Breakfast Casserole

I'm a HUGE fan of casseroles! Especially breakfast casseroles! Especially when you make them ahead of time and they taste even yummier the next day! I've tried 1,234 breakfast casseroles in search of my favorite one and I finally found one that we love! I saw my friend, Emily Dehoff Henderson, post this recipe and I had to try it! It was an instant hit in our house! I like quick and easy on Christmas morning and this fits that profile. I'll put it all together the night before and then throw it in the oven when we get up! Enjoy!

*I prefer to use a roll of Bob Evans breakfast sausage instead of the bacon but the bacon is just as delish!!!*

Ingredients
1 pound sliced bacon, diced (or 1 roll of breakfast sausage)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1-1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon(or sausage) and onion until bacon(or sausage) is crisp; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon(or sausage) mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Where does the time go? I can't believe we haven't posted anything in almost two months! Time flies when you're having fun! I tried a new recipe for cookies today. And with the holidays coming up, who can't use a recipe for a new cookie?! They came out really good and my five year old daughter loved helping me in the kitchen. Anything that's easy for kids to do gets 4 thumbs up!

Ingredients

1 8oz brick of cream cheese at room temperature

1 stick butter at room temperature

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

1 box(18oz) moist chocolate cake mix

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.

Beat in the egg. Then the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon size balls and then roll them into powdered sugar.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes.

The cookies will remain soft and gooey.

Cool completely and sprinkle with more powdered sugar.

Serve with a nice, tall glass of milk!

o o O OH Oreos!

While trying a new burger joint in town last week (Schnabs... blog review to follow) Jess and I noted deep fried oreos and twinkies on their menu. When we went back to order then after finishing our dinners the line was too long and we said forget it. Begin craving. So, when we decided to have a night full of fried goodness last night, an attempt at deep fried oreos had to be made. The result: fluffy, warm, deep fried oreo goodness. Perfect ending to the night when you've already got your oil hot from the deep fried mac n cheese!

Deep Fried Oreos

- oreos

- pancake mix

- water

- schmatherings of your choice

Pour some pancake mix into a bowel, about a 1/2 cup will do. Add water little by little and stir until the pancake mix is thicker rather than thinner (about the consistency of yogurt). Dip oreos into batter with a fork and transfer them to oil. Fry at 325-350 degrees until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with your favorite schmatherings... we used whipped cream and chocolate sauce, but thought they'd be REALLY good with vanilla ice cream. They def. need some form of whipped cream or ice cream to balance out the richness. Repeat above process with any of your favorite desert treats: twinkies, candy bars, etc! And you thought desert couldn't be any unhealthier than it already was ;-)

The Quest

One of Jess and I's favorite places to eat is The Cheesecake Factory. Unfortunately, we don't have on in Canton... so every time we go anywhere near Cleveland we make sure to stop. Our FAVORITE appetizer on their menu is deep fried mac and cheese. Non-believers beware, this stuff is amazing. I've been on a quest to master the art of homemade deep fried mac and cheese ever since the first time we had it at The Cheesecake Factory to satisfy my cravings in between trips to Cleveland. The journey wasn't an easy one... but we might have found a winner during our frying expeditions last night. I'm not afraid to admit that an attempt at this recipe with a homemade mac and cheese recipe failed miserably, but feel free to try it with any mac and cheese leftovers... the key is to freeze them. Quite honestly, I probably will use homemade mac and cheese next time because the Stouffer's lacked seasoning where it provided ease of use.

Deep Fried Mac and Cheese

- 1 frozen large size Stouffer's Mac n Cheese

- Panko bread crumbs

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp milk

- Vodka spaghetti sauce

- Oil for frying or a deep fryer

Allow frozen mac and cheese (whether Stouffer's or homemade) to thaw on counter just long enough to be able to cut it into cubes. I tried making them into balls like The Cheesecake Factory's and it just doesn't work. The cubes I cut were about 2"x2". Dip each cube into egg wash (whisk egg and milk together) and then coat in Panko bread crumbs. Pat crumbs into macaroni so they thoroughly stick. Place on a baking sheet lined in waxed paper and place back into freezer until ready to fry. Fry mac and cheese at 325-350 degrees (start at 350 because once you put 3-4 mac and cheese squares in the oil the temperature will drop) for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Vodka spaghetti sauce for dippage!

Rain, Rain, Go Away... I Think I'll Make Some Soup Today!

