Baked French Toast Casserole

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-french-toast-casserole-with-maple-syrup-recipe2/index.html

Brownie Cookies

The actual name of this delicious dessert from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook is "Chocolate Fudgies," but I didn't like that, so I renamed it. :) These are really easy to make, and are just the consistency I like for brownies - chewy, not cakey.

1 12-oz package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped (or substitute 6 Tbsp cocoa powder + 2 Tbsp canola oil)
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir 1 cup of the chocolate chips, the unsweetened chocolate, and butter until melted. Remove from heat; add the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined, scraping sides of pan. Stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and nuts.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until surfaces are dull and cracked. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Buttercream Frosting

My mom made this delicious frosting for all of my birthday cakes. So yummy, and so simple!

1 box powdered sugar (1 pound, or 3 1/2 to 4 cups)
1 stick softened butter (1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp milk
1-2 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add additional milk, 1/2 tsp at a time, until desired consistency.

Whole Grain Pancakes

From allrecipes.com

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
cooking spray

1.In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, oats, cornmeal, flaxseed meal, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour in buttermilk and egg. Stir just until smooth.
2.Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Spinach Cheesy Pasta Casserole

From allrecipes.com

1 (12 ounce) package medium seashell pasta
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars tomato basil pasta sauce
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, and cook the spinach 4 to 6 minutes, until tender.
3. Place the cooked pasta in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and bread crumbs.
4. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish, and cover with another 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella. Layer with remaining pasta mixture, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
5. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Try #1 - May 7, 2010
This was a good substitute for my normal baked ziti, since I didn't have any ricotta cheese. I used just one egg, a box of Barilla (13.5 oz) penne pasta, a jar (24 oz) of Prego sauce, and added a little extra olive oil and some basil and oregano. I also used fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. The bread crumbs gave it a flavor that reminded us of eggplant parmesan. Overall, a pretty good and easy meal.

Italian Asparagus Fettuccine

From here

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small stick of celery, diced
1 medium zucchini, finely diced
1 small leek, white part only, diced
16 stalks of asparagus, tips reserved, stalks thinly sliced
A small handful of basil leaves
300ml vegetable stock
1 garlic clove
400g fresh or dried fettuccine
50g finely grated parmesan cheese
Pea shoots, to serve


1. Add 4 tsp olive oil to a heavy-based pan over a low heat and sweat onion and celery until soft. Add zucchini, leek and asparagus stalks and sweat for a further 2–3 minutes. Add most of the basil leaves and when they wilt, add the stock, then simmer until veg are tender. Remove from the heat and, using a hand blender or food processor, blend till creamy. In another frying pan over a low heat, add a little oil and cook garlic till soft, then add the asparagus sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Boil a pan of salted water. Cook fettuccine, and 3 minutes before it’s done, add the asparagus tips. When fettuccine is al dente, drain, reserving a little cooking water, and add to the asparagus sauce. Loosen the pasta and sauce with cooking water, as needed. Stir in remaining basil, and serve with parmesan and pea shoots.

Sunrise Squares

From allrecipes.com

1 pound Bob Evans® Original Recipe Sausage Roll
6 slices bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup diced green and red peppers (I'll use 1 3/8 c. peppers)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I'll use 1 1/2 c. cheese)
6 eggs (I'll use 9 eggs)
1 1/2 cups milk (I'll use 2 1/4 c. milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I'll use 1 tsp. salt)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I'll use 1 tsp. dry mustard)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crumble and cook sausage in medium skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain.
2.Spread bread cubes in greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish (I'll use two 9X9 pans); top with sausage, peppers and cheese. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and mustard until well blended; pour over cheese.
3.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers.

Egg and Sausage Casserole

From allrecipes.com

1 pound pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1.Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough. Pre-bake for 6-7 minutes. Sprinkle with crumbled sausage. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.
4.Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

One review on website:
"Really Good!! I made a few changes recomended by others. I used 10 eggs, 2 cups cheese (1 cheddar, 1 mozzarella), 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. I also pre-cooked the crescent crust and added red peppers to the sausage while it browned. There were not leftovers to take home!! "

Mediterranean Egg Bake

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium (1 cup) red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
1 1 /2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed, stems removed, torn
1/2 cup milk
8 eggs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 ounces (1/2 cup) feta cheese, crumbled
1 medium (1 cup) tomato, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1.Heat oven to 350F.
2.Melt butter in 10-inch skillet until sizzling, add bell pepper and onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened (3 to 4 minutes).
3.Stir in spinach. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted (1 to 2 minutes).
4.Meanwhile, combine milk, eggs, garlic salt and pepper in medium bowl with wire whisk. Stir in cheese and cooked vegetables. Pour egg mixture into greased 9-inch pie pan.
5.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until eggs are set in center and edges are lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes.
6.Meanwhile, combine tomato and basil in small bowl. Spoon over top of egg bake. To serve, cut into wedges.

Source: www.therecipeworks.com

Try #1 - January 14, 2012
I made this without cheese for a friend who doesn't like cheese, and it was still pretty tasty! I also added some fresh parsley.

Pecan Coffee Cake

From allrecipes.com

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2.In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sour cream, then beat in sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3.To make the Pecan Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan.
4.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, and remove foil.

Try #1 - May 3, 2010
Note: Do not overbake!! Do not let topping burn!!

Try #2 - June 19, 2010
Used whole wheat flour. Tasted just as good, although perhaps slightly drier...

Homemade Playdough (Uncooked)

1/4 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/4 cup water (with food color added, if desired)

Have your child mix the flour and salt in a bowl then add water. Knead and squeeze the dough to make a clay consistency. You may need to add more water.

Note: Your child will find that this playdough doesn't last as long as the cooked recipes.

From http://www.creativekidsathome.com/activities/activity_8.html