Egg and Sausage Souffle

Recipe from Lorene Johnson

This recipe is great for Brunch!  I prepared it the night before and put it in the oven just before opening gifts on Christmas morning. It was ready for us by the time we'd opened our gifts!  It's delicious!

Ingredients:

12 eggs, beaten

1 cup grated Sharp cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

1 lb. ground sausage (can use ham or bacon)

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1-4 oz. jar mushroom pieces, drained

4-6 slices of bread, crusts removed

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

3 Tbsp. minced green onions

3 Tbsp. minced green peppers

salt and pepper

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Beat eggs and set aside. Cook meat. Chop onion and pepper. Butter 9X13 casserole dish. Line with bread. Cover with cheese, then top with meat, crumbled. Add mustard, milk, onions, pepper, eggs, salt and pepper; pour over bread, cheese, and sausage. Cover and place in fridge overnight. Just before baking, mix Cream of Mushroom soup with 1/4 cup milk. Add mushrooms and pour on top. Bake at 300 for 1 1/2 hours. 

Bacon Craisin Salad

This salad has just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. 

Ingredients:  

Romaine lettuce

bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Mozzarella cheese

Heat sugar and almonds on medium high heat. Stir frequently. Toast until sugar melts. Pour onto cookie sheet to cool. Combine other salad ingredients. Serve with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Allrecipes

This recipe started a love affair for me with roasted vegetables.  Pretty much every Sunday since I made this we have had roasted vegetables.  So healthy and so filling!  Mmmm...

Ingredients:
• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 Tbs thyme
• 2 Tbs rosemary
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine all the vegetables. In a small bowl combine the thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
• Roast for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Additional vegetables that could be added or substituted: zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, turnips, any bell pepper, etc…

Rosemary Chicken with Feta

Adapted from Allrecipes

I really loved this chicken and the roasted vegetables that accompanied it.  I have already made it several times since.  Simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
• 1 ½ tsp oregano
• 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Balsamic vinegar to taste
• Feta to taste

Directions:

·         Mix the rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Rub the herbs evenly over the chicken.

·         In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil.  Cook the chicken until no longer pink.  To serve drizzle balsamic vinegar over chicken and top with a large scoop of feta cheese, crumbled.  

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Adapted from Allrecipes

These reminded me of stuffed pepper which I love.  The stuffing tasted very similar to meatloaf.  

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
•  1  ½ lbs ground beef, cooked
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 Tbs dried basil
• ¼ cup grated carrot
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheee
• 1 (26.5 oz) can spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Scoop out and discard zucchini seeds, leaving the hollowed-out shells.  Sprinkle the garlic salt into the hollowed-out zucchini and set aside.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, basil, carrot and Parmesan cheese together with the onion mixture.  Stuff the zucchini halves with the meat mixture and place them into a baking dish.  Spoon about half the spaghetti sauce over the zucchini, covering all the meat and allowing sauce to drip down the sides of the zucchini boats.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the zucchini and return to oven until the cheese melts, about 5 more minutes.  Heat the remaining spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat while the zucchini boats are cooking.  Serve the zucchini boats with the additional sauce on the side.   

Jalapeno Popper Panini

Inspired by PInterest

My hubby loves jalapeno and cream cheese on his sandwiches, so when I saw a picture on PInterest of a jalapeno cream cheese grilled cheese I had a lightbulb moment....I needed to make a jalapeno popper panini! He loved it.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of Naan bread, cut in half
• 2 oz of cream cheese
• 8 -12 slices of jalapenos
• sliced cheddar cheese
• 6 pieces of deli ham
• butter

Directions:

• Spread cream cheese on two separate halves of naan bread.  Top with the jalapeno slices and ham.  On the other two halves of the naan bread , evenly spread the cheddar cheese.  Put together the separate pieces of naan bread and butter the outside of the sandwiches.  
• Place on a preheated grill and grill for 5-7 minutes until nicely browned.  Serve.

Spinach Gnocchi with Sage Butter

Adapted from Allrecipes

On this night our meal ended up being all green.  Which was kind of a deterring look, but it all tasted scrumptious!

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz) package of spinach gnocchi
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried sage
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup Parmesan Reggiano
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the gnocchi pasta and cook until they float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic has softened and is beginning to turn golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the sage and salt for a few seconds, then add the cooked gnocchi.  Toss gently with Parmesan Reggiano cheese and the pepper.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.

