Oven Baked Bacon

I have wanted to try this for so long but I dreaded the mess that I figured it would make in my oven.
Pleasantly surprised though~NO MESS what so ever!


My family LOVES breakfast food. They could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bacon of course is their chosen meat for the meal but I absolutely HATE standing at the stove frying enough bacon to feed the whole family.


Not a problem anymore!
Why fry when you can bake??

Line a large baking sheet (or two) with aluminum foil.
Lay bacon slices flat and right beside each other. They will shrink up as they bake.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Timing will vary depending on the oven but I began really watching it after 20 minutes. I cooked 2 trays and the bottom tray cooked quicker so I removed it after 20 minutes and then I continued cooking the top tray for another 5-10 minutes.
Once cooked, immediately remove the bacon from the baking sheet and place on paper towels to soak up the excess grease.
Pan clean-up was super easy. I just folded the foil up into a bowl shape and let the grease cool and harden then threw it in the garbage. 

Corn Cakes & Blackberry Syrup

Yum is all I can say!


This weekend I spent some time browsing the internet for a few new recipes to add to our monthly menu as I get ready for another once-a-month stock up.
One recipe that really caught my eye was on Pioneer Woman and it was for Cornmeal Pancakes and Blackberry Syrup. I love corn cakes and since I have a bunch of blackberries stored in my freezer I thought I would try making the syrup. 
My version of course! 
A few years ago I posted a recipe for cornmeal pancakes. You can find it HERE but tonight I decided to try a slightly different version. 


Corn Cakes


2 cups coarse ground cornmeal
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar


Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over top. 
Stir until thick.
Add milk, egg and flour.
In another small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt and sugar and then add it to the batter.
Cook small (serving spoon) size pancakes on a hot buttered griddle.

Ready for the Blackberry Syrup recipe?
Actually I would recommend that you make the syrup first that way it will be ready when your cakes are done.


Blackberry Syrup


6 cups blackberries
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vanilla
3 more cups water


Place blackberries and 1 1/2 cups water in a pan.
Bring to a boil. 

Mash the berries with a potato masher but be careful so that you don't splash hot juice on your self or on the counter ~ it will stain everything not to mention burn you.
Pour into a strainer and let set until juices have drained.

If you don't mind the seeds then you can omit this step. I like blackberries but hate the seeds so I always strain them.
Now return the juice back to the pan, add sugar and bring to a boil again.
In a bowl, combine about a cup of the hot juice with the cornstarch. Whisk it around until the cornstarch is dissolved and thickened.
Add this mixture back to the boiling pan and continue to stir.
This will get thick really quick!
When it does add the vanilla and the remaining 3 cups of water. Simmer and stir until ready to serve.

Place any remaining syrup in a mason jar with a lid (or any other sealed container that you may have) and refrigerate.
I think this would make a good topping for lots of things like ice cream, angel food cakes, waffles and more.
Well that's all for my adventures in the kitchen today.
I'm heading outdoors to enjoy the nice weather.
Have a great evening!

Making Breakfast Burritos to Freeze

I wasn't so sure if these would freeze very well but I am happy to report that they did. I've never tried to freeze eggs before so I wasn't sure if I needed to use something like Egg Beaters in place of real eggs or not.


By the way I'm not a big egg fan but I love this recipe & I've actually posted the Breakfast Burrito recipe on here before so it's really nothing new~ it's just the newly learned fact that they can be made ahead of time, placed in the freezer and then easily microwaved for a quick & easy breakfast.


You can find my Breakfast Burrito recipe ** HERE.**

What I like to do is to make a double batch one evening for  a supper and then use the leftovers to make my freezer burritos. (Just remember to by an extra bag of flour tortillas if you're going to do this! *one for supper and one for freezer*)

Take the leftovers and place a nice big spoonful in the top center of your burrito. Don't forget to top it with lots of cheddar cheese. 

Fold up burrito style ~ fold sides in and then roll.


Wrap each burrito in a piece of aluminum foil. Once you get them all wrapped then place 4-6 of them in a labeled gallon size freezer bag and freeze.

