Another easy recipe. Very good as a brunch casserole with fruit and muffins, etc. I lost my original recipe, but after some searching online, this one "seems" as close as any of them.
Breakfast Pizza
1 tube crescent rolls (8 oz?)
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 c. cheese (shredded) (I like a mix of Cheddar and Mozzarella)
3 c. frozen shredded hashbrowns
5 eggs, blended with 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Press crescents into greased 9 x 13 pan. Evenly top with sausage, cheese, hashbrowns, egg mixture and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula
This recipe is so easy and ends up tasting so great. The amounts are easy to fudge- if you like more potatoes, add them! Serving more than two? Double the recipe. This is a satisfying winter recipe. Many thanks to Everyday Cooking for the inspiration and original recipe.
Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula
Serves 2
1/2 tsp of lemon zest and about 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano (or italian seasoning, or whatever is your favorite- experiment!)
2-3 tbl butter, room temperature
1-2 tbl vegetable or olive oil
8 red potatoes (approximately) scrubbed then halved or quartered
2 chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin-on
salt and pepper
a couple handfuls of arugula (maybe 8-12 oz? it shrinks down)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix butter, lemon zest, and oregano in small bowl. Set aside. Put potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (you need the rims to keep the juices from running off!) Drizzle some oil on potatoes and sprinkle with some salt/pepper. Toss and make sure potatoes get oiled.
Make a space in center of potatoes for chicken breasts and place chicken on pan. Using hands, smear butter mixture on chicken breasts trying to make sure to get some under skin as well. Any remaining butter can be dotted over potatoes. Salt and pepper chicken breasts,
Bake 25-30 minutes until thermometer in thickest part of chicken reads 165 degrees. Toss potatoes once during baking to help them brown on all sides.
Remove from oven when done and transfer chicken to plates. Using tongs, toss arugula with hot potatoes. Season with lemon juice and more salt pepper as necessary. Arugula will wilt from contact with hot pan and potatoes, so you can add more arugula if desired. Serve with chicken.
NOTES: I have made this many, many times since originally posting this. I have made it for 2 and for 6 by using 2 pans and the convection oven option on the oven, turning the pans and changing shelves halfway through. When making a lot, I make sure to use a thermometer. I have also experimented with using carrots, brussel sprouts, pearl onions, garlic cloves, and sweet potatoes. They are ALL delicious when roasted, but watch the brussell spouts as the cook faster than the root vegetables.
I have also tried using bacon salt and Mrs. Dash (I have Lemon Pepper and the Garlic Herb varieties on hand) along with the salt and pepper. Also, sprinkling the chicken breasts with a nice large-grain salt before cooking couldn't possibly hurt, could it?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
Here is the original recipe that I got from our good friend Oscar, from back in the days when cranberries came in one pound bags, not the 12oz bags they come in now. I've done some recalculations and show those recipes afterwards. Plus, what could be better than leftover turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce in them?
Cranberries also freeze very well, and I usually make mine from frozen berries, so I have to add additional time to the cooking. Basically, you want all the cranberries to be exploded and breaking down and the sugar all melted and mixing with the cranberry juices, but the level of personal preference for "chunkiness" can be determined by you.
I also use less than the amount specified for the bourbon, especially if I am making it for people who have never had it or may not like the strong flavor the bourbon imparts. On average, about 1/4 cup per pound of berries. Again, your call. And sometimes I replace half the bourbon with some Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur. Tastes good! But it's important to add the alcohol while the berries are screaming hot so that it blends completely and some of the alcohol evaporates. You want a buzz? Drink a cocktail while cooking.
WARNING! I have tried cooking as much as 2 lbs per 13x9 pan and about 50% or more of the time, I've had boil-overs making the oven a sticky mess. When I cook a LOT, I use a big dutch oven on the stovetop and add a little water (.25 to .5 cup) to help get the process started. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer, stirring frequently, until your cranberries and dark red and burst. Then add bourbon, etc., but probably add less since it doesn't sizzle and evaporate as much as the oven version. Unless, like me, you adore bourbon- then just add away!
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
1/4 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
Makes about 3 cups
..................................
12 oz bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
1 12oz bag of cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
Less than 1/4 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour or less. Check often.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
But 12oz of cranberries doesn't seem to make very much. But if you doubled it to 24oz of cranberries, you could make 1.5 times the 1lb recipe. Math is your friend.
..................................
3 lb bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
(Costco sells cranberries in 3lb bags! Whoohoo!)
