Cheesy Sausage Egg Bake

We celebrate the holidays a little differently since Scott and I moved to Milwaukee. His family is here, but my family is about 5 hours away, in  Minneapolis. Because of this, there's no way we'd be able to see both families for all holidays. Therefore, we decided to just do Thanksgiving with one family, Christmas with the other. The next year, we swap. For us, this works pretty well.

This year, we spent Christmas in Minneapolis, so the weekend before, we went to Scott's mom's house and had brunch. I said we'd bring the egg dish, much like we did the day before. Here's a picture of the lovely snowstorm we had the morning of our Christmas celebration. Scott's mom's is only a mile or two down the road, but it took us almost 15 minutes to get there!

And because I feel like sharing, this is probably one of my favorite gifts from Christmas from my soon-to-be sister in law! A wine cork holder! Our wedding is likely going to be wine-themed, and I was thinking of making a cork H for "Harris," but for now it works for Heather too! You can also see we have some wine drinking to do.

When I asked Scott what he wanted to make, he just said, "Something with Bisquick in it." I was a bit skeptical, but everything we've made into a Bisquick bake lately has turned out really good.

This recipe turned out absolutely fantastic! You could really add whatever veggies or meat you want to it and make it your own. It's very easy to make and you can prepare it up to 12 hours ahead of time so you don't have to worry about getting up super early to get breakfast ready!

Cheesy Sausage Egg Bake-adapted from Betty Crocker

Total Time: 60 Minutes

Serves 12

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/4 cups Bisquick mix
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 eggs

If cooking right away, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms and onions until tender.

Meanwhile, grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and place mushrooms, onions, sausage and cheese in the dish. In a large bowl, whisk together Bisquick, milk, salt, oregano, pepper and eggs until well blended. Pour over sausage mixture.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

If making ahead of time, cover uncooked dish and refrigerate up to twelve hours ahead of time. Bake time may need to be slightly longer.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole

For tacos tonight, I decided to try a new guacamole. To be honest, the base of the guac still came from my favorite, go-to guac, but I switched up a few things. I swapped out the tomatoes and onion in the original, to add sun dried tomatoes, sour cream and tabasco sauce. For me, this was too spicy--pretty sure it was the tabasco, I'm just not a fan. But Scott loved it. Just make sure you dice the tomatoes really small, otherwise they get a little chewy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole-adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 6

• 4 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon tabasco

Peel and remove the inside of the avocados from the shell into a medium bowl. Mash avocados and stir in the remainder of the ingredients. You can add additional to taste.

Teriyaki Chicken

As a kid, my parents always made the same three chicken recipes over and over again (or at least that's how it always seemed to me at the time): lemon chicken, parmesan chicken and teriyaki chicken. I remember vividly one time where I got so mad at my dad for wanting to make chicken for dinner again. Because every time we had chicken, my mom would make a chicken casserole with the leftovers. I honestly just got sick of chicken. Which just seems crazy talk to me now.

Now, I cook chicken at least once a week and realize how versatile it can be! I can't remember the last time I've had a teriyaki chicken. The best thing about this recipe is that the teriyaki doesn't come from a bottle. I'm really starting to get into making my own sauces and mixes, instead of having to buy sodium laden bottled stuff where you don't really know what's in it or it costs a dollar every time you want to use it.

I also, as usual, didn't read through the entire recipe, so didn't realize this needed to bake for an hour. I was just too hungry to wait that long, so just mixed everything up on the stovetop. Still turned out fantastic! I've put both directions below, as I might try to bake it next time because I have a feeling it might turn out as more of a sticky consistency instead of a marinade that happened on the stove. I served this with the Fried Rice with Kale and Mushrooms and egg rolls!

Teriyaki Chicken-adapted from Mushki Loves

Total Time: 15 Minutes (stovetop), 1 hour (oven)

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 4 chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces

Stovetop Directions:

In a large skillet, over medium heat, put all ingredients. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, and chicken is cooked through. About 15 minutes.

Oven Directions (not tested):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, butter, water and dry mustard until boiling. Meanwhile, place chicken in a lightly greased baking pan. Pour mixture over pan. Cook, uncovered, for 1 hour or until bubbly.

