Breakfast Archives - The Tasty Fork

Clean Eating Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie

June 17, 2013 by admin · 5 Comments

I remember as a kid wishing every day was my birthday or Christmas. Now that I’m older, I’m retracting that statement. Since my birthday was on Friday, I celebrated ALL weekend.

There was the virtual birthday party. (Keep your eyes peeled for a round up later this week!)

Birthday dinner at Takashi.

Cocktails…lots of cocktails.

Going out to watch the Blackhawks game. (wearing my new necklace!)

Practicing my golf swing.

Eating the best gelato in town. (No picture of that. I ate it in 20 seconds.) Pizza & a growler, a Sunday special at one of my favorite pizza places.

I’m exhausted. Since it’s Monday morning, it’s time to get myself back on track. I really like starting off my day with a smoothie…..and this one is my pretty amazing. Chocolate and peanut butter. What’s not to like??

By making some tasty substitutions, this smoothie is a healthy option! It can be made for breakfast or when you’re craving a sweet treat. To make this Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie, use coconut or almond milk. You’ll cut calories and it’s nicer to your stomach. Using one banana will really thicken the smoothie, so it’s almost like a shake! Cocoa powder replaces using actual chocolate, so there isn’t as any sugar. If you’re worried about this smoothie being too bitter from the cocoa powder, I’d never do that to you. By using a natural sweetener, like pitted dates, it provides just the right level of sweetness. And let’s not forget the peanut butter. Be sure to look at the label before you buy. The ONLY ingredient you want listed is peanuts. Put everything in the blender with some ice and you have a delicious Clean Eating Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie.

Dairy Free Chocolate & Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients

1 banana, peeled
4 dates, pitted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 cups almond milk or coconut milk
2 cups of ice

Instructions

Combine the bananas, dates, cocoa peanut butter & milk in the blender with 1 cup of ice. Blend until well combined. Add remaining ice gradually while blending until desired consistency is reached. Recipe makes 2 servings.

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Recipe from Try-It Diet: Eating Clean by Adams Media

Filed Under: Breakfast, Clean Eating, Dessert, Healthy, Recipes · Tagged With: chocolate and peanut butter, clean eating smoothie, healthy smoothie

Family Recipe Friday – Peach Coffee Cake

April 26, 2013 by admin · 22 Comments

Happy Friday!! I was so happy to see I got an email from a reader, Sarah from Portland, with a recipe from her family. She said, “My family makes this Peach Coffee Cake for all occasions…even if it’s just because it’s Saturday.” I like that, Sarah. Who doesn’t want to kick off their Saturday morning with a little coffee cake??

Growing up in my house, we’d get some kind of bakery breakfast on Saturday or Sunday…and sometimes, both days. I was lucky to have parents who loved donuts, coffee cake, fritters.. if it was from the bakery, we probably ate it. These days, I feel like you’re looked down upon if you give your kids sugar in the morning. I’m glad I was an 80′s baby.

This peach coffee cake is just delicious and dense! Peach slices are in every bite. It’s sweet but with a hint of cinnamon. It helps the coffee cake not to be too dessert like. I used a bunt cake pan, but you could use any pan you like. (You may need to adjust the cooking time.)

Do you know what you’ll be having for breakfast on Saturday morning?? I’ve got a suggestion for you and it’s just peachy.

Peach Coffee Cake

Ingredients

2 (15 oz) cans sliced peaches
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
½ cup light brown sugar
½ stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz block style reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a bunt pan (of your baking dish of choice) with cooking spray. Drain and rinse canned peaches. Set aside.
Using a hand or standing mixer, cream together 1 cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter and cream cheese. This should take about 3-4 min and it should be creamy and light in color.. Add vanilla extract; beat 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture. Beat well after each addition so the egg gets well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in sections. Mix at low speed until blended.
Add peaches, ¼ cup white sugar and cinnamon to a clean bowl. Toss to combine. If using a bunt pan, line peaches along the bottom of the pan.( If using a different baking dish, reserve 1/2 of the peaches.) Gently fold in remaining peach mixture into the batter using a spatula.
Pour batter into bunt pan. (Non-bunt pan users, top batter with remaining peaches.) Bake in the over for 45-55 minutes. Let cool before removing from bunt pan. (I made that mistake -- I'm too impatient :) )

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Thank you Sarah for your awesome recipe!! If you’d like to submit a recipe for Family Recipe Friday, please email me at mkearly614(at)gmail(dot)com. Have a wonderful weekend!

Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast, Family Recipes, Recipes · Tagged With: Breakfast, coffee cake, peach coffee cake, recipe, weekend breakfast

Mini Chile Relleno Casserole & Spicy Breakfast Potatoes

April 17, 2013 by admin · 21 Comments

I was never much of a breakfast person. As a child, my Mom would offer to make me a hot breakfast every morning. I was dumb and grabbed a pop tart instead. So dumb I used to be….

My husband’s favorite meal of the day is breakfast. So much so that he would go out to breakfast all by himself on those random bank holidays that no one else off but finance people. I can’t even go to a movie by myself, never less have a meal. He was the one who got me to come around to breakfast food. He inspired me to make one of my most popular recipes on this blog.

I usually cook things that I want, but for this meal, I thought I’d make the hubby happy and have breakfast for dinner. I came across a Mini Chile Relleno Casserole Recipe on Kitchen Daily and I LOVED the individual serving option by cooking the casserole in ramekins. Plus, chile rellenos is one of my favorite Mexican meals! Have you tried it? It’s a deep fried pasilla chile stuffed with rice, beans and meat. Not the most figure friendly meal, but this chile relleno casserole recipe is a much healthier option — Eggs, chilies, corn, sourdough bread, skim milk and low-fat cheese. Baking the eggs in a water bath makes the casserole texture super fluffy. I’m loving this new take on chile rellenos!

To round out the meal, I made a side of Spicy Breakfast Potatoes. YUM! I can not tell you how much I love diced potatoes from the freezer section. I HATE chopping potatoes…especially trying to make every potato exactly the same size. Thank you, Grocery Store, for doing this mundane task for me. I had some extra corn and a red pepper on hand, so I added those items to the potatoes, but feel free to add anything your family likes.

Breakfast for dinner is something I need to do more often! What are your favorite breakfast for dinner meals? Would you love to take a picture of your breakfast for dinner meal with this new camera??

Mini Chile Relleno Casserole & Spicy Breakfast Potatoes

Ingredients

For the Casseroles:

2 can 4-ounce diced green chiles, drained and patted dry
¾ cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup sourdough bread, cut into cubes (can be stale)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 ½ cup non-fat milk
6 large egg whites
4 large egg
¼ tsp salt

For the Spicy Breakfast Potatoes:

1 Bag (16 oz) Frozen Diced Potatoes
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 1/4 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Black Pepper Coarse
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Green Chiles Mild, Canned
1/4 cup Red Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Frozen Corn
1/4 cup Green Onions, for garnish

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat 4 ramekins with cooking spray. Fill a large casserole dish with a few cups of water to make a water bath. Set aside. In each ramekin, equally divide green chiles, corn, scallions and bread. Top each with cheese. Whisk milk, egg whites, eggs and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the ramekins. Place ramekins in a large baking dish. The water in the baking dish should come up half way on each ramekin. If there is too much water, remove it.
Bake mini casseroles for 25 to 35 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and the eggs are set. Be careful removing casseroles from oven. Stay steady and don't spill the hot water. Use tongs to remove ramekins from the water bath.
For the potatoes - heat a cast iron skillet to a medium heat. Mix together all ingredients except the green onions. Add to skillet and cook for 12-15 minutes. Garish with green onions.

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Mini Chile Relleno Casserole inspired by Kitchen Daily.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Entree, Healthy, Recipes, Vegetarian · Tagged With: breakfast casserole, breakfast for dinner, brunch recipe, easy breakfast, easy meal, healthy breakfast, Mexican breakfast, recipe, spicy potatoes

Beer Bread with Whiskey Raisin Butter

March 14, 2013 by admin · 7 Comments

I’ve been sharing St. Patrick’s Day Inspired recipes all week. I made a Slow Cooked Corned Beef with Guinness Gravy on Monday.

Yesterday I wanted to sweet things up a bit. Check out these Irish Surprise Cupcakes! I love the pop of green color and the icing is a whipped dream!

Today’s post is all about beer bread. I think beer bread can get a bad wrap. It can be known to lack flavor. Want to know the secret behind excellent beer bread?? Pick a dark beer. Dark beers typically have richer flavor ingredients, like caramel, coffee or chocolate. I find when I use an ale or a light colored beer, it just tastes like dense bread. Nothing special. If you’re like me, you want everything you make to be a hit. Ditch the light and pick a dark beer the next time you make beer bread. I don’t drink dark beers often, so I just found one with a fun name and had a delicious description.

