Breakfast Skillet

This has become our favorite Sunday dinner lately. Jayson makes it for our family, and we’ve all requested it for Christmas Morning breakfast. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
• 16 ounces ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add potatoes; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. At the same time in another skillet, cook sausage, and mushrooms. (you can add bell peppers, if desired) Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Continue stirring. When sausage is fully cooked. Break 4 eggs over mixture in skillet. Stir, scrambling eggs while they cook. When eggs are cooked, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and serve.

BTW - Definitely use Southern-Style hash browns.

"Homemade" Donuts

I made these yesterday. They were so much better then any time I have ever made donuts. I think it is because I bought the Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits.

(Fried in Veg. Oil on low heat)

Alma came home and was like WHOA they are so much better then any other time I made them.

The powder sugar made like a glaze on them, and i just cut them in forths and I did not roll them. I left them fluffy, I think that made them better. And NUTELLA on them... yum.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and got super excited. So we made it last night. Well, I think... no not think... i know that in my 4 years of marriage... this was THE WORST MEAL I have ever made. So if you see this DON'T!!!

It is 1 can of thawed Orange Juice Concentrate

4 T Brown Sugar

3 T Ketchup

1 tsp Balsamic Vinager

1/2 tsp salt

Dip peices of chicken in eggs and flour and then brown with out cooking all the way through, toss into crockpot and pour sauce over it.

Cook 5-6 hours on Low

2-3 on High

Serve over White rice

The taste was like a sour yuck! It smelled like YUCK, the chicken was overcooked, it tasted nothing like orage chicken.

We never do not eat the meal I make. But this was not edible.

I then went back to the recipe and read the reviews, there were many that said they threw it out. A few said they ate it but did a lot of different variations to it. So they didn't eat it like this recipe was. Anyway, why did I post this... just so we all can save ourselves from making this horrible meal, and if anyone has an easy fun way to do orange chicken... POST!

Fried Tuna Patties

Well it came time for dinner and I had no meat thawed and so I remembered I had seen these on line. You just mix a can 2 cans of tuna with egg, seasoning, mustard and bread and mold them into a pattie and fry them in a pan.

They were not horrible, but I am not sure I would make them again.

But if you are curious... have fun!

Cranberry Sauce

I never really liked cranberry sauce. Maybe it’s the way
that it slides out of the can like dogfood, still in the shape of the can. But,
after making my own, I can’t get enough! Here’s the recipe – it’s so
simple!

12 ounces cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from hear and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pie Crust

Our family believes that a million pies at Thanksgiving is a must! {and layered Jell-O} This year, at our trial run with Jayson’s parents, I made apple, pumpkin {from a whole pumpkin} and my favorite – Chocolate, Peanut Butter Banana Pie. {I just use a premade graham cracker crust when making this. Super easy.}

This year the apple was the best ever. I blame the crust! Here’s the crust recipe. Jayson usually makes the crust for me!



2 cups flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3 tsp powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup salted butter
pinch salt
1 egg
3 tsp vinegar
1/4 cup ice cold water

Using a pasty blender, blend the flours, sugar, shortening, butter and salt. Whisk the egg, vinegar and water in a 2 cup measure and pour over the dry ingredients incorporating all the liquid without overworking the dough. Toss the additional flour over the ball of dough and chill if possible. Divide the dough into 2, for a top and bottom or 2 tops.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Since Thanksgiving is coming up (and we already had a trial run) I am listing my favorite recipes, just in case you want them. So – let the Thanksgiving Baking commence!

Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potatoes {approx. 4 cups} -bake at 350 for 1 hour. Peel.
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
4 Tbs butter
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
Mix together with an electric mixer. Pour into a 9x13” pan. Mix topping ingredients (below) in a bowl and sprinkle on top.
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 Tbs butter
½ cup pecans, chopped
Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Kitchen Make Over

We love it! I think is is really a little darker in real life. fun - fun - fun! Does this mean I have to cook now? Why didn't I have a nice kitchen when you all were little and I lived in the kitchen?

Blackened Fresh Chicken Alfredopomodoroitaliano

Here's Pato's take on Chicken Alfredo. Kacey isn't a huge fan of the heavy, rich, way too much alfredo that you get in most restaurants; so here's how we make it.

You'll need:
Chicken breast
Blackening seasoning
Penne pasta
Fresh tomatoes
Fresh spinach
Alfredo sauce (it can be from the bottle, but pick one that isn't loaded with fat) We found some roasted red pepper stuff that was good and not super fatty.



Step 1:
Butterfly the chicken breast so it's 1/2" thin or so and sprinkle plenty of blackening seasoning on both sides. The more seasoning, the spicier the final result!! Cook in a hot sautee pan with a little olive oil.

