Egg "Muffins"

This is a tried and true recipe, and I love it! Especially for pre-teen sleep over's or for an informal, interactive brunch.

These are also great to make ahead of time so you can have breakfast - on the go for the week. Get creative and make them to suit your taste. Don't limit yourself - experiment with different cheeses, veggies and toppings.

My favorite add-ins are chopped spinach, diced tomato, garlic, fontina topped with fried onions. YUM!

Egg Muffins

Shopping List

Large Eggs

Half and Half

Add-ins (this part is up to you!)

Tabasco (optional)

Non-stick cooking spray

Equipment

Muffin Tin

Whisk

Chef's Knife

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Ingredients

8 large eggs

1 C. Half and Half

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

3 shots of Tabasco

Add-Ins (chopped ham, shredded cheese, diced veggies, sausage, bacon - get creative!)

Heat your oven to 350. Spray each cup of the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half and S&P. Evenly distribute the egg mixture in each muffin cup. Add about 2 TBSP. of your add-ins. Bake until golden and puffy, about 20 - 25 minutes. They should pop right out (for stubborn ones, run a butter knife around the edge to loosen).

I made these for my daughter's 12th birthday. I put the egg mixture into the muffin tin and let each girl add their own toppings. The girls loved making their own, customized Egg Muffin!

Enjoy!

On Top of Pasketti

Among one of my most favorite comfort foods is pasketti. I love it so much I refuse to call it by it's proper name.

For something quick, easy and filling, try my recipe for On Top of Pasketti. I like to serve it with some garlic toast and a green salad with either ranch or balsamic dressing (2 TBSP dijon mustard, S&P, 1/3 C. balsamic vinegar, EVOO - whisk to perfection).

Make the pasta as directed on the box.

As soon as you set the water to boil, get started on the sauce.

You'll need...

1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
2 TBSP. Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme)
1 jar sauce (Prego, Ragu, Bertolli - which ever is your favorite. I like Bertolli's Marinara with Burgandy)
2 TBSP. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 C. cooking Sherry
Olive Oil
S&P

In a skillet, over medium heat, get some olive oil heating. While the oil heats, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sautee the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Season with S&P. Once the onion and garlic begin to brown, deglaze the pan with the sherry. Stir to combine and add the ground beef. Add the italian seasoning and brown the meat. Once you have it just browned, add the Worsey sauce and cloves. Mix to combine. Then, add the jar of sauce. The sauce may seem a little soupy. Let it cook down for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken up beautifully and be ready by the time your pasta is! Drain your pasta and return to it's pot, add the sauce and mix to combine. Top with some grated parm and get ready to have the best pasketti EVER!

I know the addition of cloves sound a little wierd. But, it adds a warmth and flavor that is out of this world!

This sauce makes enough for four servings. So, you'll have plenty left over for lunches the next day. Or, you can make baked spaghetti the next night!

Mother's Day Brunch

No recipes tonight. But, here is what I will be serving at a Mother's Day Brunch I'm hosting. Some of the recipes are new, so I'll post them after I've tried them out on my guinea pigs. ;-)

I also plan on making Golden Eggs. I just found the recipe for them and they sound slap yo' mama good!

Beef Brisket

The smell of this cooking is heavenly. You'll be tempted to take a nibble...but it is soooo worth the wait! You can also cook the brisket in a crock pot, but I like the way it turns out when cooked in the oven.

ENJOY!

Shopping List

1 large beef brisket

Stubb's Beef Marinade

Yellow Mustard

1 Yellow Onion

Pinot Grigio

Tools of the Trade

Large roasting pan

Roasting Rack

Chef's Knife

Measuring Cup

Measuring Spoon

Cutting Board

Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

Large Beef Brisket (5 - 6 pounds)

1 bottle Stubb's Beef Marinade

1/2 yellow onion, rough chopped

2 cloves garlic, rough chopped

3 - 4 TBSP. French's Yellow Mustard

1/2 C. Pinot Grigio

1/2 C. Water

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Place the brisket fat side down in a very large roasting pan. Coat both sides of the brisket with mustard. Pour in the wine and water around the sides of the brisket. Toss in the onion and garlic. Then pour in the entire bottle of Stubb's. Place in covered roasting pan (either with the pan's lid, or with aluminum foil) and cook for 5 - 6 hours. Baste every now and then and check for tenderness. If you need more liquid, add more wine and/or water. When cooked until fork tender, remove to platter to cool.