To make this bread recipe a little more Irish, I brought out the whiskey. I soaked a tablespoon of raisins in whiskey overnight, strained the raisins in the morning and folded them into whipped butter. Trust me, there wasn’t an overly strong whiskey taste. It was just enough and paired really nice with the beer bread.

So I know beer bread isn’t the typical Irish bread – that’s soda bread. But there is something about beer that makes me think of St. Patrick’s Day! Probably from all of the green beer they serve at the bars.

This is by far the BEST beer bread I’ve ever had. It’s sweet, dense and I love when it’s served warm. The whiskey raisin butter just melts into the bread. It’s great for breakfast or as a snack. I’d definitely make this again, anytime of year. I hope you’ll give this quick beer bread a try!

Beer Bread with Whiskey Raisin Butter

Ingredients

For the Bread:

* 2/3 cup brown sugar
* 12 oz of dark beer
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp salt
* 3 cups flour
* 3 tbsp butter, melted

For the Butter:

* 1 tbsp raisins
* 2 tbsp whiskey
* 1 stick butter, softened

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and coat a bread pan with butter or cooking spray.
2. With a hand mixer, combine brown sugar and beer until the sugar dissolves. Add baking powder and salt; continue to mix. 1 cup at a time, add flour until combined. Pour mixture into bread pan.
3. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour melted butter all over the bread. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Cool bread 10 minutes more before slicing.
4. In a small bowl, soak raisins in the whiskey for a few hours (or overnight). In a bowl, use a hand mixer to whip butter. Strain raisins and add to the butter. Fold raisins into butter. Serve with the bread.

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Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast · Tagged With: Beer Bread, Bread, Breakfast, Quick Bread, recipe, St. Patricks Day, Whiskey Butter

Lent Friendly Meal – Fennel, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Quiche

March 1, 2013 by admin · 13 Comments

Can I be honest? Growing up, Easter was never a holiday I looked forward to. Besides having to give up something I loved, no meat on Fridays in our home was strongly enforced. I was raised on the Irish Catholic diet of meat & potatoes. When Fridays during Lent came along, I pretty much thought I’d just starve.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “Starve?? There are plenty of vegetarian options or even fish.” At this point in my life, I had no idea there was a vegetarian lifestyle and fish was too slimy or smelly to eat. My Mom tried to be creative with food options but I thought of every excuse in the book to eat something I wanted. “Mom, I’m growing and need meat! Mom, I bruise so easily, I need iron! Mom, why can’t we just get a cheese pizza like a normal family??!!” No dice. Never worked for me. My Dad’s favorite Lent meal still haunts my dreams. It was a casserole with bread, cheese, cream of mushroom soup & peas. So gross. I’m pretty sure I fed most of that meal to our dog.

Thinking back, I don’t know why we didn’t have more breakfast for dinner meals. Hello – french toast, waffles, pancakes would’ve been better options than Dad’s casserole.

And let’s not forget about eggs. Of course all eggs go great with a half pound of bacon, but I could pass on the bacon for just one day. Especially if I could eat this quiche. Fennel, Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Quiche. It’s got so much flavor, you won’t even miss the meat! Another thing missing is a crust, so it’s also a gluten free option.

Can we talk about fennel for a second?? By no means am I fan of anything licorice flavored, which is how fennel tastes when uncooked. But when you saute it with a little olive oil and salt, holy moly, talk about delicious! Whatever you do, please use 1 fennel bulb to make this quiche. It’s the type of ingredient which makes the recipe and at the same time, people will ask you how did you get such a mouthwatering quiche. Cooked fennel = Total Game Changer.

To round out the meal, I bought a bag of frozen O’Brian potatoes (of course I’m Irish!) and seasoned them with a little salt & chopped parsley.

If you have picky eaters or are looking for a truly tasty vegetarian recipe, Fennel, Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Quiche is an excellent choice! I could only wish I would have thought of this during my teen years. Ooooh hindsight — I would’ve saved my Mother from a couple pouting sessions.

