The Perfect Breakfast

Each year I make Christmas Eve morning breakfast for my family with a form of cinnamon rolls, some type of egg and fruit.  Last year's biscuit cinnamon rolls didn't quite do the trick for me and I wanted something a little more authentic but without all the work of the yeast.  Enter no yeast cinnamon rolls - PERFECT! I tried out a new crockpot breakfast casserole for tailgates that we quickly became obsessed with and with the days leading up to Christmas it was the perfect touch.  Lastly, I wanted to try something I saw on Pinterest with my two favorite fruits - strawberries and bananas (and who doesn't want a marshmallow as part of their breakfast?!)

The casserole we've used a few times but I'm continuously trying to think of another special occasion for the cinnamon rolls - they are to die for.  I'm thinking maybe one of the spring holidays and definitely some tailgates next season.

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls:
Makes about 12 rolls.  Can very easily be doubled, tripled, etc.  I'm telling you they tasted just as good as the real thing - maybe even better.  Plus I made mine the night before and held them in the fridge which worked perfectly.

Ingredients {for the dough}:
+ 2 1/2 cups flour
+ 1/4 cup sugar
+ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
+ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
+ 1/2 teaspoon salt
+ 1 cup buttermilk
+ 5 tablespoons butter

Ingredients {for the filling}:
+ 3/4 cup brown sugar
+ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
+ 1 tablespoon cinnamon
+ 1/2 teaspoon salt
+ 2 tablespoons melted butter

Ingredients {for the glaze}:
+ 3 ounces cream cheese
+ 4 tablespoons buttermilk
+ 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
+ Using the filling ingredients, combine all in a bowl and set to the side.

+ Using the dough ingredients, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda in salt in another bowl.  Whisk melted butter and buttermilk together in a smaller bowl then pour into dry mixture. Stir together until dough comes together.  Kneed with your hands into a ball - you might need to add in extra flour pending the texture - use your judgement.  Break the mixture into two halves.

+ Flour the counter surface and roll one half out.  Sprinkle half of the filling mix evenly throughout the dough then roll it up from end to end.  Trim off the ends and cut into even slices before repeating with the other half.

+ Place rolls in a non-stick sprayed 8x8 baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until golden brown - keep an eye on them).

+ While the rolls are in the oven (again for me this was the next day) mix the cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth then whisk in the buttermilk one teaspoon at a time.  Drizzle generously over the cinnamon rolls - it's the best part!

Overnight Breakfast Casserole:
Typically I like making this with turkey sausage but for Christmas Eve I gave it a try with ham since we do a sausage casserole on Christmas day and it worked just find.  You could even try out bacon or pork roll pieces if you'd like.  Another plus is that when you wake up - the house is smelling delicious.  The only downside is since it's overnight, I usually try to stay up until about midnight the night before - see below for tips to keep it going.

Ingredients:
+ 12-14 eggs (12 is simple since it's a full pack but if I have extra lying around then I tend to like to put one or two more in)
+ 1 bag frozen hash browns (depending on the amount of people I don't always quite use the full bag)
+ 16 ounces of breakfast meat - turkey sausage or ham or other
+ 16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
+ 1 cup milk
+ salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
+ Brown the sausage (or have your assistant do it for you - this is always Derek's job).

+ Pour the hash browns, sausage and cheese into the crockpot and mix together.

+ Whisk your eggs, salt, pepper and milk together in a mixing bowl and pour over the crockpot mixture.

+ Cook overnight for about 8 hours - if you need a little extra time set it to keep warm in the morning and you can get away with keeping it cooking for an extra hour or two.  The edges can tend to get a little bit brown (which can make it extra tasty) so as long as you're okay with that - keep it on going!

Santa Hat Strawberries:
This is the only one that would be Christmas only - the other items would be great for another holiday or tailgate or gathering.  These are super easy and add a festive touch to any Christmas season meal.

Ingredients:
+ Strawberries
+ Bananas
+ Mini Marshmallows
+ Toothpicks

Directions:
+ Cut the bananas into even slices.

+ Cut the end off the strawberry back and pierce it onto the toothpick then grab one of the banana slices onto the bottom.  Top with a marshmallow.



