After the first few weeks of this blog, I realized I’ve done a lot of complicated and time consuming recipes. So, I went looking for something super duper easy, and relatively quick.
Thankfully, there’s always a variation of breakfast casseroles.
Breakfast casserole ingredients.
I’ve made breakfast casseroles in a sheet pan and in a Dutch oven, and went with the traditional Denver omelet in my little skillet. But the fun thing is, they’re all a little different, and you can’t go wrong with breakfast foods.
The one slight twist on this Taste of Home recipe is my sweetie accidentally didn’t get enough bacon but did mercifully come across wonderful spicy smokies (Li’l Bites) from Beeler’s for an extra breakfast treat, so I just used some of those.
I can’t really take credit for it, considering I didn’t pick the smokies, nor did I make them, but man, they really made the meal. It would’ve been a delight with just bacon, but the smokies accidentally made this an extra special treat. All without extra effort.
MMmmmm, smokies.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
1 package (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz smokies (we used the jalapeno and cheese Li’l Bites from Beeler’s that are highly recommended if you can find them), thickly sliced and cooked in bacon fat to brown if desired (they’re fully cooked so it’s not necessary!)
1 to 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 large eggs
2 c. whole milk
Paprika, to taste (I used hot paprika to build on the spice)
Pepper, to taste
Butter for greasing the casserole dish
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish.
In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, bacon, smokies, and ½ to 1 c. cheese. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and milk until blended. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.
Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining about ½ c. cheese, and enjoy!
When I think of my family, I almost always think of food. I don’t know if that says more about me or if we are all just incredibly food-oriented.
I think it’s the latter, but this week’s recipe is maybe a case for the former.
Though I’ve never been to Poland or even really raised with traditional Polish foods, I’ve always been fond of the things that remind me of my maternal grandma’s familial homeland. I’ve written about my family dumplings, the one sorta traditional recipe that did pass down.
Pierogi casserole ingredients.
But when I’ve made bialys or used pierogies in other recipes, I’ve always felt like Grandma Verbrugge was with me in spirit.
Well, Grandma is gone now, leaving us this past Christmas, so I have been even more in want of a connection. Enter a recipe from the Food Network that is pierogies—but without the frustrating experience of filling dough and hoping it all stays intact.
I won’t lie, it’s not totally without effort, but like any wonderful dish that comes together and offers comfort, it was more than worth it. Maybe that’s why a good meal is like family.
Here’s what I did, more or less sticking with the original recipe from an Iron Chef fave Michael Symon.
Underneath that crust is potatoes, cheese, bacon, and onions. Amazing.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 egg
8 T. softened butter, plus more for greasing the 9 x 13
¾ c. sour cream, plus more for serving
1 T. chopped chives (I used freeze dried, though fresh is called for), plus more for serving
1 t. salt
2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
For the filling:
2 lb. potatoes, cut into large chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 c. heavy cream, heated until hot
8 T. cold butter
1 small container (about 15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. bacon, chopped
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ c. shredded Gruyere
Directions
For the dough preparation:
Combine the egg, butter, sour cream, chives, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours and up to a couple days.
For the filling:
Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until a knife easily pierces the potatoes. Drain and return to the pot and mash the potatoes, slowly mixing in the hot cream and cold butter. Add in the ricotta, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and toss to coat with the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized and sweet. Let cool.
For the casserole/To finish:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish. Roll out the pierogi dough on a lightly floured surface to a ⅛ in. thick rectangle, and cut into 4 x 13 inch strips (kinda like lasagna), rolling scraps as necessary. You’ll need about 12 strips (the original called for more, but I couldn’t make it work, and mine turned out fine).
To assemble the casserole, arrange one layer of pierogi dough strips on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping the edges of the strips.
Spread about half the potatoes on the dough. Top with onions, bacon, and a sprinkling of Gruyere. Place another layer of dough strips, and repeat the filling layers, finishing with the dough, followed by a little more Gruyere and some pepper.
Bake until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese on top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let rest about 15 minutes, serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chives, and enjoy!
This week’s recipe, I regret to say, sat unused for years in my binder full of recipes. I feel extra bad about that, though I have several unmade recipes ripped from magazines in the binder, because this one came hand-written from my mother.
