Friday, July 20, 2012

Breakfast Casseroles

Every once in awhile, I have guests overnight and it's nice to have an easy hot breakfast that's done ahead of time to quickly cook and serve the next day. These are some options for that or for your own family - it they eat a lot. Not as good as leftovers, though.


Sausage and Egg Casserole
Ingredients:
• 1 pound mild bulk sausage, browned, drained
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 6 slices bread, crusts removed, toasted
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation: Cut each slice of toast into 4 pieces. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together. In buttered casserole, layer half the toast, half of the sausage, and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Pour half of the egg mixture over the layer. Repeat for second layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, covered, at 325° for 45 to 60 minutes, or until puffed up. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 3 to 4. http://southernfood.about.com/od/breakfastcasserolerecipes/r/bl90911r.htm


Breakfast Casserole With Sausage, Eggs, and Biscuits
(Cheese choice determines flavor – cheddar or Mexican blend)

Ingredients:
• 8 frozen or refrigerated biscuits, baked according to package directions
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped mild green chile
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend, such as Cheddar Jack or a similar combination
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups milk

Preparation: Heat oven to 350°. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. Heat Split the biscuits and line the baking dish with the biscuit halves, cut side up. Brown sausage in a large skillet with onions, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Add the chile peppers and seasonings. Sprinkle the sausage mixture evenly over the biscuit layer. Top with the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk with salt and pepper. Pour over the cheese layer. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until set. A knife should come out clean when inserted in the center. Serve with sliced tomatoes or fresh salsa on the side. Serves 6 to 8.


Easy Microwave Breakfast Casserole

You can prepare this the night before, refrigerate for the night, then pop it in the microwave in the morning.

Ingredients:
• 1 slice bread, cubed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup cooked diced ham
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a 6-inch microwave-safe serving bowl. Blend well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then poke a few small perforations in the top to vent. Cook on MEDIUM HIGH, or 80% power, for 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, turn dish a half-turn. Let stand, covered, for 30 seconds to finish cooking. Serve with fresh fruit or fruit juice. You can prepare this the night before, refrigerate for the night, then pop it in the microwave in the morning. Cook for a little longer if it has been refrigerated. Makes 1 serving.


Friday, June 1, 2012

Pesto

Here's the long awaited Pesto recipe. I made some today.
And no, you can't have any. Make you own. ;)

Approximately 2 cups fresh basil leaves (or 1 c. parsley, 1 c. oregano)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves garlic crushed (or 1 T garlic pwd)

Process washed, fresh leaves with one of the following methods-
1: a food processor or
2: crush them with a mortar and pestle or
3: blend on a coarse setting of your blender  
Do one of the above until leaves are fairly smooth.

Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Other variations-
A- Include 1-2 Tablespoon of pine nuts or walnuts
B- Follow recipe above but use 1/2 of oil and ten mash several T each of butter and cream cheese.

Options for use:
Put the puree in a bowl and cover with film of olive oil to dip bread in.
Serve pesto on ravioli or tortellini.
Serve with 1/2 Alfredo, 1/2 pesto on fettuccine
Toss into a salad (1 tsp mixed with your favorite vinaigrette)
Float on top of minestrone soup

Good appetizer: Place 1 tsp on 1/2 of ripe tomato with Parmesan cheese.
Place under broiler for a moment.

Note: Pesto keeps for months in the freezer, though fresh is best.

No Canadian Account

After further research, I'm not getting a Canadian Bank account, although I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea. Just not right for me right now.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Canadian Bank Account?

I am starting to look into opening a Canadian Bank Account because of reports I've heard that it may be more stable than the dollar in the next 5 years. Does anyone have any advice or experience in doing this?

I have looked at a few things on-line, including:

http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/cad/2010-02-20-0422-Canadian_Dollar_Benefits_from_its.html

and a chat board offered the name of a good no cost bank - President's Choice Financial.
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_Choice_Financial  and http://www.pcfinancial.ca/

I'll be calling them soon to get more info on how a US Citizen can bank with them along with getting good advice from some professionals before making a final decision.

Let me know if you want me to share what I learn.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

From Garden to Table

As we plan our summer gardens, we always seem to either not have enough time, space or help. Okay - I have enough of them but I'd rather be doing something else during the critical times to get things done.
This year, I got some help from my neighbor and master veggie gardener, E.S. She came over and I showed her my space, asked what would work well in the hot summer I think we'll be having and we brainstormed until I got a great plan under my belt. Tomorrow, I'm planting corn and zucchini and watermelon. I'll add to my small crops of lettuce, beets, spinach and the one surviving carrot. There's a row with all four of them in it that I planted the day before a rainstorm. Not surprisingly, the largest seeds survived the best. My peas are a little more than ankle high and I have great hopes for them. Now to weed the strawberry patch and thin the pears and peaches. So much to do....
When we plan our gardens, it's good to get as many of those in the house willing and able invovled. Also, I find it helpful to have the rows far enough apart that my garden rake and hoe weed for me (18" to 2 ft). Getting on my hands and knees to weed is not my idea of fun. Planning for the harvest to happen when we're in town is sometimes a challenge too. So this year I'm trying the staggered planting that so many have told me about. And I've added a mulch pile to dump everything (that doesn't have dairy or meat in it). Add the grass clippings and leaves and it's not bad for a start.
When I look for seeds, I avoid the hybrid varieties. That way if I'm ambitious at the end of the season and want to store seeds for next summer, I have seeds that will grow.
Good luck to everyone in their plans, execution and harvests.

Summer Slaws & Salads

I found a couple of good ones that I tried last summer - including the
Summer Apple Slaw and the Orange-Cabbage Slaw. Both are found on www.recipezaar.com

I found a couple in the Good Housekeeping Magazine (June 2012 issue) as well.
So far I've tried a crock pot & broiler variation of the Smoky Chicken & Pepper Salad
and hope to try the Cajun Cobb Salad soon.

Homemade Green Juice

1/4 bag fresh spinach
1- 16 oz peaches with juice
1 banana (or fruit)
1 T honey
Blend and enjoy.

from C.M.

Find all your Frugal Friends info right here now!




Followers

Blog Archive