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I'm Ree Drummond.
I'm a writer, blogger, photographer, mother,
and I'm an accidental country girl.
I live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere,
and all my recipes have to be approved by cowboys,
hungry kids, and me.
My brother Mike's helping Ladd feed cattle,
and I'm making warm, comforting Mexican hot chocolate
with marshmallows for Mike and the kids
to toast over the fire.
Then, while Uncle Mike and the kids
have some quality time together, I'm rustling up
a hearty, delicious breakfast I know Mike will love --
individual Eggberts Sunrisers
with sweet, scrumptious orange mini-muffins.
It's gonna be an action-packed morning
of food, feeding, family, and fun.
Welcome to my frontier.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
My brother Mike is on the ranch today, and I am so excited.
He's a pretty busy guy with a full social calendar,
so I'm so happy he's gracing us with his presence today.
He's out feeding with Ladd,
and I'm gonna whip up a big breakfast for everybody.
I'm making orange mini-muffins.
It's something that our mom used to make when we were little,
and I know Mike is gonna love them.
I've got two sticks of softened butter in the mixer,
and I'm adding a cup of sugar,
and then I'll just cream these together.
When Ladd feeds cattle, he has to start first thing,
so I had to get a really early start getting Mike.
Ladd really likes having Mike around,
and Mike just loves to help out on the ranch.
How do you want me to help you?
I'll let you count the calves and I'll count the cows.
How's that?
Uh-huh.
In the winter, when there's no green grass,
we have to feed our cattle.
There are a lot of them out there,
so it's a never-ending job.
It's a good thing Ladd's got Cowboy Mike to help him out.
If we get stuck, Mike, I'm gonna blame it on you.
If we get stuck, we'll call on Ree.
[ Laughs ]
Well, guess what. We haven't gotten stuck yet.
You know, even though Mike is my brother,
he always winds up hanging out with Ladd a little more.
I think Ladd's just slightly more exciting than I am.
Okay, this is all creamed together,
so I'll crack in two eggs.
This is a really easy muffin recipe.
And then 2 cups of flour.
I'm making a breakfast of things I know Mike is gonna love.
To go with these muffins,
I'm making this delicious skillet of eggs,
and it's based on a diner in our hometown
that Mike loves to go to.
Okay.
And then I'll measure a cup of buttermilk.
That's part of what makes these muffins so moist and delicious.
And if you don't have buttermilk in your fridge,
one of my favorite tricks is to measure
a little bit less whole milk than you need
and then top it off with white vinegar.
It makes instant buttermilk.
I do that more than I use regular buttermilk.
To the buttermilk, add a teaspoon of baking soda.
Stir it all together, and then it goes in, too.
And this gets mixed together.
Now, when I say my brother Mike has a busy social calendar,
I am not fooling.
My other brother, Doug, my sister Betsy, and I
always joke that he has way more friends
than the three of us combined.
It's always been an adventure to go to the mall with him
because you're walking along
and it's just a nonstop stream of people saying,
"Hey, Mike." "Oh, hey, Mike."
"What's up, Mike?"
He's a popular guy.
Okay, now, the last thing I'll add to the batter
is some orange zest.
I'm just gonna zest two oranges.
That's the beauty of these muffins.
They have such a strong citrus flavor,
and I pretty much love anything citrus.
My kids love it when Uncle Mike comes over, and I love it, too.
Mike and I have always been really close.
We're just 18 months apart,
and so many of my childhood memories
were sort of centered around Mike.
Okay, I got the two oranges zested.
I tried to keep all the zest on the zester
because then it's easy
just to tap it right into the mix.
Okay, now I'll just stir this gently
until the zest is evenly distributed.
Okay.
The zest is all mixed in,
and the batter looks absolutely perfect.
And it smells wonderful.
All right.
Get the bowl over here.
Now, I have two mini-muffin pans.
Each one is 24 muffins, so this makes a lot.
