Fried Egg Tostadas with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

I love eggs. Give them to me scrambled, in omelet form, poached, fried, or any other way you can think of, and I’m a very happy girl. I especially love them fried over-easy, so that when the yolk is punctured it spreads its rich, yellowy goodness everywhere. I can think of few things more delicious or luxurious than that.

In these tostadas, the egg sits atop a mixture of spicy sausage, spinach, and juicy grape tomatoes. That mixture, in turn, sits atop a crispy fried tortilla. The spicy sausage is perfectly balanced by the sweet little tomatoes, and the crispy tortilla shell adds the perfect textural element. And then, of course, there’s that egg yolk, which makes everything so velvety and decadent.

Yum.

Fried Egg Tostadas with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
adapted from YumSugar

4 small corn or flour tortillas
Oil for frying
1 pound spicy sausage
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs, cooked as desired

1. Fry tortillas, one at a time, in hot oil until crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain; sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Add a small amount of olive oil to a large skillet. Add sausage and cook until browned; drain excess fat. Stir in tomatoes and spinach; continue to stir until spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Top each tortilla with some of the sausage mixture, then top with a cooked egg.

Savory French Toast BLTs

I’m a sucker for a good BLT. If I had to pick my favorite sandwich, it would probably be one composed of chewy bacon, juicy tomato, crisp lettuce, and tangy Miracle Whip. It’s such a fantastic combination of flavors and textures.

When I saw this recipe that takes all the delicious elements of a BLT and slaps them on a slice of savory French toast, I was completely sold. I couldn’t wait to try it. I made some modifications to the original recipe (of course I did; when don’t I?) and Joe and I both really enjoyed the result. The savory French toast adds a really nice additional flavor component to the sandwiches. I think I still prefer toast for my BLTs, but I’m glad I tried this alternative.

I forgot to get crusty bread at the store, so I used plain old sliced sandwich bread for my French toast. A word of advice: Don’t do this. My bread just barely held together after I’d dunked it in the egg mixture. I made it work, though!

Savory French Toast BLTs
adapted from Martha Stewart

(makes 2 sandwiches)

8 slices bacon
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for serving
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Dash of hot sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 slices crusty bread, cut 1/2 inch thick
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices tomato

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon on a rimmed baking sheet; cook until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Drain on paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, in a large shallow dish, whisk together eggs, cream, chives, and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Lay bread in a single layer in egg mixture and soak a minute on each side. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. When butter sizzles, add bread and cook until golden and crisp around edges, about 3 minutes per side, flipping once.

3. To serve, layer lettuce, tomato, and bacon on one slice of French toast, then top with another slice.

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins

That’s right: another muffin recipe. What can I say? Muffins are one of my absolute favorite things to bake. They’re so simple and delicious and, even if they’re very sweet, you can totally get away with having them for breakfast -- which is what I’ve been doing with this particular batch for the last week or so.

The flavors of cranberry, orange, and white chocolate go so well together. In these muffins, the tart cranberries, bright oranges, and sweet white chocolate combine to make a flavorful, moist, perfectly balanced muffin. They’d be perfect for brunch on Christmas Day!

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line them with paper liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add orange juice, vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

4. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until brown. (Yield: 14 to 18 muffins)

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Sorry I’ve been absent this week, but the truth is, my mind has been consumed with other things lately. Thankfully those other things have been happily resolved, so hopefully I’ll have a little bit more time to focus on blogging.

With Christmas only a week and a half away (can you believe it?!), I’ve been thinking a lot about baking. I’m doing my major cookie baking this weekend, but I made these muffins a couple of weeks ago as the official kick-off of my holiday baking. They were on my baking list last year, but I didn’t get around to making them because I was hugely, uncomfortably pregnant. I didn’t forget about them all year, though, and I was so excited to try them this Christmas. Thankfully, they lived up to my high expectations. I would have been really disappointed if they hadn’t.

In these muffins, salty pistachios are combined with chunks of semi-sweet chocolate and sweet strawberry jam to create the perfect balance of flavors and textures. It’s such a pleasant surprise to bite into a muffin and get the melty chocolate, crunchy nuts, and gooey jam all in one bite.

(It fell apart, but you get the idea.)

The flavors work so well together, and to top it off, with the green pistachios and red strawberry jam, these are quite a festive treat! They’ll be a yearly baking staple for me from now on. Yum!

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins
adapted from Pillsbury Christmas 2007

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks, divided
1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped and divided
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup strawberry jam

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Set aside 1/3 cup chocolate and 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios and add the remaining into the dry ingredients.

3. In a small bowl combine milk, butter, lemon peel, vanilla, and egg; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

4. Fill each paper-lined muffin cup with 1 heaping tablespoon of batter. Spoon half a teaspoon of jam into each cup. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter on top of the jam. Top with reserved chocolate and pistachios.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

Have you ever noticed that most pumpkin desserts never call for an entire can of pure pumpkin? At least, that’s been my experience. It seems like most desserts call for a cup or so, and I’m always left with pumpkin puree that I don’t know what to do with. Well, this flavored cream cheese is the solution to that problem. It takes less than five minutes to prepare, and it’s the perfect way to use up your leftover pumpkin.

This cream cheese has such an awesome pumpkiny, spicy flavor. We ate ours on plain toasted bagels, but I think this would be great on cinnamon raisin bagels, and that’s definitely what I’m using the next time I make it. You could even modify this recipe to use your leftover pumpkin pie -- minus the crust, of course. As it is, I think this would be a great light breakfast for the morning of Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese
seen on Sherry Starts Cooking

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and maple syrup until creamy (or just use your blender, which is what I did). Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Coffee Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I’m not a big coffee drinker in the mornings. I usually have a cup shortly after I get to work, but I mix it with hot chocolate, so I think that disqualifies me as a serious coffee drinker. However, I really love the flavor of coffee, especially in baked goods. On one of the rare weekend mornings when I actually made a pot of coffee at home (it had been a long night with the boys), I remembered these muffins, and I thought they would be the perfect way to use up some of the leftover coffee.

In addition to using liquid coffee in the muffins, I also unearthed a couple of Hershey’s bars left over from our summer s’mores, so I chopped those up and added them to the batter instead of using pre-packaged chocolate chunks. I was truly unprepared for how much I loved these muffins. They had a great coffee flavor that paired so perfectly with the milk chocolate chunks. They were moist and delicious and sweet and slightly bitter and just amazing. If you’re a coffee lover, these muffins are a must-try!

Coffee Chocolate Chunk Muffins
adapted from Sherry Starts Cooking

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooled brewed coffee
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

2. Mix together milk and coffee, and gently whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the coffee mixture and melted butter to the flour mixture and stir gently just to combine. Fold in chocolate chunks and chips.

3. Fill prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

I don’t make waffles at home very much. Our waffle iron is small and old and crotchety and…well. You get the idea. It sucks, is what I’m saying.

HOWEVER. When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be worth the mess and the hassle. Brown sugar-coated bacon. In a waffle. Doused in maple syrup. Um, where do I sign up to eat that EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?

We loved these waffles, which should be a surprise to exactly no one. I did wish they were a bit sweeter, so next time I make these I’ll add an additional quarter cup of brown sugar to the batter. Served with some cheesy hash browns on the side, these waffles were the perfect breakfast-for-dinner treat.

There are few things on this earth that taste as good as bacon caramelized in brown sugar. So even though the recipe only calls for 10 strips, I recommend making a full pound of bacon so you’ll have some left over for snacking. Trust me, you’ll want to snack.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles
from Joy the Baker

10 slices of bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and line with foil. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Place in the upper third of the oven and bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately remove bacon slices using a pair of tongs. Place them on a cutting board to cool before chopping. Once cool, chop the bacon into bite size pieces and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, set up your waffle iron on a level, clean surface and turn on to preheat.

3. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold. Once almost fully incorporated, add the bacon. Stir.

4. Cook according to your waffle machine instructions.

Apple Week: Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins

As I mentioned yesterday, I thought it would be fun to do a whole week of apple recipes this week. I know most food bloggers’ minds automatically click to “pumpkin” when October arrives, but indulge me for a week, all right? And get ready for some delicious apple-y treats!

I bookmarked this muffin recipe last fall, but I never got around to making it. Needless to say, I never forgot about these muffins, and they were the first thing I wanted to try this year. And I’m so glad I finally made them, because these muffins are so good. Based on some of the Allrecipes reviewers’ comments, I amended the recipe a bit, and the result was a moist, flavorful, sweet and tangy and spicy muffin. They made a great on-the-go breakfast, and we all really liked them. I’ve since seen a similar muffin recipe I’d like to try (I really love the streusel topping on them), so if I try them I’ll let you know what I think.