3 lb bag cranberries (split in half- about 6 cups each)
6 cups sugar (split in half- 3 cups each
Dash of cinnamon, optional (dash on both pans, if split)
3/4 cup bourbon (half for each pan if split)
If you have access to very large pans and restaurant sized ovens, you can make this all in one pan. (Note: I made this unsplit all in one roasting pan and it worked fine.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in two 9x13-inch baking pans. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
..................................
Delicious AND easy, my favorites.
Cranberries also freeze very well, and I usually make mine from frozen berries, so I have to add additional time to the cooking. Basically, you want all the cranberries to be exploded and breaking down and the sugar all melted and mixing with the cranberry juices, but the level of personal preference for "chunkiness" can be determined by you.
I also use less than the amount specified for the bourbon, especially if I am making it for people who have never had it or may not like the strong flavor the bourbon imparts. On average, about 1/4 cup per pound of berries. Again, your call. And sometimes I replace half the bourbon with some Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur. Tastes good! But it's important to add the alcohol while the berries are screaming hot so that it blends completely and some of the alcohol evaporates. You want a buzz? Drink a cocktail while cooking.
WARNING! I have tried cooking as much as 2 lbs per 13x9 pan and about 50% or more of the time, I've had boil-overs making the oven a sticky mess. When I cook a LOT, I use a big dutch oven on the stovetop and add a little water (.25 to .5 cup) to help get the process started. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer, stirring frequently, until your cranberries and dark red and burst. Then add bourbon, etc., but probably add less since it doesn't sizzle and evaporate as much as the oven version. Unless, like me, you adore bourbon- then just add away!
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
1/4 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
Makes about 3 cups
..................................
12 oz bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
1 12oz bag of cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
Less than 1/4 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour or less. Check often.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
But 12oz of cranberries doesn't seem to make very much. But if you doubled it to 24oz of cranberries, you could make 1.5 times the 1lb recipe. Math is your friend.
..................................
3 lb bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
(Costco sells cranberries in 3lb bags! Whoohoo!)
3 lb bag cranberries (split in half- about 6 cups each)
6 cups sugar (split in half- 3 cups each
Dash of cinnamon, optional (dash on both pans, if split)
3/4 cup bourbon (half for each pan if split)
If you have access to very large pans and restaurant sized ovens, you can make this all in one pan. (Note: I made this unsplit all in one roasting pan and it worked fine.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in two 9x13-inch baking pans. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)
..................................
Delicious AND easy, my favorites.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole
Easy to make and feeds a crowd. Honestly, who has an 11x7 or 11x14 pan? I'm going to have to experiment with this one. UPDATE: I think I've just thrown it in a 13 x 9 and its fine.
Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole
2lbs frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion (or more)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz melted Velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Thaw hash browns in bowl, Make sure they are room temp. Add onion, salt, pepper and butter. Mix soup, sour cream and cheese well, pour over potatoes and stir. Place in 11x7 pan and bake at 350 for at least an hour. Can be frozen before baking. Serves 10-ish. Double this and bake in a 11x14 casserole to serve 20.
Easy Cheesy Potato Casserole
2lbs frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion (or more)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz melted Velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Thaw hash browns in bowl, Make sure they are room temp. Add onion, salt, pepper and butter. Mix soup, sour cream and cheese well, pour over potatoes and stir. Place in 11x7 pan and bake at 350 for at least an hour. Can be frozen before baking. Serves 10-ish. Double this and bake in a 11x14 casserole to serve 20.
Jiffy Corn Casserole
This is always an easy and welcome casserole to bring to pot-luck Thanksgiving dinners. It is so easy to make and everyone seems to enjoy it. I want to experiment with adding some green chilis and/or crumbled bacon in the future.
Jiffy Corn Casserole
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained*
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
1 cup approx. Shredded cheddar cheese (split)**
Pre-heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except cheese**. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if desired. Bake in casserole dish or 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray for 30 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked in center and light golden brown (I prefer using the 9x13 so that I get more brown bits cuz I like that part best.)
*NOTE: The original recipe only called for one can of whole kernel corn, but I accidentally opened two cans and decided to use them both. I like it MUCH better this way.
**NOTE: I used grated cheddar on the top, and I also stirred about 1/2 cup into the casserole. Delish!
Jiffy Corn Casserole
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained*
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
1 cup approx. Shredded cheddar cheese (split)**
Pre-heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except cheese**. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if desired. Bake in casserole dish or 9"x13" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray for 30 to 45 minutes or until fully cooked in center and light golden brown (I prefer using the 9x13 so that I get more brown bits cuz I like that part best.)
*NOTE: The original recipe only called for one can of whole kernel corn, but I accidentally opened two cans and decided to use them both. I like it MUCH better this way.
**NOTE: I used grated cheddar on the top, and I also stirred about 1/2 cup into the casserole. Delish!
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