Weekend Hashbrown Breakfast Potatoes

Weekends and holidays are for big hearty breakfasts and these easy and delicious hashbrowns are a great addition to the family meal.

Ingredients

• Two (2) large potatoes (baked the day before and kept in refrigerator) diced into 1 inch chunks.
• One (1) package of fajita vegetable mix (w/pre-sliced onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper
• Season salt (to taste)
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. This recipe is best when using the grease from cooking either bacon or sausage, making sure to retain all the brown bits.
2. In a large fry pan or skillet over medium-high heat, saute the vegetables until brown and softened. Add diced potatoes, seasoned salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well and cook until hot.

Tomato Bisque

This herbaceous creamy tomato puree is a favorite of mine and those who have enjoyed it. It takes a few hours to complete, but trust me, it's well worth it.

Tomato Bisque (recipe serves 4-6 bowls)

Items you'll need:

Food processor
large stock pot
wire strainer
whisk
kitchen string/butcher's twine

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1 tablespoon chopped bacon (about 1/2 ounce)
1 large sweet yellow onion chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery
4 cloves garlic, pressed
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned
1-28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid) roughly chopped
5-6 sprigs fresh parsley
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1-3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Quarter the onion, carrot, and celery. Peel skin off garlic and add all items to food processor. On low speed chop all vegetables. Put contents in bowl and set aside.
2. Remove tomatoes from can and roughly chop. Place in bowl with liquid or return to can and set aside. 
3. Using kitchen string, tie parsley, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a bundle and set aside.

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring until crisp and most of the fat is rendered, about 1-2 minutes (it should get foamy). Using slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-line plate (optional if you want to serve bacon bits with soup).

Lower the heat to medium, add the chopped vegetables and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high/high heat while whisking constantly.

Add herb bundle to pot and lower heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Using a wire sieve/strainer over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. You may want to use a wooden spoon to "press" the puree through the strainer if necessary.

Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat. Once warm, whisk in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Divide among warm soup bowls and serve immediately.

Garnish with dried basil or parsley.

Serve with baguette on side and/or freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Frittata with Carmelized Onions and Sausage

Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. A frittata is not folded like an omelette, and has no crust like a quiche. This is a great option when cooking breakfast or brunch for more than four people and requires only one pan. Use your imagination as you would with an omelette by adding spinach, bacon, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, green/red peppers, ham or anything you choose.

 

Ingredients: (serves 6 people)

1/2 large yellow onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 lb. sausage crumbled

12 eggs beaten
1 large tomato diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil (or dried basil)
1 tbs. butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In 9" cast iron skillet brown sausage over medium/medium-high heat until no longer pink. Place browned sausage in a bowl reserving 1 tbs. of grease. In same skillet, add onions and butter and cook until they begin to soften, add garlic and stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning. Cook onions and garlic until soft and fragrant, about 4-6 minutes. Return browned sausage to skillet and mix with onions and garlic. Cook until sausage is done, about 4-6 minutes. Pour egg mixture into skillet over sausage and onions and stir. Add tomatoes and basil and stir. Cook on stove top for 1 minute. Sprinkle shredded cheese over frittata and place in oven. Cook in oven until cheese melts and eggs have set and are lightly browned.

Slide a butter knife around the outer edge of the frittata to ease removal from the skillet. Using a spatula, gently remove frittata from the skillet onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Should make 6 healthy wedges.

Delicious Chicken Quesadillas

Because this is one of the few things my wife's daughters like, I cook these quesadillas at least once a month. They're easy and you don't need a special pan.

Ingredients: (makes 8 quesadillas to feed 2-3 people)

Two (2) burrito size flour tortillas
Shredded Taco cheese (8 oz package)
Fajita style chicken breast strips (6 oz package)
Vegetable oil 1/4 cup
Chunky salsa
Sour cream

In a 12" skillet or fry pan, heat oil over medium heat (3-4 on dial) until hot. Place a paper towel on a large cutting board. Place chicken breast strips in a microwaveable dish and heat about two minutes on medium-high. Meanwhile, lay the tortillas on a flat surface and dress one tortilla with shredded cheese as shown.

Add the heated chicken strips on top of the shredded cheese as shown.

Place the second tortilla over the chicken and cheese and place carefully in the fry pan.

Cook tortillas in hot oil until golden brown and lightly crisp. Turn carefully and cook other side until done.

Place cooked quesadilla on paper towel and an another paper towel on top side to catch oil. Using a large chef knife, cut quesadilla in half, then quarters, and again until you have eight (8) wedges as shown.

