I love hearing what people do for holidays, so here are my questions for New Years:
1) Do you stay up to watch the ball drop in NYC?
2) Do you have a sweetie to kiss at midnight, and do you actually stay up to do it if so?
3) Party-all-nighter or stay-at-homer?
And the one I'm most curious about...
4) What are your New Years resolutions? Do you actually participate in New Years resolutions?
Mine are to blog recipes more often, to get better at food photography, and to find that darn camera charger! Here's hoping! Maybe I should just get a new camera...
Happy New Year from Hubby and me!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
Egg and Sausage Biscuits
I didn't get a chance to say so on the actual holiday, but a belated Merry Christmas to all!
*P.S., I am still using the other camera that isn't as good as my original, so I apologize for all the flash-afied pictures. This one really doesn't work properly without the flash, unfortunately.
I swear, that looks much better in person. Can't wait to find my other camera charger!
Mine wanted to be baked in a 375-degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. I went with the longer setting and actually added a couple minutes to get that golden brown color on the outside.
I'm on a breakfast kick. Can you tell? I've had these things knockin' around my brain for about a week or so and have really wanted to try them, so last night I did! I wasn't actually sure it would work at all--this is the first time I've tried this recipe. Happily and deliciously, they worked out just fine.
MorningStar brand used to make something called Sausage and egg Biscuits, which was basically a homestyle biscuit stuffed with "sausage" and eggs--just like it sounds. Unfortunately, this line has been discontinued (which I didn't know until writing this and looking for a link to these.). They were delicious and deadly...but very expensive, as fake meat foods tend to be.
So I made my own! Or something similar, at least.
Someday soon I'd like to try them with homemade biscuit dough since I think it will be tastier, but for last night I went the semi-homemade route and used store-bought biscuits.
Let's get down to it:
Prep Time: <5 minutes
Cook Time: ~15-20 minutes
Makes: 8 biscuits
Ingredients:
1 package of biscuit dough, raw and uncooked
1 egg
<1/4 cup Morning Star "beef" Crumbles
1/2-1 teaspoon soy milk
1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
*P.S., I am still using the other camera that isn't as good as my original, so I apologize for all the flash-afied pictures. This one really doesn't work properly without the flash, unfortunately.
Directions:
1) Beat your eggs together in a bowl--I mean *beat your egg. I had tons of the filling left over so I halved the recipe for y'all. Add in the soy milk for a little bit of fluff.
2) Spray a small skillet with non-stick spray and set over low heat. Add in your egg and mix immediately to start the scramble.
Continue mixing semi-frequently until it is mostly scrambled. It's okay if it's a little undercooked, since it will be baking in the oven anyway.
Continue mixing semi-frequently until it is mostly scrambled. It's okay if it's a little undercooked, since it will be baking in the oven anyway.
Add in your "meat" crumbles and cheese. Cook for about another minute and remove from heat.
I swear, that looks much better in person. Can't wait to find my other camera charger!
3) Set your biscuits out on a sprayed cookie sheet.
Now to get your filling into the biscuits! I started with this method:
Gently open a small hole in the top of the biscuit.
Spoon in about a teaspoon of the filling.
Pinch the hole closed.
...But the biscuits didn't like to stay closed that way, and sometimes the bottoms tore open.
So I tried this way instead:
Gently open the biscuit like a pita, from the side.
Spoon in about a teaspoon of the filling.
Pinch the edges of the biscuit shut.
Those ones stayed closed much more easily.
4) Follow the directions on the biscuit container to bake.
Mine wanted to be baked in a 375-degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. I went with the longer setting and actually added a couple minutes to get that golden brown color on the outside.
Voila! Breakfast biscuit.
Check out the inside, too. Mmm.
The biscuits that I used turned out to be a little too sweet for my tastes, so next time I'd go with a buttery-flavored or southern-style biscuit.
