Cooking for BBQ and Brunch

I have been busy today cooking for tomorrow. 

I made a chocolate cake.  Tried a new recipe!  I'm sure it is edible and probably even good, but it sure fell apart when I was frosting it with chocolate frosting!  sure doesn't look nice!  I'm so disappointed.

ok.  Now on to the baked beans and the breakfast pizza and the breakfast casseroles! 

Old Fashioned Baked Beans

1 pound dried great Northern beans

1 quart water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark molasses

1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place beans in a Dutch oven or kettle; add enough water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.    

Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Return beans to pan. Add water and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until beans are tender. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid.                

In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, combine the beans, onion, mustard, brown sugar, molasses, bacon and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until beans have reached desired thickness, stirring occasionally (add additional reserved cooking liquid if needed).            

 

So..now the baked beans are done...let's work on the

Blueberry French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

French Toast

12 thick slices of bread, cut into 1" cubes

2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes

1  cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

12 lrg eggs

1 to 2 cups milk

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

Spray 9 x 13 inch dish with Pam.  Cut or tear bread into cubes and arrange in the bottom of dish.  cut up cream cheese into 1 inch cubes.  Drop the cream cheese cubes over the top of the bread.  Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the top. 

In a mixing bowl, combine 12 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey.  Pour this mixture over the bread, cream cheese and blueberries.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

Blueberry Sauce:

You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate, then warm up before serving.  Stir together 1 cup sugar and 2 T cornstarch in a medium sauce pan.  Add 1 cup water and stir until smooth.  Stir well so cornstarch won't be clumpy.  Heat to boiling and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened.  Add 1 cup blueberries, simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until blueberries start to burst.  Don't let them all burst. 

Turn heat off the blueberry sauce and stir in 1 T butter.  Store in plastic or glass container and refrigerate until ready to use. 

The next morning preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take casserole out of the refrigerator.  Place covered casserole in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and the center is set. 

While the casserole is baking, you can heat up the blueberry sauce on top of the oven or microwave until warm.  Serve over top of casserole. 

 

 

Now on to a breakfast casserole. 

Egg and Sausage Casserole

8 eggs
1 pound cooked breakfast sausage
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped onion
4 ounces sliced pimentos
12 ounces bag frozen hash brown potatoes

Mix all together and put in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish (sprayed with Pam). Refrigerate overnight. Bake in a 350F degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes.



Now for the

Sausage and Cheese Potato Casserole

1 lb Sausage
1 20 oz pkg of Diced Potatoes
6 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Crumble and cook sausage in medium skillet until browned.  Drain sausage.  Spread potatoes in greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Top with cooked sausage, Monterey Jack cheese, green onions and chilies.  Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until frothy.  Pour egg mixture over sausage layer; bake 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake 15 minutes more or until eggs are set.  Refrigerate leftovers. 

Sorry didn't take pictures of this one. 

I was going to make a breakfast pizza too, but didn't get enough sausage...so that will be on the menu for next month. 

So..that is all for today.  Good eatin' y'all. 

Until next time





May 27, 2011

This weekend is a busy cooking weekend for me!  I will be making 4 breakfast casseroles for Family Sunday at church and I will be making baked beans, a salad, and a dessert for the annual Wassemiller Weiner Fest.  All that will be done on Saturday.  mmm 

Sunday we will take the breakfast casseroles to the church on our way out of town.  Then we will be at the Weiner Fest for the rest of the day!  We will be doing some target practice with a huge arsenal and 4-wheeling and of course some eating!  and most importantly some fellowship with family and close friends. 

Now of all times to come down with a summer cold and feel like I've been ran over by a Mac truck....it's now!   Not a good time!  never good to have a cold and feel sick.....but when you are busy anyway...not the best of timing!  but I've never been known to have good timing anyway!  ha! ha!  It is hard to cook and bake when you ache all over and you are running a fever!  soooo...I'm taking some meds and going to bed. 

