Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakfast. Show all posts

Egg McMuffins: Conquering the egg

$2.69. That's the amount of money I fork over to McDonald's whenever I feel like having an egg mcmuffin.

$6. The cost of making six egg mcmuffins in my own home. So by simple mathematics...I win. Big time.

I was never intimidated by the idea of toasting an english muffin with cheese on top, or even the ham aspect of it. But the way they cook their eggs...I didn't get it. I avoided it; however, now, I've conquered it.

I found this tip online, and it was spot-on for how to cook these eggs. Let's eat!

Ingredients:
  • Eggs
  • Cupcake pan
  • Non-stick spray
Directions:
  • Lightly spray cupcake pan
  • Crack eggs and place one egg's yolk/whites into each individual cupcake container in the pan
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
To assemble egg mcmuffin:
  • Lightly butter and toast english muffin
  • Add a piece of cheese while muffin is still hot. Let it melt
  • Add a slice of breakfast ham (located in the grocery store next to the bacon)
  • Add one cooked egg and enjoy!
    • These can be wrapped, frozen and microwaved whenever desired
Easy as that! So save your $2.69 and go buy a dozen eggs. Or half a dozen english muffins. Or 24 slices of American cheese. Or give it to your nephew who enjoys counting coins at 2 years old. He's going to be an accountant.

Love and breakfast,
Rachael


Two-Step Eggs


Guys, you have no idea how sick I've been.

So sick. Oh, so sick.

I wasn't sick when I made these. Just for the record. I am a 100% ster-ile cooker. Egg-preparer. Rule-bender. I know this is breaking the rules, and that's not something I'm used to doing. I follow the rules; actually, I create many of them.

But tomorrow's Monday, which means scrambled eggs and fried potatoes are on the menu for breakfast. And after five days of battling a 105 degree temperature and the stomach flu, I'm just not into the other way of making these.

My mom taught me how to make these back in the day. Big surprise, right? She's got so many tricks up her sleeve, it's awe-inspiring. And honestly, Tim's a "mental" kinda' guy. The first time he actually saw how I made these, he insisted it was disgusting. Worst eggs ever. Tossed 'em in the trash. Not interested. Big baby stuff.

My big mistake? Making them when he was awake. God love him, I've been making these two-step eggs without his knowledge for probably a month now. No complaints. Just raving reviews on how I make the best eggs.

These are the best. They really are. This is also a test to see if he reads my blogs. Which he doesn't.

Ingredients:
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 cup milk
  • Salt/pepper
  • Fresh seasonings (I'm thinking basil). Totally optional.
Directions:


Grab your eggs. 


Crack them and pour both the yolk and whites into a mug (NOT a normal glass cup). Add the milk, salt and pepper, optional seasonings, and stir well with a fork.


Microwave for 90 seconds. Here's a general time table for how long to microwave eggs:
  • 1 egg-30 to 45 seconds
  • 2 eggs-1 to 1 1/2 minutes
  • 4 eggs-2 1/2 to 3 minutes
  • 6 eggs-3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes
  • 8 eggs-4 1/2 to 5 1/2 minutes

Place eggs on desired plate and using fork, gently break up eggs.


Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper. Serve with breakfast potatoes and bacon.

Feel free to make your normal eggs. Get your pans dirty and waste some time when you could be shaving your legs or packing lunches. Or just don't. Because Mondays are hard enough.

Love and ease,
Rachael

Turkey, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Quesadilla


So Tim and I have this thing that we do. And by "we," I mean "I." Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, Tim asks for scrambled eggs and my breakfast potatoes. Now, these are all depressing days for me: Monday is, well, Monday. Wednesday is the middle of the week, which is depressing in-and-of itself. And Friday, well, all I can think about is, "One more day until I get to sleep." Plus I go to the gym at 5 am on those mornings. At least Tuesdays are Taco Tuesdays and Thursdays have Grey's Anatomy.

I'm rambling.