Step 2:
Cook the penne pasta. 'Nuff said.

Step 3:
Dice the tomatoes and run a knife through the spinach to make it a little smaller.

Step 4:
When the chicken is done, let it rest for a minute or two and then slice it nice and thin.

Step 5: (where the magic happens)
Get a clean sautee pan nice and hot and add a few ounces of your alfredo sauce. You just want enough sauce to coat the ingredients, not to form a big pool of the stuff on the plate. Throw in some penne pasta, chicken and spinach. Toss together and cook for 30-45 seconds, just until it's nice and hot, not until the spinach is nasty!! Dump it onto the plate (Pat cooks each portion separately so you feel like your eating at Macaroni Grill!) and top with the diced tomatoes.

Serve with garlic bread and chocolate milk. It's nice, tasty and not as heavy as most Alfredo dishes so you can eat the whole plate!




Bon Apetite!!!

Orange Julius

Zuppa Toscana

Seriously, this soup is delicious. It does have a taste a little like biscuits and gravy {due to the sausage and cream} but it is fantastic! Took me about an hour start to finish, with just minimal stirring and adding ingredients. If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of making it, you can just buy it at Olive Garden. {Yes, my goal in life is to be able to make everything better than Olive Garden so I never have to overpay for pasta, salad and breadsticks again.}

*Dutch Oven is just a large pan that can fit the soup in it. Use the largest one you have.

Zuppa Toscana

• 1 lb bulk mild Italian sausage
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 5 (13.75 oz) cans chicken broth
• 6 potato, thinly sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ bunch fresh spinach or kale

1. Cook the Italian sausage in a Dutch oven* over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Halloween treats!

Didn't make this but we all know how to make bread: how about a mummy filled with dip!
I didn't make these either but how cute for halloween, just a marshmellow with a soft frosting and chocolate chips.

Cookie Bars

I can't be the only one not to post... Even though I was the last one. So here is a Pato recipe for you. We got tired of having to bake so many trays of cookies, so we decided to make cookie bars. A big hit at our house.

Disclaimer: Pato rarely uses recipes and he slightly changes the ingredients pretty much every time; but here is the base recipe.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder (if you feel like it, it's not necessary)
Chocolate chips (we mix in a few butterscotch chips sometimes too)

Standard cookie recipe here. Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix. Tip: Mix in the chocolate chips by hand, a Kitchen aid will just smoosh them between the bowl and the mixing paddle. Take a small portion of the dough and give to any kids that helped.

Baking: This is where the fun begins. We have a convection oven and Pat cooks it at 320 degrees for about 25-28 minutes, depending on how it looks. I'm guessing that for a regular oven you could put the temp to 325 degrees and bake it for about 32-35 minutes or so (pull it out earlier if it burns).

Voila!! Cookie bars.

Jessies Meatloaf S'meatloaf

I feel like I have always been a fan of Meatloaf... some are better than others though.

I decided one day when I was making them that I was going to try a bunch of different things in it. I have to admit.

I really just eyeball this recipe (which I do a lot in my cooking) but I will try to write it down.

This goes fast in our house, and when there is leftovers, I eat them all gone before Alma gets home the next night.

1 pound ground beef
2 eggs

1/4 cup bbq sauce ( i am guessing on bbq and ketchup more of eyeball it)
1/4 cup ketchup

1 slice of bread broken into crumbs and some dry oats
(sometimes just one or the other or both)

garlic powder
onion powder

salt
pepper

Maple syrup/brown sugar-which ever one I am in the mood to do.
Shredded Cheese (We like Motz)

Mix all together. If too dry add more BBQ

Place on flat sheet (we like the cooked edges better so we do this to get more than in a bread pan or 8X9 pan)

Coat top with more BBQ
I like the Honey BBQ -I like a sweeter Meatloaf

Add anything else you would like, Bacon, Onions, Peppers... We don't.

Bake for around 45-60 mins on 350

Also pictured:

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese from Kraft Foods
What You Need

1/2 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
2 lb. small red potatoes (about 6), quartered

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F

MIX first 3 ingredients in large bowl.

Add potatoes; toss to coat.

SPOON into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover.

BAKE 55 min. or until potatoes are tender, uncovering after 40 min.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Creamy Bowties

This is The Bates Favorite Meal

Alma and I made up this meal using some of the things we loved about other meals.

Anyway, I know if I make this Kaitlyn will eat... A lot.

So when I know she needs to eat a good dinner, this is it! We all love it tons and it is super easy!

