Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

Made this yummyness for a work Easter Brunch. It would work for breakfast or even dinner. Smells sooooo good!!

Ingredients:

1 can Crescent Rolls

1 30oz bag of shredded hash browns, thawed

8 large eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 8oz (12 oz would work too) bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbsp Onion Onion

1 tube mild Chorizo sausage, browned

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll the crescent rolls and lay on the bottom of the baking dish. Press them out to cover the bottom of the dish. 

Add the hash browns on top of the crescent rolls. Combine the beaten eggs, milk and Onion Onion then pour over the hash browns. 

Srinkle or spread (different brands cook differently) the chorizo on top of the hash brown and egg mixture. 

Cover with Press N Seal or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Remove from the refrigerator and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 30 minutes. 

Take the casserole out of the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake another 15 minutes to finish setting and melt the cheese. 

Serve warm. 

Breakfast Casserole

So, I don't know why it is but when I am sick I like to cook. Call me weird, I'm used to it. Ha!  I was rummaging through the fridge and came across some leftover biscuits. We bought one of those breakfast packs at the grocery that has eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits in them.  We had already fixed the bacon and biscuits thus the leftover biscuits. ;) Notice there is no leftover bacon.....

So I started rummaging some more and came up with a couple of potatoes, some eggs, some shredded Mexican blend cheese (courtesy if Wahoo! Taco night!) and voila!  I have created a breakfast casserole. Now it does take some time so you better have a yogurt or something to tide you over. My hubby had leftover pizza from last night. Hmmm

So here is what I threw together. You know it has Tastefully Simple in it and if you don't have leftover biscuits bit have leftover beer bread heaven forbid, that would work too. 

Ingredients:

5-6 leftover biscuits, cubed

2 peeled and cubed potatoes

2 tablespoons or capful of Onion Onion

1 lb roll of breakfast sausage

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon coconut oil

6 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper Seasoning 

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Prep your biscuits and potatoes and place in a greased baking dish. I used a 10x10 square but a 13x9 would work too. Sprinkle with the Onion Onion and set aside.

Cook and crumble the sausage until no longer pink. Remove from the pan with a strainer spoon and sprinkle over the biscuits and potatoes. 

My sausage didn't leave much fat in the pan so I added the coconut oil. Stir in the flour, stirred and let it cook for a minute or so.  Add your milk while whisking the whole time. Cool until thick and bubbly. Immediately pour over your sausage layer.

Crack and beat your eggs. Add the Garlic Pepper Seasoning and stir well. Pour over the gravy layer, OH YEAH! 

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and chill for 15-20 minutes or even overnight if you want to make it ahead. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes, serve warm and enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

I love the fall and this is one of my favorite things to take that is warm, filling and pretty good for you.  Your tastebuds will be happy, happy. 

Ingredients:

1 bag of green split peas, rinsed and drained

3 baby carrots, minced

1 stalk of celery, minced

1-2 tbsp Onion Onion

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

1 tsp Seasoned Salt

2-4 turns of a black pepper grinder

1 pkg of ham cubes, rinsed and drained 

8 cups of water

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours or until the peas are soft and the broth is thickened some. For a thicker soup, add a slightly cooled cup of the soup mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the soup and cook until thickened. Serve with  Bountiful Beer Bread or crackers. 

Uncle Bob's Wahoo! Beans

This recipe was inspired by my Uncle Bob, my dad's brother. He made an awesome spicy bean and sausage soup when we visited them in Texas and my mom replicated the recipe when we got back home. It became a family favorite and now it is a favorite with my family. I had to Tastefully Simple-ize it and below is the result.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pinto or cranberry beans, soaked overnight and rinsed

1 lb of breakfast sausage or chorizo if you prefer, browned and drained

1 tbsp Onion Onion

2 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Seasoned Salt

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

8 cups of water

Brown the sausage with the Onion Onion. Drain. Add the beans, sausage,seasonings and water to the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6 hours then high for 3 hours. This is best to be done on a weekend or a day off. It will totally be with it. Stir the beans occasionally and don't forget the Bountiful Beer Bread or corn bread. 

