Breakfast Casserole

 

I don't make casseroles too often--my kids prefer a lighter breakfast--but breakfast casseroles are fun sometimes, even for dinner or potlucks. My kids loved it, but I made sure the onion and peppers were diced ridiculously small so they didn't notice. I got this beauty from Holly Nilsson. Enjoy! Serves 10+.

Breakfast Casserole

20 oz shredded hash browns, thawed

1 lb breakfast sausage

1/4 c onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced 

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

2 c cheddar cheese

8 eggs

1 12-oz can evaporated milk, or 1 1/3 c milk

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.* Spray 9x13 or 3 qt baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Brown sausage, breaking it up as it cooks, until no pink remains. Drain grease from skillet. 

3. In sprayed dish, add hashbrowns, cooked sausage, onions, bell peppers, and 1 1/2 c of the cheese; gently mix together and spread evenly in pan. 

4. In large bowl, add eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning; whisk until combined. Pour over hashbrown mixture in pan and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover dish with foil.

5. Bake in preheated oven 55-65 minutes or until cooked through. 

* Can prepare ahead through step 4 and refrigerate. May need to add about 10 minutes to cook time.

Candied Yams

 

These were a popular Thanksgiving favorite growing up and continue to be in my home. My kids LOVE them, even my guy with texture issues. They're practically a dessert! You can adjust the brown sugar and butter to make them a little healthier. Serves 8.

Candied Yams

4-5 large yams
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c butter
3/4-1 c packed brown sugar
bag of marshmallows, large or small

1. Place yams in large steamer (or boil them if you must). Steam about 30 minutes, or until knife enters the largest yam easily. OR steam them in pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Let cool and peel. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop yams into bite-sized pieces and place in 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle yams generously with salt and pepper. 

2. Cut butter into small pieces (1/2 Tbsp. or so) and place evenly over yams. Crumble brown sugar evenly over top of yams. Top with marshmallows. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until marshmallows are melted and start to turn golden brown. 

Tuna poke bowl meat

Poke bowls are so healthy and delicious*! For those of you who don't know, they're warm rice with cold, raw (marinated) fish and veggies on top. It's basically a sushi bowl. We ate them as often as possible while we lived in Japan. This tuna recipe was SO GOOD. Next on my to-do list is find a sticky rice recipe. (For the first go-round we used sticky rice bowls you heat in the microwave from Costco.) Use any veggies you want, really, but my favorites are avocado (pretty much a must-have), shredded/thinly sliced carrot, diced cucumber, and sliced green onion. One restaurant in Japan even cracked a raw egg onto the hot rice. It was...kinda good, but I'm not trying it at home. Be creative! The kids don't love raw fish but they ate what they "had" to. Serves 4.

Tuna Poke Bowls
1 lb. sushi-grade tuna
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. honey
4 c cooked sticky rice (warm)

Spicy Mayo
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
1 tsp siracha

Toppings
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1/2 c peeled, shredded/sliced carrot
1 c peeled, diced cucumber
1/4 c sliced green onion
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

1. Dice tuna into 3/4" cubes. Add tuna, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and honey to a medium bowl. Toss to combine; let sit (marinade) while preparing veggies and spicy mayo.

2. Spicy Mayo: Add mayonnaise and siracha to a small bowl. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. If you want it spicier, add more siracha. Spoon into a plastic bag; cut a small corner tip off. Set aside.

3. Divide evenly between 4 bowls: cooked rice, top with tuna, sliced avocado, carrot, and cucumber. Sprinkle green onion and sesame seeds over top. Squeeze spicy mayo over all. Serve immediately.

*1 bowl has 490 calories, 60 g carbs, 10 g protein, 25 g fat, 4 g sat. fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 649 mg sodium, 754 mg potassium, 12 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 147 vitamin A, 12 mg vitamin C, 63 mg calcium, 3 mg iron.

Steak and Shrimp Kabobs

These kabobs are SO delicious and super quicky and easy. You can put these together in the morning and refrigerate so they're ready to grill when you get home. The beautiful thing about making your own food is that you can put whatever meat or vegetables on it you want! My kids LOVE these, and frankly so do I, I just can't make enough. Serve with a garden salad, rice pilaf, and warm bread. Serves 4. 