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Tailgate Treats: Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

As I said yesterday, now that we're in the middle of football season, I'm going to be sharing the recipes and details for all our regular tailgate treats that we like to do each season as well as some new ones that I've tried out recently.  For starters, we'll go with the new ones.  Everything we do is easy because on game day it's more about getting down to the game quickly to enjoy the time there so most of our items are things we can make or buy the day before and usually cold so they can keep in the cooler.  We do have some "hot" bags and like to do a hot main course especially for those games later in the season when it's cooler out.

This year was the first time we tried some hot apps and they tired out well.  Well enough that we've had them the past two weeks and haven't gotten sick of them yet.  The only tough part about them is plotting enough time to get them cooked and ready right before leaving for the stadium.

First up, we've got pepperoni pizza rolls and they are delicious.

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls:

Ingredients:

1 package crescent rolls 

pepperoni slices

mozzarella string cheese

garlic powder

marinara sauce for dipping

Directions:

+ unroll the package of crescent rolls and break apart on the divided lines 

(see notes below - if your doing a regular batch you'll have 8 rollups - if your cutting the crescent rolls in half to make more then you'll have 16)

+ Place three pepperonis on the crescent roll 

(if cutting crescent rolls in half to make more then you'll only need 1-2)

+ On top of the pepperoni goes the string cheese

(1/2 piece of string cheese for regular size, 1/3 piece for smaller size)

+ Roll the rollup together and sprinkle garlic on top 

(don't skip the garlic!)

+ bake at 375 for 12 minutes

+ serve with marinara for dipping and a game day too pick is optional 

(how I make mine, coming soon)

Notes:

+ The pepperoni slices and string cheeses lasted me to make one batch of these two weeks in a row and I still had plenty of pepperonis in the pack and a few string cheeses left

+ The first week I made the rolls full size and the second week I cut the crescent rolls in half to make more since we had a bigger group.  Both were equally delicious and I'd switch the size purely on the size of the group being served

+ The cheese will pour out the sides of the rollup.  Once they cool for a minute just take a knife, cut of the extra cheese and they'll look much prettier.

+ These still taste absolutely delicious when they aren't piping hot aka once they get down to the tailgate as well.

Linking up with my favorite food linkups - 

Delicious Dish Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Recipe Swap

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Recipe Roundup: Summer Edition {2}

I'm back today with the rest of the simple recipes that we've tried out since summer started including not one but two types of potato salad (remember - we never made it "homemade" until this summer) another crockpot entree with crock put hamburgers  and my very first pie - key lime!

Last week I shared the other recipes we've tried out including caprese garlic bread, cucumber appetizer bites and crockpot chicken caesar sandwiches.  If you missed those, you can find them here.

I was too busy eating/enjoying these recipes to take very many (or very good, for that matter) photos but I do have a few…

Sriracha Potato Salad
This was another contribution of mine to the Father's Day menu and out of the two potato salads - this one was definitely a bigger hit (the other one was still very tasty).  With sriracha seeming to be all the rage right now, it seemed perfect to try.  This was one of my finds on my summer eats list and I'm so glad we got it in.

Ingredients: 

3 pounds red potatoes

bacon bits

2.5 teaspoons white vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1.5 teaspoon sriracha (could easily add more)

paprika to taste

+ cook potato chunks to your liking then once done/drained add salt, pepper and vinegar

+ allow potatoes a decent amount of time to cool down slightly

+ combine mayo, sour cream and sriracha then blend that mixture in

+ top with bacon

Loaded Potato Salad 
Another twist of the plain ole regular (but perfectly delicious) potato salad - this time adding in some delicious favorites - cheese and bacon.  The photo below was before the bacon was added on and before it was really mixed together.  We enjoyed this as a special treat for Fourth of July instead of a plain batch.

