Easy Bacon Frittata Recipe (Plus a Giveaway)

 Book Reviews, Open Giveaways, Recipes  74 Responses »
May 102013
 

Thank you to Gooseberry Patch for providing a cookbook to try out this yummy frittata recipe.

Breakfast foods have always been some of my favorites.  Eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, bacon.  They’re so versatile – and delicious – but I often end up serving them the same ‘ole way.  So when I saw the recipe for an Easy Bacon Frittata in Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook “101 Farmhouse Favorites” I knew it was the first thing I wanted to try.

While I’ve always enjoyed frittatas, this was my first time attempting to make one.  I’m glad I gave it a whirl.  It was easy to complete and makes a nice change from standard breakfast or brunch fare.

Easy Bacon Frittata Recipe

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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

 Recipes  2 Responses »
Apr 132013
 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Spaghetti is one meal that is in consistent rotation in our house.  It’s one of those simple meals that’s filling and just hits the right spot.  It also doesn’t hurt that Bubbles enjoys “noodles” so it’s a meal that the whole family can enjoy.

A lot of times spaghetti ends up being a spur-of-the-moment decision.  The kind of meal where you’ve sat around asking “What should we have for dinner?” for the last 2 hours and finally everyone agrees that some sauce-covered pasta would be a great choice.  When it’s more of a planned meal, however, I like to take the time to make my own spaghetti sauce.

Homemade spaghetti sauce is not that complex, so if you haven’t tried it yet – now’s your chance!  It’s mostly just pour and mix, with a few taste-tests to ensure a balance of spices suited to your taste.  It also freezes well so make a batch and serve it with dinner and then freeze the leftovers so when the pasta mood strikes, you’ll never have to say “shoot, I need to run to the store”.

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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (12 oz) tomato sauce
  • 2 cans (6-8 oz each) tomato paste
  • ½ C water
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 3 T brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • ½ tsp. fennel seeds
  • 2 T Italian seasoning
  • 1 T kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 T dried parsley

Instructions
  1. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water to a stock pot.
  2. Mix in all remaining ingredients, stirring until well-combined.
  3. Cover and simmer on low for at least 2.5 hours. More time will allow the flavors to develop more deeply.
  4. If desired, add addition mix-ins just before serving. Some suggestions are:
  5. Ground beef (browned)
  6. Ground sausage (browned)
  7. Artichoke hearts (drained)
  8. Mushrooms (drained if canned)
  9. Parmesan cheese (grated)
  10. Plain sauce (with no mix-ins) can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Plain sauce (with no mix-ins) can also be frozen and stored for 2-4 months.

What is your favorite addition to pasta sauce?

Easy Mexicali Casserole Recipe

 Recipes  5 Responses »
Mar 292013
 

Mexicali Casserole Recipe

Casseroles are one of my favorite busy night meals.  I can put all of the ingredients together ahead of time and then just put it in the oven to cook when I need to start making dinner.  I don’t need to stand over the stove stirring any pots.  I don’t have to worry about whether or not I cooked it for 27 minutes or 32 minutes.  I can add a few more vegetables or a bit more starch to make it stretch just a bit further.  I can generally substitute ingredients based on what I have in the pantry or what is on sale at the grocery store this week.

Everyone in my home loves Mexican food.  Some Mexican dishes are more labor intensive than others.  So, when I’m having a super hectic day, I turn to this Mexicali Casserole recipe.

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Mexicali Casserole
Cuisine: Mexican
 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound of lean ground beef
  • 1 cup of canned corn
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • ⅔ cups of milk
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non stick spray.
  3. Brown the ground beef. Add the diced tomatoes and the canned corn and heat.
  4. Pour into the casserole dish. Sprinkle all but 2 tbsp of the shredded cheese over the top.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  6. Stir in the egg, milk and oil.
  7. Spread it over the top of the hamburger mixture & sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  8. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  9. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

What is your favorite Mexican recipe?

About the author: Ellen is a busy mom of two teenagers who left the corporate world in 2008 to focus on a more eco-friendly life.  She lives in rural Vermont where she juggles family, two blogs and a career in social media.  You can find her at Confessions of an Overworked Mom and The Socialite’s Closet.

Savory Cheese Biscuit Recipe from Gooseberry Patch

 Book Reviews, Recipes  85 Responses »
Mar 222013
 

Savory Cheese Biscuit Recipe from Gooseberry Patch's "Weeknight Dinners"

Rustic Cheese Biscuit Recipe

Rolls are one of my favorite things about going out to eat at a restaurant.  Almost all of them bring you a basket of rolls or biscuits, loaves of bread, or bread sticks.  Some have great flavored butters or provide you with dipping sauces.  No matter the form or the accouterments  it’s always good.

We do try and serve a few of our own bread sides with our meals at home, too.  Usually it’s heat-and-serve rolls or garlic bread, homemade cornbread, or on occasion a homemade loaf of bread.  One thing I’ve wanted to try that I hadn’t so far, though, were cheese biscuits.  They are a family-favorite when we go out to eat (Ashley says she could live on them) and I hoped that any homemade variety that I tried would be similar in taste.

Then I found this Savory Cheese Biscuit recipe in the new “Weeknight Dinners” cookbook from Gooseberry Patch.  The recipe was submitted to the cookbook by J.C. Schmeltekopf and they are extremely fast and easy to make.  They’re also really good.  Hubby had one and said, “Hey that’s good”.  Five minutes later he was saying, “Hey that’s really good” and kept commenting on them throughout the night.  Always a good sign! Continue reading »

Fast and Fun Breakfast & Brunch Ideas for Kids

 For the Kids, For Toddlers, Recipes  1 Response »
Mar 182013
 

French Toast and Pancake Recipes for Kids

It always seems that breakfast is one of those meals that is almost always the same.  Yogurt and a piece of toast, some scrambled eggs with a couple strips of bacon, pancakes, cereal – whatever it is, I feel like once we find something we enjoy that fills us up for the morning we tend to stick with it.  Habit and routine help us get our morning started and keep everyone on schedule.

Every once in awhile, though, it’s nice to break out of the rut and add in some new options.  On the weekends we have a bit more time and try things like different breakfast casseroles, omelets, Eggs Benedict, and things like that.  But during the week to help add variety, yet still get our picky eater to eat, we sometimes turn to frozen products to help speed up our prep.  And because breakfast for us is mostly about getting Bubbles to eat something I really like the “mini” frozen foods, like the new Aunt Jemima Lil’ Griddles.  They have mini pancakes, mini blueberry pancakes, and french toast sticks. Continue reading »

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