Biscuit Quiche

If you love breakfast food and have never had quiche...you're missing out!  Two words - egg. pie!  Now...here's my problem with it - pie crust.  It's not that I hate pie crust...I'm just not a fan of the extra crimped edge.  I whipped up this quick recipe for a Sunday School breakfast recently and there were just enough leftovers for my lunch!

What you'll need:
 - 1 can buttermilk biscuits
 - 1/2 lb breakfast sausage (cooked and drained)
 - 1/2 to 1 c shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar)
 - 6 eggs
 - 1 c heavy cream
 - seasonings (you pick)

What you'll do:
 - Preheat oven to 375. Grease 9x13 baking dish.
 - Brown breakfast sausage and drain.
 - Tear each biscuit into smaller chunks and layer in bottom of baking dish.
 - Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, and seasonings (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and minced onions.)
 - Top biscuit pieces with sausage and sprinkle on cheese.
 - Pour egg mixture over biscuit/sausage/cheese.
 - Bake for 30 min.

Happy baking!

pie oh my

Growing up in the kitchen and with a bakery in my backyard, I might know a thing or two about pie.  If you ask my dad what's his favorite kind of pie, he ALWAYS answers, "there's only 2 kinds of pie...hot and cold."

On a recent trip home, my parents took me to this little diner/cafe not far from where I grew up.  We had lunch and because they are known for their pies, (of course) I had to have a slice.  That particular Saturday, they had a Butterfinger pie in the case and I knew it was the one.  It came on a small mismatched plate and piled high with whipped cream.  From the first bite, I knew I was in love.  It was rich and amazing!  I needed to figure out how to replicate this pie for myself.

This pie had 4 layers that added up to it's amazing-ness.  A chocolate cookie crust.  A creamy peanut butter layer.  A butterscotch pudding layer.  And last, but not least, the whipped cream.  I'd say I'm pretty good in the kitchen, so I set out to find the perfect recipe for the peanut butter layer.  I could figure out just from looking at the pie what the other layers were, but the peanut butter was something special.

(Inspiration pie)

This the perfect pie...it's easy, requires no baking, and is full of flavor.  Here's my interpretation of Butterfinger Pie.  This recipe yields a 9x13 pan of Butterfinger amazing-ness!

Ingredients:
   regular size package of Oreo's
   2 small boxes of butterscotch pudding (+ milk to make)
   1 container of whipped topping
   1 - 8oz block of cream cheese (room temp)
   1 c. peanut butter
   1 c. powdered sugar
   3 small Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

What to do:
1. In a medium sized bowl, make butterscotch pudding and let set up in refrigerator.
2. In a large ziploc bag, crush all Oreo's until crumbles.  Then spread an even layer in a 9x13 pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the block of cream cheese, add powdered sugar and peanut butter and mix until well blended.  Then fold in about 1/3 of the whipped topping.  Dollop on top of the Oreo crumbs and gently spread the peanut butter layer until covering all cookie crumbs.  Cover and let set in refrigerator until pudding is set.
4. Once pudding is set, take it and the 9x13 out of the fridge.  Spread the pudding evenly over the peanut butter layer.  (At this time, your 9x13 is most likely filled to the top.  If serving now, layer on the remaining whipped topping and top with candy bar crumbles.  If serving later, wait to add the whipped topping and candy bar crumbles right before serving.)


I would guess that this would also make 2 - 9in pies (if you're just wanting to buy the Oreo crust already made).  If that's the case, you might want to purchase another whipped topping to make sure you have enough for both pies to be fully covered and looking pretty.

Happy no-baking!

Simple Dough

Hello, 2015!  While having a mini holiday/vacation from work, I've had some time to look at lots and lots of recipes.  I've been wanting to work on gathering some good base recipes that will be quick, easy, and full of flavor that I could then add other ingredients from the pantry to pull a meal together.  When I come across a recipe that allows me to "clean" up some of my favorite dishes, I've been saving them for experimenting when I have time. I came across this one just a day or 2 ago and because it said the prep time was 10 minutes I decided to try it while the babies were happy and content in their high chairs.

Pizza can be a cheap and easy meal and with this recipe, you know exactly what's in the crust and you can add some of your own extra flavorings.  This recipe literally took 10 minutes and there was enough dough for me to divide and freeze for future pizzas.

What you'll need:

   11/2 c. warm water

   2 1/4 tsp yeast

   1 tsp salt

   1 Tbsp sugar

   1/3 c. olive oil

   4 c. flour

   

What to do:

1. Pour yeast over warm water, stir and let sit.

2. In mixing bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, and mix.  Add the olive oil and use the dough hook, mix for about a minute.

3. Add yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.*

4. Remove dough from mixing bowl, shape the dough into a ball, and place in and oiled bowl, rubbing oil on the dough as well.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

5. If you're not using the dough right away, you can freeze it.

I divided the dough into 4.  Wrapped one in plastic wrap and put in the fridge. I wrapped the remaining 3 in plastic wrap and placed them in a freezer bag.

When it was time to make the pizza, I pulled the dough out of the fridge, floured the counter and dough and rolled it out.  From here, I placed it on a pizza pan and baked it for 7-10 minutes at 450.  I wanted more of a flatbread/crispy pizza.  After removing from the oven, I added my sauce and toppings (bbq, chicken, and cheese blend).  Then put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes (I don't really know how long it baked, I couldn't set a timer because the original recipe didn't have anything specific for the dough for baking temp and time, so I just checked on it every 5 minutes).

*Step 3 is where you can add your own flavorings.  I decided to add garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese.  The possibilities for extra flavor are endless.

Thank you to Baking Glory.  You can find the original recipe here.

Happy baking!

Cake Mix Baked Donuts

I asked for a donuts pan for Christmas...and I got one!!!  I've been looking at various recipes for baked donuts, but wanted one that used something that would be quick and easy...like cake mix.  After a couple of different searches, I came across this recipe.

What you'll need:
   1 box of cake mix
   2 large eggs
   1 stick of melted butter
   1 cup of milk

What to do:
   1. Preheat oven to 350.
   2. Mix everything together.
   3. Pour batter into a gallon sized zip top bag and cut about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch off one the bottom corners.
   4. Squeeze batter into sprayed donut pan.....now this is the tricky part.  The batter is thick and you'll only want to fill the donut sections less than half full (you'll see what I mean when we get to the pictures).
   5. Bake for 13-15 minutes....13 minutes was perfect.

After the donuts are cool, you can frost them if you want, but I'm not a big fan of frosted donuts.  Instead, I added chocolate chips to the batter.

Ok...see how full these sections are....TOO FULL!

And you end up with donut-muffins...

donut bottom, muffin top

Easiest way to fill the sections.

Second attempt turned out less muffin-like.

This is as full as the sections should get.

Hello, little ones!

Click here for the link to find out where I got the recipe.

Happy baking!

Quick Tips

Tip #1:   Whenever it's taco night at our house, I always run into the same predicament....do I want to deal with the messiness of a soft tortilla or the messiness of throwing all the ingredients on top of a bowl of tortilla chips?  I've  never been a fan of crunchy shell tacos.  Ever since my days at the Washington and Lincoln Grade School cafeterias I strongly dislike crunchy shell tacos.  I mean, come on, as soon as you take the first bite you're essentially eating your taco as nachos!  Anyway....we had tacos the other night and I decided to lightly toast up my soft tortilla.  I sprayed the non-stick skillet with some cooking spray, heated it up and then tossed it in.  I would let the air pockets inside the tortilla rise and then I would press them back down and flip it over, allowing for equal opportunity toasting.  When the tortilla had a nice golden color and a slight crisp, I prepared it for the taco ingredients.  BUT, I only put them on half of the tortilla!  I then, gently ran the pizza cutter across the center divide, which allowed the tortilla to be folded in half, allowing for easy consuming and almost no mess at all!  AND the toasting brought out the flavor of the tortilla and assisted in the melding of the topping flavors...like melting the cheese and meat together.  Taco night no longer has a predicament...it's toasted tortilla all the way!!!

Tip #2:   I love homemade potato salad....I have yet to find a store bought kind that even comes remotely close to good potato salad.  Say the weekly menu on your fridge says that on Friday you're having brats on the grill and potato salad....that probably means that on Thursday night you're going to clean and peel the potatoes, put them on to boil until fork tender, drain, let cool slightly, add other delicious potato salad ingredients, mix, cover and refrigerated until Friday at dinner time.  (That whole process just wore me out typing it!)  So, now say you forget to do all of that on Thursday night....oops!  And Friday when you get home you're not willing to sacrifice the greatness of homemade potato salad for the dire taste of something store bought :(  And then...like out of nowhere...an idea emerges...could I possibly pop them in the microwave as if to "bake" them, cut them up, allow for a quick cooling, then add other ingredients, pop in the fridge for chilling until the brats are done..and it actually work?!

So, maybe that story was about me and dinner from last night :)  Here's what I did:  cleaned 4 small potatoes (since it was just the two of us), I did not peel them, stabbed them with a knife (repeatedly), then put them in the microwave and pushed the conveniently created potato button and set it for 2 potatoes (I know, I said I cleaned 4 small potatoes, but my microwave feels that potatoes are the size of 2 of the ones that I have....4 divided by 2 is...2), which was equivalent to 9 minutes.  At 4 minutes, 30 seconds, I turned the potatoes over and allowed them to finish.  Once finished, I allowed them to sit and cool for a couple of minutes then started cutting them into small cubes, then put them in the bowl for more cooling....at this point I realized that we didn't have any mayo and my husband willingly went to the store to get some for me....(also at this point was when I realized that it might have just been less work to drive the half-mile to Walmart to get store-bought potato salad).  But I press on...after Paul gets back from the store, I proceed.  I had already hard boiled some eggs a couple of days before, so it was just a matter of cutting them up and tossing them in.  After the last ingredient was in the bowl, all were stirred together, taste-tested, then put in the fridge while the brats started grilling.  Even with the little misstep of not having any mayo, the homemade potato salad was still WAY better (in my book) than anything I could have easily picked up at the store.

Happy cooking!