Three Quick and Easy Family Breakfast Recipes

Even though I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I'll admit that it's also one of the hardest to go to a lot of trouble for during the busy weekday. We've never been big breakfast eaters at my house, in fact, cold cereal or toaster waffles are the usual fare on any given Monday through Friday morning around here. But, on the weekends we often like to whip up a big breakfast for the whole family and then actually sit down at the same table and eat it together. Wow, that's a feat in itself anymore!

The same old tired bacon and eggs do get boring after awhile however, so I've found some yummy breakfast recipes that meet my 'quick and easy' criteria. Since I have a picky preschooler who loves eggs but is on a 'no pancake' kick lately, I wanted a couple of really good recipes that will satisfy grown-up as well as kid tastes.

Quick and Easy Maple Toast and Eggs

12 bacon strips, diced

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup butter

12 slices white bread (firmer texture is better)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp and then drain on paper towels. In a small saucepan, heat syrup and butter until the butter melts. Trim crusts from bread and flatten slices with a rolling pin. Brush one side with syrup mixture and press each slice into an ungreased muffin cup with syrup side down. Divide bacon among muffin cups. Break one egg into each cup and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake on 400F for 20 minutes. Serves 12.

Quick and Easy Farmers Breakfast

6 bacon strips, diced

2 tbsp diced onion

3 medium potatoes, cooked and cubed

6 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp and drain on paper towels. In the bacon drippings, sauté onion and potatoes until potatoes are browned. Pour eggs into skillet and cook until eggs are set and cooked to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon; let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Serves 4.

Quick and Easy Egg and Biscuit Breakfast

2 tbsp butter

8 eggs, beaten

1 - 5 oz can evaporated milk

1 - 8 oz package American cheese, cubed

1 tbsp prepared mustard

1 cup cubed cooked ham

1 - 10 oz can refrigerator biscuits

Melt butter in skillet. Add eggs and cook until set. In a saucepan, combine milk, cheese and mustard and cook until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and fold in ham and eggs. Pour into a greased 8 inch greased baking dish. Separate biscuits and place on top. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serves 4.

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Recipes to Feed Your Family in a Matter of Minutes #8

You can have this healthy meal on the table in a matter of minutes. It is a meal perfect for family or guests. The entree of Fish Parmesan goes together in minutes and bakes for 20 to 25 minutes. While the fish is baking, you have the time to prepare the sides, set the table, etc. The New Red Potatoes with Parsley are quick, easy, and will add color to the meal. Add your favorite salad and a dessert if desired.

FISH PARMESAN

1 1/2 lb white fish (tilapia is a good choice)
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp basil
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, paprika, pepper, oregano, and basil together in a shallow bowl or pie pan. Coat fish pieces with the melted butter. Coat tops evenly with the bread crumbs mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until fish flakes.

NEW RED POTATOES WITH PARSLEY

1 1/2 lbs small new red potatoes, scrubbed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 tsp pepper

Peel a strip of the peeling off around the middle of each potato. (You can omit this step, if desired.) Place the potatoes in cold water and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the oil. Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until tender (don't allow garlic to burn!) Add the broth and 3/4 cup of the parsley to the skillet; mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Place the potatoes in a single layer in the skillet. Return to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove the potatoes to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the pepper to the skillet and stir to blend. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of the parsley over the potatoes.

Enjoy!

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How to Make Simple Quesadillas Your Whole Family Will Love

Here's a simple dinner you can make any time. My family loves it when I fix quesadillas and I love it because they're so easy I can fix them when I don't have a lot of time.

These quesadillas are similar to what you might order in a restaurant but they're not as greasy as I often get when I order them.

I cook with butter because it's actually the healthiest thing for you. Heating oil can cause it to become acidic. Butter may be considered a no-no in some circles, but used in moderation it's still the best option for cooking in my opinion.

I've tried the "heart healthy" and "low-carb" tortillas and, personally, I haven't found any I like. I like real food. If you're worried about carbs and the health of your heart, move more. I use the medium tortillas because the big ones are too hard to flip and the small ones just aren't enough if your quesadillas are the star of the dinner. As a side dish, the small tortillas would work great. Come to think of it, if you like the big tortillas, you could just use one and fold it in half instead of using two.

When I make quesadillas, I serve one person at a time as they're ready. They're fast so we eat together for the most part.

For each quesadilla you will need:

2 medium tortillas (or variations as discussed above)

1 teaspoon melted butter

enough sliced mozzarella cheese to cover both tortillas with one layer each

slices of tomato enough to cover one tortilla

fajita seasoning to sprinkle on the tomatoes (optional)

To set up: get out a large nonstick skillet and put it on the stove. Get out a good size cutting board and your favorite big knife for cutting the quesadillas when they're ready. Set out the tortillas, plates, a small basting brush and melt a little butter in a small bowl (about 1 teaspoon for each quesadilla). Slice the tomatoes.

Now you're ready to start quesadilla production.

Prepare tortillas: very lightly paint tortillas with melted butter using a basting brush and stack buttered sides together.

To cook: heat skillet to medium high. Place a tortilla butter-side down in the pan. Layer with thin slices of cheese, sliced tomatoes (add fajita seasoning), more cheese and top with another tortilla butter side up. By the time you get everything on it, it is time to carefully turn it over with a large spatula (get a good hold then a quick flip). Heat just long enough to brown both sides and melt the cheese. The cheese acts as glue and is a critical ingredient.

