Breakfast Loaf

 

I made French Bread Rounds and needed to create something to do with them. The hubby loved the idea of a big sandwich! So, I made Ham, Egg and Cheese, and I added a couple of slices of tomato! It was a hit! You can make your own or buy a round loaf of French Bread. I made mini loaves because we don't need an entire loaf. It's up to you.

Breakfast Loaf

6 eggs

1 T butter

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 round loaf French Bread

6 oz sliced deli ham

1 cup Cheddar cheese

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1 tomato, thinly sliced*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk eggs together with salt and pepper to taste. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Pour eggs into the skillet and cook until no liquid remains. Set aside.

Cut the top of the loaf off and hollow out both sides. Save the insides for breadcrumbs.

Place a layer cheddar cheese in the bottom loaf. Layer with ham, eggs and tomato, top with Monterey Jack Cheese. Replace the top lid.

Wrap loaf tightly in foil. Bake until loaf is heated through, about 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy! 

* You can add some peppers and onions, but I would sauté them to remove some water first. I dried the tomato sliced off too. The cheese on top and bottom helps seal the bread and keeps them from getting soggy. 

Southern Cornbread Salad

This is a great way to use that leftover cornbread, if you have any. I know it sounds and looks strange, but trust me, it is delicious! Everyone that has tried it has asked for the recipe!

Prepared 8x8 pan of Cornbread (I use 1 Jiffy mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
2 cups Sour Cream (or 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream and 1/2 cup Mayonnaise)
1 - 16 oz diced Tomatoes, drained
1 - 16 oz Black Beans, drained
1 - 16 oz Corn, drained
1/4 cup Bacon crumbles
1 cup Cheddar Cheese

(optional) ½ cup each Green Onions, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper

Make Cornbread, and cool completely. Stir together HVR dressing mix, sour cream and mayo. Crumble cornbread into a 9X13 casserole dish. Top with beans, tomatoes, (optional onion and peppers), corn, bacon and cheese. Finally top with dressing. Cover and chill at least 3 hrs. When it is time to serve, take a spoon and stir a little section at a time to mix the ingredients to get a nice moist salad.

* I use twice as much dressing for mine, so it's not too dry.

Southern Style Tomato Pie

I asked the Hubby to go pick the ripest, prettiest tomatoes he could find from the garden. I told him that I wanted to cook a tomato pie. He said, "A what?" I laughed and told him he'd like it! Most people don't know much about tomato pie unless their Grandmama made it. Quite frankly, I don't remember Mama or my Grandmama making a tomato pie. The first time I tried it was in Santee, SC at Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile. That first taste was enough to inspire me to make them from then on! I finished the pie and offered a slice to him. He is now hooked! I was short on tomatoes because I had already processed a lot for sauce the day before, so this pie is a little pitiful. The next one will be more substantial! LOL

This is what I found on the counter this morning!

I think he liked it! LOL

• 1 - 9 inch pie shell (or homemade pie crust, below)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cups cheese I used a combination of Sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pre-bake the pie shell in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Lightly salt the chopped tomatoes and set them in a colander over a bowl to drain (I used my Easy Greasy Colander System.) while you are pre-baking the crust. Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes using paper towels.

Sprinkle a layer of chopped onion over the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the basil over the tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

Place in oven and bake at 350° until browned and bubbly, about 25- 30 minutes.

My pie crust was a little thin and rustic,

but it was not soggy. It was crispy and delicious!

Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
8 Tbsp (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Place the flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add half of the butter cubes and pulse about 6 times. Then add the other half of the butter cubes and pulse about 6 more times. You should have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal, with many butter pieces the size of peas. Work quickly with the dough, you don't want the processor to heat up and start to melt the butter.

Add a couple of tablespoons of ice cold water to the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times. Then add more ice water, slowly, about a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture just barely begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again. 

Remove the crumbly mixture from the food processor and place on a clean, smooth surface. Use your hands to press the crumbly dough together and shape into a ball. Work the dough just enough to just bring the dough together. Do not over-knead or your hands will overheat the dough and break down the butter. This will make the dough tough. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough.

Sprinkle the dough with a little flour. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (You can freeze the dough for several months until ready to use. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.)

When you are ready to roll out the dough, place it on a clean, smooth, lightly floured sheet of wax paper. (You can place it on a counter top, but I like to transfer the crust on the paper.) Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle, to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch thick.

As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Place dough onto a 9-inch pie plate. (If you use the wax paper, it's ok for it to stick a little. I invert the paper over the pie plate and gently peel the wax paper from the dough.) Gently press down to line the pie dish with the dough. Crimp or pinch the dough around the top or press with the tines of a fork.

Homemade Chili

It's cold outside, and it actually snowed in the midlands of South Carolina this morning, for about 15 minutes! Wow! That was a close one! LOL Needless to say, there isn't a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk left in the stores, so I won't even try to venture out to the store! I found some beans, onions and tomatoes in the pantry, and I had some hamburger in the freezer! Good time for a giant pot of chili! 

