Recipes

Sausage, Fontina & Pepper Strata

May232013

Are you a breakfast for dinner kind of person? I am a huge breakfast for dinner person – eggs, pancakes, even cereal when I’m on my own, I seriously could eat breakfast for any meal of the day. My husband, not so much. It’s probably the only food related discrepancy we have. Since I’m the one cooking dinner, he sometimes just has to suck it up and eat what I fix, but we now have reached a very happy compromise. This casserole is the best breakfast casserole I’ve ever had. Seriously, so ridiculously good. It’s like your average breakfast casserole with the meat, cheese, and eggs, but much more polished and gourmet tasting. Make this for breakfast, brunch, or dinner and your dinning companions are bound to be swooning. The great thing is that you can prep it ahead of time, let it soak up in the fridge, then pop it in the oven when you are ready to go. This one is a keeper!

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: bell pepper, breakfast, brunch, casserole, dinner, eggs, fontina, sausage

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

May142013

I have a heck of a recipe to share with you! This hash brown casserole is pure comfort food. I mean seriously, I could not stop eating it. It’s cheesy and smooth, with just the right amount of crunch from the buttery cracker topping. YUM! When I was at the grocery store loading a few bags of these frozen shredded potatoes in my cart, some well meaning woman stopped me and told me that I really should buy something else. She claimed that she had bought them for her kids and they were awful and totally tasteless. I asked what she had added to them and she said “nothing.” I told her not to worry, that I would be adding more than enough goodness to them to make them tasty. I think this woman (who possibly would have blown away with a strong breeze) was more than a little taken aback when I described what I was making. All things in moderation, my friends. These are definitely not diet friendly, but I think they are more than worth the splurge every once in a while. You could serve these up for breakfast (they would be amazing for a brunch) or as a side with dinner. Or you could be like me, and reheat the leftovers for every single meal for the next 2 days. Just don’t tell your trainer.

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Sides · Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, cheese, crackers, hash browns, potatoes, side dish

Classic Marinara Sauce

May22013

If there is one thing our family eats a lot of, it’s pasta. Almost every Friday night, we serve up a big bowl of pasta with marinara sauce and a crusty, buttery loaf of garlic bread. I love that this meal takes barely any preparation or thought, and it always pleases the little ones. Our toddler gets an extra kick out of grating the Parmesan on top of his plate. Sometimes I will just open a can, but most of the time I grab a tupperware of this sauce out of the freezer. Everyone needs a go-to marinara recipe, and this has been mine for years. It’s all about choosing good quality canned tomatoes, San Marzano with basil being my favorite. I usually will make a huge batch of this on a random weekend, and then I’ll be set for the next month in the sauce department. It’s really as easy as dumping it all into a big pot, stirring every once in a while, and letting it simmer for an hour while it fills your home with the most mouthwatering smell. Trust me, your family will be ready for dinner after smelling this all afternoon! My husband’s favorite pasta dish of all time is this sauce served along with cooked penne, cabbage, and Italian sausage pieces. That’s the beauty of a good, classic marinara, you can add anything you like, or nothing at all and it will still make for a delicious and soul-satisfying meal.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: freezer friendly, Italian, marinara, Pasta, sauce

Potato Chip Cookies

Apr302013

My husband and I went out of town a few weeks ago while my wonderful parents stayed with the kids. Not only did we come back to 2 happy little kiddos, but also a freezer full of banana bread (my mom’s specialty) and a huge container of these cookies. That huge container didn’t last long. Seriously, these cookies should come with a warning. Just like potato chips themselves, I bet you can’t stop with just one. They remind me of Danish wedding cookies, shortbread covered in powdered sugar, but slightly lighter and with a tiny crunch. If you don’t tell people that you’ve thrown in potato chips, I doubt anyone would figure out just what gives this cookie its extra special element. These would be the perfect treat to bring to a party or barbecue. Just don’t keep them around the house because they are dangerously addicting! Thanks mom for this amazing recipe!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: cookies, dessert, party food, potato chips, powdered sugar, sweets

Drunken Fruity Chicken

Apr242013

I’ve been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. There just seems to be a lot going on, and quite simply, the kitchen has not been on my must visit list. So we’ve been eating breakfast for dinner, lots of pasta, and tons of these easy no-fuss recipes. Just because I haven’t necessarily been in the mood to cook, does not mean I haven’t been in the mood to eat! Come 6 o’clock I still want something tasty to sit down to (and a dessert to follow wouldn’t hurt either). That’s why I love dishes like this that are filled with flavor (you did notice the drunken and fruity part of the title, right?), but take hardly any effort. Feel free to use nearly any stone fruit of your choosing (peaches, plums, apricots, etc). And be sure to serve with a heaping pile of rice to soak up all that yummy sauce.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: barbecue, chicken, dinner, recipe, whiskey

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Apr122013

Brussels sprouts are one of my go-to veggie sides, so I thought I would share one of my favorite ways to prepare them before they are totally out of season. Anything that involves bacon is usually a hit in our house, but I was still surprised to see my toddler gobbling these up. He’s exceptionally weary of anything green (he seriously will pick out tiny little pieces of herb from his soup!), so the fact that I can get him to eat a relatively large helping of these without promising to deliver 5-hours worth of Thomas on the tv makes this a win in my book. These are also a guaranteed hit with adults and instantly elevate a casual weeknight dinner. Hope everyone has a fabulous Spring weekend!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sides · Tagged With: bacon, brussels sprouts, side dish, vegetable

Glazed Meyer Lemon Tea Cake

Apr52013

I love having a snack cake around the house. It’s perfect for dessert after dinner, an afternoon snack, a quick (albeit unhealthy) breakfast, and if you have one around to serve unexpected guests you automatically look like Martha Stewart for having something so fabulous baked up and sitting prettily on the counter. And this is just the cake to kick-off Spring. If you’ve never used Meyer lemons in baking before, you most definitely should grab a few before they’re all gone (the season is pretty quick). They are more mellow than a regular lemon and a flavor that is uniquely their own. Once baked, this cake is topped with a warm dessert wine glaze that seeps into the cake, and when cooled, adds an extra sweetness and richness without being sticky. A great twist on a classic lemon cake!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: cake, dessert, lemon, meyer lemons, snack

Honey Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Mar282013

Can you believe Easter is this weekend?! I feel totally caught off guard, partially due to the early holiday this year, but also due to the lingering cold. Going to church Easter Sunday in boots and sweaters just doesn’t seem to jive in my mind. I do, however, feel totally re-energized from our days at the beach and am super grateful to my mom and dad who watched the boys for us. I love my kids, but days when you aren’t called “mommy” are priceless in their own ways as well.

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