BILL JAMISON (A NATIVE OF DALLAS) and Cheryl Alters Jamison have put together the quintessential breakfast cookbook. In A Real American Breakfast you’ll find 275 recipes for everything from Buttermilk Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce to Bacon-Fried Trout. That’s right. According to the authors, breakfast is the best meal of the day, any time of the day.

In the first chapter, the authors contend that Americans don’t eat breakfast like they used to. In the old days, when most of the country’s population worked farmland, families began the day with a bountiful breakfast—with ingredients fresh off the farm. Not so in today’s rushed society, the authors state: “The companies competing for our breakfast bucks peddle speed and convenience, of course, but they also cater craftily to our morning wants. They package dumbed-down versions of down-home ideas in compelling ways, persuading us that we’re getting the biscuits, the bagels, or the bran we crave without any toll on our time or attention.”

Surely this cookbook will inspire you to create some magical dishes the whole family will enjoy. Not only does A Real American Breakfast provide historical notes but also technique tips. The book is divided by food—one chapter is devoted to egg dishes like Migas while another focuses on sweet treats such as Sour Cream Coffee Cake. (The fruit chapter offers sound advice on picking out items that are in season.) Here’s a sampling of what to expect:

Sweet Potato Waffles With Sorghum Syrup
Spiced Lamb Sausage
Creamed Finnan Haddie
Corned Beef Hash
Sausage and Cheese Grits Casserole
Oatmeal With Brown Sugar—Pecan Crumble
Ahwahnee Creamed Bananas
Buttermilk Breakfast Corn Bread