An Angel in My Frying Pan

This morning I made my husband a treat for breakfast.

Fried egg over soft.

I only eat scrambled eggs for breakfast and can't stand the thought of a runny yolk. But one of my resolutions for the New Year is to be on the lookout for ways to make others happy. So I offered to make a fried egg for my sweetie.

 And look at my reward!

Is this a sign that my good deed didn't go unnoticed by a greater power?

Well probably not. More like a sign I don't know how to flip an egg:-)

Anyway it was a pretty cool way to start the New Year!

I hope 2014 is your best year ever!

Linking up with:

Grace at Home

Food for a Crowd - The Humble Egg

The humble egg.

A high quality protein all wrapped up in a neat little shell.

For your next holiday party or family gathering consider placing a big platter of deviled eggs on the buffet. 

I have never served deviled eggs at an event that they weren't all eaten. 

Every last one. 

Not only yummy but easy on the budget.

A dozen eggs will make 24 servings and even at $2.00 a dozen for the eggs (current price in my area) that averages out to about 9 cents per serving. Can't hardly beat that. 

Filling the Egg

I've seen and tasted all kinds of fillings in deviled eggs. Horseradish, caviar, onions...even so I don't get too creative. Most people seem happy with a little mayo, sweet pickle relish and maybe a touch of mustard. 

For variety you can sprinkle the tops with paprika, dill or crumbled bacon bits. 

My simple recipe

6 hard boiled eggs

1 Tablespoon good mayo (or more as needed) 

1-2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Remove the yolk, place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayo, relish and mustard and mix well. Taste and add a little salt and additional as mayo or relish as needed. 

Place the whites on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle lightly with salt. Fill the eggs with the yolk filling and sprinkle with paprika, dried dill or bacon bits. 

How to boil an egg

Everyone seems to have their own technique for hard boiling eggs. 

This is how I do it:

• Use eggs that are close to the use by date. The older the egg the easier it is to peel.
• Set the eggs out on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature (about an hour)
• Place the room temp eggs in a pot large enough for the eggs to be in a single layer and cover with tap water by at least 1 inch. 
• Place the pot over medium heat and allow the water to heat up. Bringing the water to a boil slowly will prevent the shells from cracking. Allow to boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. 
• To cool the eggs quickly drain the hot water, add cold water to the pot along with ice. When the ice melts add additional ice and allow to cool for 20 minutes. 
• Remove from the ice water, peel and proceed with your recipe. 

A few tips

• Buy your eggs a couple weeks before the party. (Check the expiration date to be sure you'll be using them in that time frame.)  The older the egg the easier it will peel 
• If you do try to peel the eggs and the peel won't come off don't fight it. Just do the best you can and make egg salad. Serve it in a bowl with crackers. (I heard Julia Child say that on one of her old shows. If she occasionally had trouble with the peel  I don't feel bad when it happens to me.)
• If you end up with green around the yolk it just means the egg was cooked too long. Just mix it up with a little mayo and no one will know. 
• For a large gathering make at least two platters of deviled eggs and put them out one at a time. When the first platter begins to run low switch it out with the new platter. This applies to most all dishes on a buffet table. A picked over platter of food doesn't look appetizing. 

Next time you're looking for a budget friendly addition to your  party don't underestimate the humble egg!

Setting another plate at my table and making a place in my heart!

Breakfast Casserole for a Crowd

The last of our Thanksgiving company left last night and our house is back to semi-quiet.

One of the things I do when we have overnight guests is to have breakfast ready to go. This is especially good on big cooking days like Thanksgiving and Christmas when you don't need a lot of extra cooking going on in the kitchen. 

My favorite thing to make, which is always a hit, is a big breakfast casserole. I make it up and bake it the night before. Cool the casserole, cut it into squares, wrap it up and refrigerate. In the morning all that's needed is a couple minutes in the microwave for each piece. Since some people are early riser and some like to sleep in this casserole can be heated up piece by piece as needed. All I have to do is set out a stack of plates, put the coffee on and make sure there's orange juice in the fridge. There's also cereal, milk and fruit for those who don't want a heavy breakfast. 

Farmer's Breakfast
(Eggs, potatoes, cheese and sausage)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder

8 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 pounds bulk sausage (spicy if you like it hot)
32 ounce bag Ore-Ida frozen Potatoes O'Brien (diced potatoes with onions and peppers)

1 stick butter, melted.


Cook the sausage and chop into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain the grease and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl blend together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the milk and eggs and mix until well blended.

Add the frozen potatoes, cheese and sausage to the egg and flour mixture and stir to combine.

Place the melted butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch oven safe dish.

Spoon the potato/egg mixture in to the casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cut into squares and serve warm from the oven or cool and refrigerate. Cut in to squares and reheat in the microwave.

I like this casserole as is but some in my family like to splash on hot sauce or a couple spoons of salsa and a little sour cream. It's good however you fix it. 