Now when you need a quick bite for breakfast grab one out.
Remove from the foil and place on a microwave safe plate.
Heat in microwave for 3 minutes 30 seconds. (Times will vary depending on the size of your microwave.)
Enjoy!

Chipped Beef Gravy

Last week I was really busy and needed a few meals that I could quickly prepare without a lot of fuss and of course something cheap.
I always tell people that if I didn't have a family of 5 to feed then I'd be rich and that couldn't be more true now with the price of groceries going through the roof.
Anyways my bunch really liked this and yes I cheated and used canned biscuits though homemade would definitely have tasted better.
I also used the dried beef that you can get in the small pouches located in the meat dept. You will also find it in a jar located with the canned goods but I find that the jarred stuff is way too salty. So if salt is an issue for you then go with the pouches.


Dried Beef Gravy

10 oz. sliced dried beef, cut into small pieces
5 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. onion powder
6 tbsp. flour
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large skillet saute the dried beef in the butter.
Sprinkle with the onion powder.
Let cook 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the beef, stir and let cook for another minute or two.
Pour milk in and add seasoning.
Stir well and let simmer on low until thick and bubbly.
Serve over toast or biscuits.
Enjoy!

Crispy Crunchy French Toast

After all the baking that I did pre-Christmas the kitchen has been the last place that I have wanted to be.
However, the mood finally hit me today and I spent the biggest part of my day in the kitchen again.
I started out this morning with a breakfast of crispy french toast and sausage. Yum!
Just the typical french toast recipe with an added bit of crunch.

Crispy Crunchy French Toast

4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
splash of vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups Rice Krispies cereal, crushed
12 slices of bread
butter

In bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla & cinnamon.
Place crushed Rice Krispies in another bowl.
Heat griddle and melt a bit of butter on it.
Dip bread slices in egg mixture and then into the Rice Krispies and place on hot griddle.
Cook until browned and then flip over and cook the other side until browned.
Place on plate and add a bit of butter & maple syrup.
Serve with a side of bacon or sausage and ENJOY!

Homemade Maple Granola Cereal

Granola is a favorite of mine.
It doesn't matter whether it's in the form of a snack bar or a cereal... it's all yummy!
Store bought granola can be expensive when you consider the small amount that you get in the box for the price that you pay for it so I thought I would try making a batch of my own.
I never realized how easy and inexpensive it is to make. You get so much more for your money and you could make it in so many different flavors. I chose to use maple syrup in mine for a bit of flavor but next time I'll try adding some other flavors like peanut butter, almond or maybe I'll even add some dried fruit to it.
The possibilities are endless.

Maple Granola Cereal

8 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
2 cups walnuts, chopped fine
2 cups graham crackers, crushed (not ground fine)
3 sticks butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tsp. maple syrup

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
Add sugar, honey, salt, soda and syrup to butter and mix all together.
Pour over dry ingredients and toss to coat well.
Spread mixture onto 2 large greased baking sheets.
Bake at 250° for 1 hour.
Be sure to stir every 15 minutes to that it doesn't burn.
Let cool and then store in an airtight container.

** Did you Know? **
There are 8 different B vitamins that work together and are needed by every part of your body. Because B vitamins are not stored well by your body, you need to eat foods every day that contain these vitamins. Liver and *wheat germ* are the only foods that contain all of the B vitamins.

The weather this weekend was beautiful. My themometer read 83° on Saturday. It was a bit breezy which made for a super workout when we rode our bikes. That extra wind sure provided lots of resistance for our bike trek on our journey south to home.
Sunday was more of the same but not quite as breezy. Katie went with us on that day and she was pooped by the time we made it back to the truck.
I didn't get my bathroom painted nor any sewing done but I did get caught up on some blog reading as well as some paper work that needed done here at the house. I got a start on my Christmas shopping (it's gonna be here before we know it) and managed to take the time to sit and watch a whole movie *Letters to Juliet* from beginning to end without any interruptions.
It was a nice relaxing weekend so I'm good and ready to tackle the week ahead.
Hope you have a great Monday!

SUNSHINE & Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuits

We finally have SUNSHINE!

