Bacon and Cheese Quiche

A few days ago, I was feeling like I was in a dinner rut. I made the same few things or we would go out to eat. I asked Brian what I should make for dinners before I went grocery shopping and he gave me the same few dishes that I generally make. He couldn't really think of anything else.

So, I went searching for new ideas, and I stumbled upon Bacon and Cheese Quiche. This is probably not the most healthy of recipes, but it was definitely delicious and even Carlee gobbled it up.

Here is what you need:

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 tbsp butter
12 bacon slices crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 tsp salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the pie crust into a pie plate. Spread the butter on the crust (I put my butter in the microwave on defrost for about a minute to make it more pliable). Sprinkle the bacon crumbles and cheese into the pie plate. Beat the eggs, cream and salt and pour into the pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees and then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to bake for 40 more minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and eat.

Cooking bacon isn't something I'm really good at. I got out a pan and started pan frying half the package and it was taking forever. While the first 6 pieces were slowly cooking, I decided to microwave the rest. It was so darn easy and those pieces crumbled a million times better. I put the bacon slices in between two paper towels on a microwave safe plate and microwaved for 5 minutes. So easy! To crumble the bacon, I put it in a Ziploc bag and just crunched it. I thought about letting Carlee do it for me, but she would have tried to eat the bag...

Oh and cooling for 10 minutes is so very important. The eggs and cream need that time to set. I was hungry and impatient, so I cut right into it and it was very runny. A few minutes later, it was more solid.

Enjoy! :)

Cookie-Brownie-Butterfinger Bars

So, we all know that cookies are delicious. Brownies are heavenly. And who doesn't like a Butterfinger? So, what happens when you combine the three? You get an AMAZING dessert.

Call me a glutton for punishment, but I make everything (except the Butterfinger) from scratch.

Go here for the cookie recipe.

For the brownies, here is what you need: (or you can use a mix)

1 stick butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

Melt butter and chocolate together. Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and sugar and stir. Add eggs and stir. Add flour and stir.

If you are making the brownies on their own, spray an 8x8 pan and bake them at 350* for about 20 to 25 minutes.

For the Cookie-Brownie-Butterfinger Bars, preheat the oven to 350*. Spray a bars pan with cooking spray. Press a ball of cookie dough into the bottom of each bar on the pan. Place a fun size Butterfinger (unwrapped of course) on top. Top with brownie batter to cover the candy bar. Bake for 23 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.

These suckers are tricky to get out of the pan. I don't know how to get them out easier. I usually end up using a butter knife to loosen the bars from the pan. Then I tip the pan upside down and shake them loose.

Let the bars cool completely before eating. The Butterfinger becomes *very* hard when it is hot. It could be detrimental to dental work if this warning is not heeded. Once they are cool, enjoy! These are kind of a pain to make, but so incredibly worth it.

If you wanted to take major short cuts, you could use ready made cookie dough and buy a box of brownie mix. I also bought a second bars pan so I can now make them faster. Waiting for one batch to cool before being able to get the next one started makes this drag out for quite a while.

The Best Cookie Recipe Ever!!!

For years, I have struggled to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. For a long time, I resigned to purchasing tubs of Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough and just scooping and baking. While that is incredibly easy and results in a near perfect cookie, the recipe I found is so much better in my opinion.

Here is the scoop!

2 sticks of softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream together the butter and sugars. I never plan ahead long enough, so I usually pop the butter in the microwave on defrost for about a minute. Mix in the eggs one at a time. I mix it just long enough so the egg disappears into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and mix in. Mix in salt. Add 3 cups of flour. Dump in a bag of chocolate chips. Spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 11 minutes.

When they come out of the oven, they might seem a little underdone, but they aren't. Let them cool for a few minutes and they will set. Depending on how much cookie dough I eat while I'm baking, I can usually squeak out a little over 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

PS - This cookie dough works great in my cookie-brownie-Butterfinger bars. :)

thru-the-night-oatmeal

i have seen [way too] many recipes

for overnight refrigerator oatmeal

flying around Pinterest lately.

i had to know if any of them worked,

or were tasty.

i found one that looked simple.

we changed it because we're picky.

i enlisted my hubby's help.

and we hit a gold mine!

ingredients:

1/4 c. old fashioned oats

1/3 c. plain almond milk

1/4 c. plain greek yogurt

1 t. chia seeds

1 T. maple syrup

1/4 c. diced strawberries

put all the ingredients in a small jar.

twist on the lid & shake.

let it sit through the night in your fridge.

then crack the lid the next day and d-e-v-o-u-r.

 

there are 1,001 variations and flavors.

we'll try more and post them if they're fabulous!

super moist wheat zucchini bread

Time to put the summer garden's harvest to good use!!

super moist wheat zucchini bread
2 c. sugar
1 c. applesauce
3 eggs, beaten
2 medium zucchini (or one large!), grated, unpeeled, pressed in paper towel
3 tsp. vanilla
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder

mix sugar, applesauce, eggs, zucchini, and vanilla in a big bowl.
sift together in another bowl, flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder.
add the dry ingredients into the first bowl, stirring well.
pour in greased loaf pans. bake it at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.
allow to cool & slice.
(makes 2 full size loaves.)

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 medium onion, diced 1 red pepper, diced 1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. cumin 2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce 2/3 cups red enchilada sauce 2 cups shredded cheese 1 cup sour cream (I used fat free, still yummy!) Penne pasta Optional toppings Avocado Green Onions Black Olives Tomatoes Sour Cream Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil! Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle. Gross. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through. Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

Pink Lemonade Cake

1 cup unsalted butter 4 eggs 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups sugar red food coloring 1 1/3 cups milk 1/4 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed 1 tsp pure lemon extract 1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 minutes. In medium bowl stip together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 2. Preheat oven to 350. In extra large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugan, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat 2 minutes more. Add 1/8 tsp of red foor coloring;beat to combine. Add eggs at a time, beating well after each addition. 3. In bowl stir together milk, lemonade concentrate, and extract (mixture will look curdled). Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to better mixture, beating on low after each waddition just until combined. Remove half (4 cups) of tinted batter; spread in one pan. In remaining batter in bowl stir in 1/4 tsp red food coloring. Spread in second pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Ok this recipe was supposed to be for a four layer cake, if you go that route you would just cut each cake in half and alternate one light layer one dark layer with the frosting between them. I just took the easy way out and made cup cakes, so I put in the full 1/4 tsp of food coloring in the first time and then only baked them for 20 minutes, makes 24 cupcakes. Here is the frosting recipe, if you make cupcakes you will only need about half of the frosting. Lemonade Buttercream 3 cups unsalted butter 2 16 oz jars marshmallow creme 1/4 cup frozed lemonade concentrate, thawed 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tsp pure lemon extract In very large bowl beat butter with mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add marshmallow creme and lemonade concentrate. Beat until smooth, scraping bpwl sides. Add powdered sugar and extract;beat until light and fluffy (if frosting is stiff, soften in mmicrowave for no more then 10 seconds, then beat till smooth).