Steak and Shrimp Kabobs 

1 bag xl shrimp (26-30 per lb), deveined and peeled 

1 lb stew chunks, or sirloin steak 8 oz 

whole button mushrooms 

bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1" chunks 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp garlic or seasoned salt, or seasoning of your choice 

dash of pepper 

Skewers 

1. Make sure grill grates are clean. Preheat grill to 350 degrees. If using wooden skewers, soak in warm water (so they don't catch fire). 

2. Cut steak into 1" pieces if using a steak. 

3. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. 

4. Combine shrimp, steak, mushrooms, bell pepper pieces, olive oil, and seasoned salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle pepper over the top. Toss to coat evenly. 

5. Push skewer through a piece of steak followed by a piece of shrimp in a "c" curve. Add a mushroom (carefully, they break easily) and piece of bell pepper. Repeat until skewers are mostly full, leaving 2" at the bottom to handle. 

 6. Grill on heated grill 4 minutes per side, or until shrimp is opaque and steak is cooked to desired doneness. Serve immediately.

Funeral Potatoes aka Cheesy Potato Casserole

This has always been one of my favorite dishes growing up. We usually had it with steak or ham, steamed veggies and salad. mmmm....Funny it's taken me this long to figure out how to replicate Mom's recipe. It's a comfort meal side dish, often served at funerals (hence its name) but you don't have to wait for someone to die before you make it. You can put the casserole together early, cover and refrigerate, and add 10 to 15 min to bake time. You could add diced ham or chopped chicken to make it a full, heartier meal. Makes 10 servings.

Funeral Potatoes aka Cheesy Potato Casserole

1 2-lb bag frozen shredded potatoes
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
2 c shredded cheese
2 c Corn Flakes cereal, crushed
2 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13" baking dish; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix melted butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, onion powder and shredded cheese until well combined. Stir in frozen potatoes until well mixed. Spread mixture on bottom of prepared 9x13 pan.
3. Mix crushed Corn Flakes and melted butter. Spread evenly over top of casserole. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes in center of casserole are cooked through.

SLOW COOKER

Follow recipe, except replace 9x13" dish with slow cooker pot. Place large paper towel under the lid of the slow cooker, cover and cook on HIGH heat for 4 hours.

Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll

I crave sushi fort nightly and it gets pretty pricey. The thought of making it myself has intimidated me far too long. These rolls were SO incredibly easy and delicious! Tempura style makes it 200x better. It's cheaper than a restaurant and just as good. Note that you have to cook the rice ahead of time so it can  mostly cool off. I only had one choice of seaweed wraps that I could find and thankfully they were awesome. Makes 6 rolls. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and a dollop of wasabi for dipping.

Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll

2 c Japanese sushi rice
2 c water
1/4 c brown sugar
6 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
6 seaweed sheets
8 oz smoked salmon, cut into long, thin strips and separated into 6 portions
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced thin and separated into 6 portions, optional
1/2 cucumber, peeled, sliced thin and separated into 6 portions
1/4 c 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cut into thin slices
wasabi sauce or paste, optical
soy sauce, for dipping

1. Cook rice in rice cooker or on stove according to directions with 2 c water and brown sugar. Add rice wine vinegar to hot rice. Spread on large plate to cool. Cut into 6 equal wedges like you would a pie.
2. If using bamboo mat, place plastic wrap on top of it. If not, just use plastic wrap. Place 1 seaweed sheet on plastic wrap. Place 1/6 of rice on top and press as flat as possible, leaving at least 1/2 inch on top and bottom uncovered for sealing. At this point you can carefully turn wrap over so the rice is on the outside (sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds first, if desired), or leave the rice on the inside. Add a line of salmon, avocado, if using, cucumber and cream cheese to the rice, close to the bottom for easier rolling. You could even add a thin line of wasabi to add some spice. Otherwise, serve a dab in your soy sauce for dipping.
3. Slightly wet top of seaweed with wet fingertips. Roll from bottom, closing as tightly as possible. Cut roll into pieces (about 10); repeat for all 6 sheets. Serve immediately.

Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

We love chicken nuggets! I found a delicious recipe my whole family loves, and they're somewhat healthy! You can prep the pieces and place on pan, cover in foil and refrigerate; uncover and bake later, adding 5 to 10 minutes to bake time. I found this beauty on allrecipes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs)
1 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 c butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line jelly roll pan and lightly grease with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Cut breasts into 1 1/2 inch pieces. In medium bowl or large zip-lock back, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Melt butter in microwave in microwave safe bowl.
3. Dip breast pieces in melted butter and coat in bread crumb mixture. Place in single layer on prepared jelly roll pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until pieces start to brown and center of largest piece is no longer pink in middle.

Beef Samosas

This is a beef and potato mixture with distinct Indian flavor rolled up and fried in a crispy outer shell. My kids got stuck on the Indian seasonings but loved the fried exterior. My husband wanted to marry them. If you like Indian food, you'll love these! You can make the filling ahead and fry right before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Beef Samosas

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 c frozen peas
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, or 1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 large onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 green chili pepper, seeded and diced
oil for frying
8-oz phyllo dough, defrosted

1. Bring medium saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Stir in potatoes and peas. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash together and set aside.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown cumin seeds or powder and crumbled bay leaf. Stir in onions and ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly browned and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, black pepper, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in the potato mixture. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and chili peppers; set aside.
3. Heat oil in large, heave saucepan over medium-high heat. If phyllo sheets are large, fold into fourths. Place 1 to 2 Tbsp mixture into each phyllo sheet, long and skinny and roll up.
4. In small batches, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Tuna

Gnocchi is super fast and easy to make and acts as a great noodle substitute. This creamy dish makes my mouth water just thinking about it! The tuna isn't overpowering and all flavors blend perfectly. From my BHandG Feb 2013 edition. YUM. Serves 4.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Tuna

1 16-oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi
4 c assorted mushrooms, small or chopped, such as shitake or cremini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c half and half
2 5-oz cans solid light tuna packed, drained an broken into chunks
1/4 c shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
fresh basil leaves, optional
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 1 1/2 qt au gratin dish; set aside.
2. In a large pot cook gnocchi in lightly salted water according to package directions; drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook mushrooms and garlic until tender. Stir in half-and-half. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 min, or until liquid begins to thicken. fold in gnocchi and tuna. Transfer to prepared dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil leaves, if desired, and crushed red pepper.

Early Eats: Prepare the casserole through step 3. Cover and chill up to 48 hours. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 12 minutes more or until lightly brown and heated through.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken and Mushroom Kabobs

My kids went crazy over these. They're supposed to serve 4 but we didn't have enough. If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out. My kids sure did. You can prepare the skewers and refrigerate ahead of time. Serve with rice pilaf and a steamed veggie.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken and Mushroom Kabobs

1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c ranch dressing
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp white sugar
8 oz mushrooms of your choice, sliced to about 1/2" thick
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1" cubes.
2. Place chicken pieces and mushrooms into marinade and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Place chicken pieces and mushrooms on skewers, alternating every other one (or however you wish). Discard marinade.
4. Lightly grease grill grate and preheat to medium heat. Grill skewers 8 to 12 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Italian Stuffed Chicken Breast

These were DIVINE. I don't normally love spinach, though Popeye might scoff, but it's delicious rolled up in this cheesy-goodness! My kids even gobbled it down. I used half a 10-oz package of frozen spinach and half a tub of ricotta cheese (I couldn't find a tub smaller than 16 oz). Then a few days later I emptied both containers into a lasagna mixture. Yummy! You can roll these up ahead of time and store them in the fridge, then bake them as directed when you're ready (it'll take 15 min longer to bake). Serve over pasta with crusty bread and a green vegetable. Serves 4.

Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz ricotta cheese
5 oz chopped spinach*
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c shredded cheese
4 toothpicks
1 16-oz jar marinara sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13" baking dish; set aside.
2. Pound breasts to 1/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper; set aside
3. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, egg, Parmesan cheese and 3/4 c shredded cheese. Flatten mixture in bowl and cut into 4 equal sections. Spoon each section over the breasts, roll up and secure with toothpick. Place carefully into greased 9x13" dish. Pour marinara sauce over breasts and sprinkle remaining cheese.
4. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear. I always cut the fattest one down the middle to see if the meat has any pink in it. The meat should be completely white. Enjoy!