For the Beans:

1 lb dried Red Kidney Beans

4 cups water, or stock

1/2 tsp dried, minced onion

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain the beans several times. Add the water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a large pot and cook for a few hours or until beans are tender.

To finish the Chili:

1-2 pounds ground lean beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

4 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook hamburger and onion until meat is done. Drain off fat. Add tomato and stir. Add to the beans. Add the seasonings and stir until dissolved and mixed well. Simmer until chili is the thickness you like. I usually let mine simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and cornbread!

Cheeseburger Slider Casserole

• We have been having a rough time in the South/Southeast after Hurricane Matthew. North Carolina is continuing to have flooding issues. Here in South Carolina, many people remain in the dark with no power. I am lucky. I have my power back on, but just 2 miles down the road they are still without power. It is possible that they will be without power for a few more days! With that being said, we got a little tired of the grill. I have never missed my stove more! You might think casseroles are boring, but when you even have to grill water, you may understand why a new casserole recipe brings me so much joy!

• 
  
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups diced onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 12 slices cheese (your choice)*
• 12 dinner rolls**

Topping

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons minced Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place hamburger in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and onions are cooked. Drain off fat. Stir in drained tomatoes and cook until heated through. Season with salt, pepper.

Place bottom half of buns in prepared pan. Top with beef mixture & sliced cheese. Finish off with the top half of the bun.

Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan over medium heat until melted, smooth and combined. Pour over the buns.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

* I used American Cheese.

** Use Plain Dinner Rolls and not sweet dinner rolls.

Taco Cheese Dip

I made this dip today with what I had on hand for my son and his friend while they were working on his car! Nice treat for a job well done! 

2 cups prepared Taco Meat
8 oz Cream Cheese, room temp
1 cup Cheddar Cheese
10 oz can Rotel (Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles)

Combine and pour into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until melted and bubbly! Serve with chips or crackers.

Creamed Tomatoes (AKA Tomato Gravy)

Being Southern, I was shocked that I never had the traditional Tomato Gravy. Mama never made it. We had plenty of tomatoes on the table all summer, but she never made gravy or creamed them. Maybe she didn't know about it, or maybe she didn't like it. I'll never know, but I had to try it! It isn't like spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce. It is more like creamed tomatoes. Most Southerners that make tomato gravy, make it a lot thinner than mine. I like to leave the tomatoes chunky. It has more texture and doesn't turn into soup! This is the easiest "gravy" you'll ever make!

Creamed Tomatoes over Biscuits

1 pint chopped tomatoes*
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
salt
pepper
3 Tbsp butter

Put tomatoes and garlic into saucepan over medium heat. While tomatoes are simmering, whisk together flour and milk in a bowl. Add milk mixture to warm tomatoes. Bring to a low boil. Stir in butter, salt and pepper. Serve over rice, biscuits or buttered toast.

*I prefer tomatoes with onion. I can my own with spices and onion added, but you can also find them in most grocery stores.

BLT Recipes!

Who doesn't love a good BLT? Well, you can get that great flavor in a variety of ways, shapes and sizes! We have our favorites, but it also depends on the occasion. Salads are great for a dinner party. Dips are great for munching during the game. Sandwiches and wraps are great for sandwich night or a quick lunch! Check out these BLT recipes! All Pictures have a link to the recipes below!

 BLT Pasta Salad

 BLT Tacos

BLT Dip 

And as always, back to simple original
BLT Sandwich! 

Homemade Ketsup

I have never made my own ketchup. I've made mayonnaise and many different salad dressings and sauces, but not ketchup. It's so easy just to buy it. Well, I have so many friends that are into fresh, clean, healthy and truly organic foods. They are into canning and preserving and putting up their own foods. I thought I'd give ketchup making a try. I researched a lot and found many recipes. This is what I came up with today.

1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a medium saucepan, combine the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, mustard, cayenne, cinnamon, tomato paste, honey and salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the crushed tomatoes and vinegar.

Simmer until the sauce is very thick and flavorful,

about 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool and place in a blender or

food processor and blend until smooth.

Strain to catch any chunks or un-processed pieces.

 Jar and process according to

canning instructions, or refrigerate.

The hubby says that it tastes like Heinz to him, but I plan on adjusting the seasonings to fit my taste. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 to 3 cups, so you can afford to make a couple of batches to make it what you want or like.

Spicy Cheese Dip

I decided to make Mitchell's favorite dip today. Mitchell is my 22 year old step-son who still responds, "Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! I could eat that whole pot by myself!", every time I make this. It is so easy and you can make it as spicy as you like. This is a medium grade heat for this dip. Rotel makes a mild and hot also. You can add your own peppers or hot sauce, if you like.

Start with one 10 ounce can of Rotel with it's juice

and 16 ounces of Velveeta Cheese.

This all you need for the meatless dip.

The hamburger I used was still frozen. So I put it in this dish

and put it in the oven at 350 degrees. (Or use sausage)

When the juices started to run out,

I removed it from the oven and 

broke it apart with a wooden spoon.