This weekend was great. The sun shined bright and the temperature was in the 40's.

A much needed reprieve from all the winter blahs. Saturday was spent outside cleaning out our vehicles, a job that was much needed. After getting them all cleaned and swept out I headed to the car wash for what seemed like a never-ending wait in line. That place was packed! I guess we all had the same idea.

It was also a great day to hang laundry up outside to dry and to grill out for supper. Later in the evening I sat down and finished the pillow for my giveaway that ends this Saturday as well as another stitchery that I have been working on. While I sewed I watched another great movie on the Hallmark. It was called "Uncorked". It was really good and I believe it plays a few more times this month. Definitely worth watching!

Sunday was spent catching up and getting things done around the house before we all headed back to school and work. After a busy day I needed something quick for supper so I whipped up these basic biscuits and had sausage, egg & cheese biscuits as well as some hashbrowns. I prefer to use the larger size sausage patties for these but they are so expensive to buy that way (preshaped) so I just used 2 rolls of Bob Evans sausage and shaped them into large patties myself. Add some egg and a slice of cheese and you've got a quick simple supper or breakfast!

Quick & Simple Biscuits

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cups Crisco

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl and mix well.

Add Crisco to flour and use a fork or pastry blender to blend.

Add milk.

Mix it enough so that the dough will hold together.

(I just used my hands for this step.)

Place dough on counter and knead it about 10 times.

Roll dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Use a biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut circles.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or till browned.

Well we are off to get busy on school so that we can get it done and get outside to enjoy another day of sunshine. I'll be back later to catch up with all of you. Hope you enjoy your day!

A Sour Start with a Picky Eater

I have been on a mission lately.

A mission to get my youngest son to try more foods.

You see, I believe he may just be the world's pickiest eater!

He has it in his head before he even tastes anything that he's not going to like it. So he just simply sticks to his old standby's and rarely ever samples anything different. This is sooooo frustrating for me. I don't like every food that I may try but I will at least try it.

Wait! I take that back. I do NOT like seafood and WILL NOT eat it! (I've never had shrimp and I don't ever intend too!)

Ok, now that I have said that I feel bad. I blame my son's picky eating behaviors on my husband, who by the way is known as the world's 2nd most picky eater.

However, here I am saying that I will NOT try seafood. (Shame on me!)

I guess now I need to take a little blame, however seafood is about the only thing that I can think of that I am not willing to try.

Anyways , back to my story....

My mission started out with teaching him to read food labels. We had already studied this in Health class but obviously he needed a refresher course. I didn't make the fat and calories be the big issue though. Instead I tried to show him how healthy an item was by looking at how much fiber, iron and vitamins it was going to supply his body with.

We started by looking at breakfast foods. He loves the sugary cereals but he also loves Coco Wheats. So I showed him how much more "good stuff" he was getting by eating the CoCo Wheats instead of the stuff in the sugar boxes. We continued comparing throughout the day with each meal and then the next day we went to the store where he searched the shelves and read the labels. We ended up leaving with a few "new" items for him to try.

The oddest thing that he picked out was grapefruit!

Who would have guessed?

I like grapefruit but I would have never imagined him picking it out as a new favorite.

He tried it first cold with a little salt sprinkled on it and then I told him how my Mom & Dad used to broil grapefruit and that I thought it was pretty good that way too!

Needless to say we are on our second bag of grapefruit and he now prefers it broiled with just a bit of brown sugar sprinkled on top.

Not what I expected but it's a step in the right direction.

I just hope he continues with a more open-minded approach to eating new things.

Anyone else out there have a picky eater?

If so, do you have any tips or tricks up your sleeves?

Blueberry Muffins Without All the Sugar

I still have several bags of fresh berries that I had froze this past summer so the other morning I thought I would mix up some muffins for breakfast. I chose blueberries~my all time favorite for muffins.

I didn't use any sugar in the batter but I did top them with a bit of brown sugar. I got mixed reactions from the kids. Some liked them and some thought that they needed more sugar.

I ate mine with some good ol' butter spread over them and thought they were tasty. They weren't as sweet as store-bought but definitely healthier.

