Sausage Muffins

Sausage Muffins 

12-15 muffins 

1 cup of Bisquick 

1 lb cooked sausage 

4 eggs beaten 

1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese 

Beat eggs well, and mix all together; pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes. YUM! Great for a cold night. Can be frozen.

Breakfast Casserole - Crockpot

Breakfast Casserole - Crockpot
1 bag (32 oz.) frozen southern style hashbrown potatoes
1 lb bacon, cut into pieces, fried and drained
1 lb sausage, crumbled, browned and drained
½ c (or more) diced onions
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
3/4 lb cheddar cheese, diced
1 doz eggs
1 c milk
½ tsp (or more) dry mustard
salt and pepper
(Taco Seasoning, if ya want it spicy)

 Spray crockpot with Pam. Layer the frozen potatoes, bacon, onions, green pepper, and cheese in the crockpot in two or three layers. Finish up with cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, and mustard, S&P together. Pour over the whole mixture. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Sausage Muffins

Sausage Muffins 12 muffins 1 cup of Bisquick 1 lb cooked sausage 4 eggs beaten 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese Mix together and pour into muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes. YUM! Great for a cold night. Can be frozen.

Crockpot Applesauce {Simple & Sugar Free!}

This recipe is one I found on Pinterest, and here is the link to the original recipe.  Since I was doubling it, I used a tablespoon of cinnamon.

8 apples
1/4 c. water
1 T lemon juice
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
(If desired, add sweetener of your choice.)

Core and slice apples into 1" slices.  Just leave the peel on.
Place in a slow cooker.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir a bit, and cook on low for 4 hours.

Use a potato masher to make chunky applesauce.  Puree in the blender if you prefer a smoother texture.

(On another site, I read that homemade crockpot applesauce would keep in the fridge for 5 days but could also be frozen for up to 3 months.)

Apple Oatmeal

4 crisp apples
1 c. steel-cut oats
4 c. water
3 TBSP packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
optional: 1/2 c. honey vanilla or vanilla Greek yogurt

Shred two of the apples using the largest holes of a box grater.

Over med.-high heat, lightly toast the oats (about 2 min.).  Add the water and shredded apples and bring to a boil.  Simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the other two apples.

Add the apples and spices and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes more, until apples are tender and the oatmean is quite thick.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt if desired.

Click HERE for the original Eating Well recipe.

Peaches & Cream Refrigerator Oatmeal

Don't let the name fool you!  This breakfast is one of my new favorites, and it's super healthy.

The night before, combine, cover, and refrigerate:
1/2 c. old fashioned (uncooked) oats (not quick cook)
1 TBSP chia seeds
1/2 c. light vanilla soy milk (You may want more in the morning to thin the oatmeal.)
1 small container (5-6 oz.) peach yogurt (If you use Greek yogurt, you may want to add a little more milk.)
1 diced peach (I used canned.)

In the morning, stir and enjoy!  Again, if the oatmeal is too thick for your liking, add in a little more milk.

Christmas 2009 Menu/Recipes

[Updated to include 2011 photos]

Hashbrown Casserole
1 bag shredded hasbrowns, thawed
½ small block Velveeta cheese
1 c. sour cream
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
Melt Velveeta and butter in microwave in 2 minute intervals until soft. Mix all ingredients together. Put in sprayed pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve.

Christmas Morning Strata
1 lb. sausage
8 eggs
10 slices of bread, cubed
3 c. milk
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
10-oz. pkg. frozen cut asparagus,
thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt

Begin the night before Christmas. Crumble sausage into large skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off any drippings. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add sausage and remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot. Makes 10-12 servings.

Christmas Morning French Toast Casserole
1 loaf French bread
6 eggs
3 c. milk
1/3-c sugar
1-2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract [Use vanilla butter nut flavoring and a few dashes of nutmeg to taste like Grandmother's pound cake!]

Spray a 13x9-inch pan w/Pam. Tear the bread and place it in the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients together. Pour them over the bread. Bake at 375°F for 45 min. Dust w/powdered sugar. Serve w/syrup.

Fruit Salad
1 lime (juice and some zest)
1 can chopped pineapple
1 can sliced pears
grapes, kiwi, bananas, apples, etc. (seasonal fresh fruit)
poppy seeds
honey

To prepare sauce: Reserve 1/4 c. canned pineapple juice. Add 1 TBSP honey and the juice of ½ lime. Add 1 tsp. poppy seeds and lime zest. Pour over fruit salad.

Crockpot Grits

1 c. grits (not instant or quick grits)
5 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter

Combine all in crock pot; cook on low 6-8 hours. Season/garnish as desired.

