Breakfast Casserole

David and I ate a breakfast casserole at a ward function a while back and talked for days about how delicious it was. Unfortunately, we didn't know who made it and considering the fact that there were approximately 20 potato/egg casseroles there, we didn't think that it would be the easiest route to ask for the recipe on the ward facebook page.  So we started scouring the internet for a recipe that looked similar and we found this one. Potatoes, eggs, sausage, cheese. Mmmm. We'll definitely make it again. 

Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Source: Adapted from The Best Blog Recipes

Ingredients:
1 lb sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 20-oz bag of frozen potato cubes, thawed
5 eggs
½ cup milk
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

⅓ cup sour cream

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375° degrees.
Place frozen potato cubes in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a large skillet heat the butter, then add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add to bowl of potatoes.
Place sausage in the hot skillet and cook until it's browned. Add sausage to your bowl of potatoes.

In a small mixing bowl combine salt, black pepper, eggs, and milk. Pour egg mixture into bowl of potatoes. Add sour cream and stir well.

Top your casserole with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.

Place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish and bake for about 20 minutes with the top covered with foil. Remove foil and continue to bake for about 15-20 minutes and check to see if your eggs are set in the middle of the casserole. Cook until eggs are set and casserole is completely cooked through. 

Italian Parmesan Oven Potatoes

These yummy potatoes are a little bit crispy with super soft insides and a simple (but yummy) flavor that pairs well with a variety of dishes. Meatloaf, pork roast, BBQ chicken, etc... The panko bread crumbs add just a tiny bit of an extra crunch.

Italian Parmesan Oven Potatoes
Source: Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Ingredients:
4-6 russet potatoes
¼ cup olive oil, divided 

1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8x10-inch casserole dish with Pam/oil. Peel and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise then lay each half flat and slice into ½-inch wide semi-circles. Place in pot of boiling water for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from water and let cool 2-3 minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine the italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, panko crumbs and half the Parmesan.

Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add seasoning/bread crumb mixtures and toss well. Pour into the casserole dish cover with any mixture left in the bowl. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the top and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil.

Bake 45-55 minutes. 

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops

I like pork chops, even if they aren't as inexpensive as they once were. They are still a good change up from our regular chicken and I like to find different ways to prepare them. I made these for dinner and they were absolutely a success. I liked them, they were pretty easy and they went great with our potatoes and corn on the cob. (But really, what doesn't go great with corn on the cob? Yum!) 

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops
Source:  Janet's Appalachian Kitchen

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
1 T. olive oil
1 C. parmesan cheese
1 C. Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
On a plate combine the last 4 ingredients. Rub the pork chops with olive oil and then dip (coat) each one in the cheese mixture. Press the mixture over the pork chops to make sure they are well covered in it. Line a pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the pork chops on the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Naan - Indian Flatbread

I've had Naan before and it was delicious. I decided to try my hand at making it at home and I was surprised at how easy it was! It wasn't as bubbly as I had hoped it would be, but it was still light and fluffy and super yummy. I served it with this Indian Chicken Curry. Yum!

Naan - Indian Flatbread

Source: AllRecipes, by Mic

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons 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
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
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. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
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.

Note: I added 1/2 tsp baking soda because my yeast didn't seem to activate correctly. I also opted not to use a grill, but just used a grill pan on my stovetop instead. 

Indian Chicken Curry

This summer our local library is holding a Summer Reading Program for both kids and adults. It's been fun to branch out a bit to read some different books and do some different activities. One of the items to check off is "Check out a Cookbook and try a new recipe". I was excited, and ended up with "The Convenience Cook" (I will say that flipping through cookbooks is not the easiest thing of the world when trying to handle a baby and 3-year-old). It was interesting to read through the authors comments about her recipes. I ended up choosing to try the Chicken Curry and I'm glad that I did! I had an awesome experience at an Indian restaurant back in my college days and I've wanted to try to replicate that, but none of the curry recipes I've come across have really done it for me. This one was SO simple, came together really quick, and was delicious! I like feeling like I'm introducing different flavors to my kids, and I think that this is something that is a nice change in our normal flavor profile while still being yummy, affordable, and easy. 

Indian Chicken Curry
Source: The Convenience Cook, page 109, slightly adapted. I would definitely recommend getting this cookbook - there are a lot of good recipes and great cooking tips.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tsp curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups cubed, chicken
S&P

Hot white rice
Naan, Indian Flatbread

Directions:
In a skillet, heat 1tbsp oil over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, dump onto plate and set aside. Heat remaining oil in skilled, then add onion and cook until softened. Add flour and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add chicken. cover and simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve over hot rice and with warm Indian bread. Naan recipe HERE.