Breakfast Sandwiches in a Muffin Tin

Adapted from this.

I make these all the time and freeze them. Then in the morning before I go to work I microwave them for 60 seconds and BOOM yummy breakfast. I will often make them with just egg whites or do a combo of eggs with their yolk and eggs without. I've added spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, onion, and a ton of other things depending on what's in my kitchen. I also usually use regular strips of bacon (streaky bacon) instead of Canadian bacon. 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bust out your muffin tin

2. Cover each hole with a strip of bacon, twirl it around the bottom and sides and cover as much of the hole as possible

3. Add an egg. Or about 1/3 c. of egg whites or combo of eggs and egg whites (if you're making 12 sandwiches you might use 8 egg whites and 4 regular eggs for example and whisk with a splash of milk)

4. Add any toppings like spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, cheese, salt and pepper (S & P not optional!)

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until egg doesn't jiggle when you slightly jostle the pan.

6. Pop them out of the muffin tin after they've cooled down for a bit and freeze in Tupperware if you like and microwave them for 60 seconds to thaw and put on a piece of toast, English muffin or by themselves!

XOXOXO Jo

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Homemade Naan Bread

Chicken Tikka Masala

This chicken tikka recipe is SO easy and SO yummy. It uses boneless skinless chicken thighs which are my new favorite piece of chicken, they are so tasty and yummy. The original recipe is here. I have used a set of spices I found at Jewel-Osco for Chicken Tikka Masala which is really nice. It looks like this: 

Serves 4Hands-On Time: 10mTotal Time: 8hr 10m

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
4. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

• Calories 559
• Fat 25g
• Sat Fat 10g
• Cholesterol 152mg
• Sodium 738mg
• Protein 37g
• Carbohydrate 48g
• Sugar 3g
• Fiber 4g
• Iron 4mg
• Calcium 91mg

Naan Bread

The Naan bread is tricky and ambitious....you really need to wait for the yeast to activate and these are easy to burn, especially if you use the BBQ. I had better luck on an indoor griddle. They are time consuming but SO worth it!! WAY better than any store bought naan bread I've ever tried! The original recipe is here.

May 20th, 2010

YIELD: 14 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise.

2. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

3. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball.

4. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

5. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

6. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Enjoy!

XOXO Jo

Turkey Verde Enchiladas

I found this recipe on the Once a Month Mom blog where you made a months worth of meals in 1-2 days. Gail told me about the blog and I was in love with it!! Very cool idea but now it is a paid subscription so I no longer use it. These enchiladas work so well in the freezer....I often make 2-3 batches, 1 to eat that night and 1-2 to freeze for later use. They can be frozen for over a month (trust me I've done it) but I wouldn't go longer then 3 months so be sure to date the container if you do opt to freeze. 

This dish would be great with the Mexican layer dip I posted earlier, but only for a super hungry crowd since the dip and these puppies are filling!! One tortilla and I'm usually full. 

I recently made two batches of these for my friend Carolyn's family after a death in the family and brought them over frozen with chips and salsa. They kept them in the freezer for 2 days and enjoyed them the 3rd night. The whole family loved them. 

NOTE!!!! This recipe wants you to make your own verde enchilada sauce. DON'T BOTHER. Buy a can of Verde enchilada sauce in the supermarket and save yourself the time. They still taste great. 

Also, I like to add a can of Corn to the mixture. What can I say I love corn and it stretches the filling to make more tortillas :) 

Here's the original recipe: http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-in-day-i-was-not-fan-of-enchiladas.html

Here's my adapted version:

VERDE TURKEY ENCHILADAS

VERDE SAUCE

1 can Verde Enchiliada Sauce (Latino aisle in grocery store)

ENCHILADAS

1 package tortillas 

3/4 lbs. ground turkey 

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup salsa 

1 tbsp. cornmeal

2 tsp. chili powder

1 & 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 & 1/4 cups shredded cheese {I used the Mexican blend} 

1 can sweet corn (optional)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pour your olive oil into a large skillet and heat for a couple of minutes.  Add the turkey, onion, and garlic and cook until browned. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in corn, salsa, cornmeal, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, & pepper.  Spoon about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture down the center of a tortilla.  Top the turkey mixture with a couple tablespoons of cheese.  Roll it up and place seam side down in a baking dish.  I use disposable aluminum foil 8x8 ones so I can just throw out the dish instead of cleaning :)
4. Now spoon the verde sauce on top of the enchiladas and top with cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, uncover, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
6. Top with sour cream, black olives and anything else you like on enchiladas (guacamole would be good). ENJOY!

XOXO Jo

Smashed Potatoes

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman cooking blog: Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes are so freaking good!! The french's fried onions, the bacon, the green onions, the sour cream, everything adds up to one delicious dish. I made these in Florida in April 2013 for Matt, Gayle Cross, mom, dad and Gail Rankin. Matt requests these frequently :)

If you don't know about the pioneer woman check out her blog...she is awesome! 

Here's the recipe, check out the link at the top of this post for more detailed pictures if you're interested. 

Prep Time:

 5 Minutes

Cook Time:

 15 Minutes

Difficulty:

 Easy

Servings:

 4

Ingredients

• 5 whole Large Red Potatoes
• 1 stick Butter, Softened And Cut Into Pieces
• 5 slices Bacon, Cooked And Crumbled
• 2 whole Green Onions, Sliced
• 3/4 cups Sour Cream
•  Salt To Taste (add Plenty!)
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste (ditto!)
• 3/4 cups French Fried Onions, More For Topping

Preparation Instructions

Nuke potatoes or bake in the oven until fork-tender. Add to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher. Immediately add softened butter, green onions, bacon, and sour cream and stir with a rubber spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add french fried onions and fold in.

Serve hot, sprinkling on extra french fried onions and green onions. Yummy with grilled steak or chicken!

Happy Eating! 

XOXO Jo

Mexican Layer Dip

Amazing layered Mexican Dip!! This recipe is super easy, super delicious and can be made ahead of time for guests which is a plus. It was a huge hit at my book club and during a family trip to the Catskills. I've also tried it with an added layer of chili, so mix-in or modify to suit your taste buds! Corn would probably be a good additional layer as well. Add or subtract the top layers as you like, if black olives aren't your thing, skip it! I love green onions so I add a lot. 

I got this recipe from one of those recipe swap chain emails that we all know and love. BUT this one actually proved to be pretty successful because I got this awesome recipe! My mother in law Gayle Cross's old neighbor Nancy Patterson sent this to me. The picture below is of her at Charlie's 3rd birthday party. She really likes Charlie so she's pretty cool :) 

Here goes:

Ingredients:

1 large can re-fried beans

3 ripe avocados

2 T Lemon Juice

1 c. miracle whip

1 c. sour cream

1/2 packet taco seasoning

2-3 c. grated cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1 can sliced black olives

1-2 tomatoes (chopped)

3-4 Green onion stalks sliced thinly

Use a quiche pan or large casserole dish to layer the dip in

Put the ingredients in the pan in following order:

1. Bottom/ Layer One= 1 can of refried beans
2. Layer Two= 3 ripe avocados, peeled & mashed & mixed with 2 T. lemon juice.
3. Layer Three= 1 cup Miracle Whip, 1 cup sour cream, and 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning. (Mix these together before adding to pan). ****
4. Layer Four= 2 or 3 cups of grated cheddar cheese
5. Layer Five= Sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes, and green onions

**** A certain someone who was helping me make this recipe <cough cough> Cazz <cough cough> forgot this step when we were in the Catskills. It still tasted great with the seasoning sprinkled on top :)

Serve with tortilla chips.

¡Disfruta! 

Jo