Ingredients:

five pound bag regular potatoes 

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

bacon bits

1 small onion

cheddar cheese - shredded

salt and pepper to taste 

+ cook potato chunks to your liking then once done/drained add salt, pepper and vinegar

+ allow potatoes a decent amount of time to cool down slightly

+ mix mayo/sour cream together and blend in then blend in the onion, cheese and bacon

*I didn't quite use the whole bag and if it's for a group of four or less than I'd definitely cut the recipe in half*

Crockpot Hamburgers
This is one of our new favorite "summer" entrees.  I was starting to get a little tired of how much meat came on the burgers we would cook on the grill.  We tried out turkey burgers and LOVED them but found this alternative and decided to give it a go.  It's a great way to enjoy the burger but enjoy less meat.  It's also tasty having the cheese mixed right in with the beef.

Ingredients:

two pounds ground beef

8 oz. velveeta

onion/garlic powders

burger buns and toppings

+ brown ground beef and cut velveeta into cubs then combine in the crockpot with your desired amount of onion/garlic powders

+ heat on low for 1-2 hours or until you think ready for serving (depending on your timing - you could rush these to get them done earlier with some extra stirring/mixing

+ serve with buns and toppings like usually and enjoy.

Key Lime Pie
For Father's Day I really wanted to make Steve a key lime pie because it's his favorite dessert.  With it being my first pie (ever) I wanted to try out something simple… Just in case.  I found a recipe for a four ingredient pie and I was sold!  Everyone was shocked to hear there were only four ingredients involved because it tasted so good.

Ingredients:

premade graham cracker pie crust

two 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup lime juice

whipped cream for garnish

*optional: 1 table spoon grated lime zest

+ mix condensed milk, lime juice and sour cream and whisk thoroughly until blended

+ pour mixture into the graham cracker crust

+ bake at 350 degrees for 5-15 minutes but don't over bake

+ chill for at least two hours before serving, top with whipped cream

*the original recipe called to heat the pie for 5-8 minutes or until tiny pinhole bubbles start appearing on the top layer but mine took about 15 minutes to bake to explain the wide window of baking time above*

Linking up with my favorite food linkups - 

Delicious Dish Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Recipe Swap



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Recipe Roundup: Summer Edition

We've had some fun trying out some simple summer recipes so far since the weather has been warmer and I thought it was about time I get to sharing some.  We tried Caprese Garlic Bread and Chicken Caesar Sandwiches (both of which  I shared on my Summer Eats list) as well as a refreshing cucumber  bites appetizer.  Like everything I make - all very simple!

Before we jump in, I'm also sharing my favorite summer happy hour accessories and guest posting over on Amanda's blog so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Caprese Garlic Bread

One word - d e l i c i o u s. This was one of the recipes I was most excited to try and it did not disappoint.  I contributed this appetizer/side for Father's Day and I think every person went back for seconds. 

Ingredients:

1 loaf gourmet bread

4 tablespoons salted butter

garlic powder

fresh mozzarella slices

balsamic dressing

2 medium tomatoes

basil

salt and pepper to taste

+combine butter and garlic in a mixing bowl and spread evenly on bread halves

+ place the mozzarella on top and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees

+ immediately after taking out of oven top with tomato slices and basil as well as salt and pepper to taste

+ drizzle balsamic on the top and enjoy!

Cucumber Bites Appetizer

This is the perfect appetizer for a hot day and completely refreshing.  We've made it twice already and it's very quick to prepare.



Ingredients

1-2 cucumbers

cherry tomatoes

cream cheese

+ slice the cucumbers into bite size pieces and cut the tomatoes into halves

+ place the cream chese mixture onto the cucumber slice then top with a tomato

+ serve in the refrigerator until serving

*one cucumber usually makes about 15 bites

*you can either use a regular block of light cream cheese and blend it with ranch dressing powder OR get a premixed cream cheese like chive/onion.  We've done it both ways and both are equally as delicious.

Crockpot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
We had this for dinner one night a few weeks ago and I loved it because I could use my crockpot - it's hard to find summer recipes like that.  The recipe is for sandwiches but we wanted to eliminate the bread and just served the chicken mixture on large pieces of lettuce.

Ingredients

boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used two but you can use up to two pounds)

1/2 to 1 cup Caesar dressing

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon pepper

lettuce, buns

+ put the chicken in the slow cooker with 1-2 cups water and cook on low for 6-8 hours

+ remove chicken, drain and shread then place back in the crockpot with dressing, cheese and pepper and cook for another 30 minutes before serving

+ serve on buns with lettuce and extra parmesan cheese/dressing on top

*Like I said, we opted to leave out the bread so Derek ate his kind of like a taco using the lettuce as the wrap and I ate mine on top of the lettuce just cutting it all up.