And I'll just spray them with baking spray really generously.
You know, mini-muffins like these
are a little bit dangerous
because you can tell yourself you're just taking little bites,
and before you know it, you've eaten like 20 of them.
All right, those are all sprayed.
Now I've just got to get the batter into the muffin pans.
All right, got them all filled, and, boy, are my arms tired.
Now, these just need to go into a 375-degree oven
for about 15 minutes.
[ Cows mooing ]
Can you count the calves?
Two, three, four.
One heading in there by those cows right there.
How many cows do you have out here?
Well, there's about 170 cows and 130 calves in here.
Do you think they might like me?
They will really like you if you feed them.
Up next, I'm whipping up
a sweet orange glaze for the mini-muffins,
making some warm, comforting mugs of Mexican hot chocolate
for Mike and the kids,
then it's a ranch-style breakfast
with excellent Eggberts Sunrisers.
[ Cows mooing ]
My big brother Mike is on the ranch today.
He's out feeding cattle with Ladd,
and I'm gonna get these orange mini-muffins out of the oven.
I'm telling you what --
This whole lodge smells like orange.
They smell so good.
Now, these muffins are perfectly delicious as they are now,
but what really sends them over the top
is a glaze that I drizzle over them.
It starts with a cup of brown sugar.
I'll just put it into a bowl.
And then the oranges I zested earlier,
I'll just cut them in half and squeeze out the juice.
Okay, now, while I stir it, I'll just drizzle in the juice.
Just stir it around
and let the brown sugar start to dissolve.
Okay, that looks perfect. I don't want to mix it too much.
Now, it's really important
that you start spooning on the glaze
the second the muffins come out of the oven.
You want the muffins to still be really hot
'cause then they'll absorb the glaze even better.
Ladd's gonna drop Mike off at the lodge later,
and he and the kids are gonna hang out for a while.
All right, now I'm just gonna let the muffins cool
until the glaze is all set.
LADD: Yeah, that's him right there.
[ Cows mooing ]
Here's how you do it.
Get both hands on that leg.
You got it?
Yeah.
All right.
[ Calf moos ]
You did good.
I'm gonna take you up to the lodge,
then I'm gonna go feed a few more pastures.
Ladd's dropping Mike off here at the lodge in a minute,
and the kids are on their way up here to see Uncle Mike,
so I thought I'd make them all
a big batch of Mexican hot chocolate.
Even though the sun is shining outside,
it is cold out there,
so I think they're all gonna love this.
I'll start by measuring the milk.
I'll do 3 cups total of whole milk.
Of course, you can cut it down and use 2% or 1%.
But I love the creaminess of whole milk.
And then, speaking of creamy,
I'm gonna top it off with a cup of half-and-half
just to make it extra decadent.
Now I'll turn on the heat
and let the milk mixture start to heat up.
LADD: Thanks, Mike.
MIKE: Mm-hmm.
Thanks for helping me this morning.
Really?
Yeah.
I'm glad I got to help you.
Yeah. You did a good job holding that calf down.
Really?
Yeah.
Now, I'm using little Mexican hot chocolate tablets.
This stuff is so delicious.
It's just really good, meltable chocolate,
a little touch of cinnamon and some coarse sugar.
It makes the best hot chocolate in the universe.
So, I'll just drop them in, give it a stir,
and while it's melting,
I'll throw about three cinnamon sticks in.
Let them infuse the whole thing.
Now, even though the little chocolate tablets
already have sugar in them,
a little bit of extra sweetness never hurt anyone.
So I'll add a teaspoon of sugar.
I built a fire because it's so cold outside,
and I thought it would be fun
for the kids to toast marshmallows,
and then I thought, "Why not put the toasted marshmallows
on top of the hot chocolate?"
What a perfect combination.
All right, the chocolate has already started to melt.
This'll be ready in no time.
LADD: All right, see you, Mike. Thank you.