Fennel, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

1 medium fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers (2 large peppers), drained and chopped
6 large eggs
8 oz. low-fat cottage cheese
2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tsp chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch glass pie dish with cooking spray. be sure to spray the bottom AND sides. (You'll thank me for that tip!)
2. In a large skillet, coat with extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add fennel and onion, and sauté for 10 minutes. Onions should be translucent. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in garlic, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in roasted peppers, and remove skillet from heat. Cool 15 minutes.
3. Whisk eggs with cottage cheese, goat cheese and parsley. Season with salt & pepper. (trust me, 6 eggs is enough. I thought about adding more but I'm glad I didn't.) Stir cooled vegetable mixture into egg mixture. Pour into prepared pie dish. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until center is set and top is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with your favorite breakfast potatoes or a leafy green salad.

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Inspired by Vegetarian Times

Filed Under: Breakfast, Entree, Healthy, Recipes, Vegetarian ·

Sweet Potato & Cranberry Muffins

February 23, 2013 by admin · 16 Comments

Now this is a breakfast you can feel good about eating.

Sure, sweet potatoes & cranberries sound like great sides at Thanksgiving dinner but for breakfast?? All I can say is, but of course! This might sound like a shock to you but if I had to choose between a sweet muffin or a savory muffin, I’d totally pick the savory option. I guess there is something about breakfast, or maybe it’s the Motherly guilt of being told to eat a healthy breakfast everyday, that encourages me to start off my day right.

Sweet potatoes are great for vitamin C, which we need this time of year to help ward off cold and flu viruses. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable. So as you can see, this recipe is out to a great start!

To keep this recipe heart healthy, I used Mazola Corn oil instead of an everyday vegetable oil. Did you know corn oil has more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than any other cooking oil – four times as many as olive oil AND 40 percent more than canola oil? We’re all trying to eat better, and one of the best ways to do that is to use ingredients that help our bodies.

If you’re looking for more heart healthy recipes & tips using Mazola Corn Oil, head over to their Facebook page and become a fan. Click on the icon below and you’ll be directed to their page.

Start off your weekend on the healthy foot and give these muffins a try. You’ll be happy to know you’re keeping flu bugs away, rocking awesome skin from all of those antioxidants and doing your heart a favor by using Mazola Corn Oil.

Sweet Potato & Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup leftover mashed sweet potatoes (or yams)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Mazola Corn oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, or to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together potatoes, eggs, sugar, oil, water, zest, and vanilla with a wooden spoon.
3. In another bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, then add to the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in cranberry sauce.
4. Spoon batter into the muffin cups and bake until muffins are browned and the tops spring back when you press them lightly with your fingertip, about 30 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then turn muffins out onto rack to cool completely.

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Recipe from Disney Family

Filed Under: Breakfast, Healthy, Recipes, Vegetarian · Tagged With: breakfast muffins, breakfast recipe, healthy, healthy muffin recipe, healthy recipe, Mazola Corn Oil, Mazola Recipe, muffins, sweet potato and cranberry muffin

Surprise Recipe Swap – Easy Apple and Goat Cheese Turnovers

February 20, 2013 by admin · 26 Comments

One thing I love to do is find new blogs. Some of you might know that from my #FollowFriday feature which I highlight a blog I’m crushing on and share 5 of their posts. I’m excited to be taking part of the Surprise Recipe Swap for February. Each month, a blogger is assigned to another participating blogger and pick a recipe of theirs to make & post about. If this is something you’d like to join, click on the Surprise Recipe Swap image to sign up!

For February, my assigned blog was Red, White & Blueberries. Melissa’s recipes are All American with a Texas twist. Cooking for family is something Melissa grew accustomed to. Her Mother & Grandmother would spend their weekends and vacations cooking for everyone. These days, Melissa is making meals for her husband and his large Greek family. We’re talking 30+ people. (wowza!)

The recipe I selected from Red, White & Blueberries was Melissa’s easy apple turnovers. Turnovers are great because they can be eaten anytime of day. I like turnovers for a sweet breakfast, an afternoon pick-me-up snack or as a dessert.

I really liked Melissa’s recipe because she took a little shortcut to get these turnovers on the table. For the dough, she used Pillsbury crescent rolls. This makes this dish super easy!

