Breakfast Casserole

Hashbrowns Eggs Milk Cheese Sausage Salt Pepper Easy. Easy. Easy. As long as you have an hour to spare to let it bake. I make this casserole with the rectangle hashbrowns like you'd get at McDonalds. I also use sausage crumbles. Yes, you can buy ready to go sausage crumbles. Big time saver. I'm not really going to give any measurements here because you can make this dish for two or 10. Totally just depends on how much you want. I put a layer of hashbrowns on the bottom of the baking dish I want to use, then a layer/scattering of sausage crumbles, layer of cheese, eggs (mixed with milk, salt, and pepper), you want enough of the egg mixture to fully cover everything. Cook on 350 degrees for 1 hour. *I've made this for a large group of people = they loved it. And I make this at least a couple times a month for breakfast at home with just the Bebe and my husband. (This recipe I found on a blog. I will give credit as soon as I come across it again. As always I adapted it to my liking.)

Chicken Nuggets

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1/8 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

Peanut oil or canola oil for frying (I used canola)

Once the chicken is cut into bite size pieces place in a bowl with the egg and milk.

Prepare everything else while your chicken sits in the fridge.  Mix all other ingredients together in a gallon size bag (minus the oil which is for frying) and shake.  When ready to cook pick out pieces of chicken from the egg/milk mixture and place these chicken pieces in the ziplock bag with the flour mixture.  Shake.  

Fry your nuggets for about 5 minutes.  I do it simply on how they look.  We like ours a little crispier so we usually go towards the longer end of time.  Then we just set the nuggets on a paper towel to soak up all the excess oil. 

**My husband loves this recipe! 

Definitely enjoy these nuggets with the homemade Chick-fil-a Sauce!

(Recipe found at tablefortwoblog.com)

Chick-fil-a Sauce

1/2 cup mayo

2 tbsp. mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Stir all ingredients together.  Simple as that.

This makes a lot, so I try to to fourth the recipe sometimes because it's just my husband and I eating.

*Yum!  Goes perfectly with some homemade nuggets.

(Recipe found through tablefortwoblog.com)

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups applesauce

1 banana (mashed)

5 cups Old Fashioned Oats

½ cup honey

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¾ cup milk

Cupcake liners

*Mix-in’s of your choosing: chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, blueberries, etc…

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.     Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana, and honey in a bowl.

3.     Add in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well.

4.     Pour in Milk.  Stir.

5.     You can mix in your choosing of items now if you want them all the same or you can wait until you fill your cupcake tins and sprinkle on top.  (I just added chocolate chips to the whole batch and sprinkled a few craisins on top of some)

6.     Pour mixture into muffin pan.  Use cupcake liners!  You may even want to spray the cupcake liners with cooking spray.  They stick really bad, so either way, with our without cooking spray, use cupcake liners.   **Mixture will look very runny.  Don’t worry.  It will not be runny after cooking time.  These also do not rise much, if at all, so you can fill the muffin tin pretty close to the top.  I believe I was able to make around 20 muffins with this recipe depending on how high you fill each cup.

7.     Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and enjoy or freeze in a gallon freezer baggie.

If frozen- pop a single muffin into the microwave about 30 seconds.  If heating up more than one at a time, more time will need to be added.

*This is a favorite of Madelyn's for breakfast!

(Recipe adapted from sugarfreemom.com)

Sweet and Spicy Steak

1 Lean Steak (first time making this we used a large Rib-eye, bone in and just cut around it into strips and it was delish!)

1/3 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Honey

1 1/2 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce

Canola Oil

Brown Rice

Combine Soy Sauce, Honey, Chili Garlic Sauce, and 2 tsp of Canola Oil in a bowl.  Set aside.

Cut your steak into thin strips, cutting off any excess fat.  Heat 1/2 Tbsp of Canola in a large pan.  Add the strips of steak and cook about 30 seconds on each side.  Add the Soy Sauce mixture to the pan and stir.  

Serve over Brown Rice.

**This will most likely be a weekly staple meal for us much like pasta!  We ate this with a side salad as well and we walked away from the table feeling very pleased.

(Recipe from www.thefitcook.net)

Havij Polo (Carrot Rice)

1 pound ground beef
1 pound chopped carrots
2 cups white rice
1 medium onion (grated)
3 Tbp Lemon or Lime juice
Oil
Salt
Black pepper
Turmeric
Saffron

Sautee onions in a greased saute pan, then add ground beef to it.  Season it with salt, black pepper, and turmeric.  Let the mixture cook thoroughly.

Saute chopped carrots in another greased saute pan.  Then mix carrots with ground beef mixture, heat on medium for 3-4 minutes.  Add lime/lemon juice and keep the heat on for 2 more minutes.

