I found this recipe in an issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  It called for ham, but I opted for all veggies.  This is an easy, delicious weeknight meal.  And you could easily change up the filling to suit your tastes.  Enjoy!

Veggie Omelet Cups:

4 cups frozen hash browns thawed

4 T butter melted

salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Spray 4-6 ramekins or a 6 spot large muffin tin.  Mix thawed hash browns and butter in a bowl.  Add in a dash of salt/pepper to taste.  Place 1/4 cup of hash brown mixture into prepared ramekins, firmly pressing into bottom and up sides of each cup.  Bake 15 minutes.

1 T olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red peppers, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, jalapenos, etc…

3/4 C grated cheddar cheese

4-6 large eggs

Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute 1 T olive oil and any chopped veggies or meat you decide to use.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Divide veggie mix evenly among cups.  Top with 3 T of grated cheddar cheese.  Crack 1 large egg onto the top.  Season with salt/pepper.  Bake until whites are set, 8-10 minutes.  With a small spatula, remove from cups and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

The last time I made soft pretzels was in home economics class in 7th grade.  I found this recipe in the winter issue of Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate and thought it would be fun to make after church today.  It calls for you to make it in a stand up mixer with a dough hook, but my mom does not have one of those at her house, so I just used a spoon and my hands to kneed it.  They worked well and were very tasty.  Have fun!

Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)

1 T honey

3 t kosher salt, divided

1 package active dry yeast

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 T water

1 egg yolk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, honey, 2 t salt and yeast.  Stir to combine.  Allow mix to stand for at least 5 minutes or until mixture begins to foam.  Add all purpose flour, bread flour and butter.  Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until combined.  Increase speed to medium and mix until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl, about 4-5 minutes.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap or towel and place in a warm place.  Let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide into about 16 equal portions.  Roll each into a 12″ rope.  Shape into a pretzel shape (or any shape you like) and place on prepared baking sheet.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and water.  Using a pastry brush, coat pretzels with egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining salt.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.  Remove and enjoy!

I found this recipe in the winter issue of Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate.  It’s been snowing here all day and I was craving something warm and comforting tonight.  I loved these, they really hit the spot.  They were super easy to make and would be great for a super bowl party or appetizer party.  Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Ham & Turkey Sliders

2 (12 piece) packages Hawaiian rolls

1/2 cup butter

2 T sliced green onions

2 T seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers

2 T deli mustard

1 t sugar

1 t Worcestershire sauce

3/4 lb thinly sliced deli turkey

3/4 lb thinly sliced deli ham

6 slices provolone cheese (or Velveeta, which is what I used)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Without separating, slice rolls horizontally.  Set aside.  In a small saucepan, combine butter, jalapeno peppers, mustard, sugar and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until butter is melted.  Brush melted butter mixture on both sides of the rolls.  Layer ham, turkey and cheese on rolls.  Add some of the sliced green onions.  Close rolls.  Brush tops with extra butter mixture.  Wrap rolls in tinfoil.  Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I have been wanting to make these for months now.  I finally found the time to do it.  And this recipe was in this month’s issue of Cuisine At Home magazine.  These were very easy to make and tasted great!  I ate at least half for my dinner tonight dipped in ranch dressing.  Yummy!  Enjoy!

Fried Pickles

Vegetable oil

1 jar dill or sweet pickle slices (I used Famous Dave’s Spicy Pickle Chips)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

Heat 1 inch of oil in a large fry pan over medium heat to 360 degrees.  Drain pickles, reserving 3/4 cup of pickle juice.  Whisk pickle juice, dressing, egg and flour together until smooth.  Combine panko and dry ranch mix in a shallow dish.  Pat pickles dry with paper towels.  Dip pickles into batter, letting excess drip off.  Then coat in panko mix and drop into hot oil.  Fry pickles in batches until golden, 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

I found this recipe in the most recent Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine.  I actually had some pure maple syrup in the refrigerator that needed to be used up, so I thought I’d give this a try.  These cookies were very easy to put together

Maple Oatmeal Cookies

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup flour

1 t salt

1/4 t baking soda

3/4 cup butter, room temp

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg

1 t vanilla extract

1/8 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, salt and baking soda.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes.  Beat in maple syrup, egg, vanilla and 1/8 cup of water, scraping down bowl as needed.  With mixer on low, beat in oat mixture in 2 additions until just combined.  Drop dough in rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart onto sprayed baking sheets.  Bake until edges are golden, about 11 minutes.  Let cookies cool on sheets until set, about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes lately that call to cook the meal in a Dutch oven.  My mom bought me a beautiful red cast iron Dutch oven for Christmas this year.  And I’ve decided to try it out today on a modified meal.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and it led me to this blog post at Siggy Spice.  This is the original recipe and post.  My husband does not like pork, so I thought I’d modify it and use chicken breasts.  Then I decided to cook it on my stove in my new Dutch oven.  I also added a few ingredients that are not in the original recipe, almost like a stew you might make in the crock pot.  This was a very easy meal to throw together.  Enjoy!