REE: Hey, Mike.
Come on in here.
How was feeding?
Good.
Did you have fun?
Yeah.
So, what did you guys do? Did you just feed cattle?
Ladd had to rope a calf.
You're kidding.
Did you help Ladd rope a calf and you held it down?
With all the body strength I had.
[ Laughs ] Oh, my gosh, Mike.
The kids are gonna be here any second.
They're so excited to see you.
Here they are!
Hey.
Hey! Long time no see.
Long time no see, Mike.
Aww.
It's always exciting when Uncle Mike comes to visit.
Hi, guys.
Look at those.
You won't believe what Mike did.
What?
What did you do, Mike?
Roped a calf 'cause it was sick.
That's awesome, Mike.
He's a real cowboy, Bryce.
Yeah.
Who wants some hot chocolate?
I do.
I do.
And guess what we're gonna do.
We're gonna toast marshmallows by the fire,
so let's go over there, guys.
Mikey, you grab the marshmallows.
There you go, Mike.
Oh, that's sweet of you, Todd.
Now, don't cause a marshmallow inferno, please.
MIKE: Oh, my gosh!
[ Laughs ] Blow. Blow.
[ Blows ]
[ Laughs ]
Mike.
[ Speaking indistinctly ]
[ Laughs ]
How many marshmallows do you have in your mouth?
[ Muffled ] I don't know.
Help yourself to some hot chocolate, Mikey.
Good job, Mike.
REE: Up next, I'm getting started on a hometown specialty --
individual Eggberts Sunrisers topped with fried eggs,
a perfect breakfast to feed the hungry crew.
Well, guys, as you know, there's always one thing
that Uncle Mike likes to do when he visits.
Drive.
You want to go drive for a while?
Who? Me?
[ Laughs ] Yes, you.
Yeah.
Hi.
[ Laughs ]
My brother Mike is on the ranch today.
He's already gone feeding with Ladd,
and now he's out riding around with the kids.
I'm gonna make one of Mike's favorite breakfasts --
Eggberts Sunrisers.
It comes from a restaurant in our hometown.
It's got potatoes, cheese, peppers, eggs.
So delicious, and Mike's gonna be excited.
Now I'm gonna start on the potatoes.
I have a little bit of oil in a really big skillet.
And I'll just put the frozen hash brown potatoes right in.
I'm gonna move them around
and get them into a single layer.
Okay, now, I also have a bag of these potato wedges.
Now, the restaurant in our hometown is called Eggberts.
It's been there since I was a little girl.
I don't know how to describe it.
It's just a wonderful diner,
and these are the potato wedges they use.
I'm actually gonna deep fry these so they're nice and crisp.
So I'll very carefully throw a few into some hot oil.
And I'll get those into a layer so those can fry evenly.
These need to go for just a few minutes.
I want the hash browns to get nice and golden
and the potato wedges to get nice and crisp.
Mike is out riding around with the kids.
I know he likes hanging out with the kids and all,
but what he really wants to do
when he comes to the ranch is drive.
Okay, now go around the pond.
[ Laughs ]
Go, Mike.
Mike has always loved to drive.
Even when we were little kids,
our dad had a golf cart in the garage.
It's a little more exciting out there, though, I think.
The hash browns are done,
so I'll get them out onto a paper towel.
And then the potato wedges are perfect --
really golden and crisp.
I love these things.
Okay, now I'll just give them a little sprinkle of salt.
And a little bit of pepper.
Okay, the potatoes are done,
so now I'll move forward with the veggies.
I'll put a little butter in the same skillet
that I used to cook the hash browns.
I'll let it start to melt.
And then I have diced onion.
And diced green pepper.
And red pepper.
And now, for a little bit of a spice,
I diced up one jalapeƱo.
I got rid of most of the seeds and membranes
because that's where a lot of the spice is.
Now, I'm gonna crank up the heat just a little bit.