A few mornings ago, Tim woke me up with his signature line: "Eggs and potatoes, cheeks?" Cheeks is a new nickname we're trying out. It's still a toss-up. Anyway, he wants these eggs and potatoes, and I'm just not into it. It's the end of the month, I'm out of grocery money, and unbeknownst to him, I've been out of red potatoes for 9 days. So I go to the kitchen and think this up after throwing together the 5 things I had in my fridge.

"And it was good."

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tortilla
  • 2 slices provolone or American cheese
  • 2 slices turkey, ham or favorite sandwich meat
  • Salt, pepper
Directions:
  • Crack eggs and put yolk/whites in bowl. Add about 1/8 cup water and whisk.
  • Pour eggs into small pan and turn heat on medium low. Let cook in that position without stirring. If the eggs start to get overcooked on the sides, turn the heat down, which will help the eggs cook more evenly.
  • Using a spatula, lift cooked egg from the pan and place flat on an open tortilla. 
  • Top with slices of cheese, sandwich meat. Add salt and pepper.
  • Fold tortilla in half and place back in pan. Turn heat on medium high.
  • Let the tortilla cook for about 5 minutes before flipping. Tortilla should be golden brown.
  • After cooking both sides, remove from heat and cut in half.
  • Serve warm as a quick, easy breakfast!
Love and the-most-important-meal-of-the-day,
Rachael

Maple and brown sugar oatmeal

My dad is...enthusiastic about oatmeal. We fought him for years; we wanted a donut from the place down the street. Not...oatmeal. Gross.

Well, not anymore. Now that I'm an adult, I get to choose what goes in my oatmeal. So let's forget the nutritional value, fiber and whole oats that we'll be putting into our bodies. Let's have some fun, shall we?

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups oats
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp honey 
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp raisins (optional) 
Directions: 
  •  Boil the oats and milk. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 10 minutes.
    • The consistency of your oatmeal is completely up to you. You can add more or less depending on how thick you want it. I would add small amounts of milk at a time until it's the consistency that you prefer. This is just how much milk I like. 
  •  Remove from heat and set aside. Allow it to thicken a little while.
  •  Add maple syrup, brown sugar and honey. Stir gently over low heat. 
  • Top with raisins or other dried fruit.
Now for the fun part. No one ever said you have to only do maple and brown sugar oatmeal. Here are other add-ins for your oatmeal:
  • Fruit (frozen fruit makes it extra tasty)
    • Sliced apples
    • Peaches
    • Blueberries
    • Blackberries
    • Cranberries
    • Raspberries
    • Banana slices
  • Sugar
  • Don't freak out when you read this, but...butter pecan ice cream. Just sayin'.
  • Granola
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans
  • Chocolate
    • Believe it! Add some cocoa mix, stir well, and top with chocolate chips. Even the healthiest of breakfasts can turn into a monstrosity.
  •  Nutmeg
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • A small scoop of your favorite cereal
    • Fruity pebbles are a great choice
Was I thorough enough? So you tell me — what's your favorite oatmeal topping?

Love and changing-tastes,
Rachael

Omelettes are easy!


Who knew? I sure didn't. All my life I've been intimidated by the omelette guy at all the buffets. I thought it was complicated, and given my questionable history with eggs, I backed off. I was out of my league.

Until last week. The first words out of Tim's mouth were, "I'd like an omelette, please." I started sweating. And googling. I didn't know what I was doing. I even called my mom, even though it was 4:30 in California. Still, I knew she'd be up.

No answer. She was probably painting Max's toenails. She does that sometimes.

So with all my other options rapidly disappearing, I just guessed. And hoped. And prayed. And went for it.

And it was good...great, even. So I bring you good news — you, too, can make an omelette. Now, you all know I'm not sophisticated at all. I eat lots of hot dogs and I have four cavities from all the Diet Coke I drink. I'm low-key, so I made this omelette low-key.

Let's get started.

