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"

Ketchup Haters Unite!!

I love food.  I love to eat.  I love the way just hearing the name of a food makes you want to hop right into the kitchen and whip it up.  Foods like silky chocolate mousse, cinnamon roll pancakes, vanilla peach coffee cake.  Don't those all sound good enough to eat?  Then there is meatloaf.  Really, this is what they call it?  Loaf of meat.  Well that does not sound appetizing to me.  I don't know if that is why I have always had an aversion to eating it, or if it is because most people make it with ketchup.  My nemesis.  I will not eat it, I won't dip a fry in it, not in a box, not with a fox, and especially not on a loaf of meat.  Some people say they only like their mom's or their grandma's.  Nope.  Still not buying it.  Well somehow, my sister (the most annoyingly picky eater ever) loves meatloaf!!  So, when she suggested I make it for my blog, I cringed.  If you know me, I never turn down a challenge.  So I took the basic meatloaf my grandmother bakes and I added all of my favorite things to it.  Bacon and cheese of course.  Since I can't bear the thought of ketchup, I used BBQ sauce instead.

Big K's BBQ Bacon Meatloaf
Serves 8

2         Pounds        Lean Ground Beef, I used 93/7
2         Each            Eggs
1/2      Cup             Bread Crumbs, I used Panko Japanese Breadcrumbs
1         Each            Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1         Each            Small White Onion, Diced
4         Slices           Bacon, Cooked and Chopped
1         Cup             Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2      Cup             Cup BBQ Sauce plus 1/2 Cup for Brushing on Top
1         16 oz           Ranch Dressing Dry Mix Package
1         T                 Worcestershire Sauce
1         T                 Dijon Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl mix all of the ingredients except beef and extra BBQ sauce.  Next stir in the beef with your hands.  Yes, your hands!  Next line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray it with baking spray.  Place mixture onto the pan and shape it firmly into the shape of a loaf, or you can use a loaf pan if you like.  I like doing on the baking sheet so I can make it a little longer and it makes 8 perfect slices.  Brush meatloaf with extra BBQ sauce.  Place meatloaf  in the oven for  50 minutes.  Take it out and let it rest 15 minutes.  Slice into 8 equal slices.  Serve it up with mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese and some steamed veggies.  If you must you can use ketchup.  I guess...  Love as Always, "Big K"

Cookies for Dinner??

If I had my way I would eat chocolate chip cookies for dinner every night.  Oh, or chocolate cake.  Or Oreos.  Okay, you get the gist.  Apparently, doing this isn't especially good for your figure.  I have mentioned before that I worked at a bakery for a little while after my son was born.  They had these fantastic cookies that were so soft they melted into my mouth and straight onto my thighs!  The combo of "broken cookies" that were fair game for employees to eat, and the "baby weight" had put a few extra pounds on me.  After realizing that this was not the best diet to have I started eating much healthier.  My sister and mom were still eating over a lot and I wanted to make healthy still be tasty.  My mom often tries these crazy diets where you have to drink shakes or cut out certain things.  This doesn't ever work for me.  Cut out sugar?  You can forget that!!  Cut out carbs?  Hand me a potato stuffed with bread.  I found that cutting the portion size down and choosing healthier options is what I could stick with.  If you have read any of my previous recipes, they are certainly not super healthy, so I will try to start putting some of my healthier creations in as well!

Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Serves 4

1        Pound        Large Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined, Leave the tails on
1        Tbsp          Salt
4        Cups          Water
1        Each           Bay Leaf
2        Each           Lemons, Cut in half
1        Large         Avocado
1        Pint            Grape Tomatoes
16      Each          Cilantro Leaves

For the Dressing:
1/2     Cup            Light Sour Cream
1/2     Cup            1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
1/4     Cup            Green Onion, Chopped
1/2     Cup            Fresh Cilantro
2        Each           Limes, Juiced
1/2     Tsp             Salt
3        Each           Garlic Cloves

In a medium sized sauté pan with a lid, combine the water, bay leaf, and salt. Squeeze the lemon halves over the pot and then drop in the halves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover, and poach for 4 min. Turn off the heat and let the shrimp sit in the covered pan for another 2 min. Drain shrimp in a colander.  Toss a tray of ice cubes on top of the shrimp.  Toss the ice and shrimp every 2 minutes until they get cooled through.  Pull the shrimp out and lay on a paper towel to drain any excess ice/water.  Next slice the avocado in quarters lengthwise.  Peel off the skin.  Then slice each quarter into four slices.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise.  For the dressing put all in the ingredients in the blender and .  It will look like ranch.  On four plates equally divide the avocado and shrimp and fan out. Sprinkle the tomatoes and cilantro on top and drizzle with the dressing.  Serve cold.  Goes great as a light dinner or served as a appetizer or salad.  Love as Always, "Big K"  

Fall Foodie Part 2

Zombies, Mummies, and Monsters, Oh My!!  I know that I have mentioned how much I love fall, but I love fall.  Especially October.  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate.  I already bought pumpkins to adorn my garden, my son picked out his Halloween costume (Spider-man of course), and we are taking him to a pumpkin patch this weekend!  I also can't wait to take him trick-or-treating!  My mom always took my sister and me every year, rain or shine.  One year I remember she was going to take us, but still wanted to hand out candy, so she put a huge bowl of candy on the porch with a sign that said "just take one".  As we were crossing the street, a truck with a bunch of teenagers in the back, jumped out grabbed the bowl and sped away with all the candy!  Now that I have a son of my own, my mom and sister always come with us and we laugh about that.  Before we go out into the streets to ask strangers for candy, I started the tradition of having a pot of apple cider and a loaf of pumpkin bread to snack on before we go.  I came up with my own version of pumpkin bread made with greek yogurt and swirled with some pumpkin cream cheese!  After a few tries it turned out fantastic.  Perfect for a fall treat and it makes my kitchen smell amazing. This puts the treat in trick or treat!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

1          Each         Stick of Butter
1          Cup          Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2       Cup          Granulated Sugar
2          Each         Eggs
1/2       Cup          Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1         15 oz         Can of Pumpkin
1         Tsp           Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
2 1/2   Cups          All Purpose Flour
2         Tsp           Baking Soda
1/2      Tsp           Salt
1         Tsp           Ground Cinnamon
1         Tsp           Pumpkin Pie Spice
1         8 oz          Container of Pumpkin Cream Cheese
2         Tbsp         Powdered Sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a stand mixer with the paddle or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together sugars and butter for 3 minutes until fluffy.  Then mix in eggs, pumpkin, yogurt and vanilla until well incorprated.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until it comes together.  Do not over mix, this can make your bread tough.  In a small bowl stir together cream cheese and sugar.  Next take a loaf pan and spray it with cooking spray and sprinkle with about a 1/4 cup of flour.  Shake the flour around evenly then tap off any extra flour.  This will help your bread slide out easily and not stick.  Pour the bread mixture in the loaf pan.  Take a spoon and dollop the cream mixture on top.  Using a toothpick swirl the cream cheese into the top of the bread.  Bake it in the oven for an hour.  Test it with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Let it cool for an hour before taking it out of the pan.  Let it cool completely before you slice it.  Love as always, "Big K"

Big K's Tips:

*   I also tried this in four mini loaves and it turned out great

*   I don't use vanilla greek yogurt very often so I used the individual serving cup that was 5.3 ounces and it worked just fine

*  If you can't find the pumpkin flavored cream cheese, you can substitute regular