Egg "Muffins"

Do you ever stumble upon an idea that is just so simple and wonderful that you smack your yourself saying "Duh! Why have I never thought of that?" Well, I had one of those moments this past weekend as I was trying to decide what to bring into my bible study class at church. I found and pinned a great idea on Pinterest, but unfortunately, it didn't have the recipe attached, so I googled it and read many recipes and they all were different. I knew that I wanted my little egg muffins to be all egg, and no bread, so I just decided to wing it. Here is what I came up with. The picture is what started this whole recipe search as I forgot to take a picture of my egg muffins.

Egg "Muffins"
Cooking Spray
9 eggs
1/3 cup milk
Salt and Pepper
Mix ins- Cooked Sausage, diced veggies (bell pepper, onion, broccoli, spinach, whatever make you happy), cooked and crumbled bacon, ham, diced chicken......
Shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally spray your muffin tin. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Place your mix in ingredients in the bottom of each muffin spot. Pour eggs over the mix in ingredients, filling them up 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out without egg on it. Cool on wire racks for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and carefully lift each egg muffin out.

I made sausage and cheese and then also a "Denver" egg muffin, which has ham, bell pepper, onion and cheese. They were both amazing!

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I found this great recipe on Pinterest. I spent quite a bit of time clicking through Kevin & Amanda - the blog that posted the original recipe. I have found several recipes that I can't wait to try.  I love finding new sources for recipes. If the rest of the recipes are as tasty as this one, Kevin & Amanda is a blog worthy of  notice!

Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into slices
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

I have decided to make an effort to try a new recipe each week that I find on Pinterest. Otherwise, why bother spend any time pinning things that I do not make? This is my recipe this week. The original recipe can be found here at Chef-in-Training. This is a really good recipe. My whole family really enjoyed the sweet yet savory sauce that you make for the chicken. My only negative comment on this recipe is that it calls for a whole cup of honey. Due to the high cost of honey, this recipe will not be made as often as I would like. It is a really tasty dish, I am just a cheap skate!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
2 lbs. chicken breasts (I used tenders)
Salt and Pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 Tbsp diced onion
4 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tbsp water
Sesame Seeds

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a well sprayed crock pot. In a small bowl combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken form crock pot, leave sauce behind. Pour cornstarch mixture in crock pot, stir to combine. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for 15-20  minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut the chicken into chunks and return to crock pot and toss before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Homemade Smoothies aka "Swoofies"

Recently I made this cute little guy his first smoothie. He really dug it and kept asking me for more "swoofies"....I really am sunk with this one, he is so cute! This is more of a method than a recipe, so feel free to substitute for your families tastes.

Homemade Smoothies

Yogurt- anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups, depending upon how many servings you desire

Frozen fruit- any amount you desire

2-3 spoonfuls of sugar

Milk- about half of the quantity of the yogurt

You can also add a banana, but my boys aren't fans of the banana flavor

You can also add additional ice, especially if using fresh fruit.

Put all your ingredients in a blender and blend! Serve with a bendy straw!

Honey Ginger Salmon

We were going to grill this weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. It rained cats and dogs! So my new recipe that we were going to try on the grill, I instead threw into the oven. It came out really tasty! I am not a huge salmon fan, because it is very "fishy" tasting to me, but this was not fishy tasting at all. It had a really nice oriental flavor. We will most definitely keep this one in mind when we want fish- on the grill or from the oven!

Honey Ginger Salmon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

1-2 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. salmon fillets

Combine in a large zip lock bag the first 6 ingredients, mix well. Place salmon in bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from marinade. If baking in the oven: just  pour the salmon and the marinade in a well sprayed 13x9 inch baking dish.  Bake in a 425° oven for 25 minute or until fish flakes easily. If grilling: drain and reserve marinade. Lightly oil grill rack and preheat grill to medium. Grill the salmon for 12-15 minutes, brushing with the marinade every 5 minutes until the fish flakes easily.

Super Easy Bread Sticks

Whenever my family eats pasta, we like to have these bread sticks to dip in the sauce and to use as an extra utensil. They are popular with my family on Italian night, I imagine they will be with yours.

