Egg & Sausage Casserole

I just made this for brunch recently - it's my grandma's recipe.

Recipe

9 eggs

1 lb. bulk sausage

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp salt

3 slices white bread, cut into 1/4" cubes

3 C. milk

Brown sausage and drain.  Mix eggs, milk, mustard and salt.  Stir in bread, sausage and cheese.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted comes out clean.  Do not stir casserole once it has sat in the fridge.  Lower temperature by 25 degrees for a glass baking dish.

Comments

 - I used Jimmy Dean regular sausage, but a hot & spicy sausage would also be good.  You could probably sub turkey sausage too.

 - I've made casseroles like this with whole wheat bread and I don't think the flavor is as good.  Wheat bread gives the casserole a sweeter flavor.  I bought a loaf of white bread at Target and now I have all but 3 slices left...who eats white bread?!?

Rating

5/5

WW PointsPlus
6 (makes 12 servings)

Sugar Cookie Bars

I didn't get around to making my usual cut out sugar cookies this year, so I improvised and ended up making sugar cookie bars thanks to a recipe I found on Pinterest.  I dyed the icing a light green and then used a toothpick to sketch out a Christmas tree.  I used green sugar sprinkles to fill in the tree and trimmed it with a red garland using some red icing (Wilton's).

Recipe

Sugar Cookie Bars

Comments

 - I didn't have heavy cream for the frosting so I used skim milk.  It ended up being a bit too runny when I used the full 1/4 C so next time if I use skim I'll just end up using a few teaspoons shy of 1/4 C.  I stuck the bars in the fridge so that the icing would firm up.

 - These bars are absolutely delicious and so easy.  I may be making these for a few more years until Anna is old enough to help out with the cookie decorating...

Rating

5/5

Macaroni & Cheese

I made this last night for a potluck that I have today.  My plan is to reheat this in the crock pot.

Recipe
Macaroni & Cheese

Comments
 - Next time I would cut back on the dry mustard...maybe 2 tsp instead of 2 heaping tsp
 - I didn't have whole milk but I did have leftover heavy cream from some baking I did earlier in the week, so I ended up using about 1 1/2 C heavy cream and 1 C skim milk
 - I used 2 C cheddar and 2 C colby jack

Rating
5/5

Minestrone Soup

I looked at a few different minestrone soup recipes and decided to create my own!

Recipe
1/4 large onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced into coins
3 small stalks celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
3/4 package shredded coleslaw mix
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth (could use vegetable broth to keep it truly vegetarian)
1 C. cooked elbow macaroni
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot.  Add onion, carrots and celery and cook until onions are just slightly translucent.  Add red pepper, zucchini and coleslaw mix and cook for about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans and spices.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add macaroni and stir to combine just before serving.

Comments
 - It's a bit more work but I'm a firm believer in cooking the pasta separately.  Adding uncooked pasta to soup and then boiling it with your soup base will draw out the starch and either cloud up the soup or give it a funny starchy taste.
 - Next time I might add 1 C. of frozen cut green beans
 - If this soup is too thick for your liking, just add some extra chicken broth to thin it out.  The pasta will absorb some of the broth, so if you're planning to keep some for leftovers then I would add at least 1 C. of chicken broth to the recipe.

Rating
4/5

WW PointsPlus
4 (makes 6 servings)

Homemade Twix Bars

I made these last night for a potluck that Mike has at work.  They were easier and better tasting than the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars that I made a week or so ago.

Recipe
Homemade Twix Bars

Comments
 - I used Tollhouse milk chocolate chips for the topping and ended up using some heavy cream to thin them out a bit, maybe 5-6 Tbsp.  I didn't use shortening as the recipe suggests.  The heavy cream worked well with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars so I thought it would work here as well.  The Tollhouse chips aren't as high quality as the Ghiradelli so they started to break down, with the oil rising to the top once I spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel.  I just wiped up some of that with a paper towel.  It didn't impact the taste, they just didn't have a perfectly smooth top.