Serve quesadillas with salsa and sour cream. This is great with yellow saffron rice and black beans on the side.

Cinnamon Sugar French Toast

Of the many breakfast items I make, this French toast is a favorite. I spent many years eating French toast with burnt cinnamon sugar because I had always been taught to sprinkle it on the bread before cooking. Wrong! The key is to get the right combination of sugar and cinnamon and toss butter coated pieces of cooked bread in the cinnamon sugar just before serving. I guarantee you'll love it this way. 

Ingredients

Fresh extra large eggs (average one per person eating)
Thick (1/2--3/4") slices of bread (2 per person)
[optional] Milk (splash per person)
melted butter or margarine
white sugar (1 cup for four people)
ground cinnamon (1 tbs per cup of sugar)

Tools
griddle heated to 350 degrees
cooking spray
basting or pastry brush
chef knife
casserole dish
cutting board
gallon freezer/storage bag or bread bag


Preparation
While griddle is heating. Place cutting board on table with knife close by. Spoon out butter or margarine in a small bowl and melt in microwave. Place bowl of melted butter and pastry brush beside cutting board. 

Mix sugar and cinnamon in storage or bread bag and put beside cutting board area. You will need all these items close by when the bread has finished cooking. 

Once the prep area is ready, break eggs into a casserole dish (one large enough to accommodate at least one slice of bread) and beat lightly. Milk is optional to add into the egg mixture. Place egg mixture directly beside heated griddle. 

Stack bread slices on a plate and place next to the egg mixture. When griddle is heated and ready, coat the cooking area with cooking spray. 

One at a time, dip bread slices in egg mixture to coat. Shake lightly to remove excess and place on hot griddle. Cook until golden/yellow brown on under side (about 1-1/2--2 minutes) and turn and cook until both sides are golden/yellow brown. While second side is cooking, brush melted butter over already cooked side. 


One at a time using a spatula, stack cooked bread slices on cutting board (buttered side down). Brush melted butter on second side of each slice. Do not stack more than four slices of bread together.


Using the chef knife, cut the slices in half diagonally as shown in photo. Place no more than two (four halves) bread slices in bag containing cinnamon sugar. Closing the open end of the bag, shake the bread slices to coat with the cinnamon sugar. Remove slices and arrange in rows on a warm plate as shown. Garnish with fresh fruit. Eat as is or with warm maple syrup. 




How sweet are your words to my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! —Psalm 119:103

Jeff's Grilled Chicken White Pizza Magnifico

Ingredients ]

	1 Pillsbury Pizza crust dough
	2/3 cupplain mayonnaise; (Duke's or Hellman's)
	2 cupsmozzarella cheese
	3/4 cupfresh basil leaves; cut into chiffonade
	4 clovesgarlic; finely chopped
	4 roma or plum tomatoes; (up to 5), thinly sliced
	1 cupmushrooms; fresh sliced
	6 sliceschicken; cut into small pieces (Italian flavored works best
	1 cupshredded Parmesan cheese
	salt

How to Prepare Jeff's Grilled Chicken White Pizza Magnifico

Preheat oven according to pizza dough's directions. Roll out dough evenly onto large cookie sheet or pizza stone.
For white sauce:
In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, 1-1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup basil leaves, and garlic and mix well. Using a spatula spread mixture evenly over entire uncooked pizza dough to outer edge.
Layer tomatoes, mushrooms, and chicken slices over entire pizza and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, basil leaves and salt. Bake until crust is crispy and cheese is golden brownabout 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into slices.

Easy and Delicious Baked Ziti

This is a great recipe for families with little time for cooking. I serve this for my family regularly and it's always a hit. I make it most often with grilled (already cooked) chicken strips or ground beef. I've also made it once with some good italian sausage. This dish is still good without a meat item.

Ingredients:

1-16 oz. box dried ziti or penne pasta
32 oz of your favorite pasta sauce
8 oz. finely shredded mozzarella or italian blend cheese
6-12 oz. meat (ground beef, chicken strips, italian sausage)
fresh basil sliced in a chiffonade (thin ribbon-like strips) or dried italian seasoning


Directions:
Prepare meat addition and put to side. Drain ground beef or sausage of grease.
In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to BROIL at 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, blend pasta sauce with meat.
Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour cooked and drained pasta into casserole dish, then spoon sauce/meat mixture over the pasta and mix evenly. Add basil or italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle cheese generously over pasta and place in center of oven for 20-25 minutes (until cheese is golden and starts to bubble).

When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good which he has given you. [Deuteronomy 8:10]