Garlic Rolls

I found this recipe years ago on the Internet. I was concerned that it wouldn't turn out well, so I made them shortly after lunch (in order to try them). Yeah - we ate all 24 of them and I had to make another batch for dinner! And the kids were young - between 3 and 11!

These are delicious with spaghetti, lasagna, and Pasta e Fagioli. Do have a little restraint - don't eat all of them in one sitting!

Garlic Cheese Rolls for Bread Machine

1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons yeast
¼ cup butter, melted
1 garlic clove, crushed (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Place first 7 ingredients in bread pan and select dough cycle. When cycle is finished, turn dough onto a floured countertop or cutting board (use flour sparingly). Grease two 8” pie pans or one 13”x9” pan.  Gently form dough into a large ball. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 24 pieces (you can either roll the ball into a rope and cut or just cut wedges). Shape into balls; place into prepared pans. In small bowl, combine butter and garlic; pour over rolls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled. Heat oven to 375F while the rolls rise. When the rolls are ready (they'll be puffy and spring back when gently touched), bake at for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, cut apart, and serve warm.

Egg muffins

I don't know where this recipe came from, but it is darned popular. I think it's because it's a grab-and-go type thing. I've made them for a youth retreat and the teens loved them. Go figure! 

This is, yet again, not really a recipe, but more of a method. Make SURE you grease your muffin tins well. Cooked egg is VERY difficult to remove if it gets stuck.

Egg Muffins

6 eggs
1 cup milk
Nature's Seasons (this is my secret ingredient - I use it in everything!)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Cooked veggies (optional)
Cooked meat (bacon, ham, sausage, whatever)

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin VERY well with nonstick cooking spray. Beat the eggs, milk, and Nature's Seasons together in a bowl. Layer your cheese, veggies, and cooked meat in the tins until about 2/3 full. Divide the egg mixture among the tins - they'll be about 3/4 full. Bake 25-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. These WILL deflate. It's okay. They're still yummy!

 

Breakfast burritos

I love this recipe. Well...it's not REALLY a recipe. It's more a way to get protein into my family without having to get up early to feed them breakfast. Seriously. I hate cooking breakfast. It's too darned early!

Anyway, these freeze beautifully, so there's no need for me to get up in the morning! I wrap mine in waxed paper and freeze. If you plan to heat them up wherever you're going, that's enough. If you intend to heat them at home and then take them with you, I suggest unwrapping it, putting it on a plate, heating it to your liking, then rewrap in a paper towel and then foil. The foil keeps it warm while you're on the road, and the paper towel keeps it from getting soggy. You can then use the paper towel to wipe your face, too!

Breakfast Burritos

Scrambled eggs (for 10 tortillas, I usually make 6-7 - with milk)
Leftover potatoes
Leftover cooked veggies (optional)
Leftover cooked breakfast meat
Tortillas
Sour cream
Salsa
Cheese

I usually make one package of tortillas at a time - usually 10 in a package. I lay them all out, spread with a little sour cream, divide the eggs, potatoes, veggies, and breakfast meat between the tortillas, put a little salsa on, then some cheese. Roll up and store as you desire. 

As a side note - when I say leftover potatoes, I mean LEFTOVER POTATOES. I've used mashed potatoes, baked potato, hash browns, and my personal favorite - leftover scalloped potatoes. That was after Easter...and I used leftover ham...they were awesome. Play with it! Have fun! 

Breakfast casserole

I'm not much of a morning person, so breakfast is not a meal I make often. However, this is delicious and so popular, I will take the time to make it. It freezes beautifully, so if you have the time, make TWO pans and freeze individual portions.

You can halve this recipe and bake it in a pie pan, but really - you'll be sorry if you do. It won't be enough!

Read this all the way through before you cook - there are steps that take place simultaneously. Tweaked from Cook's Country.

Breakfast Casserole

4 large eggs
2 cups milk (not skim)
salt
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp melted butter
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs yellow potatoes (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/4" dice
24 oz breakfast sausage (I get the big "logs" of Jimmy Dean)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use bacon fat - much tastier!)
2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

Heat oven to 425F and put the oven rack in the upper-middle position. Grease a 9" x 13" pan and set aside. Whisk eggs, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl until well combined. Stir in flour until just incorporated - the mixture will be a little lumpy. Whisk until the batter is smooth. Stir in scallions and set aside while preparing other ingredients. 