These are super easy to make ahead and take for on-the-go breakfasts. Refrigerate the leftovers and pop one in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds when you want one, and they're as good as new.
Fluffy bread items don't freeze well for long, but they should be fine for a few weeks at least if you'd like to freeze them instead.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Recipe Post: Semi-Homemade Breakfast Pizza
It was my full intention to make semi-homemade pizzas with this flatbread, but then this happened instead.
Which I'm okay with. And I think Hubby was, too!
I've always liked breakfast pizza but I'm not a huge fan of super-thick pizza crust, and most places that sell breakfast pizza use very thick crust. Using flatbread seemed like a good alternative!
P.S., I have still not found my charger for the camera I usually use, so I borrowed a different camera for the time being. Unfortunately, the pictures are not as nice on this one. But this one takes normal batteries rather than having a rechargeable battery, so as long as I don't lose the whole camera, I should be fine.
I'm not entirely ruling that one out.
...I probably shouldn't admit this online. Mom, if you're reading, I will bring your camera back.
And the other one, too. With the charger that is missing. But when I bring it back the charger will no longer be missing.
Ahem.
Let's get down to it:
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: ~20 minutes
Serves: 2-4 depending on serving sizes
Ingredients:
2 small flatbreads (around 12x6 or so)
2-3 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1) Start with your flatbreads. I microwaved mine for about 30 seconds to get them warm so that the butter would melt immediately. Spread the butter on the top of both flatbreads, leaving a small amount of space around the edges dry. This will be your crust!
2) Scramble yo' eggs!
Crack them all into a bowl and beat them with a fork. If you want a bit more fluff, add a little milk or cream here.
Spray a small skillet with non-stick spray and set over low heat.
Add your eggs, stirring frequently.
They should go from this...
...to this.
It's okay to leave them a little under-done, because they will be going into the oven after this.
But don't leave them mysteriously washed out and somewhat gray. I blame the camera. This is what they looked like when I set them aside:
Nice and yellow and normal! Oh, well.
3) Mix about a tablespoon of each kind of cheese into the egg mixture. This helps the cheese to be a little more evenly distributed.
Spread half of the egg mixture over each of flatbreads, leaving the space for the crust I mentioned earlier.
4) Sprinkle the remainder of both cheeses onto the top of the eggs.
Mmm, cheese.
5) Bake at about 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the flatbread crust is beginning to brown slightly.
If you want a little crunch with your cheese, stick your oven on broil for about a minute or two.
6) Slice with a pizza cutter lengthwise once, then widthwise twice times. Each flatbread should make 6 pieces.
Marvel at your ooey-gooey, cheesy creation.
And enjoy!
Which I'm okay with. And I think Hubby was, too!
I've always liked breakfast pizza but I'm not a huge fan of super-thick pizza crust, and most places that sell breakfast pizza use very thick crust. Using flatbread seemed like a good alternative!
P.S., I have still not found my charger for the camera I usually use, so I borrowed a different camera for the time being. Unfortunately, the pictures are not as nice on this one. But this one takes normal batteries rather than having a rechargeable battery, so as long as I don't lose the whole camera, I should be fine.
I'm not entirely ruling that one out.
...I probably shouldn't admit this online. Mom, if you're reading, I will bring your camera back.
And the other one, too. With the charger that is missing. But when I bring it back the charger will no longer be missing.
Ahem.
Let's get down to it:
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: ~20 minutes
Serves: 2-4 depending on serving sizes
Ingredients:
2 small flatbreads (around 12x6 or so)
2-3 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1) Start with your flatbreads. I microwaved mine for about 30 seconds to get them warm so that the butter would melt immediately. Spread the butter on the top of both flatbreads, leaving a small amount of space around the edges dry. This will be your crust!
2) Scramble yo' eggs!
Crack them all into a bowl and beat them with a fork. If you want a bit more fluff, add a little milk or cream here.
Spray a small skillet with non-stick spray and set over low heat.
