Scrambled Eggs Southwest

I'm not sure this is a recipe so much as a scrumptious and healthy way to eat eggs. It just happens to be my favorite breakfast!

Scrambled Eggs Southwest

2-3 eggs, scrambled
1/8 - 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1 Tbs guacamole
1-2 Tbs salsa

Layer all ingredients in your favorite flat bowl (plate works, too).

This is my pretty picture version.  Normally, you would see the guac and salsa schmeared all over the top of the eggs and cheese just as I'm getting ready to eat.  While it's tasty that way, it doesn't make for a great picture. :p

~ Enjoy!

Muffins with PEANUT BUTTER

I can't credit this recipe because I don't remember where I found it. Boo.

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY MUFFINS

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• jam or jelly, any flavor

1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. 
2. In a mixer bowl, beat together the milk, peanut butter, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla. 
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spoon. (I needed to add another splash of milk at this point, because the batter was too dry and stiff.)
4. Grease a muffin tin. Put a tablespoon or two of the batter into each cup. Add a teaspoon of jam to the top. Put more batter over the jam to cover it. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the peanut butter, oil, eggs, milk and bananas.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
5. Spoon the batter into 12 well greased muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #4

This morning I made biscuits and gravy with the pound of Old Folks breakfast sausage.  Yum!  I even made biscuits from scratch.  Did you feel the earth move? ;)

Sausage Gravy

• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 1/4 heaping cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups milk

Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat, breaking into crumbles as it cooks.  Slide cooked sausage to one side of the pan then tilt the pan (while holding back the sausage with the spatula), allowing the grease to collect on the opposite side.  Add flour and stir it into the grease with a fork.  After flour and grease are mixed, stir the sausage into it with the fork.  Brown for about 30 seconds.  Add milk to pan and turn up heat, continually stirring with the fork until the mixture starts to thicken.  Lower heat to simmer and stir occasionally until read to serve over buttermilk biscuits. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 2/3 cup buttermilk 

Stir together dry ingredients; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring until dough forms ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead 5-10 times (do not overwork!). Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and serve hot!
~ from Whole Foods for the Whole Family


Notes from me, because y'all know I'm not good at following a recipe. :)

1. I used white flour in my biscuits and in my gravy because my hands were too sore too pull the wheat out and grind it.
2. If there isn't enough grease in the skillet from the sausage (this will vary from brand to brand), add a little coconut oil, butter, or olive oil.  There should be about 2 Tbs in the pan before you add the flour.
3. Feel free to use less milk or add more milk to make the gravy the thickness you prefer.  My family prefers a moderately thick gravy, but not so thick it won't come off the spoon.
4. I used 1 tsp of salt because my butter is unsalted.
5. When I use a bland brand of sausage for gravy, I add pepper to the the pan right after I add the flour into the grease.  I've also been known to add a pinch (or three) of onion powder.

These biscuits are good, but not as light and fluffy as the frozen Pillsbury biscuits we all grew so fond of back during that awful year of 2007.  Now that I'm not traveling for basketball all the time I am Determined to learn how to make a decent biscuit.  Good thing the sausage gravy always turns out yummy or my family may starve in the meantime!

Enjoy!

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

OVERNIGHT BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST
Adapted from the recipe at Heritage Acres Homestead

1/2 loaf of the long, skinny Italian bread from Sam's club cut into cubes
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
8 medium eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk

Layer 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9" deep-dish pie plate.
Sprinkle (I use the term loosely with the cream cheese!) the blueberries and cream cheese cubes on top of the bread cubes.
Top with the other 1/2 of the bread cubes.
Mix together the eggs, maple syrup, and milk, then pour over the bread, blueberries, and cream cheese.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning (or when ready to cook):
Preheat oven to 350F.
Bake covered for 40 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I planned to serve mine with maple syrup, but there is a recipe on the linked blog for a blueberry topping that would be delish if you have time to make it.

I say 'planned' to serve because it wasn't cooked in time for me to serve it to my family (I'll be serving it warmed up before church tomorrow). I think because I made it in a deep dish pie plate. In any case, as you can see in the picture mine is a little brown on top since I added cooking time at the end when it was uncovered. In the directions I added that extra 10 minutes to the time it's covered.

ENJOY!

Noodle Kugel

I was in my teens the first time I ate this dish and I've been in love since the first bite.  Noodle kugel says COMFORT FOOD in a big way.  I've been in a somewhat melancholy mood lately and find myself craving comfort foods.  Today at the computer noodle kugel came to mind, so I googled a recipe.  (LOL!  Google 'kugel'!)

