Breakfast Rebel

You know what I make for dinner at least once a week?  Breakfast.  Bacon and eggs and sometimes even pancakes.  Who made this rule that breakfast is over at 10:30?  McDonalds?  Totally not cool.  Even my beloved Panera has breakfast rules.  They make these amazing souffles, croissant squares filled with rich eggs and cheese and filled with various topping such as spinach, sausage, and bacon.  Delicious.  Saturday and Sunday, around brunch time,  my sister and I always like to order them.  The only downfall is I cannot get it together on the weekends.  I mean I get up by 8 and somehow no matter what it is I need to do or where I need to go, if it is a Saturday morning I am going to be late.  Does this sound familiar?  My son wants to dress himself, or organize his Legos (sorry for the OCD son), and I can't manage to get my hair to get out of that homeless chic look.  No matter what the reason, almost every time we make it to Panera, they are out of souffles.  When they're gone, they're GONE.  No creamy, cheesy, buttery, croissant and egg magical moment for you!  So, I get stuck eating a danish.  Those are pretty good as well, but when my heart is set.  It is set.  You all now how seriously I take my food experiences.  So, this weekend, I rebelled.  No More Rules!  I decided to make my own version of these magical eggs in the shape of a casserole.  The results: amazing!  Magical even.  So, I am sharing this recipe with you.  No more getting in the car and driving across town just to be told breakfast is over.  Breakfast is on...

Big K's Magical Egg Casserole with Sausage and Smoked Gouda
12       Each        Eggs
1         Pint          Heavy Cream
1         Pound      Sausage
4         Ounce      Block, Smoked Gouda Shredded
4         Large       Croissants
2         Tsp          Salt
1/2      Tsp          Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut Croissants into cubes.  Evenly coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Put the croissant cubes in the dish and bake for 10 minutes to toast. While croissants are toasting,  brown the sausage in a saute pan until cooked through, drain.  Sprinkle the sausage evenly over the croissants. In a medium size bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper for 2 minutes.  Pour this mixture on top of the sausage.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly on the top.  Place it back in the oven for 30 minutes.  Use the tooth pick test to make sure the eggs are cooked through.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut it into 12 servings and enjoy!  Love as Always "Big K"

Sugar Addicts Anonymous

Usually, at 7:30 on a weeknight evening, I am at home getting my little man settled in for the night.  Except for the other night.  I was in the car, with my sister, taking an emergency trip to the grocery store to buy sweetened condensed milk.  For my mother.  Why is this odd?  Rewind back in time 2 weeks.  My mother has purchased her newest diet craze.  This one has miracle shakes, skinny vitamins, and you cut out sugar. You substitute sugar with Stevia and Agave Nectar.  She got rid of all her sugar based products and replaced them with bottles of Nectar and bags of Stevia.  I even bought some agave nectar for her at my house.  A 7 dollar bottle to be exact!!  She went on and on about sugar being bad for you and how it causes belly fat.  I am skeptical of this, not because my mother can't stick to a healthier habit, but because of her serious addiction to sugar.  She loves sweets, she even orders dessert instead of dinner when we go out to eat.  She has been known to pay/bribe her daughters to make late night trips to the frozen custard shop.  Double cherry with chocolate flakes.  Fast forward back to the sweetened condensed milk.  I go to pick up my son from my mom's house after work.  She has gone to the grocery store.  In her bags of groceries....sweets.  Chocolate bars, trail mix, chocolate covered raisins, and the makings of cherry cream pie!!  Really mom.  Really.  She didn't even make it 2 weeks!  So of course I am teasing her about it.  She ignores me (like only she can) changing the subject, she starts to make her cherry pie.  "Oh Damn!!"  she exclaims.  She has forgotten her sweetened condensed milk (aka: sugar milk).  So I ask her if she would like me to get her some.  She insists she doesn't want me to make the extra trip.  I know that look on her face.  It means go to the store so I can make my pie and get my 2 weeks with no sugar fix before I go into shock.  So, I got her milk and she got her pie.  Which she dug into before the "chill for 8 hours".  She probably finished off the rest for breakfast.  She is not usually a bacon and eggs kind of gal.  She is a waffle, french toast, cherry pie, chocolate croissant, blueberry muffin for breakfast kind of gal.  So, in her honor I am sharing her blueberry muffin recipe.  She has been making these since I was a little girl and they are amazing.  Full of blueberries, with a touch of cinnamon, and a sugar crusted top.  You gotta make these bad boys!

