Miranda's Breakfast Casserole

For those of you who were lucky enough to enjoy the nice brunch after Carol and Denis' "non-farewell" you probably agree when I say, "I know that I could have eaten a whole pan of this!"  Thanks Miranda for sharing the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb breakfast sausage
3 c shredded potatoes
1/4 c butter, melted
12 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c onion, chopped
6 jumbo eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.  In a deep skillet, cook sausage until evenly brown.  Drain, crumble and set aside.  In the prepared baking dish, stir together potatoes, and butter.  Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture, creating a "crust".  In a bowl, mix the sausage, cheese, onion and eggs.  Pour over the potato mixture.  Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean.  Let cook 5 minutes before serving.

As you saw, Miranda had all sorts of fabulous options, so feel free to adapt to your tastes!

Simple Whole Wheat Bread

This is easy and REALLY good. I made three loaves today and we already ate one loaf and have started on the second one.



Ingredients:
3 cups warm water
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

DirectionsIn a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch. Bake at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Fish Tacos

I am not usually a fish taco fan. Infact I have always thought they sounded horrible. BUT for some reason when I stumbled across this recipe, I thought I'd give it a try. And boy am I glad I did... It was REALLY good!

2 pounds Tilapia
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cabbage, sliced thin
Salsa or pico de gallo
white sauce (recipe to follow)
Corn tortillas
Limes

Line a small baking sheet with foil. Place the fish down on the sheet and sprinkle with the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and half a lime. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until fish is flaky. While the fish is baking, make the white sauce.

White Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Whisk all ingredients together. Set aside.

Cook corn tortillas on a skillet lightly coated in oil (I use my griddle and cook 4 at a time with butter). Once the fish is baked, shred the fish with two forks. Assemble tacos. Tortilla, fish, cabbage, white sauce, salsa and fresh lime.

Fish and Seasonings..........

Fish..........

White Sauce.......

Yummy Tacos......

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

This is really good and easy to make. It has a sweet taste with a little spice.

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded

Stir together honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder until combined. Add chicken and let sit in marinade for at least 30 minutes.

2 (10-ounce) cans green enchilada sauce (I used Stokes brand.... One regular and one ranchero)
1 cup half and half
flour tortillas
shredded Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese

Mix enchilada sauce with half and half. Spread roughly 3/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish. Fill flour tortillas with marinated chicken and shredded cheese, roll-up, then place side-by-side in baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

An easy dish to prepare ahead of time and quick to make. Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans to make the meal complete.

Candy Corn Cups

Don't blink-you may miss the instructions.

It's that easy.

1 pkg of orange jello

1 pkg of vanilla pudding

1 carton Cool-Whip

Make the jello according to package directions.  Depending on your preference, pour into individual servings or into a large glass bowl.  Again, according to your preference, fill about 1/4 to 1/3 full.  Place into the fridge to set.  Make the pudding according to package directions.  Add a few drops of yellow food coloring.  (Oddly enough-"good" brand pudding is whitish.  But the off-brand is pretty yellow to begin with...)  When the jello is set, add a layer of pudding.  Top with a big 'ole dollop of whipped cream.  Serve.

If you are making 64 of these babies, you will need about 6 packages each of jello and pudding.  I wish I didn't know that...

Southwest Crockpot Chicken Dinner

This is the easiest of recipes and it is sooo good....

In a crockpot layer:

1 small bag of frozen corn or 2 cans drained corn
1 can black beans-you don't have to drain them
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large jar medium salsa

Let this cook all day and shred the chicken before serving. In a bowl put chips (corn, fritos, whatever you have), then chicken mixture and top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream. I like the medium salsa. If you use mild, you loose some of the flavor and the medium doesn't make it too hot. You can also serve this stuff as burritos.

Nutty Granola

This is super easy to make and yummy. I love to put some on my yogurt.

8 cups oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups chopped Almonds (I used roasted Almonds)

1 cup wheat germ

2 cups rice crispies cereal

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup oil

2 Tbsp vanilla (I have als used Almond Extract. Both are very good)

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Heat honey, brown sugar, water, and oil in a saucepan till sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla and pour over oat mixture. Stir till well coated. Divide between 2 greased 15x10" cookie sheets with sides. Bake at 275 for one hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Cool and store in airtight container. You can also add raisins, dates, craisins, or any other dried fruit after the granola is cool.

Notes:

--You can use all honey or all brown sugar, this is just the combination my family likes.

--I use extra virgin coconut oil in this recipe because it is really good for you. It speeds your metabolism, strengthens your immune system, reduces your risk of heart disease.