I did make a few changes to the recipe — for the apples, I mixed two different kinds. I like a tart apple (like Granny Smith) and then a sweet apple (like Gala). I always do this trick with any apple recipe — pie or cobbler — because mixing two kinds of apples provide a balance of flavor. It won’t be too sweet or tart. I also added goat cheese. I like the creamy texture and savoriness goat cheese gives this sweet turnover. It’s definitely something different, but I think you’ll like addition!

Red, White & Blueberries Easy Apple Turnover Recipe is a new favorite! I’m sure I’ll be making it again when I’m short on time in the morning for breakfast, looking for an afternoon treat or we’re having guests for dinner and I need a quick dessert.

Easy Apple & Goat Cheese Turnovers

Ingredients

2 apples, peeled and cubed. (I used 1 Granny Smith & 1 Gala Apple.)
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
1 dash of salt
2 cups of water
1 can of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2-3 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
2 – 4 tbsp. water
½ cup of confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sauce pan, add apples and the next 5 ingredients. Cook until almost all of the liquid evaporates. (the liquid should be thick like a syrup.) This step will take about 15 minutes.
Roll out each crescent into a square shape. Take a spoonful of the apple turnover filling and place it in the center of crescent. Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Fold up the sides and pinch the dough to seal everything inside. Place turnovers on a grease cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until brown.
To make glaze - combine water, sugar and vanilla. Stir until well combined and no clumps are visible. Drizzle over turnover and serve.

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes · Tagged With: apple and goat cheese turnover, apple turnover recipe, easy recipe, quick dessert, SRS, Surprise Recipe Swap

Very Berry Oatmeal Muffins and Valentine’s Day Themed Giveaway!

January 14, 2013 by admin · 78 Comments

Very Berry Oatmeal Muffins on The Tasty Fork

Yay yay yay!! I can’t decide what I’m more excited about — healthy breakfast muffins or my 1st giveaway!? Let’s start with the muffins…

I hope all of the new year’s resolutions you’ve made to eat better are still on your mind… if not, no fear, these muffins are pretty good for you but they don’t taste like light muffins. We’ve all tried a store bought “”light” muffin, right?? I’m sure after your first bite (you might have gagged) and then threw it straight into the trash. This has been my experience… I’ve tried multiple light muffins from the grocery store, all have the same result. I guess I’m easily fooled by cute packaging.

Very Berry Oatmeal Muffins @ The Tasty Fork

My breakfasts lately have been smoothies, so I wanted to switch it up & still keep it healthy. Muffins are the perfect breakfast when you need eat something while running out the door. Adding oatmeal to the muffin batter makes it a bit more dense and provides texture. I love using a mix of berries instead of just the usual blueberry. Since it’s January in Chicago, I used a frozen cherry berry medley from Trader Joe’s. It had cherries, blueberries and blackberries. So good!

The Tasty Fork Very Berry Oatmeal Muffins

If you’re looking for a healthy, good muffin – give them a try!

Very Berry Oatmeal Muffins

1 2/3 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
16 oz frozen berry medley
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, add oats and pulse until it’s like a cornmeal texture.
Add oats and all dry ingredients (up to salt) into a large bowl. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, add buttermilk and the rest of the liquid ingredients (through eggs.) Pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until moist.
Combine berries with 2 tablespoons flour. Add berries and fold into batter. Spoon batter into 24 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately; place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Inspired by Cooking Light

The Tasty Fork Giveaway Valentines Day C&B

Besides having a love for muffins, I LOVE Crate & Barrel! They always have the cutest stuff. I think I registered for every item in the store when I got married. The C&B catalog arrived the other day and they had adorable Valentine’s Day decor. I promised once I was done with my blog design makeover, I’d celebrate with a giveaway. Today is the day!! Here is what you could win:

* 4 (14 oz) Valentine’s Day Mugs

* 4 Dessert Plates

* Set of Valentine’s Day Dish Towels

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*** The giveaway will run until Sunday (midnight) and is open to those who live in the United States. GOOD LUCK!!!

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes · Tagged With: berry oatmeal muffins, breakfast muffins, breakfast recipe, C&B, crate & barrel, giveaway, light muffins, muffin recipe, muffins, valentine's day, very berry muffins

Biscuits, Sausage & Gravy Casserole

November 12, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 72 Comments

Sometimes you have to take life into your own hands.

I woke up Sunday morning with a craving for biscuits & gravy. I never had biscuits & gravy until I met my husband. We went to a southern inspired brunch spot and he ordered them for breakfast. He gave me a bite to try. My world was obviously not complete. How did I live for 20 something years without biscuits & gravy??

