Honey Butter

Honey butter on the holiday dinner table.

     When the holidays rolled about, I decided to give a small new twist to breakfast. After surfing some internet sites, I came across one for Texas Roadhouse's butter. 
    I must be honest, I don't go there often and can't remember for the life of me what their butter tastes like, but I do know that this remake was good. We dipped our croissants in it and used it as a spread for rolls during the holiday dinner. 
    There's just a hint of cinnamon and it's not a overly sweet. It's well worth it to give this recipe a try. It's easy, with only a few common ingredients, and if packaged correctly could make nice little gifts.

Honey Butter
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

Photos courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

Place all ingredients into a small bowl. Whip with electric mixer until thoroughly combined.

Scoop into a small bowl with lid. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Use as a spread on toast or rolls.


(Based on a copycat recipe of Texas Roadhouse butter)

Ham and Cheddar Cheese Omelet

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     One of my favorite ways to use up tiny bits of leftovers is to put them in an omelet. We had some ham left from the holidays and just a few slices of chipotle cheddar cheese that were on a meat and cheese tray. 
     I put this omelet together for the hubby one morning and it was a quick and easy fix for me and a filling breakfast for him. I did slightly overstuff the omelet though and some of the filling broke right through the sides. It doesn't always have to be pretty to be good.

Ham and Cheddar Cheese Omelet
2 eggs
2 T. milk
1/4 cup ham, diced
4 slices (from an 8 oz. block) cheddar chipotle cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Heat small 8-inch skillet over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray or add 1 tsp. oil.

In a small bowl combine milk and eggs beating well.

When skillet is hot add eggs. Swirl eggs around pan to cover bottom. After cooking a few minutes, loosen sides with fork, sliding it around the edges. Keep shaking pan lightly and continue loosening edges so that uncooked eggs run under omelet and cook. 

As the eggs cook and harden, sprinkle with ham and cheese. When eggs are set, roll out of pan onto plate.

Serves 1.

Filled omelet before rolling out of pan.

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Bacon Gravy

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     Biscuits and gravy is a staple breakfast item at my house. However the gravy doesn't have to be made with only sausage, bacon works, too. Actually any kind of meat that cooks down some fat will work, like ground beef. 
    I've made it using burger and sausage, however just recently I tried it with bacon. The trick to bacon gravy is using lots of bacon. Can you ever really have too much bacon? No, I don't think so.

Bacon Gravy
8 slices bacon, thick cut preferably
2-3 T. flour
1-1/2 to 2 cups milk
salt and pepper
biscuits

Cook bacon in large skillet. Remove bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but 2-3 T. bacon grease from skillet.

Return skillet to medium heat and sprinkle flour into bacon grease and mix well with fork until crumbly. Slowly stir in milk, a little at a time, until well combined. Add salt and pepper.

Crumble bacon and add to gravy. Continue stirring until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Reduce heat. Gravy will continue to thicken as it cools.

Serve over warm biscuits, toast or eggs. Serves about 4.

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Mini Cheddar, Broccoli and Bacon Quiches

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

    Quiche, in the simplest terms is an egg pie. Well, maybe you could compare it to an omelet in a shell. Just like an omelet these little hand-held brunch bites can be filled with a variety of toppings - cheese and bacon just to name a few. 
   Recently a friend brought these small versions of quiche to one of our parties and they were a big hit. Since they're made in muffin tins, they're very easy, too. This would be a great dish to grab-and-go on any holiday morning.

Mini Cheddar, Broccoli and Bacon Quiches
Recipe courtesy of Melinda Reed

1 can cream of mushroom soup
10 oz. frozen pkg. chopped broccoli
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup baking mix
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray 12 muffin pan cups with vegetable spray
Mix all ingredients well. Spoon 1/4 cup into each muffin pan cup.

Bake 30 minutes or until quiches are golden brown. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes and then remove.

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Ham and Cheddar 7-Up Biscuits

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     I am not a good biscuit maker. They always turn out thin, pale and dry (baby hockey pucks). I tend to roll them out too thin and over work the dough. I figured I was just cursed.
    This biscuit recipe was the first time I have ever made biscuits that I thought passed the test. They were soft, flaky and moist (I'm sure the sour cream helps out there.) 
    Since I tend to like those little breakfast sandwiches - some type of meat and cheese piled on a biscuit, I opted to use some leftover holiday ham and chipolte cheddar cheese slices. Sausage patties with cheese and/or egg would have worked well, too.

Ham and Cheddar 7-Up Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-Up
1/4 cup melted butter (2 heaping T. )
9 pieces of ham, cut in 3 inch pieces
3 slices of cheddar cheese, cut in thirds.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter in baking dish. Put baking dish in oven to melt butter. 

