Breakfast Enchiladas For A Large Crew!

Have you ever had family, friends or special guests staying at your home and wondered how you would feed them all a hearty breakfast without having to slave over the stove when you needed to be entertaining and having fun?  Well, here is a great breakfast you can throw together the night before and then just pop into the oven while everyone is getting up and getting ready for the day.

Elizabeth and I made this on Christmas Eve this year and then popped it into the refrigerator and then continued on with our Christmas cooking for the next day.  When we got up the next morning I popped this dish into the oven and by the time we were done opening presents, this delicious and hearty casserole was ready to go.  It was heavenly!

Here is what you need to do:



In a large frying pan cook your Sausage and Onions until the Sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent.  You can cut your sausage into bite sized pieces but since these are going to be wrapped in tortillas and people will just be biting into them, you don't really need to.  After these are cooked through set them aside to let them cool before moving on.

Chop your Green Onions and dump them into the . . .

2 Cups of Cheese.  Ok, I might have a little more than 2 cups of Cheese in here but I LOVE cheese!

and then

add the Sausage and Onions

 and mix it all well.
 

Spray the bottom and sides of your baking dish and then using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop out the Sausage, Onions and Cheese onto a Tortilla.

Roll the Tortillas up and place them seam side down in a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish.

As you add them to the dish they will fill the whole dish.

You may need to smoosh them together a little bit to get them to fit in the dish.  As these cook the cheese will melt and combine with the eggs it will be a devine breakfast for everyone!

 

 
Next you need to beat the 6 Eggs gently in a small bowl.

 
Measure the 2 Cups of Half and Half

and pour it into a large bowl.

add the Eggs to the Half and Half

and then add the Flour and mix it all until it is well combined.

Pour the Egg mixture over the Tortillas that line the bottom of your casserole dish.

It will seem like a lot but just keep pouring until everything is in your casserole dish.  Cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator over night.

When you get up in the morning pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and pop your casserole dish into the oven for 35 - 40 minutes covered with foil and cook until the Eggs are set.

When the timer goes off, remove the foil from the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Cheese over the Enchiladas and continue to bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the Cheese is melted.

You can serve this warm and creamy dish with Sour Cream, Salsa or even a little hot sauce if you like some heat.  Enjoy!

Breakfast Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage

1 small Onion, chopped

1/2 cups Green Onions, chopped

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

8 - 10 Flour Tortillas

2 cups Half and Half

6 Eggs, whole

1 Tablespoon Flour

Salsa (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Hot Sauce (optional)

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Sweet Potato Souffle

I posted my mother-in-law's recipe, Glea's Easy Holiday Yams, a few weeks ago which has been a staple in our house for years and always will be but there is another Sweet Potato recipe that I wanted to share because it is delicious.  My daughter Elizabeth is home for a few days and we were doing our holiday baking and whipped this up.  It is really easy to make and a great recipe to help someone with their kitchen skills.  It is the day after Christmas so I will make this short!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.  Instead of boiling the sweet potatoes as I usually do I decided to just bake them in the oven and I got the same result - except the oven heated up my house which was nice!  I washed 6 LARGE Sweet Potatoes and placed them on a foil lined baking sheet and poked holes in each one with a fork.  It is best to choose potatoes of the same size and then make sure that they are large for this recipe.

Sweet Potatoes tend to leak a little bit of liquid as they bake and it can be hard to clean off of your cookie sheets so the foil catches this liquid.  You can just crumple up the foil, throw it away and then just put your baking sheet back on the shelf without having to wash it.  Wonderful!

 

After baking place your peeled and cooled 6 large Sweet Potatoes into your mixer bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.  You could eat them just like this but don't.  There are a few yummy things to add first!  Now when you add each of these items, add them one by one and mix until incorporated before adding the next ingredient.

Add your White Sugar and mix until combined.

 

Add the Eggs and continue to mix on low.

 

Add the Milk and keep that mixer running.

