Quiche for Breakfast, Dinner or Both!

This week I had a little trouble coming up with a fast dinner for a busy evening.  I remembered that it had been quite a while since I made our favorite quiche.  I figured that whatever we didn't eat for dinner would be gobbled up for breakfast the next morning.  Our preferred add-ins for the quiche are bell peppers (gives a rainbow of color) and sausage.  I like to use the cook and serve sausages so that I end up only getting one mixing bowl dirty in the prep process. I take the sausages and simply snip them into small bits using my kitchen shears.

Side Note: Having kitchen shears is an easy way to chop sausages or chicken into smaller pieces prior to cooking.  They are one of my favorite tools in the utensil drawer.

I have used this recipe as a make ahead breakfast.  Making the quiche on a Sunday evening makes it easy to slice and package to reheat for breakfast throughout the coming week.

There are only 3 base ingredients to this recipe but then you can mix and match the add-ins to cater to your own family preferences.

Easy Crustless Quiche
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

1 cup (total) of additional ingredients, suggestions below:

sausage
bacon
broccoli
zucchini
carrots


Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously grease a 9 inch pie plate. Whisk the eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed, light and fluffy. The more you whisk the eggs, the fluffier the quiche will be in the end.  Add the shredded cheese, salt and pepper, mix again.  The base of your quiche has now been created and you can start to add your extra ingredients.  My favorite combination is 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup bell pepper and chopped cook n serve sausages.

Whatever additional ingredients you choose, the total measurement should be about 1 1/2 cups.
Once all your ingredients are mixed together, pour into your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.  The quiche should look a little brown on top and puffed up.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Corn Tortilla Stacks

My family and I eat a Tex Mex meal at least once a week.  When I was making the menu for this week I realized that I had a can of black beans and some corn tortillas in the pantry.  I decided to make these tortilla stacks for a quick weeknight option.  The kids love this recipe and it is easy, what more could I want on a Monday!

Yes, I am that kind of mom that makes a weekly menu so that I don't have to think about what I have in the fridge or the pantry.  I like to be prepared and don't want to run to the store every other night to get a few ingredients to make dinner.  Getting your kids to help in making the menu is great too.  I usually ask the boys to pick a night and it seems if I do that then they are more willing to try a new recipe I make later that week.  I used to be diligent with our weekly menu to include a Meatless Monday option but after a month or so I got kind of loose with the menu and would just include one meatless option any day of the week.

Corn Tortilla Stacks
Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Tortilla Pie
Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients
12 corn tortillas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinse and drained
1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
6 oz bag of baby spinach
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Optional toppings:
Sour cream
Salsa
Avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment or foil, set aside.
Heat oil in skillet, add chopped onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft.  Add the cumin, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add the tomato paste and stir again to make sure the paste is distributed evenly throughout the onion.  Once thoroughly combined add the garlic, black beans and corn.  Cook until the beans and corn are warmed through, just a few minutes.  Add the spinach by the handful and stir.  Once the spinach is wilted, add a few more handfuls and repeat until all spinach has been added.

Place 4 tortillas on the prepared pans.  Add about 1/4 cup filling onto each tortilla, sprinkle each with cheese just to cover filling.  Place another tortilla on top and gently press down to distribute the filling evenly.  Repeat the process with the filling, cheese and another corn tortilla.

In the end, you should have 3 corn tortillas and 2 layers of filling for each stack.  You may sprinkle each stack with the remainder of the cheese or place in the oven without the topping.  Place in the oven for about 15-20 or until the top starts to brown.
Serve immediately.

 *Note: I highly recommend getting the tomato paste in the tube.  You will use it more than you think and it stays fresh longer than the paste in the can.