Even in the era of the Internet where she has shared several recipes with me via email, this one came to me hand-written. I’m not even sure when I got it or why (other than that it’s tasty), or why I never made it.
However, my sweetie recently purchased quinoa for a vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe I mentioned recently, and so we had some extra sitting around, ready to be used. Enter my mom’s herby quinoa recipe.
Herby quinoa ingredients.
Her recipe called to be made in a saucepan, but it was a small enough meal, enough for four servings, that it fit easily in my 9-inch Le Creuset.
It was incredibly simple, and incredibly tasty, and I feel incredibly stupid for waiting so long to make it.
While it does have bacon in it, it’s otherwise pretty healthy. Welcome after last week’s indulgence. The grain, herbs, some toasted almonds, with some bacon, and voila, a tasty weeknight meal is made.
So tasty, so simple.
Here’s what I did, following Mom’s recipe … though she forgot to specify the amount of broth so I had to wing that part and it took slightly longer to cook than her recipe said:
Ingredients
½ c. slivered almonds
1 t. vegetable oil
4 slices of bacon (her recipe called for two thick pieces, I had thin stuff so I doubled it), ¼ in. dice
1 small shallot, diced
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 c. vegetable or chicken broth
2 sage sprigs (hers called for 1, but I am a sucker for herbs)
1 T. minced chives
1 T. chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in pie plate and toast in the oven until golden brown. Let cool.
In a 9- to 10-inch skillet, heat oil, add bacon, and cook until fat has rendered, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and cook stirring a few times, until the shallot has softened but not browned. Add the quinoa, stock, and sage, and bring to a boil.
Cover and cook over low heat until the stock has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the sage stems, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the chives, parsley, and toasted almonds. Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!
Once upon a time, there was this magical world where we could safely gather in large groups and enjoy each other’s company while we shared fancy foods and strong drinks. But then darkness befouled the land, and those visits became virtual.
While I’m not missing the commute to see our friends in the Cedar Valley, I am missing their company and the ability to share tasty treats with them on a semi-regular basis.
Some foods are just better shared with friends, and only partially because having that many calories in the house is a terrible idea. However, this week’s decadent loaded baked potato dip sounded too delicious to wait until we can again share physical space with our friends.
Loaded baked potato dip ingredients.
It was pretty easy to make, and honestly, it wasn’t much of a challenge for two people to eat it over a few days, though I’m not sure that was the healthiest move. But it was a tasty choice.
As its name suggests, it’s a mix of potatoes, bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onions. To make it slightly healthier, I did serve it with sweet pepper wedges and bread, rather than a saltier vessel. Still, you could taste extravagance in every wonderful bite.
2 ¼ lb. Yukon gold or other small potatoes, quartered
Salt
4 slices bacon
10 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 ½ c. shredded sharp cheddar
½ c. sour cream
2 to 3 green onions, chopped
½ t. garlic powder
Bread and/or sweet peppers, for serving
Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large saucepan, bring a lightly salted pot of water to a boil and then add the potatoes. Cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender, and drain.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels. When cool enough to touch, crumble bacon, reserving about 1 T. for topping.
In a large bowl, mash the still warm potatoes, add the remaining bacon, cream cheese, 1 c. cheddar cheese, the sour cream, green onions, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Spoon mixture into a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet. Bake the mixture for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and turn on the broiler.
Top the potato mixture with the remaining ½ c. cheddar cheese and the reserved bacon. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve warm with the bread and/or peppers, and enjoy (even if it’s just you, treat yourself!)!
This recipe was recommended to me, and as soon as I saw it, I had to move it to the top of the queue. And not just because I was too lazy to come up with anything else on my own.
Mostly, the breakfast Yorkshire pudding recipe won me over with bacon, a limited ingredient list, and, of course, a specific skillet size. Like last week, it did say 10 inches, but I was hoping that 9 inches would work Spoiler: It was fine.
Yorkshire pudding with eggs ingredients.
Aside from the skillet size, I pretty much obediently followed the recipe from Serious Eats. Since I was using a slightly smaller dish, I did start checking the oven a little sooner, but unlike last week, the change in size didn’t seem to affect the cooking time.
