Monthly Archives: December 2013

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Posted in breakfast, the important stuff, things we like to eat by

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In case you are planning your Christmas menu, I thought now would be a great time to share this recipe with you.  I started making this recipe for our family probably 15 years ago.  With three small children wanting to open gifts and play with toys and two hungry adults wanting to enjoy a nice breakfast, this was the perfect solution.  I’m really not sure where I got the recipe, but we all love it.

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You make this dish the day/night before and put it in the refrigerator.  It is cooked the next day, so it is simple if you’re expecting guests or you are busy opening presents! We serve ours with cinnamon rolls and fruit.  This year I am going to make these shortcut cinnamon rolls.

I love to set the table for Christmas morning during the day on Christmas Eve, so everything is all set and looking festive on Christmas morning.

This past weekend we were going on a family hike before church on Sunday, so on Saturday I decided to make this dish.  It was weird because I normally ONLY make this dish on Christmas.  It was delicious and perfect to have ready when we got home from our hike and it made me wonder why I don’t make this recipe more often.

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Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

4 cups of shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
10 eggs
8 pieces of cooked bacon,chopped
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 milk
4or 5 green onions, chopped
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of additional shredded cheese for top of casserole

Mix all the ingredients together except the 1/2 cup of cheese. Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan. Top with the shredded cheese. Cover and put into refrigerator overnight. Let sit on counter for 5 to 10 minutes and then bake uncovered at 325* for about 45 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.

Cindy

Tuscan Bean Soup

Posted in main dishes, things we like to eat by

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I love soup and I love beans so this recipe is perfect in every way. I found the original recipe on The Pioneer Woman website, but I changed it dramatically. I just made this again the other day, and I think it might be one of my favorite soup recipes.

You can make it with sausage or not.  I did a batch for some friends that don’t eat meat, so I just left it out.  My friend sent me a text asking for the recipe yesterday, so I guess they liked it.  Yay!   With or without meat – this soup is delicious and the chopped kale gives it heartiness, plus kale is so good for you.  We served ours with a salad and some garlic bread.  Since it is freezing outside, soup would be a perfect dinner for tonight!

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Tuscan Bean Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage, optional

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 to 2 carrots, peel and cut into circles

1 – 6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp of Italian seasoning

6 cups of chicken broth, or vegetable broth if you prefer

1 – 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 – 14.5 ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes

4 – 14.5 ounce cans of white beans, I use Great Northern.  Drained and rinsed

1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and torn into small pieces

Fresh basil

Parmesan cheese

In large pot cook the Italian sausage.  Breaking it up as you cook it. Remove any excess of oil, if necessary.  I like to leave some to cook the veggies in.  Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add in carrots and continue to cook for a few more minutes.  Add tomato paste and stir and cook for a couple of minutes, getting up the yummy bits off the bottom of the pot.  Stir in red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and then add the broth and let it cook for a few minutes.  While it is cooking, I start opening the cans of tomatoes and beans.  Don’t drain the tomatoes, but do drain the beans into a colander and rinse well.  Add the tomatoes and stir and then finally add the beans.  Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or more.  Rinse the kale and tear into bite sized chunks.  You don’t want to leave the kale too large, since it doesn’t cook down too much and stays pretty hearty.    I wait until about 15 minutes before I am ready to eat to add the kale.  I like to have look nice a bright and green.  I sometimes add some fresh parsley at this time too and then just before serving I add fresh chopped basil.  I top with a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Yum!

Cindy

Fashion Friday- I’m Ready for Christmas Now

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions by

I am not one of those people who believes in putting up Christmas decorations on, or heaven forbid, before, Thanksgiving. I was in denial up until this week to tell you the truth. Because my denying the fact that it is already December will really make a difference in how time functions.

The change occurred when I realized that with Christmas, comes Christmas break. No school!! Plans for various movie marathons, Christmas parties and sleep-overs are already in the works, some of which, no doubt, will occur on a weekday- *Gasp*.

I think that yesterday helped a ton to get me into the Christmas spirit too. My mom and I went with a group of friends, and volunteered at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Warehouse. I think that this is the third year that we have done it, and every time it’s amazing. Isn’t it incredible how blessing someone else actually blesses you? The boxes that we were processing were being prepared to ship to Indonesia, and it was so cool to think that those boxes, full of seemingly trivial toys, could radically change a child’s life. It also makes me think about the blessings we enjoy every day and don’t even realize. All in all, volunteering there was the perfect way to refocus on what’s important about Christmas. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s not all about the material possessions or the time off of school, or the Christmas tree. It’s about being reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice when he came into this world, about God’s grace, his unending faithfulness, and a sort of love that we can’t even begin to comprehend.