Drunken Chicken and Potatoes:

3 chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 bottle dark beer (I used Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, just because it’s the only beer I had in the house)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1 cup small carrots

2 lb small russet potatoes (I bought mine from Schwans’, and I believe they might have already been precooked…)

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the Dutch oven pan.  Heat oil over medium heat.  Salt and pepper your chicken breasts to taste and brown in hot oil.  Remove from pan and set aside.  While chicken is browning, mix beer, brown sugar and ketchup in a bowl.  Once you have removed the chicken, deglaze the pan with a little bit of the beer mix.  Pour potatoes into the pan, place chicken on top.  Add carrots.  Pour remaining beer mix over entire contents.  Place cover on Dutch oven and turn heat to low.  Allow to cook on low heat for about 3-4 hours, depending on if your potatoes are precooked or not.  Enjoy!

I found this recipe in an issue of Cuisine at Home.  I have modified it a bit, but my oh my.  If you love curry, this soup is for you!  I also tried out my new KitchenAid Mixer and dough handle, making some fresh bread to dip into this soup for dinner tonight.  Great comfort food for a cold winter night.  Enjoy!

Curry Chicken Noodle Soup:

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced red pepper

1 cup diced celery

1 can mushrooms

3 T curry powder

3 T fresh minced ginger

3 T minced jalapeno

2 T minced fresh garlic

2 T olive oil

8 cups low sodium chicken broth

8 oz. Thai noodles

1 can chicken

squirt lime juice, dash of salt and pepper to taste

scallions (optional)

Sweat onion, pepper, celery, mushrooms, curry, ginger, jalapeno, garlic and oil in a large pot over medium-low heat until onion begins to soften.  Stir in broth and chicken.  Bring soup to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 1-2 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving, turn heat back to boiling and add noodles.  Cook until done.  Return heat to low until ready to serve.  Season with salt, pepper and a squirt of lime juice.  Sprinkle sliced scallions on top if desired.  Enjoy!

I found this recipe in one of my Cooking With Paula Deen magazines.  Her recipe actually calls for Kahlua, not Captain Morgan.  But I did not have any Kahlua, so I thought I would try it with Captain.  It turned out awesome!  This is a very easy cake to throw together.  Also a great cake for those of you that don’t like frosting.  It is rich and delicious.  Enjoy!

Captain Morgan Cake:

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 box chocolate instant pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a Bundt pan.  In a large bowl, mix cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, rum and eggs.  Beat at medium speed until smooth.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Carefully pour hot Captain Topping (recipe below) over the cake.  Let stand, in pan, for 4 hours.  Invert cake and serve!

Captain Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Captain Morgan

1/4 cup water

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for 2 minutes, stirring often.

I found this recipe through Pinterest.  It originates from the blog All Things Delicious.  Check it out, all sorts of yummy stuff there.  I am home today with no plans and thought I would try out my new KitchenAid blender that I got for Christmas.  I was browsing through my recipes saved on Pinterest and came across this simple, fast and easy recipe.  It’s only 8:30am, so what better time to make this breakfast ring.  My boys and I love monkey bread, and this is basically a version of that.  This was so fast and easy to make.  It just might become a new family tradition on Saturday mornings.  Enjoy!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring:

1 tube grand buttermilk biscuits

I have been on a mission to find the “perfect” homemade cinnamon roll recipe.  I have tried 3 for sure, and none of them would rise.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest.  That led me to pink-parsley.com.  On her blog, it said it was adapted from Beantown Baker, originally from La Fuji Mama.  Wherever it came from, it is delicious.  My dough actually rose and they taste great!  The only thing I did differently was that I placed the rolls in a square baking dish, because they were too big to fit into my cupcake holders.  I got two cupcakes to fit and the rest went into the dish.  I love the cupcake idea, so next time I will just cut them a little skinnier.  And the cream cheese frosting is to die for!  Completely awesome!

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes:

1 pkt dry active yeast

1/2 cup white sugar, divided

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 T cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

8 oz cream cheese, soft

2/3 cup butter, soft

1 – 2 cups powdered sugar

Dissolve yeast and 1/4 cup of the sugar in the warm milk.  Let stand for about 10 minutes.  Mix in the eggs, butter, salt and other 1/4 cup of sugar.  Add flour and mix well until the dough forms a ball.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5-10 times.  Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for at least 1 hour in a warm spot.  After the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon.  Melt 1/3 cup of butter.  Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and lightly spray over the top of them with cooking spray.  Roll dough into a 12×22 inch rectangle.  Pour 2/3 cup of melted butter over.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.  Roll up dough and cut into 24 (or so) rolls.  Try to fit the rolls into the cupcake liners.  Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting.  To make frosting, mix cream cheese and butter using a blender until mixed.  Slowly add the powdered sugar until desired consistency has been reached.  YUMMY!