Archives for May 2007

Now I know that I’m the same person who just yesterday posted five different ways to clog your arteries during the early morning hours.

But put me in the kitchen past 11 AM? And I am in a major cooking slump. Maaaaajor.

Unprecedented, in fact. At least for me.

Because aside from all the food that I cooked last weekend for our company, I’ve cooked, oh, twice in the last two weeks for our family. At least I think I have. But it might just be once. I’m not kidding.

And so, for supper, we’ve been eating fine fare like oatmeal, grilled cheese, cereal and peanut butter. If it were just D. and me, I wouldn’t worry about it, really – but I’m a little afraid that Alex is going to start to think that Pringles are one of the four major food groups, and I have GOT to do better. Got to.

The problem isn’t that I don’t want to cook. The problem is that I am SO STINKIN’ SICK of all my usual recipes. I just can’t fix another chicken casserole with a Mexican flava, another Italian-esque ground beef delight, another noodle and cream-of-something combo. And I need some new recipes to light my culinary fires, as it were.

So will you help me, internets? If you have a favorite recipe that doesn’t fall under the categories listed above – and especially if you have a great crockpot recipe (anything I can make ahead of time IS MY FRIEND) – would you leave said recipe in the comments? Please? For me and for all the other internets, too?

I’ve gone to all my usual sources for inspiration…but the recipes either look like a variation of everything else I have, or they’re far too complicated to make when I have a four year old begging me to go to the park or play bowling on the Wii or sit in the floor and stare at him while he bounces up and down on a plastic bin that contains all of his size 18-24 month clothes.

Not that all of those activities aren’t absolutely thrilling, of course.

So on behalf of my family, I thank you in advance. I especially thank you on behalf of D., who just ate Fruity Cheerios for the third night in a row. Fruity Cheerios sent to me for bloggy review, by the way.

Because apparently I can’t even muster up the will to, you know, buy food anymore, much less cook it.

Help me.

A few days ago I got an email from Cindy, a sweet reader in Texas who had recently read my post about my aunt and my cousin coming to visit this past weekend, and she wanted to know if I’d share some of my make-ahead breakfast recipes.

To which I replied: “Um, YEAH!”

Because I don’t mess with Texas, y’all.

I’ve posted a couple of these recipes before, but they’re so delicious that I just had to include them again. And you can make all of these ahead of time, which makes cooking breakfast for company so much easier. Add a little fresh fruit and some hot coffee, and you’ll have a meal that almost any guest will love.

And if they don’t love it, they can just, you know, leave.

KIDDING!

Cheese Grits

4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 1/2 cups Quaker Quick Grits (not instant)
1 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, divided
6 oz. Velveeta*, cubed into small pieces
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided
paprika for garnish

Bring salted water (along with half a stick of butter) to boil. Gradually add grits, stirring constantly. Once grits have been stirred into water (no lumps), reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes.

While grits are cooking, cube Velveeta, beat eggs, and spray casserole dish with Pam.

When grits are done, remove from heat, and incorporate remaining butter, Velveeta, and one and a half cups of the grated cheddar cheese. (I usually test to see if more salt is needed at this point.)

Temper your eggs by stirring about a quarter cup of grits into beaten eggs…then transfer egg mixture to grits mixture.
Stir well, making sure everything is blended.

Pour grits into casserole dish, top with remaining grated cheese, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes.

* – If you don’t have Velveeta, then just substitute regular sharp cheddar. My husband actually likes the grits better that way.

Kim’s Breakfast Casserole

I know there are tons of recipes for this casserole, but I think this one is the simplest and the best.

1 stick of margarine or butter
6 slices of bread (wheat or white – and I leave crusts on)
1 lb. of pork sausage
1 lb. of shredded mild cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 pint of half & half
1 teaspoon salt

Brown the pork sausage and drain the grease. While it is browning…melt the stick of butter. Dip the bread in the melted butter to cover both sides of the bread. Place the bread in a 9 x 13 dish sprayed with PAM.

When the sausage is browned, spread it over the buttered bread in the pan. Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage. In a blender, mix together the 6 eggs, the half & half, and the salt. Pour this mixture over the cheese.

Cover tightly and place in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours (at this point it can be frozen). Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Apple-Craisin French Toast Casserole
from allrecipes.com – and I’m actually making this one for our praise team at church this weekend

1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 apples – peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup craisins
1 (1 pound) loaf French baguette, cut into 1 inch slices
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in melted butter. Stir in apples and raisins until evenly coated. Pour into prepared pan. Arrange bread slices in an even layer over apples.

In the bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Pour over bread, making sure every slice is fully soaked. Cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerated overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dish from refrigerator while the oven is heating. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove cover, and bake 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Granite Steps Coffee Cake

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole
1 12 oz. package bacon, chopped and fried (reserve about 2 Tbs. of bacon grease)
2 packages fresh sliced mushrooms
2 packages crescent rolls
8 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Pet milk (Pet milk is a brand of EVAPORATED milk that we like in the South):-)
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Cook bacon pieces. Drain on paper towels. In reserved bacon grease, saute’ mushrooms until they lose their firmness (about 8 minutes). While mushrooms are cooking, press crescent roll dough in the bottom of a large (around 10 x 13), greased casserole dish, making sure that you press all the seams together. Depending on the size of your casserole dish, you may have a little bit of dough left over.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, Pet milk, milk, and cheese. Set aside.

Scatter bacon and mushrooms on top of the crescent roll dough. Pour egg / milk / cheese mixture on top.

Bake 15 minutes on 325 degrees, then 35-40 minutes on 300 degrees.