Let's do Brunch in our PJ's!

We were a sight to behold in our pj's, robes, and curlers. 

Broccoli, Bacon, and Cheddar Quiche made by Lori:

1 uncooked pie shell
7 oz. shredded cheddar and mozzarella blend cheese
6 slices of cooked bacon
1 cup cooked broccoli
5 eggs scrambled with 1/4 cup cream

Mix the above together and put in the uncooked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done in center.

Quiche Lorraine made by Lori:

1 uncooked pie shell
7 oz. cut Swiss cheese cubed
6 slices of cooked bacon
1 small onion, sauteed in margarine
5 eggs scrambled with 1/4 cup cream

Mix the above together and put in the uncooked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until
done in center.

Apple Cinnamon French Toast with Caramel Syrup made by Andrea:

1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. sugar
Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Place the sliced french bread in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  In a large bowl beat the eggs with the skim milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices.  Arrange the apple slices on top of the bread.  Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and sprinkle over the apples.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning preheat the over to 350 degrees and bake the toast until golden brown, about 1 hour.  Meanwhile, combine the white sugar, flour, and margarine.  Stir in the brown sugar, skim milk, and vanilla in a small saucepan.  Cook until thick.  Serve french toast hot with warm sauce. 

Taco Souffle made by Stacey:

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
taco seasoning
onions (optional)
3 cups milk
9 eggs
10 slices bread, cubed
2 cups shredded Colby/jack cheese


Brown the hamburger and onions and add the seasoning as per the directions on the package.  Set aside.  Mix the eggs and milk.  Add the bread, then the heat and cheese.  Put in a 9 x 13 pan and refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until middle is done.

Biscuit Wrapped Sausage made by Susie

Cook and cool link sausages.  Wrap in pre-made refrigerated biscuit dough.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.  Serve whole or slice into bite-size pieces.

Ham and Potato Strata made by Sandi

3 cup Ore-Ida tater tots
1 package (16 oz) frozen cut broccoli and cauliflower
1 cup chopped ham
8 eggs
1 12 cup milk
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Arrange frozen broccoli and cauliflower evenly over the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle with the ham.  Scatter the tater tots over the top.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and mustard until smooth.  Pour egg mixture evenly over the potato mixture.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  Uncover and bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Scones made by Kathy

Kathy took a short-cut and used a mix from Heinen's called Sticky Fingers Scones.  They were very good. 

Strawberry Cranberry Jello Salad made by Andrea

2 3 oz. packages strawberry jello
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 package frozen strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can cranberries or can use frozen ones
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream layer:
1 package cream cheese
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 container Cool Whip
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Dissolve the jello in boiling water and add the strawberries and stir gently.  Add the pineapple, cranberries and nuts and stir gently again.  Pour half of the mixture into a glass dish, bowl, or mold.  Chill until set.  You may need to keep stirring the reserved half so it will not gel.  Combine the cream layer ingredients and gently spread over the set layer.  Top with the reserved mixture and chill until firmly set.  Cook's note:  This is the standard cranberry dish for our family Thanksgiving feast every year.

Beautifully Arranged Pineapple made by Joanne

Joanne shows us how she serves fresh pineapple to her family.  Now how pretty is that? 


Blueberry Strata made by Connie - Sorry my picture is floating somewhere in cyberspace along with the coffee cake picture.

12 slices of French bread, cut into 1" cubes
2 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 large eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Add 1/2 cubed bread.  Scatter cream cheese cubes and blueberries over the bread.  Top with remaining bread.  Combine eggs, milk, and syrup and pour over the bread.  Press bread down so that all bread cubes become saturated with the egg mixture.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes.


Nancy's Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Cake:
1 package plain butter recipe golden cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly spray 2 9" round pans or 1 9 x 13 pan with vegetable oil spray and then dust with flour.  Put the cake mix, sour cream, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula and increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture lightens and is smooth, about 2 minutes longer.  Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pans.  Make the topping by comgining the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Spoon half of the topping over the batter.  Pour the remaining cake batter over the topping and and then spoon the rest of the topping on the top.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and when lightly pressed with a finger they will spring back.  Let the cakes sit until nearly cool, about 20 minutes.  Serve the cakes while still a bit warm. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Veggie Pumpkin made by Andrea

Baby Carrots
Black Olives
Cucumber- sliced and cut in half
Broccoli
Veggie Dip of your choice

Arrange veggies to look like a pumpkin and add some dip

Cheese Pumpkins made by Kathy

8 Tbsp. smoked cheddar cold-pack cheese food (from 8 oz container), well chilled
2 tsp. finely chopped peanuts
4 butter flavored pretzel spindles or sticks, broken in half
16 tiny pieces fresh parsley-leaves, if desired

Line small serving plate with waxed paper.  For each pumpkin, roll level Tbsp. cold-pack cheese food into a ball and  place on plate.  Refrigerate for 10-15 mins. for easier handling.  With end of toothpick, draw ridges around balls to look like lines on pumpkins.  Dip bottoms of cheese balls in chopped peanuts.  Just before serving, insert pretzel halves into cheese balls for pumpkin stems.  Decorate with parsley for leaves.  Store pumpkins in refrigerator. 

Pot Roast and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes made by Lori

Pot Roast

Brown roast in iron skillet with salt and paper and garlic so the outside is seared.  Put in a crock pot with 4 bouillon cubes and cook on low for 6 hours until tender and falls apart.

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Boil 10 pounds of potatoes and then drain and mash.  Add 1/4 stick of melted butter and some salt.  Top with a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheese and bake for 10 minutes until melted.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo made by Sandi

1/2 of a lb pound package of linguine
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Prepare linguine according to package directions.  Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking time.  Drain linguine mixture well in colander.  Heat butter in 10" skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through, stirring often.  Stir soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture in a skillet and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.


Sweet Potato Casserole made by Barb- - Oops, my camera battery went dead as this delicious dish came out of the oven.  Here is the recipe without a picture.

2 16 oz. cans sweet potatoes
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup nuts

Pour the sweet potatoes and about half of the liquid in the can into a saucepan.  Heat potatoes to boiling and then drain.  Mash with the butter.  Add the sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour into an ungreased 9" square pan.  Mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon with fingertips until mixture is crumbly.  Stir in the nuts and spread on top of the potato mixture.  Bake for 40 mins. at 350 degrees.  This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.  Before baking, bring to room temperature.  Cooks note:  My casserole always seems to take longer than 40 mins, even up to an hour.  So I start it at 40 mins. with the expectation that it may take longer.  Also, I have doubled the recipe since it only makes a 9" square pan.  

Taco In A Bag made by Andrea

4 pounds ground meat
4 envelopes of taco seasoning
25 small bags of Frito's (you may also Doritos's)
4 Tomatoes (cut up)
2 onions (cut up)
2 bags Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican mix
Sour cream (optional)

Crush the Frito's in the bag.  Cut the top off the bag horizontally and assemble just as you would a taco.  The bag is actually your shell and the Frito's are on the bottom.  Serve with a plastic spoon and you have no clean up.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes made by Stacey

Boil cauliflower until soft and mash just as you would potatoes.  This is a very good low calorie alternative to mashed potatoes.

Crescent Mummy Dogs made by Kathy

1 package of crescent rolls
1 package of hot dogs
cheddar cheese

Roll the crescent rolls around the hot dogs and make a face with the cheese.  Bake until lightly brown.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip made by Barb

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese
8 oz. ranch dressing (can use blue cheese dressing if desired)
1 Cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 16 oz. Tyson chunk chicken, drained
6 oz. hot sauce
1 bag Tostitos scooper's

Mix all together except for the cheese in a 9 x 13 pan and top with the cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and serve with tostitos scoopers.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread made by Sandi

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, eggs, and pumpkin.  Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the creamed mixture and blend well.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until loaf tests done.  Cool on a wire rack.  Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled bread.  

Witches Hats made by Andrea

Fudge Stripes Cookies
Chocolate Frosting
Fall colored sprinkles
Candy kisses

Halloween Inspired Cupcakes made by Kathy

Kathy had fun decorating cupcakes in fun Halloween candy, plastic rings, candy corn, and chocolate chips.  Everyone loved the festive colors.

Cheesecake Filled R I P Cupcakes made by Andrea

1 package of cake mix - your choice of chocolate, white, or yellow
Filling:
1 8 oz. cream cheese
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 egg
dash of salt
1/3 cup sugar
Frosting of your choice
Halloween Additions:
Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies
Crushed Oreo cookies
black piping frosting or gel

Make the cake according to the package directions.  Prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients until smooth.  Fill the cup cake liners 1/3 full and then add 1 Tbsp. filling and then top with more mix.  Bake according to the package directions.  When cool frost.  Makes 30 cupcakes.  To go with the Halloween theme add the crushed Oreo cookies on top of the frosting to look like dirt.  Then add the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies as tombstones. Pipe RIP on the top of the cookies and insert into the back of the cupcake.   

 This is my idea of an easy costume for Halloween.  Do you get it?  I was smarty pants!  The kids in the house enjoyed pulling the candy off my pants and gobbling it down.