Nothing chills you to the core like a dreary, rainy, gray, fall Ohio day. And to me, nothing warms me up and comforts me more than a big bowl of soup. I love all kinds of soup, but I have to say my favorite is one that I get at The Olive Garden: Zuppa Toscana. YUM. Here is my Zuppa recipe... and it's pretty dead on when you compare it to the OG's. Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana

- 1 pound mild italian sausage (or hot if you like)

- 2 large baking potatoes

- 1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped finely

- 1/2 can bacon bits (the real bacon pieces, not those orange things)

- 2 cans of chicken broth

- 1 bunch of kale (pulled off of stem and chopped)

- 2 cloves garlic

- 2 cans water

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (can be adjusted to fit how spicy you want the soup)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 cup heavy cream

Brown sausage with red pepper flakes in a stock pot. Drain sausage. I usually rinse my sausage a little bit to get all of the grease off. If you don't you will end up with that ugly grease layer on the top of your soup. Add all of the ingredients except for the kale and cream. Cook until potatoes are tender over medium/medium-high heat. I cut my potatoes length wise and then into1/4 inch half circles... but you can cut your potatoes into any shape you please :-) Once potatoes are cooked, add the cream and kale. Serve with bread sticks and Parmesan cheese on top.

M-M-M-Margarona!

What do you get when you combine two of my fave things, corona and margaritas? A Margarona, of course! Here's a great recipe courtesy of my friend, the mixologist, Ashley Valentine. Disclaimer: These are strong and not for the lightweights!




For one blender batch:

12oz Frozen Limeade
12oz Tequila
12oz Corona
1 Tbsp powdered sugar

In a blender, combine the limeade and tequila.
Add powdered sugar and a handful of ice (more ice if you want it frozen).
Blend together until ice is all crushed up.
Slowly add the beer so it doesn't foam a lot and then just put it on "pulse" to mix it. Any higher setting and it will foam up like crazy.
Serve over ice in a salt-rimmed glass!

Summer tastes like.... Pesto!

This blog may be a little late coming... but here it is none the less! Two years ago, my seester and I attended a gathering at Sarah Mihalik's house. She made this wonderful pesto pasta and was kind enough to share the recipe with us. I still can't believe how easy it is!!! Pesto pasta is my favorite thing to eat in the summer, it's light (much lighter than a red sauce), which is perfect for the heat we've been having lately, but still satisfying. For the past two summers now I've grown my own basil plants which also makes this pesto recipe extremely cost effective. My 3 year old son, who is quite possibly the second pickiest eater in the world (after my husband), also loves this "green sketti", which makes this recipe an A+ in my book. I like to make a batch every time my basil leaves rejuvenate on my plant and then freeze the pesto so that I have it through out the year (buying basil in the winter can be expensive because it's out of season).

Pesto

- 2 cups of basil (or two large handfuls)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 4 tablespoons of pine nuts

- 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

- 1 large garlic clove

- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, combine basil, pine nuts, cheese, and garlic. Pulse machine until ingredients finely chopped. Stream in extra virgin olive oil. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste very last. Remember that Parmesan is a very salty cheese and you can easily ruin your pesto by adding too much salt (I've done it before, lol.) I use the pesto on pasta... but the uses are endless! You can use it as a sauce for chicken, on bruschetta, served with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella... I've even thought about making it into a alfredo-like cream sauce! Most commonly, I add it to pasta and serve with grilled chicken tossed in the pasta. One batch of pesto will give you enough pesto for 1-2lbs of pasta, depending on how "saucy" you like your pasta!

Tips: Some people claim that the Parmesan cheese should be left out and added after thawing if you are planning on freezing your pesto batches. Personally, I don't think it's worth the trouble... so I make my pesto the same way I always do and freeze it. It turns out just fine after thawing.

Also, keep your left over pine nuts in the freezer to help prolong their life. Pine nuts have a high oil content which can easily spoil if left at room temperature. That's the last thing you need since pine nuts are a little pricey. I buy mine at Wal-Mart in the baking section in a resealable bag that yields me about 4-5 batches (brand is Fisher's) for about $5.

I find that the pesto pasta (if that's how you're choosing to serve your pesto) is best when served hot. As the pasta cools, it tends to get a little dry. With red sauce, you have a lot of liquid content that the pasta is able to absorb, keeping the pasta from getting dry. However, the pesto is a dry sauce to begin with. So, if I end up with left overs I always drizzle the pasta with a little extra EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) when re-heating. Another trick to keeping the pasta from drying out is to leave a little bit of pasta water on it when you drain it instead of draining it dry. The pasta water that you boiled the pasta in will add moisture and has a surprising amount of flavor too!