Do you have a favorite breakfast casserole?

Setting an extra plate at my table and making a place in my heart!

Warm Apple Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

I made this cake a couple weeks ago but didn't get any pictures before it was devoured. So over the weekend when my husband said they were having an office Thanksgiving party on Tuesday I volunteered to make another apple cake for him to take in to share. 

I didn't just make one cake, I made two. 

One to keep, one to give:-)

My favorite book of all times is "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George.
In the chapter titled Motherly Affection she talks about giving your family preferential treatment
She says:
"Don’t give away to others what you have not first given away at home."

This applies to far more than just food but in this instance I’m not going to make a yummy cake to send off and not keep a little for my family!

This cake is warm and dense but not too sweet. Full of apples, nuts and dates it's perfect for the fall season.  It's even good as a breakfast treat...

Apple Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

(This recipe as written will make one 13 x 9 inch cake. If you want a smaller cake you can divide all the ingredients in half and bake it in a 9" round cake pan reduce the baking time to 30 - 35 minutes)

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

4 eggs

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups peeled and chopped apples (chunks not minced)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream the sugar and butter together for 5 minutes

Beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla until just blended. Set aside

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and spices and stir well.

Gradually add the flour to the sugar/egg mixture beating until well blended.

By hand stir in the apples, dates and walnuts

Pour into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 

Serve warm with Vanilla Butter sauce.

Vanilla Butter Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the whipping cream and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Be careful because the sauce will bubble up when you add the vanilla. 

Serving suggestions: 

If you're serving the cake at home you can keep the sauce warm in a small chafing dish and let your guest help themselves to as much as they like. 

For a potluck- I cool the cake completely and slightly cool the butter sauce. Pour the sauce over the top of the cake and refrigerate. The cake is good eaten cold, at room temp, or reheated in the microwave.  

Tip:
Anytime I make something with nuts I always sprinkle some on top so if anyone has a nut allergy they will know right away not to eat any. 

Setting an extra plate at my table and making a place in my heart!

Kelly's Korner Show us Your Life

Weekend Potluck

Saturday Night Fever

Home and Garden Thursday


29

Get Ready to Party Series Day 7 - Party Day!

I recently hosted a group of  friends in my home for a fall luncheon. I thought it might be fun and helpful to write a series on how I planned and pulled off this party.

My hope is that by sharing it may be a blessing to someone else and it might encourage others to step out and invite           someone in!

Day 7 - Party Day!

Whether you're hosting ten people or 50 (or more) the game plan is pretty much the same:

Decide why you want to party and who you want to invite. Send out invitations, decide what food you'll serve, shop, cook, clean up the house, set the table and buffet, greet your guests, serve the food, engage in some lively conversation and maybe play a game or two, send everyone away filled with food and good fellowship, and clean up. 

 Whew! Just typing that makes me tired!

The truth is that inviting people into our homes takes work but the payoff is well worth the effort. 

If you're hesitant or even a little afraid to open your home I hope this series has offered a little encouragement to give it a try. 

Today I'm going to share a few pictures and recipes from my fall luncheon...

 I made this party a little different by turning it into a 

Party With a Purpose!

I invited each lady to bring a few small gifts to fill shoe boxes for 

Operation Christmas Child

We put together 4 shoe boxes.

I started something new with this party. A guest book is something I've wanted to use for a while but just didn't get around to it. Until this party. I happened to have a sketch book on hand that I'd bought for something else and I decided to turn it into a guest book. 

I did a little simple sketch with colored pencils and wrote in a few quotes about friendship. On the opposite page I asked for people to write a little note or just sign their name. 

I'm excited about this new tradition. 

The desserts were a big hit!

I made warm apple cake with vanilla butter sauce. It was delicious but I didn't get a single picture! I did get a picture of the pumpkin trifle. 

Pumpkin Pudding

5.1 ounce package Jell-O instant vanilla pudding (the large box)

2 cups milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated!)

8 ounce carton Cool Whip (defrosted)

15 ounce can pumpkin puree (100 % pure pumpkin not canned pumpkin pie mix)

1 sleeve cinnamon graham crackers

20 gingersnaps (I used Archway crispy gingersnaps)

(you want about 3 cups of cookie crumbs - it doesn't have to be exact)

Using a mixer blend the pudding mix with the milk on low for about 1 minute. Add the condensed milk and continue blending another minute. Refrigerate until the pudding is set. About 5 minutes

By hand fold in the pumpkin then fold in the Cool Whip.

Put the cookies in a zip lock bag and crush them with a mallet or rolling pin. You want some of the cookies finely crushed and some left in bigger pieces.

Place half of the pudding mixture in a trifle bowl or any deep bowl add a layer of cookies and repeat to fill the bowl.

You can make this the night before but I think it's better if you serve it the same day or the cookies will lose some of their crunch.