I'll be back next week with the remaining items we've tried this summer including two types of potato salad, another summer crockpot meal and the first pie I've ever made…

Linking up with my favorite food linkups - 

Delicious Dish Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Recipe Swap



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Summer Treats Must Make List

Recently I shared my summer eats must make list and today I'm sharing something even sweeter - my summer treats must make list.  In my quest of trying new recipes, I'm highlighting dessert and cocktail/beverage recipes that I'm hoping to try this summer.  On the summer theme, you can click here for my summer bucket list and here for my summer staples.   I've already gotten the chance to try out a couple things from the eats list (which I can't wait to share soon) so I'm hoping to get to try out a few of these summer treats soon as well.

If you missed part one, it highlighted summer appetizers, entrees and sides - which had me craving a BBQ asap just to test some of them out.

Desserts 
I feel like summer meals need a nice small dessert afterwards and that my sweet tooth is more active than ever.  Who can say no to ice cream on a hot day??

Strawberry shortcake {via}
Smores bars {via}
Summer sand pudding {via}
Homemade ice cream {via}

Cocktails & Beverages
Best for last or what?! In the cooler months it's either a glass of wine, martini or beer in my hand.  In the warmer months, there are just too many fun cheerful drinks to try.

Strawberry & lime moscato punch {via}
Watermelon lemonade {via}
Malibu summer rose cocktail {via}
Beach house cosmos {via}

What summer treats are your favorite??

You can also find me guest posting over at Colors of Life  sharing one of my favorite things… hosting.  Be sure to stop over and pay Molly a visit!

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Summer Eats Must Make List

Two weeks ago I shared my summer bucket list, last week I shared my summer staples and today I'm continuing with the summer theme and sharing my summer eats and drinks lust list.  This is the first summer Derek and I are spending settled in our house {last year we were living with my parents, trying to set this place up and up} and throughout this first year of marriage, I've loved learning new recipes and trying to learn how to cook.  We're all trying to eat light in the summer to beat the heat and perfect those beach bodies but there are also some delicious eats to go along with this season! I don't know that we'll get around to all of these this summer, but I'd like to at least try as many as we can.  If you follow me on Pinterest then you've probably already seen a lot of these on my boards.

Appetizers
We could do appetizers for dinner every. single. night.  In fact every once in a while we do.  We always have too many appetizers and spoil our appetites so we've learned our lesson and on occasion just do these for dinner if it's just the two of us.  If we're having a big group over or going to a get together with a big group then the more the merrier!

Caprese garlic bread {via}

Greek salad on a stick {via}

Fruit salsa {via}
Deviled egg spread {via}

Entrees
We have our grilling favorites - marinating chicken in an assortment of flavors, burgers/turkery burgers, pork chops with the usual summer light sides and for the most part that's what we're making if we're eating at home - it's easy, we know what we like, it's usually pretty quick and we spend more time enjoying the summer night than working on the meal.  It's still fun to try out some new things every once in a while.  I'm also not opposed to using my crockpot in the summer because - easiest meals ever and I'm happy to have at least one recipe to try.

Homemade flatbread pizzas {via} or pizza on the grill 

Sausage, green beans & potatoes on the grill {via}

Stuffed peppers {via}
Slow cooker chicken caesar sandwiches {via}

Sides
Again, let's go back to the fact that this is for the most part my first summer cooking our actual dinners {last summer and all those before, we left that job up to Mom} so these might seem simple but perfecting a great potato salad recipe is a lust list item because I've never done it even though it may be simple.  I could try endless variations of different types of pasta salad/potato salad/side salad/etc.  and I'd keep searching - they are the ultimate summer sides in our house.

Grilled potato salad {via}
Mexican grilled corn {via}
Strawberry caprese pasta salad {via}
Sriracha potato salad {via}

Check back soon for my summer treats list…

What summer recipes are on your must make list???

Linking up today for recipe swap & tasty tuesdays

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