Super Easy Bread Sticks
1 1/2 cups water (105°-115°)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
 3-4 1/2 cups flour
In a mixer, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let it stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away and barely sticks to your finger. Spray a metal bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled. Remove from bowl to a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle- cut into strips. Roll into a snake and twist into bread sticks. Place on sprayed cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Bake  15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt if you desire- we usually do!

Pork Chop Potato Casserole

This is comfort food. Perfect to take to a shut in or a new mommy. In fact, that is where I came across this recipe. It isn't glamour food, so it gets shuffled to the back most times, but this humble one pan meal is a winner!

Pork Chop Potato Casserole
4-6 pork chops (boneless and about 1/2 inch thick)
1/2 tsp. season salt
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 can cream of celery soup- or cream of chicken
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 package frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 cup cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can french fried onions

Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt. Brown chops on both sides in oil. In a large bowl, combine soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir in hash browns, 3/4 of the cheese and half of the onions. Spoon into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Arrange chops on top. Cover and bake at 350 ° for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining onions and cheese on top. Bake, uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender, cheese is melted and meat juices run clear.

Hamburger Sliders

I love to eat tiny sandwiches. They are so cute, and usually they are just the right amount for me. Don't get me wrong, I love a big honking cheeseburger just as much as you do, but it usually makes my gut ache afterwards. These cute little sliders are simply wonderful. They are easy, fast and pretty easy on my budget. And, my boys LOVE them!

Hamburger Sliders

2 pkgs. small rolls- we have used some from the deli or Kings Hawaiian Rolls

1 lb. 93% lean ground beef

1 lb. 85 % ground beef

Lawry's Seasoning salt

pepper

Spray a 13x9 in. baking dish with cooking spray. Combine meat and press into an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle with the seasoning salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Blot with paper towel to remove grease. Put cheese slices on top and cook until melted. Cut into 24 squares and serve on rolls

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This recipe is so good. Really good. I almost didn't share it....just kidding! My sweet friend Rhonda found this one on allrecipes a few years back. I made it and loved it then, but it got lost in all of my moves that I have made since then! I came across it again on Pinterest and I made it for Easter this year. I brought back on empty pan! It really is tasty!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups crushed pretzels
2 1/4 tablespoons white sugar
2 1/4 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (6 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together the pretzels, sugars and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Make sure you spread to all edges.  Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely set.
I have the best results when I make this the night before. This dish will not last past two days or so due to sogginess.

Asian Beef Noodles

This is one of those meals that I turn to when the cupboards are getting a little thin. I almost always have ground beef in the freezer. I also keep Ramen noodles in the pantry.

I have 4 boys who eat everything. Ramen is a good thing to keep in my pantry! I digress.

Not only is this recipe made of things that I keep hanging around, it is quite tasty.

Asian Beef Noodles
1 lb. ground beef
2 pkgs. Oriental flavored ramen noodles, divided
2 cups water
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I get the stir fry version, because it has what my boys will eat)
2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions

In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Remove to a bowl, season with one seasoning packet. Set aside. Drain drippings from pan. In same skillet combine water, vegetables, noodles (broken up), and the remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until noodles and veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Return beef to skillet. Add green onions. Heat thoroughly.
* My boys like to eat this with chow mein noodles for the crunch.

Great Cheap Bathroom Cleaner

I have once again moved my little family- the third time in three years. I have picked up a few tips and tricks about moving and cleaning up the place that you are leaving. This year I found this little gem of a cleaner for your bathrooms- specifically  the shower stalls and tubs. It really can't be any simpler than this. 2 ingredients. Just two. Vinegar and Dawn dish soap. That is it. If the vinegar smell is something that bothers you, either decrease the amount, or just open the window. But, despite the strong vinegar smell, this is a great cleaner. I am going to keep right on using it.....right after I open the window!

Shower Cleaner
12 oz. white vinegar
12 oz. Blue Dawn dish soap
Microwave the vinegar until it is hot and pour into an empty spray bottle. Add the dish soap, gently shake to combine.




*photo and recipe courtesy of food.com