While some recipes include cinnamon and other toppings, I chose to try this simple sweet kugel from Smitten Kitchen because I had all the ingredients on hand.  I did cut it in half since I only had one pound of cottage cheese.

Noodle Kugel

1/2 pound wide egg noodles
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 pound full-fat cottage cheese, creamed or large curd
1 stick melted butter margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil the noodles (five to seven minutes).

In a very large bowl beat eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, then the cottage cheese, margarine or butter and vanilla. Stir in the drained noodles.

Pour into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until kugel is set.


It's still in the oven. Verdict later. Right now I'm praying for extra compassion so I will not stress over sharing with the family. :)

My life will never be the same...

After nearly 21 years of marriage, I was finally talked into buying an electric griddle.  Granted, it was seriously on sale at Kroger or I never would have even considered it.

 

Do you see what I see?   There are SEVEN grilled cheeses being made at the same time.  Dinner for all of us in ONE batch rather than seven.  This is seriously life altering!  I made pancakes for four this morning in only three batches instead of nine.

I'm so hooked I used the griddle for all three meals yesterday. The grilled cheese was dinner.

PANCAKES ala Nourishing Traditions

Soak overnight 2 cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour in enough buttermilk to make a loose paste

In the morning, add 3 small (2 large or xlarge) eggs, 2-3 Tbs sugar or honey, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Mix together and add a water to make the batter pancake consistency.

Cook on the griddle set at 350F.

PORK QUESADILLAS

Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine p. 138

Layer the following on half of a 10" tortilla:

• Swiss or provolone cheese
• Thinly sliced deli ham
• Thinkly sliced dill pickles (or dill pickle relish)
• Onions (sauteed in butter until translucent)
• More swiss or provolone cheese
• Sliced pork roast (I used leftovers from the day before)
• Spicy brown mustard

Toast on the griddle set at 375F until tortilla starts to turn brown.  Flip and toast the other side.


As Julia would say - Bon appetite!

Easy Baked Oatmeal

I came across this recipe on the Sonlight forums.  At the moment, I can't remember who originally posted it but when I have time I'll come back and give credit where credit's due.  I love this oatmeal because it's easy to fix, doesn't have to sit overnight, and has a texture that my oatmeal haters can tolerate.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar (I use 3/4 cup and it's still good)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F
In a glass, microwave safe mixing bowl melt butter
Add all ingredients, except oatmeal and cranberries, and mix together
Stir in oatmeal and cranberries
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes

One of these days I'm going to top this with some crushed pecans.  I think that would make it a nearly perfect breakfast.

Christmas Dinner ~ A First for the Decade

What?  A first?  Yes, this is the first year I have cooked Christmas Dinner all by myself.  I picked the menu, assembled the recipes, bought the ingredients, and managed the workforce.  The end result?  Three buffet dishes for breakfast at the relatives and dinner for my brood and some friends.

BREAKFAST

Cheddar-Sausage Breakfast Quiche
Sweet Ricotta Breakfast Quiche
Baked Brie with Apples & Cranberries

 

DINNER

Baked Ham
Au Gratin Potatoes
Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Cranberry Orange Salad
Deviled Eggs
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Cooking is the area I am best at expressing my creativity.  It was a wonderful gift for me to be able to pour so much of myself into this simple meal.  Why, then, is the the first Christmas Dinner I've cooked this decade?  Simple.  My mother is usually in my kitchen for the holidays and I learned a long time ago to just let her do it her way.  If I want to change my mother's cooking habits all I have to do is tell her how I do it and guaranteed she will do the opposite.  In the interest of family peace, I live with the same, old bland and boring holiday food every year.  (Well, except for the homemade noodles.  My mother makes exceptional noodles!)  This year she and my sisters stayed in Missouri and we stayed in Kentucky.  Really a win-win if you ask me!

Sausage-Cheddar Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1 tsp ground mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 - 8" pie crust

Directions:

• Brown sausage in a skillet and remove with a slotted spoon - you can also let the sausage drain on a paper towel to remove even more fat


• Place crust in pie plate


• Arrange sausage on bottom of crust


• Sprinkle cheese on top of sausage


• Whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, and salt & pepper


• Pour egg mixture slowly over cheese and sausage


• Bake uncovered at 350F for 35-40 minutes ~ eggs shouldn't be jiggly when it's finished

This recipe was modified from Paula Deen's Sausage Quiche from the website grandparents.com. I like to add mustard to my sausage quiche and I also wanted more eggs and less milk.

Yummy!