The final thing I did for my guests was to send them home with a little bag of Thanksgiving party mix. 

Thanksgiving Party Mix

8-cups mixed Chex cereal (corn, rice, wheat)

1-cup almonds, sliced or whole

½ cup butter

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

½ cup craisins or dried cranberries

Optional: candy corn and candy pumpkins- about 2 – 3 cups total

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl toss together the cereal and the almonds. Set aside.

Melt the butter, add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the OJ concentrate and mix well.

Remove from heat and pour over the cereal and almonds.

Spread on a large roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir and continue to cook another 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and stir in the craisins or cranberries; cool completely. If using the candy add to the mix after it’s cooled.

Store in airtight container or plastic storage bag. Makes about 9 cups of mix. 

Enjoy!

Setting a plate at my table and making a place in my heart!

Get Ready to Party Series Day 6 - Divide and Conquer

I recently hosted a group of  friends in my home for a fall luncheon. I thought it might be fun and helpful to write a series on how I planned and pulled off this party.

My hope is that by sharing it may be a blessing to someone else and it might encourage others to step out and invite                                                                                                           someone in!

Day 6 - Divide and Conquer

You can see the entire series by clicking the picture

Hosting a party or gathering can be intimidating and overwhelming at times. I'm pretty comfortable having people in my home because I've practiced for many years not because it comes naturally to me. My parents were great role models when it came to showing hospitality but for them it seemed so natural and effortless. When I married and began inviting people over I was usually frustrated that it seemed so hard to me. I apparently didn't get the effortless gene!

I soon learned my problem was that I had this need to do everything myself and everything had to be perfect. I felt as though asking for help meant I was a failure. Thankfully I quickly learned that I couldn't do it all myself and that no matter how hard I worked it would never be perfect. Perfection is the death of hospitality.  

Now when I host a gathering I always enlist a little help. I may ask a friend or family member to help serve or stay and help me clean up the kitchen. Help with the food is always appreciated.

For my luncheon I asked my sister-in-law to help me by bringing one of her signature dishes. Cranberry Gelatin Rounds. She prepares this for most of our family gatherings. It's simple but always a hit.

Cranberry Gelatin Rounds

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
2 packages (3 ounce each) cherry gelatin
1 16 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, finely chopped

Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Add additional water to the juice to make 2 1/2 cups. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan or in the microwave. Place the gelatin in a large bowl and pour the boiling liquid over the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Stir in the pineapple, apple, cranberry sauce, and nuts spoon into cup cake liners. Refrigerate several hours until firm.
Remove the set gelatin from the liners and place on a serving plate.

The cranberry gelatin is good but served with the nutty topping it's even better!

Nutty Cream Cheese topping

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup finely chopped nuts (pecan or walnut)
8 ounce container Cool Whip (defrosted)

Beat sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in nuts. Fold in the Cool Whip until well blended. Cover and refrigerate. This is good served with any fruit such as apples or strawberries. Heck it's even good eaten all by itself!

At your next gathering don't be shy about asking for help! 

I hope you'll come back tomorrow as I finish up this series on how to plan a party.

A plate at my table and a place in my heart!

See the party day here.

Get Ready to Party Series Day 5- Games Anyone?

I recently hosted a group of  friends in my home for a fall luncheon. I thought it might be fun and helpful to write a series on how I planned and pulled off this party.
My hope is that by sharing it may be a blessing to someone else and it might encourage others to step out and invite someone in!

Day 5 - Games Anyone? 

Click on the photo for the complete series

I love to play party games!
Games may not be appropriate at every party or gathering but I do find a fun game can break the ice and get people talking. 

For my fall luncheon I invited women from different areas of my life. My Zumba class, work, church, my family. They all knew me but didn't all know each other. I wanted to find a way to introduce them to each other that would be fun and to show that we're all connected in some way.
A friend of mine introduced me to the Connection game and I thought it was perfect for what I was trying to accomplish. 

Lots of fun and simple to play.

We're All Connected Game

All you need is a large ball of yarn. 

One person starts by saying something about themselves. 

For example, "I like the color green."

Everyone in the room who likes green raises their  hand and the ball of yarn gets tossed from person to person. (Each person needs to continue to hold on to the yarn.) The last person to get the yarn says something new about themselves such as "I have children". Everyone who has children raises their hand and the yarn gets passed from one to the other. 

The trick is to not let go of the yarn as it's passed from person to person. 

You'll develop a spider web effect after a few minutes.

It's a neat way to see that all though we may appear different we really are all connected in some way. We all have something in common.

We had a lot of fun coming up with things to say. Even when one person said something that no one else could respond to the ladies began to improvise just so they could get the yarn tossed to them.

One of the best reasons to host a party or gathering -to make connections and hopefully in the process to make a new friend or two.


I hope to see you tomorrow when I'll show you that you don't have to go it alone when you host a party. 

Patti

See day 6 here. Divide and Conquer