They should go from this...
...to this.
It's okay to leave them a little under-done, because they will be going into the oven after this.
But don't leave them mysteriously washed out and somewhat gray. I blame the camera. This is what they looked like when I set them aside:
Nice and yellow and normal! Oh, well.
3) Mix about a tablespoon of each kind of cheese into the egg mixture. This helps the cheese to be a little more evenly distributed.
Spread half of the egg mixture over each of flatbreads, leaving the space for the crust I mentioned earlier.
4) Sprinkle the remainder of both cheeses onto the top of the eggs.
Mmm, cheese.
5) Bake at about 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the flatbread crust is beginning to brown slightly.
If you want a little crunch with your cheese, stick your oven on broil for about a minute or two.
6) Slice with a pizza cutter lengthwise once, then widthwise twice times. Each flatbread should make 6 pieces.
And enjoy!
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Favorite Blogs
I have a shocking revelation for you all: I love food blogs.
I know. Groundbreaking, right?
For those days (or weeks...Oops.) when I am bad at consistently cooking and blogging myself, here are some of my favorite food blogs to check out:
I've mentioned her before--Ree Drummond, blogger extraordinaire. She has 5+ blog sections on her site, home-schools her children, writes cookbooks, helps manage a cattle ranch and has her own TV show. She's pretty much the Superwoman of food bloggers.
Long story short, I love her and she's awesome. Hands down my favorite blog and possibly favorite female writer in general. Her humor keeps me coming back, and it doesn't hurt that she posts about a lot of the things I'm interested in (namely, of course, recipes.).
This was actually the first food blog I ever really became interested in, and possibly the first time I realized that food-blogging was a thing, or at least a thing for regular people or people without a TV show/channel. I found their website accidentally one day while Googling for vegetarian recipes and never looked back. I got one of my favorite recipes from them, which will probably someday make its way on here!
For when you need a sweets fix. I haven't read this blog for long, but I an impressed with the transition from humble beginnings to where she is now and her desire to share her blogging experiences with others. Plus, cookies! And pretty photos! (I know, that was a terrible endorsement.)
♪ These are a few of my favorite things... ♪
...Online, anyway!
Enjoy!
I know. Groundbreaking, right?
For those days (or weeks...Oops.) when I am bad at consistently cooking and blogging myself, here are some of my favorite food blogs to check out:
I've mentioned her before--Ree Drummond, blogger extraordinaire. She has 5+ blog sections on her site, home-schools her children, writes cookbooks, helps manage a cattle ranch and has her own TV show. She's pretty much the Superwoman of food bloggers.
Long story short, I love her and she's awesome. Hands down my favorite blog and possibly favorite female writer in general. Her humor keeps me coming back, and it doesn't hurt that she posts about a lot of the things I'm interested in (namely, of course, recipes.).
This was actually the first food blog I ever really became interested in, and possibly the first time I realized that food-blogging was a thing, or at least a thing for regular people or people without a TV show/channel. I found their website accidentally one day while Googling for vegetarian recipes and never looked back. I got one of my favorite recipes from them, which will probably someday make its way on here!
3) Bakerella.
I am an oil painter in my non-cooking life, but food art is not a medium I ever expect to come easily to me. At least, nothing that involves frosting. (Remember those owl cookies? Cute, but no masterpieces.) If you're like me, though, sometimes you like to look at and enjoy things that you will probably never be able to achieve and marvel that at least someone can do it. That is what Bakerella does for me. Maybe it will do the same for you!
For when you need a sweets fix. I haven't read this blog for long, but I an impressed with the transition from humble beginnings to where she is now and her desire to share her blogging experiences with others. Plus, cookies! And pretty photos! (I know, that was a terrible endorsement.)
♪ These are a few of my favorite things... ♪
...Online, anyway!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Deck the Halls Weekend
And finally, the one I keep talking about but never actually put up 'til now. I misplaced my recipe book so I couldn't finish it until today! (Mi madre let me borrow hers.)
