Whiskey Bread Pudding French Toast

Whiskey Bread Pudding French Toast serves 6

8 large        Eggs

1 loaf          Brioche bread

1/4 cup        Whiskey

1tsp.            Nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp.    Cinnamon

5 cps.          Half and half

3 tbsp.        Honey

2 tsp.          Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp.       Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9x13 pan place two layers of bread. 

Thoroughly whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pour the mixture over the bread. Use you spatula to press down. Then let soak for 10 minutes. 

Add water to a cookie tray. Set the 9x13 pan in it. The water should barely reach 1/8th of the pan. This will help keep it from burning.  Place a foil over the top, slightly tented with a few slits in it to let the steam out. Bake for 45 minutes remove foil and bake another 40 to 45 minutes until the pudding sort of puffs up. Cool slightly, sprinkle the sugar over the top and serve with a side of syrup. 

Confectioners sugar and butter maple syrup. 

A side of bacon and Irish Coffee pairs well with this. 

Holiday Breakfast Casserole

 Holiday Breakfast Casserole  4 servings

Looking for something to have ready to put in the oven on a holiday morning? Well this is delicious and easy. You can prepare it the night before or in the morning, it's about a 15 to 20 prep time. 

1/2 bag         Shredded potatoes / Hash browns

1                   Jalapeno chopped - optional

1/4 lg.           Onion chopped

1/2 lb.           Ground sausage browned

6                   Eggs whisked

1/4 cp.          Half and half

1 cp.             Light Mexican shredded cheese - add more or less per your taste. 

1/2 tbsp.       Garlic oil

Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Biscuit dough - 4 biscuits

1 cp.            Bisquick

1/3 cp.         Half and half

1                 Egg

1 tbsp.        Butter melted

In a small bowl mix thoroughly until it's sticky and will spoon easily into round shapes. Set aside the batter. 

Either the night before or before you start the casserole, brown the ground sausage and put aside. 

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the garlic oil into a small sauce pan. Sauté the onions and jalapenos until they are tender. Spray oil to the bottom of a 8x8 baking dish. While the onions and jalapenos are cooking, add the hash browns to the dish make sure it's even. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the sausage evenly over the potatoes. Add the onions and jalapeno's for another layer. 

Whisk together the eggs and half and half add salt and pepper to taste. Pour evenly over the sausage. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Then add 4 biscuits on top, making sure they are not touching. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The biscuits will be golden brown. 

Serve with your favorite breakfast beverage, mimosas are always good. Maybe some fresh fruit as a side. 

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole, 6 servings

This is great when having company over for brunch. 

1 lb.        Yellow potatoes - Cubed

16           Eggs

1 14 oz   Shredded cheese

1 lb.        Ground sausage

1/2 each Red and green Bell Pepper                       - chopped.

1             Jalapeno pepper - chopped                         (optional)

1/2          Onion - chopped.

1 tbsp.    Garlic olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste, I also used a sprinkle of basil. 

Bake at 425

You can cook the potatoes and brown the sausage the evening before if you'd like. You can make this as mild or spicy as you'd like by using mild, medium of hot sausage. Also, you can use Jalapeno pepper jack cheese. And add Jalapeno's along with the bell peppers. 

Spray or coat the 9x13 or 9x9 pan with oil. Cube the potatoes and thoroughly coat them with oil. Line the bottom of the pan with them. Bake at 475 for 20 minutes. Until they're tender. 

While the potatoes bake, brown the sausage. 

When the potatoes are done spread the sausage over them evenly. Add a layer of shredded cheese. If you've done this night before, cover with foil and put in the fridge. 

In the morning, heat the oven to 425. Whip the eggs, add a little milk (optional). Salt and pepper and pour evenly over the cheese. Bake for 45 minutes and then add another layer of cheese and cook another 15 minutes or until eggs are firm.

Pairs well with mimosas and friends. 

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

 I think this is going to be our new holiday favorite:

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes for TWO

1 1/2        Peeled apples cut into cubes. 

2 tsp.       Cinnamon

1 tsp        Raw sugar

1 tbsp      Pure Vanilla extract

1 cup Bisquick

1 Egg 

1/2 + Milk

1 tbsp Butter

Heat the griddle to 350 degrees. 

