Strawberry & Cream Croissant French Toast For Your Weekend Brunch

What's the secret to these potatoes?

Two things… first, the roasted garlic. Roasting the garlic adds just the right amount of garlic flavor that's delicious but not over powering.

Second, cook the potatoes together with the milk and herbs. This means no boiling the potatoes, no extra steps, nothing fancy. It turns out that creating almost perfect mashed potatoes is actually really easy.

The Steps — Roast The Garlic

Start with the garlic since it takes time to roast in the oven. If you've never done it before it really adds a layer of deliciousness to your recipes.

Simply slice the top portion of the garlic head off to reveal the cloves. Then place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the garlic up. Roast for about forty minutes, until the garlic is deeply golden and soft.

Then simply squeeze the cloves out of the garlic skin.

Meanwhile, Make The Potatoes 

Combine the potatoes with the milk and cream in a large pot on the stove. Add the herbs, then cook until the potatoes are tender. This will take about twenty-five minutes or so. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, BUT, be sure to save the cream – you'll need it!

Now, the potato ricer…it's key to making ultra-smooth mashed potatoes. Do you have to have a potato ricer? No, a good ole masher works too. But if you want the smoothest mashed potatoes, a ricer works really well.

Take the mashed potatoes and those roasted garlic cloves and put them right back into the pot. Then add back the cream and also add some butter. Cook until the butter is melted…and that's it…the most perfectly flavored creamy mashed potatoes!

Honest these are the BEST – classic, but with amazing flavor and texture.

The added bonus is just how easy these are to make…and that you can make them ahead of time. Steps for warming in the oven, slow cooker, or on the stove are listed in the directions!

Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 pounds yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6-8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up, and bake for 40-55 minutes, until deeply golden and very soft.
3. Let the garlic cool, then squeeze out the cloves.
4. Meanwhile, In a large dutch oven, combine the potatoes, heavy cream, milk, sage, and thyme. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
5. Drain the potatoes, reserving all of the cream. Discard the thyme and sage. Press the potatoes and roasted garlic cloves through a potato ricer. Then add them back to the warm pot. Alternately, you can add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher.
6. Over low heat, add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved cream and the butter. Continue to add more of the cream until your desired consistency is reached. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
7. If desired, brown a little butter with sage or thyme and swirl into the potatoes before serving. Serve warm and creamy.

To Make Ahead:

• In the Oven: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into a large baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 325° F. Pour 1/2 cup milk or cream over the potatoes and add 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover the potatoes tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through. Stir before serving.
• Slow Cooker: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into the slower cooker, cover, and keep on low for up to 4 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, turn the heat to low or high, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover and let the cream warm and the butter melt. Stir before serving.
• On the Stove: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Add 1/2 cup cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Place the potatoes over low heat, gently stirring until warmed throughout.

Does McDonald's serve breakfast all day?

Sadly, during the start of the 2020 pandemic, due to reduced staffing and a lack of dine-in traffic, McDonald's made the decision to end their super popular all-day breakfast to "provide better speed of service" to customers. We're still sad about it, TBH.

How late does McDonald's serve breakfast?

While opening hours vary by McDonald's location (usually 5am, with some locations open 24 hours), breakfast now ends at 10:30am on weekdays and 11:00am on weekends. Sorry for the sad news, all, regarding McDonald's breakfast hours.

McDonald's does not serve any breakfast after 11:00am. 😭

What time does McDonald's stop serving breakfast?

McDonald's typically stops serving breakfast after 11:00am, though the exact hours might depend on where you're located.

What is on McDonald's breakfast menu?

Here’s what the full McDonald's breakfast menu looks like:

• Hash Brown McMuffin
• Egg McMuffin
• Sausage McMuffin with Egg
• Sausage McMuffin
• Bacon, Egg & Smoky Gouda McMuffin
• Egg & Jalapeño Cheddar McMuffin
• Bacon, Egg & Jalapeño Cheddar McMuffin
• Egg BLT McMuffin
• Chicken McMuffin
• Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
• Sausage Biscuit with Egg
• Sausage Biscuit
• Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles
• Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles
• Chicken McGriddle
• Bacon, Egg & Smoky Gouda with Plain Bagel
• Bacon, Egg & Smoky Gouda with Sesame Bagel
• Bacon, Egg & Smoky Gouda with Everything Bagel
• Sausage McGriddles
• Big Breakfast
• Big Breakfast with Hotcakes
• Hotcakes
• Hotcakes and Sausage
• Sausage Burrito
• Hash Browns
• Plain Bagel with Butter or Cream Cheese
• Everything Bagel with Butter or Cream Cheese
• Sesame Bagel with Butter or Cream Cheese
• English Muffin with Butter
• Egg BLT Bagel
• Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
• Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait

Will McDonald's all-day breakfast ever come back?

