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All posts from February 2016.
In on February 6, 2016 with No Comments

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bites

In our house, bacon is its own food group. The boys will eat bacon on anything and everything, whether it’s fried in strips, crumbled on a wilted lettuce salad or used to top homemade baked beans. It’s often found on our breakfast table, but I wanted to take a short cut this morning and combine everything together.




These breakfast bites are really crustless quiches. All you need is a muffin cup and a large measuring cup to mix up the eggs, and 30 minutes later, breakfast is served. You can add ingredients of your choice. Use up any leftover ham or sausage links. Chop up some fresh broccoli and change up the type of shredded cheese if you like. This morning I added some hen of the woods mushrooms that we’d canned in late fall, but fresh mushrooms work equally as well. These make a quick breakfast that you can eat on the go, and they’re great for using up those small-quantity leftover veggies and meats that aren’t quite enough to stand on their own.

bacon egg cups in pan

 

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bites

12 slices of bacon

8 eggs

1 half-pint canned mushrooms

Shredded cheddar cheese

Milk

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin liberally with cooking spray. Line each muffin cup with 1 slice of bacon. Evenly distribute the canned mushrooms in each muffin cup (I used an entire half-pint). Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the mushrooms.

In a large measuring cup, combine the eggs, a splash of milk, salt and pepper, and whisk until scrambled. Pour egg mixture into the muffin cups.

Bake muffin cups at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cups comes out clean.

bacon egg cups in pan 2

bacon egg cups on plate

 

Makes 12


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In , on February 6, 2016 with No Comments

Peach Crumb Pie

I’m a fan of easy-peasy recipes, and when you can your own fruits and vegetables during season, it’s a snap when you want to throw together dinner or desserts if you have a pantry full of goodies.

The other day I made a Caramel Apple Crumb Pie with a quart of the caramel apple pie filling I put up this summer. The kids wanted pie again today, so I decided to use a quart of the peach pie filling I made this summer and use the same crumb recipe. Easy peasy.

We have 4 peach trees in the backyard, and they produce the small, golf ball-sized peaches that are super sweet and full of peach flavor, not like the peaches you can find in the grocery store. Making the filling is labor intensive in the fact that you have to peel all these little peaches (as opposed to the nice big Colorado peaches I use to can peaches by themselves). I threaten the boys each summer when I do pie filling, as they’ve been known to just grab a quart of pie filling off the pantry shelves and sit down to eat it – and then I have nothing left for pies or cobblers. True story – they ran me out of apple pie filling one year as they loved it just for a snack. I hid these peach pie filling quarts this year so that I would have a few of the precious jars for when I wanted to use them, not when their stomaches wanted something sweet 🙂 This pie can be a bit messy, so feel free to add 2 tablespoons of instant tapioca to your pie filling if you prefer so the filling doesn’t fall apart when you dish out the slices.

 

peach crumb pie half

 

Peach Crumb Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

1 quart peach pie filling

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour pie filling into unbaked pie shell. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla. Cut in the butter using a pastry knife or fork until you get small crumbs. Sprinkle this mixture over top of the peaches.

Bake the pie for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until you see the filling bubbling. Cool before cutting, and serve with either whipped cream or ice cream.

peach crumb pie whole

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In , on February 6, 2016 with No Comments

Baked Cajun Honey Garlic Shrimp

I love shrimp in any form I can get them. My go-to recipe is usually shrimp scampi, but I thought I’d change it up a bit this time and do a marinated spicy shrimp dish.

I’d seen recipes on Pinterest for Cajun shrimp, honey and garlic shrimp, and barbecue shrimp, so I decided to take a bit of several recipes and combine them to make these Baked Cajun Honey Garlic Shrimp. You can serve the shrimp over cooked rice or pasta, whatever you have on hand or whichever you prefer. Since you’ll pour the shrimp and all the yummy marinade on a pan to bake, use the sauce over the shrimp and rice/noodles, or use the sauce as a tasty dipping sauce for bread. The recipe calls for 1 pound of shrimp, but the recipe makes enough marinade for 2 pounds if your family happens to devour shrimp as fast as mine does. We like things spicy, but you can back off the Cajun seasoning if your family only wants a little bit of heat.

 

cajun shrimp on rice

 

Baked Cajun Honey Garlic Shrimp

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a large lemon)

1/4 cup garlic-infused olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (use your favorite – I like Wildtree’s Cajun seasoning)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

 

In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic-infused olive oil, soy sauce, honey, Cajun seasoning and chopped parsley. Add the peeled and deveined shrimp, and stir to completely coat all the shrimp. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

 

Cajun shrimp marinating

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the shrimp and the marinade to a large baking dish (or two if you’re using more than 1 pound of shrimp) that is large enough to hold the shrimp in a single layer.

cajun shrimp on baking sheet

 

Bake uncovered until firm and pink, about 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t overbake, as shrimp becomes rubbery and tough when overdone. Serve with cooked rice or pasta.