And last, add the teaspoon of Vanilla and mix until well combined and then turn the mixer off.

Pour the Sweet Potato mixture into your prepared baking dish.

In a separate bowl add your melted Butter, packed Brown Sugar, Flour and the chopped Pecans, or mixed nuts as I did. 

I didn't have any Pecans at home so I just used some Mixed Nuts that someone had given to us as a holiday gift.  Also, I added a little more butter than the recipe called for so the topping was pourable rather than sprinkleable but it turned out great.  The more liquid topping gave this dish a slightly crunchy topping but it was soft underneath and the more powdered topping is more like a "crisp" topping on an apple or peach pie.  So good!  Either way, you can't go wrong.

Pour the Topping mixture over the Sweet Potatoes in the baking dish and bake for 35 minutes and this is what you get.  Can you see that it looks like a candied topping?  It is just a very thin layer and gives this dish a gentle, crisp topping.

Give this recipe a try any time of the year.  I promise you will love it!

Enjoy!

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The Perfect Mashed Potatoes - There Really Is a Trick To It!

I don't usually like to write two cooking posts in a row but since next week is Christmas, you really should have the instructions on how to make the very bets mashed potatoes - ever!

Everybody has their own special or favorite way of fixing Mashed Potatoes and everybody thinks their way is the best.  Whether you like creamy, lumpy, creamy and lumpy, skins still attached or flavored Mashed Potatoes they are all considered the ultimate comfort food.  There is a trick to making the perfect Mashed Potatoes though and I don't think most people know what it is.  I am going to share the secret with you in this post.  Yay! 

Now this is not the trick but it is certainly an important key to making the best Mashed Potatoes.  Are you ready?  YUKON GOLD POTATOES!  That's right, the key to making the most delicious, creamy and buttery Mashed Potatoes is to use Yukon Gold Potatoes.  Now I typically use Russet Potatoes for two reasons.  One is I always have Russet Potatoes in my kitchen and two, they are less expensive than Yukon Golds so I reach for Russets instead.  I'm a discount shopper that way.  If you want to really see the difference though, grab some Yukon Golds next time you are in the grocery store and give them a try.   

Peel and cut into uniform size chunks 5 to 6 large Potatoes and put them into a large pot, fill it with water to about an inch above the Potatoes with a dash of Salt and put the lid on the pot.  Bring the Potatoes to a rolling boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until a fork poked into the Potatoes goes in easily.

Drain the Potatoes in a strainer and then put them right back into the hot pot.  This will keep the Potatoes hot AND help to remove a little of the moisture that is in the Potatoes.

With your favorite Potato Masher, mash the Potatoes to the consistency that you want. If you like lumpy Potatoes you won't want to mash too much!

HERE IS THE TRICK THAT YOU MUST DO TO HAVE CREAMY - HEAVENLY MASHED POTATOES - In a small sauce pan melt 2 Tablespoons of Butter and then add 1 1/2 Cups of Milk and heat until steaming but not boiling.  Heating the Milk and Butter will keep your Potatoes from becoming gummy and sticky and will ensure that you have a creamy consistency.  You don't want the milk to burn so stir continuously to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.  Make sure to heat your Milk and Butter!

You can also add some flavorings at this point.  If you want:

Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Add a couple of cloves of fresh chopped Garlic and let it warm with the Butter and Milk.  The Garlic will infuse the Milk and Butter and really give your Potatoes a delicious flavor.

Parmesean Mashed Potatoes - Shred about 1 Cup of fresh Parmesan Cheese and add it to the Milk so that it has time to melt while the Milk is heating and when it is incorporated into the Milk and heated through it will create a cheesy and creamy flavor.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes -  After you have added the Milk to the Potatoes, add 1 Cup of Sour Cream and mix until well combined.  You can also chop fresh Chives to add right before serving.