Lift quesadilla onto cutting board. Allow to cool slightly then cut into wedges like a pizza with a large butcher knife. Serve warm with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

These are very popular, so be sure to make plenty.

If you want to add more ingredients, just prepare them ahead of time and add in a small amount after the first layer of cheese. For example, I like to saute some onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and even leftover chicken sometimes, and add it to mine and my husband's quesadillas and just fix the tomato and cheese for our kids. Experiment and find your favorite combinations.

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Cookware Sets - Which One's Right For Your Family

When selecting a cookware set there are things you need to have and things you want to have. You need to decide what material, how many pieces, etc. Your knowledge and cooking expertise will play a huge role as well. An amateur chef would not use complicated equipment.

If you plan to even cook Mac & Cheese in your kitchen you will need the basic essentials for cooking.

Skillets are essential for sautéing and your easy skillet dinners. I would recommend having three different sizes such as a seven inch, ten inch and eleven inch. That way if you need to brown beef and sauté mushrooms for spaghetti, you don't have to wait for one or the other.

Saucepans are great for heating up various sauces, you can also use them to heat up vegetables as well. As with the skillets you really should have two different sizes with these as well. One quart and two quart are good enough for any cooking project you have.

Kettles or stockpots are the best for cooking pasta, stews, or any other fairly large portion of food. You really only need one of these, but two is not bad either. You want to make sure that it is at least six quarts to ensure that it is big enough.

Cookie sheets are great for, obviously, cookies. But they are also great for things such as chicken and garlic bread. One of these is enough, but having two or three is a good idea if you are making a large batch of cookies.

Utensils are your basic tools when cooking. I definitely would recommend having more than enough of these. You will definitely need a ladle, large spoon, slotted spoon, spatula, slotted spatula, rubber spatula, spaghetti fork, and whisk.

You will almost always need a strainer. I recommend a metal non wire strainer, simply because they are easier to clean. People find it is more difficult to clean a mesh strainer because food is constantly getting stuck in the mesh. And I would steer clear of plastic because it melts at high temperatures.

Measuring cups and spoons are the most important tool to have when cooking from scratch because it requires lots of measuring. You will need at least a two cup liquid measuring cup. You will also need 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 teaspoon and tablespoon measuring spoons and dry measuring cups.

Mixing bowls are great to have and you can never have enough. I would definitely advise having at minimum a small, medium, and large mixing bowl.

Some extras to consider would be cake pans, casserole dishes, and mixers.

You will definitely also want to look at which material you prefer to use. The most common are stainless steel, copper, cast iron, and hard-anodized. Stainless steel is superior quality and lasts longer, but comes at a price. If you went with stainless steel you want the base lined with copper since copper has higher heat conductivity. Copper is good, but easily corrosive and expensive. Cast iron is cost effective, but hard to maintain. So you want to be sure to keep up with it to avoid rancid build up. Hard-anodized is very durable and resistant to corrosion, but is prone scratches.

Just remember when picking out your cookware you want to make sure you have the essentials and look for the most cost effective set that works for you and your family.

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Pizza Casserole with three cheeses, a dish family, friends and surprise guests Will Love

The holidays are a time to meet with the family, visiting friends and unexpected guests. These visits are fun for everyone, a time to discuss the news and plans for the future. While the plan is easy to cook the food can be difficult. Can enjoy a meal for children, adolescents, parents and grandparents? Yes, and Pizza casserole, a mixture of pasta healthy, lean meat, pizza sauce and three types of cheese.

Save cook the pasta the day before the time of preparation. DrainPasta in a colander, put it in a plastic zipper, fur and elbow with a little 'of olive oil to prevent aggregation. This recipe calls Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta (trade name sign), a new product with added fiber and calcium. He calls or a certain brand of pizza sauce, but you can substitute another brand if you wish.

Cream cheese is the surprise ingredient, and adds richness to the dish. If the dish has been refrigerated for a long time to extract it fromRefrigerator for half an hour before cooking and they cover. Oven temperatures vary, and you might have the pot a bit 'over cooking indicated. Remove the pot from the heat when the sauce begins to bubble and cheese, brown. Here is the recipe for pizza in a pan with three cheeses, a cottage court, which can become a family favorite throughout the year.

INGREDIENTS

Half to 14.5 oz box Ronzoni Smart Taste Elbows Pasta

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoonOlive oil extra light

1 teaspoon butter

1 1 / 4 pounds 93% lean (or 96% lean)

2 15-oz cans De brothers all natural pizza sauce

1 1 / 2 cup 2% cottage cheese

8 ounces carton low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 / 2 teaspoon oregano leaves

METHOD

The pasta in boiling water, drain, and in a large bowl. Enter the olive oil and butter in a pan. As soon as the butterAdd the onions, melted, give the pan and cook until they are soft cut. Add the onions to pasta. Brown meat in skillet, breaking it into small pieces as cooks. Combine beef cooked with onions, pasta and pizza sauce.

In a small bowl, add the ricotta and cream cheese. (Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese). Coat a 9 1 / 2 "x 13 1 / 2" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Layer half the meat mixture into the bowl. Mixture of cheese spread over layer of meat. Top withremaining meat mixture. Spread mozzarella cheese on a plate and sprinkle with oregano. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. AA serving pizza in a pan with green salad, garlic toast and fresh fruit for dessert. Fa 10-12 servings.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson

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