Crab quiche

This is our day-after-Christmas-breakfast. It was quick and simple to put together. I added mushrooms, just because I had some and they're my favorite! The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of egg substitute. I used 4 egg whites, and 2 whole eggs. You could also just use 5 whole eggs if thats what you wish. My other suggestion is to pat dry the zucchini. The quiche seemed very watery and I'm pretty sure that was the culprit!

If you don't know where to get already cooked crabmeat-go to your grocer's fish section. There should be fully cooked, ready to eat flaked crab meat in a refrigerator.

Crab quiche-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School
Total time: 1 hour
Serves 8

• 6 ounces crabmeat, flaked
• 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded and patted dry
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 4 egg whites plus 2 whole eggs (or 1 1/2 cups egg substitute, or 5 whole eggs)
• 1-12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• Dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, cheese, zucchini, onion and mushrooms. Mix together well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased deep-dish pie plate that has been coated with cooking spray. In another medium bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, mustard, salt and seasoning. Whisk well, then pour over the crust in the pie pan. Sprinkle with paprika.

Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet in case of overflow. Then cook in oven for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Caramel snickerdoodle bars

I was so incredibly excited to make these. The flavors were totally there and I definitely need to try this again. The dulce de leche just didn't set and made a complete mess. This was #2 of my absolute failures for the weekend. Someone else, please try these so I can have the courage to try again!

Caramel snickerdoodle bars-adapted from Taste of Home
Total time: 1 hour, plus chilling
Serves 48

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 (13.4 ounce) cans dulce de leche
• 12 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt until blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 2 tablespoons over the batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are light brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Spread dulce de leche over crust. In a small saucepan, heat white chocolate chips, whipping cream and corn syrup over medium low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour over dulce de leche. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Crack pie

I was super excited for this recipe. I mean, read the name. Crack. Pie. But I didn't even take a picutre of it because I took one bite and threw it out. I know there's an entire stick of butter in the recipe, but that's all I tasted when it was done. I have no clue what went wrong. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd be happy to try again!

Crack pie-found on Savory Simple, original recipe from Christina Tosi at Momofuku Milk Bar
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, plus chilling time overnight
Serves 8
Crust

• 9 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
• 5 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon nonfat milk powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, slightly
• 6 1/2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter with 4 tablespoons brown sugar and sugar in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, mix until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg and mix until pale and fluffy. Add in oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until well blended. Turn out into greased baking dish and bake for 18 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cookie is cooled, crumble into a medium bowl with the remaining brown sugar and butter until moist enough to stick together. Press into a 9-inch pie pan that has been greased with cooking spray. Be sure to press the cookie up the sides of the pie dish. Set aside.

For the filling, whisk the sugars, milk powder and salt until well blended. Add the butter and whisk until well blended. Add the cream, egg yolks and vanilla extract and whick until well blended. Pour into crust and place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet before placing in the oven and baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes or until filling starts to brown and is set. Cool pie for 2 hours on wire rack. Chill overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Carrot and cumin dip

Last Christmas, my cousin bought us cookbooks, and I've finally gotten around to making a recipe out of one! The Cooking with Beer cookbook sounds awesome, but I have to say the first recipe was one I wouldn't make again. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but it just wasn't anything special. This dip was relatively easy to make and gave me a great excuse to use my new, super awesome food processor! Definitely serve with hard bread.

Carrot and cumin dip-adapted from Cooking with Beer by Paul Mercurio
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes 2 cups

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• Crunchy bread, chips or crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then crosswise. Place into a 9x13 inch baking dish and toss with 4 tablespoons oil, honey, cumin seeds and garlic. Bake for 20 minutes or until carrots are softened.

Add the carrot mixture and remaining ingredients to a large food processor. Pulse until blended-it will be a bit chunky. Serve with  crunchy bread, chips or crackers.

Huevos rancheros

I've never made or had huevos rancheros before. Now that I've had them, unless someone tells me they are the best thing ever, I don't know that I would ever order them. There wasn't anything wrong with this recipe, there just wasn't anything that was stand out about it. I'd make it again, but it's nothing I think I'll crave. I also feel like you could just warmed up jarred salsa with some additional spices if you want to save even more time (not that this takes long anyway). Additional plus side-this dish can be gluten free if you use corn tortillas!

Huevos rancheros-adapted from Comfort Food by Cooking Light
Total time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

• 4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat tortillas with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Bake tortillas for about 12 minutes or until crispy.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray and saute onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add green chiles, chile powder, cumin, oregano, tabasco sauce, and diced tomatoes. Cook, for 3 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat and simmer until eggs are cooked.

