Hash Brown Casserole with Bacon, Onions, and Cheese

6 bacon slices
1 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32 oz) pkg frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
1 c. preshredded Classic Melts Four Cheese Blend, divided
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. fat-free sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed 30% reduced sodium, 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup

Cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until crisp (I cooked mine in the microwave). Discard drippings. Add 1 c. onion and garlic to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 c. cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11x7-inch baking pan (I used a 9x13-inch) coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake casserole cover for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges and cheese begins to brown.

This is a Cooking Light recipe.

My aunt made this for our Christmas Eve brunch and I thought it was amazing! I made it for a breakfast at work today and people loved it. It's so flavorful and has that wonderful comfort food feeling to it. I meant to take a picture before I took it to work, but in my rush I forgot.

Banana-Carrot Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 eggs, separated

1 Tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. grated orange peel

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a smaller bowl, beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Beat in honey and orange peel. Fold in bananas, carrots, and applesauce. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. In another small bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter a third at a time.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray (if using muffin cups, spray them). Fill 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cook 5 minutes before removing from pan onto a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.

*I have no idea where this recipe came from . I cut it out of a magazine a long time ago and can find no information on the clipping regarding where it came from.

These muffins are healthy, moist, and absolutely delicious! I was actually surprised at how much I like them. I had some shredded carrots in my freezer (shredded from left over whole carrots...I LOVE MY CUISINART!) that I wanted to find a use for. I am not disappointed! I'm actually glad I still have more shredded carrots in my freezer so I can make these again very soon.

Nutrition: I have to comment about the nutritional value of these muffins. Yes, there is 3/4 cup of sugar and a bit of honey in them, but with 2 bananas, a cup of carrots, and 1/2 cup of applesauce, combined with the fact there isn't any oil or butter in them, makes them a very low-fat and rather nutritious snack/breakfast. I did substitute 1/2 of whole wheat flour for 1/2 of the all-purpose flour when I made mine. I like to use whole wheat flour whenever I can.

Overnight Coffee Cake

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. shortening

2 large eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. butter flavor

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1 Tbsp. hard butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix first 5 ingredients together. In a seperate bowl, cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs, buttermilk, and flavorings to creamed mixture. Stir flour and creamed mixture together. Pour into 9x13 inch greased pan.

Combine ingredients for the topping (except butter and nuts). Sprinkle on top of batter. Place chopped butter ontop of batter, spacing out evenly. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cover and refridgerate overnight. In the morning, uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serves 12

*This is a recipe my mom has made since I was a kid. It's always a favorite at family brunches. As you can probably tell by the ingredients, it is NOT a low-fat recipe!

Whole Grain Pancakes

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. quick oats

1/4 c. cornmeal

3 Tbsp. flaxseed meal

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1 egg, beaten

2 c. buttermilk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/8 t. salt

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, oats, cornmeal, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour in buttermilk and egg. Stir just until smooth.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray (not necessary if you use a non-stick surface). Pour batter onto skillet (how much depends on how large you want your pancakes to be). Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

This is a recipe I found online on www.allrecipes.com .

*I love hearty, nutty breads and baked goods. These pancakes were delicious with peanut butter and a little syrup.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

2 Tbsp cold butter

3 Tbsp milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 c. pumpkin puree

1/2 c. mini-chocolate chips

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp water

In large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cold butter. Stir in milk, pumpkin, and chocolate chips.

Turn onto a well-floured surface. Roll into an 8 inch circle. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and water. Brush over dough. Cut into 8 wedges.

Transfer to a greased baking sheet (or a baking sheet covered in parchment paper). Bake at 400 degrees f0r 15-20 minutes (until cooked through and top is lightly browned).

*This is a recipe I made up with the help of a general scone recipe I found in a cookbook.

Oatmeal Waffles

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. quick oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, mix together eggs, milk, butter, and brown sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together. Follow directions on your waffle maker to cook the batter.

Modifications: To make these even healthier, I substitute 1/2 c. whole wheat flour for some of the regular flour. I also substitute half of the butter for unsweetened applesauce. I've added ground flaxseed to these in the past as well.

*My mom gave me this recipe. I'm not sure where she got it from. I love these waffles with peanut butter (but then again, that's how I eat most waffles, pancakes, and french toast). My son Brayden loves these waffles with some strawberry preserves on them. I make a big batch and freeze them. They toast up nice for a quick, healthy breakfast (I microwave them for Brayden)

Honey Walnut Bran Muffins

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. finely ground sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. butter, melted
6 T. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. All Bran original cereral
1 1/2 c. low fat plain yogurt
1/4 c. finely diced walnut pieces (optional)


Preheat oven to 375. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. In a medium bowl stir together egg, milk, butter, honey, and vanilla. In another medium bowl combine bran cereal and yogurt; let soak for 3 minutes. Add cereal mixture to liquid ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined; batter will be lumpy. Spoon batter into 12 paper- lined or greased muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with walnuts (if desired). Bake muffins until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly in pan. Remove muffins from pan to finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter or honey, if desired.



*I've made these muffins several times. I always loved my mom's bran muffins as a kid, but these are healthier. Brayden really likes them too, so I'll sometimes send one to daycare with him for breakfast.

Recipe from a Bashas' Grocery store advertisement.

Mediterranean Quiche

1 refrigerated pie crust
5 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. diced Italian tomatoes
3/4 c. frozen chopped spinach
1/4 c. feta cheese
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

*Other than the pie crust and the eggs everything else is pure estimates. I was just dumping stuff in a bowl and mixing.

Unroll the pie crust and press into pie plate (I don't have glass one, so I used a metal one). Following the directions for pressing it into the pan and fluting the edges as given on the package. Place a double layer of aluminum foil into the pie crust so that it covers the crust and the edges. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes. While it is baking, mix together the remaining ingredients. When pie crust is done, remove foil and pour egg mixture into crust. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

This is actually a recipe I came up with on my own. Whenever I do this my husband always gets a worried look on his face ( I really can't blame him). Our cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer are in desperate need of restocking. Tonight for dinner I scrounged up some things and made my first quiche...or at least I think that's what you would call it. As I was eating tonight I was thinking of other combinations of things I could substitute for the spinach, feta, and tomatoes. The possibilities are endless. I was also thinking that you could easily make this crustless and probably with egg substitute, therefore making it healthier since both the pie crust and the eggs add a lot of fat to this dish.