(Shown with hasbrown casserole and a side of shredded cheese for the grits.)

(The original recipe can be found HERE.)

Jalapeno, Garlic, Cheese Grits

2 cups grits
2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of tabasco sauce
2 sliced jalapenos
chopped green chiles
garlic salt

Directions
Cook grits in salted water, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Sprinkle garlic salt over cheese and stir. Grease a 9 inch casserole dish with butter, pour mixture in dish. Bake in oven @ 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions:
Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, applesauce and vegetable oil or melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in the chopped apples. Don’t worry if it's still a little lumpy.

Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat the skillet. Over low-medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter. Once the skillet is hot, add about 1/3 cup scoop of batter to the pan. Let cook until bubbles begin to form on the top surface and bottom is lightly browned. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown, a couple minutes more.


adapted from my Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2011/09/apple-cinnamon-pancakes.html

Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. powdered sugar [I used less.]
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 t. cinnamon
8 slices bread, white or whole wheat
3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. milk
4 T. butter, optional
2 T. powdered sugar, sifted

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon; mix until smooth. Spread one side of each slice of bread evenly with the cream cheese mixture. On the cream cheese side of four slices of bread, layer with some sliced strawberries evenly over the surface of each slice. Top each slice with a remaining slice of bread, pressing the cream cheese side down onto the strawberries. Press together gently to seal berries inside sandwich.

In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs and milk; mix well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 200°F. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with cooking spray and place in oven. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray or melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat.

Dip strawberry sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to soak each side. Place soaked sandwich in the hot skillet and cook on each side until browned. Remove sandwich from skillet and place on baking sheet in warm oven and repeat until all sandwiches are cooked.

Just before serving, cut each sandwich diagonally; top with remaining strawberries and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Serve with Warm Strawberry Syrup or maple syrup.

Serves four.

Source: "Simple Strawberry Sensations" by Laura York

Omelets

Click HERE to learn how to cook "the perfect omelet."

Christmas Morning Strata

1 lb. sausage
8 eggs
10 slices of bread, cubed
3 c. milk
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
10-oz. pkg. frozen cut asparagus,thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt

Begin the night before Christmas. Crumble sausage into large skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off any drippings. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add sausage and remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot. Makes 10-12 servings.

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Muffins

Bacon & Cheese Muffins
Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced, cooked and degreased (I’ll probably just used pre-cooked)
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter or margarine and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

2. Fold in the bacon and cheese just until combined. Scoop into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Yum!

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

1 stick softened butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream
1 3/4 c. blueberries

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. soft butter

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs until creamy. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream. Stir in blueberries and vanilla. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle a heaping teaspoon (or more) topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24.

Blueberry Pancakes

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2-1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
2 c. buttermilk (Don't have buttermilk? See my post HERE!)
1/4 c. unsalted melted butter
1 c. (or more) fresh blueberries (can also use frozen)

In a large bowl sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs and buttermilk together. Whisk in the cooled, melted butter. Gently mix wet ingredients into dry. Batter will be lumpy, but do not over mix.

Pour 1/4 c. of batter onto hot, greased griddle. Sprinkle the top with blueberries and lightly press them into the pancakes. Cook about 2 min. per side.

Banana Pancakes

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
2 tsp baking powder*
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine everything else. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Batter will be lumpy.

*Try less next time.

(This recipe is enough to feed our family breakfast, especially with bacon or sausage and fruit salad on the side.)

Heat griddle. Pour 1/4 c. of batter onto griddle to make 12 pancakes.

French Toast Casserole

Christmas Morning French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread
6 eggs
3 c. milk
1/3-c sugar [I used 1/4 c.]
1-2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (Vanilla Butter Nut flavoring and a dash of nutmeg makes this taste heavenly- reminiscent of Grandmother's Pound Cake!)

Spray a 13x9-inch pan w/Pam. Tear the bread and place it in the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients together. Pour them over the bread. Bake at 375°F for 45 min. Dust w/powdered sugar. Serve w/syrup.

[When we make this for Christmas morning, the girls tear up the French bread the night before and throw the chunks back in the bag. It assembles easily the next morning while the oven is preheating.]

Christmas Morning Strata

1 lb. sausage
8 eggs
10 slices of bread, cubed
3 c. milk
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
10-oz. pkg. frozen cut asparagus,
thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt

Begin the night before Christmas. Crumble sausage into large skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off any drippings. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add sausage and remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot.
Makes 10-12 servings.

*This is our all-time Christmas morning favorite!!!