Company Egg Bake  

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This is so ridiculously easy, you'll want to make it every day. Okay, maybe not everyday. Thanks to my mother-in-law for this stress-free company breakfast!


Ingredients:
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. sausage (I used 1 green bell pepper and 8 oz sliced mushrooms instead)
1 onion, diced
Plenty of grated cheddar cheese
12 eggs
2 cups cream or whole milk

Directions:
Cook up your bacon, sausage and onion until cooked through.  Spread half of the mixture in a 9x13 pan, then sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese.  Top with the rest of the mixture, sprinkle with more grated cheese.  Crack the eggs over the pan, and puncture the yolks with a fork.  Pour on the 2 cups of cream.  Refrigerate overnight, then bake for about 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Baked Potato Grilled Cheese  

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Homemade Whole-Wheat Bread.
Cheddar Cheese.
Green Onions.
Thin-Sliced Baker Potatoes, Pan-fried for 4 minutes on each side.
Bacon.
Cheddar Cheese.
Homemade Whole-Wheat Bread.

Baked. Potato. Grilled. Cheese.


Weeknight Chili  

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Photo from America's Test Kitchen


This was the perfect dinner to feed to our weekend guests ~ It was so easy, hearty, and delicious! I was able to prep it all before they even arrived so that I didn't have to miss out on any of the fun! =) Don't be alarmed at the mass amount of chili powder in this recipe; because this is a slow cooker recipe, the heat dies down and you're left with great flavor.

Ingredients:

2 T. oil
2 onions, chopped medium
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic gloves, minced
2 lbs. ground beef (85% lean to help with the moisture)
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (15.5 oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed
Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

2. Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high.  Cook, breaking up the beef, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping up any browned bits.  Bring to a simmer, then pour into the slow cooker.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.  Stir in the beans during the last hour of cooking.  Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Bagels  

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Mac wanted bagels for his school lunches, so instead of going out and buying some, I made them. Crazy, I know. Quite simple, really... just a little time consuming. After they cool, I cut them all in half and freeze so they will last us a while.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
3 T. white sugar
1 T. salt
1 T. molasses

Directions:
  1. In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
  2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
  3. Cut into 8 or 10 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise until doubled, about an hour.
  4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of molasses in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.
  5. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.
  6. Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.




Lemon Crackle Cookies  

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These are SO yummy, especially if you love lemon like I love lemon.  I got this recipe from laurenslatest.com (the same place the pizza bread came from).  I froze half the batch of dough to bake for later:
Ingredients:
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Zest from one small lemon
Juice from one small lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1-½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice.  Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 8-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pizza Bread  

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I've been craving pizza lately. The thing is, I don't really like pizza sauce... so, really, I'm just craving bread and cheese.  Well, I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and decided to mesh it with my Healthy ATK pizza crust to satisfy the craving. 
Final verdict: delicious cheesy bread and a ready-to-go crust in the freezer! You can either make two loaves of bread, two 14" pizza crusts, or one of each - both would freeze well, also.

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 1/4 tsps. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsps. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

(For bread, you will also need cheese and herb butter)

Directions:

Pulse the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in the food processor until combined.  With the processor running, pour the oil, then the water, through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, 30 to 40 seconds.

Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer.  If the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add 1/4 cup more bread flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it into a smooth, round ball.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and separate dough into two balls.  To freeze pizza dough, as I did, simply wrap one ball tightly in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag for up to one month.  Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter for 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the fridge before using.

For the bread:


Shape one ball of dough into a long baguette.  I twist mine as directed so that it holds its shape better.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Once warm, place bread in oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes.  While its baking, melt some butter (I used less than half a stick for one loaf) with a clove of garlic, some salt and italian herb seasoning (about 1/2 to 1 tsp of each) and slice your choice of cheese (I used about 8-10 slices of cheddar, and sprinkled with parmesan).  Brush the loaf with half of the butter, then return to the oven for 5-7 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Let bread cool for 15 minutes, then, slice into 1" slices diagonally about 3/4 of the way down.  Brush the remaining butter into slices and then tuck in the cheese slices.  Bake for about 3-5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately!

Mama 'Blicky's Easy Cookies  

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Easy.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheet with tin foil
Place saltine crackers on sheet in rows to cover bottom
Bring to a boil over medium heat 1 1\2 sticks butter and 1 cup brown sugar
Boil for 5-7 min or the "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer)
This is the toughest part if you don't have a candy thermometer, cause every stove is a little different, if it starts to smell like its burning take it off. 
Pour butter and brown sugar mixture over the saltines and spread evenly
Place sheet in 350 degree oven for 5 min
Take out of oven
Pour 1\2 of a 10-12oz choc chip package and 1\2 of a 10-12oz peanut butter chip package (or however much you desire) over the cookie sheet mixture. 
Then spread evenly with a knife as it softens and melts (takes a min or two to melt before you can spread it)
Refrigerate 1 hr and break into chunks
And ENJOY!!!