Easy like Sunday morning (breakfast)

My mother-in-law came for a visit this weekend. As I was lying awake in my bed in the wee hours of Sunday morning feeding my little baby, I kept thinking, "what the heck are we going to eat before church?" (Food consumes way more of my thoughts than it should.)

So this is what I came up with: Cheesy, sausage, biscuit cups. So easy, a sleep deprived mother could do it and it came to a grand total of $2.38 for 16 biscuits (that's only $.15 a biscuit).

What you'll need:

1 can of biscuits (I used Pilsbury Grands)

4 large eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 cup cooked sausage

Seasoning to taste

A muffin pan

Preheat the oven to 350 and open that can of biscuits.

Tear each biscuit in half and place in the bottom of a well greased muffin pan.

In a bowl mix together the eggs, cheese and seasoning. I used dried onion, garlic salt and paprika.

Chop your sausage into bite sized pieces and whisk into the egg mixture.

Spoon the mixture over the biscuit dough and place in the oven for about 12 minutes. Quick and easy and can be eaten in the back of the car while you calm a crying infant and put on mascara!

Check out Life As Mom, where others are sharing some great recipes for Frugal Friday. 

Chicken mac and cheese- it's that good

What do we all, and I mean we ALL, love more than mac n cheese? Nothing. Can you think of many things you love more? I'll wait for you to make a list...

that didn't take long.

I make this. On rare occasions. It is always delicious. It hits the belly in a way that lets the person consuming it know they will be alright.

This recipe is another way to use all that leftover chicken from roasted chicken or rotisserie. Or, you can cook a couple chicken breasts and you're good to go.

What you'll need:

4 cups Rotini
8 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
1  Medium Onions cut into thin strips
2 cups cooked chicken
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2 cups skim milk
 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cheese, any cheese.

1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a casserole. Cook your pasta al dente. Very al dente. Like for only 4 or 5 minutes, al dente.

Melt half your butter in a skillet over a low heat and add your onions to cook. You will want to cook them until they are golden.

Remove the onions and put the remaining butter in your skillet. Once melted, whisk in your flour. Once smooth add your milk. Add in your eggs.You will want to temper them first. - To temper crack the eggs into a separate bowl, whisk and then add a little bit of the milk and flour mixture. Add the eggs into the skillet.

Then add your cheese and stir until it all melts in together smoothly.

Put your noodles in your greased dish. Cover in cheese mixture. Add your chicken and onions. Mix ALL of this together and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

Unbutton the top button of your pants and enjoy.

Comfort Casserole II

It is a southern tradition that when someone dies, has a baby, an illness in the family, or moves in to a new home, you bring food. I am sure that this is a tradition in all parts of the country, but since I have been raised to believe that all things good and pure come from below the Mason Dixon, I am going to claim this for my home territory. 

One can't have a life-altering event without plate after plate of fried chicken, homemade chili or a lasagna or two showing up on the door step attached to a friendly face that may want to gossip or offer comfort or peak to see if your baby is ugly. 

There was a brief time during my teen years when we attended a church that had what I called "a casserole committee." This group of gray haired ladies was ready at a moments notice to start the blessed phone tree and swoop in with a plate of food to whatever family disaster was stirring up at a church members home. Let's face it, all difficult transitions in life can be eased when sprinkled with cheese.  But I have rambled on too long.

Here we have what I like to call the Comfort Casserole II. Not to be confused with the Comfort Casserole I. (Although they both contain things one should never consume on a regular basis.)

What you'll need:

2 Red potatoes

2 Yukon Gold potatoes

1 pound ground pork (ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or just good ol plain sausage can be used)

1/2 large onion

5 cloves garlic

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheese, any variety 

Kosher salt and pepper

a smidgen of olive oil

Worcestershire sauce

Preheat your oven to 350 and have a greased pan at the ready!

Heat some olive oil in skillet over a low heat.

Peel your 5 cloves of garlic and mash them with a knife to release the flavors. 

Then chop like so. 

Put the garlic in the skillet and let heat up for about 1 minute before add your meat. Add a little Worcestershire sauce. 

While that is cooking go ahead and slice your potatoes and onion into little circles. 

In a bowl combine one cup sour cream and one cup Greek yogurt, add a little Kosher salt and pepper. Stir, stir, stir. 

Once your meat has finished browning you will layer your potatoes, onion, meat and yogurt sauce in your greased pan much like you would a lasagna. 

Sprinkle with cheese and place in your oven at 350 for 45 minutes. 

Summer (squash) time and the baking is easy

Happy Easter!

I hope you are all lounging around at home, sharing time with family, remembering that He is risen! Doesn't it give you such peace to know that you are loved so much by Jesus?

While you are enjoying this (hopefully) quiet and peaceful day why not take some time to bake with family? I love putting baby boy in his high chair and talking to him while I cook. We talk about colors, words and of course food. 

This past week I made a Summer Squash Bread. I know, it probably sounds terrible, but I promise you that it is amazing. You can't even taste the squash, it just gives is a buttery taste and texture. Also, the cinnamon and other spices give it great flavor. It's like my two favorite seasons, Summer and Fall, got together, had a baby and named it Summer Squash Bread. 

So let's get this show boat movin. 

Print recipe here.

What you'll need:

(Notice all my generic dollar store ingredients. You don't need what I call "sexy ingredients" to bake.)

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar*

1 cup vegetable oil*

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Seasoning (nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and ginger if you can't find pie spice.)

2 cups shredded summer squash (One LARGE squash)

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a bread pan (muffin pan etc.)

Whisk your eggs until they are fluffy and that beautiful yellow color and add your oil*.

Snap a (blurry) photo of your little helper.

Add your sugar and continue to stir.

Add your flour a smidge at a time. (I do all this by hand, but feel free to use an electric mixer. I'm just being difficult.)

Mix in your spices and baking powder. I add lots of spice, you can add a little, it's you're bread after all.

Next stir in your squash.

Once you have everything good and mixed, transfer if it to your pan and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes.

*You can use 3/4 cup sweetened apple sauce and 1/4 cup oil and reduce the sugar to 1/2 a cup. You will need to cook an additional 10 -15 minutes.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Spice Pancakes

I have fallen head over heals in love with.... whole wheat flour. I love the color, smell and texture. I love the sweet way things taste after I make something using my new love, whole wheat flour.

A second love of mine... pancakes. But pancakes have long been my adversary. I cannot flip a pancake to save my life. If left on my own to make pancakes I will be left with a mess of a mess that is burned on the outside and raw in the center. Don't ask. I don't know why.

So my husband has become resident pancake flipper. This weekend I decided to try my hand a whole wheat pancakes and I came up with a recipe I am sure you will love.

It's simple and $2 (not counting syrup) makes enough pancakes to feed four people.

This is what you will need:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups milk (That's equal parts whole wheat flour and milk if you want to make more or less pancakes)

1 egg

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup artificial sweetner or sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbsp pumpkin pie seasoning

Throw everything in a bowl and mix, mix, mix.

Preheat and spray an electric skillet or a pan over medium heat. Each pancake should be a 1/4 cup. This recipe yields 16 smaller pancakes. Cook until one side is bubbly and then flip.

Cover in syrup, or powdered sugar and enjoy!