Basic White Sauce

This is the sauce used for the Baked Ziti. It was super easy to make. It definitely needs seasoning to it: salt, pepper, and garlic for sure. But you can do it all to your own taste. I had never really thought about making my own pasta sauces, but it does make sense. In the long run, it will be cheaper, and I won't be eating as many preservatives! And if you ever have a craving for pasta with sauce, and you don't have any in the pantry, chances are you will have all the ingredients already!!

Basic White Sauce
Makes 4 cups
Total Time: 15 minutes

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk
• salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk with the melted butter until it forms a paste and bubbles. 

Whisk in the milk. Whisk until flour and butter have dissolved into the milk. 

Cook the sauce over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously. The sauce will begin to thicken, as it bubbles and cooks. To reach desired consistency, add the milk or flour, one tablespoon at a time.

Pastry for Double Crust Pie

This is the homemade crust for the apple pie I made tonight. I don't think it was too hard, and when I have the time, I plan on making my own crust for pies!  I didn't have a pastry blender, so I just used my hands. They are apparently pretty inexpensive, so I will probably go buy one in the near future! This is also from Better Homes & Gardens.

Pastry for Double Crust Pies
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 9-inch pie crusts

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 8 to 10 tablespoons cold water

In a medium bowl stir together four and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture; toss with a fork. Push moistened pastry to side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until flour mixture is moistened. Divide pastry in half; form halves into balls.

On lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball. Roll it from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter. 

Wrap pastry circle around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry even with rim of pie plate. Transfer desired filling to pastry-lined pie plate.

Roll remaining ball into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Cut slits in pastry. Place pastry circle on filling; trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Bake as directed in recipes.

Apple Pie

I don't know if I have ever made a pie before by myself. As I was making this pie, I was reminded of the fifth grade. One of the perks of being a 5th grader at Greenwood Elementary was that you spent a whole day making apple pies. You and a few classmates did all of it with the help of some parents. I specifically remember my mom was one of those parents, and part of her duties was to take some of the pies home and bake them for us. In doing this, some of the juice from the apples got onto our oven and caught fire!  I honestly don't remember what our pie tasted like, but I remember that part of the story!

As far as this pie goes...like I said I've never really made one completely from scratch before. I even made the pie crust! If you didn't have the time, or didn't want to make a pie crust from scratch, you can buy the pre-made stuff form the grocery store. I think this all turned out phenomenal, and I'm super proud of myself!  Yeah, it takes a little while, but I would definitely make it again! I didn't use the lemon juice or the cranberries in this recipe. Below are also instructions if you would like to freeze the pies (before or after baking!). This is from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook.

Apple Pie
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: 8 slices

• 1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie
• 6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare and roll out pastry for double crust pie. Line a 9-inch pie plate with a pastry circle.

If desired, sprinkle apples with lemon juice. In a large bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add apple slices and, if desired, cranberries. Gently toss until coated.

Transfer apple mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim bottom pastry to edge of pie plate. Cut slits in remaining pastry circle; place on filling and seal. Crimp edge if desired.

If desired, brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar. To prevent over-browning cover edge of pie with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on wire rack. To sere warm, let pie cool at least 2 hours.

To freeze a baked fruit pie: Let it cool completely. Place it in a freezer bag for up to 4 months. To serve, thaw the pie at room temperature.

To freeze an unbaked fruit pie: Before assembling, treat light-color fruit with ascorbic-acid color keeper. Assemble pie in a metal pie pan. Place in a freezer bag; seal, label, and freeze for up to 4 months. To bake, unwrap frozen pie; cover with foil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees; bake 15 minutes. Uncover; bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.

Chicken Burritos

This recipe is the second meal of Salsa Chicken, which I made a few weeks ago.  The chicken is absolutely amazing, which is probably part of why I loved these burritos so much.  I followed the recipe pretty much to a t, except I added some cheese ('cause it's always better with cheese!) and served them with sour cream.  Next time, I might make some guacamole too! I'll definitely make the salsa chicken again, and these burritos again as well!!  And you should try them too--they're both FANTASTIC!

Chicken Burritos

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 container Salsa Chicken, thawed if frozen
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 flour tortillas (8-10 inches in diameter)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups salsa, if desired

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender.

Stir in chicken broth, chili powder, salt and pepper; reduce heat. Cook about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto center of each tortilla. Fold one end of tortilla up about 1 inch over mixture; fold right and left sides over folded end, overlapping. Fold remaining end down. Place seam side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with butter.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until tortillas begin to brown and filling is hot. Serve with salsa.

Salsa Chicken

This recipe is super easy, and made with stuff you most likely have in your kitchen already! It tastes great too, and you can turn them into burritos the next day (which I will be doing tomorrow), that are sure to be delicious!
Salsa Chicken

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds) 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup thick and chunky salsa 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (11 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Sprinkle chicken with salt. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until brown. Mix salsa, beans and corn in 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Top with chicken. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7-9 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with cilantro.

	Print these coupons...
	$0.50 off Progresso® Plus 41 more...
	About Concordance™

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I couldn't sleep last night and really felt like baking. It had been a really long day and baking relaxes me (plus it always helps when you can eat cookie dough!). I also had a staff lunch I had to bring stuff too, and I thought you can never go wrong with chocolate chip cookies! {Update} These are awesome and so easy to make! A classic :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies-Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

• 1/2  cup shortening
• 1/2  cup butter
• 1  cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces and, if desired, nuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 60 cookies.

Nanaimo Bars

So I decided to join the Daring Kitchen where you can become a Daring Baker and/or Daring Cook with new challenges every month with specific reveal dates.  The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

I did not make the gluten-free graham wafers as I do not have the money to buy all the flours & I will probably never use them again and I'm really trying not to waste stuff anymore!

Anyway, I am going to post the Nanaimo Bars here and the graham cracker recipe here because you will be able to use store bought graham crackers if you wish (but if you have the time, try the graham crackers, even though I wasn't a huge fan).

The bars themselves were good--but VERY rich!  I would suggest using only one cup of powdered sugar in the middle layer.  If I make these again I am also going to use rice crispies instead of coconut in the bottom layer.  I may also try using peanut butter in the middle layer instead of the custard as well, since I think that is where the richness REALLY came from.

Also, for the top layer, make sure you have a HEATPROOF BOWL or a double boiler.  I thought my bowl was heatproof and I was wrong.  Everything turned out okay, but I need to be careful using that bowl from now on ;)  Now finally to the recipe (sorry for the long post):

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
• 1 Large Egg, Beaten
• 1 1/4 cups  Graham Cracker Crumbs-I just put the crackers in the food processor, you can also do this by putting them in a ziploc bag & smashing it :) 
• 1/2 cup Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
• 1 cup Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)--here is where I would substitute rice krispies

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer--here I am thinking of substututing peanut butter or pumpkin

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream
• 2 tablespoons Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar--personally I think only 1 cup is necessary if using a custard middle

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer

• 4 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Dill Dip

Classic dill dip, pretty basic and easy to make!

Dill Dip
8 ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
8 ounce carton light sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion (1)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Milk (optional)

In a medium mixing bowl beat all ingredients on low speed until fluffy.  Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.  If dip thickens stir in 1-2 tablespoons milk.  Serve with vegetables
Makes about 2 cups


Alternative:
I have not yet tried this, but it sounds delicious:
Creamy Bleu Cheese Dip
Prepare as above except omit dill and seasoned salt.  Stir 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese (2 ounces) and 1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts into the beaten mixture.

Creamy Dip for Fruit

One of my all-time favorites from the summer birthday parties!

Creamy Dip for Fruit
8oz package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
8oz carton light sour cream
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 teaspoons milk

In a small mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.  Gradually add the sour cream, beating until combined.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla; beat just until combined.  Stir in enough milk to reach dipping consistency.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.  Serve with assorted fruit.

Makes 2 cups


Alternatives:
I have not tried these alternatives, but thought I would put them in here in case someone else wants to try & let me know how it goes!

Spice Dip
Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Creamy Marshmallow Dip
Prepare as above, except substitute one 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme for brown sugar