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
1 cup peeled, diced tart apples

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy, then add eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon or apple pie spice; stir into cream cheese mixture just until moistened. Fold in apples.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Thank you guys so much for all of your sweet comments yesterday! Onward with the next 500! :)

I saw these adorable little ham cups on a Friday night, and I loved how they looked so much that I made them for breakfast the next morning. I love these savory little delights because they look a little bit fancy, but they’re so easy to make and they taste absolutely delicious. You can customize each individual serving to the eater’s liking with no problem. You could use deli turkey slices instead of ham, you could scramble the egg, you could add whatever veggies you like. You could even serve them as an appetizer at a party. No matter how you choose to make them, this method is fail-proof.

I kept ours pretty simple, with just a cracked egg, some cheddar cheese, and a sprinkling of chives. The egg cooked absolutely perfectly; the white was done and the yolk was still slightly runny. For something that took very little time and effort, they certainly were a hit with the husband and toddler...and me, too! These ingredients are staples in our house, so it’s nice to have this quick and cute little breakfast in my arsenal. Make them this weekend!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Cups
adapted from Food for a Hungry Soul

2 deli ham slices per cup
1 egg per cup
Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheddar cheese
Chives

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray one muffin cup for each serving with cooking spray. Using two slices of ham for each cup, lay the ham slices criss-crossing each other, ruffling the slices into the muffin cup and up the sides to make it fit.

3. Crack one egg into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until white appears cooked. Sprinkle each serving with chives.

Fruit and Yogurt Muffins

These muffins have been the hit of the summer around our house. I made them the first time in mini form for one of Andrew’s snack days at daycare. When I picked him up that afternoon, there were two left...and the second we got in the car, he opened the container, grabbed a muffin in each hand, and proceeded to stuff both of them in his mouth.

So, yeah. He really loves these muffins. I’m lucky if I make it through an entire weekend without him asking me to make a batch. Which I usually always do, because I’m crazy about them too.

This is definitely one of the best muffin recipes I’ve ever tried. The yogurt makes them incredibly rich and moist, and adds a ton of flavor too. The thing I love most about this recipe, though, is that it’s so incredibly versatile. You can use any combination of fruit and yogurt that appeals to you. So far we’ve tried blueberries with blueberry yogurt, blueberries with vanilla yogurt, raspberries with peach yogurt, and strawberries with strawberry banana yogurt (pictured above). Andrew’s favorite is definitely the peach-raspberry version, and mine is the all-blueberry version. Next time I’m going to use lemon yogurt and pair it with blueberries, raspberries, or cranberries; I think the lemon flavor would add a really delicious tang to these. Apple yogurt really has its possibilities, too, especially with apple season coming up. You could even use a mixed berry yogurt, and add any combination of fresh or frozen berries you like. And you could probably use those fancy flavors, too -- Boston cream pie, key lime pie, etc. See? The possibilities really are endless!

The first time I made these muffins, I was surprised by how thick the batter was and how hard I had to work to get everything incorporated. But the muffins turned out fine. If you’re worried about the batter’s thickness, though, you could always add a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin it out a bit. I usually get 15 to 18 regular-sized muffins out of this recipe.

These are soooo yummy. Seriously. Try them!

Fruit and Yogurt Muffins
source: Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 8-ounce container yogurt, any flavor
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, vanilla, butter and fruit. Stir mixtures together just until combined (batter will be very thick). Scoop into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Guest Post : Amanda's Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Today's post is from Amanda over at Fake Ginger. I'm pretty new to her blog, but as soon as she e-mailed me last weekend, I spent about an hour going through her archives. She makes really beautiful, drool-worthy food, and I'm so honored that she offered to guest post for me! I will be making these muffins myself, and soon. Thanks again, Amanda!

I am so excited and honored to be doing a guest post here at Cassie Craves. I hope you brought your appetites because I've got some delicious cinnamon roll muffins to share today.

If you are familiar with my blog, Fake Ginger, you probably know that I love sweet breakfast rolls. I’ve made cinnamon rolls a billion times and thought it was about time to make them into muffins. These guys aren’t yeasted like the traditional cinnamon roll but they pack just as much flavor and decadence and would be perfect on any breakfast or brunch table.