Basic egg, cheese and potato omelette


Ingredients:
  • 4 eggs 
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese 
  • 2 slices of bacon 
  • Chives (optional) 
  • Olive oil (to cook potatoes with)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Onion
  • 2 potatoes, peeled
  • Salt and pepper
Directions:
  • We're going to start with the potatoes, because they take the longest. Go ahead and make them according to the instructions for my go-to breakfast potatoes
    • If you want to save time, which I always do, don't boil the potatoes — microwave them! Toss them in there for about 5 minutes then continue with the recipe. They'll be just soft enough.
    • Once the potatoes are prepared, set them aside.
  • Crack the eggs and whisk them in a bowl. Add the milk and a dash of salt and pepper and the chives. Whisk until well-combined.
  • Grab a small pan (this is important!) and put it on the stove on medium heat. 
    • You need to have a small pan; otherwise, it's going to spread out and be weird. So be normal and use a small pan.
  •  Spray the pan with Pam. If you don't, I promise, it'll stick. And that's just not right.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let it sit on medium heat until the bottom is well cooked and can be easily folded in half. This took mine about 5-7 minutes. The top half will still look gooey, though.
  • While that's cooking, go ahead and prepare your bacon however you feel called. Me? Microwaved bacon all the way.
    • Make sure the bacon is crispy. When it's done, crumble it up and set aside.
  •  Check on your eggs. If the side facing down can be easily lifted, add the cheese, bacon and potatoes and let it sit for a few minutes. 
  • After about 2 minutes, fold the omelette in half and let it cook on medium heat for another 2 or 3 minutes. 


This is a beautiful mess of a breakfast. As I mentioned, I'm not classy, so I don't have classy fillings, but I've read about some pretty great ideas. Here are a few:


Mushrooms * feta * bacon * spinach * cut up ham * sausage * ground beef * onion * peppers * cream cheese * sour cream * jelly * hot sauce

I'm sure there are about a million more options, but those are the best I could find. Serve your omelette with some toast and a few extra breakfast potatoes. 

Love and new discoveries,

-->

Woody's cheesy eggs

Let's just call a spade a spade. These aren't fancy, and they're not complicated. They're just eggs.

Laugh all you want, but I have encountered many people who do not know how to scramble an egg, let alone add other "fixins." I have to humbly admit that it took me some time to learn how to properly scramble an egg. Wanna know who taught me?

Woody. My father-in-law, the saint that he is, took me under his wing and instructed me on how to prepare his cheesy scrambled eggs. I'm convinced the man's mustache is full of secret recipes that are just waiting to come out.

Ingredients:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • Salt
  • 1 slice Kraft American cheese
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • Chives (optional)
Directions:
  • This is all about the heat, people! Don't ignore the directions for what heat to have this cooked at on the stove.
  • Throw the tablespoon of butter into a pan on medium low heat (est. 3 on a 10 scale stove)
  • Whisk the eggs in  a separate bowl
  • Add the milk and whisk until combined
  • Add chives (if you plan on using them)
  • Add some salt to flavor and whisk again
  • Pour egg mixture into pan and keep on low heat (2 or 3)
  • Tear the slice of cheese into small pieces and add to the eggs
    • Once this melts, it'll change the consistency of the eggs. They'll go from liquidy to thick and stickier. This will also add some to the cooking time, but stick with it!
  • Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the egg continually. That means don't stop.
    • For those of you who don't know what folding is, it is definitely not  the same as mixing or stirring. It's moving the egg from the outside in, without flipping it. You have to be gentle with them.
  • Fold continually until egg is cooked to your desire
  • Serve with breakfast potatoes and bacon 
So there ya' go! The trick is to be patient. These take awhile, but the longer you give them to cook, the better they will taste. All you folks out there who were too ashamed to admit that eggs intimidate you...you're free. Now go make breakfast.

Love and education,
Rachael

Crustless Broccoli and Potato Quiche


Easter is over. We all (hopefully) survived. And I don't know about all you hosts out there, but the thought of spending one more minute in the kitchen nearly killed me. Oh, but this quiche...it solves problems. See, every single morning — at least an hour before my alarm goes off — I hear those three dreaded words whispered in my ear: "Eggs and potatoes?" I find it ironic that I, the person who doesn't have to be into work until noon, wakes up earlier than many people who go into work at 9am.

This quiche temporarily fixed this small glitch in my marriage. Instead of pulling myself out of bed and back into the kitchen, I simply have to mutter the words, "Microwave some quiche." How great is that? Needless to say, I'll be getting my beauty sleep this week. And I need it.

I realize that this looks complicated. Somehow, I made this look much more complicated than it really is. So don't let the 3,987 steps deter you...once you've done it one time, you'll be a pro.

Ingredients:
  • Olive oil 
  • 2 cups potato, peeled and diced 
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese  
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 4 slices of bacon (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 eggs
  • Salt and pepper 
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder 
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
  • Preheat  oven to 325
  • Spray a pie pan with non-stick spray
  • Grab a few potatoes, peel then and cut them up into small chunks 
  • Pour some olive oil into a pan over medium high heat
  • Add the potato chunks and throw in a dash of salt and pepper
  • While that's heating up, grab your broccoli. If it's fresh, go ahead and toss it right in with the potatoes. If it's frozen (like mine was), microwave it with a tablespoon of water for about a minute, then toss it in with the potatoes
    • We only want to heat the potatoes and broccoli up for about 3 minutes. We're not looking to brown it at all
  • Throw the potato/broccoli mixture into the pie pan
  • Add the shredded cheese and mix
  • If you have decided to add bacon, cook it however you want (I use microwave bacon all the way), crumble it and throw on top of the broccoli/potato/cheese mixture in the pie pan
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs
  • Add the milk and whisk until combined
  • Add garlic/onion powder, some salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Whisk some more.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the broccoli/potato mixture in the pie pan.
  • Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and evenly top with Parmesan cheese. These two steps will create a bubbly crust.
  • Place the pie pan into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes on low, then turn temperature down to 250 and let it sit for about another hour.
    • This is the tricky part. The thing I've learned about quiches is that you need to allow it to sit at a lower temperature for a long period of time. There's no one perfect amount of time to cook it. Just keep your eye on it, checking it every 15 minutes or so. Once your fork can come out easily and clean from the middle of the quiche, it's ready.
So this week, I'd like to encourage you to rebel. Don't get up and fix your husband and kids breakfast. Show them the quiche, instruct them on how to use a microwave, and for the love of God, get some sleep.

Love and letting loose,
Rachael

Sourdough breakfast casserole

I have to admit that while I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kinda' girl, I really love carbs. I don't understand why naturally thin people don't eat bread and cheese all day long. I would. Unfortunately, I didn't win the genetic lottery and gained 3 lbs just from writing that last sentence. My favorite kind of bread is, without a doubt, sourdough. I love that it's nice and chewy and is a little tangy. I was definitely spoiled by the sourdough you get in Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. They just don't make it like that in the south, but the incorporation of sourdough into a breakfast casserole is what I would consider to be a teeny tiny miracle. Tim — who is normally extremely picky about leftovers — ate this without one word for the past three mornings. Okay, I changed my mind — that is a miracle.

Ingredients:
  • 6-8 slices sourdough bread
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 8 oz. block of cream cheese
  • 10 eggs
  • 1/4 stick butter
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 3/4 tsp dried mustard
  • 8 slices of bacon
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Directions:
  • Butter a 13x9 baking pan
    • Didn't know butter was a verb? It is in this blog.
  • Tear the sourdough bread into medium to large-sized chunks
  • Throw 'em in the pan
  • Top with half the cheddar cheese
  • Cut the cream cheese up into small pieces (the smaller the better, because it will melt easier) and place evenly on top of the cheddar cheese.
  • Peel the potatoes and using a grater, grate them like you would hashbrowns
  • Toss the grated potatoes on top of the cream cheese
  • Cook the bacon, crumble it and throw it on top of the grated potatoes
    • I don't know about you, but I didn't have the time or inclination to cook the bacon on the stove. I buy the pre-made stuff and just warm it up in the microwave. It's less mess and fewer dishes, so don't judge.
  • Crack all the eggs and pour them into a large bowl
  • Whisk until smooth
  • Add the milk and whisk until combined
  • Add the dried mustard and whisk some more
  • Add as much salt and pepper as you'd like
  • Pour the egg mixture evenly over everything in the 13x9 baking dish
  • Top with remaining cheddar cheese
  • Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. 
    • This can take more or less time depending on your oven and the pan. Just keep an eye on it. You want to be patient with this, because no one likes soggy eggs.
  • Once it's cooked thoroughly, take off the tinfoil and bake for another 15-20 minutes to get the top nice and crusty.
Every evening, I'm motivated to get up early and cook my man a hearty breakfast. Realistically, though, it never happens. Ever. Never a chance. But this was amazing because I made it the night before, and my early-rising hubby just had to spoon some on a plate and pop it in the microwave the next morning. I'm telling you guys, this is something special.

