Sausage, Tomato & Cheddar Breakfast Casserole

Our family has a good breakfast casserole recipe and that’s usually the “go-to” when I have people over for brunch, but I wanted to look for something a little different and I found this recipe that uses tomatoes, sausage, bread and cheese….seriously, what could be better?? I invited a few of my friends over to be my test-dummies (they totally don’t mind!) and this recipe was a big hit! We only had one little corner piece left after breakfast…and I think it was because no one wanted to be the jerk who took the last portion of casserole (myself included). The bread really makes this dish, it’s so crispy and crunchy and combined with the sausage and tomatoes, it really is a great way to mix up your usual breakfast casserole.

I think the key is to make sure your bread is a little bit stale. I bought a fresh loaf of French bread on Friday from the bakery and by the time I made this casserole on Sunday, the loaf was slightly stale and hard. It soaks up the egg mixture, but it doesn’t get soggy.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 cups cubed french bread
- 2 (14 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- T. dried basil
- t. garlic powder
- t. dried oregano
- Salt & Pepper
- Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

1. Brown sausage in a pan.

2. In a large bowl mix together cheese, tomatoes, green onions, basil, oregano, powder and cooked sausage.

3. Fold in the bread cubes. Place mixture in a greased 9 x 13 in. pan.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper.

5. Pour egg mixture over the casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

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Spaghetti Squash

Until this blog post, I’ve never made spaghetti squash but it was always something I wanted to try. So, for the sake of the blog, I tested it out and it turned out really well! Recently, I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my repertoire because:

1)      Meat is freakin’ expensive people! What do you think I’m made of money?! Newsflash – I don’t make millions for serving up sassy recipes to you every week. $8.00 chicken breasts v. $2.00 spaghetti squash…I know my choice.

2)      I like to trick my husband into believing he’s had a fully satisfying dinner without having had any meat. He used to be one of those guys that was like “OMG I need to eat meat with every meal, are you crazy woman?!” and now he’s all “Can I please take these spaghetti squash leftovers to work for lunch?”

3)      Personally, I just feel healthier when I can incorporate as much vegetables into my diet as possible. I like substituting certain vegetables in the place of meat so that my dinner is not only inexpensive, but feels healthier to eat.

So this dish definitely met all of my criteria for a good meal: inexpensive, easy, tasty, and my husband loved it. He really did ask to have the leftovers and requested that we have this dish again soon! Mission accomplished!

Ingredients:

- 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
- 2 T. butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper

1. Place the spaghetti squash on a baking sheet. Pierce it a few times with a knife and place it in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

2. Once spaghetti squash is ready, take it out of the oven and cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds.

3. With a fork, separate all of the strands from the squash...they look like spaghetti!

4. At this point you could really treat the squash just like your favorite spaghetti dish. I melted 2 Tbs. of butter in a pan and diced up two garlic cloves.

5. Once the butter is melted, add the spaghetti squash to incorporate.

6. When ready to serve, shave some parmesan on top of the squash.

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Chicken Roll-ups

This recipe combines a few of my favorite things: chicken and bacon with cream cheese!  I think I've had this recipe for years..in fact, I typed it on a typewriter!  When I first obtained this recipe there was no chicken broth added and without it, believe it or not, they can be a little dry.  You add the chicken broth at the end and thicken it up on top of the stove, so you'll want to use a baking dish which can also be used on top of the stove.

I have this threatening meat tenderizer from Pampered Chef (right).  If your State laws prohibit you from having a weapon like this and you don't have another meat tenderizer, you can always use the bottom of a glass and flatten out the meat that way.  

INGREDIENTS

6 Boneless chicken breast pieces
8 oz. whipped cream cheese (I use light)
6 slices bacon
Parsley, black pepper, garlic powder
1 cup chicken broth
Corn starch

1.  Pound chicken on waxed paper to flatten out a little.  The chicken breasts I use are pretty large, so I cut them in half.  