You can make a gravy with the pan juices, but I've found that the meat is juicy enough.

Irish Oatmeal Cookies

Yeah, I know...I'm the Absent Minded blogger. ;-) I'll try to start where I left off.

St. Patrick's Day is big in my house. My daughter is part Irish. I know nothing about being Irish. Ab-so-lute-ly. Nothing. But, I can cook. So, I celebrate her Irish heritage by making Colcannon, Brisket and Oatmeal cookies made with Irish oatmeal and iced with Bailey's Irish Cream. Needless to say, we sleep for hours after that meal.

Here's the recipe for the cookies...

Shopping List

Unsalted butter

Dark Brown sugar

Granulated sugar

eggs

vanilla

All Purpose Flour

Baking Soda

Salt

Pumpkin Pie Spice

McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal

Raisins (optional)

Walnuts (optional)

Bailey's Irish Cream

Powdered Sugar

Power Tools You'll Need

2 Cookie Sheets

2 medium bowls

1 large bowl

Flour sifter

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

Ice cream scoop (with the handle to push the batter out)

Spatula

cooling rack

wooden spoon

hand mixer

whisk

aluminum foil

Ingredients

1 1/4 C. unsalted butter at room temp.

1/2 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 C. granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beatern

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 C. all purpose flower

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 C. McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal

3/4 C. Craisins (optional) - i only add these if I don't ice the cookies.

1/2 C. Macadamia nuts (optional) - i only add these if I don't ice the cookies.

1 C. powdered sugar

1/3 C. Bailey's Irish Cream

Pre-heat oven to 350. In medium bowl, cream the butter, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla.

Set the flour sifter in the large bowl (if you don't have a flour sifter, just put the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix to combine with a fork). Pour the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice into the sifter and then sift the dry ingredients into the large bowl. Once you have sifted all the dry ingredients to combine, take the sifter out.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter/sugar mixture, one cup at a time. Mix to combine after each addition. Once you have combined all of the flour mixture, add the oatmeal, raisins and walnuts.

Using your ice cream scoop, scoop out some batter and place on cookie sheet. You should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

While the first batch of cookies is baking, set out the wire rack. Put a sheet of aluminum foil under the rack to catch the extra glaze. Combine the Bailey's and powdered sugar and mix to combine. You can add more powdered sugar and/or Bailey's to get it to the right consistency. You want this to be the consistency of a runny icing so it will drizzle.

While the cookies are still warm (on the cooling rack), use a spoon to scoop up some of the glaze and drizzle over the cookies. Let the cookies cool and then store in an air tight container.

You can't get drunk of these cookies, but I promise they'll make you a little silly. :-)

Enjoy!

C is for Cookie

Cookie Monster had it right. “C” is for cookie! When the world feels like it’s crashing in around you, take two of these and call me in the morning.

Shopping List
All Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Salt
Dark Brown Sugar
Sugar
Unsalted Stick Butter
Eggs
Vanilla
Chocolate Chips
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Chile Powder

Tools
2 Cookie Sheets
1 large bowl
1 medium bowl
Wooden Spoon
Flour Sifter
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Ice cream scoop
Cooling rack

“C” is for Cookie Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ C. All purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 C. dark brown sugar, packed firmly
½ C. sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. chile powder

Set out the sticks of butter for about 15 – 20 minutes to soften up. When the sticks of butter are soft to the touch, get started!

Pre-heat your oven to 300.

Set your flour sifter in a medium bowl (if you don’t have a flour sifter, no worries, just add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix to combine), pour the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and chile powder into the flour sifter. Sift into the bowl. Once the flour/spice mixture is sifted, set aside.

Next, in the large bowl, mix together the sugar and dark brown sugar until combined. Add the softened butter and mix to combine with a wooden spoon until a grainy paste forms. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.

Once the wet ingredients are combined, add the flour/spice mixture one cup at a time. Mix each cup to combine. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, add the chocolate chips and mix to combine.

Using the ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place on the cookie sheet. Yes, I know that’s a lot, but trust me…it’s worth it. You should be able to fit 8 – 10 cookies on your cookie sheet, depending on how big your cookie sheet is.

Bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer using a spatula to the cooling rack (if you don't have a cooling rack, just lay down some aluminum foil on your counter and put the cookies on top of that). You’ll need to give them about 10 minutes to cool before you can eat them.