I knew if I wanted biscuits & gravy, I’d have to make them myself. We woke up late (after celebrating ANOTHER Notre Dame Football win!) and NFL games would be starting soon. I headed to the grocery store with a Sandra Lee like mentality. I was going to make my breakfast semi homemade style by using canned biscuits and dry gravy mix from the spice isle. I hoped I wouldn’t regret this decision — I’ve never used a gravy mix before, but I was hungry, so I was sure anything would taste good.

I’m happy to report my little short cut worked out great! The casserole was filled with soft browned biscuits and the gravy was rich. And I know my judgement was blinded by hunger. I ate about half a bag of baked lays while I waited for this bad boy to bake. (30 minutes was pure torture, I needed a little appetizer.)

This casserole was a great thing to make for when you’re lazy or if you need to put something together fast. Heck, it’s pretty hardy — serve it for dinner if you’re into the Breakfast for Dinner kind of thing.

Leftovers warm up great, too! I had a 2nd helping of the casserole in the afternoon. And I can’t wait to eat the last of it for breakfast on Monday morning…. that is if my husband doesn’t claim it as his. Afterall, he did introduce me to biscuits & gravy….

Biscuits, Sausage & Gravy Casserole, serves 4 (2 biscuits per person)
Inspired by Pillsbury

1 lb breakfast sausage, casing removed
7 oz can of green chilies, mild
1 tbsp vegetable oil
24 oz bag frozen potatoes (diced/cubed/hashbrowns — whatever you like!)
10 oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies (I used Rotel)
Salt & Pepper
1 package of dry gravy mix
1 can of jumbo biscuits, 8 biscuits (Pillsbury Grands are great!)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a hot skillet, add sausage and chilies. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.
In a separate skillet, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, potatoes and canned tomatoes. Cook about 8 – 10 minutes. The potatoes don’t need to be browned, just done enough to hold their shape. Season with salt & pepper.
Prepare the gravy — follow the directions on the packet.
Grease a casserole dish and add 1/2 of the potato mixture. Place biscuits on top and add the rest of the potatoes, sausage and gravy. Top with a little cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the casserole sit a few minutes before digging in.

Filed Under: Breakfast, My Kitchen, Pork · Tagged With: biscuits and gravy, breakfast casserole, breakfast for dinner, casserole, food, recipe, sausage gravy

Is it too early to start thinking about pumpkin???

August 4, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 3 Comments

Hi. I’m Meghan and I’m a Pumpkin-o-holic. I don’t think that’s a word but I can think of multiple people who would be joining me in this kind of support group.

I’m not sure what it is, but I love all things pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes. Pumpkin bread. I add pumpkin to my chili. Pumpkin puree and vanilla yogurt… I could go on and on.

I was watching The Food Network the other day and wouldn’t you know, Paula Deen was making a pumpkin souffle pancake. I couldn’t take my eyes off the of TV. And get this, I’m not a fan of pancakes… but since this pancake has pumpkin in it, I HAD to try it.

This is a quick and easy breakfast to make on the weekend. It’s perfect to serve to your family or to impress some guests.

This is how your pancake will look before it’s baked.

And this is after….

YUM! I love how this is cooked in a skillet. It’s waaay easier than standing over a grill pan flipping flap jacks. Top this pancake with powered sugar or syrup. I did both, of course. Any kind of syrup would be divine… but I used this one. I may or may not have licked my plate when I was done eating.

This isn’t your everyday pancake. It’s a bit more dense from the pumpkin and sweet from the brown sugar pecans. If you aren’t ready to accept that Fall is on its way, that’s ok. To “summer” up this recipe, you can add some fresh blueberries. It would be a great addition to the recipe.

Souffled Pumpkin Pancake, serves 6

(From Food Network - Paula Deen)

5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup pecan halves
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Maple syrup, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar begins to melt. Add the pecans and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the pecan mixture to a small dish and set aside. Reserve the skillet for the pancake.
In a small bowl mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, sugar and salt. Set aside.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. In a large bowl, add egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter and whisk until blended. Gradually whisk in flour mixture. Stir in the pumpkin puree.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Gently spoon the batter into the reserved skillet. Sprinkle the top of the pancake mixture with the reserved pecan mixture. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Dust the pancake with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with maple syrup.