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In , on February 2, 2016 with 2 Comments

Provencal Beef Stew

I love European cuisine, especially French and Italian, because they know how to use the freshest ingredients in their dishes to come up with incredible flavor. My bucket list includes a trip to both France and Italy, and while the scenery and the history would be extremely interesting to me as a college history major, I’ll be honest that I’d go primarily for the food. Finding local cooks and cafes that shop the local market and then decide what to prepare – that would be a little bit of heaven.

The best recipes I’ve found use slow-cooking methods, and this one for Provencal beef stew definitely fits the bill of slow-cooked, mouth-watering flavor. I dug out my large cast iron Dutch oven for this, but a large enamel pot would work well too. Just make sure it has a tight-fitting cover, as you’ll be baking this low and slow in the oven.

provencal beef stew in bowl

 

The recipe calls for 2 cups of wine. If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute additional beef broth, but you will definitely be losing some of the incredible flavor that wine gives this dish. Choose a good quality, full-bodied red wine for this – one you’d be happy to have a glass of with dinner.

I found this recipe through Pinterest, as I do many of the new dishes I try, and the link took me to The Café Sucré Farine, which has amazing recipes throughout its site. I followed their recipe to the letter with the exception of the anchovy paste, as my local grocery store doesn’t stock it. I’m guessing it would add another depth of flavor to this stew, and the next time I’m in the “big city,” I’m finding some because I know I’ll be making this recipe again.

 

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This stew can be prepared the day before or even 2 to 3 days before you want to serve it. The stew’s flavor improves with time, but if you can’t wait, you can obviously have it the same day it’s prepared. Serve some crusty fresh-baked bread alongside, and you’ve got yourself a traditional French meal. Bon appétit!

 

 

provencal beef stew in pot 3

 

Provencal Beef Stew

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 2 1/2 pounds sirloin tip roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons neutral-flavored cooking oil

12 medium garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed

2 cups dry red wine

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 pound baby carrots

1 medium onion, halved and sliced into thin wedges

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (plus more for garnishing)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (plus more for garnishing)

2 medium bay leaves

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound fresh mushrooms

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Add the beef to the bolw, and toss with your hands until the beef is coated.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, and saute until soft and pale golden. Remove to a large plate or bowl. Increase heat to medium.

Add half of the beef to the Dutch oven. Distribute cubes so the beef is in a single layer. Cook for several minutes without stirring, until the beef is nice and brown on the underside, the flip and brown the other side. Remove beef with a slotted spoon to the plate with the garlic, and repeat with the second half of the beef. When beef is nicely browned, remove to the plate.

Add the wine to the Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the Dutch oven with a metal spoon or spatula to loosen all the cooked bits. Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the wine mixture has reduced to about 1/2 cup of liquid.

Add the beef broth, beef, garlic and any remaining flour that left in the bowl. Stir to combine. Add the carrots, onion, tomato paste, anchovy paste, fresh herbs and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then cover and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Remove bay leaves, and set the stew aside to cool. You can refrigerate this overnight or for as long as 2 to 3 days.

To warm the stew before serving, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the stew in the oven, covered, for 1 hour or until thoroughly heated through.

While the stew is warming, melt the butter in a medium-size pan. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a generous grind of freshly ground black pepper. Saute the mushrooms until golden brown. After several minutes of cooking, the mushrooms will release liquid and look watery. Keep cooking until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms turn golden. Add the mushrooms to the stew just before serving.

Serve stew on its own or over mashed potatoes or polenta. Garnish with fresh herbs.

 

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In , on February 1, 2016 with No Comments

Slow Cooker Lima Bean Soup

I’m always on the lookout for meatless dishes that are easy yet tasty that I can serve my family, hopefully without them missing meat in the dish. I had a package of dried lima beans in my pantry that I needed to do something with, so I went searching for a recipe I thought my family would enjoy. You can crumble some cooked bacon over top when serving if you prefer, but it’s perfectly delicious without it.

I found a lima bean soup recipe through Pinterest, and it linked to the Taste of Home website. Once I saw that, I knew as a subscriber to Taste of Home magazine that the recipe would be good. although I did make a few modifications. While this is delicious as is, it would be equally good adding cooked cubed chicken or some diced ham to the soup if you prefer to have a little meat in your soup.

 

lima bean soup 2

 

Slow Cooker Lima Bean Soup

 

2 boxes (32 ounces each) chicken stock

1 pound dried lima beans (soaked overnight)

3 medium carrots, thinly diced

1 small onion, finely diced

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 celery ribs, finely diced

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram

1 teaspoon herbs de Provence

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup half-and-half cream

3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (optional if going meatless)

 

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except for the half-and-half and the cooked bacon. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours, or until the lima beans are tender.

Just before you’re ready to serve, add the half-and-half to the soup. Stir to combine, and let heat through. Sprinkle each serving with the cooked and crumbled bacon.

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