Bacon Egg & Toast Cups

If anyone in your family loves breakfast for dinner as much as my husband does, then this is the way to make them smile.  You might even bag a few cheers instead of boo's from the kids at the dinner table.  This recipe is packed full of protein, thanks to the eggs & bacon (I used low-sodium turkey bacon).  Kudos to Martha Stewart and my Pintrest friends for these clever little winners.

What you'll need:

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
6 slices sandwich bread
6 slices bacon
6 eggs
course salt & ground pepper
(Hmmm...didn't realize til right now that I'd forgotten the S&P...and they were STILL delish!)
Parmesan or shredded cheese for topping.
(Forgot that too..another excuse to make these again soon!!)

To get started, preheat your oven to 375. 

Put 3 Tbsp butter in a small bowl or measuring cup & pop in the microwave for 45 seconds to melt.

In a skillet over medium heat, put your bacon on to fry. 
(Tricks: Don't fry in oil - bacon makes its own grease.  Cook 4 mins per side & flip.)
Let it fry til almost crisp (it will continue cooking in the oven)

Place a piece of bread on a cutting board.
Using a round cookie cutter, cut a circle out of the bread. 
(I didn't have a cookie cutter, so I just turned a 1-c measuring cup upside down & cut around it with a knife.)

Then, cut the rounds in half.

(It's probably time to flip the bacon!)

Use a basting brush to lightly butter 6 muffin cups.
I suppose you could do all 12, but I didn't have that many eggs, or that many mouths to feed!  By the way, Martha says if you're baking 6 in a 12 cup pan, leave a space in between.  I don't know why, but she must know a secret...after all, she is Martha Stewart.  So that's what I did and I felt fancy & smart like a real chef.
Don't use all the butter!

Lay two halves of the bread over a muffin cup.  Press it down so that it overlaps slightly in the bottom. The bread should also come up to the edge of the cup.

Brush the bread with the rest of the butter. 
Be sure to get the edges!  This stops it from burning.

Lay a strip of bacon over each cup. 
Push the middle down into the cup a bit to make room for the eggs.

Then crack an egg right over the top of each one.

Martha forgot to mention that this part gets a little messy.  The egg whites like to skate all over the pan.  But then again, she is Martha Stewart, and she probably doesn't make messes. 

Never fear. Scoop them in as best you can with a spoon & call it good.Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Put it in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until egg whites are just set.  The yolks will still be a little soft.Meanwhile, go ahead and fry up the rest of that package of bacon to serve as a side.  The extra bacon will also placate curious husbands & children who are lured to the kitchen by the delicious smell wafting through the house.  Use a nice crispy piece as a bribe for setting the table.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan cheese (if so inclined), loosen with a knife & serve immediately.

 

Chris thought the baked beans idea was totally weird, but thankfully decided he liked the combination. My mom always made baked beans when we had breakfast for dinner.  Is that really so odd??

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

I made these tonight and they were ah.mazing.  Sorry again for the lack of pictures - I'm really slacking these days!

2-3 whole sweet potatoes, washed and peeled.
1/2 c. olive oil for drizzling
3 tsp sea salt
3 tsp rosemary
3 tsp thyme
black pepper to taste

Preparation:
--Preheat oven to 400*F. Cover two baking sheets with foil.
--Wash & peel sweet potatoes (I don't peel mine). Chop 'em into wedges. Doesn't matter how you do it, and they don't have to be perfect. Just cut them up until you have a whole bowlful of fry-sized chunks.
--Put into a large mixing bowl.
--Drizzle with olive oil (just enough to coat them. Keep shaking the bowl to toss the potatoes & coat them).
--Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper, rosemary & thyme. I was pretty generous with the salt, and my fries were to die for!  Again, keep shaking that bowl to toss the fries and get them good & covered in your seasonings.
--Bake for 40-45 mins or until tender, turning 2-3 times to avoid excessive browning.
--Let them cool just a bit before serving. Might need to eat these with a fork if you are in a hurry to try them - but watch out, because they're HOT!!

Easy Brown Gravy

Tonight's dinner menu featured a slow-cooked roast beef and homemade mashed potatoes.  I also found a recipe for a delicious brown gravy that I could make using everyday ingredients, and without the help (or crutch!) of a packaged gravy mix or bouillion cubes, neither of which are ever pantry staples in my kitchen.  This is the first time I've ever made gravy, so I was pretty proud of the result, which was super yummy. I apologize for the lack of photos - I had several things going on at once and I didn't think about it until I was nearly finished!

This recipe makes about 8 servings of gravy, although I halved it because there's only two of us.  It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, so make sure you leave plenty of time.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 clove garlic, minced (I cheated - I used the squeeze bottle minced garlic!)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 quart (4 cups, or 32 oz can) of cold beef broth (as high-quality as possible!)

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Start by melting the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, whisk it in, and cook for about 5 minutes (whisk about every 30 seconds) until the mixture is golden-brown and smells like a pie crust.  Then, add the garlic, stir, and cook for about 30 seconds.  Whisk in about a cup of the beef broth.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the salt & pepper), and stir in the rest of the broth last, so that you'll have room to whisk in the other ingredients without splashing.

Bring the gravy to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Give it a taste test, season with salt & pepper, and then generously adorn your roast beef & mashed potatoes with yummy goodness.

Note: if you cut the recipe in half, like I did, be sure to use the SAME amount of Dijon & Worcestershire sauce. I didn't realize I had kept the same measurements on these until after I was finished, but honestly, any less & I don't think it would have had the same great flavor.

