What's for Dinner? Breakfast

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Breakfast is truly one of those comfort foods people turn into dinner for all sorts of reasons. If money is tight, it's an economical way to feed the family.

— Tiffany Layco, executive chef, Library Bistro at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle

Sense and Sensibility... and Bacon

It would stand to reason that people would turn to breakfast as an evening meal because traditionally it's the least complicated meal of the day, with preparation often limited to what you can do while a pot of coffee is brewing. There's a more primitive attraction, however: In a world where many people either skip the first meal of the day or take it on the road with them, breakfast still has a fragrance that can't be matched.

"I truly believe that people are attracted to breakfast for dinner because of the smell," said Tiffany Layco, executive chef of the Library Bistro at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle. "It's both an exciting and a comforting smell, savory and sweet; it's the promise of the beginning of the day."

In a perfect world, you wouldn't have to seek comfort at the end of the day, but in the world that we actually inhabit it's nice to remind your soul and your senses that tomorrow is a whole new day.

"There's something about it that will make you feel good no matter what happened at work or at school," Layco said. "In the morning, you're not stressed after a long day of work, and I think when you re-create that for dinner, it can bring back the same feeling."

Trimming the Fat Doesn't Diminish the Meal

Getting comfort foods to fall in line with a healthy lifestyle is hard enough, but breakfast is a meal borne on the shoulders of notoriously rich staples such as bacon, eggs and butter. There's a reason it's often called a "guilty pleasure," but breakfast at night doesn't have to be seasoned with remorse. As far as the experts are concerned, you can be creative and leave the cholesterol at the door.

"When I was a kid, I would love to have breakfast for dinner," said celebrity chef Wade Williams, owner of Picnic Inc., a Los Angeles catering company. "The smell of country sausage, eggs and pancakes still makes me giddy like a child, but nowadays I like to make it with a twist and keep it healthy, because you have to watch that figure."

Rather than retreating from traditional fare, Williams suggests embracing breakfast foods and making them work for you instead of against you.

"Instead of regular bacon, substitute low-fat turkey bacon: same taste, less fat and calories," Williams said. "And try using fruit for your 'brinner;' serve it as dessert. Make a fresh fruit, yogurt and granola parfait. It's wonderful any time of the day and low on calories, especially if you use nonfat yogurt."

Frugality Meets Functionality Meets Fun

"Breakfast is truly one of those comfort foods people turn into dinner for all sorts of reasons," Layco said. "If money is tight, it's an economical way to feed the family.

"Sometimes kids think it's fun to eat pancakes and waffles during dinnertime, but mostly, it's so much easier to throw together some eggs and hash browns than try and come up with an entire dinner menu, especially after you've worked all day."

For Williams, breakfast as an anytime meal isn't just about comfort; it's also about convenience.

"With people working more and more and having less time to shop for dinner, a lot of adults are resorting to having dinner for breakfast," he said. "But who could blame them? Almost everyone has eggs, milk, bread and butter in their refrigerator as staples. After a long day, I often find myself making the reverse meal."

Williams said there's an added bonus to indulging in a little brinner: You get to reminisce about the days when you weren't the one making the meal decisions, and someone else flipped the menu script.

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