No official news about the comeback of McDonald's all-day breakfast has broken, but in 2020, the company tweeted that they're "evaluating" the need to bring it back. Obviously, there haven't been any new 24-hour breakfast McDonald's locations to make our all-day breakfast dreams come true.

What happened to McDonald's all-day breakfast?

Originally, McDonald's planned an all-day breakfast option because of failing sales across the US. They hoped that giving so many of us what we’d been asking for so long would improve the company’s bottom line. Turns out, not only has it not worked, but the chain’s sales of all-day breakfast menu items such as McDonald’s Sausage McMuffins, Egg White Delights, Sausage Biscuits, and Sausage McMuffins to name a few have decreased by almost 2% in the last few months (!).

In an interview with Buzzfeed News, CEO Steve Easterbrook said that the chain is trying to figure out how to fix sales here at home, even though around the world, the company is still doing quite well. Easterbrook says that focusing on making McDonald’s the “restaurant of the future” is a top priority (although sales are down while wait times are up). New focuses include curbside check-in, mobile ordering and advanced kiosks.

Need a new breakfast go-to now that McDonald's all-day breakfast is gone?

With many people turning away from fast food in favor of healthier options, the comfort of knowing exactly what you’re getting at every single McDonald’s still can’t be beat — we still love the occasional hash brown after noon, so needless to say, we’re beyond bummed about the change in McDonald's breakfast hours.

Need some early morning inspiration to get over the bad news? Here are some easy breakfast meal ideas to try from home!

Still hungry for McDonald's breakfast?

While we can't turn back time if you've missed the cut-off, here's a list of great Mickey D copycat recipes – and we'll specifically call out this awesome McGriddle recipe from I'm Hungry For That!

Ingredients:

For the meat patties:

• 1lb. ground breakfast sausage (or 4 pre-made sausage patties)
• Salt and pepper

For the omelette:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tbsp. softened butter
• Salt and pepper

For the pancakes:

• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ⅔ cup milk
• Just under 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• ½ tsp. salt

And to finish it off:

• 6 slices of crispy bacon
• 4 slices American cheese

Get the full recipe and instructions on I'm Hungry for That, and enjoy! In the meantime, RIP, McDonald's all-day breakfast. RIP.

More McDonald's Breakfast Copycat Recipes

Sourdough Bagels

Slather on all the cream cheese and jelly, or stack some scrambled eggs and sausage patties on these homemade bagels that taste so much better than the McDonald's drive-thru – plus, they'll stay good for longer! (via Barley & Sage)

Hotcakes

The best part about McDonald's breakfast is hotcakes. It's a spiritual experience to drizzle countless packets of syrup on them, before taking the sweetest, stickiest bite. Make them easily at home when you don't feel like leaving the house. (via Culinary Hill)

Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

Emulating McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal is super easy with a stovetop, a few ingredients, a short amount of minutes. This recipe nails it! (via Feel Good Foodie)

​In which episode does JJ die?

JJ dies at the end of Outer Banks season 4 episode 10, "The Blue Crown" after rescuing Kiara from his father Chandler Groff. "I feel mad, betrayed, disappointed and heartbroken to say the least," Bruder adds. "JJ went through a lot of crap through the show and he was the one character who deserved his happy ending the most. When the series first came out, people fell in love with JJ and [Kiara]."

While the cast obviously found out about the ending while filming, fans are frustrated with how they chose to promote the show. "Obviously the cast can’t spoil a character death, but to blatantly lie and mislead fans by saying that Jiara was 'evergrowing' and fans would be happy with how the season plays out?" Bruder says. "Jiara fans deserved so much better than what we got, ESPECIALLY when they knew they were killing JJ off."

Why are Outer Banks fans so upset?