I will admit that these are a bit more trouble than cinnamon rolls. You have to make sure you add enough flour so your dough won’t stick when you try to roll, but if you add too much you’ll end up with muffins that are way too dense. As long as you can manage that though, they are a good way to have the cinnamon roll taste without a long rise time of the traditional rolls.


Rolled Cinnamon Roll Muffins
from A Dash of Sass

Makes 1 dozen muffins

1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it (or 1 cup buttermilk)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Filling:
2 TBL butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions:

- Pour milk into a measuring cup and add the lemon juice or vinegar. (Skip this step if you are using buttermilk.)
- Measure the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl. Add the milk. Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.
- Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a log beginning at the wide side. Stretch the log slightly. Cut into two-inch pieces and put the pieces into greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.
- Bake at 375° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the muffin tins.
- Drizzle with icing (if using) when cool.

Southwest Sausage and Egg Bake

As a busy working mom who barely has time to breathe on some nights, let alone cook an involved dinner, this is the kind of meal I absolutely love. It requires some advance prep time the night before, but all I have to do when I get home from work the night we have this is pop it in a preheated oven, and an hour later? We have a hot, delicious, homemade dinner. Incidentally, this is also perfect for Sunday brunch or Christmas breakfast.

There are few things that win me over more than sausage, eggs, and gooey cheese, and this recipe combines them with tortillas to make a tasty and filling casserole my whole family absolutely loved. Use spicy sausage or pepper-jack cheese for a little more heat; add in some bacon or whatever veggies you want. This recipe is endlessly adaptable, so it’s a great method to have in your cooking arsenal.

(Pay no attention to my wonky tomato slices in the photo, by the way. I fail at slicing tomatoes.)

Southwest Sausage and Egg Bake
source: adapted from Taste of Home’s Most Requested Recipes (original recipe also found here)

6 10-inch flour tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 7-ounce cans chopped green chilies, drained
1 pound bulk pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, chili powder and ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Sour cream and salsa for serving, if desired

1. In a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer half of the tortilla strips, chilies, sausage and cheese. Repeat layers.

2. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Arrange tomato slices over the top. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Hash Brown Scramble

*Sigh.* I wish I’d gotten a prettier picture of this. But one of the things I’ve discovered in my two-plus years of food blogging is that sometimes, the most unphotogenic dishes are the most delicious. (case in point: this shepherd’s pie and these candy clusters). This is another one of those dishes. It was just impossible for me to get a good picture of this, but I’m sharing it with you anyway because it tastes so yummy. And that’s what really matters, right?

The original recipe calls this a hash brown “omelet,” but the whole omelet thing didn’t work out for me (it’s my fault -- poor pan choice). So I’m calling this a scramble. But whatever you call it, it’s really good. You just can’t go wrong with bacon and eggs and cheesy potatoes all mixed up together. This came together really quickly, too, so it’s a perfect “breakfast for dinner” meal any night of the week. I’ll definitely make it again (and maybe use the right pan and get a better picture of it next time).

Hash Brown Scramble
source: Better Homes and Gardens

4 slices bacon
2 cups refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes (about half of a 20-ounce package)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside. Combine potatoes, chopped onion, and sweet pepper; pat into the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over low heat about 7 minutes or until crisp and brown, turning once.

2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl beat together eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper; pour over potato mixture. Top with cheese and bacon. Cover; cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Turn out of skillet onto plate. Cut into wedges to serve.

Southwestern Hash with Fried Eggs

About a month ago, I came across this recipe on Cara’s Cravings, and I put it on our weekly menu immediately. I’ve been really into baked eggs lately, and this sounded like something our whole family would really love.

But then on the day that I was making this for dinner, I noticed some baby red potatoes in the pantry that needed to be used up, and suddenly the Southwestern stew with baked eggs I’d planned to make became something different entirely: a Southwestern hash with fried eggs. And it was absolutely delicious, and something I will definitely be making again. And again and again. And then? I’ll make it again.

Seriously, this is probably one of my new favorite meals EVER. It’s just so good! I love the idea of putting Southwestern flavors in a potato hash. This version is meatless, but in the future I may add some sausage to this, which I think would make it taste even better.

I love it when a food blogger inspires me to create a new dish. Thank you, Cara, for the inspiration!