Cook your rice as directed on the package.  Mix your beef and carrot mixes into the rice. Add some oil.  Add saffron.  Put a lid on and after about 4-5 minutes lower the head and let it steam for 15-20 minutes. 

**We could not find saffron at our local grocery store, we may need to check somewhere else- the recipe still turned out great- but I have a feeling that this would have made it even better
**This is a great meal to make extra and keep in the fridge as left overs- it is just as good heated up!

(Recipe from husband's coworker)

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)

3/4 pound spaghetti
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Salt

Cook pasta as directed.  When draining keep 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta.  In a bowl, combine the cheeses.  Quickly add a little bit of the water and cheese to the pasta and stir, repeat.  Sprinkle the black pepper and season with salt.  Toss again.  Serve.

**We prefer a little less pepper, but then again we didn't cook as much spaghetti because it was just my husband and I.

(Recipe taken from Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2011)

Black Eyed Pea Salsa

1 can black eyed peas (drained)
2 tomatoes diced
3 Tbp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
Cilantro chopped
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp jalepeno pepper diced

Throw in a bowl.  Mix it all together.  Sit in the fridge for a day.  Serve with Tostitos.

**This makes a delicious, fresh tasting salsa.  Nothing what like you'd buy from a jar!

(Recipe from a dear friend of mine)

Apple Cider Bean Dip

This recipe is quite simple and simply delicious!

1 avocado diced
1 tomato diced
1 can of corn (drained
1 can of black beans (drained)
Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and serve with Tostitos.  I mix the apple cider vinegar last and taste it to determine how much I want. 

**You can't go wrong with this recipe and it is great for parties.

(Recipe from a dear friend of mine)

Mizithra Cheese Pasta

Mizithra Cheese

Heavy cream

Thyme
Pasta
Butter

Cook pasta as directed on the box.  Brown butter in a saucepan add some heavy cream to the brown butter and warm it up. Throw in some thyme. Drizzle pasta with butter mixture and shred Mizithra Cheese over the top.  To add a little zest you can squeeze lemon juice on top or add a little Italian seasoning instead of thyme.

**This is a very light, delicious meal.  My family first fell in love with it at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Atlanta, but it closed down.  Was very delighted to find this cheese after searching for it all over!!

Mexican Macaroni

1 lb of ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 box of Macaroni and Cheese (we prefer Kraft Dinner)
1 cup of salsa
1 cup of Sour Cream

Brown ground beef.  Follow directions on taco seasoning packet.  Cook Macaroni as directed on the box.  Stir in about 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of salsa.  Add in ground beef.  Stir all till mixed well.  Pour into a oven-safe dish and place in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  We usually sprinkle the top with cheese or bread crumbs.

Chicken Fried Rice

Rice
Sesame Seed Oil
Soy Sauce or Oyster Sauce
Corn
Peas
Egg
Chicken
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Cook chicken with soy sauce in a saucepan. Cut into bite size pieces. Set aside. Cook rice as directed on the box. Set aside. Heat corn and peas. Set aside. Cook eggs in a wok- scramble them. Add rice to the wok and mix. Stir in sesame seed oil and soy sauce. Mix in corn, peas, and chicken. Add more soy sauce as needed. Sprinkle with garlic and onion powder. Stir.

**This recipe is all about how much you want and taste. That's why I left no measurements. We love making extras of this for lunches later. Heats up really well- just add a little water.

Pesto Pasta

1 jar of pesto
Pasta of your choice- I usually choose Penne
Chicken
Cream Cheese
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Mix Pesto with several spoonfuls of cream cheese. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder and onion powder. Heat and stir. Cook pasta as directed on box. Serve- picking how much pasta, pesto, and chicken you want. Cook your chicken however you like- for this meal we usually grill it with Italian seasonings. Cut chicken into pieces or strips.

**I love pasta, but get tired of red sauce at times- this is a good choice to add in the mix for pasta night!
Serve with salad, garlic bread, and red wine = perfect!
(Recipe adapted from my Aunt)

Mexican Style Rice

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Stirring rice constantly, add garlic salt and cumin. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

**I am always looking for a good Mexican rice to go with our Mexican meals. This one is good. Still is not the same as the rice at Mexican restaurants though. I like to add in some corn with the rice as well.
(Recipe found through Pinterest)

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

1/2 cup Butter

2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Milk

4 tbsp Cocoa

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

3- 3 1/2 cups Quick cooking Oats

2 tsp Vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop onto wax/foil paper. Let cool until set. 

**Love these cookies! One of my best friends growing up got me hooked on these because they were her favorite.  

Crockpot Chicken (for tacos)

3 chicken breasts
1- 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours, or until tender. Shred chicken and season with salt and pepper as needed.

**My sister found this recipe on a blog and made it for us. It was delicious!  You'll get a sweet and spicy kick from the ingredients.
(Recipe from http://www.cookingalamode.blogspot.com/)