The show is the kind of phenomenon that made instant stars out of its cast, but it also made waves because of how the first season portrayed issues like classism, substance abuse, and domestic abuse. "As someone who has been around domestic abuse, I think the handling of the character JJ was detrimental culturally," another fan (who would like to remain anonymous) says. "The character suffered abuse at the hands of a man who was not even his biological father, and the writers almost framed it as if that was okay because in the beginning, his father loved him. Instead of telling a story to victims of abuse about hope and making it through trials, the writers went the opposite way. I also find it interesting that they stated this was a planned death. I think writing a character who is suffering from anxiety and clear mental health issues as well as abuse who is very young like JJ only to let him fall in love and kill him right when he starts to feel happiness doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense narratively."

Another viewer adds that ending JJ's story that way felt "disrespectful...especially when in an interview following the episode, one of the creators literally referred to his death as pointless." She even says "it feels almost like the show died along with him."

Actress Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron) called JJ the "heart of Outer Banks"and for a lot of fans, JJ also became a beacon of hope, a reminder that you can endure, persevere, and come out stronger on the other side. Since the first season of the show dropped during April 2020, it's been one consistent, fun thing for TV fans since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which makes the loss feel even greater.

"Seeing him die at the hands of another abusive father was honestly kind of sickening," the viewer adds. "It’s also unfortunate that his death didn’t seem to mean anything. A character death like this would be one thing if it meant something. If he had died protecting his friends or actively protecting Kiara, rather than having already saved her and then getting killed afterward, it might’ve be easier to get past."

"It’s like a connection to something good and steady was just broken," X user @onlykiep4l says. "Killing a character that has literally gone trough so much trauma and was finally happy just doesn’t make sense. It’s not just the character that’s gone — it feels like a part of the show has ended too."

Why does JJ get killed off?

Rumors have been circulating for years about behind-the-scenes drama between actors Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey, which has fans believing Rudy asked to be written off the show(for the record, Outer Banks creators Josh & Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke have said it was the plan from the beginning). With Rudy's exit, the writers had a difficult choice in front of them. JJ isn't the kind of guy to abandon his friends, meaning the writers obviously felt like killing him was the only option. But according to an additional viewer, "Outer Banks hasn't been that type of show."

"To attempt to turn this fun, summer, boat show into some dark, depressing story where the heart of the show is gone destroys everything that the show started out as," she says.

Another anonymous fan calls the choice "a character assassination," adding other moments from the season that feel like a different character than the one fans have come to love: barely reacting to John B. and Sarah's pregnancy announcement, or to the fact Rafe had come to talk to Kiara — especially after his reaction to Rafe catcalling Kie in the first season is a moment that led fans to ship them in the first place.

The fan continues by calling JJ's treatment a "lack of respect" toward the character. "The fact that the writers tried to make us dislike him, to soften the blow of him dying. It didn’t work. It has everyone distraught because many people’s favorite character ended up dying after 'finding happiness' for about 10 minutes in Episode 10."

​Does Sarah get pregnant in Outer Banks season 4?

But JJ's death isn't the only moment that has fans reeling. In addition to the fact viewers are saying the Pogues barely reacted to the death of their lifelong best friend, Pope is now a murderer and Kiara makes an absolutely chilling vow to get revenge on Groff — a far cry from the characters we fell in love with in season 1.

"Outside of the JJ of it all, a lot of plot lines/dynamics in part 2 felt off," one of our anonymous fans continues. "Sarah’s pregnancy plot line, especially when coupled with the quote from a creator about ‘giving her a baby specifically because she wasn’t ready’ feels incredibly tone deaf given the current state of things here in the US. The fact that there wasn’t even a conversation of if she wanted to continue with the pregnancy felt very icky. Overall, episodes 1-4 of this season did feel like Outer Banks, but everything after that felt like it was from an entirely different piece of media."

However, some fans are excited to see where the show goes from here. "JJ was such a strong character and his presence will obviously be missed, [but] I am excited to see how the Pogues react and what they do to get revenge on Groff," Virginia McGrew says in an email. "I also think that the scene of JJ dying with Kiara was extremely well done and emotional, making his passing even sadder. I ultimately believe that JJ’s passing serves as a reminder of the themes the show."

"JJ made the group even more aware of friendship, the importance of chosen family, and loyalty, which was seen throughout the season and especially in the finale," she continues. "Now that he is gone, the other Pogues will have to step up even more, creating a shift in their dynamic. While many believe that Outer Banks might not be worth watching after this finale, I truly think that it is only going to get even deeper and more interesting."