Love and miracles,
Rachael

Whole wheat pancakes


Nothing makes me feel guiltier than starting my day off with an overflow of carbs and syrup ...

... yet on the other side of things, nothing makes me feel better in the morning than indulging in an overflow of carbs and syrup. It's a vicious cycle.

I have to find some sort of compromise. I am not going to top my pancakes with any type of fruit (something I consider to be pure blasphemy), so that only leaves me one option: to revise the actual pancake recipe. Since my husband won't eat anything white, I decided to take a shot and make some whole wheat pancakes. I've played with a few different variations, but this is it.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Directions:
  • Stir together all the dry ingredients
  • Add the oil, milk and beaten eggs
  • Whisk until all ingredients are mixed
  • Cook on a pan or a preheated griddle until the side facing up starts to produce bubbles, then flip and let the other side cook
  • Top with butter, syrup or ... fruit (she adds begrudgingly)
It's as simple as any other pancake recipe, just with one or two simple substitutions. So for heaven's sake, stop feeling guilty and eat the pancakes.


Love and syrup,
Rachael

Apple cinnamon baked french toast

It is 10:30 pm on my birthday. I should be washing my face, saying my prayers and crawling in bed. But what am I doing instead? Baking french toast for my husband who has to wake up at 6am to play the drums in church.

Please forgive me for the fact that you'll be reading this Sunday afternoon and might be totally confused. For the record, it is currently Saturday night, January 22nd.

Sorry.

As you probably know, I've been at a total loss to find new recipes for my newly-skinny husband. This diet consumes him (aka, our entire household), and I'm getting pretty sick of grilled chicken and eggs. Let's not tell him that this recipe actually has **GASP** sugar in it.

You'll keep my little secret, won't you?

The nice thing about this is that it doesn't involve a lot of preparation. There's no stove work required, which is my favorite thing ever. I hate having to grill, fry, or saute before anything actually goes into the oven.

So next time you hear the words "french toast," don't cringe. This is semi-healthy, as the only really unhealthy thing in it is sugar. Everything else is pretty harmless.

Ingredients:
  • 4 pieces of sourdough or french bread
  • 2 large apples
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • Another 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
  • 1/8 tablespoon of nutmeg
  • 1/2 stick of butter
Directions:
  • Grab the bread and layer it on the bottom of a smaller square of rectangular pan. You'll probably have to tear the bread to fit the pan correctly.
  • Grab 2 large, fresh apples and peel and core them.
  • Finally, chop them up into little pieces.
  • Now, in a mixing bowl, throw in 3 large eggs.
  • Add 1/3 cup sugar 
  • Add 1 and 1/3 cup milk
  • And finally, a tablespoon of vanilla
  • Whisk it up, and please do it slowly. You don't want this egg-y mixture all over your white rug like I did.

    Tim, if you're reading this, we need to invest in a dark-colored rug.
    • Pour half of this mixture over the bread.
    • Add half the apples and layer them evenly.
    • In a small bowl, add 1/3 cup sugar, a tablespoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir it all up.
    • Sprinkle half the mixture over the apples, then add the remaining apples.
    • Pour the rest of the egg mixture over the top of the apples.
    •  Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar  mix on top.
    • Grab 1/2 stick of butter and slice it thinly, then layer them on top of our masterpiece.
    Now, you're supposed to cover this with tinfoil and put it in the fridge overnight. I, however, do not have that option as I will not be waking up at 5am to put this in the oven.
    • It's up to you. I don't make the rules, but this is one I don't intend to follow.
    • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for an hour.

