Green Chile and Pepper Jack Egg Bake

This is officially my new favorite egg dish!

I had big plans to make it last weekend but... I don't know, something happened and it just didn't work out.  You know how these things go.  Days went by and I finally remembered I had bought the cheeses specifically for this so I should probably get on with making it.

And that is how we came to have "breakfast for dinner".  In order to make the meal not so breakfast-y  though I did throw together a side of black beans (butter, onion, garlic, cilantro - easy) and that rounded out the meal nicely.

Here's the super simple and oh, so yummy recipe:

6 eggs, beaten
1/2c pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1c cottage cheese
1/4c all-purpose flour
1/4c green chiles, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pepper Jack cheese, cottage cheese, and flour.

3.  Fold in the green chiles.

4.  Pour everything into a prepared 8x8 baking dish.

5.  Bake 1 hour, or until eggs are set.  Serve warm.

P.S.  The leftovers were great the next day.  

I spooned some into flour tortillas and devoured them for lunch!

4th of July Flag Toast and Watermelon Stars

4th of July food has historically been all about lunch around here, with leftovers available for grazing throughout the remainder of the day.  This year, we switched things up a bit by going out for lunch and saving the big All-American feast for dinner.  But first, my daughter and I threw together this super cute and easy breakfast:

sliced bread

cream cheese

strawberries

blueberries

1.  Toast the bread and allow to cool a minute or two.

2.  Spread with cream cheese.

3.  Add blueberries and strawberries to represent stars and stripes.

                             

For the Watermelon Stars, a cookie cutter makes preparation quick and easy.  I use this one twice a year - Christmas and 4th of July!

                                       

                                       

Make-Ahead Muffins for Baby

I've been talking about making and freezing meals for our littlest one for quite some time and, since we're having a Snow Day here, I decided today would be the day I finally started on that project and I'm so glad I did it. 

These muffins are perfect for little hands, packed with flavor, and fill the house with a wonderful aroma while they're baking!  For the baby food puree called for, I used a pouch of bananas, peaches, and mangoes.  I think I'll try blueberries and quinoa next time, or maybe pumpkin...or squash...this recipe is so easy to adjust to what's on hand:

1/2c butter, softened

1/2c brown sugar

2 large bananas, mashed

4oz. baby food puree

1/4c carrots, shredded

2 eggs, beaten

1c all-purpose flour

1/2c rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.

 

3.  Add the mashed bananas, baby food puree, carrots, and eggs. Continue mixing to blend.

 

4.  Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined.

 

5.  Spoon the batter equally into 36 prepared mini muffin cups.

 

6.  Bake approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and serve. 

 

Freeze the leftovers!

Chicken and Waffles

My kids had never heard of chicken and waffles together before so, when I told them this was what we were having for dinner, they looked a little concerned.  My husband had a different reaction.  He will try anything I make and seemed intrigued, as was I, by the flavor combination.

I wasn't sure if I should serve something on the side or if the chicken and waffles were sufficient.  So I did some searching online and this is what I found out:

Chicken and waffles can be served breakfast style with bacon or grits but you can also serve it more like a dinner with greens.  I decided to serve it for dinner with maple syrup poured over the top and bacon on the side and that turned out to be a good choice for us because everyone cleaned their plates!

I used Emeril's recipe for the chicken, using boneless breasts and adding extra spices. Then, I cheated a little by using a waffle mix (we like Krusteaz). Poured the maple syrup over the top just before serving and the combination of sweet and spicy was amazing!