This is not a recipe post--but could turn into one!
This is not a recipe post--but could turn into one!
I have gone on the Deck the Halls wine tour on Seneca Lake with my parents for a number of years. At the beginning of the tour, you get a vine wreath, and at every winery you get an ornament to put on it. Of course, free wine samples are included, and so is a different food sample per winery, and a mini cookbook to show all* of the recipes! (*Or at least the wineries that got their recipes in on time. A lot didn't this year!)
Last year and this year, Hubby came along also. I don't drink, so I go for the food, the wreath and the festivities.
And most wineries had fun and pretty non-alcoholic drinks for us non-drinkers.
Hubby doesn't drink often, so he goes for the rare chance to try expensive wines he would never buy himself, and for the food, the wreath and the festivities. And of course, it's a fun time out with family.
There's lot of critters at the different wineries, surprisingly. As I've mentioned before, I'm an animal person, so that always makes me happy.
Okay, so that last one isn't a real critter. Most years my mom gets me a little souvenir from Fox Run Vineyards because it's one of my favorites--and I love foxes!
Speaking of things I love, here's a cactus that was at one of the vineyards also.
So cute! I resisted getting one, though.
Ahem.
And most wineries had fun and pretty non-alcoholic drinks for us non-drinkers.
Hubby doesn't drink often, so he goes for the rare chance to try expensive wines he would never buy himself, and for the food, the wreath and the festivities. And of course, it's a fun time out with family.
There's lot of critters at the different wineries, surprisingly. As I've mentioned before, I'm an animal person, so that always makes me happy.
Speaking of things I love, here's a cactus that was at one of the vineyards also.
So cute! I resisted getting one, though.
Ahem.
My favorite part of the wine tour, as you can imagine, is usually the chance to try fun new foods.
Often the samples have meat, but there are enough vegetarian ones to get me through the day. And, since there is a recipe book along with the samples, I can try the meaty ones on my own time without the meat!
Like this one. It just looked so pretty, I had to take a photo even if I couldn't have it.
(Hubby got all of my meat samples. He was a happy man.)
So, that leads me to the part where this could turn into a recipe post: I'd like to know which of these recipes you guys would like to see! I've tried most of them so I have my favorites, but it doesn't hurt to have a little input now and then, eh?
Here are several options:
-Anthony Road Wine Company's Christmas Corn Chowder
-Atwater Estate Vineyards' Baked Ziti & Roasted Garlic Bread
-Earle Estates Winery & Meadery's Holiday Fudge
-Fox Run Vineyards' Christmas Casserole
-Lakewood Vineyards' Holiday Pea Pesto (pictured above with the tomatoes on top)
-Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars' Ricotta Gnocchi
-Standing Stone Vineyards' Georgian Cheese Bread (also pictured above, somewhat burnt)
-[Unknown!]'s Coconut Macaroons (not in the recipe book, but we did have them!)
-Ventosa Vineyards' Pizza Toscana
-Wagner Vineyards' Tarragon Turkey Salad with cranberry relish
-Zugibe Vineyards' Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts
What do you think? Leave a comment here or on Facebook with which recipes you'd like to see! I'll probably make at least a few of these for the blog, whichever way it goes.
Often the samples have meat, but there are enough vegetarian ones to get me through the day. And, since there is a recipe book along with the samples, I can try the meaty ones on my own time without the meat!
Like this one. It just looked so pretty, I had to take a photo even if I couldn't have it.
(Hubby got all of my meat samples. He was a happy man.)
So, that leads me to the part where this could turn into a recipe post: I'd like to know which of these recipes you guys would like to see! I've tried most of them so I have my favorites, but it doesn't hurt to have a little input now and then, eh?
