Breakfast Empanadas, Freezable

This was a hit!  Our family SO enjoyed these--and we had them for dinner one night.  Because you are making dough, it was a bit more involved than my normal "quick" meals...but the pay-off was HIGH!  These are FREEZEABLE.  SO, you could make a bunch of these up, and have them for re-heatable breakfasts.  OR, like we did, have them for dinner (and enough for left-overs another night)!  Adapted from here.  Thanks!

ingredients:
Dough
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup evaporated milk (110 degrees)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Filling
1 lb bulk sausage
1/2 cups onion, chopped, or 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed
8 large eggs
3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
 dash of cayenne pepper
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

directions:

Dough:

1.  In a mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

2.  Add milk, oil, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth with normal mixer paddle.

3.  Continue to add flour until it makes a soft dough--but do not knead.

4.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling:

1.  Cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until browned. Drain.

2.  Add the hashbrowns, eggs, milk, and spices. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle with cheese and keep warm.

Assembling the pockets:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  Punch down the dough and cut into 16 equal pieces.

3.  Roll each piece into a 6-7" circle on a floured surface. Top with 1/3 c filling, fold, and pinch shut. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

To freeze:

Allow to cool on the baking sheet. Once cooled, place in the freezer until frozen. Store in a ziploc bag in the freezer for 3-6 months. To reheat, place on a paper towel and microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes.

Mexican Chicken Ring

I found this on Pinterest...and we had it tonight.  It didn't take too long to put it all together.  My family doesn't like chunky tomatoes/onions/peppers, so I blended the Rotel.  I figure you can use salsa just as easily with a very similar flavor result. 

It was FABULOUS.  My kids ate it down, without complaint--a true sign of a successful dinner!

ingredients:

3 cooked & shredded chicken breasts (canned or your own)

2 cups grated Cheddar/Jack cheese plus some for sprinkling on top

¾ can of Rotel & all of the juice or ¾ cup salsa

3/4 cup light sour cream

1 package taco seasoning

2 rolls of regular sized crescent rolls (I use the low-fat)

1 lime (juice)

2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips plus some for sprinkling on top

directions:
1.  Combine chicken, Rotel/salsa, tortilla chips, sour cream, taco mix, cheese and 2T of lime juice.

2. Unroll and separate crescent dough. Arrange triangles on a baking sheet making a circle with wide ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside.

3.  Spread chicken mixture evenly into the center of the ring. Fold the points of the crescents in and over.

4.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and crushed tortilla chips and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

French Toast Casserole

My friend made this and I had it this morning...it was divine!  So fluffy and yummy, I could have had it for all three meals.  I'm thinking, you could easily make this in the crock-pot or the dutch oven while camping.  Thanks Mel for sharing the recipe...though I really wasn't going to leave your house without it ;-).


ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, cut diagonally into 1" pieces
8 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups half & half
1 cup milk (or you can take the half & half and milk, and sub it out for 2 1/2 c milk and 1 can sweetened cond milk)
cinnamon, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

topping:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup brown sugar

directions:
1.  Place cut bread in 9x13 baking dish.

2.  Mix remaining ingredients together.  Pour over bread and in between pieces.  Let sit in fridge overnight for at least a few hours.

3.  Cream together topping ingredients and spread on bread.

4.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

*Garnish with powdered sugar (optional) and serve with syrup or macerated berries.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are delicious!  Chewy and soft.  It's hard to not eat the whole batch.  I honestly don't know how they are the day after they are made, as they are so yummy we gobbled them right up.  Stop looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe--this is it!

ingredients: (you can easily 1/2 this recipe)
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups flour
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray cookie sheet(s) with non-stick spray.

2.  In mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.

3.  In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add in dry ingredients into mixer.

4.  Add in chocolate chips.

5.  Use a medium scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  Then remove cookies to cool further. 

Makes apx. 72 cookies (6 dozen).

Six Week Bran Muffin Mix

A friend of mine passed this recipe along. It is great to make this up, put it in the fridge, and have it to make up anytime you need it (over the next six weeks).  My kids love muffins for breakfast, or in their lunches in lieu of a sandwich (or in addition to).  These are healthy and full of good-tasting-fiber!  Thanks Shauna!

ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
6 cups bran cereal (use all plain bran, or a combination of All-Bran and Raisin Bran)
1 cup margarine or oil
2 - 3 cups sugar
5 cups flour (can use part whole wheat flour)
5 tsp. baking soda
1tsp. salt
4 eggs beaten
1 quart buttermilk*

optional:
raisins, dates, nuts

directions:
1.  Pour boiling water over cereal and let cool.  Cream together margarine/oil and sugar.  Then add cooled bran mixture and mix well.

2.  Sift together flour, soda, salt and add alternately with eggs and buttermilk.
Makes 1 gallon of mix. 

3.  Bake as need arises in muffin tins for 20-25 minutes in 350 oven.

personal note: 
I mix with a hand mixer in a LARGE bowl that also has a lid (for storage).  You can store this in your refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.  Figure out the "good until" date and write it on some masking tape and put that on the bowl.  Then you ALWAYS know, how long it is good for!  I bake the muffins in a stone muffin pan sprayed with Pam and used my Pampered Chef Large Scoop to put the perfect amount of batter in the muffins.

variations:
1.  Use only 2 cups All Bran cereal and add 4 cups Bran Flakes with the flour (or Raisin Bran).

2.  You can substitute ½ cup molasses & 8 Tbsp. sugar for the sugar.

3.  You can ½ the recipe.

 *buttermilk:  4 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar.  Then add enough whole milk for 4 cups (1 qt).  Let stand 5 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I found a variation of this on a fun Facebook page "Crock Pot Girls" and I tweaked it just slightly.  It's very easy and delicious.  I kept thinking "my mom would really like this" and her chicken and dumplings were my favorite. 

ingredients:
5-6 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (or 2 cans canned chicken)
2 cans cream of chicken (I used 98% fat-free)
1 can cream of celery (I used 98% fat-free)
3 1/2 c. chicken broth or stock
1/2 onion finely chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 tsp. chicken bouillon or 2 cubes
salt (several shakes)
pepper (several shakes)

2 pkgs. refrigerated Jumbo biscuits (like Grands), cut into fourths


directions:
1.  Place all the ingredients into your LARGE crock pot, except the biscuits.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4 hours. 

2.  1 hour before serving, open the crock pot and shred up the chicken.

3.  For the last hour before serving, put in the cut up biscuits, making sure they are dunked into the broth/soup.  Cook on HIGH for 1 more hour.

Fresh Peach Pie

We got us some peaches.  Actually, 40 lbs!  They are the best, most delicious peaches I've ever had.  We ate several, canned most of them, but we saved a few out for desserts.  My sister-in-law gave me a recipe and I had also found one online that people raved about.  This is a conglomeration of both recipes.  Very easy, and after this, you'll never need to look for another fresh peach pie recipe.  YUM!  Thanks Summer and the WWW for this fabulous recipe!

ingredients:
1 baked pie crust, single layered

GLAZE
2 fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and mashed/pureed
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (less sugar for peaches that are more ripe)
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 dash nutmeg
2 dashes cinnamon

4 fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and sliced into 8ths

directions:
1.  Cook the pie crust, docking well to avoid bubbles.  Let cool.

2.  In a medium saucepan, add peaches, water, butter, sugar and cornstarch.  Bring to boil and cook for apx. 5 minutes.  Stir in vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.

3.  Refrigerate glaze until cool.  It will get to a gelatinous consistency. 

4.  Spread the glaze in the bottom of the cooked pie crust.  Arrange freshly sliced peaches over the glaze.

5.  Serve with whipped cream (optional).