Toss potatoes with a couple tablespoons of water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, cut a couple vent holes in the plastic, and microwave on high until the potatoes just begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the clumps, until the meat has lost most of its pink color, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spread the sausage evenly over the bottom of the pan. 

Heat oil in the skillet with the sausage fat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cooked potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, flipping occasionally, until potatoes are golden and crisp, 8-10 minutes. While cooking the potatoes, put the pan with the sausage into the oven and cook about 10 minutes.

Drain potatoes on paper towels (after they're done cooking). Remove the pan from the oven, set on a cooling rack, and, working quickly, sprinkle half of the cheese over the sausage and pour the batter evenly over the filling. Scatter the potatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 

Bake until puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan, and let cool 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini - or a chopped veggie medley

This is a great way to use up those excess zucchinis - although I, for one, can't grow zucchinis. Go figure! As a quick note - I never stuff the zucchini. I just chop it up and add it to the pan with the rest of the veggies and serve. Recipe courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Stuffed Zucchini
Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side dish
4 medium zucchini (about 8 oz each), washed
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium red potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into ½” cubes
1 medium onion, chopped fine
5 large garlic cloves, minced
3 medium tomatoes (about 1¼ lbs), chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 oz Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 1½ cups) 

Adjust one oven rack to upper-middle position and second oven rack to lowest position, then place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack and heat to 400F.  Meanwhile, halve each zucchini lengthwise. With small spoon, scoop out seeds and most of flesh leaving ¼” walls. Season cut sides of zucchini with salt and pepper, and brush with 2 tablespoons oil; set cut-side down on hot baking sheet on lower rack. 

Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl and spread in single layer on hot baking sheet on upper rack. Roast zucchini until slightly softened and skins are wrinkled, about 10 minutes; roast potatoes until tender and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Using tongs, flip zucchini halves over on baking sheet and set aside.  

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cooked potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. 

Off heat, stir in basil, 1/2 cup cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  Divide filling evenly among squash halves on baking sheet, spooning about 1/2 cup into each, and pack lightly; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return baking sheet to oven, this time to upper rack, and bake zucchini until heated through and cheese is spotty brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.  

Tabbouleh

I love summer - all the fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs you can eat! One of my favorite meals is probably not considered a meal in any other house, but I love it. The story behind this meal goes back MANY (~25) years. We were at our first duty station - Pensacola Naval Air Station. Yes, I realize my hubby was Air Force (he just retired!), but the services were trying a new "joint" thing. 

Anyhow - my hubby came home from work quite early one day, leaned over, kissed me, and my response was, "where the h#*@ have you been?!" He tasted like garlic and spices and wine! He had stopped at an international food store and tried tabbouleh, hummus, and red wine. I made him take me right then and there. We went back to the store, picked up a container of tabbouleh, one of hummus, and a bottle (maybe two!) of red wine. We lived on that for a couple of days. YUM!

I highly suggest you buy some Sabra hummus (we love the roasted garlic kind), pretzel chips (bagel chips work, too!) and a lovely bottle of red wine to go with the tabbouleh. 

I found this recipe on the internet years ago - hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I put a link on the bulgur wheat, in case you don't know what it is.

Tabbouleh a La Paula Wolfert (I don't know who that is, but she makes a good tabbouleh!)

2/3 cup fine grain bulgur wheat 
8 scallions, finely sliced
½ cup fresh mint leaves, shredded
½ cup fresh sorrel leaves, shredded (optional - I have never found them)
2 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, & finely diced
¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (yeah - I just chop them and skip the rest!)

Pick over the bulgur and place in a fine sieve; shake to remove any dust and place in cold water to soak briefly.  In a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the scallions, herbs, cucumber, spices, oil and lemon juice.  Drain the bulgur and squeeze by hand to remove any moisture.  Immediately add to the bowl and mix well.  Add salt to taste, cover, and refrigerate overnight.   Before serving, mix in tomatoes and additional salt if needed.

In order to eat this the same day, I will often use hot or boiling water instead of cold water. I don't notice a taste or texture difference, but that could be the wine I'm having with it!