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7-Up in a medium bowl until moistened and incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a flat surface dusted in baking mix. Knead and fold dough until coated with baking mix.

Pat dough out into a 3/4-inch thick round. Cut 9 biscuits using a round cutter or glass.

Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. 

Meanwhile heat slices of ham in microwave or skillet. Layer cheese on warm ham to melt. Split biscuits and insert ham and cheese. Serve warm. 

Feeds 3-4 people. Recipe easily doubled using 13x9x2 baking dish.

Biscuits out of oven.

Note - I would flip the biscuits once you put them in the pan, so that both sides get coated in butter and brown better - just a thought.

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Sunday Morning S'mores Bites

Photo courtesy of Mary Weber, Princeton Daily Clarion.

     This was the first year that the "Kids Creation" category was an option in the annual Holiday Cookbook, presented by our local newspaper and grocery store.  It's good to encourage kids to cook and spend time with family in the kitchen. It's the heart of the home.
     S'mores bites are a muffin using a light crescent dough that's filled with the tastes of chocolate and marshmallows. There's a touch of cinnamon that tops it off just right. With just a few ingredients and simple steps, it's the perfect beginner recipe. It was so perfect that it won the "kid" competition.
  
Kid's Creation Winner - 
Isabella Walker
Sunday Morning S'mores Bites

1 pkg. refrigerator crescent rolls

1/4 cup melted butter

8 large marshmallows

chocolate chips

honey

1/3 cup sugar

2 T. cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Dip marshmallow in butter, then sugar mixture. 

Wrap crescent roll around marshmallow, a few chocolate chips and a small drizzle of honey, sealing all edges. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon and place chocolate chip on top.

Place in muffin tins and bake at 375º for 10-13 minutes. 

This is a very easy recipe for kids.

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Chili Cheese Omelet

Chili Cheese Omelet with jalapeno jelly on biscuits.

     As a treat for my husband, I try to make him breakfast on Sundays. One of the easiest dishes I make for him is an omelet. This is a great way to use up little tidbits of leftovers. You can put just about anything in an omelet - meats, veggies, cheeses and sauces.
    Recently I made some sauce for chili dogs and had just a little bit leftover. This worked out to be a perfect omelet filling. I added a little chopped onion and shredded cheese to pull the flavors together. I found the hubby stretched out in the recline a little while later. I must have done good.

Chili Cheese Omelet
2 eggs
2 T. milk
1/2 cup chili
2 T. onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tsp. oil

Heat small skillet to medium high and add oil. 
In small bowl, crack eggs and add splash of milk. Beat well.

When skillet it hot, add egg making sure the skillet it coated. Let sit for a few minutes and then shake gently. Run fork around edges of eggs to loosen. Shake lightly again.

When edges of eggs are cooked, layer chili in center and sprinkle with onion and cheese. Shake pan to make sure edges are loosened.

Hold skillet at 45 degree angle and fold top of omelet over to center. Roll out on to plate. To serve top with additional chili and cheese.

Serves 1.

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Steak and Blue Cheese Omelet

Photos courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     Last weekend the hubby and I found a great deal on some steaks. It's not often that we splurge, with the cost of beef lately, but who can pass up a deal on a T-bone? It was a great steak, but there was no way I could eat it all. Not one to waste, I saved it for the next day. 
    For breakfast I whipped up a treat for the hubby, an omelet with of some of his favorite things - steak, peppers, onions and blue cheese. Omelets are a great way to use up tidbits of leftovers, much like a soft shell taco. The blue cheese melted nicely amid the filling, bringing all the flavors together.

Steak and  Blue Cheese Omelet
2 eggs
1 splash milk, about 2 T.
1/3 cup leftover steak, cut in small pieces
1/4 of a green bell peppers, cut in thin slices
1/4 of a small onion, cut in thin slices
1/8 cup crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper
1 T. butter or oil

Add butter or oil to 8-inch skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add peppers and onions and cook until tender and onions translucent, about 5 minutes. Add steak pieces and cook 2-3 minutes just to heat through. Remove to separate dish and set aside.

Break eggs in small bowl and whip. Add milk, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Heat skillet until hot, add oil if needed. Pour egg into skillet and swirl to coat bottom. Gently shake. Cook 2-3 minutes and then with fork, gently lift edges of omelet. Continue shaking. Let uncooked egg run around edges of omelet.

When omelet is set around edges and is almost done on top, sprinkle meat, onions and peppers in the center. Continue gently shaking. Add blue cheese.

Loosen all edges with fork and fold the top of the omelet over and slide bottom of omelet onto plate.

Top with additional blue cheese if desired.

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