Christmas Morning Quiche

There's no reason you can't have a nice breakfast on Christmas morning without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Quiche is a tasty dish that is sure to please. The best part is quiche can be made a day or two ahead, frozen, then reheated and it still tastes fresh and filling. Serve with cranberry muffins and fresh fruit such as cantaloupe or a fruit medley of pineapple, bananas, and peaches.
My sister shared this quiche recipe with me a few years ago and I've recreated it numerous times with variations in ingredients. My favorites are broccoli with cheddar and sausage with green chili's. You can experiment on your own to see what makes your taste buds dance. Do share when you come up with something super extraordinary!

Quiche

9" deep dish pastry shell
8 ounces bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 (10 oz.) frozen, chopped spinach cooked and drained (about 5/8 cup)
1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
3 eggs slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake pastry shell for 7 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.
In a medium skillet, cook sausage, green onions, and garlic over medium high heat until sausage is done, stirring occasionally. Drain sausage mixture, stir in spinach and stuffing mix. Sprinkle cheese then sausage mixture into the pastry shell.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs and half & half with a whisk until mixed well but not frothy. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in the pastry shell.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes until done.

Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes, cut and serve.

To freeze:
Let it cool completely, cover with saran wrap and aluminum foil and put it in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, remove from freezer. Remove aluminum foil and saran wrap, replace aluminum foil put on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, remove aluminum foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Variations:
1. Replace the sausage, spinach, and monterey jack cheese with 1 cup steamed, strained broccoli and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese.
2. Remove the spinach and the garlic and add 1 small can of roasted diced green chili's.

Break an Egg with your own variations, and don't forget to share with the rest of your friends on the world wide web!

Best Cup of Joe

I just have to say that I absolutely LOVE visiting my two favorite coffee houses. This morning I stopped by the Coyote's Coffee Den in Canon City, CO and got my usual dark roast coffee with a little hazelnut and a tiny bit of cream. I splurged today and also got one of their oh-so-delicious blueberry scones! (what I wouldn't give to get my hands on that recipe) There is rarely a time when my coffee isn't exactly the way I like it, especially when my favorite waitress, Rachel, is working! She always knows exactly what I want and will even question me if I have a slip of tongue and ask for a different flavoring than I regularly order. Coyote's Coffee Den always has fresh pastries, quiche, sandwiches and soups. Their blueberry scones are so moist, with a hint of citrus zest that makes them so irresistible! They are located in Canon City, CO on Justice Center Road just off Highway 50. If you're in the area I highly recommend you stop in for a visit, you won't be disappointed.

My other favorite coffee house, The Pour House Coffee Bar, is up the road in Florence, CO. The Pour House Coffee Bar aims to please, and they really know their coffee. They bake all their own breads, pastries, and soups and if you're lucky you could score a warm blueberry scone or cookie as they're coming right out of the oven!

So if you're in the area, Break an Egg, at Coyote's Coffee Den or the The Pour House Coffee Bar for delicious coffee and pastries!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is no doubt that chocolate chip cookies are the favorite cookie in our household. The recipe I used was usually the one on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. One day I decided that if we were going to continue to consume so many cookies, I needed to find a 'healthier' chocolate chip recipe with less fat and sugar. Eventually I came across a recipe on a Land O Lakes butter package and kept tweaking it until I came up with a little healthier cookie without sacrificing the taste. Here is the tweaked recipe I use now:

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until light golden brown. (Do NOT over bake). Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Removed from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Tip:
Fresh baked cookies on the spur of the moment! Make this dough, put it in a plastic tub and freeze it. When you want to bake a few cookies, remove tub from freezer and let thaw for 10-15 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop and scoop dough from tub, round into balls, and bake as directed above. Put remaining dough back into the freezer to use for your next warm cookie craving!

It may be midnight, but it's never to late to Break an Egg!

Sugar Cookies

Christmas is a favorite time to bake cookies. Sugar cookies are easy to mix up and fun to decorate. This is the recipe I love to use. Most sugar cookies are thin and crunchy. I prefer to roll them a little thicker so they are soft and chewy. Either way, they are always a delightful treat!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cup flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together the butter and sugar until creamed. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix together and chill for about 30 minutes. Roll sections of the dough out on a lightly floured surface (roll to 1/4 inch for crunchy cookies, 1/2 inch for softer cookies), and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Let cool and decorate.

Makes about 40 cookies depending on the size of the cookie cutters and how thick you roll your dough.

Tip:
These cookies are great with or without icing. You can also sprinkle colored granulated sugar on them before you bake them to save time and still have some decoration.

Remember, Break an Egg, you'll be glad you did!

Score Brownie Points with Homemade Crescent Rolls

Growing up I had the chore honor of making the crescent rolls for Thanksgiving each year. Looking back, it seemed like a lot of time-consuming work. However, the reward of freshly baked bread hot out of the oven was oh sooooo worth it! I don't recall where I got the recipe I used year after year, but it was a keeper.
This past week, digging through old cookbooks and index cards, I came across that very Crescent Roll recipe and I just had to put a batch together to see if they were as tasty as I had remembered.
Yep! Without a doubt the BEST crescent roll recipe ever! And oh so easy! Much easier than I had remembered. Of course when you're a teenager, lots of things are harder than they really need to be. :)
This recipe is a sure bet if you're trying to find a way to a man's heart or just want to impress family and friends at dinner. They'll be asking for your rolls for years to come!