Store in an air-tight container! They should last about two days. ;-)

The Devil Made Me Do it Chili

It's been a little cold and rainy here lately. So, I needed a little comfort. I made this chili a while ago when we had a few friends over to watch the UofA (Go CATS!) v. ASU football game. In honor of my friends who cheered on the Scum Devils, I made them some chili.

For the CATS...we had Eegee's. woot!

Shopping List
1 package beef stew meat
Flour
Olive Oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 bulb garlic
1 poblano chili
1 can chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 bottle amber beer (I like Dos Equis Amber)
Cumin
Chili Powder
Oregano
Cinnamon
Cloves
1 box beef stock
Sour Cream (optional)
Montery Jack cheese (optional)
Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Tools
4-qt. Dutch Oven
Wooden spoon
Plastic cutting board

Devil Made Me Do it Chili

1 package beef stew meat, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 C. All Purpose flour
1/2 C. Olive Oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, with the juice (cut the tomatoes into bite size pieces)
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 Chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce, diced
1 bottle Dos Equis amber (or any amber beer whose flavor you like)
1 TBSP. ground cumin
1 TBSP. chili powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 box beef stock
1 brick Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 brick Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream

Put the dutch oven over meduim heat. Put 1/4 C. of olive oil in the pan to begin heating. While the oil is heating, dredge the beef pieces in the flour (I put the meat into a large bowl, pour the flour over it and stirred to cover all of the meat).

Once you have the meat completely covered, pour into the pan to begin browning. If you have a lot of meat, work in batches so you don't bring down the temperature of the oil. Stirring frequently, brown the meat.

Once all the meat has browned (it doesn't have to be completely cooked, the meat will be added back to the chili to complete cooking), remove it from the pan and place on a plate.

Add the remaining 1/4 C. of olive oil to the pot and add the onion, garlic and poblano pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir frequently to keep the garlic from burning. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.

Once the veggies have become soft, add 2 C. of the beef stock to deglaze the pan. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Once you scraped most of the brown bits off the pan, add the whole bottle of beer. Stir gently and the foam will eventually go away.

Once the foam from the beer has gone down, add the tomaotes, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves and oregano.

On a plastic cutting board, dice the chipotle pepper. Add to the chili.

Stir to combine. Add more beef stock if needed. Drop heat down to medium-low and cook for two hours or until meat is tender.

Serve in large bowls, sprinkle with cheese and top with sour cream. Don't forget to make cornbread!!

Enjoy with a cold bottle of Dos Equis Amber.

Saturday Night Fever

Turkey Burgers with Avocado and Havarti, Cider Roasted Acorn Squash with Spiced Brown Sugar Butter and Grilled Romaine Hearts with Toaststed Macadamia Nuts and Cranberries with Cool Ranch Dressing.

Shopping List
1 lb. ground turkey
Garlic
Yellow Onion
Curry Powder
Eggs
Ketchup
Whole Milk
Grated Romano (or Parmesan) Cheese
Whole Poultry Seasoning (recipe follows)
Havarti cheese slices
2 Avocados
2 Acorn Squash
Apple Cider (recipe included for making your own)
Butter
Brown Sugar
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Romaine Hearts
Macadamia Nuts
Dried Cranberries
Sour Cream
Buttermilk
Italian Parsley
Chives
Lime Juice
White Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
Shallot

How I did it…
1. Roast Acorn Squash
2. Make Ranch Dressing
3. Make Brown Sugar Butter
4. Toast Macadamia nuts
5. Make Turkey Burgers
6. Grill Romaine

Tools needed
1 – 13x9x2 glass baking dish
1 – 8x8 baking dish
Whisk
2 – Grill pans (if you only have one, grill the romaine hearts first)
Measuring spoons
Chef’s knife

Acorn Squash
2 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded
½ C. Apple Cider
3 TBSP. water

Spiced Brown Sugar Butter
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
½ C. dark brown sugar
2 TBSP. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Mix to combine in a small bowl. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the top (where the stem is) off of each squash. Then cut the squash in half and, with a large spoon, take out the seeds. In each baking dish, add ½ C. of cider and 3 TBSP. of water. Put the four squash halves in the dishes (three in the 13x9x2 and one in the 8x8), cut side down. Then, put both dishes in the preheated oven and set your timer for 25 minutes. (This cook time may vary due to the size and ripeness of the squash you get. If the squash isn’t done after 25 minutes, bake another 10 more). If you don’t have cider, use apple juice mixed with 2 TBSP. pumpkin pie spice.

