Breakfast Casserole

Another great recipe from Chickens in the Road.  I could have just made eggs, bacon and toast with butter this morning.  Everyone likes that, well almost everyone.  Instead I decided to make this most delicious casserole, but kids are weird.  Just plain old weird.  This casserole has all the same ingredients you would get with buttered toast, bacon and scrambled eggs with cheese.  I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin' it is the same thing just in a different shape.  Some children looked at it like it was from Mars.  I think it is delicious. Super Yummy.  I'll say it again, kids are weird.

You could easily prep the day before baking, cooking bacon, cutting bread, grating cheese and then just throw it together in the morning. 

Place bread in 3 quart baking dish and toss with butter.

Now toss the buttered bread cubes with cheese.

Mix together sour cream, eggs and milk.  Pour over bread, mashing down a little to be sure to get all the pieces wet. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top and cover with aluminum foil.

Here is the finished product!  All puffed up with cheesy, buttery, bacony goodness.

Ultimate Breakfast Casserole

• 4 cups cubed bread, I used homemade white bread
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 2 c. cheese, I used Mexican blend
• 8 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 pound bacon, fried and chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Spray a 3 quart or 13x9 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Spread cubed bread in pan.  Toss with melted butter.  Now toss with cheese. Combine eggs, milk and sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.  Go light on the salt...bacon is already salty. Pour over bread cubes, pushing the cubes down slightly to be sure all pieces are wet. Sprinkle chopped bacon over the top. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. If you like vegetables for breakfast, you could easily toss in diced onion and green peppers with the eggs before pouring over the bread.  You could really add anything you want. 

Easy Orange Chicken

My second born chick loves Panda Express Orange Chicken.  She usually picks Panda for her birthday lunch.  I found this sauce at Costco and was quickly coerced into buying it.

Here is my version of orange chicken.  The first thing you may notice is that there is no breading and the chicken is not deep fried.  True, I didn't deep fry the chicken, it was a hit none the less.  I will say it was a little spicy for the pickiest of eaters, but he did choke down a few bites.

Orange Chicken

• 1 jug Panda Orange Chicken sauce
• Chicken tenders, enough to feed your crew
• Salt and Pepper
• Steamy hot white rice
• About 3 T. canola oil

Rinse chicken tenders in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tenders.  Place oil in frying pan and heat on medium high heat.  Place chicken tenders in the pan, not touching (you may have to do batches if you are making a lot), and brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown other side, cooking through.  If doing multiple batches, just set cooked chicken on plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Once you are done cooking chicken, return all chicken to pan on medium low heat. Pour in desired amount of orange sauce and cook just until sauce is hot. Serve over steamed rice.

My Favorite Sugar Cookie!

I found this recipe at Savory Sweet Life. These are now my favorite sugar cookies ever!  Crisp and sweet.  My daughter whipped these up this afternoon for Bible Study. 

Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup salted butter
• 1-1/4 c. sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup demerara, coarse sugar crystals or regular granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar until it is nice and creamy. Mix in 1 egg yolk at a time and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt until cookie dough is completely mixed. Be sure to scrape down the bowl to be sure everything is mixed. Using a medium scoop, form dough balls and roll them in sugar crystals. Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 2 inches apart from one another. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges just start to brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to remain on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Cheese Burger Soup

This is one tasty, hearty soup.  Excuse my terrible photography skills.  I am a work in progress.

Please serve Cheese Burger soup and any other meal at your table with The Perfect Dinner Roll.

Every one at our house loves this soup.  Even Rowdy Jr. the pickiest eater next to my good friend in Mississippi likes this soup.  Now I am not picking on my friend....just givin' her a shout out so that she knows we still love her California.  This is another great recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Cheeseburger Soup

• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 red onion, diced fine
• 2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups chicken broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
• 8 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 cups milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream

In a 5-qt. Dutch oven or similar pot, brown beef with onion, parsley and basil. Drain off excess fat. Add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter. Add flour, making a roux; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add about a cup of milk and whisk until smooth.  Add to soup pot and bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add remaining milk, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Once this is mixed well, remove from heat and add in sour cream and stir until melted and well combined. 

Pecan Pie Muffins...for pecan pie lovers only.

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3rds full.  This recipe makes between 8 and 10 muffins.

These delicious little babies have no leavening agent except the eggs.  As a result they will just rise to be level with the muffin cup.

I found this recipe at PW's Tasty Kitchen.  My husband's favorite pie is pecan pie so I knew I had to try these.  These are not to be messed with.  Don't change a thing.

Pecan Pie Muffins

• 
  
  1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 
  
  ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 
  
  1 cup Chopped Pecans
• 
  
  ⅔ cups Softened Butter
• 
  
  2 whole Eggs Beaten

Preheat oven 350 F.  Grease your muffin pan well.  In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  This made 10 muffins for me, but this will vary depending on the size of your muffin pan and how much batter you put in each cup.

I have a feeling serving these as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be amazing!

The Second Writing Lesson...more laughs, more samples.

Killer Blobs

By

Carley

The sea wasp is the most venomous jelly fish whose poisoning ability is greater than any snake. Sea wasps search for their food, which is shrimp, near the beach. The creatures are so deadly that when a person is stung they have only seconds to stagger to shore before they drop down dead. They are mostly transparent so they are hard to see. You will not find sea wasps in the oceans of the U.S. or Europe because they are only in Australia's ocean. This blob uses neurotoxin to kill at least 50 people. They are sometimes called the most deadly creatures on earth. These blobs are killing machines.

The Neurotoxic Blob

By

Hannah

The sea wasp is the most venomous jellyfish alive, which has a poisoning ability greater than any snake. They search for shrimp along the shore near swimmers, who if stung by this deadly venom will stagger only long enough to get to shore before they die. They are almost transparent so they are very hard to see. In the oceans of America and Europe you will not find them for they are only in the waters near Australia. This blob of neurotoxin which can kill over fifty people is the deadliest creature alive. No one should want to meet a sea wasp.

Raisin Bran Muffins

These were so yummy!  All the kids loved them, except the one who wouldn't try them becuase they had Raisins!

Raisin Bran Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup demerara, turbinado or sugar
• 3 cups Kellogg's Raisin Bran® cereal
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or shortening

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.  Measure KELLOGG'S Raisin Bran and milk into mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and vegetable oil. Beat well.  Add flour mixture to cereal mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion batter evenly into twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400° F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.