In a large skillet, heat cooking spray over medium heat. Cook eggs to your preferred method (I used over easy), about 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Top each individual tortilla with about 1/4 cup tomato mixture. Place egg on top and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Cheesy Biscuits

These were very quick and easy to make. Less than 15 minutes and you have some yummy dinner rolls!

Cheesy Biscuits-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 10

• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir Bisquick, milk and cheese in a large bowl until a dough forms. Spoon 10 balls of the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Oven Baked Chicken

I have a confession. I definitely didn't get out of bed until after 11am this morning. Which is unheard of for me. I took today off as I have some extra PTO to burn, and we were at an epic wedding this weekend (congrats Schwais!). Two of our best friends tied the knot and lets just say I was a little of out it.

This is a super simple, but very hearty chicken recipe. The flavor and crunch was awesome and it didn't take me forever to put together. I bet this would be delicious with some mashed potatoes, but I just made some rice and green beans on the side. The perfect meal to make on a day where I didn't do anything.

Oven Baked Chicken-Cheap & Easy Recipes by Gooseberry Patch
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 5

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken in half, like you would butterfly them, but cut through. Place bread crumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese on a large plate and mix thoroughly. In a small bowl, combine garlic and oil.

Dip the chicken pieces in oil, then cover in bread crumbs, then place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. 

Seared Salmon with Brown Butter Cucumbers

Any recipe with 'brown butter' in the name is likely one I will make. It just makes food absolutely delicious! This recipe was no different and super easy.

I used Penzey's Florida Seasoned Pepper and Trinidad Garlic Marinade instead of regular salt and pepper. This was done in less than 30 minutes from start to finish (including dicing the cucumber) and is done in one dish. Pretty much the perfect weeknight meal!

Seared Salmon with Brown Butter Cucumbers-adapted from Cook This Now by Melissa Clark
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 2

• 2 salmon filets
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Season the salmon with salt a pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Cook until the foam subsides and the butter turns deep gold in color, about 2 minutes.

Add the salmon to the pan skin side up. Cook, without turning, for 2 minutes. Add the cucumbers and pinch of salt to the salmon turning to coat cucumbers with butter. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes or until underside of fish is golden brown. Turn the fish, add the garlic and cook for 2-4 minutes longer or until fish is cooked and flaky.

Ham and Mushroom Frittata

I'm back going through my cookbooks for a change! I haven't yet used my cask iron skillet for a frittata so I was excited when I came across this recipe. I mostly use that skillet for bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. Did you know we really like bacon in this house?

Anyway, I sliced up some ham and mushrooms and did this. I might use cooking spray instead of butter next time, it all stuck to the bottom of the pan a bit much (it's currently soaking in my sink). Either way, a really delicious egg dish that doesn't take much to make. You could also do it like almost any other omlette or egg bake and add your favorite ingredients. Case in point-the original recipe calls for broccoli. I accidentally bought mushrooms and deiced to use those instead. 

One of the best things about learning to cook, you don't need to follow the recipe to a 't'. You can feel free to add ingredients and mix things up a bit to 1. What you have in the house, and 2. What you like to eat.

Ham and Mushroom Frittata-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cooked ham, diced
• 1 1/4 cup swiss cheese, shredded and divided
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, pepper, ham and 1 cup cheese. Set aside. In a 10 inch oven proof cast iron skillet, saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Pour in egg mixture, cover and cook for 4-6 minutes or until eggs are almost set.

Turn on broiler. Add remaining cheese to top of eggs and place in broiler for 4-6 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted. Let stand for a few minutes.

Crunchy French Toast

French toast is something I rarely make, but decided to treat ourselves today! I was a bit hesitant of the flour, but it made them crunchy, which was just awesome!

Crunchy French Toast-adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 8

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk
• 1 loaf french bread, sliced into 1-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Syrup for serving

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly salt, flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and milk. There may be lumps which is okay. Heat a skillet over medium heat and allow the butter to melt. Then dip each piece ofr bread into the flour mixture, coating both sides. Cook each side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining bread slices.

Can be frozen, and reheated for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Salmon Rubbed with Mustard and Brown Sugar

I made this recipe in September 2013 according to my notes. I somehow lost the cookbook and couldn't remember where it came from. While doing some cleaning recently, I found it, so thought I'd post. I remember really liking this recipe!

Salmon Rubbed with Mustard and Brown Sugar-adapted from Easy Family Meals
Total Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 salmon filets
• 1 teaqspoon olive oil

Stir brown sugar, cumin, mustard powder, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Press sugar evenly into the tops of the salmon filets.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook fish, rub side down, for 4 minutes or until rub dissolves and darkens slightly. Slip fish and cook 3 minutes more or until fish is flaky.