Overall, I frickin’ loved this recipe.
I am glad I read it the night before I planned to make the Yorkshire pudding, because the batter should be made the night before (and up to three nights before). It was really quick, so it wasn’t a problem, but it would have been had I checked it Saturday morning.
My only two notes for the next time (or, more importantly, for readers):
The recipe recommends cooking the bacon for about 8 minutes before adding the batter. It didn’t look quite done so I did it for a minute or two longer … but I didn’t realize that much of the bacon would continue to cook slightly in the oven, so it was quite well done and this is coming from someone who likes her bacon extra crunchy. Next time, let it cook for 8 minutes (or until mostly done) and call it good enough.
Honestly, and this is just a taste thing for me, I would skip making the fried eggs to serve on top, and instead use the optional Hollandaise sauce that I skipped. I enjoy a fried egg just fine, but it’s nothing special to me (unless served on top of fried potatoes with hot sauce), and I also frickin’ love Hollandaise. I should have included it, but it was optional and I was lazy. But for my tastes, I’d rather enjoy this bread-y treat with an eggy sauce than with just eggs.
The only other thing I know for next time is that there will be a next time.
Eggy pudding with 2 eggs. So good, but so lacking in Hollandaise.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
3 large eggs (plus 4 more for serving, if desired)
~¾ c. flour
~½ c. plus 1 T. whole milk
~1 ½ T. water
½ t. salt
8 oz. bacon, diced (I used kitchen shears)
2 oz. grated Parmesan (optional, but not for me)
Hollandaise sauce (optional, but not for me in the future)
Directions
Combine (3) eggs, flour, milk, water, and a half teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl, and whisk until a smooth batter is formed. Refrigerate overnight (and up to three days). Remove from refrigerator during preparation.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Meanwhile, heat the 9- to 10-inch skillet on the stovetop. Once warmed, add the diced bacon. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp and mostly browned, about 8 minutes (don’t overcook; it will continue to cook a bit in the oven).
Pour prepared batter into the skillet once bacon is ready and immediately transfer to oven.
Bake until the batter is puffed, and deep brown and crispy, about 20 to 25 minutes (I started checking at 15 minutes for my 9-inch braiser; it was fine but best to err on the side of caution and check earlier if using 9-inch skillet).
About 5 minutes before pudding is ready, sprinkle on the Parmesan (if using). At about the same time, begin to prepare the (4) fried eggs to your liking (if using) and/or the Hollandaise sauce (if using). Enjoy!
As I scoured for recipes that may work in my little Le Creuset, I was so grateful to come across the first one that I noticed that specified an exact size for a skillet. Now, sure, it said 10 inches, but 9 inches is close enough for comfort.
So, I tried my hand at bing bread.
Bing bread ingredients.
In addition to its specified size, it is bread (good) stuffed with potatoes (good), scallions (good), bacon (amazing), and cheese (amazing), and then slightly fried and also baked. It was also supposed to incorporate sesame oil, which I love, but I forgot to put it in the rolled-up dough, and stupidly thought it’d be OK to add it with the frying oil. Don’t do that. It didn’t ruin it, but it didn’t help any either.
If I make it again, and I will make it again, I will be remembering to brush the dough with sesame oil and skimping on the frying oil. Also, I need to remember that a smaller pan is going to reduce cooking time.
Since this makes two bread rounds, I was lazy and made one in my Le Creuset and the other in the 10-inch Lodge skillet, and (I am loathe to admit) the larger pan definitely worked better. However, I think it’s mainly because I failed to account for the fact that smaller pans could cook faster.
While the fried side of both definitely looked a bit charred, they both ended up tasting just fine. I think the extra oil mostly made the edges a little chewier, but it didn’t taste burnt at all. Proof that presentation isn’t everything, especially when you have bacon and can top it with sour cream butter.
Deliciously decadent. And not too burnt.
Here’s what I did, following the thankfully specific Bon Appetit recipe:
Ingredients
2 ¼ t. active dry yeast (1 package)
2 T. plus 2 t. honey, divided
2 ½ t. salt, divided
2 c. plus 2 T. warm water, divided
4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for coating
1 large potato, baked and diced
3 T. vegetable oil, divided
1 lb. bacon, cooked (I baked mine on a grate) and diced
2 T. toasted sesame oil, divided (sort of optional since I mostly forgot, but it is delicious)
8 oz. white cheddar, grated (about 2 c.)
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. sesame seeds, divided
For sour cream butter (not strictly necessary but recommended)
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 T. sour cream
Scant 1 t. salt
Directions
Combine the yeast with the 2 T. honey, 2 t. salt, and 2 c. warm water in a large bowl, and whisk to dissolve the honey. Let sit until the yeast activates and becomes foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 3 c. of water and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form, adding flour (up to about another cup) until a shaggy ball begins to form. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 50 to 70 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the bacon and potatoes if you haven’t already (I did mine early and just chopped while I waited). Also, while waiting, whisk together the soy sauce, 2 t. honey, and 2 T. water in a small bowl until the honey is dissolved.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Once dough has doubled in size, gently push it down and transfer to a floured surface, kneading and adding flour as necessary until a sticky, smooth dough is formed. Divide the dough in half, and cover one half in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out while you prepare the first.
Roll out the half of a dough into about a 13-inch round that’s about ¼ inch thick. Brush with 1 T. sesame oil (don’t forget!), and then sprinkle on the round half the potato, bacon, cheese, and scallions. Roll dough up like a jelly roll, and then pinch ends and seams together to seal. Then, squeeze and press from the center toward the ends to elongate the roll slightly and even out the thickness. Then, starting from one end, coil like a rope to form a large spiral. Flatten the spiral to form a 9-inch round.
Cover the round and repeat with the remaining dough, using up the rest of the sesame oil, potato, bacon, cheese, and scallion.
Heat a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T. vegetable oil, swirling to coat. Carefully place one spiral in the hot skillet, and brush with the soy glaze. Cover with lid (or aluminum foil) and cook until the underside is golden brown between 5 and 10 minutes. Uncover and carefully flip bread over. Brush the browned top with soy glaze and sprinkle with 1 T. sesame seeds. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until underside is also golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack and let cool 15 minutes.
Repeat with second round (or use 2 9- to 10-inch skillets), and don’t forget the glaze and seeds. Once cooled, cut into wedges and serve with sour cream butter, which can be made ahead, and enjoy! To make butter, whisk 1 stick room temperature butter, 2 T. sour cream, and scant 1 t. salt.
I set out this week to make a soup. This is partially weather-related and mostly due to the fact that I had a head cold for about half the week and wanted my cozy hot comfort food.
The recipe that stood out most to me was a light spring soup called a brodo. But this is fall, dammit. Of course, I’m sure it’s possible still to find asparagus in the grocery store, either fresh or frozen, but it just didn’t feel right.
Brodo ingredients, sans broth. Isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think?
Also, because this soup had some cream and gnocchi, I thought it’d work as a fall dish.
So, I did some swapping and some additions, and boy, did I make a good, and pretty easy soup. The biggest difficulty was that I made my own broth. However, it’s not entirely necessary, and stupid me, I had some broth in the freezer that I realized to late. So, good reminder to make broth way ahead of time and freeze it, but yeah, try to remember it’s there when needed. Or, just buy some high-quality broth.
To fully fall this soup, I changed asparagus for Brussels sprouts and added bacon. It wasn’t even that many changes, but it sure felt perfect for autumn.
Soup is gone. So sad.
Here’s what I did, adapting from my Soup Nights cookbook (one of too many/not enough soup cookbooks I own):
Ingredients
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, sliced
8 c. vegetable or chicken broth (store bought or pre-made)
⅓ c. heavy cream
4 to 5 oz. blue cheese crumbles, divided
4 t. cornstarch
4 t. tap water
16 oz. pre-made potato gnocchi
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (I like it spicy so I used closer to 1 t. but very taste dependent and a little goes a long way)
1 to 1 ½ bunches green onions, sliced, to taste
8 slices bacon, cooked to package directions, for serving
Chives, to taste, for serving
Directions
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and then the Brussels sprouts. Cook until softened and starting to brown. Add the vegetable broth and heat to boiling.
Meanwhile, mix together the blue cheese and heavy cream in a small bowl. Once the broth is boiling, add the cheese and cream mixture.
In the same bowl (or separately), mix together the corn starch and water, and then add that mixture to the soup mixture. Stir often for about 3 minutes until the soup begins to thicken.
Add the salt and pepper, cayenne, green onions, and the gnocchi, cooking another 3 to 5 minutes until the pre-made gnocchi is cooked through. Season more, as needed.
Ladle soup into bowls, serve with cooked bacon, any additional blue cheese crumbles as desired, and chives, and enjoy!
Mistakes were made in the creation of this week’s recipe, but because it all turned out to be fine in the end, I’ll parrot the great Bob Ross in saying that it was a happy little accident.
Since my sweetie was out of town for the week, I didn’t want to make any hefty meal that I’d have to eat all on my own. That’s kind of a challenge when it comes to making things in a Dutch oven.
So, I thought a safe thing to make might be bread. Sure, it’d make a lot but it’d be easier to freeze and share. Even better, I found a recipe for dinner rolls in my Cook It In Your Dutch Oven cookbook so I could make mini-sized bites.
But I didn’t need dinner rolls for light solo dinners. Breakfast rolls sounded better.
This is where things went off the rails. I started looking in another cookbook for sweet breads, decided on cinnamon rolls, saw a recipe for bacon maple bread, and then amended my plan to make bacon maple cinnamon rolls.
A quick Google search confirmed that I wasn’t the only one who’d had this idea so there was a good chance my idea wasn’t totally crazy.
I tracked down a cinnamon roll recipe I made a few years ago and then updated it to what I thought would work for my tastes. The Googled recipes also offered some hints but I wanted to do it my way.
It was a little difficult to fit in my Dutch oven, and the center did not hold as it baked, but it hardly mattered once I tasted it.
It turned out to be about the most deliciously decadent thing I’ve made. And totally inappropriate for me to eat all by myself.
Thank goodness my sweetie is back to share them tomorrow.
Bacon maple cinnamon rolls. So decadent.
Here’s how I made the happy little accidents:
Ingredients
For the dough
1 c. warm milk
1 stick butter
½ c. sugar
2 ½ t. active dry yeast (or one package)
1 egg
2 t. salt
4-5 c. all-purpose flour
For the cinnamon center
1 stick butter, softened
3 t. cinnamon
4 T. brown sugar
4-5 T. maple syrup
10 slices bacon, cooked, cooled, and chopped
½ c. chopped pecans (pecan chips, if available)
For (optional) cream cheese topping
4 T. butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 T. maple syrup
½ t. vanilla
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 t. ground cardamom (optional)
½ c. pecans, for topping (optional)
Directions
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the milk. Heat the milk to just warm but not too hot so it doesn’t destroy the yeast. Add the sugar and yeast to the butter and milk mixture. Let activate for about 15 minutes.
Add the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the remaining dough ingredients. Add flour until a dough forms, and then knead for 5 to 10 minutes until springy and smooth, adding flour as necessary.
Shape into a round, place back in bowl and cover. Let rise for about 2 hours. (I opted to do this over two week nights, so I refrigerated the dough after this rise, and then let warm back up for about an hour after getting home the next night; also possible to do once its in roll form in the Dutch oven.)
Meanwhile, mix together the cinnamon center ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Prepare the bacon and pecans, if not already ready. Prepare the Dutch oven by making a foil sling by folding in half to long sheets of aluminum foil, so you have 2 long, roughly 7 inch sheets. Place sheets perpendicular to each other, like a lowercase t, and carefully smooth down into the bowl. Spray with a little bit of oil.
When the dough is ready, roll out into about an 18 inch by 9 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread with the cinnamon mixture, and then place the bacon pieces and pecan pieces on top.
Roll the coated dough along the long end into a log. Cut into about 14 even pieces. Turn and place the pieces in the Dutch oven, starting with the outside adding about 9 to 10 pieces along the edges and then placing the remaining rolls in the center.
Cover and let rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has risen, uncover and place the rolls in the oven, and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until golden on top.
Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients of the cream cheese topping, if using. Let rolls cool for at least 5 minutes but while still warm, add the frosting, and then cool a little longer before enjoying!
We’ve had a bag of dried pinto beans sitting on a shelf for a few months, which neither of us now remembers why we bought it.
So, when I thought about making Mexican rice, I figured I may as well come up with a recipe for using those pinto beans.
Borracho beans recipe.
Homemade bean and rice burritos with some extra cotija we also had lying around sounded like a perfect dinner to me.
I just needed the beans recipe. Thankfully, Homesick Texan was right there with three ways to make pinto beans, each building on the recipe before it. Because I always do too much, I of course, opted for the third one that had all the flavors and ingredients, and took the most time.
These beans were not meant to be made for a casual weeknight dinner, but the leftovers definitely will, and have.
I mostly followed the recipe but I decided against buying two different kinds of pork and met in the middle with thick-cut bacon. I also reduced the jalapenos and replaced one with a poblano to keep the spiciness to medium (It probably would have been fine but my way was good for me). I also made an error in recipe-reading so an adequate substitute is provided.
Best beans ever.
Here’s what I did, based on the borracho beans recipe from Homesick Texan:
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with the juices (I forgot this ingredient so substituted ½ pint cherry tomatoes and 1 c. vegetable broth)
2 jalapenos, seeded, stemmed, and roughly chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded, stemmed, and roughly chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 c. cilantro
1 (12 oz.) bottle Modelo Negro or similar dark beer
Directions
Chop up all but 4 strips of (uncooked) bacon and add to a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and salt, as desired. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to the pot with water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the pot to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about an hour. (At about a half-hour, I covered partially as I had added too much water, so check water levels and adjust as necessary.)
Meanwhile, cook remaining 4 pieces of bacon. Add the cooked bacon pieces to a blender with tomatoes (or tomatoes and broth, as it were), jalapenos, poblano, chipotles, and cilantro. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Once beans are mostly cooked through, after an hour, add the blended mixture to the pot.
Cook another 20 minutes, covered or uncovered as appropriate to adjust liquid level to your choosing. Add beer about 10 minutes before ready; add jalapeno pickle juices, about 5 minutes before ready, and simmer uncovered.
Let cool slightly and enjoy with more beer, and perhaps some Mexican rice.
I was looking for something simple to make this week because I had been feeling under the weather and thus, behind on everything. But what made me select a breakfast recipe was an ulterior motive to test out how long to cook eggs in the oven.
I figured that if every other piece was easy this time — frozen hash browns and bacon — I could focus on the eggs. So, when I do my next egg recipe(s), I’ll be ready for it.
Ingredients for sheet pan hash brown breakfast.
While I managed to overcook the eggs slightly, they were still well within the realm of edible and acceptable. And now I know at 400 degrees, with an already warm dish, eggs cook in less than 10 minutes, probably closer to 8 minutes if you want them a little runny.
Otherwise, using a couple different recipes with very different ideas of how to use the same ingredients and also making my own twists, I made a delightful and pretty easy hash brown breakfast for dinner.
My last note is the recipes called for just laying the slices of bacon straight on the hash browns, and that worked. But next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I’ll take the time to use cooking shears and cut the bacon into bits, both so it ends up crunchier and so it’s easier to eat the final product. Oh and I tested both turkey and pork bacon and both worked well.
So much bacon! (And eggs, and hash browns.)
Without further ado, here’s what I did:
Ingredients
20 oz. frozen hash browns
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 T. butter, melted (plus more or oil for coating the sheet pan)
1 c. shredded cheese (I used more and opted for a Mexican mix, but you do you)
12 slices bacon, cut into bite-size pieces if you like
6 eggs
3 T. Parmesan, shredded (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Use oil or butter to coat a rimmed sheet pan about 15 ½ x 12 inches in size.
Add hash browns in an even layer. Top with onions, pepper, cheese (except the Parmesan) and melted butter. Stir gently to mix. Add salt and pepper.
Place bacon on top. It will seem like a lot if you didn’t cut it, but it’ll shrink some in the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the bacon is nearly done and hash browns are starting to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and make wells (I actually just used bacon as rims to hold the eggs, which is an option if you don’t cut the bacon). Carefully break eggs, keeping them whole. Top with Parmesan if using and add a little more salt and pepper. Return to oven and bake for about 7 to 9 more minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and enjoy!