Peel apples and put in small saucepan. Add butter add half the cinnamon and the raw sugar. Heat until it's bubbling then turn down to simmer for about 45 minutes. Mash with masher and set aside. 

Add Bisquick, egg, the rest of the cinnamon, vanilla, and part of the milk. Stir together until thick and smooth. Keep adding milk until it's as thick or thin as you'd like it. Add the apple mixture and mix thoroughly. 

Pour onto the griddle, makes about 5 pancakes. Let cook until bubbles in the batter show, then turn.  Put butter on each. When the bottom is golden brown turn again and add butter to that side. Serve with warmed maple syrup. It pairs well with mimosas. 

Can you say quesadilla?

 Truly an easy recipe. For dinner and for breakfast. Here is my recipe and probably nothing special, but it is VERY easy. 

Quesadilla for two
2 tortillas

Shredded cheese

Put the tortillas on a baking sheet and spread the shredded cheese over them evenly. Broil on high until melted. Remove from oven.

Breakfast

Scramble two to three eggs mixed with a touch of milk and chili peppers, I used Hatch Bottled chilis from Costco. Depending on your taste about 1/8 of a cup. When done spread over one side of each of the tortillas, then fold the shell over to cover the eggs. You can also add to the eggs, chopped jalapeno's, onions, and/or tomatoes to change things up.  

Dinner

Cook ground turkey with seasoning of your choice. I use a pinch of cayenne pepper along with about a teaspoon of Chili Lime seasoning from Trader Joes. I usually had chopped onions and jalapeno's to the meat. When done spread over one side of each of the tortillas, then fold the shell over to cover the meat. 

You can use ground beef or shredded chicken or pork, your choice.

Put it back in the oven on broil and cook until shell looks slightly crispy then turn over and do the same. When done cut them in half and serve. Breakfast with sausage or bacon and fruit. With dinner your favorite salsa or Pico. With rice and beans. 

Enjoy!

Breakfast casserole

This is perfect for having people over for brunch, add some mimosas and you're set to relax. 

Breakfast Casserole

2 12 oz. bags Shredded Hash browns

1/2                 Onion chopped

2                    Sweet peppers chopped 

1 lb.               Ground sausage (hot) browned

12-16 LG.        Eggs

1/2 cup          Heavy cream

1 12 oz.          Shredded Cheese

1 cube            Real butter sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste**

Spray a 9 x12 inch pan then slice the butter and sprinkle over the bottom. Lay the hash browns on the bottom. Mix the onions and peppers into the potatoes. Salt and pepper. Sprinkle the browned sausage over the potatoes. Sprinkle half the bag of cheese. Cover and put in the fridge. 

Whip the eggs along with the cream until thoroughly mixed. Salt and pepper to taste. cover and put in the fridge. 

In the morning heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the potato mixture in the preheated oven. bake for 20 minutes. Remove and pour eggs over the top equally. Bake for 15 minutes and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake for 10 more minutes. 

** For spicier add one chopped jalapeno to potatoes with the onions and sweet peppers. In the eggs sprinkle dried chili. 

Banana blueberry pancakes

Sometimes you just want pancakes for breakfast! You can be healthy with your pancakes. Just try this recipe for pancakes with banana and blueberries. I have a little secret ingredient. I'm sure it's not a secret as I think. Anyway, here goes.

Banana Blueberry Pancakes
Pancake mix of your choice (I'm lazy).
Add Mashed banana
Blueberries
1 - 3 Tsp of Vanilla (real if you can afford it, or extract)
Ground Cinnamon to taste.

Bisquick has a recipe for pancakes, I use Trader Joe's All Purpose baking
mix for mine. I mix the egg in and vanilla (I use pure vanilla) until it's a thick paste. Then I gradually add the water until it's the consistency I want. I mash the banana and add to mix stirring thoroughly last I sprinkle in the cinnamon and blueberries and cook until golden brown on my skillet. I serve with chicken sausage.

Enjoy. We serve fresh ground coffee made with a French press.