Dinner Bread

I've made this before and have an old blog post about it here. It's my dad's recipe, but what I originally posted was more of, add a bit of this to taste. I actually measured what I put in this time (and used a bit less butter!), so thought I would make a new post. My dad also calls this garlic bread, but there isn't any garlic in it, so I've renamed it.

You can use whatever wine you have on hand, but I recommend a white or a rose. If you use any sort of red, it tends to make the bread turn a purple color. I did forget to take a picture though. It's super easy and absolutely delicious.

Dinner Bread-adapted from my dad
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 loaf french bread
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup white or rose wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once butter has melted, add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Meanwhile, slice french bread into about 1-inch slices and place like a full loaf on tin foil that's on a baking sheet. The tin foil will be wrapped around the loaf in a bit.

Brush the butter mixture on both sides of each slice of french bread. Be generous! Wrap the loaf of bread in tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Rice

I made this to go with the Greek Chicken Stew. It was great with the stock. I don't know that I would make it with anything that didn't have a sauce to it. It wasn't bad, just not a ton of flavor.

Cauliflower Rice-adapted from Skinny Ms.
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 head cauliflower florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Boil cauliflower for 8 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. Return to pan, add oil, salt and pepper and mash like you would potatoes until a consistency you prefer.

Greek Chicken Stew

As you may have noticed, we've been on a bit of a Greek kick lately. This made really moist chicken that was super tasty! If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a sauce pan and then transfer it to a deep casserole dish to put in the oven.

Greek Chicken Stew-adapted from Skinny Ms.
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4

• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning (I use Penzey's)
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Feta cheese and cauliflower rice, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on one side, flip, add onion, garlic, lemon juice, and orgeano and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add chicken stock, olives, capers and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven, serve with cauliflower rice or potatoes, and top with crumbled feta cheese.

Rotel Chicken Casserole

I can't remember the last time I bought Velveeta. To me, it's like American cheese, I'd just rather not have it. Now I have quite the brick of it to use, but at least this casserole was pretty darn good to make up for it! I found a kind that had jalapenos mixed in and bought that for the extra kick, but you can use plain as well.

Add about 20 minutes to the cooking time if you also need to cook the rice.

Rotel Chicken Casserole-adapted from Cook'n is Fun
Total time: 30 Minutes
Serves 6

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons Velveeta with jalapenos
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 10 ounce can Rotel
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2/3 cup cooked rice
• 15 ounces kidney beans
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together all ingredients except for shredded cheese. Top with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

Mini Frittatas with Proscuitto and Parmesan

I recently posted another recipe for eggs in a muffin tin. I really want to get rid of the muffin tin trend, but I just like it so much! It really is convenient, and especially with these mini egg bakes, you can pop them in the microwave in the morning!

I absolutely love anything with proscuitto in it and this totally hit the spot! They're super easy to make for your early mornings :)

Mini Frittatas with Proscuitto and Parmesan-adapted from All Parenting
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 12

• 9 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/2 ounces proscuitto, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, water, salt and pepper. Place even amounts of the proscuitto, cheese and green onions into each of the muffin tins. Pour egg mixture over the meat and cheese until cups are 3/4 full.

Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove with a spoon and eat right away or refrigerate in an air tight container.

German Cucumber Salad

I made this recipe as I had accidentally bought too much yogurt and needed to use it up. It didn't hit anything out of the park, but maybe I'd like it more in the summertime?

German Cucumber Salad-adapted from Stumbling Upon Happiness
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 2

• 1 cucumber
• 1 large tomato
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• Pinch of salt

Slice the cucumber, tomato and onion into thin slices. In a large bowl, mix together dill and salt. Add yogurt and lemon juice until well combined. Mix in vegetables until well combined. 

Greek Pita Pizzas

My dad used to work for a company that had its own cafeteria. One of his favorite meals was the pita pizzas they would make. Take a small pita, and top it with any and all the toppings you'd like. He then brought this home to us. It was so much fun! You could cut up your favorite veggies, meats and add as much cheese as you want!

This recipe brought that memory back to me. A bit different though with hummus instead of sauce, feta instead of mozzarella. The original recipe recommends tzatziki sauce, but we didn't use it on ours! A simple way to use up extra ingredients (whether you go Greek or not!)

Greek Pita Pizzas-adapted from Annie's Eats
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 4, 8-inch, pitas
• 1 tablespoon red vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup hummus
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of each pita with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons olive oil, red vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. Whisk to blend. Then stir in onion, olives and tomato and toss to coat.

Top each pita with about 2 tablespoons hummus, quarter of the mozzarella cheese, quarter of the vegetable mixture, and finally a quarter of the feta cheese. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cheese is melted.