Once the squash is done roasting (this will be the last dish to finish), place each squash half on a dinner plate, cut in half and slather each quarter with the Brown Sugar Butter.

While the squash is roasting, make the dressing and toast the macadamia nuts.

Ranch Dressing
½ C. Sour Cream
¾ C. Buttermilk
1 ½ TBSP. Chives
1 TBSP. Italian Parsley
1 Clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP. Lime Juice
2 tsp. White Wine Vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

In a medium bowl, add sour cream and buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Add chives, parsley, minced garlic, lime juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour into a container that can be tightly sealed, and refrigerate to serve.

Toasted Macadamia Nuts
1/3 C. Macadamia nuts
1/4 C. dried cranberries (or cherries, blueberries, diced apricots…get creative!)

Put nuts into a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook about five minutes, stirring frequently until golden. You’ll know they’re done because the nuts will become very fragrant. Remove from heat and place the toasted nuts in a bowl with the dried cranberries and set aside.

Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
2 TBSP. ketchup
3 TBSP. whole milk
¼ C. grated Romano cheese
3 TBSP. whole poultry seasoning (recipe follows)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. curry powder
1 egg
1/3 C. bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ yellow onion, shredded
4 slices Havarti cheese
2 Avocadoes, peeled and cut into slices. Here's how! http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cut_and_peel_an_avocado/

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil.

While the pan is heading up, put ketchup, milk, Romano cheese, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, curry powder, egg, bread crumbs, garlic and onion into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the ground turkey and mix to combine with your hands. Form into four burgers.

Put the burgers on the grill and cook about three minutes. To check for doneness, gently lift up one of the burgers and if the grill marks are there, flip over. Cook for about three minutes on the other side and then flip again. Put 2 – 3 avocado slices on top of each burger and then top with a slice of Havarti. Tent with some aluminum foil for about two minutes. This will help the cheese melt and “seal” in the avocado slices.

Once the cheese has melted, remove from the grill pan and place each burger on a dinner plate.

Grilled Romaine Hearts
1 Romaine Heart
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Once you have tented the burgers, heat another grill pan over medium-high heat drizzled with olive oil. (if you only have one grill pan, you can cook the burgers in a non-stick skillet, and save the grill pan for the romaine. If you don’t have a grill pan, just serve the romaine cut into bite size pieces). Cut the romaine heart in half and place the cut side down on the hot grill pan. Cook for about one minute. When you remove the romaine, it should have beautiful grill marks on it. Immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cut each romaine in half (width wise) and place on dinner plates. Drizzle with the ranch dressing and sprinkle with the toasted macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.

This meal turned out super yummy! I served it with a wine I found at Trader Joe's called Happiness. It was super yummy and only $6! Also at Trader Joe's I found a box of four creme brulees...in chocolate cups. Just take them out as you're sitting down and they'll be ready for you as a quick, easy, scrumtous dessert! Enjoy!!

Practical Magic

"A good cook is like a sorceress that dispenses happiness" ~ Elsa Schiaparelli

Cooking isn't hard. Trust me. Once you have some of the basic techniques down, you'll be as fearless as Wonder Woman. Or RuPaul, you pick.

Before I start posting recipes, I thought I should offer a few words of advice and insight to how I cook...

I don't measure when I cook. I promise I will try to measure things as I make them and write things down, but to be safe, most measurements are best estimates. Even if they were exact measurements, when you cook...it's your food. Make it the way that it will taste best for you. Think of each dish as a blank canvas and...create.

Each recipe will include a shopping list, equipment list, an order of how I got things done and then each recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Since I'm new to this, please, please give me your feedback. My goal is to have these recipes make sense, be easy to follow and most of all, become a part of your arsenal. ;-)

I am going to post links to videos or "How To" instructions that I find for techniques that are important to master.

Lastly, if there is something you've always wanted to make and were afraid to try or it didn't turn out quite right, let me know and I'll try my hand at it and see if we can collaborate!

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome!

Cooking is a passion of mine. It all started when I was little and had to learn to cook for myself. Let's hear it for the latch key kids! Fast forward a few years, and I have an arsenal of recipes to keep my family full and happy. I'll share them with you, complete with pictures, practical advice and of course, full of comfort.

Enjoy!