Saturday, June 27, 2009

Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

We were introduced to this recipe by my cousin Melissa, who obtained it from the Rock Cottage Bed and Breakfast website

Totally decadent and oh. so. good. Try it, I guarantee you'll make this for company.

Serves: 8-10

Ingrediants
8 oz brie cheese
1 lb hot pork sausage, ground
6 slices white bread
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
7 large eggs, divided
3 cups whipping cream, divided
2 cups fat-free milk
1 Tbsp sage, chopped fresh or 1 teas dried
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp dry mustard
Green onion, chopped for garnish

Instructions
Trim and discard rind from top of Brie. Cut cheese into cubes; set aside. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until crumbled and no longer pink; drain well.

Cut crusts from bread slices, and place crusts evenly in bottom of a lightly greased 13 X 9- inch baking dish. Layer evenly with bread slices, sausage, Brie, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Whisk together 5 eggs, 2 cups whipping cream, and next 4 ingredients; pour evenly over cheeses. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Whisk together remaining 2 eggs and 1 cup whipping cream; pour evenly over chilled mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set. Garnish, if desired.

*Substitute 2 cups ( 8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese , if desired.

Sugar and Spice and everything nice Pork Tenderloin

Another one of the recipes my mom has used. This recipe also meets my sweet and salty needs. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, be careful because this one is firey!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious's Island Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Ingrediants
2 ½ lbs Pork Tenderloin

Rub:
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco

Directions

Cook at 350°F.

Rub: Combine salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon.

Pork Glaze: Combine brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco.

Both the Rub and the Glaze can be prepared in advance.

Cover the pork with the Rub. Brown pork in a skillet (approximately 5 minutes). Cover the tenderloin with the glaze. Transfer the skillet to the Oven. Cook for 25 minutes, let stand for 10 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

This is the sugar cookie recipe mom has been using for the last few years. I will have to come back and add a link and credit for the recipe source. Mom, do you have that information?

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour

Confectioners' SUGAR ICING INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sifted Confectioners' sugar (I never sifted the sugar)
1 - 2 tablespoons low-fat milk, warmed
Assorted food coloring

FOR COOKIES:

Beat butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egges and vanilla. Beat well. Stir in flour. Cover and chill at least 1 hour - preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Working with a little of the dough at a time,r oll it out on a floured surfact to about 1/8 inch thickness. Keep remaining dough chilled. Cut with desired cooke cutters and transfer carefully to an ungreased baking sheet spacing an inch apart. If there is enough rom in your refrigerator, chill baking sheets for 5 minutes before baking. This helps cocokies retain their shape if you've ovverworked the dough or the kitchen is hot.

Place cookies in oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on racks.

TO DECORATE:
If you use "edible paint", do so before baking. If you are using colored sugars, bursh cookies with a little egg white before sprinkling on decoration. If you are going to frost with a powedered sugar icing, bake cookies first.

FOR CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR ICING:
Combine 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons or more warm low-fat mil until desired consistency. Tint, if desired, with food coloring. You can also add a dash of almond flavoring, if desired. If frosting gets too runny, add more sugar.

FOR EDIBLE ICING:
Mix 2 egg yolks and 1/2 tsp water in a small bowl. Divide mixture among several small cups. Tint each cup witha different fod coloring. Paint cookies with small, clean, new paint brushes. If pain thickens up, add a little water. Then bake as directed.

Have FUN!

Chicken pasta salad with pine nuts

This is one of my Mom's recipes. It is easy to make and healthy. I always leave the table satisfied.

Ingrediants
1 lb Penne pasta
5 cloves of garlic
1 bunch scallions/green onions
Fresh basil
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 pound chicken breast
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Feta Cheese
Pine Nuts (Not Chinese pine nuts, they leave a bad aftertaste for weeks)

Instructions
1) Cook pasta (save a little bit of pasta water for "juice")
2) Chop garlic, scallions and basil. Set aside.
3) Slice grape tomatoes in half
4) Cube chicken into 1 or 2" pieces. Cook in pan with olive oil
5) Saute the garlic and onions in a little of Olive oil - don't cook with real high heat. You don't want the garlic to get brown and toasty
6) Add the basil and stir
7) Throw in the cooked chicken
8) Add the pasta and mix it all together
9) Add the tomatoes
10) Add pine nuts and feta cheese at the table.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Flying Jacob aka Flygande Jacob

Carin made this for a party while I was in Sweden several years ago and I fell in love. The combination of bacon, peanuts, cream and bananas meet all of my sweet and salty needs. It sounds a little odd, but give it a try because it sure is tasty!

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chickens
4 bananas
1 ½ cups (4 dl) whipping cream
3/4 cup(2 dl) chili sauce
1 package bacon
1/2 cup(1 dl) salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (225 degrees Celsius)
2. Cut up bacon into small pieces and fry
3. Remove meat from chicken in small chunks. place in casserole dish. (salt and pepper to taste)
4. Slice bananas and layer over chicken
5. Layer bacon and peanuts over the bananas
6. Whip the cream and mix with the chili sauce. Layer over bacon and peanuts
7. Bake for 20 minutes.

8. Serve with a salad and boiled rice.

Mom's Banana Bread

DSC01837

I love my mom's banana bread. Here's the recipe:

Ingrediants
1/2 cup butter (113 grams), softened
1 cup sugar (2.4 dl)
2 eggs
2 cups flour (4.8 dl)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 mashed bananas (I often use four) The riper the banana, the more "banana-y" it will taste
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (i never use walnuts) I have used chocolate chips on occasion.

Directions
Grease one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan or two small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 250 F (or 121 C) degrees (I think the secret is cooking the bread for a long time at a low oven setting).

Combine butter, sugar. Cream mixture. Add eggs and bananas. Blend well. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until lightly browned.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Super Peanut Buttery Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is my peanut butter cookie recipe. I didn't make it up on my own, but I combined two or three different peanut butter cookie recipes using the different elements that I liked, and then adapted a little more. I hope you all enjoy them.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Mexican is best)
1/2 jar reduced fat peanut butter or reeses peanut butter
½ jar natural peanut butter (with salt)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
Milk chocolate Ghirardelli chips or hershey kisses unwrapped

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
1. Mix butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Stir in peanut butter.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, stir in the peanut butter chips. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

3. Roll dough into small balls. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should look dry on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool completely on a rack. These cookies taste great when slightly undercooked.

4. Add chocolates to the tops while the cookies are still warm.

Family Recipe Blog!

I've tried, unsucessfully, for years to get my family to send me their favorite recipes so I can create a family recipe book. Hopefully this medium will be a little easier for them to get on board with.

Come on guys! Post your favorite recipes!

Later, as we make the dishes we can post pictures.