Egg sandwich

Easy post Friday, all! Busy, busy this week! We had my bachelorette party last weekend so getting things put back together after that, plus helping get ready for Main Man's bachelor party this weekend, as well as preparing to help throw a baby shower for one of my bridesmaids (shoutout to Baby Loeffelholz and Mama Amanda!) so this week has just flown by...the wedding is really sneaking up on me, you guys....it's creepy to think I will only be a Kratoska for a couple more weeks.

 

One of the Kratoska family traditions was Grandpa Jim's chili making on Sundays. There are pics of him in his undies with his apron on, getting his chili all set to simmer all day on Sunday morning. I love the feeling that photo gives me, and wonder if that's the reason I love to make breakfast on the weekends, when I'm not really a breakfast person during the week. Normally I just grab a Slimfast shake to head to work and that's that. But when we're home for the weekend, and lazying around getting the day started, I love to make a little (or big) breakfast for Main Man and I to sit at the table together to enjoy. Sometimes he even cooks, as you can see with his breakfast burritos that are out of this world. There's something about breakfast with the one you love on a sunny Fall morning...especially when you have a new Kuerig coffee maker that your bridesmaids got you for your wedding shower!

 

This is a pretty easy, very quick one if you're not looking to be in a food coma afterwards. Toast a piece of bread, fry up an egg with some seasoned salt, fry a piece of ham and layer all this stuff together....open faced egg sammy for the win!

 

1 egg, fried

1 piece pepperjack cheese (2% is what I use)

1 t mayo (olive oil mayo is my fave right now)

1 piece toasted bread

1 piece real ham

 

Heat up a skillet with some fat free Pam and put an egg in there to fry once it gets hot. Put the ham on the other side of the skillet to cook. Flip the ham after a couple minutes and put the cheese on top of the ham to melt. Toast your bread at this point. When the bread comes out of the toaster, spread the mayo on it. Put the ham with the melted cheese on top of that, then nestle the egg on top. I enjoy dippy eggs, but Main Man wants his hard. To each his own, but I love the yolk to run all over everything once I puncture it. A little love to sop up with every part of the sammy...doesn't that just give you a weekend warm fuzzy? 

 

The best part of this? I almost always have all these ingredients on hand so there's no store trips needed. Hope you all enjoy your weekend as much as I plan to enjoy mine...happy Friday!

 

Breakfast burrito

Ohhhhh, how I love it when Main Man cooks me breakfast. I mean, you know I love to cook, but breakfast is the best meal to have made for you with love rather than dragging your butt up to make it yourself. Plus, if you look at the pics below....that thing is sexy, isn't it! Good looking piece of breakfast fare, right there. And I'll tell you what...he outdid himself this time, it was very probably the best breakfast he's ever made me in the 3.5 years we've been together. Hopefully he remembers to make it again sometime soon!

He started by basically making an omelette with half eggs and half egg whites. You have to use more eggs this way, but it's better for your loved one's cholesterol and all that jazz. So I believe he used 6 eggs (3 full eggs, 3 egg whites), and then added some diced jalapenos, banana peppers, shredded 2% mexican cheese, diced onions, turkey sausage patties diced up, and seasonings (he's really into my Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt lately, and I'm sure he used cracked black pepper as well).  That's the stuffing to your burrito of love...ok, I won't ever say that phrase again, sorry.

I had the jalapeno cheddar tortillas leftover from the buffalo chicken wraps so he wrapped all the goodness up into a burrito (see...way more appropriate than "burrito of love") and topped it with diced cherry tomatoes from the garden, lettuce from the garden, greek yogurt, and some Cholula.

I scarfed this whole monster. You know when people tell you that they diet by just stopping when the food doesn't taste as good as it did on the first bite? Well, that didn't happen. I was soooo full and just trying to make more room for one more bite. This thing was banging with flavor! And the best thing was, most of the stuff came out of the garden. We had everything we needed on hand...can't really beat that for a nice Summer weekend morning at home. One more pic and then you have to go drool on someone else's page...

