A Perfect Brunch

This past weekend, my college roommate, Meg and her new husband, Pat come to visit us for the weekend. We love having guests and entertaining, so a brunch was a perfect ending to the weekend. This brunch casserole orginially called for canned mushrooms and frozen spinach, but I used fresh and it was wonderful.

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

2 1/2 cups seasoned croutons
1 pound spicy pork sausage
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Half a bag of fresh spinach, chopped
4 oz fresh chopped mushrooms
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish

Spread croutons on bottom of greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Crumble sausage into medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off any drippings. Spread sausage over croutons.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended. Stir in soup, spinach, mushrooms, cheeses and mustard. Pour egg mixture over sausage and croutons. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve hot.

Hot and Spicy!

I've had this recipe printed out for a while, just waiting for the perfect time to make it. I wish I had made it sooner. It will definitely be in our rotation for dinners. It could not have been quicker to make too. You can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs as well as either broil the chicken or grill it. We had the time to start the grill on the night we made this, and it turned out wonderful and very moist. Next time I will probably half the spices since we only grilled 3 pieces of chicken, but the spices weren't overpowering since the honey balances it out.

Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken (Cooking Light)

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Our Beach Trip...

For the past 2 years, we've been taking our annual family vacation to a new beach. Since we all love cooking and on vacation have the time, we each take a day to do all the cooking. This year we made breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and a special cocktail to enjoy with appetizers. The 12 recipes are just a sampling of what we enjoyed while in the Outer Banks this summer. Most of them Ben and I made for our days, but I added a few we really enjoyed or that we make often ourselves. ENJOY!

Mahi Mahi with Fresh Mango Salsa

This is a great dish for a hot summer evening. Any white fish such as Mahi-Mahi, Halibut or Tilapia work well. You can serve the leftover salsa with tortilla chips for snack or make it on its own. Also, if Mango's are out of season peaches are a good subsitute.

Mahi-Mahi with Fresh Mango Salsa (Cooking Light)

2 cups plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups diced peeled ripe mango

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 (6-ounce) mahi mahi fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

PreparationPrepare grill.

Combine first 7 ingredients. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic.
Rub halibut with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place fish on grill rack; grill 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with mango salsa.

Banana Split CAKE!

My dad made this cake for his dessert at the beach. It's delicious and even better the following day. If you love banana splits, you'll love this dessert...the best thing is it doesn't melt as quick. Make sure to serve with with lots of cherries on top.




Banana Split Cake (Paula Deen)

4 cups crushed graham crackers
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 eggs
16-ounce box powdered sugar
20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 to 3 bananas, sliced 1
2-ounce container whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust, mix crushed graham crackers and 1 stick of butter. Line bottom and sides of a 13 by 9-inch pan with mixture. Bake crust for 5 to 8 minutes.

Beat the eggs, 2 sticks butter, and the powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread mixture on cooled crust. Add layer of crushed pineapple and layer of sliced bananas. Cover with whipped topping and sprinkle with nuts or graham crackers. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

A taste of summer.

Key Lime Pie (Cooking Light)

2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup Key lime juice (such as Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice)
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (6-ounce) reduced-fat graham cracker crust
1 1/2 cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat eggs and egg whites at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Gradually add juice, rind, and milk to egg mixture, beating until well-blended. Spoon mixture into crust, and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until almost set (the center will not be firm but will set up as it chills). Cool pie on a wire rack. Cover loosely, and chill 4 hours. Spread whipped topping evenly over filling.

Twice As Nice!

This dish is known as "The Meal" in my family. We have this whenever we left for camp, school, celebrated a birthday and have always had this on Christmas Eve. The side dishes may vary each time, but the steak and peppers are always a must. It's safe to say it's a family recipe!

Grilled Pepper Steak with Bell Pepper Salsa (Cooking Light)

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large shallots, peeled and minced lengthwise
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about 8 ounces)
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped(about 8 ounces)
Cooking spray
4 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks (about 1 inch thick)
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Place marinated vegetables and sauce in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until vegetabales are soft and marinade has reduced.

Place a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Press 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper onto 1 side of each steak. Wipe pan clean with paper towels; recoat with cooking spray. Place pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add steaks, peppered sides down; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with bell pepper salsa and thyme sprigs if desired.

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes.