Overnight French Toast Casserole

Yeah,  I know, the word casserole doesn't sound appetizing to most. This one, however, does the word justice!

I used blackberries this time and store bought berry syrup. Both ways are great though!!

Ingredients

FRENCH TOAST

12 slices bread, cut into cubes (french or Texas toast work well. I prefer Texas Toast.)

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

12 large eggs

⅓ cup maple syrup

2 cups milk or cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

SYRUP

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions

Arrange ½ of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.

Top and evenly sprinkle with remaining bread cubes.

Mix together eggs, syrup, milk and vanilla in a large bowl.

Pour over bread cubes. Press the bread cubes slightly down to absorb the milk/egg mixture. Cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with blueberry syrup.

SYRUP

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook water, sugar, and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in blueberries and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve over the french toast.

Enchilada Sauce

I was on the hunt for a good enchilada sauce recipe and came across one that was almost what I was looking for. A couple tweeks and it is perfect! No more canned sauce around here!! This stuff only takes about 10 minutes to make. The peanut butter sounds weird but trust me, it really helps bring out the flavor of the cumin and chili powder. For extra heat, use hot chili powder!

3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons of flour
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter
2 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Start by putting the flour and seasonings all together in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When it's nice and hot add the flour and seasonings to make a roux. Cook for about 60 seconds to bring out the flavor of the spices. Add tomato paste, peanut butter and broth. Whisk well until lumps are gone. Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from  heat and salt and pepper to taste and add apple cider vinegar.

Enjoy!

Calabacitas con Elote

I have always struggled to find a go9s vegetable dish to pair with mexican/southwestern styled main courses (like my Santa few Turkey Meatballs or Green Chili Chicken). I was so excited to find this recipe, I of course made it my own but it's delicious nonetheless! I do not have exact measurements here. I used 3 medium sized yellow squash, 1 zuchinni, half an onion and two ears of corn and it made a ton! So, feel free to use as much or as little as you want, just remember the squash a zuchinni are the main ingredients followed by corn, tomatoes then onion. Enjoy!

Sliced zuchinni and yellow squash
Halved cherry tomatoes
Fresh or frozen corn kernels
Onion, chopped
Diced green chilis
Generous amount of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Cumin, chili powder and oregano  (amount will depend on how many veggies you have, just season to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese to top

Saute onion in oil until soft. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds and then add zuchinni and squash. When nearly done add corn, tomatoes, chilis, tomato paste and seasoning. The juice from the veggies should thin out the paste a bit. Cook for a couple more minutes. Add a little cheese to the top, remove from heat and cover with lid so the cheese melts.

Such a delicious, healthy dish!

Tangy Potato Salad

I found this little bag of tri colored potatoes at Winco today. They're these tiny little potatoes that come in yellow, red and blue (purple). They were so cute I knew I could come up with something to do with them! I used 1 of the 1.5 pounds bags to make just enough for dinner but it would be super easy to double to make a batch for your next BBQ! This salad is super BBQ friendly as it can be served warm, room temp or chilled and all of the ways are delicious!

1.5 pounds of tiny potatoes (the smelled tones I cut in half and the larger ones I cut into quarters)
1/2 cup of crumbled bacon
2 green onions, sliced

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2.5 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme
3/4 teaspoon  of salt
3/4 teaspoon of sugar
Sprinkle of black pepper

Cook the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. While cooking, shake up the dressing ingredients in a jar. After potatoes are cooked and drained, toss them with the bacon, onions and dressing.

Enjoy!!

Classic Italian Meatballs and Marinara

I searched high and low for a classic Italian meatball recipe. However, I couldn't find one that was "it". I took a little of this and a little of that from several recipes and came up with these mouthwatering, juicy meatballs! My homemade marinara was the perfect touch. So delicious!

Do not skip soaking the breadcrumbs, that's what makes these so juicy!  I cooked mine in the oven to save time and the extra mess but you could always pan fry these. My meatballs were huge so adjust your cooking time accordingly! I doubled my marinara for this recipe.

Marinara:
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Put all ingredients into pan and simmer (at least 30 minutes)

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 slices white sandwich bread, crust removed and torn into tiny pieces
1/2 an onion grated (make sure you keep the juice that comes from the onion while grating it)
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

Preheat oven to 425° FARENHEIT Soak white bread crumbs and onion with its juice together in a bowl while prepping. In a separate bowl soak milk and seasoned dry bread crumbs. Mix all ingredients together. Mix thoroughly (with your hands works best). Refrigerate for an hour before forming meatballs. I made very large ones, adjust your cooking time according to size.

Place meatballs on cookie sheet and bake. I did mine for 25 minutes and then broiled at the end to brown the tops. After I removed from the oven I added it my sauce that had been simmering for about an hour and then simmered another 15-20 minutes.

Alfredo Sauce

I have had tons of Alfredo Sauce.  I've even made it a couple of times. Until I tried it this way, I didn't know what I'd been missing! This is a little twist on the classic Alfredo!

1 stick  (1/2 cup) butter
1 pint heavy whipping cream
4 Oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced or crushed
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

In a medium saucepan, heat butter, cream and cream cheese and seasonings over medium until butter and cream cheese are melted. Stir in parmesan and  mozzarella. Continue to stir until it's melted and sauce has thickened.

Serve hot!

Biscuit and Gravy Casserole

My husband absolutely loves biscuits and gravy. I figured why not try it in a casserole? This was a huge hit! It would be great for over night guests.

16 ounce can of flaky biscuits
8 eggs, beaten
1 pound of breakfast sausage, cooked
1 cup of shredded cheese
1/2 cup of milk
1 package McCormick peppered gravy, prepared according to package


preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. Take your uncooked biscuits and chop into bite size pieces and layer in the bottom of the pan. layer the sausage on the biscuits and then top with cheese. Whisk the milk into the beaten eggs, pour over layers in the pan. top with prepared gravy. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the eggs are set. Enjoy!