Tip: I keep my beef broth in the pantry, not the fridge, but since this recipe called specifically for "cold" broth, I just put my unopened can in an ice bath in the freezer for about 10 mins.  Find a container deep enough that the can will stand up or lay on its side (a loaf pan, perhaps??) Fill it about 1/2 way with cold water, and then put ice in the water around the can until it is submerged (or as close to it as possible).  If the size of your container is compatible with your freezer, pop it in for 10 minutes while you start your gravy.

~~~~~~~

BONUS!

By the way, if you are going to make gravy as awesome as this, it would really be a crime to make instant mashed potatoes.  C'mon...impress your family and make the real deal.  Just in case you've never done this before, here's a bonus recipe to go with the awesome gravy.  This one takes a while too, so start early!

What you'll need:
-- 3-4 potatoes (mine were small, but made plenty)
-- 3/4-1 c milk
-- 4 tbsp butter
-- salt (preferably sea salt, but any will do), and any seasoning you want in your mash, such as garlic powder.

Lightly scrub the potatoes to get any dirt off.  Put them in a large saucepan and submerge in cold water. (Don't use a bigger pan than you need!  It will only take longer for the extra water to boil.)  The water should be about 1 inch above the potatoes. 

Season generously with salt and set the saucepan on the stove to boil.

Once the water is boiling (10ish minutes), reduce heat and simmer the potatoes for about 35-40 minutes or until they are fork-tender. (This is the part that takes a while - start your gravy about 15 minutes into the simmer).

Drain the potatoes in a colander.  If you want to peel the potatoes, then you'll need to let them cool before you can safely handle them.  I don't bother with peeling them, so I get to save that extra 20 minutes of cooling time and eat sooner!  Besides, by cooling the potatoes, you tend to end up with cold mashed potatoes!  So skip the peeler.  A little potato skin never hurt anyone.

Melt about 4 tbsp of butter in the microwave for about a minute (30 seconds at a time).  Then add milk up to the 1 cup mark (a pyrex measuring jug is great for this), and nuke it for another minute to heat it a bit.  While your microwave is running, return your potatoes to your pan (no water, heat reduced to low), and cut them into halves or quarters - or just small pieces.

Pour in your milk & butter, and mash those potatoes!  Give it a little elbow grease.  By the way, that whisk that's taking a break from stirring the gravy?  Works great as a potato masher - especially if you can't find the real deal in a kitchen with too many utensil/junk drawers......

Season with salt & pepper and perhaps a little garlic powder.  If you're not making gravy (or even if you are!), you might take this opportunity to add a little shredded cheese, sour cream & ranch dressing (aka, loaded baked potato mash!)

Smother in gravy.  Devour. 

Mexican Casserole

Here's another easy (kid friendly!) weeknight dinner from AllRecipes.com

Very yummy, but with all due respect, it needs a little more flair. The pictures you see here reflect the original recipe, but I will make some suggestions along the way that I wish I had thought of earlier.  So with all my extra input, this post has taken on a "choose your own ending" kind of feel, but part of the fun in cooking is experimenting!

Here's what you'll need:

Not pictured:
Ground beef (which was already in the pan by the time I remembered to get my camera)
Veggies, Rotel, Garnishes

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef *OR* 3/4 lb cubed skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1 (15 oz) can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 (8.75 oz) can of sweet corn (drained)
1 can of Rotel *OR* use chopped bell peppers & onions
1/4 cup salsa
water as needed
1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1.5 cups crushed plain tortilla chips
Suggestion: can of refried beans & a little guacamole would go a long way!!
Pick one for garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, or sliced jalapenos.

Yield: about 5 servings.

*Note: The original recipe actually uses chicken, but I had a prego-brain moment this afternoon and pulled ground beef to thaw instead of chicken.  Thankfully, it's an easy substitute!

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 350*F.

 

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown your ground beef.  Or, if you are using chicken, saute the chicken in about 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil until cooked through and no longer pink inside.  Then, if you are using chopped veggies, toss those in the skillet and saute until tender (probably about 2 mins).

Add your taco seasoning, beans, corn, salsa, and about 1/2 cup of water to keep it from drying out.  You could also add that can of Rotel here (not part of original recipe) and probably skip the water - there will be enough liquid in the Rotel can.

Cover skillet & simmer over med-low heat for 10 minutes. 
(It's hot.  To avoid turning on your oven too early and turning your kitchen into a personal sauna, you could wait to start preheating until this point!  If you live in the firepit that is the Midwest USA right now, this would be a smart thing to do!)

Transfer the ground beef (or chicken) mixture to a 9x13 baking dish. 
At this point, I might have added a layer of refried beans.  Yeah, it's a lot of beans, but it would add an extra flavor to the recipe. And the fiber is good for you. :-)

Top with 1/2 cup of cheese & crushed tortilla chips.
I actually ended up using about 2 cups of the crushed chips, which seemed to cover it a bit better.  I also recommend putting the cheese under the chips - my chips got a little soggy & stale-tasting under all the melting cheese! 
If you are using green onions as a garnish, sprinkle them on top now.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Then top with another 1/2 cup of cheese and bake about 2-3 minutes longer until it is melted and bubbly.

To make it look pretty, add a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, or for the brave ones, sliced jalapenos. 

Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream as condiments.


Enjoy!!