Southwestern Hash with Fried Eggs
source: inspired by Cara’s Cravings

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
10 unpeeled baby red potatoes, quartered or diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
4 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1. Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste, chili powder, and cumin. Add onion when potatoes are about half done. Cook until potatoes are cooked through and crispy on the outside and onion is softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.

2. Reduce heat to low. Add corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Stir in about half of the cilantro. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the hash and cover skillet with aluminum foil so the cheese melts.

3. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add eggs (season with salt and pepper if desired) and cook to your desired preference (I fried ours so that the yolks were still runny, but scrambled eggs or sunny-side-up would also be good here).

4. Top each serving of hash with two fried eggs. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Peach French Toast Bake

Today’s recipe would be the perfect thing to serve your mom for breakfast or brunch on Mother’s Day this weekend. I know I would certainly love to have this served to me, preferably while still in bed after an entire blissful night of uninterrupted sleep...Oh wait. I’m dreaming again. Uninterrupted sleep is not something that’s happening around these parts yet, unfortunately.

I saw this recipe a while ago on Lisa’s blog, and I couldn't get it out of my head until I tried it. I actually served this for dinner on one of our vegetarian nights, and it was just like having dessert for supper. (Probably because I topped it with whipped cream.) Andrew loved it so much that he ate four slices of toast, which is even more than I ate. I think it would be really delicious with apples, too.

We all really liked this, and you should totally make it for your mom this weekend, because I know she’d like it too. Thanks for the great recipe, Lisa!

Peach French Toast Bake
source: Recipe Hunter Lisa

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 large can sliced peaches (or about 4 fresh peaches)
1 loaf fresh French bread, sliced 1-inch thick
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
Cinnamon and sugar

1. In a saucepan, melt brown sugar and butter. When butter melts, add the water; return to burner and stir constantly until mixture foams, then pour into 9 x 13 baking dish. Let cool 10 minutes, then line dish with sliced peaches, then layer of French bread, and then remaining peaches.

2. In blender, blend eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour carefully over peaches and bread, making sure all pieces are covered. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

3. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (until golden). Use pan syrup to top, then top with whip cream if desired.

Banana Berry Muffins

Let it be known: I love these muffins. I love them so much that I sort of think I should make a batch of them every single weekend, so that I can have one for breakfast on my way to work every day, and then another one for an evening snack each night. All I was really looking for was a way to use up the bag of frozen blackberries I’d had in my freezer for about a year. I had no idea how much I’d like the muffins that resulted.

You can use any berries you like for these. I made a second batch a few days later (yes; the first batch only lasted a couple of days, I KNOW) using strawberries, which were just as delicious. Raspberries and blueberries, or a combination of a few types of berries, would also be great. This recipe makes an incredibly moist muffin, and when eaten warm with a bit of butter melted over the top? Well, that’s pretty much my definition of paradise.


Banana Berry Muffins
source: adapted from iChef

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint fresh berries (or 1 12-ounce bag frozen berries)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.

4. Puree bananas, sour cream and vanilla.

5. Alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions and banana mixture in 2 additions to the egg mixture. Beat enough to incorporate. Fold in berries.

6. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until puffed, browned and springy. Makes about 15 muffins.

Baked Potato Eggs

I've been seeing lots of recipes for baked eggs popping up everywhere lately. There's the recipe in the current issue of Everyday Food for baked eggs and tortillas that I've been wanting to try (and which, by the way, I failed to make for the fourth week in a row, dammit); there's a recipe for baked eggs with caramelized onions in the new issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray that looks amazing. And then there's this recipe, which I stumbled across randomly and promptly put on our menu. It's like an entire breakfast stuffed inside a baked potato. How could I resist?

We loved these. Even Andrew ate almost an entire potato by himself! They were so simple to make and tasted absolutely amazing. You can change up the filling in a bunch of different ways; next time I think I'll add green chiles, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to the filling to give these a Southwest flare. But you can use any combination of flavors you personally like. These will be showing up on our weekly menus frequently!

Baked Potato Eggs
source: adapted from Real Simple

2 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
7 breakfast sausage links, cooked and diced
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes and pierce each with the tines of a fork. Bake until fork-tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Carefully cut each potato in half. Scoop out the insides and stir in the butter and cheese. Fold in the sausages. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture back into the potato halves, creating a hollow in each center. Break 1 egg into each hollow. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until set.