I plan on taking pictures of all the cooking tomorrow.  I do have a girls night out gathering that i"m invited too...hopefully I'll feel better and can attend! 

Happy and safe Memorial Weekend to you all.  Stay safe!!!!

Memorial Day and Birthday BBQ Recipes

I have a busy couple of weekends coming up. BUT they are the kind that I adore! This weekend is Memorial weekend. We always have a "weiner roast" at the farm at Monument. It is famously known as the Wassemiller Weiner Fest "WWF" ha!ha! So...I have some potluck food to take for that! Also it is "Family Sunday" at our church and I make breakfast casseroles for it. I will make some and drop them off at the church on our way out of town on Sunday.

Next weekend, we are having a birthday BBQ for Roy for his birthday. This year we are giving him a BIG HUGE celebration! It is his big 6 0!!!! I'm still working on the menu, but I know we will have smoked short ribs, and brats and some chicken! Ewww yeah....I think I'll do some baked beans too....and of course, my jalapeno poppers! I'll probably do the jalapeno poppers for Memorial Day

Here are the Breakfast recipes that I'll be using for church on Sunday.

BREAKFAST PIZZA

1 lb bulk sausage
1 8 oz pkg refrigerator crescent rolls
1 cup frozen loose package hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage until browned; drain. Separate rolls, place on ungreased 12 inch pizza pan. Press over bottom and sides. Spoon on sausage, sprinkle over this the thawed potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese. Beat egg, mil, salt, and pepper. Pour over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Next up....BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE (this is also passible as a dessert...infact I like it as a dessert)

FRENCH TOAST
12 slices of bread, any kind
2 pkg 8 oz each, cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup blue berries, fresh or frozen
12 lrg eggs
1 to 2 cup milk, add a little at a time until milk is absorbed by bread
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tbsp butter

French Toast Casserole: Spray 9 x 13 inch dish with Pam. Cut or tear bread into cubes and arrange in the bottom of dish. Cut up cream cheese into 1 inch cubes. Drop the cream cheese cubes over the top of the bread. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the top. In mixing bowl, combine 12 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/3 cup maple syrur this mixutre, a little at a time until the bread soaks up the milk but not soggy, add blueberries. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Blueberry Sauce: You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate, then warm up before serving. Stir together 1 cup sugar and 2 Tbls cornstarch in a medium sauce pan. Add 1 cup water and stir until smooth. Stir well so cornstarch won't be clumpy. Heat to boiling and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened. Add 1 cup blueberries, simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally until blueberries start to burst. Don't let them all burst. Leave some of the blueberries whole. Turn heat off the blueberry sauce and stir in 1 Tblspoon butter. Store in plastic or glass container and refrigerate until ready to use.

The next morning preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take casserole out of the refrigerator. Place covered casserole in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until top is a golden brown and the center is set. while the casserole is baking, you can heat up the blueberry sauce on top of the oven or microwave until warm. Serve over top of casserole.

Prep time: 30 minute to put everything together 8-24 hours - refrigerate several hours or overnight until bread is soaked through with egg, milk mixture. cook time: 1 hour.

Alternate sauce, also called cheating. Take jam or preserves, whatever flavor of fruit you are using to make this. Put preserves in small sauce pan, add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, mix until smooth, add additional fruit if desired. Warm in sauce pan until smooth and thickened. Serve over the frehnch toast, ice cream or anything else you can think of.


SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 lg ground pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup green pepper
4 cups frozen hash browns
1 dozen eggs
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown the sausage and drain

In a greased 9x13 inch cake pan, sprinkle the hasbrowns, then sausage, onion, green peppers, and 1/2 cheese. Mix the eggs until scramble and pour over the hashbrown mixture in cake pan

Fork the ingredients together.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mintues, checking to see if done in the center. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and put back in the oven until melted.