Oklolo's Blueberry Muffins
Makes a Dozen Muffins
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees
In a large bowl combine:
2        Cups       Flour
2/3     Cup        Sugar
1        Tbsp       Baking Powder
1/2     Tsp         Salt
1/2     Tsp         Cinnamon
1/2     Tsp         Nutmeg  (I'm not a nutmeg girl, so I omitted this)

In a small bowl combine:
3/4     Cup        Milk (I used skim and they did just fine)
1/2     Stick      Melted Butter
1        Large     Egg

12oz  Bag        Frozen Wild Blueberries or 1 1/2 Cup of Fresh Blueberries if available
1/8     Cup       Sugar for Dusting

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened.  Fold in blueberries gently.  Scoop into a lined muffin tin, filling 2/3 full.  Sprinkle tops evenly with sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden and bounce back at the touch.  Serve warm with butter.  Enjoy!!  Love as Always, "Big K"

Mr. Rogers & The ADD Cereal

I am not a morning person.  Like, don't talk to me before a latte.  Which is funny because when I was little I was up before the sun.  I loved to watch Mr. Rogers and eat cereal.  I would wake up my mom, who was apparently not a morning person either.  So, she taught me how to turn on the television.  She would have the channel and volume set.  This was before crazy remotes and DVR of course.  She also put the cereal and a bowl out, and put the milk on the lowest shelf so I could reach it.  I would put my bowl on the floor, then  pour the cereal and milk in it.  I would turn on Mr. Rogers and be set to go.  Now my sister did not get up this early, but a few times she heard me and would quietly watch me.  She was five years older and always fascinated with me.  She was quiet, calm, and kept to herself.  My nickname was Hurricane Kelsey.  I was wild, loud, and bounced off the walls.  So, apparently she saw that along with the cereal I would pour about a cup of sugar in the bowl as well.  So, now when the stories are told of "Hurricane Kelsey" and how my grandparents thought I had ADD, my sister chuckles and says, "You didn't have ADD, you had a cup of sugar for breakfast everyday"!  I always get a kick of out of this.  I still am fairly hyper, you never want to see me on a Redbull!  I also still eat cereal almost everyday, but I hold the cup of sugar.  I actually started making my own cereal in the form of this delicious granola.  It is made with honey instead of sugar and packed with oats and nuts, so it is a good way to start the day.

Big K's Nut and Oat Granola
2        Cups        Old Fashioned Oats
1/2     Cup          Sliced Almonds
1/2     Cup          Chopped Pecans
1/2     Cup          Coconut Flakes
1/2     Cup          Dried Cherries
1/3     Cup          Honey
2        Tbsp         Melted Butter or Coconut Oil
1        Tsp           Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take a large zip top bag and place all ingredients inside.  Shake vigorously until ingredients all mixed up.  Take a baking sheet and line it with foil for easy cleaning.  Pour ingredients onto the baking sheet.  Spread into an even layer.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Take out and stir it around.  Bake another 10 minutes until nice and golden.  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.  Let sit out and cool for at least an hour to dry it out a little.  Crumble it up.  Enjoy in milk or as a parfait.  I also sometimes add other dried fruits and mini M&M's to make it into a trail mix.  I can't get enough of this stuff!  Love as always, "Big K"

Cinnamon-Y

Spider-man, Buzz Light-year, and Jake the Pirate Oh My!!  These would be the three characters my son was for Halloween.  Costume addiction.  He hasn't gotten out of costume since Halloween.  He has also asked me nightly if we can go trick or treating.  Yes son, I am sure the neighbors would love that!  He thought it was the best thing EVER.  He marched up to each door, rang the door bell, and shouted TRICK OR TREAT as loud as his little lungs could muster.  He even sneered at the lady that passed out crackers.  I tried to apologize for his impoliteness, but in all honesty I was giggling too hard.  I'm a bad influence.  Candy or Bust.  When we returned he had a huge basket of candy and the biggest smile on his face.  Success.  Now, of course his fan club came with us.  My mom, sister, and brother in law.  They came over before for food of course.  I made a big pot of homemade chili and a batch of apple cider.  It was delicious.  The cider was perfect for the crisp weather.  Cinnamony, not a word according to spell check but I am going with it, aromatic and warm (spell check allows those...BORING).  Anyhow an easy and delicious way to warm up on Halloween, or on any cold night!

Big K's Cinnamony Cider
Filled 6 Mugs

64       Ounce       Jug of Organic Apple Juice
2         Large        Oranges, Cut into Rings
1/4      Cup          Brown Sugar
6         Each         Cinnamon Sticks
4         Each         Cloves
1         Tsp           Pumpkin Pie Spice

Put all Ingredients in a sauce pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for 3 hours.  Strain through a mesh colander and discard fruit and spices.  Serve in mugs hot.  Breathe in that cinnamony aroma!  Enjoy!  Love as Always, "Big K"