Boil your favorite Pasta

Bowtie :)

Cut up and cook Chicken in a pan with butter and Lemon Pepper

in another saucepan measure out

(this is for my family of three)

3/4 cup of chicken bullion

4 oz of cream cheese

Stir with Wisk over med-high heat until it thickens and makes a sauce

Pour over pasta, top with Cheese, Bacon, I like Sauteed Onions and Peppers

(and one thing that I absolutely love on it is Cherry tomatos, but they are not in the picture above)

Pour sauce over pasta and mix in all other ingredients

Super Yummy and easy.

Kacey CAN Cook!!!

For all of you waiting for my debut recipe, here it is! It can be a little tricky, but follow the directions and I promise it will turn out good.

Ingredients:
Bread (not white though, it toasts too fast!)
Stuff to put on top
Knife to spread the stuff

Take a piece of bread and place it in the toaster. Set the darkness dial to a setting that won't burn the toast, but will make it nice and pretty, but not too light either (this is where it's tricky).


When it pops up, make sure it looks good; if it pops too soon, press down again!

Spread the stuff on top of the toast.

Enjoy!!!

Yeah, TOAST!!!

Creamy Mac and Cheese

At HEB I got a free bag of Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese and I didn't want to make it just plain so I looked up this Recipe on Kraft Foods website. We loved it and it reheated great for Kaitlyns lunch the next day. It was creamy and tasted great. I would love to add Chicken or something to it too next time, but even then, easy and yummy last minute meal.

So if you find yourself with this Mac and cheese bag and not sure what to do with it, Cough Cough Mom.... Here ya go!

What You Need

1 pkg. (12.6 oz.) KRAFT HOMESTYLE Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

2 Tbsp. soft margarine

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cupBREAKSTONE'S FREE or KNUDSEN Fat Free Sour Cream

1/2 cup KRAFT FREE Shredded Non-Fat Cheddar Cheese

Make It

COOK Macaroni in large saucepan as directed on package.

Remove from pan; drain.

MELT margarine in same pan on medium heat.

Add onions; cook and stir 2 min.

Stir in contents of Seasoning packet, Cheese Sauce Mix and milk.

Add macaroni; mix lightly.

Stir in sour cream. POUR into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray.

Top with shredded cheese and Crumb Topping.

BAKE 10 min. or until macaroni mixture is heated through and shredded cheese is melted.

Lemon Sorbet

This year instead of cake, Jayna wanted Lemon Sorbet for her birthday dessert. And who could blame her? This tastes like a refreshing, frozen lemonade. It takes a few hours to freeze, but only a few minutes to whip up nice and creamy. With only 3 ingredients, you probably have everything to make this right now.

3 cups sugar

5 cups boiling water
2 cups lemon juice

Combine sugar and water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into a shallow pan (I use a 9x13) and freeze overnight. {Since there's alot of sugar, it won't freeze completely hard.} When frozen put chunks into a food processor or blender and blend until fluffy. You can serve it now, or refreeze. Makes about 8 cups.

UPDATE: We have started using our ice cream maker to make this in, and it has turned out better than ever! 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Poundcake

Cake:

Chocolate Cake Mix + 3 T. flour
4 eggs
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup oil
1 sm pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
6 oz chocolate chips


Blend all ingredients except sour cream and chocolate chips at medium speed for 4 minutes.
Add sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour into greased bundt pan Bake at 375 for 45 -50 minutes.


Glaze:

1/4 cup cocoa
3 T. water
2 T. shortening
3 T. light corn syrup
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla



Combine cocoa, water, shortening and corn syrup in medium sauce pan. Stir over low heat until shortening melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and beat in sugar and vanilla. Drizzle (or spread) over cake.

Cream Cheese Enchiladas

I made these the other day, and even though they didn't turn out quite how I wanted they were super good.

Green Chile Enchiladas

Chicken cut up

8 oz package Cream Cheese

1 can of Green Chiles

1 Can of Green Chile Sauce

Motz. Cheese

Cook chicken in pan

Mix in Cream cheese and stir until smooth

( I did add a little bit of water- 1/4 cup)

Add Green Chiles

Scoop chicken with sauce into tortillas

Roll up and place in 13X9 pan

Pour Green Chile Sauce on Tortillas and Sprinkle with Cheese

and Bake at 350 degrees for 20 Min

I actually had a lot leftover and I ate them for the last couple days.

Usually not a fan of things with Chicken warmed up but this was still super good days later.

Enjoy!

Beef Stew

Today looks like this . . . with a lot of this . . .

so for dinner we had this . . .

Beef Stew

I've been making this recipe for 8 years. It's nice to put it all in the crockpot and come home to a yummy smelling house. {I know, it's a lot of ingredients, but it's not too bad, I promise.}

1 pound stew meat

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 can green beans (you can use fresh if you prefer. I don't)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

3 cups beef stock

2 Tbs brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

pepper to taste

Put above ingredients in a slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until beef is tender and potatoes are fork tender.

