Wild Rice and Sausage Egg Bake

What do you do when you all of the sudden have to make breakfast for 7 people? You improvise.  I had everything I used in this egg bake in the house already.

4 cups wild rice, cooked
1lb mild Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4C sun dried tomato pesto
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

12 eggs, whisked
1/2C sour cream
1/3 bunch parsley,  chopped
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tsp siracha
Salt and pepper

2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Sauté the onions in 1-2T olive oil until they become translucent.  Add the minced garlic and sausage and sauté until the sausage is done.  Add the wild rice, salt, pepper and pesto into the pan and combine.  Remove from heat.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour the wild rice and sausage into the dish.

I another bowl, add the eggs and whisk.  Add sour cream, Dijon mustard, siracha and the salt and
pepper.  Whisk to combine.  Add in parsley.

Pour the egg mixture on top of the wild rice and sausage.  Top with shredded Swiss cheese.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 30 min.  Top with tin foil and continue baking for another 10-15 min or until center is set.

Everyone said this was the best egg bake they'd ever had.  This is a definite make again.

Monkey Bread

Make this.  No seriously,  Make it.  

Recipe taken from Smitten Kitchen - the best food blog out there.

Dough
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted)
1 cup milk, warm (around 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (also around 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, instant or bread machine yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar (CI advises against dark brown, which they feel imparts too strong of a molasses taste; I suspect it wouldn’t bother me)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces), mleted

Cream Cheese Glaze
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
2 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Get oven and pan ready: Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200°F. When oven reaches 200, turn it off. Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

Make dough: In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

To proceed with a stand mixer, mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. (The dough should be sticky but if it is too wet to come together into anything cohesive, add an additional 2 tablespoons flour.) Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball.

To proceed by hand, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Make well in flour, then add milk mixture to well. Using wooden spoon, stir until dough becomes shaggy and is difficult to stir. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and begin to knead, incorporating shaggy scraps back into dough. Knead until dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Shape into taut ball and proceed as directed.

Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a tablespoon of neutral oil. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with more cooking spray or oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Make brown sugar coating: Place melted butter in one bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second one.

Form the bread: Flip dough out onto floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces. I found it helpful to immediately separate them from the rest of the “grid” or they quickly reformed a big doughy square in 64 parts.

Roll each piece of dough into ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. (I found a fork to be helpful for this process.) Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams (something I didn’t do, but should have) where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

Bake bread: Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel might begin to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. (The reason for the “might” is that CI says that it should, but mine did not bubble, leading me to bake mine for an extra 5 to 10 minutes, during which it still did not bubble but go the dark crust you see in the photos. Next time, I’d take it out sooner.) Cool in pan for 5 minutes (no longer, or you’ll have trouble getting it out) then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Make glaze: Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth and light. Add milk and vanilla and this is where you can kick me because I completely forgot I was a food blogger for a minute there and know I added a touch more milk and sugar but did not write down how much. I have some nerve! Just taste and adjust — you’re looking for something that tastes equally tangy and sweet, and texturally thin enough to drape over the bread but thick enough that it will not just roll off completely.

Drizzle the glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemons and blueberries are a match made in heaven.  Add them to a semi sweet muffin batter and they're out of this world delish.  No jokes, these will be the BEST muffins you've EVER had!!!!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (in my opinion the best cooking blog out there)

Yield: 14 large or 56 miniature muffins


1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
1T lemon juice
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 container fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 14 standard muffin cups (or 56 minis) with paper liners. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.  Carefully fold in blueberries, as to not break them up.

Divide batter among muffin cups, about 2/3 full.  Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes (baking time was on the shy side of 20 minutes for mini muffins).

Devour.                In about 2 seconds.               Seriously.                They're that good.

Apple Pannekoeken {Puff Pancake}

1C flour
1C milk
6 eggs
2 apples
2T butter
Cinnamon
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Set aside.

2. Melt butter and pour into 9X13" baking dish. Spread butter thouroughly, including sides of dish.

3. Combine eggs and milk in large bowl. Add flour slowly, whisking continuously to avoid lumps.

4. Pour batter into buttered dish. Top batter with layers of apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until pancake is puffed and golden.

6. Dust with powdered sugar or top with maple syrup.

Mama B's Banana Bread

Heat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2C flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/8tsp cinnamon
1 egg
3 overripe, mashed bananas
3/4C sugar
1/4C canola oil
1tsp finely grated lemon peel
1tsp finely grated orange peel
**optional** 1/2C walnuts, toasted pecans or chocolate chips

1. Combine dry ingredients.

2. Add egg, bananas, oil and peels. Mix well.

3. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips.

4. grease loaf pan. Pour batter.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Store covered at room temp for 4-5 days.

** This makes amazing French toast! Slice thick, batter and cook on griddle. Top with butter and Nutella. Seriously?? Ahhhhhh.

Puff Pancake

From La Fuji Mama
Makes approximately 12 servings (9x13-inch pan)

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
6 large eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
powdered sugar, for dusting when finished
strawberry/raspberry jam, to use as topping

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Melt butter in a 9x13-inch pan (I do this by putting the pan with the cube of butter in it in the oven while the oven is preheating).

3. In a blender, combine flour, milk, eggs, salt, sugar, and orange juice concentrate.

4. Pour over hot butter in pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until brown and puffy.

5. Sift powdered sugar over the top after removing from oven.

6. Dilute jam with a bit of warm water until obtaining a syrup-like consistency. Serve pancake warm with jam syrup drizzled over the top.

Egg Bake

1 good loaf bread, cubed
8 eggs
1/2 container sour cream
1/2C milk
Bacon (cooked and crumbled), Sausage (browned) or ham (cooked and chopped)
2C Shredded cheddar cheese
herbs (basil, parsley chives), salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in baking dish. Top with cheese. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or overnight to allow eggs to soak into bread.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I usually cut and freeze bread so it doesn't go to waste, and I have a reserve for making egg bake. Just thaw before using.