bacon 'n' egg breakfast empanadas (with pic)

We LOVE this recipe! When I'm not working on Saturday morning, I'll make these for us. They're actually pretty simple, and OH SO YUMMY! Enjoy!

from "Southern Living at Home" Busy Moms Weeknight Favorites cookbook

1/2 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 t. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/4 t. pepper

1 T. butter
5 large eggs, beaten

1 (17.3 oz.) can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits
8 fully cooked bacon slices, reheated and crumbled
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 t. sesame seeds, opt.

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl until blended.

2. Melt butter in a 9" skillet over medium heat; add eggs, and cook without stirring, until eggs begin to set on bottom. Draw spatula across bottom of skillet to form large curds. Continue cooking until eggs are slightly thickened but still moist. (Do not sir constantly.) Remove from heat, and let cool.

3. Flatten biscuits into 5" circles. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough circles, leaving 1/2" border around edge./ Top evenly with scrambled eggs and bacon. Fold circles in half over mixture, pinching edges to seal, and place 2" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet; press sealed edges with times of a fork. Brush tops evenly with egg white. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

4. Bake at 375* for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

**Note: Instead of having a big bacon mess by cooking the bacon in a frying pan, I lay my bacon like this. I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up). Then, I put a cooling rack on the cookie sheet (that has 4 raised edges) and I lay the bacon strips on the rack. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. Cool on a plate with paper towels. This is SO much easier. Your house will still smell like bacon (until you do the dishes) but you won't have spatters all over your stove top.

a fruitful endeavor

It all started with-

50 pears

1 bad spot

4 phone calls to Mom

3 pots + 1 big bowl

1 minute + 20 seconds to peel and cut 1 pear, approx.

8-10 t. Fruit Fresh

1 early nap

5 batches of syrup:
>26 1/4 c. water
11 1/4 c. sugar

1 late nap

3 late lunches

14 quarts of PEAR goodness to last until next year...?

**click on the images below to see them LARGER**

Thank you Mom for instilling this LOVE for home-canned pears in me.

The ones you buy at the store come no where CLOSE to your's.

(If i wanted my pear to crunch like an apple, I'd buy an APPLE!)

Happy Birthday, Chels!

This is my latest creation, made especially for my "little" sister who is NOT so little anymore.

It's another one of my "squash" albums. Here's the link to get the how-to:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/squash_book/

**click on the pics below to see them LARGER.**

The zebra print is to match your purse, Chels. :)

I hope you enjoy as much as I did making it.

**Note: Mom and Lexie- your creative gifts have not been lost in the mail,

rather...patience is a virtue. :)

Why all the recipes?

Well, here's a few reasons:

• I LOVE good food
• I love sharing "tried and true" recipes
• I enjoy cooking, BAKING, and eating the fruits of my labors
• I want my blog to be well-rounded, like me :) from recipes, to cards and crafts, to family outings and home updates
• I actually had a minute to post the recipes
• I can't write as eloquently as I'd like to, so I'm sharing other things I CAN do

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was the 1st time I've made this recipe and it is a new FAVORITE! SO yummy!

1- 5.5oz box seasoned croutons, finely crushed
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
2 T. water
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6-12 cooked ham slices
6 Swiss cheese slices
honey mustard dressing, optional.

1. Preheat oven to 450*. Get your broiler pan ready. (I cover the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.). Spray the top broiler rack with Pam.

2. Combine the crouton crumbs, and Parmesan cheese in a large zip-lock plastic bag; seal and shake well. Whisk together egg whites and 2 T. water in a shallow bowl (I used a pie dish). Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Dip 1 chicken breast in egg white mixture; place in plastic bag. Seal and shake to coat. Place chicken on lightly greased rack in broiler pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining chicken, egg white mixture, and crouton mixture.

3. Bake at 450* for 20 minutes. Then, top each breast with 1 ham slice (I used 2 each b/c my ham was really thin lunchmeat variety), and 1 Swiss cheese slice. Bake 3-5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with honey mustard dressing, if desired.

lighter sesame chicken

from "Everyday Food" Magazine

I LOVE chinese food- I'd love to eat it about once a week, but that gets a bit spendy, so here's how I make it through AND get "my fix". It's really quick and easy too! Win WIN!

3/4 c. rice
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 2" chunks
2 egg whites
1/4 c. cornstarch
salt and pepper
3 T. honey
2 T. sesame seeds
2 T. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed, OR 1/4 t. garlic powder
2 T. vegetable/olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced- optional

1. Cook rice according to package directions. (I like my rice a little on the drier side, so I do a water to rice ratio about almost 1:1. For example, I use 1 c. water with 3/4 c. rice.)

2. Meanwhile, make sauce. In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to plate/bowl; repeat with remaining 1 T. oil and chicken. Return all chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.


Now, If only I could make my own egg rolls, I'd be PERFECTLY set...

better-than-basic muffins

from "Everyday Food" Magazine

This recipe is SO versatile and SO delicious I just had to "share it with the class"- meaning my 3 readers. :)

3/4 c. butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 c. whole milk
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
mix-ins, see variations below
2 T. sanding sugar, opt.

muffin mix-in variations:
*Corn muffins- in step 2, reduce flour to 1 c., and add 3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
*Bran-Raisin muffins- in step 2, reduce flour to 1 1/2 c., and add 1 c. bran and 1 t. ground cinnamon; replace butter with 3/4 c. vegetable oil. At the end of step 2, fold 3/4 c. raisins into batter.
**PERSONAL FAVORITE- Chocolate Chip muffins- at the end of step 2, fold 1 c. chocolate chips into batter.
*Blueberry muffins- at the end of step 2, fold in 1 1/2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen) into batter.
*Cherry Pecan muffins- at the end of step 2, fold 3/4 c. chopped pecans and 3/4 c. dried cherries into batter.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375*, with rack in lower third. Prepare standard 12-cup muffin pan. Set aside.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, milk and vanilla; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Gradually incorporate egg mixture and gently stir ingredients just until batter is moistened (do NOT overmix; a few lumps are fine). Add mix-ins, if desired.
Step 3: Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full; sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Loosen muffins, and tip them on their sides to cool in pan. Serve warm or room temperature (muffins are best the day they are made).

**Don't have whole milk on hand? Here's how you substitute it- 2 options-
1. Use 1/2 c. evaporated milk and 1/2 c. water = 1 c. whole milk.
2. Use 1 c. cold water, and stir in 1/3 c. dry nonfat milk powder.
**Note: the recipe ONLY calls for 1/2 c. milk. Put the other 1/2 c. milk in the fridge to eat with the muffin...?

Yes, my personal favorite variation is the CHOCOLATE CHIP muffins, of course. Do you know me at all? :) I'm an admitted chocoholic.
**Note: these chocolate chip muffins are more of a snack muffin, than a "eat for breakfast" muffin, unless you WANT a sugar rush. Keep the milk handy. ENJOY!