If you aren’t familiar with Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, I would highly recommend taking a look at their website (click on the under-lined link in pink)- the impact they make on children around the world is unbelievable.

OCCkids

And now, here are my Fashion Friday picks for this week. I hope that you all have a great weekend and get a chance to slow down and enjoy the process of getting ready for Christmas.

Baking with Berries Cardigan

baking with berries cardigan

Isn’t this gorgeous? I love how it looks like it’s been felted.

Sweet Side Bow Cuff

sweet side bow

So girly and unusual.

Lace Detail Top

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Pointed Damask Flats

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Cute!

Quinn V-Neck Sweater

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All I’ve been wanting to wear lately is comfy sweaters- this seems like a good one.

Just a Crush Tulle Slipdress

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I don’t know how this would look as a dress on it’s own, but I loved the skirt, so I put it on here anyway.

Searching for Sea Glass Bag

searching for sea glass bag

This doesn’t look like the style of purse I’d normally like, but there’s something about the sea blue with the gold that I love.

Sebastian Button-down Shirt

sebastian button-down shirt

I really like this in the pale pink too.

Marled Metallic Infinity Scarf

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I don’t wear a whole lot of scarves, but when I see them on other people I love them. For some reason I just don’t think about putting one on. I’ve seen a couple adorable ways to tie a scarf recently though, so maybe one of my scarves will be making an appearance soon. Or I could just wear my cowl scarf, a.k.a. “the scarf for dummies”, and that would fix all of my scarf-tying issues. Yes, that is a real quote. That was my older brother, Alex’s reaction to cowl scarves- ha!

Retro Dots Skater Dress

retro dots skater dress

This is $8. And I love it. What more can one want? It does look a bit short though, so I’m not sure how I’d like it on me.

Jordan

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by

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I found this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats and decided to try it while we were on our Thanksgiving trip. We tripled the recipe and made some with the caramel bits and others without. I actually liked them without the caramel bits better.

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While this recipe is easier than making the dough from scratch, it took a bit to roll the dough out. It was well worth the efforts.

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Shortcut Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients:

16oz frozen bread loaf
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel bits
1-1/2oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 Tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons milk (or more or less)

Directions:

Thaw bread dough using the refrigerator method indicated on the package (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight.) Let dough come to room temperature for 25 minutes then lightly flour a clean, dry surface and roll dough into a 12×8″ rectangle. Combine sugars and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then spread melted butter over bread dough, and then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle on caramel bits (if using) then roll dough into a log, pinch seams to close, trim ends off, and then cut into 8 equal slices.
Spray a 9″ round baking pan very well with nonstick spray then arrange slices inside. Cover with a tea towel sprayed with nonstick spray then let rise until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes, in a warm place (I placed the pan in a warm oven.) Preheat oven to 350* then place baking pan on a baking sheet and then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth then slowly mix in powdered sugar. Add vanilla then beat to combine. Add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until frosting reaches spreadable consistency. May need up to 2 teaspoons milk. Spread frosting on warm caramel cinnamon rolls then serve immediately.  Makes 8 rolls.

Cindy

Candied Pecans + The Most Delicious Salad Ever!

Posted in extras, salads, things we like to eat by

candied pecan and salad collage

We just got back yesterday from our annual Thanksgiving trip to Northern California. There was a lot of hunting and eating (in my mom’s words, “it’s a feeding frenzy”), so in short, the traditional festivities. It’s always such a fun trip spent celebrating with family.

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^^^The gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner table

The salad in the picture above was based on a salad that my mom had recently and loved. We looked for the required candied pecans at the store, but couldn’t find them- so we decided to make our own. We had absolutely no idea that they would be so simple and they turned out absolutely delicious!

Candied Pecans

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup of white sugar

Place both ingredients into a skillet and mix well.

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Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar caramelizes and the pecans get sort of crunchy. This should take about 10 minutes- but watch carefully! The sugar heats quickly and burns quickly.

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These were so yummy that we were eating them straight out of the bag.

Thanksgiving Salad

Mixed Greens- large box- I think it was about 16 ounces

finely sliced red onion, we used half

1 sliced pear

1 container of raspberries

1/2 cup of candied pecans

4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese

1 bottle of balsamic vinaigrette- we make our own using Good Seasons Italian Mix, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

In a large bowl, toss mixed greens with the dressing. Plate and layer on the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Cindy & Jordan