ANOTHE TRICK IS TO MAKE SURE YOU USE HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM OR HALF AND HALF.  If you want super creamy Mashed Potatoes, use Heavy Whipping Cream, Half and Half or Buttermilk instead of Milk.  I do this all the time and it really makes your Potatoes so much more rich and creamy.  Give it a try!

Pour about half of your Milk mixture into your Mashed Potatoes and stir until it is all well combined.  If you want it to be creamier, add more of the Milk and continue to mix until it is the consistency that you like.

And there you have it.  The best Mashed Potato recipe EVER!

Enjoy your spuds.

Merry Christmas!

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Gingersnaps That Don't Snap!

I LOVE Gingesnaps - I always have.  They bring back wonderful childhood memories and they just make your tummy feel good.  I do not, however, like when they are super hard or snappy.  I don't like anything that feels like it might break my teeth when I bite into it so I really do prefer Gingernaps that are not super hard.  In fact, I really love a Gingersnap that is more of a soft cookie and this recipe is just that!

This Gingersnap cookie recipe is so delicious around the holidays so what better time to share this recipe with you!  These cookies are super easy to make and if you have kids that like to participate in baking, try this one out with them.  They will have fun rolling the balls of cookie dough in their hands and then covering them with granulated suger.  Yum!

The ingredients are all standard things that you probably already have in your kitchen other than maybe Molasses but it is pretty inexpensive no matter where you get it.  Grandma's brand at Walmart was $2.88, so go and grab a bottle at your local grocery store so that you can make these delicious cookies.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl or mixer bowl cream together the Butter and Sugars until fluffy.



Add the egg and mix.


 
This is how your Butter, Sugar and Eggs should look.  This step is important so make sure that your Butter is at room temperature so that these ingredients combine well.

Now, here is a little trick.  Before you pour your Molasses into your measuring cup, spray the inside of the cup with Pam or your favorite cooking spray.  This will make it so that the Molasses slips right out of the cup and you won't have to do any scraping.  Your welcome!

Pour your Molasses into your existing wet ingredients and mix this well.

Add in the Vanilla and mix until everything is well incorporated.

Dump in the Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Salt and Pepper and mix well.

Doesn't this look heavenly?  I could eat this right now.

Add in the Flour and mix until everything is mixed well.

Now you need to chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes.  I wouldn't let it chill much longer than that because you want to be able to scoop it out easily.

After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, scoop some dough into a small cookie scoop and pop the dough into your hand.  Roll the dough into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter.

 
Roll each ball in Granulated Sugar you have set aside in a small bowl.

Place the cookie balls on an un-greased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and space them about 2 inches apart.

These don't look perfectly round but that's alright because they are going to flatten out all on their own.  Bake in a preheated oven for 8 - 9 minutes or until the cookies begin to get crevices and creases in them.  If you cook them for too long they won't be soft and chewy so don't overcook them.

Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then place them on a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.

When these cookies are baking in the oven, you house is going to smell so wonderful.  If baking these cookies doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will.  Of course, you can make these cookies at any time of the year so don't let the calendar keep you from enjoying them.

I am going to go and eat my cookies now so I will talk to you all later! 

Gingersnaps - That Don't  Snap!

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks softened Butter
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Molasses
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
Extra Granulated Sugar for Rolling Cookie Dough in a small bowl

Directions
In a large mixing bowl or mixer bowl cream the Butter and Sugars.  Add the Molasses and continue to mix.  Add the Egg and Vanilla and mix some more!  Add the Baking Soda, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves, Pepper and Salt and Mix again.  Add a third of the Flour and mix until it is all incorporated.  Add the next third of the Flour and mix again until all of that Flour is mixed well into the batter.  Add the last third and mix until it is all well combined.  Scoop the dough up with your small cookie scoop and dump it into your hand.  Roll the dough into a ball and then roll the ball in your small bowl of extra Granulated Sugar and place it on your cookie sheet.  Place the balls 2 inches apart and then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 - 9 minutes.  This mix will make about 24 delicious cookies!

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