Popovers with chives and cheddar

One of the first things I learned to bake from scratch were popovers. They are an easy bread to make. I remember my younger sister made them a lot. To me, popovers are eggy tasting. I thought the kids would love them. I made 16 of these breads and I only had 2 left. The only reason why I had two left was because my kids told me they were going to have them for breakfast. Now, I will admit my popovers did not puff up with a dome top but it was due to the cheese topping. I may have added to much cheese.  I made a couple with no cheese and they weren't sunk in the middle like this first batch. We all agree that the cheese ones were the best. If you need a quick bread with your meal, then I recommend these rolls.

Popovers with chives and cheddar
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup chives, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
pinch pepper
2 cups all purpose flour
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place a muffin tin into the hot oven to heat.
3. In a small pot, heat the milk over medium for 3 minutes. 
4. Stir the milk and remove from the heat. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl (or a large glass measuring up), whisk the eggs, chives, salt, and pepper.
6. Slowly, whisk in one Tbsp of the warmed milk to the egg mixture.
7. Slowly whisk the remaining milk to the egg mixture.
8. Add the flour to the egg mixture and mix until incorporated. There may be some lumps.
9. Carefully, remove the hot tin from the oven.
10. Liberally, coat the tin with nonstick baking spray.
11. Fill each tin about 3/4 full with the batter.
12. Top the batter with a little bit of cheese.
13. Bake the popovers for 24 minutes or until golden brown.
14. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

One year ago..............................I made Pizza Quesadilla.
Two years ago............................I made Peanut Butter Florentine.

Did you already know................
-Popovers derived from Yorkshire Pudding. 
-Popovers rise due to steam since there are no leaving agents used.
-There are special popover tins which would make a longer and larger popover than a muffin tin.

Pasta with Sausage and Gruyere sauce

Since my children were drawn to the free samples at the grocery store, we purchased some roasted garlic and gruyere cheese chicken sausage. I really couldn't decide what to do with it. I was leaning towards grilling it but what sides should I serve. In the end, I decided to make a pasta dish. It is always obvious when my daughter likes something since she will even eat it the next day. This recipe is one of those meals.

Pasta with sausage and Gruyere sauce
1 lb. shell pasta
12 oz. sausage
1 garlic, minced
1 cup spinach
1/8 cup red bell pepper, chopped small
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
Topping parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Boil the pasta until al dente.
2. In a large skillet, brown the sausage.
3. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
4. Add the garlic, spinach, and red bell pepper. Saute for 1 minute.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the spinach mixture. Stir gently for 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the 2 cups of milk and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
7. Stir in the Gruyere cheese.
8. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta and sausage. 
9. Mix to combine and allow to cook for one minute.
10. Top with parsley and serve.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.............................I made BLT with aioli.

Did you already know.............
-General stores began with a clerk retrieving the desired products for customers.
-In the 1920s, the grocery store chains began to open.
-The first supermarket opened in the 1930s.

Double Chocolate Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

I love Nutella. I actually prefer Nutella over peanut butter. My husband thinks this is so wrong. These cookies have a nice filling in the middle so they are crunchy and soft. My youngest daughter kept bring them into school. I'm pretty sure they do not meet the healthy snack criteria but I saw her do it for a couple of days. I think she shared a couple with her teacher since it is the end of the year and she is trying for all the bonus points she can get. I guess the cookies may meet the healthy snack criteria if you share them with the teacher? I also brought some to my friend at work. They are a nice cookie to share or not share.

Double Chocolate Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1 tsp milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup Nutella, divided
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with the 1 tsp milk in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the sugar, 1/3 cup Nutella, butter, and the vanilla extract until incorporated.
4. Beat in the melted chocolate.
5. Add the eggs one at a time. 
6. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. 
7. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
8. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
11. Shape the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. 
12. Place the cookie dough balls onto the cookie sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
13. Gently make a thumb indent into the center of each ball to make a 1/2 inch depression.
14. Fill each depression with about 1/2 tsp of Nutella.
15. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until the sides are set and the center is slightly soft.
16. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe adapted from Tollhouse Nestle Cookies Cookbook.

