Breakfast Casserole

This is an awful picture. I know. Eggs are one of those things that I always have trouble photographing. It is just so hard to make them look appetizing. Anyways.

So, eggs were on sale for $.88 last week, so I tried to plan my meals around that. When we went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, my sister made a breakfast casserole, and my boyfriend really enjoyed it (but really, I think you could put sausage on dog poop and there is a good chance he would eat it!). Sorry, that was disgusting.

I modified her recipe a little to spice things up a bit. We both love spicy food, so I figured I would go in that direction. All in all, it turned out good. It was gone in 2 days. That's usually a pretty good indicator.

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs
1 lb. sausage, browned and drained
1 c. shredded cheddar
1 c. shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese (I used Mexican blend)
2 c. half and half
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
10 slices of bread, torn in bite size pieces (I used Jalapeno Cheese bread)

Directions:
Grease a 9x13 pan and layer with bread, sausage and then cheese.

Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix. Pour over the bread.

Cook right away or let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Cover in foil and bake 45-60 minutes at 350.

Yield: 6 servings (or so)

Source: My sister

Penne A La "Not-Ka"

This is by far the very best recipe I have made in a long time. It was SOOOO good! Next time I will probably make a double batch so I have plenty of leftovers! I was flipping through channels a few weeks ago and came across the show on Lifetime "Cooking Yourself Thin" - now, I will watch just about any cooking show. And the recipes they were making on this show just looked so good, as well as good for you. So, I wrote a few down. This was the first one I made and it was just so awesome that I can't wait to try more! AND, I didn't even cut the onions out of the recipe like I usually do! :)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped red onion (I used vidalia onion)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, pureed
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 oz. penne pasta
1/4 c. heavy cream
6 tbsp. evaporated non-fat milk
1/3 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 c. shredded basil
1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

In a saucepan, heat oil and garlic. Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and cook 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt and red pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta (about 6 minutes).

Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 c. pasta water.

Add pasta to sauce and simmer 1-2 minutes, adding pasta water if dry.

Stir in Parmesan, basil and pepper.

Drizzle each serving with olive oil and Parmesan.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes

Cake Mix Cookies

I'm always looking for super easy recipes using pantry staples - I like to have "go-to" recipes that don't require any shopping, just in case I need something quick! This is definitely one of those recipes. And I think there are so many different things you could do with this!

You could pick a variety of cake mixes. You could add peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, nuts, whatever you want. These were super easy - definitely a 20 minute recipe, start to finish, including baking time. The cookies are really yummy. Very chewy and soft and thick. I mixed in some chocolate chips to the second batch to see how they would turn out.

I think next time, I will use a chocolate cake mix and mix in peanut butter chips - you just can't beat peanut butter and chocolate!

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. flour

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Source: www.kitchenscrapbook.com

No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Balls

When I saw this recipe I immediately wanted to make it! I am all about no bake cookies in the summer - I have a very tiny condo and turning on the oven gets it really hot, really quick! Plus, this was one of those "pantry" recipes that required no grocery store trip. Always a plus.

Unfortunately, I will probably not be making these again. I have never really liked the taste of uncooked oatmeal, but I was willing to try it again. Maybe they will taste better in the morning after they have a chance to get all the butter soaked in and everything. So, we'll see.

Ingredients:
2 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
Combine oats, sugar and cocoa.

Mix in all the other ingredients except the powdered sugar.

Wash hands, and then roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll in powdered sugar.

Chill for 20 minutes.

Yield: about 2 dozen

Source: www.tasteandtellblog.com

Thai Peanut Chicken Saute

I'm baaaa-aaaack!!!! I got a brand new laptop and I am back in business!!! So far, everything is going great - except for lovely Windows Vista of course! But, beggars can't be choosers, right?

So, I really haven't been doing that much cooking the last month or so. You know how summer is - vacations, etc. Lots of stuff going on. I made this a few weeks ago and the boy really liked it. This is definitely something I would make again!

Ingredients:
1/2 package rice noodles
1 lb. chicken, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 c. peanut sauce
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 handful of peanuts, chopped

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions.