Corn and Maters Out The Wazoo!

It's that time of year when we have corn and tomatoes EVERYWHERE! This is when I've reached the point where I'm not sure what else to do with them. Time for some corn salad! My fave end-of-summer recipe! And you won't believe how easy it is!










Combine the following in a bowl:

1 large tomato, cubed
1 ear of cooked corn, cut from the cob
Italian dressing, about 3 squirts from the bottle
2 dashes of garlic powder
2 dashes of onion powder
2 dashes of pepper

Toss everything together and chill. This makes about two servings. Double or triple the recipe if you'd like to take it to a picnic!

Jell-O Shots

It just wouldn't be summer without Jell-O shots. There's something about those giggly concoctions that just brings you back to your childhood, even if they are filled with alcohol ;-) My recipe is pretty awesome if I do say so myself, because it uses juice as a substitute to some of the water which gives them so much more flavor and hides some of the alcohol taste (dangerous, I know). Here's the recipe for one of my favorites, Black Cherry Cranberry.

-1 box black cherry Jell-O

-1 cup black cherry cranberry juice

-3/4 cup cherry vodka

-1/4 cup cold water

Bring juice to a boil on the stove. Add Jell-O and cook until dissolved, stirring frequently, approx. 1-2 minutes. Turn heat off and add cold vodka and cold water. Stir and immediately pour into 2oz portion cups. One box of Jell-O usually yields approx. 15 shots for me. Refrigerate until set. Remember, because of the alcohol content the shots will take longer to set than usual Jell-O. Eat, rest, and repeat until buzzed. Careful! They catch up to you quickly because they taste so good and so little like alcohol. But that's exactly the way we like them :-)

Tips: Don't worry about buying top shelf liquor, the juice helps to hide the alcohol taste so I usually buy a bottle of vodka that runs me $12 or so. I purchased the portion cups at GFS, but they're available at pretty much any bulk supply store (Sam's Club, BJ's, etc.). Experiment with different types of alcohol, Jell-O flavors and juice flavors to make endless combinations. I've made Jell-O shots with coconut rum, pineapple Jell-O and pineapple juice, cherry vodka with cherry lime-aid and cherry Jell-O, etc. Get crazy! And don't forget to rock them out in an awesome cooler like the one pictured above to keep them nice and chilly.

Thatsa Wrapp

So Jess and I stopped in to "Thatsa Wrapp", a hot new wrap shop located near downtown Canton, on Saturday and we were NOT disappointed. You could almost miss the place just passing by, but there is no missing their amazing food! I got "The Bruiser" (left), a wrap filled with blackened steak slices, crumbled bleu cheese, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing. This huge wrap was served with house-made chips with the perfect amount of crunch and spice. Jess had the "Sicilian Sling", filled with grilled steak, feta, mozzarella, pine nuts, sun-dried tomato and vinaigrette. Of course I tried hers too and it was melt-in-your-mouth good. The wraps range in price from $5.50-5.75 and the platters (wrap and choice of chips or redskin potato salad) $6.50-6.75.

Holy peanut butter pie, Batman!

The menu also features what look like awesome specialty salads, breakfast wraps, Belgian waffles, and house made deserts. Speaking of deserts, Jess and I got the peanut butter fudge pie (below) which had a chocolate fudge base, peanut butter cream that was light as a feather, real whipped cream and homemade fudge sauce. I actually asked Jess if I could lick the plate when it was gone. And the best part about this cool little eatery? They feature beer! Okay, so maybe that's not the best part, but it's pretty darn awesome. They have happy hour specials every day from 3-6pm and the guy behind the counter (who we're pretty sure is the owner) tells us that they like to mix up the food specials every day with creative items not even on the menu (the mahi mahi fish taco wrap had sold out by the time we got there, boo). We told him he needs to make a facebook page ASAP so we can stalk the specials ;-)




"Thatsa Wrapp"
Find Them: 600 6th St NW

Canton, Ohio 44703

Call Them: (330) 452-9727
Visit Them: Mon-Thurs till 7pm
Friday till 9pm
Saturday till 530pm
Sunday - closed

Check out their menu here: https://sites.google.com/site/queengeorgemenus/



Overall, we give this place two thumbs up!


And until next time... that's a wrap! HAHA :-)