One year ago...............................I made Dulce de leche cheesecake.
Two years ago.............................I made Skillet Lasagna.

Did you already know.................
-Teachers typically spend about 50 hours a week on teaching related tasks.
-Gene Simmons of Kiss was a teacher for 6 months.
-President Lyndon Johnson was a teacher in Texas.

Southwest Breakfast Wrap

Since I was making breakfast sandwiches, my son wanted a breakfast wrap. Every time my husband would go buy his cup of coffee, my son would ask his Dad for a breakfast wrap. So, I figured I should try making them. It would be a lot cheaper and healthier. I had some leftover Southwest Eggs from the breakfast sandwiches so I just used them. I like them. They aren't a big sandwich but filling. My son is so happy. I placed extra in the freezer so he can heat them up before school. Good job, Mom, good job!

Southwest Breakfast Wrap
4 large flour tortilla
6 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup spinach, sliced thin
1/8 cup red bell pepper, sliced small
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
6 slices of bacon/Canadian bacon

Directions:

1. Using a large biscuit cutter or a large glass, cut out 4 circles from each flour tortilla. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
3. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, eggs, and milk. 
5. Evenly pour a little of the egg white mixture into each muffin tin.
6. Add a little spinach and red bell peppers to each egg mixture.
7. Cook the eggs for 5 minutes.
8. Rotate the eggs and cook for another 5 minutes or until the egg is cooked through. 
9. Remove the eggs from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
10. Lay one of the flour circles on a plate. 
11. Sprinkle a little of the cheese over the tortilla.
12. On one side, place 1/2 slice of the Canadian bacon. 
13. Cut one of the baked eggs in half.
14. Place 1/2 of the baked eggs on top of the Canadian bacon. 
15. Return the breakfast wrap to the oven for one minute.
16. Remove from the oven and fold in half. The melted cheese should hold the wrap closed.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Cherry Cheese Danish.
Two years ago..........................I made Mascarpone.

Did you already know..................
-Each day, Dunkin' Donuts serves over 3 million customers. 
-There are over 10,000 stores worldwide.
-Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands.

Breakfast Southwestern Egg Sandwich

I like a quick breakfast on weekdays. I love cereal but I want something I can grab and go. I have made breakfast sandwiches before but I just scrambled the eggs. For something quick, it is pretty messy plus if I'm dressed up then I really don't need it on me. I can only imagine what I would look like showing up to an important meeting corrected in egg. I would share but I'm not sure anyone (besides my husband) would take me up on it. When I saw baked eggs, I realized it was the way to go. I could freeze any extra and have them on other days. I like my eggs mostly egg whites so I made them this way. The kids never know the difference.

Breakfast Southwestern Egg Sandwiches
6 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup spinach, sliced thin
1/8 cup red bell pepper, sliced small
12 slices of pepper jack cheese
12 English muffins (I used whole grain.)
12 slices of Canadian bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, eggs, and milk. 
4. Evenly pour a little of the egg white mixture into each muffin tin.
5. Add a little spinach and red bell peppers to each egg mixture.
6. Cook the eggs for 5 minutes.
7. Rotate the eggs and cook for another 5 minutes or until the egg is cooked through.
8. While the eggs are cooking, lightly toast the English muffins.
9. Top the bottom section of the English muffin with a slice of Canadian bacon.
10. Toast the English muffin until the Canadian bacon is warm.
11. Remove the English muffin and add a slice of cheese on top of the Canadian bacon.
12. Carefully remove one of the baked egg sections from the muffin tin and top the English muffin.
13. Close the English muffin with the other section to form a sandwich.

Recipe adapted from Jeff Mauro.

One year ago...........................I made Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes.
Two years ago.........................I made Savory Lobster Cheesecake.

Did you already know.............
-In 1971, Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin.
-Herb Peterson modified the Jack-in-the-Box's Eggs Benedict Sandwich.
-Breakfast makes up about 15% of McDonald's sales.