Heat oil and add chicken. Saute until cooked and set aside.

Add peppers and saute about 3 minutes. Add carrot and saute another minute and set aside.

Add peanut sauce and bring to a boil.

Drain noodles and add noodles and chicken to pan.

Remove from heat, mix in the vegetables and cilantro and garnish with peanuts.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: adapted from www.closetcooking.com, Thai Peanut Pork Noodle Saute

Spicy Shrimp Wraps

First of all, I apologize for the lack of picture for this post! I am having some major computer issues and pictures are just NOT working right now for me! Hopefully, I will be getting a new computer in the next couple of weeks and I can get back to posting!

So, this was a super easy recipe. I had everything done in under 10 minutes! And even better, the boy liked it! :)

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. package frozen jerk shrimp (or make your own, if you aren't lazy like me)
1 chorizo sausage, casing removed
1/2 c. red pepper, thinly sliced
2 tortillas or wraps
2 c. spinach
4 tbsp. goat cheese

Directions:
Cook shrimp according to the package directions. Throw in the chorizo and red pepper with the shrimp.

While everything is cooking, lay out the tortillas and place 1 cup of spinach on each, followed by 2 tbsp. of goat cheese.

Spoon the shrimp mixture over the spinach and cheese.

Roll up the tortilla and microwave for 10 seconds to melt the cheese.

Yield: 2 very large servings

Cocoa Says What?

Is this a tired puppy or what? We have been staying at my parents' house since last Thursday while they were out of town and they got back this afternoon. Needless to say, Cocoa missed her toys, her bones and apparently, her sleep. :)

P.S. Don't you just love the giant bone? :)

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Now these are good. And easy. I love it when I can make cookies or cupcakes and don't have to break out the mixer. And they taste like pecan pie. The only change I will make is the next time, I won't bake them quite so long. Other than that though, they are perfect! So yummy!

Ingredients:
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a mini muffin tin.

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.

Bake 18 minutes.

Yield: 24 mini muffins

Source: http://www.bakedperfection.com/

Oreo Decadence Bars

I started baking today for next weekend already. The boy is hosting a golf tournament and a few guys will be staying at his house all weekend. So, being the good girlfriend that I am, I am going to supply him with some cookies, muffins, etc. The first thing on my list to make were these oreo bars. Now, in theory, these were a good idea. And they are super yummy. BUT, they are kind of messy and don't hold their shape very well. I stuck them in the fridge to see if that will help a bit. But they are good. :)

Edited to add: refrigerating them totally helped! The boy actually said he preferred them cold and they were gone in less than 16 hours. :)

Ingredients:
23 oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (not sure who came up with the number 23!?) :P
2 tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. mini marshmallows
3/4 c. peanuts, chopped
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350; line an 8x8 pan with foil and grease the foil.

Mix cookies and butter. Sprinkle 1 c. into pan.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips, marshmallows and peanuts.

Top with remaining oreos.

Pour condensed milk over the top of everything.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

Source: http://www.kraftfoods.com/

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

These cookies are so delicious and they are super easy, too! I am the person who always chooses vanilla bean ice cream over chocolate, so when I saw this recipe, I wanted to run right out and buy some vanilla beans and make these right away! Of course, I had to go to three stores before I found vanilla beans. Totally worth it though! Next time I won't bake them for quite as long though - I like my cookies kinda doughy in the middle! :)

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla, eggs and vanilla bean seeds.

Sift baking powder and flour together and then add to wet ingredients.

Shape into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press slightly to flatten. NOTE: I didn't do this. I am lazy and I just dropped spoonfuls of dough on the cookie sheet :)

Bake 8 minutes.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Source: www.sugarlaws.com

Chocolate Cream Fruit Dip

For dessert yesterday, I made chocolate cream dip and vanilla bean sugar cookies (up next!). This was so easy to make and it was yummy. Plus, I was able to make it in advance and just pop it in the fridge until I was ready for it!

Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. chocolate syrup
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff

Directions:
Beat cream cheese and syrup.

Fold in fluff.

Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Serve with fruit, pound cake, angel food cake, or just eat it with a spoon... :)

Yield: 2 cups

Source: Taste of Home's "Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" 2002 edition

Mrs. Yoder's Baked Beans

Next on the Memorial Day dinner was baked beans - again from my sister's mother in law. This is another super easy recipe. And the best part is - both the corn pudding and baked beans are baked in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. That just makes it even easier :)

Ingredients:
2 cans pork and beans
2 cans kidney beans, partially drained
2 cans baby lima beans, partially drained
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
6-8 pieces of bacon, fried and crumbled

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or in a crockpot for 12 hours.

Yield: 9-12 servings

Source: Mrs. Yoder, my sister's mother in law

Mrs. Yoder's Corn Pudding

We did all of our Memorial Day stuff yesterday. The boy and I had my parents and my sister and her family over to his house. We grilled hot dogs and bbq chicken, as well as some vegetables. For the side dishes, I made corn pudding and baked beans. In a foil pan. So the pictures aren't pretty. This is a recipe from my sister's mother in law and it is one of my favorites. I could eat this everyday!

Ingredients:
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2/3 stick butter, melted
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c. sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all in a 9x13 casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Yield: 9-12 servings

Source: Mrs. Yoder, my sister's mother in law

One of my very favorite things is PF Changs lettuce wraps. If only we had a PF Changs that wasn't over an hour away! So, when I saw lettuce on sale, I thought - hey! I should make lettuce wraps, since I already had some leftover chicken! I did a lot of searching on the internet for a recipe and in the end, I combined a couple different ones. I didn't want to try and re-create PF Changs lettuce wraps, because I knew that we would be disappointed.

So, the chicken part of these turned out pretty good. It turns out that I'm a tard and I bought cabbage instead of lettuce. We both had our second "lettuce wrap" in a tortilla. :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. garlic
1 tbsp. ginger
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. sweet chili sauce
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 c. chopped peanuts
1 c. grated carrots
head of lettuce

Directions:
Heat oil in a pan (or wok, if you have a wok). Stir fry garlic, ginger and carrots.

Add chicken.

Stir in soy sauce and chili sauce.

Add cilantro and peanuts.

Serve. :)

Yield: 2-3 servings

Sources: www.recipegirl.com & www.pillsbury.com

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

If you haven't noticed, I love buffalo anything. It is just so good! And I also like pizza. One of my favorite things is different kinds of pizza - Thai pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, etc. So, I had a little bit of leftover chicken, a little bit of leftover buffalo sauce and then when I cleaned out my freezer last weekend, I found an extra pizza dough! Decision made! So, totally easy and perfect for Friday night!

Ingredients:
1 pizza dough
1/2 c. bleu cheese dressing (or ranch - next time I will use ranch instead!)
1/2 c. buffalo sauce
1.5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 c. cheese (I used mozzarella)

Directions:
Preheat oven and prepare pizza dough according to package directions (and if you make your own, I figure you already know what to do!)

Spread dressing over pizza dough.

Toss chicken in buffalo sauce and spread on top of dressing.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Cook according to directions.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Cookie Dough Pops

So, I totally should've taken the time to take a better picture of these. I don't know what I was thinking. These were so easy to make. I love recipes like this - where it looks like I took hours and hours to make something, but it really only took me like, 30 minutes! Always a big plus in my book! I took some of these to work, and so I did take the time to make eggless cookie dough. I must say though, if it was just for me, I would make regular cookie dough or buy some in a tube :) I'll take my chances at salmonella poisoning. These were awesome though! I mean, how could they not be? Raw cookie dough. Covered in chocolate. On a stick. How in the world did it take someone so long to think of this??? My only change (since I even copied Risa's colors!) is that I would leave out the cinnamon next time. No one else noticed it, but the flavor was overpowering for me. Oh, and I need to figure out how to not have a flat side after chilling these :)

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 package chocolate candy melts
1/4 c. blue candy melts

Directions:
Combine flour, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add in vanilla.

Add flour mixture. Then stir in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls and insert lollipop sticks. Chill for several hours or stick in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Melt candy melts according to directions on package.

Dip cookie dough balls into chocolate, tapping and rolling to remove excess chocolate and bubbles.

Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

Then, drizzle with an alternate color of candy melts.

Yield: 20ish. Depends on how big your balls are.

Source: www.bakedperfection.com

Chicken & Black Bean Flautas

I have been cooking up a storm the last week or so... I just haven't posted anything :) So, get ready. It is my mission today to get caught up, since I will have some Memorial Day recipes to post next week! These chicken and black bean flautas were a quick and easy lunch last weekend. It definitely satisfied my Mexican craving, and it only took a few minutes to make! This is definitely a 30 minute meal - and 20 minutes of that is oven time! And, you could put whatever you want in these, depending on what you feel like eating :)

Ingredients:
1 small can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 c. shredded cheese
4 small flour tortillas
Salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray

Place tomatoes, beans, chicken and cheese in a tortilla. Roll tightly and set seam side down on the baking sheet.

Spray tops of each flauta with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake 10 minutes, then flip and bake 10 more minutes.

Dip in salsa :)

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Potato Quiche

For some reason, when I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it almost immediately. I have no idea why. Because I don't really like quiche. I am picky about how I'll eat my eggs, and this is not the way I like them. I think maybe I was won over by the potato crust. I thought that was a really neat idea. Anyway, the boy said he loves quiche, so I figured, why not!? Even if I hate it, I can have a slice of cheese and be full. My main goal in cooking is to feed him! :)

So, I made quiche. The boy said it was bland. This definitely wasn't hard though, except for grating the swiss cheese, because, for the life of me, I could NOT find shredded swiss cheese in a bag. And I know that some people swear by grating their own cheese, but I don't see the value, quite honestly. I'm lazy like that though. I modified the recipe a bit because I don't eat ham, plus I added some spinach since we both like it and for the color. This was BY FAR one of the prettiest dishes I have ever made! That says a lot! If I can figure out what spices to add to it to give it a little more pizazz, it is something I would totally make for other people, or take to potlucks and stuff like that!

Ingredients:
2 c. shredded hash browns
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1 c. turkey bacon, chopped and cooked
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Spray a pie plate with non-stick spray. Press the potatoes into the pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

While that is baking, beat together eggs, milk and salt. Then stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour into the potato crust.

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Source: Adapted from http://www.recipeshoebox.blogspot.com/

Sweet & Spicy Chili Chicken

So, as much as I would love for everyone to think that all of my recipes turn out perfect, they don't. Here is one that didn't. And I was SO excited about it too, because it seemed like such a great idea. This wasn't sweet or spicy or even flavorful. I might as well have you used cornflakes. Quite honestly, this was blah enough that I ate maybe 5 or 6 bites and then decided to just eat ice cream instead. If you have any suggestions as to what I could've done differently to make it better, I would really appreciate it!!

Ingredients:
1 c. crushed Sweet & Spicy Chili Doritos
2 chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. milk
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Combine egg and milk.

Salt and pepper chicken. Dip into egg mixture and then coat with crushed chips.

Place in baking dish and bake 30-40 minutes, depending on size of chicken breasts.

Yield: 2 servings

Source: me! No wonder it wasn't good!

Dad's Famous Cheese Eggs

First of all, eggs are really hard to make pretty. They just aren't really photogenic, you know? Second, these really aren't famous, but it sounded better than just "Cheese Eggs." This is one of my go to meals when I am busy and don't have time to cook. If I am cooking for more than just me, I usually make some bacon or sausage, too.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp. milk
3 slices of cheese
2 tsp. honey mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Spray a bowl with non-stick spray. Crack eggs into bowl and whisk until blended.

Add milk, salt, pepper and honey mustard. Whisk again.

Tear up cheese and add. NOTE: If you are using Kraft Singles (or something similar), use 1.5 slices per egg. If you are using something thicker, like Velveeta, just use 1 thick slice per egg. This is very important. You need the right cheese to egg ratio. Even though, really, you can never have too much cheese.

Stir again. Pop into the microwave for 30 second increments. If you are making more than 1 serving, you can do 1 minute increments.

Serve with toast or biscuits!

Yield: 1 serving

Source: my dad :)