Rating
4/5

Asparagus & Ham Frittata

This is a really easy breakfast that takes just a few more minutes than scrambled eggs.

Recipe
Asparagus & Ham Frittata

Comments
 - I used Canadian Bacon instead of ham
 - I used some leftover sauteed zucchini instead of asparagus
 - Next time I might use 4 eggs and 2 egg whites instead of 6 whole eggs
 - My broiler has a Low and High setting - I used Low for this

Rating
4/5

WW PointsPlus
5 (4 servings)

Italian Green Beans

I made these last night to go along with spaghetti instead of a salad.

Recipe
Italian Green Beans

Comments
 - I used frozen whole green beans (from Costco)
 - I didn't have Italian seasoning so I used dried basil and oregano

Rating
5/5

WW PointsPlus
2 (4 servings; could easily cut back on the EVOO to lower the Points value)

Dijon & Onion Chicken

This is a quick, easy and flavorful one-pan chicken dish.  I served it with a side of barley and sauteed kale.

Recipe
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1/4 C. Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 C. onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2-3/4 C. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Grey Poupon mustard

Heat olive oil in frying pan, then add onion and cook until slightly translucent.  Dip chicken breasts in mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and garlic salt, pressing to coat.  Add chicken breasts to frying pan and cook over medium low heat for about 2-3 minutes per side.  This will help the breadcrumbs adhere to the chicken.  Add about 1/2 C. chicken broth to the pan and cook chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes per side.  Add dijon mustard and whisk with the broth and onion mixture.  Additional broth may be required here, depending on how much has evaporated in the prior step.  Simmer until broth is reduced and you have a thickened sauce left in the pan.

Comments
 - Next time I might dip the chicken in egg whites to help the Panko stick a bit better

Recipe
4/5

WW PointsPlus
7

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it last week for a coworker's birthday.  So rich, but so good!

Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Comments
 - I thought the crust was too crumbly...maybe I blended it too much.  Next time I might reduce the amount of sugar in the crust to help it stick together better.

Rating
4/5

Vegetarian Three Bean Chili

This thick & hearty chili could easily be made in a crock pot.  It tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to combine.

Recipe
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans with liquid
1/2 C. frozen corn kernels
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 medium sweet potato, cut into small bite size pieces
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
1/4 large onion, diced
Chili seasoning (McCormick's packet or homemade)

Heat olive oil in stock pot, then add onion and bell pepper.  Saute until onion is slightly translucent.  Add tomatoes, beans, corn, potato and chili seasoning.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sweet potato is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.

Comments
 - Honestly, this made me realize how much flavor ground beef or turkey can add to any chili recipe.  Next time I'd probably add meat to this!

Rating
3.5/5

WW PointsPlus
6 (5 servings)

Thai Peanut Noodle Bowls

Who needs Chin's or Noodles & Co. when you can make your own lower fat, lower calorie version at home?

Recipe
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (4 oz each)
1/4 C. chicken broth
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 large carrot, sliced
1/4 medium onion, diced
4 Tbsp. Thai peanut sauce (I used Leann Chin's)
2 bundles Udon noodles
1-2 Tbsp. hot water
2 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped

Heat olive oil in a wok, then add onion and carrots.  Saute for a few minutes until onions become slightly translucent.  Add chicken broth and chicken.  Cook over low heat until chicken is no longer pink.  Add broccoli and cook until broth has almost entirely evaporated.  In a bowl, whisk together Thai peanut sauce and hot water - this is just to thin out the sauce a bit.  Add cooked Udon noodles and sauce to wok.  Toss until thoroughly combined.  Top with peanuts just before serving.

Comments
 - I added a bit of sriracha sauce to my bowl as well for a little extra kick
 - Could also use angel hair, soba or spaghetti in place of the Udon noodles
 - I added the chicken broth on a whim since the chicken cooks quickly in the wok; the broth kept the chicken moist and tender
 - Next time I might marinate the chicken for a few hours to give it a bit more flavor, using something simple like olive oil, soy sauce, and maybe a bit of sriracha

Rating
4/5

WW PointsPlus
10 (4 servings)