Cheese

Sweet Italian Sausage Strata

May 5, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Sweet Italian Sausage Strata is a make ahead breakfast item with sausage, eggs, Italian bread and cheddar and parmesan cheese.

Here is another idea for Mother’s Day Brunch, Sweet Italian Sausage Strata. You can make it the day before, let it set over night and bake it the next morning. Serve this along side a fresh fruit salad, coffee and juice and brunch is complete!

The bread soaks up the egg mixture a lot better if the bread is day old. I used an Italian bread in this recipe, I love the amount of crust the bread offers. The parmesan cheese forms a crust on the top of the strata and comes out of the oven crispy, trust me, it’s very tasty. It’s important to grate fresh parmesan, it makes a difference in this recipe.

I prefer Sweet Italian Sausage in the strata, but feel free to use a spicy sausage, that would work well also.

Enjoy!

Sweet Italian Sausage Strata

Rating: 51

Yield: 12 Servings

Sweet Italian Sausage Strata

Ingredients

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 medium sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 loaf Italian Bread, cut into large chunks
3 green onions, diced
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
8 large eggs
1 cup half & half
1 cup milk, I used skim
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
½ cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook for 5 minutes and add the sweet pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the bread, sausage mixture, green onions and cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs, half & half, milk, salt, pepper and basil. Whisk to combine.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread/sausage mixture. Stir to combine making sure the bread soaks up the egg mixture.
Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as overnight.
. If you refrigerated overnight, remove from fridge and let come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/sweet-italian-sausage-strata/

Cook the sausage.

Add the sweet pepper

Cut the bread into large chunks.

Add the meat mixture, green onions and cheese to the bread.

Add the egg mixture to the bread mixture.

Layer the mixture in a greased pan.

Bake until golden brown.

Sweet Italian Sausage Strata

The strata is light & fluffy from the eggs.

Lots of sausage in this recipe. Yum.

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Chili Lime Chicken Fajitas

April 30, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Chili Lime Chicken Fajitas start with marinated chicken breasts, peppers and onions that are stuffed into a flour tortilla and end with fresh toppings.

The fajitas get there flavor from the marinade I use on the chicken breasts, Chicken Fajita Marinade Mix. You marinade the chicken breasts for 3 hours or more, then they are grilled to sear in the flavor and juices.

Along with grilling the chicken, you grill peppers and onions on high heat. I think this is a very important step, having a high enough temperature to cook the vegetables quickly so they still are a little firm when you add them to your fajita.

For toppings, I use avocado, limes and cheese. Feel free to add in guacamole, sour cream or fresh tomatoes. Add your favorite toppings, the possibilities are endless.

I hope you have enjoyed my week of Mexican recipes to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which is celebrated on Monday, May 5th. Mexican food ranks high on my list of favorites, I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as I do.

Enjoy!

Chili Lime Chicken Fajitas

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Servings

Chili Lime Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

Chicken Fajita Marinade Mix (my recipe)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, sliced
1 large sweet pepper, sliced
Flour tortillas
Avocado, cheese, limes for toppings

Instructions

Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and let marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.
Heat a grill pan or frying pan on medium high heat, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and grill approximately 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through. The time will depend on the thickness of your chicken. When the chicken is done, set it aside.
Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and add the onion and peppers, cook for approx. 3 minutes until the peppers and onions start to brown.
To serve, take a flour tortilla and fill with chicken, peppers and onions and top with your favorite toppings.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/chili-lime-chicken-fajitas/

Grill the chicken breasts.

Love the bright colored peppers.

I love to add cheese to my fajitas.

The perfect bite.

Fresh toppings are key.

The avocado is a great addition to any fajita.

Delicious!

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Tacoritos

April 28, 2014 by Kay 3 Comments

Tacoritos are a combination of a taco, burrito and an enchilada and will easily become a family favorite recipe.

To continue with my week of recipes to make for Cinco de Mayo on May 5th I decided to feature my recipe for Tacoritos. This delicious Tex Mex recipe starts with a homemade enchilada sauce that uses chili powder and gives this dish a bit of a smoky flavor. The meat mixture is a combination of beef, beans and taco seasoning (here is my homemade recipe for taco seasoning).

To assemble these, you place some of the sauce on a flour tortilla, add some beef mixture, raw onions and cheese. Once all of the Tacoritos are assembled you pour sauce over the top and add some more cheese to take this recipe over the top because more cheese always takes a recipe over the top 🙂

The original recipe for Tacoritos calls for a combination of beef and sausage, you may use this combination if you like, either way they will be delicious.

Enjoy!

Tacoritos

Rating: 51

Yield: 5 Servings

Serving Size: 2 Tacoritos

Tacoritos

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 ½ lbs. ground chuck
1 cup refried beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
10 flour tortillas, warmed
2-3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and bring to a boil; let boil for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the chili powder and garlic salt. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground chuck until meat is no longer pink. Drain the excess fat from the pan. Stir in the refried beans and heat through.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a 1/3 cup of the sauce in the baking dish.
Spread 1 tablespoon sauce over each tortilla; place about a ¼ cup meat mixture towards the end of the tortilla. Top each with some onion and shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish.
Pour remaining sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, grape tomatoes and green onions if desired.

Notes

You may use a combination of beef and sausage in this recipe.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/tacoritos/

Enchilada Sauce

Add a little of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Assemble the Tacoritos

Stuff them seem side down into the pan.

Pour the remainder of the sauce over the top.

Top with cheese

Right out of the oven

Tacoritos.

This is how I like to enjoy mine

Lots of flavor in every bite.

They have a subtle smoky flavor

You can’t eat just one!

Do you like my cute salt & pepper shakers?

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Swiss Chard Muffins

April 24, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Swiss Chard Muffins are the perfect item to make ahead for morning breakfasts or a weekend brunch with family and friends.

Are you familiar with Swiss Chard? Swiss chard has big green leafs and bright colored stems that are usually yellow or red. It is similar to kale, but has a less dense leaf and has a high nutritional value like spinach.

I came up with this recipe last vegetable season. Swiss Chard shows up in our Vegetable Share box a couple of times through out the season and I like to come up with new ways to use it.

Swiss Chard Muffins are impressive looking when they come out of the oven. Once you eat one, you will want to eat another, they are delicious and addictive.

Happy Friday Everyone, have a great weekend!

Enjoy!

Swiss Chard Muffins

Rating: 41

Yield: 12 Muffins

Swiss Chard Muffins

Ingredients

4 cups swiss chard, stems removed, leaves sliced thin
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¾ tsp. baking powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat, add the swiss chard and sauté until wilted about 3 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside.
In a bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and baking powder. Mix well and add the cooked greens. Stir to combine.
Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Divide the mixture between the muffin tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the eggs are set.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/swiss-chard-muffins/