2.  Spread each chicken piece with approximately 3 T of cream cheese.

3.  Sprinkle spices on each piece.

4. Fold chicken into rolls and wrap with a strip of bacon.

5. Cover with foil Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Take chicken roll-ups out of pan and set a side. 

6.  In a separate bowl, mix 1-2 T of corn starch into 1 cup of chicken broth.

7.  Pour chicken broth mixture in bottom of pan (note there will be some juice in there from baking the chicken, plus any cream cheese which oozed out.

8.  Heat broth to boiling on the top of the stove, while stirring constantly.  This should only take a minute or two to thicken.  Serve as gravy on top of chicken roll ups.  

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Ham Loaf & Roasted Cauliflower

HAM LOAF

Here is my confession: My name is Julie...and I like Ham Loaf!  Whew...I guess admitting it is the first step.  

Corinne has informed me that no one else will want to try this recipe, but it would be good "for laughs".  So just to make up for the lack of enthusiasm, I added another recipe for Roasted Cauliflower.  Both my late mother and my late former mother-in-law used to make ham loaf and I just always loved the sweetness of the pork with the brown-sugar glaze.  This recipe calls for 2 pounds of meat and I usually make 6 individual loaves and freeze half of them.  This year, the remainder will be placed in Corinne's Christmas stocking!

HAM LOAF INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground ham (I usually ground up the ham in my food processor)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups soft bread crumbs (I tear up about 4 slices of bread)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/8 t pepper
1 T brown sugar
1/2 t dry mustard

GLAZE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. dry mustard

1.  Ground up ham in food processor.  

2.  Mix all meat loaf ingredients in a bowl and form into 6 mini loaves (you can also half the recipe for 3 loaves)

3.  Mix Glaze ingredients together and pour over meat loaves
4.  Bake @ 350 for 1 hour

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower
Yellow Bell Pepper
2-T olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Spices: Pepper, Mrs. Dash, Basil

1.  Clean and cut up cauliflower and pepper in small bite-size pieces, put in bowl
2.  Drizzle olive oil over veggies and add spices to taste, mix well
3.  Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and roast in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until tender).
4.  Transfer back to bowl and mix in Parmesan Cheese.
5.  Enjoy!

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Greek Chicken Pasta

OK so shortly after I finished taking pictures of this recipe with my phone, my phone died on me and I lost all the photos...don't even get me started on my rant of how phone companies only make phones so they last 1 1/2 years so that during the last six months of your contract you must suffer on a daily basis...see, this is bad, you got me started! Anyways, you'll have to use your own imagination on this one with the step-by-step picturing of everything. I originally found this recipe in a cooking magazine several years ago and I've adjusted it a little to include more sundried tomatoes because I love those and I eliminated olives because I'm not a huge fan. (The picture above is of the leftovers I had the next day).

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups penne pasta
- 2 1/2 cups chicken (or about 3 chicken breasts)
- 3/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 can (14 oz.) chicken stock

Optional: To make it more "greek" you could do 1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts and 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes instead of the 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes...that makes for a good combo! And of course, you could add in some greek olives too.

1. Start a large pot of boiling water for the penne pasta. When water is boiling, cook pasta until finished and then drain in strainer.

2. In medium saute pan, melt butter and add onions. Cook onions on medium heat until translucent and tender.

3. In another medium saute pan, add chopped chicken breast with a little bit of olive oil and cook until fully cooked. (To save some time, you could get a pre-prepared rotisserie chicken and chop that up instead)

4. Once onions are tender, add in flour and stir to mix together until fully incorporated and thick.

5. Slowly add chicken stock to onions and flour mixture and stir together until thick and creamy.

6. To onion mixture, add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese (and artichokes if you decide to put those in). Stir until everything is fully incorporated.

