A tasty, QUICK dinner!

No oven required (Christy). ;)

Seriously, this is one of my new gems. It is great for that night when you don't have time and/or energy to make a huge dinner. AND it tastes fantastic! And it's something you can always keep the ingredients for on hand. And it only takes one pan to prepare, so it's super easy clean-up. Win-win-win-win. Boom baby.

Barbecue Chili with Corn

from Betty Crocker, adapted by Briana

Serves 5-6

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 can (22 oz) Busch Southern Barbecue Pit "Grillin' Beans", undrained
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
• 3/4 can (approx 10 oz) corn, drained (can use frozen corn as well)
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Shredded cheddar cheese

In saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium high heat, until beef is done; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top individual servings with cheese.

And there you have it - awesome dinner ready in about 20 minutes!

(**A couple of notes: don't mess around with/deviate from the specific type of beans and tomatoes called for - they really make the recipe. And don't be afraid of the chili powder - the recipe is spiced, but not spicy (a.k.a. kid friendly).)

(No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake

Here's the last recipe from all my recent breakfast experimenting/searching: (No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake. The good thing about this breakfast bake is that it's a snap to throw together (except it was a little labor intensive for me because I didn't have Southwest Style Hashbrowns around and had to come up with my own version...). I thought it was tasty enough, but Eric absolutely raved about this one. So, I'll let you be the judge. :)

(No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake

from Mr. Breakfast, Adapted by Briana

• 1/2 pkg. Simply Potatoes Southwest Style Hashbrowns
• 1/4 lb. breakfast sausage
• 1/4 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 can biscuits (large, 5 count like Grands)

Crumble and cook sausage in a skillet. Put aside. Cook hashbrowns in skillet with a little olive oil. Combine sausage and hash browns and 1/2 of shredded cheddar in 8x8 baking pan. Pat biscuits out to form a crust on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.

Can be baked immediately or covered and refrigerated to bake the next morning. Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes, or until biscuits are done and cheese is melted.

Tomato, Bacon, Cheese and Bread Breakfast Casserole

In my quest for the perfect Christmas morning breakfast (still haven't found it, by the way), I came across this delicious recipe from Food and Wine. The combination of the herbs, tomatoes, and sourdough bread is pretty incredible. I think this would be the most delightful brunch entree.

Tomato, Bacon, Cheese and Bread Breakfast Casserole

from Food and Wine, Adapted by Briana

Serves 6-8

(picture from Food and Wine)

• 1 lb. bakery white bread, cut into 1" cubes (I used sourdough bread and highly recommend it!)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. sliced applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 28 oz. can whole Italian tomatoes, drained, chopped, and patted dry (that is way too much work - I used Italian style diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 lb. extra sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups **note: I just used cheddar and doubled it)
• 2 TBSP snipped chives (I used fresh green onions)
• 1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• salt
• 8 large eggs, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13" glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the bread is golden and lightly crisp.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve just a smidgen of the fat in the skillet to cook onions in.

3. Add onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.

4.Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives, and broth. Stir until the bread is evenly moistened. Season with salt, to taste. Spread the mixture in the backing dish and cover lightly with foil.

5. Bake the break mixture in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is crispy, about 15 minutes longer. ***Optional: Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a ladle, press 8 indentations into the bread mixture. Crack an egg into each indentation. Carefully return to oven and cook until eggs are done - approximately 10-15 more minutes (egg whites are set, but yolks are still runny). Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. For the non egg lovers in your crowd (like me), you can just leave egg off of part of the casserole. I did ours half and half - eggs on Eric's and Elena's side, non for me.

2. This can be made ahead! (Don't you just love recipes like that?) Prepare through step 4 and refrigerate overnight. Pull it out in the morning and wha-la!

Egg Nog French Toast

***POST EDIT: I made these originally with Egg Beaters - Egg Whites, instead of regular eggs. Then last night I made them with regular eggs. There is a big taste difference! I think they are much better with just egg whites, personally (they are heavenly, in fact!). But to each, his own - just wanted to let you know that there is a difference. Most of you probably already realized that, but I don't eat eggs, so I didn't realize that until now. :))

Well, Happy New Year ladies! I've got several yummy breakfast recipes for you. There's nothing like a warm, hearty breakfast on a lazy winter morning. First up, look at this YUMMY I found earlier this week:

Egg Nog French Toast

from Caroline Drake of the Zupas Blog

Makes 4 servings

(image by Caroline Drake)

-1 loaf Italian Pugliese Bread (Costco), slice about 1 inch think at a diagonal.
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 to 2 cups egg nog
-dash of cinnamon
-dash of nutmeg
-1/2 tsp sugar
-1 tsp butter

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Next stir together eggs, egg nog, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a shallow dish. Dredge the sliced bread into the mixture and cook in skillet about 3 minutes per side or until golden on each side.

Serve with fresh maple syrup, fresh berries, and powdered sugar for garnish.

***And for those of you that aren't fans of Egg Nog (or if you couldn't find Egg Nog after Christmas, like me), you can just substitute milk for the Egg Nog and up the sugar to more like 1 Tbsp. It made for some of the yummiest french toast I've ever had! But, ladies, it's all about the bread! You've got to use good, quality artisan bread for these results. I highly recommend the Pugliese bread from Costco - two loaves are only $4.99 and you can freeze one for later. It was the most divine flavor/texture combination.) ***

Skillet Chicken Nachos

This is seriously THE easiest thing to whip up for dinner - 20 minutes and one skillet and your good to go. And it is super tasty. It has had rave reviews everytime I've made it.

Skillet Chicken Nachos

Makes 6 servings | from Betty Crocker.com

(image from Betty Crocker.com)

-1 T olive oil

-1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

-1 oz taco seasoning

-1 8oz can tomato sauce

-1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (approx. 1 cup)

-1 15 oz can black beans, drained

-1 7oz can corn, drained

-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (I just use cheddar)

-Tortilla chips

-1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken in oil 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.

Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, bell pepper, beans, corn, and 1 cup of the cheese. Reduce heat to medium; cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and sprinkle on remaining cheese and cilantro before serving. Serve over tortilla chips.

Chicken Enchilada Soup (Crockpot)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with sweet onion in it)
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper (I used red, which is my favorite pepper)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces)
2 chicken breasts

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.