Blueberry Muffins Without All the Sugar

3 cups white flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 tbsp. milled flax seed

4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup oil

2 cups berries

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix flour, wheat germ, flax seed, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk & oil.

Add egg mixture to dry ingredients.

Fold in berries.

Spoon batter into muffin tins.

Combine brown sugar & cinnamon and sprinkle on muffin tops.

Bake 20 minutes at 400°.

Enjoy!

Homemade Tastes So Much Better ~ Waffles

Goodbye Eggo and Hello Homemade!

This was my first time of ever making homemade waffles and boy were they good.

Homemade Vanilla Waffles

3 tbsp. melted butter or oil

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Place flour in a bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add the rest of the ingredients.

Stir well with a whisk.

Cook waffles according to your waffle maker.

Mine called for 1/3 cup of batter for each waffle.

I also added a dash of cinnamon to my batter but there are many different flavors and fruits you could add to this recipe.

Just expiriment and ENJOY!

Anytime I make pancakes I always freeze the leftovers so the kids have a supply to just heat and eat. The same now applies for these waffles.

( Just place wax paper between waffles and seal in a ziploc container & freeze.)

I have made this breakfast treat twice this week for dinner (a definite family favorite) so I have a good many leftovers stocked in the freezer now. I made double batches both times to ensure that I had plenty for freezing. When the kids want them for an early morning breakfast they just pop them in the toaster and sit down to eat.

I don't think I will ever buy another frozen box of waffles from the store again. There is no comparison in taste or price.

Homemade WINS on both!

**Sorry this post's spacing is so jumbled up. I have tried to fix it numerous times and it just won't work. This has happened in the past and it always seems to fix itself later. Must just be a blog glitch of some sort.**

Toffee Biscotti and a Morning Latte

Yesterday I finished 4 of the stitcheries that I have been working on all month so I can mark that off my list.

However, there is still plenty of baking to be done, presents to be wrapped, one more gift to be purchased, cleaning and we still have several more days of school lessons to finish before we can officially be "off" for Christmas.

So much to do and so few days left till Christmas.

Ah...the joy of Christmas! :)

Before I start my day I thought I'd see what all of you have been up to and share this recipe that I found. I have made Biscotti before in flavors of chocolate, almond and so forth but this one now tops my list. One of my favorite candies is Heath bar and this recipe uses a whole bag of the bits. Yummo!

Butter Brickle Biscotti

(Heath Bar Biscotti)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. (7-8 oz.) Heath toffee bits

Cream butter and sugars till fluffy.

Add eggs & vanilla and mix well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add this to creamed mixture & mix well.

Stir in toffee bits.

Divide dough in half.

On a greased cookie sheet, shape each dough portion into a 10 X 3" rectangle.

Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.

Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes and then cut it in 1/2 " slices.

Place these slices on another cookie sheet, cut side down.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Flip slices over and bake another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Cornmeal Pancakes

These hit the spot a few weeks ago for a Sunday morning breakfast. I was searching for a good recipe for corn cakes. I wanted something that was a little on the crunchy side and not as "doughy" as a pancake. (I'm not even sure that "doughy" is a word or an adjective but it is in my lingo.:)

Anyways, my first attempt tasted pretty much just like a pancake so I kept searching till I found this one.

Cornmeal Pancakes

1 cup cornmeal

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tbsp. butter

1 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

4 tsp. baking soda

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a seperate large bowl beat eggs, milk & butter.

Add cornmeal & flour mixture.

Stir just enough to mix all ingredients.

Cook pancakes on a heated greased griddle.

Once surface is covered with bubbles then flip cakes to brown other side.

Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy!

Freeze & Bake Biscuits

Here is the recipe that I made to go along with the Breakfast Casserole. I made a batch and cooked half of them for supper and then froze the other half for another meal. I'll probably use those ones the next time I make sausage gravy.

Freeze and Bake Biscuits

6 cups flour

1/2 cup dry milk

1/4 cup baking powder

1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 cups shortening

1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

Cut shortening into flour till it is in course crumbs.

Using fork, stir in water till just moistened.

Cut into biscuit shapes and freeze.