    This is a gooey, sticky, marvelous mess. And yes-it's totally worth it. Serve it warm with more butter and optional maple syrup.

    Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday,
    Rachael

    Monkey Bread


    I'm sympathetic to a monkey's plight in life. They are hairy and have to endure onlookers' mimicking and mocking, all the while being caged in a zoo.

    But they're just so dang adorable.


    I mean, I could just take this one home with me.

    So it was only natural that when I was introduced to monkey bread-the perfect breakfast, dessert, or coffee companion-I absolutely had to try it.

    It turned out to be pretty much the best, most complicated-looking (but not complicated at all) dish I've made in a long time. Also, in case you were wondering, the reactions from my family were...

    "Oh...my...gosh..."

    "Kill me now."

    "I have never tasted anything so good in my life."

    Just in case you needed convincing.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 cans original biscuits
    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 5 teaspoons cinnamon
    • Large Ziploc bag
    • 2 sticks butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract




    First grab 3 cans of original biscuit. Do not get the flaky kind-it's something you'll come to regret. Or so I'm told. Lay them out on a cutting board. Cut them up like you would a pizza (into 8 pieces). You will have many many pieces. That's a good thing. Mine have weird little yellow flakes, which is apparently butter. This is good news!



    Fill a large ziploc bag with 1 1/2 cups sugar and about 5 teaspoons of cinnamon. Shake it up and add the biscuit pieces. Zip it back up and shake well until they're thoroughly coated.

    Spray a bundt cake pan and throw 'em in there. Now it's time to start the caramel sauce (pronounced ca-r-a-mel). NOT carmel.



    Melt 2 sticks of non-salted butter over medium high heat and add 1 cup of brown sugar and the vanilla.



    Now take my word for it and use a whisk, NOT a spoon. It seriously cuts a ton of time off this step if you use the whisk.



    Go ahead and pour the goodness over the biscuity cinnamony sugary chunks. Now let all the guilt leave your body. It's monkey bread. It's a part of nature. It's going to look like they're drowning. Don't try to save them. It's their destiny to die this phenomenal death.



    Throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it as every oven is different and it might take more or less time.



    Let it cool about 20 minutes and flip it onto a plate. Serve with coffee, ice cream, or as a warm breakfast.


    Come on, people. We eat donuts and chocolate muffins in this country for breakfast. Surely this should get the stamp of approval.

    **This dessert has been approved by Tim**

    Enjoy all!

    Love,

    -->

    Breakfast potatoes...the kind that build character



    This morning, I woke up at 6am, because I am determined to become a morning person again. Back in the old days (as in 2 years ago), I would get up at 5:30am, be at the gym by 6am, skip out of there around 7am, and get ready for my two jobs and full academic load.

    My mornings were actually pretty serene. After the initial misery of getting up early, I worked out, came home, made breakfast (I promise I'm getting to that), watched the Bachelor Pad, went tanning, and watched a chick flick while I got ready for work. For those of you who are wondering why I am in no hurry for a dog or a child, read that sentence five times and get back to me. I am free.

    So for breakfast, I knew I wanted to revisit the typical eggs, bacon/sausage and potatoes. But I wanted to try something new, so I took a gamble. I've played with this a few times, and like I've said before, this is it. These are no fuss breakfast potatoes, but whoever you make them for will think you're some culinary genius who cares about their well-being much more than you actually do.

    Bottom line: they're 10x easier than they look. Zero prep and no hassle. So let's get to it.

