Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

 Here is a super quick & easy breakfast dish; just the type thing I'm making these days.  My baby girl started kindergarten last week so our morning routine has changed drastically.  No more leisurely week day breakfasts for us!  These yummy biscuits are perfect for busy school & work day mornings.  You can even make them ahead of time & reheat individual portions in the microwave.  I like to scramble up some eggs while they are baking to round out the meal.  But the biscuits are hearty enough to be breakfast by themselves!  I also like to make these when we do breakfast for dinner with eggs & my Mini Hash Browns.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Refrigerated Biscuits (8 count)

1 1/2- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

6 pieces of Bacon, cooked & crumbled

 Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or according the biscuit can's instructions).  Spray a pie plate, shallow casserole dish, or cast iron skillet with non stick cooking spray.  Pop open the can of biscuits & place them beside each other in one layer on the bottom of the prepared dish.

Top with shredded cheese.

Then add the bacon.

And add a little more cheese, just for good measure.  :)

Bake for 13-17 minutes, according biscuit's instructions. 

Enjoy!!

I found this fun dish over on Picky Palate's blog.  She made hers in a cast iron skillet & has several lovely pictures that you should check out! 

Mini Hash Browns

Who wouldn't want to wake up to these tasty little hash browns for breakfast?  They are so darn cute & could not be easier to make.  Which is perfect early in the morning before my has coffee kicked in.  You can serve these for breakfast, brunch, breakfast for dinner, when ever!  I use frozen, store bought hash browns but the refrigerated ones work well too.  Of course, you could also shred potatoes & squeeze them out your self.  But I don't, I'm lazy like that...especially at breakfast time.  Besides, I love that I can keep the frozen ones on hand for last minute meals on the fly!!  You can make as few or many of these at a time as you need.  I'd say 2-3 a person per serving.

Ingredients:

Shredded Potatoes (Store bought, frozen or refrigerated)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Non- stick Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the cups of a sized muffin or cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray.  Fill each muffin cup about half way with shredded potatoes.  Season with a little salt & pepper.  Then fill the rest of the way, pushing to pack the potatoes in.  You want to make sure to really fill the muffin tin all the way to the top, the shredded potatoes will shrink when the cook so pack them in well!.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of each hash brown & lightly season again with salt & pepper.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until golden & crispy on the top. (See!  I told you they would shrink.)

Let sit in the muffin tins for a few minutes before tying to remove them so they set.

Serve warm.

 Enjoy!!

Mini Pasta, Bacon & Cheese Frittatas

Just like omelets you can add anything to frittatas.  One of my favorites is pasta!  You can make some fresh or even better- use up left overs!  Any kind of pasta will work; plain, white or red sauced, long or shaped pasta.  I had some Garlicy Fettuccine Alfredo left over and let's face it, Alfredo just doesn't reheat well.  So, I decided to make these mini frittatas.  My husband loves them. They are like a mini meal all in one & they are easily portable!  Perfect for week day breakfasts!  I used bacon but you could use ham, sausage, deli meat, or left over chicken- what ever you have on hand!

Ingredients:
Eggs
1 1/2- 2 cups Cooked Pasta (or left over)
6 eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese (I used Mozzarella)
2 Green Onions, chopped
2 pieces of Bacon, cooked & chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray. 

In a medium bowl, break the eggs.  Add the milk & whisk.

I used leftover sauced pasta but you could use plain, cooked pasta instead.  If you use a long pasta like this fettuccine, you need to cut it up.  If you are using a smaller pasta like elbow noodles you can leave them whole. 

Add the chopped onions, pasta, shredded cheese, & bacon to the egg mixture.  Season with salt & pepper; stir to combine. 

Spoon evenly into muffin tins filling about 2/3s of the way.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until set. 

Allow the frittatas to cool a few minutes in the tins before removing.  

Enjoy!

 This recipe makes 12 mini frittatas.

Everyday Pancakes

My daughter LOVES pancakes!  So of course, I love to make them for her!  This is a great basic recipe-  it's made with simple pantry items.  I call them everyday pancakes because they are so easy, you could make them every day.  And, because I found it years ago in an issue of Everyday Food! 

Ingredients:
1 cup All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Milk
1 egg
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter
1/4-1/2 tsp Butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

 In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, & 2 tbsp of oil (or melted butter). 

 Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & whisk just until combined.  It should be lumpy, don't over mix it!

 In a large, non stick skillet add a pad of butter (about 1/4-1/2 tsp).  Melt over medium heat.

 Swirl the melted butter around the pan to evenly coat the bottom.

 For each pancake, spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot skillet. 

 Cook until the surface of the pancake has bubbles & few start to burst. 

 For me, this was about 2 minutes.

 Carefully flip & cook 1-2 minutes.

 Transfer to an oven safe dish and place in the oven to keep warm .  (I don't always use the oven.  Unless I'm cooking a large batch, the pancakes cook so fast, that just stacking them on top of each other as I cook them keeps them all warm.) 

 Continue cooking the rest of the pancakes.

 Serve with a little butter & warm Maple Syrup. 

This makes about 10, medium sized, pancakes.  I usually double the recipe so we have some left over.  My family of 3 can easily demolish 10 of these pancakes in one sitting.  :)

Homemade Granola

This stuff is so darn good!  I'm kicking myself for not making it sooner.  I love that you can can do so much with it.  And well, let's be honest.  I like that I can make it with all my favorite ingredients.  I'll never buy it again, it is so easy to make & keep on hand.  Add it to some yogurt or ice cream.  Or, if you're like my family, just eat it with some milk like cereal. It's quick, easy, & good for you!!  It makes for a great present too.  Make it for holidays, bake sales, or any occasion! 

Ingredients:

3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup Sliced Almonds

1 cup Halved or Chopped Pecans

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 cup Raisins

1/3 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil

1/3 cup of Honey

1/4 c Light Brown Sugar

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Kosher Salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. 

I used a stand mixer, but you could do it by hand.

Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring half way through.  It should be a nice golden color.  Don't be alarmed that it is still soft.  It hardens as it cools. 

Let it cool completely on the sheet pan.

When the oats & nuts have cooled, place them in a mixing bowl & add the dried fruit.

Stir to combine well. 

Store in an air tight container.

Fill Mason Jars & tie with ribbon for gifts. 

Enjoy!