Here are several options:
-Anthony Road Wine Company's Christmas Corn Chowder
-Atwater Estate Vineyards' Baked Ziti & Roasted Garlic Bread
-Earle Estates Winery & Meadery's Holiday Fudge
-Fox Run Vineyards' Christmas Casserole
-Lakewood Vineyards' Holiday Pea Pesto (pictured above with the tomatoes on top)
-Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars' Ricotta Gnocchi
-Standing Stone Vineyards' Georgian Cheese Bread (also pictured above, somewhat burnt)
-[Unknown!]'s Coconut Macaroons (not in the recipe book, but we did have them!)
-Ventosa Vineyards' Pizza Toscana
-Wagner Vineyards' Tarragon Turkey Salad with cranberry relish
-Zugibe Vineyards' Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts
What do you think? Leave a comment here or on Facebook with which recipes you'd like to see! I'll probably make at least a few of these for the blog, whichever way it goes.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's question time, again.
Last night Hubby and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life." He realized that all these years he had mistakenly thought that "It's a Wonderful Life" was the movie "Miracle on 34th Street," which he didn't really like that much. So, while I was watching a Christmas classic again for the 10th time, Hubby accidentally watched it for the first time. On the bright side, he liked it!
The other ones that I love and/or remember growing up watching are:
-Love Actually (*the only one I did not watch as a kid, obviously)
-The Muppet Christmas Carol
-Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
-Frosty the Snowman
-Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
-Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-The Little Drummer Boy
...which, by the way, is one of the most violent kids' movies I've ever seen. I somehow didn't notice when I was little but I watched it again a few years ago and was shocked by all the stuff I missed back in the day.
-Miracle on 34th Street (the 90's one)
-Prancer
And finally, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has ever seen or heard of this movie, but
-The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
I liked this last one when I was little because it had a lioness in it. And I was obsessed with animals. As in, if a movie didn't have at least one animal in it, I probably didn't like it. Also it had forest faeries and to-be Santa hand-carved all of his original toys out of wood, which was neat.
Has anyone else seen it/heard of it?
When I think of Christmastime festivities, I always think of these movies.
Which finally leads me to my question in the title of this post: What is your favorite Christmas (or other holiday) movie?
Are you a fan of the classics or do you like the more modern Christmas movies? (Or do you watch something totally unrelated to Christmas?)
And on a side note: Christmas is only 13 days away! Have you started your shopping yet?
I can never manage to stop at one question with these. I'm too curious! One of these days...
Last night Hubby and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life." He realized that all these years he had mistakenly thought that "It's a Wonderful Life" was the movie "Miracle on 34th Street," which he didn't really like that much. So, while I was watching a Christmas classic again for the 10th time, Hubby accidentally watched it for the first time. On the bright side, he liked it!
*All photo credits go to Wikipedia for these ones, folks*
The other ones that I love and/or remember growing up watching are:
-Love Actually (*the only one I did not watch as a kid, obviously)
-The Muppet Christmas Carol
-Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
-Frosty the Snowman
-Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
-Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-The Little Drummer Boy
...which, by the way, is one of the most violent kids' movies I've ever seen. I somehow didn't notice when I was little but I watched it again a few years ago and was shocked by all the stuff I missed back in the day.
-Miracle on 34th Street (the 90's one)
-Prancer
And finally, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has ever seen or heard of this movie, but
-The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
I liked this last one when I was little because it had a lioness in it. And I was obsessed with animals. As in, if a movie didn't have at least one animal in it, I probably didn't like it. Also it had forest faeries and to-be Santa hand-carved all of his original toys out of wood, which was neat.
Has anyone else seen it/heard of it?
When I think of Christmastime festivities, I always think of these movies.
Which finally leads me to my question in the title of this post: What is your favorite Christmas (or other holiday) movie?
Are you a fan of the classics or do you like the more modern Christmas movies? (Or do you watch something totally unrelated to Christmas?)
And on a side note: Christmas is only 13 days away! Have you started your shopping yet?
I can never manage to stop at one question with these. I'm too curious! One of these days...
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