This can be done the night before and put in the refrigerator overnight. You may need to cook a little longer though. You can be creative, substitute hame for the sausage or pepper jack cheese for the cheddar.

I also need to be working on our menu for our Once a Month Cooking! Amber is back now from South Africa and we are all needing to get some food in the freezer. When I/we get the menu figured out, I'll post it along with the recipes. I will also post pictures from the next 2 weekends of cooking and entertaining!

Grilling

Hello! With the grilling season upon us, I decided to share a couple of my cookout recipes with you.



Beef Kabobs

2 lbs Beef sirloin, cut in cubes
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup Soy Sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
3 T Yellow, Dijon OR spicy brown mustard
1 t Coarse black pepper
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 ½ t dried parsley
1 t minced garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 green peppers, cut in chunks
2 large onions, cut in chunks
2 Zucchini sliced

Place beef cubes into one gallon freezer bags. In a mixing bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, red wine vinegar, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour marinade over beef cubes. One recipe will yield a little over 1-3/4 cup of marinade.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using. Heat grill to medium high heat. Alternate meat and on hand vegetables on skewers until all skewers are loaded. Place on grill and cook to desired doneness. Discard marinade.



Grilled Red Potatoes


1 lb Red potatoes
2 T butter
2 T Olive or canola oil
½ t salt
¼ t black pepper
¼ t garlic pepper

Preheat grill to medium or low heat. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Diced potaotes into 1 to 2 -inch square chunks. Place potatoes on foil sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir until well combined. Bring up sides of foil to form a boil. Pour butter mixture over potatoes. Close foil packet. Place on grill. Cook until potatoes are tender. This may take 30 to 60 minutes depending on the temperature of your grill.

Remove from heat and serve.



Chocolate chip Cheesecake

16 oz Cream Cheese
½ cup sugar
1 egg

Purchased refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, frozen (I MAKE MY OWN)

Put cream cheese, sugar and egg in a mixer bowl. Beat until combined. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Take 1 roll of cookie dough out of the freezer. Open the package, and slice the frozen dough in about 1/2” thick slices. Put the slices on the bottom of the 9x13 pan to cover it. Use the whole package on the bottom. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough and spread evenly edge to edge. Take the second roll of cookie dough out of the freezer and slice it as you did the first. Cover the cream cheese layer with the cookie slices. Use broken pieces to fill in holes and cover the entire surface. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Use the jiggle test to check if it’s done. Also watch the edges to make sure they don’t get too brown. Cool completely.

Variations:
**Make two 8x8 pans instead of one 9x13. Use one cookie dough roll per pan… half for the bottom and half for the top. Divide the cream cheese mixture between the pans. Bake both at the same time, still for about 45 minutes each.

**This recipe works great with the rolls of chocolate chip dough, and the chocolate chip with walnuts dough.


More recipes later this week.  Now I'm wanting to grill!!!  YUMMM

May Post

I have been so occupied that I haven't been able to post anything here.  Our daughter has been in South Africa since the end of April...and we have had her two daughters!  We know now why parents were made to be young!  This has been so exhausting!  But we have had some fun too.  I haven't really had much time to do much cooking or baking! 

I did though one day make a casserole that I had made when my kids were little.  I had everything on hand and when I saw the hot dogs in my fridge, I remembered that recipe.  It is called "Penny Supper" 

6 hot dogs sliced into "pennies"
4 cups cooked potatoes, diced
3 T onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste

combine the hot dogs, potatoes, onion, and butter.  Place in a baking dish. 

Mix together the remaining ingredients and gently fold into the hot dog mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

So simple, and so good.  I made a batch of biscuits to go with it, and served a side salad and we also did a veggie   such an easy quick supper.  WOW did the granddaughters love it too. 

This was my weekend to make muffins for church.  I will post those recipes later this week.  I made 4 different kinds....banana/chocolate chip; peach muffins; raspberry muffins, and blueberry muffins. 

will post more later this week.  Nighty night!!!