Bacon and Cheese Frittata

Frittatas are quick and easy and delicious served for breakfast. lunch, and even dinner. By simply adjusting the add-ins, you can create a completely different taste experience that can fit almost any occasion. For this frittata, I used bacon, cheese, bell peppers, and onions, but I could have  just as easily used sausage, spinach, broccoli, or even ham. Just think quiche without a crust. Anything that sounds good in a quiche, would work here as well.

This dish is perfect to make for breakfast when having overnight company. It takes no time to whip up and tastes great even at room temperature!

I served our leftovers as the protein for a torta (See Chicken Torta for the recipe.) I put slices of the frittata on soft baguettes with sour cream, re-fried beans, and salsa. I also added slices of fresh avocado. Yum!

Bacon and Cheese Frittata

Servings: 6
Time: 35 minutes
Level: Easy

6 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. bell peppers and onions, frozen and chopped
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, butter, salt, and pepper.

Pour into a greased 11×7 baking dish. Sprinkle with onions, bacon and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yum!

Tips
– Adjust the add-ins. Add any type of meat, cheese, or veggies for a different twist!

What the French, Toast?

Breakfast is the BEST! You’ve always heard that you should start your day off right… but honestly, who has the time? Grabbing a bowl of cereal or snagging a granola bar out of the pantry on our way out the door probably happens way too often around here.

But after a WONDERFUL trip to see Alissa, my best friend, well, make that almost sister… in case you didn’t know, I now have an easy and super quick recipe for breakfast that will definitely be making a frequent appearance in my kitchen.

This French toast recipe takes about 5 minutes, at the most, to prepare and it bakes in the oven for 15 minutes. That is just enough time to go back, get dressed, and put on make-up. Can’t argue with that!

I’m not quite sure if the measurements are exactly like Alissa’s amazing recipe but the outcome was very similar. Yum!

Alissa’s Fabulous French Toast

Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

1 egg
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
4 slices whole wheat bread

Preheat oven to 350°. In a shallow dish, whisk egg, egg whites, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Dip bread in egg mixture until soaked.

Place bread on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, turning once.

Serve with butter and warmed syrup. Yum!

Tips
– You can use all egg whites to make it healthier.
– Try sugar free syrup or even flavored syrup for a twist!
– Top with toasted pecans for a nutty addition.
– Sprinkle more cinnamon on top of the bread before you bake it if you loooove cinnamon like I do!

Traditionally Delicious Egg Salad and an Award

Egg salad. It’s a staple in the South at picnics, dinner on the grounds church revivals, outdoor barbeques, and pool side suppers. I haven’t had egg salad in a while and I woke up with a craving. Seeing as how it is 100° outside and NOT cooling down anytime soon, cold egg salad sounded like a winner. Served along side a mountain of fresh fruit, this easy dish is great for both lunch and dinner.

    

Egg Salad

Servings: 4
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

8 eggs
1/3 c. mayo (fat free works fine)
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Boil eggs until hard boiled. (Follow these instructions for perfectly hard boiled eggs.) Peel eggs and chop them into similar sized cubes. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Add more of any ingredient if desired. Serve cold. Yum!

Tips
– Serve egg salad as a sandwich on any type of bread. You can add spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes if you want.
– Try adding leftover grilled chicken to the mix.
– Add 1 or 2 more eggs and remove the yolks of a few to make it a healthier.

On a very exciting note, Sandra from www.thesweetsensations.com shared “The Versatile Blogger” award with me.

In keeping with acceptance of the award I will share 5 things about me that you probably don’t know. I will also pass this award on to 5 new or newly discovered (to me) blogs. Here goes:

1. I am 26 years old and I am currently living at my 26th address.
2. I hate salami.
3. I’m terrified of snakes. I can’t even look at pictures of them or see them on TV.
4. I would LOVE to go to culinary school and open a little cafe one day. Too bad the hours are terrible!
5. I can’t pass up a soft sugar cookie, no matter how stuffed or sick I am…

Food Blogging has led me to some amazing bloggers and mouth-watering recipes. Choosing 5 is almost as challenging as the 5 things about me, but here goes.

Mrs. Ts Eats’

Diethood

a muse in my kitchen

Alterkitchen

The New Healthy

Enjoy!

Hash Brown and Ham Upside Down Quiche

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This morning, we woke up with brunch on the brain. But, seeing as how the Mississippi River has already flooded and dear ole’ Mother Nature decided to grace us with another torrential downpour and what The Weather Channel calls “deadly cloud to ground lightning strikes,” we didn’t quite think going out for brunch was in our cards today.

The solution? An impromptu quiche-ish dish  that turned into something it wasn’t supposed to be. A nice surprise, in fact, because oh, gracious was it good.

Hash Brown and Ham Upside Down Quiche

Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes
Level: Easy

1 1/2 c. hash browns, frozen (or shoestring potatoes)
4 eggs
1/3 c. milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 c. ham, cubed (or bacon or sausage or even make it vegetarian and add juiced and seeded tomatoes)
1/3 c. bell peppers and onions, frozen
fresh spinach leaves
1/3 c. cheese, shredded
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400°. On a cookie sheet, bake hash browns for 5 minutes.