Broccoli Pie

My endless search (one could call it an obsession, maybe) for new vegetarian entrees has led me to lots of quiches and fritattas. I can't even tell you how many egg-based dishes I've bookmarked to try, but it is a lot. When I saw this recipe for broccoli "pie" (not technically a quiche because there's no heavy cream and not much liquid at all; not a fritatta because it has a crust), I knew we would love it, and I couldn't wait to try it.

We did love it! This comes together so easily and doesn't require much clean-up at all, and it is absolutely delicious too. I loved the creative use of packaged soup mix, which doesn't taste like it's a mix in this recipe and really adds a lot of great flavor to this dish. Served with a simple salad and some crusty bread, this broccoli pie makes an excellent brunch, lunch or dinner.

Broccoli Pie
source: seen on My Tasty Treasures and slightly adapted from Stacey Snacks

2 cups of steamed broccoli florets
3 eggs
1 cup of whole milk
Dash hot sauce
2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package of Lipton vegetable soup mix
1 pastry crust, rolled out and fitted into a 9-inch pie plate.

1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk and hot sauce together. Add broccoli, cheese and soup mix. Pour into unbaked pastry.

2. Bake on a cookie sheet for 40 minutes at 350 degrees until top is golden. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Now that Will is finally here and I can't stuff my face with every fattening food in sight, I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthier. That means having turkey sandwiches for lunch instead of Velveeta shells and cheese, and eating apples and peanut butter for snacks instead of potato chips and Drumsticks. Being pregnant definitely has its advantages, food-wise, I cannot lie.

That's part of the reason I was attracted to this recipe in January's issue of Cooking Light. Carrot cake pancakes! They sound so decadent, but then you look at the ingredients and realize, hey, these are actually pretty healthy. I felt like I was having dessert for dinner, but I was actually eating something that wasn't really all that bad for me. I loved the honey butter topping, but if you're being less diet-conscious than I am right now, I think the cream topping from these banana nut pancakes would be delicious here. It would really make these pancakes taste like carrot cake.

Because I was being so healthy, I thought it would be okay to indulge in a couple of slices of bacon with dinner. I just can't quit bacon. We all really liked these pancakes; they're flavorful and yummy and will definitely be repeated in our house!

Carrot Cake Pancakes
source: Cooking Light January 2010; recipe also found here

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I used pecans)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

Healthy Morning Muffins

For the past week or so, I have felt anything but productive. Time for a newsflash -- are you ready for this? It turns out, newborns require a lot of attention. I'd totally forgotten! Thank goodness I have a fully stocked freezer to utilize during these first crazy weeks!

Today my husband had the day off from work, so I actually got some things accomplished. I cleaned our bedroom, organized Andrew's closet, and baked some brownies (from a mix, but still, it took a little bit of effort). I also made these delicious muffins, which I'm sending to daycare with Andrew tomorrow. It's his day to take a snack, and I thought these muffins would be a yummy, healthy choice for him and his classmates.

Of course I had to sneak one just to make sure they tasted okay, and they absolutely did. They're low in fat, which is awesome, but they're also incredibly moist and flavorful. There's no butter here, but I promise you won't miss it one bit. I loved the combination of banana and carrot, and I actually think this recipe would make a great quick bread.

I adapted the recipe to make mini-muffins. I also added some cinnamon -- which I think these really needed; the flavor may have been slightly lacking without it -- and used vegetable oil instead of extra-virgin olive oil (since olive oil has a distinctive taste, I was concerned that I wouldn't like the flavor of it in a muffin). This recipe isn't available online that I can see, so I've listed the original as it appears in the magazine, with my changes in purple. I think I may actually make these every weekend so we have a healthy breakfast choice throughout the week.

Healthy Morning Muffins
source: Everyday Food, January/February 2010

Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 large egg
1/3 cup skim milk (I used whole milk since it's what we always have on hand for Andrew)
4 medium carrots, shredded (I used 3, which was plenty)
1 medium ripe banana, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan (or a 24-cup mini-muffin pan) with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt until there are no lumps. Stir in oats and raisins. Add oil, eggs, milk, carrots and banana and stir until blended.

2. Fill each muffin cup with batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean (23 to 25 minutes for regular muffins, 15 minutes for mini-muffins). Serve muffins warm or at room temperature. To store, keep in an airtight container up to three days.