Fantastic Brownies

First, before I get into the nitty gritty of the recipe I want to talk about my preferences when I bake.
I like to use the least amount of dishes.  Most of the time I hate to bake because I don't feel like cleaning up.  This is a one bowl recipe so win, win.  Also, when I bake I like to use parchment paper.  I don't like to grease my pans because sometimes it will leave a greasy residue.  I am including a picture of my favorite brand of parchment which can be found in Bloomingfoods or Goods for Cooks in Bloomington.  This brand is unbleached and seems to be more pliable than the Reynolds brand I use to buy. 

Lastly I like to use unsalted butter all the time. My family rarely uses salt and so I buy the sticks of generic unsalted butter for all my recipes, then I can salt to my liking if necessary.  Now on to the recipe.....

I have been using the same brownie recipe for years now and I have kept this label off the Nestle cocoa box.  You would think by now that I would have it memorized but I keep the recipe handy in the cabinet right next to my vanilla.  I frequently use two other variations of this recipe, one using instant espresso and the other with toffee bits (see below for variations).

These brownies are of the thinner, fudgier variety.  I make this recipe when I want to make my fluffy peanut butter frosting (recipe soon) or a trifle.  I plan to use bits of this batch in my first attempt at ice cream.

Recipe: Chewy Cocoa Brownies, original recipe by Nestle
Servings: 24 brownies
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 18-25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper. 
Cut the butter into large chunks and place in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup.  Microwave in 20 second intervals until melted.  Usually I can do this for about a minute and everything will be melted.   Set aside to cool as you start to measure out some other ingredients.  Combine the sugar and the water in a larger mixing bowl.  Add the melted butter to the sugar and water, mix with a whisk.  Once everything is incorporated you will want to add the egg one at a time.  You want the butter to be cooled enough that the eggs don't curdle when combined.  Then add the vanilla and mix once again.  Now I add my flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Whisk just until everything is combined. Now  place into your prepared pan.  The batter will be thick so I usually use an offset spatula in order to level the batter and make sure that the batter reaches each corner of the pan.  
Bake for 18 to 25 minutes.  My oven is spot on with the 18 minutes but temperatures of ovens do vary.  I always use the toothpick test method if I am unsure.
Cool completely before cutting. 

Variations:

Mocha flavor: 1 Tbsp. instant espresso (add with rest of dry ingredients)

Toffee brownies:  1 cup toffee bits (sprinkle on top of batter before baking)

Chicken Burrito Bowls-Crockpot Style

I am always looking for an easy crock pot meal that my kids will enjoy.  I am one of those people that will make a weekly menu but one weekend we were out of town so I wasn't prepared on Monday for a family dinner.  On that Monday morning I was looking through the cabinets to see what I had available and so I threw in some ingredients that I thought would make a great rice bowl.

I seriously wasn't disappointed at dinner time when the kids asked for a second helping.  Keep in mind this is a make ahead meal because it cooks for 8+ hours on low in the crock pot.

Chicken Burrito Bowl-Crock Pot Style
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8+ hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1.5 lbs of chicken breast (approx. 2 large) fresh or frozen
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) black beans
1 packet taco seasoning, mild (or 1-2 T homemade seasoning)
1 cup water, optional *see note below

Rice: You will need 6 cups prepared rice
2 cups uncooked rice
3 1/2 cups water

Additional suggested toppings: Salsa, avocado, shredded cheese, peppers, onion and crushed corn tortilla chips.

Place the chicken breast in the crock pot, pour the diced tomatoes and black beans, water over the chicken breast (do not drain), sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top and give it a stir until combined.
Cook on low for 8+ hours until you can shred the chicken. You can cook for 4-6 hours if you chicken breasts are not frozen.   Use two forks and shred the chicken, give a stir and serve over rice.

*Note: The water is optional because with the first 4 ingredients you could have a thicker base more ideal for nachos.  Since I served this with rice, and I know my man likes his meals saucy, I added extra water.

This is really a base recipe and I suggest that people change it according to taste and budget.  This could be made with fresh and non canned items but be sure to add liquid so that the mixture doesn't burn in the crock pot.

                        Enjoy!