To Bake:

Thawed: 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Frozen: 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Breakfast for Supper

Here's an easy recipe for a breakfast casserole that could be served for breakfast or dinner. Last night we had it for dinner. I also tried a new freeze and bake biscuit recipe that I will share with you tomorrow. I've seen this casserole in many recipe books and I like it because you can prepare it the day before or the morning of and then refrigerate. About an hour before you are ready to eat, just pop it in the oven and bake. I left mine in the oven a little too long so the cheese got a bit too brown but it was still good.

Breakfast for a Bunch

1 lb. hot pork sausage

3 cups frozen hash browns

salt & pepper

dried onion flakes

12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

12 eggs, beaten ( I only use 7-8)

2 cups milk

Cook sausage in skillet and drain.

Place hash browns in a greased 13 x 9.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper & onions.

Layer the sausage on top of this.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine eggs & milk.

Pour over top of casserole.

Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sausage, Eggs, Tater Tots, Sour Cream & Relish

Sounds weird doesn't it?

That is what I thought the first time my brother-in-law fixed these for us. I had never had them and definitely wouldn't have thought to combine relish and sour cream with these. However, I finally gave in and tried them and I really liked them...sour cream and all!

Breakfast Burritos

1/2 a bag frozen tator tots

1 roll breakfast sausage

1 small onion diced or dried onion flakes

Green or red bell pepper, optional

5-7 eggs, beaten with a little milk

flour tortillas

cheddar cheese

Additional toppings: relish, sour cream, hot sauce etc.

In a large pan cook tater tots with onion & peppers.

Add a little water to the pan so they won't burn plus this makes them crumble up a little quicker. I place a lid on them too!

In another skillet, cook sausage till done and crumbled, drain.

Once the tots are cooked then you can add the sausage to the tater tot pan & give them a stir.

Beat eggs & milk and then pour over sausage/tot mixture.

Stir around and put lid back on.

Stir often and let cook till egg is done.

Warm tortillas.

Spoon mixture on tortillas and top with favorite toppings.

My favorite is cheddar cheese, sour cream & relish.

As I said, it sounds really gross but it's actually good.

Give it a try!

*This is a large recipe that feeds our family of 5 and also gives us some leftovers. You may want to cut it in half if you are feeding just a few.*

Sweet Loaves

Here are two yummy sweet bread recipes that I love to make!

This is my kind of breakfast!!!

My Grandmother always made the Apple Bread around Christmas time and I loved it. It's a good bread to make and give as a gift and wonderful to slice and smother with warm butter on Christmas morning. I like to use the Banana Recipe anytime I have really ripe bananas that need to be used up.

Apple Bread

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

Mix these four ingredients in a small bowl & set aside.

4 cups diced apples

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix these in a seperate bowl and then add contents of first bowl & stir well.

Bake in greased loaf pans for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

******************

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 cup mashed banana

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup nuts

(I add 1 1/2 tbsp. flax seed) optional

Mix cream cheese, sugar & butter well.

Blend in banana & egg.

Add the rest of the ingredients & mix till just moistened.

Place batter in greased loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour 1o inutes at 350 degrees.

Cool 5 minutes & remove from pan.

Not So Greasy Sausage Gravy

My husband likes sausage gravy for a morning breakfast or even a quick supper. The thought of using all the grease that most home recipes (the good & fattening) call for just makes me sick thinking about it. I found this recipe that doesn't use a lot of grease and you use water along with the milk. It is really good!!! Not a watery mess....Just try it.

Sausage Gravy

1 lb. sausage (Bob Evans- it doesn't have a lot of grease)

6 tbsp. flour

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/4 cups milk

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

Cook sausage.

Leave the grease in the pan (about 1-2 tbsp.) and sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir. Let cook for a minute till it turns a golden brown and is bubbly.

(Sometimes mine doesn't have enough grease to bubble but it will still work.)

Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer till it thickens.

Serve over biscuits or toast.

I sometimes double the gravy portion of this recipe to make it stretch farther.

To do this I increase the gravy ingredients to:

9 tbsp. flour

2 1/4 cups water

3 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. paprika