Ham and egg cups

These are very similar to the egg muffins we made for Christmas, but the idea of the ham being the bowl was another Pinterest find. These are super flipping easy, and my new thing is to make them on the weekend to baggie up and take to work for breakfast during the week. Great protein, nice and hearty, and only 200 calories for 2 of them...can't beat that!

I just use whatever I have on hand to throw in there...this time it was broccoli and cheese mixed with the beaten eggs, and poured into the ham cups that are layered in the greased muffin tin. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean, and you're in business! This is my kinda Monday post...simple, yummy, hearty, and healthy.  Happy beginning of the week, all!

Egg muffins

I figured we should go with something everyone likes today since yesterday's recipe was not exactly a crowd pleaser....unless you're my father.  This is a very simple idea, but extremely cute and a new (to me) way to serve eggs.  Michelle did this for Cynthia's baby shower last month, and they turned out so great that I had to try it at Candy's for Christmas morning.  They're little omelette muffins!!!  And they can't be easier to make....plus it's fun if you have kids, or picky eaters (ahem, Tony) that don't like all the stuff in their eggs that everyone else does.

We used a 12 hole muffin tin and sprayed it with Pam.  Put all your diced ingredients in the bottom of each muffin hole...so I used everything in mine: sausage, mushrooms, onions, cheese, tomatoes.  Then you have 12 eggs whisked up to fill the cups with after all ingredients are included.  Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes and you have a cute little breakfast munchie to chow on while opening gifts.  I added a little hot sauce to my eggs, per usual.  You know how I like my heat :) If you want to keep them warm to serve them to a party like we did at the shower, they stay very nicely in a crockpot kept on the warm setting...

One other thing I might add....Santa brought me a new camera for Christmas so my pics are going to be drastically better soon....just like this one!  Can't you just crawl in that photo?? 

Cinnamon roll cake

This has no business on a skinny kid food blog...and in all truthfullness it has no business being near my mouth. But this was so good, it wouldve been worth it to start a new blog, just to post fat kid food to. I'm not big on cinnamon rolls at all, I don't crave sweets, but this was TO DIE FOR. I'm not exagerrating, it was the talk of the table at Thanksgiving, and we have my mom's cousin Craig to thank for it (does that make us 2nd cousins or something in the once removed category?)....so if you only decide to ever make one thing off this blog in your life, you should choose this...just saying.

I don't know how you can get away with calling this breakfast but Im going to list it there just because it has the phrase "cinnamon roll" in it...

Cake:

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Fresh fruit smoothies

Although he's not writing it, we'll pretend that this is a guest post from Justin since he was the one who started this smoothie jazz....actually, his brother Tony is the initiator so we can give him props as well!  We shall call these recipe postings from the realms of his mind "Justin's Tasties".  Nice ring to it, huh? I bought a food processor/blender thingie this Spring and have never used a kitchen appliance more...I am in love with the thing.  Like I get legit squirmy/anxiety when Justin tries to use it...I don't want him breaking my precious piece of kitchen equipment. 

Well, we went to the grocery store Sunday afternoon and Justin starts picking up all this fresh fruit....Whaaaaaa?  Bananas (which I happen to have a serious dislike for but are actually decently tasty in a smoothie), strawberries, honeycrisp apples, etc.  Usually when he buys a sack of fruit that he plans on eating, I end up throwing it out when it gets squishy in the fridge....but folks, THE STRAWBERRIES ARE GONE, WE NEED MORE BANANAS, and I SAW HIM EAT AN APPLE (granted it had caramel on it but you gotta start somewhere). 

So, I start wondering to myself....should I try one of these smoothie creations?  So I did.  And Justin wins. This is a great way to start your day and stay full for quite a while, and a great way to get the vits you need from fruit without having to chow down on it all day.

I added a half a banana (remember I have a very irrational hatred for them so there was no way I was adding a whole one), 4 strawberries, a plain yogurt, 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1 T peanut butter (this was my addition for some protein).....

Now....Vrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee   vreeeeee vreeeeee vreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Liquify that fruit and throw it in the fridge.  He started doing it in the morning at first and had to add ice cubes because it was pretty warm, but if you do it in the evening and throw it in the fridge to grab right away in the morning, it's easier all around!