Wahoo! Chili

As the name of the products suggest it is fantastic to use in any chili recipe. There are so many other uses for it as well from tacos to chicken to fish seasoning.  This versatile product is a must have in your pantry. Stock up though, it is only available for a limited time.

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground meat, we use ground chicken

2 tbsp Onion Onion

3 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Cracked black pepper to taste

2 cans of chili hot beans

2 cans of red beans, light or dark

2 cans of black beans

1 6oz can of tomato sauce

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, use just diced tomatoes if you like it chunky 

1 can of vegetable juice cocktail (tomato juice

1 small can of tomato paste

Brown the ground meat with a splash of olive oil and Onion Onion.  Drain if you are using ground beef or pork. Stir in the Wahoo! Chili, Garlic Pepper Seasoning and black pepper. Stir and cook for a minute or two to "bloom" the spices. Add your tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir. Add each type of bean and stir between each type.  Do not drain the beans!  You need that liquid to thicken your chili. This I have learned over the years. Add about 3/4 of the juice. And stir. Cook on medium until boiling, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, turn down to low to medium-low and simmer for about an hour. The chili will thicken some. If you have added too much juice, add about half the can of the tomato paste and stir well to melt it into your chili. 

My husband likes a pasta or macaroni product so halfway through the simmering time, add not quite half a box of pasta.  Stir well. This may make your Hoosier style chili really thick, so add some more of the tomato juice. 

Serve with your choice of toppings and ENJOY!

Incredibly Simple Taco Dip

Made this for a work pitch in. Oh my goodness!!  Of course I had to use Tastefully Simple. Ha!

Ingredients:

2 cans of fat free or Vegetarian Refried Beans

1-2 tablespoons Wahoo Chili Seasoning or Fiesta Party Dip Mix if you like it spicy

1 8oz block of Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened 

1 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon Garlic Pepper Seasoning

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 pound ground meat of your choice, browned and drained (we use ground chicken)

1 tablespoon Onion Onion

1 8oz package of mexican blend shredded cheese

1 8oz package taco blend shredded cheese, with seasonings
1 jar Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Brown your ground meat with the Onion Onion. Drain if needed and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, onions, cilantro and Garlic Pepper Seasoning.  Add beans, Wahoo Chili, and mexican blend cheese. Mix well and pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with Corn and Black Bean Salsa and taco blend cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Garnish if you like and serve warm with tortilla chips. 

Simple Ham and Bean Soup

We found a ham bone in the freezer, score!  Since it is starting to turn cool outside, what a perfect time for some bean soup. Yum!  

Ingredients:

Left over ham bone or ham hocks 

2 pound bag of great northern beans or your favorite, soaked overnight

2 Tbsp. Onion Onion

Cracked black pepper

8 cups water

Place your ham bone in a large slow cooker.

Add Onion Onion

Add your beans

Now your water and cracked pepper.  If you like more garlic use Garlic PepperSeasoning instead of the cracked pepper. 

Set your slow cooker on low and cook 6-8 hours. 

Serve with Bountiful Beer Bread or Bountiful Corn Bread (see Tastefully Simple website for the recipe).  

Mama Mia Lasagna

We hosted my dad at our house for his birthday in November.  I love cooking for my family and he specially requested my lasagna.  Well, I spiced it up a bit by using Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix to make the sauce.  Oh goodness it was fabulous.  He raved about it and still mentions it every once in awhile.  :)  I hope you like it too.

 

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey
1 TBSP Onion Onion
1/2 cup Mama Mia Marinara Mix
2 28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 24 oz container Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 egg
2 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
16 oz Shredded Mozzarella
Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

Preheat Oven to 350°

Brown the ground beef with the Onion Onion until no longer pink, drain and set aside. Prepare the Mama Mia Marinara according to the instructions on the container (this can be done ahead of time if you want). In a bowl beat the egg, add the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Now for assembly. In a 13x9 inch baking dish place 1 1/2 cups of marinara and spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 4 lasagna noodles. Layer cottage cheese mixture, ground beef, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat another layer like this one. Lastly, place 4 more lasagna noodles on the top, the rest of the sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Your pan should be full and slightly liquidy. If it is too dry, add a little water around the edges to make sure there is enough moisture for the noodles. Bake for 60-75 minutes until noodles are cooked through, the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and brown.

Serves 6 or so with left overs for the next day!

Irish Stout Beef Stroganoff

I adapted this recipe from one that my sponsor created.  she created hers as a way to use left overs from making the Irish Stout Pot Roast recipe.  I thought it was brilliant and adapted it for my family.  It is so yummy!

(I didn't take any photos of the finished product.  Please send me yours if you want)

Ingredients:
3-4 pound beef roast (we used brisket)
1 jar of Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce
2 Tbsp. Onion Onion
1 can of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 can of milk
2 cans of button mushrooms
Wide egg noodles

Spray or line your slow cooker to prevent sticking. Add beef roast (fat trimmed) to the slow cooker. Pour in 1/2 jar of the Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce. Sprinkle capful (2 Tbsp.) of the Onion Onion on top. Set to low and cook for 6 hours. When fork tender, remove roast from the slow cooker and shred. In the slow cooker, add the cream of mushroom soup, milk and mushrooms to the sauce still in the slow cooker. You can add the other half of the jar of the Irish Stout if you want, but we preferred it without it. Place your shredded beef back into the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Serve over cooked egg noodles or your favorite starch.

Makes 6 or so large servings.
 

Simply Beef & Noodles

My husband has my daughter text me while they are at the store the last evening what he would need to  make beef and noodles.  I said, beef roast, oh and get some eggs!  The gears got to turning on just how I was going to make the beef and noodles....slow cooker of course.  Check out the recipe and let me know how you liked it.  Feel free to use it and then tweak it to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2-3 pound beef roast
2 tablespoons of Onion Onion
2 teaspoons of Garlic Pepper Seasoning
2 cups of water

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray or add a liner for easier clean up.  Place the beef roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle with Onion Onion and Garlic Pepper Seasoning.  Add the water and cover with the lid.  Let the roast cook on low for 8 hours until tender and falling apart.

When cooked, take the roast out of the slow cooker and allow it to cool some for shredding.

I chose to make my own noodles because that's how my mama and grandma always made them.  You can certainly use the frozen noodles.  See below for the noodle recipe.

Noodles Ingredients (adapted from the Betty Crocker Homemade Noodles recipe):
2 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of salt

Add flour and salt in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the beaten eggs.  With a fork or your hands start adding flour from the outside of the mound until combined and the dough starts forming into a ball.  You may need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes then divide into 4 even pieces.  Add flour to your surface (wax paper, pastry mat or cutting board).  With a rolling pin, roll each piece into a rectangle roughly an 1/8th inch thick. Add a thin coating of flour to the topside of your rolled dough.  Roll your dough into a tube shape on the long side.  With a floured knife, cut 1/4 inch slices.  Unroll your slices and cut in half if they are over long.  Place into a bowl with flour and toss.  Repeat this process with each of your dough pieces.  You will have to add more flour to the bowl as you add more noodles.  Let the noodles rest for 30 minutes.

Back to to the beef.  Once your broth is significantly cooled.  Pour into a stock pot and heat on medium while you are shredding the beef.  You may need to add more water.  I added 4 cups to mine.

When your broth has come to a rolling boil, start dropping your noodles in a few at a time stirring in between each addition.  When you have added all of your noodles, slowly drop your beef into the broth and stir.  If your noodles need thickening, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to your mixing bowl and a couple of tablespoons of water and stir.  This is called a slurry.  Slowly add your slurry to your noodles while stirring.  Repeat if your noodles aren't thick to your liking.

Cook for 10-12 minutes or until your noodles are tender.  Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable if you desire.

*We are on a sodium reduced diet, so I didn't add a lot of salt to this and actually used a salt substitute in place of salt in the noodles.  Feel free to season it to your taste.  You could even add more of the Garlic Pepper Seasoning to the finished product.  It's your creation!  Make it how YOU like it.

Please feel free to share any comments about this recipe as long as they are productive and respectful.

Happy cooking!!