Transfer potatoes to a greased pie plate or cake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together.

Top potatoes with ham, bell peppers and onions, and spinach.

Pour egg mixture over top, sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning, and bake for 20 minutes.

Once removed from oven, invert onto a plate, allow to cool, and slice. Yum!

Tips
– Instead of using Italian Seasoning, try cumin and chili powder.
– Top with salsa if desired.
– Use leftovers to wrap in a tortilla with tomatoes and extra spinach leaves for a quick lunch.
– You don’t have to invert the dish. You can leave it in the pie plate if you want.

Green Chile Cornbread

This cornbread could not be any easier. With a little help from a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and a can of green chilies, this cornbread is an easy side dish for any night of the week.

Green Chile Cornbread

Servings: 6-9
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

1 package of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 can green chilies, drained a little
1/4 – 1/3 c. cheese, shredded
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix all ingredients together.

Let batter rest for 3 – 4 minutes. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Yum!

Loaded Hash Browns

We woke up this morning… well, nearly afternoon, and were STARVING! We wanted to go to brunch but had too much to do so I decided to make brunch at home.

Hash Browns are one of my favorites because they are crispy, salty, and compliment just about everything you could ever think of to have for breakfast or brunch. I FINALLY went to the grocery store so I had an abundance of deliciousness to work with.

This recipe is made with homemade hash browns. If you wanted to take some help from the store and buy your own in a bag, go for it! You will seriously cut down on your time in the kitchen and the outcome will be basically the same.

Also, I am not putting measurements next to some ingredients because you can just use what you have. Add more mushrooms if you love them and take off the onions if you don’t. I would also recommend adding diced tomatoes to this dish, but due to the crazy weather we’ve been having, tomatoes aren’t in abundance right now.

Loaded Hash Browns

Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2
Level: Medium

3 small potatoes, washed and peeled
jalapeños, diced
fresh mushrooms, sliced
onions, diced
green bell pepper, diced
ham, cubed or chopped
shredded cheese
2 eggs, fried sunny side up

Preheat oven to400°. Cube, slice, or dice potatoes into small pieces.

I used a mandolin slicer to shred the potatoes. Put potatoes on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, cook jalapeños, mushrooms, onions,  bell peppers, and ham until cooked throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside. When potatoes are done, form loosely into patties and fry in a well oiled skillet over medium-high heat, turning once. Fry until browned on both sides. Top potato patties with veggie and ham mix, cheese, and sunny side up egg. Yum!

Tips
– You can substitute the ham for bacon, turkey, etc.
– This is a great way to use up any leftover veggies or meat you may have in the fridge.

Breakfast Sandwich

DELISH! This is a staple at my house for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I make it at least once a week, no joke. The variety is endless and it is relatively good for you, especially if you are on a protein kick.

You don’t have to make your eggs runny, but I would absolutely recommend it, and I don’t even like my eggs over easy! There is just something about that runny yoke that makes the sandwich creamier and meltier (yes, I realize that meltier isn’t a real word, but come on, shouldn’t it be? I mean, I don’t know how else to describe ooey and gooey and straight up awesome)  and it just melds everything together nicely.

Breakfast Sandwich

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Level: Easy-medium
Serving Size: as many as you wanna make but below is how you make 1.

2 slices of whole grain bread
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 tsp. olive oil
1 egg
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked
jam, peanut butter, mayo… just your favorite condiment

Top one slice of bread with cheese and toast both slices.  In a small, non-stick skillet, cook the egg in a touch of olive oil over medium heat, being careful not to break the yolk.

Don’t panic if you do… it’s no big deal. Top the cheesed slice of toasted bread with cooked egg and cooked bacon. Spread your favorite condiment on the other slice. Doing it this way makes everything stick together better. Put together like a sandwich. Yum!

Tips
– I used Ezekiel bread but anything will do. No, I’m not on a health kick. It was just on sale at Kroger for $1.50 so I decided to try it. It is actually really good. It’s a little spongier than the bread I’m used to. You can try this sandwich using a bagel, English muffin, or wrap it all up in a tortilla.

– Use any meat you want. Deli style lunch meat works great, especially ham and turkey.
– Change up your cheese choice. I love making this sandwich with ham and swiss or turkey and provolone. Just choose whatever you have in the fridge.
– Seriously, don’t let me lose you here. Just TRY putting peanut butter on you sandwich if you use bacon as your meat. It is AMAZING and melts beautifully. Ugh… my mouth is watering as I type! Try it and let me know how much you like it. This won’t be a regret.
– My husband likes to use mayo when I make it for lunch or dinner. You can also add a slice of tomato.
– Check out this yummy looking sandwich. She used pesto as her condiment: Breakfast Sandwich with Pesto
– If you wanted to put it all together and grill it like a grilled cheese, that works, too. And it is AMAZING done that way… the only kicker is that buttering the toast on both sides makes it a real artery clogger. And if it’s decent without it…then why even go there?