    Ingredients (serves 2):
    • 3 potatoes (red or white)
    • Salt/pepper
    • Lawry's seasoning salt
    • Olive oil
    • 1/4 onion (or onion powder)
    Directions: 
    • Boil the potatoes (skin and all) until you can easily insert a fork into them
      • For me, this is about 20-25 minutes OR just microwave them for 6-7 minutes. That's what I do.
    • Drain the potatoes
    • Chop them up into bite-sized pieces
    • Dice up the onion into very small pieces
      • If you don't want to use onion, use onion powder.
    • Generously pour olive oil into a large skillet and turn on medium heat
    • Add the onion, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes
    • Add the potato chunks
    • Add salt, pepper and seasoning salt
    • Keep everything on medium heat, moving the potatoes around for about 10 minutes
      • Don't be intimidated by the loud sizzling and the steam. I made these one time with a girlfriend, and she was convinced I was either a) going to burn the potatoes, or b) burn the house down. They're supposed to do that.
      • The potatoes will eventually brown, signaling that they're ready to be devoured by you.
    It's that easy! Serve this for your husband with scrambled eggs and either bacon or sausage, and you might come home to an unloaded dishwasher.

    I sure did.

    Love and getting-what-you-want/need,
    Rachael

    Breakfast casserole

    I always struggle with breakfast, because my husband quickly gets sick of cereal and eggs. This recipe is a-freaking-mazing. I can't take credit for it, though. My friend, Amanda, gave me this recipe, and to this day, I tell her that this casserole made me fall in love with her.

    In a totally platonic, we-can-paint-our-toenails-together, let's-watch-a-chick-flick kind of way.

    I've said too much. Let's just get to it, shall we?

    Ingredients:
    • 1 roll of pork sausage
    • 1 bag of frozen hashbrowns
    • 8 eggs, stirred
    • 1 cup of velveeta
    • 1 can cream of celery soup
    • 3/4 cup of evaporated milk
    Directions:
    • First, cook and drain the roll of sausage.
    • Throw the sausage into a big (and I mean BIG) bowl
    • Add the bag of hashbrowns. Yes, the whole bag. Remember, we have no shame. More potatoes, more love.
    • Mix 'em up.
    • Add the eggs. I've never whisked them before I put them in, but that probably wouldn't be a bad idea. I like to be effortless. Just like my casseroles
    • Add the cream of celery soup and the condensed milk.
    • Now mix it together. Trust me, you will want to use some type of mixer. I don't know what type of whisk thingies that are on it, but they're the kind you want to use. Am I making any sense? Let's try this again. When I got my hand mixer, there were two different types of extensions to put on the hand mixer. One was a normal whisk kind, and the other was the one pictured above. It's a little more heavy duty. Anyway, use that one if you have it. It's rougher and tougher. Yes, this is Velveeta. No, it's not low fat. Please don't look up nutrition information. It's not worth it.
    •  Add a cup to the bowl with all the other ingredients (which about half the normal sized block). Make sure it's softened (aka, don't refrigerate it beforehand).
    • Throw it in a baking dish.
    • Now, this is where the scientific part comes in. I've got it down to a science how long to cook this thing. But then again, your oven might be more of an arts and crafts kind of oven. Kidding.
    • Throw it in the oven at 375 for about an hour, then take it down to about 250 for an hour and a half, then down to 200 for about 30 minutes. I know, it's complicated. The problem is, after cooking it at 375 for an hour, it'll start to get dark on top, but the inside will still be liquidy. We take it down gradually to make sure that the inside is cooked. And like I always say, every oven is different. I know people who only take two hours to make this. The trick is just to take the heat down gradually. You'll know when it's ready by two things:
      • You can shift it side to side, and it doesn't do the Truffle Shuffle. If you don't know what that is, watch the Goonies.
      • You put a knife through the middle and it comes back clean. If it's all wet, the insides aren't cooked. TRUST ME, it's worth the extra time in the oven! Just be patient. If you don't have time to spend 3 hours cooking in the morning, cook it the night before and then put it in the oven at 200 for 30 minutes the morning of.


    It never lasts long. This is great stuff. When I make it, we eat it for every meal. So make it, and trust me, this is great.

    Love you all!

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