I just knew I would find a great use for the cups I stole from the cruise ship in February...perfect! Although wouldn't it be great to be sitting in a chair on the beach with my feet in the ocean drinking a miami vice rather than mixing up a healthy fruit smoothie for a pre-run meal??  Man, now I'm depressed....ain't life a B??!

Cheesy hashbrowns and ham

I made this for a breakfast side dish to an egg casserole for the bachelorette party this weekend...but when I tasted it I realized it could be a side dish to a dinner or pot luck as well.  Most people had seconds and Brandy even asked for a container of the leftovers so I'm thinking it went over pretty well...plus it was in the "easiest recipes ever" category and you can't really beat that!

32 oz bag frozen hash browns
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% fat free)
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
1/2 cup butter (I omitted this part)

I added:
1 lb cubed ham
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl so they are evenly coated with the soups....add to the lined crockpot and cook for 4-6 hours on low.  I won't say this is the healthiest recipe on the blog, but if you skip the butter and use the lowest calorie choices of the ingredients you can find, this isn't going to derail your day.  I only got a pre-cooked, pre-deciding to add tomato picture so this will have to do...still looked yummy at this point though! Next time I would also add onions, mushrooms, bell peppers....whatever I've got in the fridge! We had some picky eaters there this weekend so I'm excited to see how it will be when I beef it up with more veggies.  Kinda wishing I wouldnt have given all the leftovers away now...



Breakfast Everyone

Crockpot breakfast? Really? And I thought make-ahead breakfast casseroles were simple.  I am going to be honest and tell you that I didn't even have a bite of this at the tailgate.  I have no personal experience of this dish in my mouth...but the evidence I have to go on of it's taste is pretty legit.  The thing was empty.  EMPTY.  This was so heavy, it was like 10 lbs of breakfast casserole.  Gone.  So I'm assuming it was liked....if you try it and it's horrible, blame the drunk tailgaters who mowed this down and made me think it was amazing.

Since we began tailgating so early (I was def a Wendy Whiner when the alarm went off), I wanted to have a breakfast dish as well as the standard tailgate food...everyone needed a hearty breakfast to coat their stomachs for the big game day!  I found this recipe on http://www.cdkitchen.com/ and thought I would give it a go.

32 oz frozen hash browns
1 lb cooked ham cubed
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1.5 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1  t salt
1 t black pepper

I also added:
1 lb cooked pork sausage
1 cup cherry tomatos from the garden, halved
1 can mushrooms, drained

Layer the potatoes, ham and sausage, veggies, and cheese so you have several layers in the crockpot.  Repeat until you are out of those ingredients (ending with a cheese layer).  Beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper....pour over the layers in the slow cooker.  Cover and turn on low for 5 -6 hours. 

As I said, I didnt get a chance to taste it, so I also didn't get a chance to photograph it after it was cooked.  I guess that just means I will have to make it again so I can try it....what a shame!  :)

Breakfast casserole

It's Labor Day weekend, you have a crowd of people to feed in the morning.  What do you do?  You make this.  I've put breakfast casseroles, quiches, etc on the blog before but I will say that this one was my fave so far...even though we were camping in the RV, the oven ended up not working, and we had to put it on the grill burning the bottom layer and leaving a campfire-esque taste to the hashbrowns that werent torched...it was good enough to see past all of those facts and realize that this was goooooood schtuff!  Like if I had a "BEST OF" stamp to put on my fave posts...this would get the breakfast one!

Here we go:

2 lbs bulk pork sausage (turkey worked great too)
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups frozen hash browns
2 cups Bisquick mix
2 cups skim milk
4 eggs (6 if you just use the whites like I do)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (2%)
Pepper to taste

Grease your dish and cook the sausage, pepper, and onion in a skillet.  Drain that and then add it to the potatoes and cheese, stir it up and throw it in the baking dish. Stir the Bisquick, milk, and eggs together and pour it on top of your potato/meat/veggie mixture.  Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 400 degrees or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and bake for another couple minutes to melt that....now serve!  Here's the before pic, I seem to forget about food pics when I premake stuff for later...so this is all you get.  Sorry, Charlie!  But you won't be sorry if you try this....