7. Place the entire pan under the broiler for about 4 minutes until the top is crispy and bubbly! Yummy!!

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Cous Cous Salad

I was looking around for something different to take to a summer picnic last year and I sort of invented this recipe from a few other recipes that I saw online. I wanted something light and refreshing, unlike the usual potato salad crap! I know, I'm weird and I don't like mayonnaise which cuts out like half of the stuff we usually eat at summer picnics. This dish is so refreshing and healthy, I usually make this big batch and take the leftovers in my lunch all week. It has a lot of flavor with the balsamic dressing and the crunchy vegetables. Definitely a great alternative to the usual heavy side dishes.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat dried cous cous
1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt & Pepper

1. Cook 2 cups of dried cous cous according to box directions. Mine says boil 2 cups of water and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and then remove from heat, add in 2 cups of cous cous and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
2. Cut red pepper and cucumber into small cubes and place into a bowl.

(This photo taken by my sis, the photography major! So pretty, thanks Kels!)

3. Add cooled cous cous to the vegetables. Make sure cous cous is cooled, you can place it in the refrigerator if you are pressed for time. Just don't add the hot cous cous to the raw vegetables, you do not want to cook the vegetables.

4. In a small bowl, mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, basil and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork or whisk.

5. Add balsamic dressing to the cous cous and vegetables and stir. Lastly, add in the 1/2 cup of feta cheese. Serve cold!

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Hamburger cookies! What the...?

For those of you who know me, you know I don't eat beef.  I WILL however eat cookies! These adorable treats have been a favorite of the kids for years.  I used to make them for the kids to take to school for their special birthday treat.  


Ingredients:

Nilla Wafers
Keeber's Grasshopper cookies
1 Container Vanilla Frosting
Yellow food coloring
Green food coloring
egg white
Sesame seeds

1.  Divide a container of frosting in half and (with food coloring) make one portion yellow (to represent mustard) and one portion green (to represent lettuce). 

2.  Spread each frosting on two different Nilla Wafer cookies (the flat side).  



3.  Assemble the cookies with a Grasshopper cookie in between.  

4.  After you're all done with the assembly, brush each top with a little egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

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BBQ Ribs

Call me conceded, (I don't care), but these BBQ ribs are pretty frickin good, or as we just say PFG!  A co-worker from 10+ years ago first told me about Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and if the company ever stops making it, I may just never fix or eat ribs again.  While the sauce is awesome, part of what makes these ribs so good is the rub and slow cooking them.  They are so flavorful and tender, they literally fall off the bone. 

Here is one of the recipes that I cannot even estimate the quantity of spices or sauce.  You'll just have to experiment for yourself.  I love these slathered in BBQ sauce, but you may like them less messy!

Ingredients

Pork Baby Back Ribs
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (original flavor)
Spices:

• Lemon Pepper
• Parsley
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Paprika

Cut ribs into 3-4 rib sections.  This makes it easier to rub, grill and eat.
Spread out the sections on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the spices on each side.  Rub the spices into the meat with your hands. 

No, I don't work for McCormick!

Grill the ribs (on med-low) for approximately 30 minutes total (20 minutes on fatty side, 10 on bone side).  They won't be done, you just want them a little browned on each side. 

Remove from grill and place a layer (fatty side up) in roasting pan.  Pour BBQ Sauce on each rib piece and then place another layer on top and pour more sauce on ribs. 

Sorry, this photo is blurry, I was drunk at the time...

Cover (either with lid or foil) and bake @ 225 degrees for 4-5 hours.   Enjoy these PFG ribs!

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

So when you boil it down and you take away the commercials, half-time show and the fact that you could not care less about the two teams playing...the whole point of the Super Bowl is to sit around and eat fattening snack food and giant subs, right? Right??

Well, you're on your own for the giant sub, but here is a Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe that is Super easy and Super delicious. Sure to please all of your game-day guests (who aren't still partaking in their New Year’s Resolution).

Ingredients:

1 bottle Ranch dressing

1 bottle hot sauce

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded chicken (or 2 cans of shredded chicken)

Throw everything into the crockpot and heat on low until everything melts together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy as much as you can before you see Beyonce in her half-time outfit...trust me, after that, you'll probably put down your chip, slowly back away from the dip, and consider braving the cold winter temperatures to go outside for a good 3-mile run.

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