I want the peppers to get as much color
on the outside as possible.
Okay, now I'll let the veggies keep cooking,
and I'm gonna dice up some ham.
I have a really nice chunk of cooked ham,
and I'll just dice it up.
Now I'll just throw the diced ham
into the skillet with the veggies.
Just get it all mixed together.
Okay.
Now I'll let the veggies and the ham keep cooking,
and I'll move forward with building the Sunrisers.
Okay, I'll start with a foundation of hash browns.
Now, I don't know if you've noticed this or not,
but I sort of have a thing for iron skillets.
I love this size.
They're perfect for individual portions.
I want everybody to have their own skillet.
Okay, I got a good amount of hash browns in each skillet.
Now the ham and veggies are ready,
so I'll move this big skillet over.
[ Grunts ] That's a heavy one.
And I'll just put a little bit of the mixture
right on top of each one.
Okay.
Looking good so far.
Now I'll top each skillet
with a good amount of sharp cheddar cheese.
Okay, now, I've got the potato wedges
that are nice and crispy,
and I'll just put three or four right on top of the cheese.
These will sort of melt right into the cheese,
and it all becomes just this
wonderful skillet of deliciousness.
And then what I have left over,
I'll just put on the skillets after they come out of the oven.
Now, I want to make sure the Sunrisers are piping hot,
so I'll put the skillets into a 325-degree oven
for about 2 to 3 minutes.
I just need to put them in long enough
for the cheese to melt.
These are gonna be so delicious.
And after they come out of the oven,
they just need one more thing.
Up next, perfect fried eggs to go on top of the Sunrisers,
then it's time to dig into breakfast
with our special guest, otherwise known as Cowboy Mike.
For recipes from this episode, go to...
Oh, was that fun?
Yeah.
That was really fun.
[ Chuckles ]
Let's have a race down the hill.
Well, my brother Mike's been out feeding cattle with Ladd.
He's out now messing around with the kids,
and I'm frying eggs to go on top
of the Eggberts Sunrisers that everyone's getting.
The Sunrisers are in the oven, the cheese is melting,
and these are gonna go right on top.
I'm just frying four eggs at a time.
I could crowd the pan, but they never turn out
as good as if you don't.
Okay, and I'll sprinkle on just a little bit of salt and pepper.
Now, while they cook on the first side,
I'll go ahead and get
one pan of the Sunrisers out of the oven.
It's always so fun to have Mike here.
It's always a big, exciting day when Mike is on the ranch.
My kids absolutely love him.
All right, I'll let the other ones
stay in there and stay really warm.
Now, I don't want to cook the eggs too much.
I think everyone in my family really, really likes
a soft egg yolk.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on that side.
Okay, and then the eggs are ready.
I really don't want them to cook too long.
I just want them to set on the other side.
So I'll just take them out one by one
and put them right on top of each skillet.
And when those eggs break open,
the yolk sort of trickles over the potatoes and cheese.
Oh, man. I love these Eggberts Sunrisers.
Okay. Perfect.
Now I'll crack the other eggs in.
Breakfast is just about ready.
Hey, guys.
Mike.
Hi, Ladd.
How are you doing, man?
Good.
You been driving?
Yeah, I've been driving.
[ Laughs ]
Hey, hon.
Hi.
Hey, honey.
Look what I found outside.
Hey, you all are here together. Yay.
Very careful -- The skillets are hot.
Thank you.
You bet.
And help yourself to some muffins, Bryce.
All right.
Ooh, those are good.
I want to hear about the driving.
You guys made it back.
He almost ran off the hill a couple times, but...
Did you drive while Ladd threw hay off the back?
MIKE: No.
LADD: Hey, but you did good, Mike.
When we got that calf roped,
you got on him and held him down.
Well, Mike, I think you'd make a pretty good cowboy.
Well, you look good in a cowboy hat, Mike.
I know I do.
[ Laughter ]