Make Ahead Egg Muffins or Mini Loaves

Here is another Christmas breakfast item I made ahead for a stress-free, delightful Christmas Morning.  

After they were baked and completely cooled, I froze them.  After thawing in the fridge for a day, I warmed them up in the oven at the same time I warmed the Hash Brown Casserole.

The original recipe was to put these in muffin tins, but I used my mini loaf pan (makes 8) so we could have servings that were a bit larger.  

The main idea here came from spendwithpennies.com

Make Ahead Eggs

10 eggs

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 c. ham, 8 slices of bacon, or 1/2 lb. browned sausage (I think I may have used 1 lb. sausage?)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced (I used green)

1/4 c. onion diced small

1 c. shredded cheddar, or other blend of your choosing

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Sauté the bell pepper and onion a bit.

Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper.

Grease the muffin or loaf pan generously with butter.

Divide the pepper and onion mix, meat of your choosing, and cheese in each muffin or loaf.  Pour the egg mix over the cheese mix.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until set.

Let them rest a couple minutes and then run a knife around the edges to release them for the tin.

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c = cup

t = teaspoon

Jingle Juice

 Looking for a festive holiday cocktail for a crowd?  Look no further.  This recipe came from our friend Dawn and has been made several times in the neighborhood.

Jingle Juice

2 bottles red Moscato

1 bottle prosecco

1/2 c. vodka

4 c. cranberry apple juice

2 c. frozen cranberries

1/3 c. mint leaves

2 limes sliced 

In a large vessel or punch bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Hash Brown Casserole

I made this for Christmas breakfast this year and our crowd of 7 almost finished the whole dish!  I was trying to keep things manageable and stress free, so I baked this several days ahead of time and put it in the freezer after it was cool.   

There is a lot of stuff in here, so it was good to get it done early.  After thawing in the fridge for a day or two, I popped it in the oven to heat it through day-of.  A very good decision and one I would make again!  Recipe source:  chefsavvy.com

Hash Brown Casserole

30 oz. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and patted dry

3 T. butter

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

2 c. milk

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 t. Worcestershire 

1 t. Italian seasoning

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar, divided (I shredded a block of cheddar.  It melts a lot better than pre-shredded)

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Melt butter over medium high heat and sauté the onions for a few minutes until they start to get tender.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.

Slowly whisk in the broth, milk, Dijon, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.  The idea here is to get it to thicken up a bit.

Remove from the heat and add the 2 cups of the shredded cheddar.  Whisk it until the cheese is melted.  Stir in the sour cream.

Layer the hash browns in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Pour the cheese mixture on top.  Top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until it is golden brown and bubbly.  Allow it to rest 10 minutes or so before serving.

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nutrition notes for 8 servings: 325 cal, 13g carbs, 13g protein, 25g fat

c = cup

t = teaspoon

T = tablespoon

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

 I'm bringing these to our neighborhood Holiday Appetizer and Cocktail Night!

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

1 lb. bacon (prob not thick cut bacon)

1 14 oz package Little Smokies weiners

1/2 c. brown sugar

pinch of cayenne

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut bacon in thirds.  Wrap bacon around a smokie and secure with a toothpick.

Combine the brown sugar and cayenne.

Roll each smokie in the the brown sugar mix.  

Place the smokies on the baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the bacon is done as you like it.

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lb = pound

oz = ounce

c = cup

Gingerbread Bars

 I saw this recipe pop up in my Facebook feed.  Everyone needs a bit of gingerbread around the holidays, right?   After I made them, I wasn't sure I was going to keep the recipe.  But, the people have spoken.  Everyone that had one loved them, so here you go.

Bars

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 t. ground ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar (I used dark)

1/3 c. unsulphured molasses

1 egg + 1 yolk

2 t. vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

8 oz. full fat cream cheese, softened

2 - 3 c. powdered sugar

1 - 2 T. heavy cream or milk

In a bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda.  

In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the molasses and vanilla, then add the egg and yolk until fully combined. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Press the dough in a greased 9x13 pan with your hands  (You may need to grease your hands to keep the 'sticking' to a minimum.)

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the pan and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.  

On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with 1 T. of heavy cream or milk.  Continue beating until the frosting reaches your desired consistency and sweetness.

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars.

Top with festive sprinkles, if life leads you in that direction.

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c = cup

t = teaspoon

T = tablespoon

oz = ounce

Spritz Cookies

 The Christmas classic Spritz Cookie.  A cookie plate isn't complete without it.  Here is my mom's recipe that she rated an A+.    

I messed up on the flour calculations and added 228 grams instead of 288 grams.  Oopsie.  As a result, they spread and were not the look one is going for when making these!  Taste was great, appearance zero.

There's always next year to give them another go....

Chili

 It's gettin' cold out and that means chili season!  This is a new version I tried today and it is sitting in the fridge right now for all those flavors to meld together before dinner tomorrow. Of course, you can adjust any of the ingredients for different beans, bean:meat ratio, spices.

Chili

2 lbs. ground beef

1 small onion, diced small

1 green pepper, diced small

1 large jalapeno, diced finely

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 chili ready and one with green chilies)

2 cans beans (I used 1 mixed chili beans in mild sauce and 1 black chili beans in mild sauce)

7 oz. can tomato paste

15 oz. can tomato sauce

32 oz. beef broth

2 t. each of oregano, garlic powder, and cumin

4 T. chili powder (I used 2 t. chipotle chili powder and the rest mild chili powder)

Fry up the ground beef.  Drain it and then add the pepper, onions, and jalapeno to saute.  Then add all the other ingredients.   Simmer for a good hour to reduce some of the liquid while all the other ingredients get really happy together.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese.  Or even some diced avocado.

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lb = pound

oz = ounce

t = teaspoon

T = tablespoon