Tasty Morsels

Since it is summer my newest obsession is a no bake snack using dates.  Dates are sweet, sticky and delicious.  Combine dates with other ingredients in a food processor and you have the makings of a tasty morsel.

taking the pit out of the dates

I know that not everyone will have a food processor in their kitchen but I think that it is a great tool to have.  I have made cheesecakes with only my food processor before.  Granted in the middle of making a dessert a plastic piece broke off so my machine wouldn't lock in order to process but I have a live in handyman so crisis averted.  My food processor was less than $30 and has lasted me years.  Make sure that you don't get a mini so that it will be able to handle the volume of almost any dessert mixture.

mixture once processed

OK back to my recipe for these tasty morsels.  I guess their official title could be coconut, date, cashew balls but that doesn't really flow off the tongue.  Anyway these are delicious and I plan to keep these handy for my 3pm slump at work.  This would definitely satisfy that afternoon sweet craving.

Delectable Date Balls
Prep time: 5 minutes
Fridge time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves 12 (2 per person)

1 cup raw cashews
15 medjool dates (large with pits removed)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon (depending on how strongly you feel about the spice)
1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Put all the above ingredients in the food processor and pulse until the dates are chopped and the mixture looks sticky like the photo above.  Take 1 Tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball.  Should make about 24 of them.  Refrigerate the balls for at least 1 1/2 hours until firm.  You may keep the balls in the fridge for up to one week (if they last that long).

Enjoy!

I am not Betty Crocker

When I was younger I remember baking apple pies with my dad using the apple from the tree in the backyard.  It seemed that he had mastered the pie recipe from his go to cookbook, Betty Crocker, because it came out perfect every time.  The crust was buttery and flaky, the apples were a little soft and surrounded by the most amazing thick spiced sauce.

I remember one Christmas I got an Easy Bake oven, yes I was one lucky gal.  I made cakes and cookies every chance I had with that toy.  I call it a toy because the mix was stirred with water and cooked in a tiny pan by a light bulb.  They were tasty treats but not as great as the recipes that I attempt these days.

baked donuts, my newest obsession

These days, about 28 years later, I still have a passion for baking.  I like to cook dinner for my family but give me a recipe for a super rich dessert and I am in heaven. I am that person that will stay up till midnight making cupcakes from scratch and attempting some crazy decorations so that my kids will be proud to take them to class the next day.  I am that person that loves to ask someones favorite dessert and then make it with them in mind for their birthday or just to brighten their day.  Putting a smile on someones face by presenting them with food that I made is the best therapy that I could ever ask for. 

sugar cookie bars with strawberry butter cream icing

I am in no way trying to sound annoyingly perfect.  I make mistakes.  Just the other day I made a hazelnut coffee mousse and forgot the sugar!  Yes, the sugar.  I haven't eaten any of it but took some to work and my coworkers said that it was delicious.  I bet it would be amazing if I remember the sweetener.  

I wanted to start this blog as a resource for those that are always asking for recipes but I want to be clear that I am in no way an all natural, always from scratch kind of girl. I bake from my heart and sometimes from my cravings.

Enjoy!

The Aggregate Cookie

I know what the word aggregate might not be appealing to some people but this cookie is just filled with so many great things that I was trying to find a name that would explain what someone might find inside.  I submitted this recipe as an entry for a spot in a local cookbook and to my surprise my recipe was picked and published. These cookies are just the right mix of sweet but filling.
 

Number of Servings: 30

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes

Original Recipe can be found here: Kraft Foods

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup oats (old fashioned or quick cook)

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

½ cups raisins (or other dried fruit)

¾ cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bitter sweet)

Directions

With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Add in the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir just until combined.  Fold in the raisins or other fruit and the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the heaping tablespoon onto a baking sheet a few inches apart. 

Bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on sheet before moving to rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.  

  

*Note: If you use creamy peanut butter you might want to add some pecans for a added crunch and flavor.