Avocado Enchiladas

Adapted from A Taste of Richmond

I love avocado so this recipe caught my eye!  They were a good spin on a classic enchilada.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 2 heaping tsp ground cumin
• 1 ½ cups green or red pepper, chopped
• 6 oz sour cream
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 2 ripe avocados, sliced
• 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• Cheese

Directions:

·         Throw pepper and onion in with the chicken the last minute of cooking.  Combine chicken mixture, salsa, and cumin in saucepan.  Simmer and stir for 5 minutes.  Add sour cream.

·         Divide avocado pieces evenly in the tortillas.  Put avocado pieces in a strip down the center of each tortilla.  Top with a heaping ½ cup of chicken mixture and cheese. 

·         Rull up tightly.  Cut in half and place each half seam side down in greased baking dish.  Spoon enchilada sauce over enchiladas.  Cover tightly with foil.

·         Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot.  Top with a sprinkle of cheese and return to oven for a couple of minutes until it melts.  Serve with rice and beans.  

Cowboy Cookies

Adapted from Allrecipes

These were some of the best cookies!  I loved the salty addition from the pretzels and the oats gave it a wholesome quality.  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup butter
• 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup pretzels, broken into pieces

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture.  Beat well.  Stir in the oats, chocolate, chips, coconut and pretzels.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until browned.  Remove to wire rack to cool.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Sweet Peas Kitchen

I love roasted vegetables!  I really am on a huge roasted veggie kick this winter.  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables, so this was a fantastic new recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Honey

Directions:

• In a ziploc bag, combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper; shake to mix the ingredients. Add olive oil. Add sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Allow sweet potato mixture sit on counter for 10 minutes, turning once.
• Spray a 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add sweet potato mixture to dish and drizzle with honey.
• Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

Best of 2011 {and 2 part of 2010}

Here are some of my favorite recipes of 2011 that I posted about.  I also included the last two months of 2010 since we just started the blog at the end of 2010.  {These are just from my blog posts....my sister will have to post her own favorites!}

Best Appetizer

Brie en Croute

Best Asian Dish

Thai Chicken, Shrimp & Noodles

Runner Up:  Asian Pork Kebabs with Apricot Mayo

Best Beef Dish

Beef & Butternut Squash Stew

Runner Up:  Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Best Bread
Orange Rolls

Runner Up:  Ham & Cheddar Scones

Best Breakfast

Breakfast Pizza

Runner Up:  Blueberries & Cream Stuffed French Toast

Best Cake

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Best Chicken Dish

Spicy Cuban Mojo Chicken with Mango-Avocado Salsa

Runners Up:  Chicken Shwarma with Feta

Chicken Tikka Masala

Asian Kabobs

Best Cookies

Graham Cracker S'mores Cookies

Runner Up:  Peanut Butter Oat Cookie Bars with Snickers

Best Crockpot

Thai Pork Stew

Runner Up:  Cuban Mojo Pork

Best Dessert

Chocolate Mousse Trife {I didn't post this, but I sent my sister the recipe...it's the best!}

Runner Up:  Disappearing Butterscotch Blondies

Banana White Chocolate Chip Pudding

Peanut Butter Fingers

Best Fish

Firecracker Grilled Salmon

Runner Up:  Sweet Cumin Salmon with Tropical Rice

Best Fruit

Summer Peach & Tomato Salad

Best Mexican

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Runner Up:  Southwest Chicken & Black Bean Pasta

Best Pasta

Pesto Lasagna with Spinach & Mushrooms

Runner Up:  Lemon Spaghetti

Best Pizza

Thai Chicken Pizza

Runner Up:  Pesto Pizza

Best Pork

Asian Pork Kebabs with Apricot Mayo

Runner Up:  Thai Pork Stew

Best Salad

Roast Chicken, Peach & Goat Cheese Salad

Runner Up:  Oriental Bok Choy Salad

Best Side Dish

Spicy Southwestern Slaw

Runner Up:  Singapore Fried Rice

Best Soup

Beef & Butternut Squash Stew

Runner Up:  Pork & Black Bean Chili

Best Vegetables

Spinach & Feta Pita

Runner Up:  Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

And a few special categories to round up the list...

Most Frequently Cooked Dishes:

Greek Chicken

Firecracker Salmon

Lemon Spaghetti

Thai Chicken, Shrimp & Noodles

Kabobs (in general)

My Husbands Favorite Dishes

Firecracker Salmon

Beef & Butternut Squash Stew

Thai Chicken, Shrimp & Noodles

Cajun Chicken Pasta

A-1 & Gorgonzola Burgers

Chicken Tikka Masala

Tim's Omelettes

Oriental Bok Choy Salad

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Banana Cream Pie

S'mores Brownies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies