Eggs Benedict Casserole

Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. I could literally drink Hollandaise sauce...gross, I know! I am also a huge fan of any kind of breakfast casserole, especially when cooking for the masses. You really can't mess up a casserole, especially a breakfast one. So why not combine two of my breakfast favorites into one dish...Eggs Benedict Casserole! Super easy, and beyond delicious! The majority can be done the night before.

Ingredients

6 English Muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 (6 oz.) pkgs of Canadian Bacon

8 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 tsp onion powder 

Paprika

2 or 3 green onions, diced

Hollandaise Sauce Packet (Plus ingredients needed for that)

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place English Muffins and Canadian Bacon in the dish and mix them around with your hands.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and onion powder. Pour this over the top of the muffin/bacon mixture. Cover the dish and put it in the fridge to set overnight.

In the morning, remove the casserole from the fridge and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle your casserole with Paprika and diced green onions. Bake, covered, at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Remove the cover, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, letting the bacon crisp up.

While the casserole is baking, mix up your Hollandaise sauce in a saucepan.

Cut casserole into squares and drizzle with Hollandaise sauce (I use the term "drizzle" loosely).

Enjoy!

-Whitney

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

I had these wonderful banana oatmeal muffins while babysitting last weekend. The kids loved them, and their mom left the recipe in case we wanted to make more. They are a very health-conscious family, so I knew this would be a great recipe to hold on to! Not only does it have the nutritional value from the bananas, but it also has oats and flax that will help keep you full. The chocolate chips really make these good, otherwise I would say they are optional. I wouldn't skip out on them!

Ingredients:

3 mashed bananas

1 cup skim milk

2 eggs

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 cups old fashion or rolled oats

1/8 cup Truvia

1/8 cup flax seed

1 tsp vanilla extract

chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mash up the bananas (the riper they are, the easier they are to mash).

Mix the rest of the ingredients in with the mashed bananas.

Spray a muffin pan or put liners in the pan.

Fill muffin cups almost to the top. You will probably have enough batter to fill more than the 12 muffin cups, we just baked another batch with 4 more muffins (use 2 pans if you have them.)

Bake muffins for 20-30 minutes, until the edges start to brown and the muffins are firm to the touch.

Remove muffins and enjoy!! These make for a great snack or breakfast on the go and really do keep you full for a long time!

-Whitney

Eggs Benedict with Spinach, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

Eggs Benedict aren't just a meal for breakfast!

Our new egg cooker has an option for poached eggs, so we decided to do breakfast for dinner and test that guy out.  There are many versions of Eggs Benedict and we got creative with some of our favorite ingredients and make our own. We used French bread instead of English muffins, prosciutto instead of ham, paired it with some roasted potatoes, and wow, what a success!

Ingredients:

poached eggs

a few handfuls of spinach

olive oil

lemon juice

French bread

sliced prosciutto

goat cheese

package of hollandaise sauce (if you want to cheat)

salt & pepper

First off, saute a few handfuls of spinach with a drizzle of olive oil and a few squeezes of lemon juice on Medium heat. (Sorry, this recipe doesn't really have precise measurements, but I don't think you can mess it up)

While the spinach is sauteing, slice and butter your french bread (about 3/4 in thick) and toast it. We put ours on the grill, but a toaster/toaster oven/oven will do the trick.

Once toasted, spread each slice with a generous amount of goat cheese (if you love it as much as I do).

Add your sauteed spinach.

Time for the prosciutto.

Poached eggs make their entrance.

Finally, a generous helping of  hollandaise sauce!

voilà!

A bit messy, but I guarantee you will have a happy plate too!

Cornbread Jalapeno Poppers

'Tis the season for chili and after seeing these little guys I knew that cornbread would never be the same.  Jalapenos are the perfect vessel for the cheesy cornbread mixture, and after removing the seeds and veins the heat is just perfect.  I discovered that the perfect tool for removing the seeds and veins is a pie server!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

12 Med/Large fresh Jalapenos

1 Box of Honey Cornbread Mix

1 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (1 cup for the batter and 1/2 cup for sprinkling)

1 cup corn...frozen or canned

 

Directions:

 

1. Slice each jalapeno down the center and remove all the seeds and veins...remember my pie server trick!

2. In a mixing bowl, mix up the Honey cornbread according to the box instructions and add the corn and the 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

 

 

3. Fill a baggie with the cornbread mixture and snip the corner, piping the mixture into each jalapeno half.

4. Place them on a baking rack and sheet pan

5. Sprinkle them with the remaining one half cup of cheddar cheese.

 



 

6. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until the Cornbread is firm.  They will puff up!

 

 

7. Let them cool.

 

8. Enjoy!

 

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

'Tis the season to put pumpkin in just about anything and everything. I came across this recipe and I just had to make it.  Pumpkin and Rice Krispies why didn't I think of that ?? It is the most perfect snack to bring for the work pot luck, a family dinner, or even to pass out to trick-or-treaters! 

Ingredients: 

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup canned pumpkin 

1 10oz. bag of mini marshmallows plus one extra cup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

pinch of all spice

pinch of ground nutmeg

pinch of kosher salt

6 cups Rice Krispies

Directions:

1.  Spray your baking dish to prevent treats from sticking

2. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the pumpkin. continue cooking until the pumpkin is heated all the way through

 3. Fold in the bag of mini marshmallows, stirring constantly. 

4. Once marshmallows are melted, add vanilla, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and salt, then remove from heat.

5. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes and then fold in the extra cup of marshmallows.

6. Let the new mixture cool for another 25 minutes, letting it come to room temperature.

7.  Add the dry cereal and stir using a silicon spatula to prevent sticking, until the cereal is evenly coated.

8. Press into the baking dish and try to let them sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

9. Enjoy and Share! 

 -Megan 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

Pumpkin season is in full swing, and I'm jumping on every chance i get to indulge in any pumpkin flavored goodness. I not only saw the word "Pumpkin", but also "Cinnamon" in this recipe. I knew I had to make it and I knew I was going to love it! Write this recipe down right now, you have got to make this! Unless, you are on a diet, then write it down, make it and share it with friends and family (and give yourself a tiny little taste).

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

3.4 oz box of Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

1/2 cup sour cream

15 oz can Pumpkin

1 stick of unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (start with 1/4 cup, adding more if needed)

Peach Ricotta Tart

If you are like me and want to savor these last few moments of summer-time, then you must make this Peach Tart.  Its simple and the most delicious thing I have eaten in a while. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from A Cup of Joe

Ingredients:

1 Pre-Made Pie Crust

1 Small Tub of Ricotta Cheese

Cinnamon

Sugar

Flour

3 Peaches 

Directions:

1. Wash and thinly slice peaches (beware of pits).

2. Roll out the Pre-made pie crust into your lightly flour dusted pie dish.

3. In a small bowl add Cinnamon and sugar to the ricotta and spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture on the bottom of the crust, do not forget to leave about an inch border of crust.

4. Layer the peaches over the cheese in a pretty pattern.

5. Fold the crust border over the edges of your tart. 

6. Brush crust with egg white so that will give it a beautiful golden brown color and sprinkle with sugar. 

  

7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until perfectly brown.

8. Slice and enjoy this last perfect taste of summer.

-Megan

Artichoke Leaves with Creamy Chili Sauce and Shrimp

These artichoke appetizers were an all time favorite in college! They came from my roommate's Grandmother, and we made them quite often. At a recent wine and appetizer B-day celebration, I decided to give our guests a little blast from the past. I love artichokes, especially when paired with any kind of delicious dip or sauce (and you can't go wrong with something cream cheese based). 

Ingredients

1 whole artichoke

1/2 block of cream cheese (4 oz.)- use 1/3 less fat or fat free if you want

2 Tbsp chili sauce

About 30 small cooked shrimps

Boil about and inch or two of salted water in a pan large enough to hold the artichoke.

Cut off the stem of the artichoke so that it can stand upright, and trim the sharp tips off the leaves.

Place the artichoke, stem down, in the boiling water, reduce heat to simmer and put a lid on the pan. Let the artichoke boil for about 30 minutes, until the leaves are soft. 

While the artichoke is boiling, heat up the cream cheese until softened (or let it warm to room temperature). Add in the 2 Tablespoons of chili sauce. Taste the mixture, and add more chili sauce if you want.

Once the artichoke is cooked, set it aside for a few minutes to cool, so that you can pull the leaves off. Pull off the leaves and lay them out on a plate or platter. Put a small dollop of the cream cheese and chili sauce mixture at the end of the artichoke, and top with a small shrimp. (If you get jumbo shrimp, you can cut them into bite size pieces for each leaf).

It's as simple as that! A delicious and easy appetizer that will be a huge hit!

-Whitney