Whisk together the egg whites, eggs, milk, and cream cheese.
Pour over the bagel, sausage, and cheese pieces.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Cover and refrigerate over night, or until ready to bake.
Bake at 400-degrees for about 45 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Poke a knife in to see that the egg is fully cooked. It shouldn’t be runny in the middle.
Serve and enjoy!

It puffs up and is so great! The chewy bagels are soft but such a great texture. I loved the everything bagel-ness with the sharp cheddar, the sausage, and the eggs. The mostly egg whites made it a touch lighter!