Sidenote: If you dont want the 12 servings this yields, half all your ingredients and throw this in a pie tin to bake so you won't have so many leftovers.

Veggie omelettes

This is just a throw together but it was so pretty I had to take a picture for you :)

Saturday morning we weren't getting around too quickly (Im sure it had nothing to do with the wine we had celebrating Christina's birthday the night before), and all I was craving was grease!  Sooo, I made my way downstairs while Justin was still in and out of sleep to get some breakfast in bed put together. 

As I've said, zucchini is going in everything I can fit it in until our garden dies out...it will be coming out our ears before the end of the summer.  So I mixed together 6 eggs, some fresh spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, portabellos, leftover chicken sausage, and onions.  All of this was found in the fridge from something else I had made.  Threw them in the skillet and stirred while hydrating my body...I was SO thirsty!  When it was close to done, I topped it with some pepperjack cheese slices and mixed it all up to bring upstairs.  Top with Chalula if you're like me and want your eggs to kick a little.  Breakfast in bed and then a nap...why can't every day be Saturday?

Hearty breakfast quiche

I would compare this casserold to a quiche, sort of? Anyway, I made it this Winter for a Christmas thing and it was a huge hit.  Very hearty and filling, with veggies and all sorts of surprises in there too.  We have a pig in the freezer as you all know, so we have an abundance of pork sausage I need to dispose of (and don't like to eat all by myself)....so this recipe is good for getting rid of that.  Plus, it's great to have a breakfast casserole ready to throw in the oven when we have people over, that way I don't have to cook in the morning.

1 lb pork sausage (could use turkey sausage as well)

1/2 cup chopped onion (I leave this out depending on who is going to eating it)

1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used 2% mexican cheese)

1 (10 oz package) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 can sliced mushrooms

12 eggs

2 cups heavy cream (I used skim milk)

In a skillet, cook sausage and onion, until the sausage is browned and the onion is tender.  Drain, and spread in the bottom of your baking dish (greased with fat free Pam).  In a large mixing bowl, mix the spinach, half the cheese, mushrooms, eggs, and cream together, beating the eggs.

Pour over the sausage in the pan.  Cover and throw in the fridge until the next morning, careful moving it around as it's very liquid at this point. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees or until a knife comes out clean from the center (like a cake).  Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving so it all melts.  I promise you will get Wow's from this and will seem like you spent hours in the kitchen preparing a breakfast quiche!  I didn't get any pics of this in the morning...I am soooooo not a morning person. 

Breakfast casserole

This is my friend Maggie's recipe, well it's one that she got in her recipe collection at one of her bridal showers.  I made it for her at her party last weekend so we all had something to eat for breakfast in the morning after the long night.  This was super good! I have another breakfast casserole that I usually do that has spinach and sausage and mushrooms in it that's awesome, but this one is great especially for a pickier crowd like we have when all us girls get together.  It was very easy too....I love love LOVE it when we have people overnight and I have something easy (but tasty) to throw in the oven in the morning and serve for breakfast...we all know I am the total opposite of a morning person so morning cooking doesn't happen much!

3 cups cubed ham
1/2 lb shredded cheddar cheese (I would use 2% and you could use mexican instead of cheddar)
3 cups dry bread cubes
3 T melted butter
3 T flour
1 T dry mustard
4 eggs (if I made it at home with my ingredients I would use 4 egg whites and 2 whole eggs)
3 cups milk (I would use skim)

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with fat free Pam.  Layer the ham, bread crumbs, and cheese.  Drizzle melted butter over this.  Combine flour and mustard and sprinkle over the top.  Beat eggs and add milk, pour over the top of all other ingredients.  Refridgerate overnight.  Throw in the oven in the morning at 400 degrees for an hour. 

One tip: make sure your ham is dried with a paper towel, if there is a lot of moisture left in there it will take a while for the casserold to harden up when cooking. 

This is a picture before I put the eggs/milk on, and I didnt get in there in time to get a picture of it before it was devoured....I think that speaks for how good it was!!