About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a ladleful of broth to a small mixing bowl. Add:

3 Tbs flour

2 tsp tomato paste

With a whisk, stir until smooth. Stir mixture into stew and cook for remaining 1/2 hour. Makes 6 -8 servings.

Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought I'd make a recipe card for Jessie's cookies. If you click on it, you should be able to read it better or print it. {Just an experiment. I won't be doing this with other recipes I post.} But I can send you the blank template and you can use them to print your recipes on if you want.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I did it!! I made something and even remembered to take a picture. Dad hated it... no surprise, he hates everything, but he did get a 2nd helping.

Cheesey Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups cooked chicken - I used the crock pot to cook the chicken and then shredded it

1 package frozen vegetable blend

1/2 lb or 8 oz velveeta cut up (i used 2 cups shredded cheese)

1 can cream chicken soup

1 8oz can crescent rolls

1. 375 degree oven
2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in 9 x 13 pan
3. Place unrolled dough over chicken mixture
4. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden

Breakfast Bake

I Love this easy Breakfast! I told Mom about it and she loves it too!! So I know some of you have probably already had this but I made it for Conference Weekend. We Love it and I sometimes make it on Sunday nights so Alma can just warm them up in the mornings and have a hot breakfast. It warms up great!

Kaitlyn can't get enough of these babies!

What you need:

1 can 8 oz of refridgerated Crecent Rolls (spend money on the good kinds tastes 1000X better)

Oscar Mayer Ham

I actually use this and the leftovers I use for Ham Fried Rice so good and so easy to use!

6 Eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp Pepper

Motz and Cheddar Cheese Sprinkled on top

Heat Oven to 350

Unroll Dough on 13X9 Pan

(Press firmly on bottom selaing all seams)

Ham over crust

Whisk eggs milk and pepper until blended

Pour over crust and ham

Add Cheese on top

(a few times I have done just sausage or sausage and ham or just ham) All are very good

I also think Peppers and Onions would be great in it also, but I have not tried that yet.

Fruit Smoothies

I have been loving SmOoThIeS lately and all the ones I used to make were made with Orange Juice and Ice. But I found this one and I love it much more than all the others I have tried.

Makes amount shown below:

1/2 cup of frozen fruit

1 banana

1/2 cup of yogurt

(I like the vanilla flavored)

1/4 cup of milk

AND if desired, which I do! 1 Tbs of sugar

To be honest: I lost the recipe (just wrote what I think it was) that I used the first time so I kind of just eyeball it now whenever I make it but I do know it was these ingredients and about how much. But you can gage and decide for how many people you want to make it for. Just try to use a lot of fruit. I tried it the other day with hardly any fruit but lots of milk and yogurt. Was not bad, but was not nearly as good!

Again I love that there is no ice in this recipe or juice! Tastes so different to me!

ENJOY!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Yum! We had hamburgers tonight with homemade buns that were so yummy! {They should be good; they have 1/4 cup sugar in the recipe.} It uses a breadmaker to mix the dough. Obviously you don't have to use one. I remembered to take a pic before they were all gone. It makes 18.

1 1/4 cups milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

In bread machine pan, place the first seven ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Iraeli Couscous Salad

My goodness, Couscous is expensive! And this salad was mediocre. But this blog is neglected and needed another recipe from me.

Here's how I made this: {Jayson and Lilly actually really liked it.}

Israeli Couscous Salad

1 cup Israeli couscous (you can buy it at Trader Joes)

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

4 T olive oil, divided

1/2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped

1 oz cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped cucumber

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 lemon juice

sea salt to taste

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add the couscous and stir about 1 minute, until the couscous is lightly browned. Stir in 2 cups of broth.* Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed most of the liquid and is al dente. Drain in a colander but do not rinse.

Once cooled, stir in the remaining 3 T olive oil to coat and separate the grains. In a serving dish, combine the couscous with the rest of the ingredients. Spritz with lemon juice and adjust seasoning with the sea salt to taste.

Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

Do you have a hard-to-please vegan/nutritionist coming to visit and you need something to feed them? How about this: (It was actually neat to try a food I've never tried before. I left out the goat cheese and pine nuts, and used olive oil instead of walnut oil. Sorry for the hyperlinks in the recipe. I think if you click them, it will just take you to more recipes with that ingredient.)

Serves 2-4
2 cups salted water.
1 cup quinoa

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths
1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced

2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut oil (you can substitute olive oil if you desire), pine nuts, and goat cheese. Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed