Breakfast Casserole

I have always made a standard egg casserole for Christmas morning or Saturday morning Conference and have thought it was super yummy...until I found this one! It comes from The Food Network and has a lot more flavor (The recipe only calls for 6 eggs, but I put in 12). We're not fans of a lot of spicy food in this house, so I was nervous about the spicy pork sausage, but it actually isn't very spicy at all! It is made the night before which makes it easy. The bread layer soaks up the egg and makes for a great light texture (It doesn't look or taste like bread after it is cooked).

Breakfast Casserole

12 eggs

1 cup half and half

2 Tbs. chopped green onions

1 1/2 tsp. salt

6 slices Texas Toast (Thick cut white bread)

1 pound spicy pork sausage, cooked

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Beat the eggs, half and half, green onions and salt together.

Grease a 9x13 pan.

Place the bread in the pan, breaking into pieces if necessary to fill the bottom.

Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 and cook for 35 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Grandmothers Buttermilk Cornbread

This is the best cornbread I have ever had. I LOVE it. I could eat an entire pan. Just the picture makes my mouth water. It is so very moist and yummy. Mmmmmmm...cornbread...

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread (from Allrecipes)

1/4 pound of butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.
Combine buttermilk and baking soda. Stir into sugar mixture. Add cornmeal, flour and salt and mix until blended, but a few lumps remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you double the recipe, use a 9x13 pan and bake for 40 minutes.

In The Beginning...

I am sure that I am like most college kids. When I arrived at college, I knew how to make a mean batch of mac 'n cheese, a decent bowl of ramen noodles and I could open a can of soup or a box of cereal like a pro. Beyond that, however, I did not have a clue how to make anything that wasn't processed. I loved to eat though and thought that the situation wasn't acceptable.

I couldn't actually admit that at 18 I didn't really know how to cook anything. So, I took careful notes about how my roommates prepared their food. Mostly, they were eating the same things I was. One day, I got lucky. A roommate of mine got out a package of raw chicken. That got my attention. I saw her bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Easy; I did that every day for mac 'n cheese. She then took a piece of chicken and dropped it into the boiling water. She let it cook for 13 minutes (I timed her) and then took it out. Voila...cooked chicken. I didn't take any interest in what she did next with it. I had gotten my answer. I could totally cook chicken!

So, the next time I was home alone, I got out my chicken and boiled it. I was very proud of myself and excited to feast on something I had created that wasn't from a box or can. I sat down, mouth watering and took a bite. It tasted like...boiled chicken. It wasn't horrible, but it was bland and a little stringy. I got out my salt and went to town on that sucker.

I always thought my roommate was an idiot after that and went back to my cold cereal and canned soup. (I wonder what she actually made with her boiled chicken...)

Symphony Cookies

I really am going crazy! For the second week in a row, I have made treats for Ashlyn's Activity Days and for the second week in a row...they aren't having Activity Days.
Oh well! As Noelle put it, "I'm glad you're going crazy, Mommy!"
Maybe I'll luck out and the treats I make next week will actually be for something real!

These cookies were yummy and easy. If you like Symphony candy bars, you'll like them! (Symphony bars are chocolate bars with little bits of toffee and almonds in them.)

Symphony Cookies from The Sisters' Cafe
1 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 giant Symphony bar (with toffee bits), chopped

Cream butter, sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat until creamy.
Combine flour and baking soda.
Add to butter mixture, stirring until combined.
Stir in chopped chocolate.
Drop by spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes

Spinach, Orange and Cranberry Salad

OK, so this recipe isn't "impressive," but if you're looking for ideas for something to eat...and you don't want to eat fat, and you're trying to cut calories...you might be interested in this. (Story of my life this year!) My brother Russell - my competitor in our "Biggest Loser" contest - gave me this idea. I eat this almost every day for lunch - or some variation of it!

All it is: spinach leaves, orange slices and dried cranberries. What? No Dressing? Yep, you actually don't need dressing if you get some fruit in each bite. Plus, the vitamin c from the oranges helps in the absorption of the iron from the spinach. (HA! I sound like I know what I'm talking about.)

If we had some kind of meat the night before for dinner, I'll sometimes slice it up and put a little on top...then I feel indulgent!

It actually is really yummy and I look forward to eating it!

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

I love that this recipe has sweet potatoes in it! (Noelle hates that it does!) This was a great soup and was relatively easy to prepare; lots of chopping and dicing! It took me about 1 hour to make. It comes from one of my new favorite sites: My Kitchen Cafe. Just about everything on there that I have tried has been delicious! I made a couple of little changes to fit what I had on hand. I didn't have the corn muffin mix, so I used the dry ingredients from my favorite cornbread recipe and it worked great.

This recipe makes A LOT! I actually had to transfer it from my huge pan to my ginormous pan about halfway through. I would say it could feed 10 people easily.

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

3 cups whole milk (I didn't have whole milk so I used 2 cups 1% and 1 cup cream)

2 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

(Or you can use 1 cup of a yellow corn muffin mix in place of the previous 5 dry ingredients)

2 T. butter

1/2 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin (I actually didn't have any of this, so I didn't add it)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 quarts chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 " cubes and cooked

2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

3 cups frozen corn (not thawed) (I used 3 14oz. cans of corn and it worked great)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I -of course- used dried parsley)

1/2 tsp. salt (add more or less to your liking)

3 shakes pepper

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined.

Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming.

Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.

Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes.
Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes.

Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes.

Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Serve.

French Bread Rolls

I made these rolls last night to go with our Chicken and Corn Chowder and they were yummy. More importantly, however, THEY WORKED!! I have no luck with bread, as I've mentioned before, but these rose beautifully. I loved kneading them. I'm sure it would've worked to knead them in my Bosch Mixer, but I did everything by hand. (It was very stress-relieving with the rhythmic motion!) They can be made when you have few ingredients on hand and for people who can't have milk or eggs.

These were easy to make and took about 2 hours from start to finish. They had the crunchy exterior and the soft interior like a loaf of french bread. I love that it made only one dozen - just right for our family dinner with a couple left over.

French Bread Rolls (yet another wonderful recipe from My Kitchen Cafe)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.

Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. (Mine were ready after 10 minutes)

Have a taste with some homemade strawberry jam and you will be in heaven!