Easy Homemade Crescent Rolls

1 pkg. yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup really warm water (following the directions on the back of the yeast package, proof the yeast to be sure it is active by adding 1 tsp. sugar. Stir and let set for 10 minutes. If it foams and doubles in size, it is active. If not, try another pack of yeast before continuing.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk (scalded and cooled)
1/2 cup oil

Add the above ingredients together and mix well with 4 cups unsifted flour (you don't need to knead the dough with your hands, just mix with a spoon until it is well combined). Cover and let stand to rise until double in size, about an hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 balls. Roll out each ball to the size of a pie crust and 1/4 inch thick. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece from the wide end to the narrow end and place on a lightly greased baking sheet spacing them about one inch apart. Lightly grease some saran wrap and gently lay it over the rolls then cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about 2 hours until almost doubled in size.
Lightly brush rolls with melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip:
This dough is also good for light and fluffy cinnamon rolls! Roll the dough into a square or rectangle, cut into approximately 3x8 inch strips, brush lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (pre-mix 1 Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar), roll the strips up and place on end on lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise until double in size. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Homemade pie crust is a cinch with this easy recipe.

For a single 9" crust:                                       For a double 9" crust:

1 cup flour                                                      1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt                                                    1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter, softened but not melted           1/2 cup butter
2-3 Tbsp. cold water                                       4-5 Tbsp. cold water

Mix the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl (you can also use a food processor which is so much easier). Cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it resembles course crumbs. Add the water and mix until the dough follows the spoon around the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly flour surface and lightly knead the dough. If you mixed dough for a double crust pie, divide the dough into two balls. Roll each ball into a 9" circle. If you used a food processor to mix your dough, wrap the dough with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let the butter harden a little.

Now get out that apron, and Break an Egg!

Favorite Griddle Cakes

There was a time in my childhood where griddle cakes (pancakes for the generation-x group) were a Sunday morning tradition. Occasionally, they were good for dinner too! This recipe has been passed down for many generations in my family. You just can't beat homemade Griddle Cakes with real maple syrup!

Favorite Griddle Cakes

1 1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt with a wire whisk. Add the egg, oil, and milk. Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. The batter may be a little lumpy, that's OK.
Heat a griddle on medium high heat. When the griddle is ready, use a half cup measure and pour batter onto griddle. You can do several griddle cakes at one time, just leave enough room for the griddle cakes to expand some. Let them cook until you see bubbles start to burst in the batter, about 45 seconds to a minute. Flip the pancake and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Griddles may vary in temperature so slide the spatula under part of the pancake to see if it is starting to brown, if not, give it a few more seconds before you flip it.

Lather in butter and syrup and enjoy!!

Remember, if you Break an Egg.... be sure to remove all the shells!

Best Banana Bread

I learned at a very early age how to cook and bake. I was fortunate to have a mother who was intent on instilling in her daughters (my sister and I) the essentials of being a homemaker. My sister soaked it up, I on the other hand fought it tooth and nail from every fiber of my 'tom-boy' being! The only skills I continue to hone from those early childhood lessons is the cooking and baking. The sewing, knitting, quilting, never took root in me and I can't say as I've had any regrets!

One of my all-time favorite recipes is my mother's Banana Bread recipe. It's an extremely easy, no-fail recipe that everyone should have in their recipe index. I hope you enjoy this traditional family favorite as much as I do. The italicized ingredients in blue text will offer a healthier version of this recipe for those watching their waistline!

Best Banana Bread

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup sugar)
1/2 cup softened butter (1/4 cup softened butter + 1/4 cup natural applesauce)
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan and set it aside.

Mix the flour, soda, and baking powder in a large bowl with a whisk. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix the sugar and butter together until it resembles course crumbs. In another bowl, mash the bananas (if you are using the healthier version, add the applesauce to the bananas at this point). Add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Then add the banana mixture (and nuts) and stir until you have it all combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the bread. It is done if the toothpick comes out almost clean and the bread comes away from the sides of the pan. If you are using the healthier version of the recipe, test it after 45 minutes.

Let it cool on a wire rack for about 20-30 minutes, run a knife along the edges of the pan and gently turn it upside down on the rack to release it from the pan. Let it cool almost completely, slice, and spread on a dab of butter and enjoy!

Tip #1:
If you have bananas that are turning brown, but you aren't ready to make your bread yet, put them in the freezer in their skins. When you are ready to use them, let them thaw for 20-30 minutes, you want them to still be a little firm and not mushy. If they are too cold they will harden your butter and your batter won't have the right consistence. If they are too thawed they are hard to get out of their skins.

Tip #2:
Mash your bananas with a magic bullet. This will make your batter smooth and it's easier than mashing them with a fork.

Until next time, go Break an Egg!