I put it back in the oven until all the meat was browned.

I cubed the cheese and added it to the meat.

Add the Rotel and place the dish back in the oven

until the dip is melted.

Serve with your favorite chips!

Spaghetti Pie

I've had a lot of people asking for the recipe for this one, so here goes...

 Filling:
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb Spaghetti Noodles, cooked and cooled

Mix eggs, sour cream and cheeses well. Toss in noodles. Place in a greased 13X9 casserole dish.

Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder, browned and drained
1 - 24oz can Spaghetti Sauce, your choice
1 - 12oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

Combine the above ingredients and simmer 15 or 20 minutes. Cool and top the noodle mixture with the sauce.

Top with an additional 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

and 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes

or until golden brown and bubbly.

Slice and serve... maybe with a salad and some toasty garlic bread!

Pasta Salad BLT

I'd have to say that my favorite sandwich... Those of you that follow me know it's a Reuben and don't get me started! LOL... But my second favorite sandwich is a BLT. I've done blogs about the sandwich, dips,  stuffed bltomatoes, etc. This is another form of the wonderful flavor of the BLT...

8 oz of pasta, cooked and cooled

8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

8 - 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

Pinch of basil

Cook your favorite pasta (here I used rotini). Rinse and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine pasta and bacon. Add in mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, pepper and basil—mix until fully combined. Carefully stir in lettuce and tomatoes. Serve room temperature or cool in the frig until ready to serve.

BLT Dip

This recipe can be used in a lot of different ways. Use it as a dip for crackers, chips or toast points. Use it as an appetizer mixing everything together except the tomato and stuff cherry tomatoes with the dip, or use it as a spread on subs, sandwiches and even burgers. There are all kinds of ideas for this tasty recipe! Enjoy and have a safe weekend!

Here I used cored, seeded tomatoes 

sliced into chunks to eat with the dip!

BLT Dip


6 slices cooked Bacon, crumbled

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup chopped, seeded plum Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lettuce
Crackers for dipping


Mix bacon, sour cream, mayo, and tomatoes. Cover and put in frig for about an hour. Hollow out a tomato and spoon dip into it. Place on the lettuce leaves and surround with Crackers.

Note: You can substitute a 3 oz jar of real bacon bits for sliced Bacon.

Here is another cute way to serve this dip! :-)

***You can also use canned diced tomatoes to thin the 
mixture down and use it as a salad dressing!

Chicken Caesar Wraps

Earlier this afternoon I posted on Facebook:

"It's really bad when you love to cook like me, and you've grocery shopped for food for the next week and a half... and you can't make up your mind about what to cook...

I now have a roast with potatoes and portabellos in the oven... Chicken done for the Chicken Wraps... and everything ready to put together the Chicken Caesar Pizzas!

Hmmmmm! I wonder what we are having for supper???!!!???
LOL"

So I made a decision that since everything was ready for the wraps and they wouldn't take anymore cooking time (and I was starving), we would have Chicken Caesar Wraps for supper. I put back the stuff for the pizza, and everyone knows that pot roast is even better the next day. It had another hour to cook anyway! :-)

I also must confess that I found a kit for the wraps made by Mission Foods. It had 12 wraps, Caesar Seasoning and Caesar Dressing. It was priced at $3.59 and had a peel off coupon for $1.00 off! 

Romaine Heart was $1.33

Chicken Boneless Breasts $1.53

Tomato $.69

and I had the cheese on hand (that was optional since the dressing has the cheese in it also)

Soooo a meal that made 12 chicken wraps costs $6.14! 

An Ice-Water Bath Crisps the Romaine! It was a little limp...

The Caesar Seasoning, water and shredded chicken...

The finished product! Viola!!!

I still have leftovers, so this could be another meal... 2 meals for $6.14 ain't bad!!!

Mama's Shrimp Creole

Growing up, my Mama and her family didn't have a lot of money. Food like seafood was out of the question. They could go fishing and eat fish, but shrimp were not in the budget. When Mama was in middle school, she made a new friend and went to stay the weekend. She soon found out that the 'well to do' family was catholic and ate shrimp every Friday night. It was a sacrifice that she gladly made! Whenever she could Mama would buy shrimp for us and she loved to make Shrimp Creole. Shrimp was her favorite food!

Shrimp Creole

¼ cup Butter

1 cup Onion, chopped

1 cup Celery, diced

1 Garlic Clove, minced

2 T Flour

1 t Salt

1 t Sugar

Dash Cayenne

1 t Paprika

1 small Bay Leaf

4 drops Tabasco

½ cup Bell Pepper, diced

19 oz can Tomatoes

2 cups Shrimp, Peeled and deveined

     (1 pound fresh or 2 - 7 oz cans)

Melt butter in frying pan. Add onion, celery and garlic; cook slowly until tender but not brown. Add flour and seasoning; stir until blended. Stir in bell pepper and tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turns pink. Serve over rice.