* half of a 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, or 3/4 c fresh spinach

Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Imagine a chicken roll with thin-sliced ham and provolone smothered in a scrumptious mushroom sauce. mmmm...it is tasty. Serve over angel hair pasta, making sure to spoon on plenty of sauce. Perfection! I found this fabulous recipe on Bon Appétit. Serves 8.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 thin slices prosciutto
8 thin slices provolone cheese
32 fresh basil leaves
cooking twine or dental floss
3 Tbsp butter, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 c mixed mushrooms, chopped
2 c chicken broth
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp mixed fresh herbs, chopped

1. Grease 8x10 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Cut breast in half horizontally, keeping one long side attached. Open like a book. Pound until 1/4" thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place 2 slices prosciutto on top of pounded breast, overlapping and bending to fit with a 1/2" border. Top prosciutto with 2 slices of provolone. Layer 8 basil leaves over cheese, keeping the 1/2" border. Roll up chicken lengthwise and tie with twine or floss. Repeat with remaining 3 breasts. You can do this part ahead and store in refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 Tbsp butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook breasts (roulades) until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to greased 8x10 baking dish and cook in preheated oven 7-8 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in center reads 165 degrees. Chicken will be cooked through yet still juicy. Place roulades on large serving dish and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place skillet over medium high heat and melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add mushrooms and cook, turning once, until mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add broth and vinegar. Simmer until liquid is thickened and reduced, 10-12 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 Tbsp butter and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Cut twine off of roulades and discard. Cut into 1/2" slices. Drizzle mushroom sauce over top and serve immediately.

Meat and Veggie Lasagna

I love everything about lasagna from the layers of noodles to the cheesy-tomatoey goodness in between. This is simple yet healthy and delicious...and with ricatta cheese, which I don't really like. You can eat it with chunks of vegetable, or blend them in the sauce to hide them from the kids. I won't tell. Serves 8.

Meat and Veggie Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 zucchini, chopped
1 zucchini squash, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, shredded (optional)
garlic salt, to taste
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 c (or more) Parmesan cheese, divided
Shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on counter big enough to cover a 9x13 pan, about 1 1/2 feet. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions. When cooked al dente (soft yet firm at the core), lay flat on aluminum foil to cool, overlapping or criss-crossing where necessary.

CHUNKY VEGETABLE VERSION:
3. Cook meat and onions in extra large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until meat is browned. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini, yellow zucchini squash, mushrooms and carrots, if using. Sprinkle garlic salt on top of vegetables and stir, tasting and adding garlic salt until they taste good to you. This flavor will carry over in the end. Stir and cook until zucchini starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce. Add about a cup of warm water to the jar, replace the lid and shake to remove the rest of the sauce from the sides and add to skillet. Let sauce simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

VEGETABLES-IN-SAUCE VERSION:
3. Cook meat and onions in extra large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until meat is browned. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add zucchini, yellow zucchini squash, mushrooms and carrots, if using. Sprinkle garlic salt on top of vegetables and stir, tasting and adding garlic salt until they taste good to you. This flavor will carry over in the end.  Stir and cook until zucchini starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta sauce. Add about a cup of cold water to the jar, replace the lid and shake to remove the rest of the sauce from the sides and add to skillet. Add contents of skillet to food processor or blender. Blend until as chunky as desired.

4. Add a little sauce to a 9x13 pan, just enough to coat bottom. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over sauce, at least 1/4 c. Layer 4 noodles, overlapping a little. Add 1/3 of remaining sauce and spread evenly over noodles. Sprinkle a handful of mozzarella cheese. Repeat noodles, sauce, cheese. Lay the last 4 noodles, the last of the sauce, and other handful or 2 of cheese. Then sprinkle remaining 1/4 c Parmesan cheese on top.
5. Use aluminum foil the noodles were on to cover 9x13 dish; bake covered in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted.

CAN DO AHEAD: You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time (steps 1-4) and cover with aluminum foil; place in refrigerator. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted.