Cheddar ~ Bacon ~ Onion ~ Biscuits

Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman, has a wonderful recipe for these savory breakfast gems on her website. However, I have a tendency to find ways to simplify things, so here's my spin, using the original biscuit recipe on the back of the Bisquick box:

Ingredients:

8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled (I like center-cut bacon for this)
1/2 onion, sauteed in 2 T butter
2 1/4 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. In a medium bowl, stir the Bisquick and milk until a soft dough forms. Stir in bacon, onion (with any extra buttery goodness) and cheese.

Knead around 10 times on a surface dusted with Bisquick mix. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden. For extra richness, brush tops of biscuits with a little melted butter.

I serve these yummies with scrambled eggs. Makes 8-9 biscuits.

My Mother-in-Law's Breakfast Casserole

My wonderful mother-in-law made this breakfast for my husband & I when we came for a visit many years ago. She generously wrote out this recipe for me, and it has been one of my main "go-to" breakfasts for almost 14 years!

1 package unseasoned stuffing cubes
1 lb. sausage, cooked & drained
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (small can)
2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. finely minced onion, sauteed in 1 T butter
1 T. chives
3/4 c. cream
1 1/4 c. milk
6 eggs
1 t. mustard
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place half of croutons on the bottom, then layer the sausage, cheese, onions, and mushrooms. Combine the cream, milk, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chives, salt and pepper into a blender. Pulse until mixture is completely incorporated. Pour over the layers in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

You can substitute bacon or ham for the sausage, or use a mixture of the three. You can also make it vegetarian by adding a variety of peppers or mushrooms.

I usually serve this with my fruit salad and a glass of milk.

Hash Brown Quiche

I love this breakfast quiche from none other than Miss Paula Deen! If you love a "farmer's breakfast", this simple quiche is a winner!

Preheat oven to 450.

Ingredients:

4 c. shredded frozen hashbrowns, thawed & drained
1/2 stick melted butter
4 large eggs, beaten
1 c. half & half
3/4 c. diced, cooked ham (crumbled bacon or prepared sausage would work, too)
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 c. shredded cheddar
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss hashbrowns with butter. Press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes or until golden & crisp. Mix remaining ingredients and pour into hot crust. Lower oven temperature to 350. Bake additional 30 minutes or until golden & puffed.

Gooey Caramel Rolls

Okay, these rolls are incredibly rich and oh, so ooey-gooey delicious! Serve with an icy-cold fruit salad, and you'd think you were in heaven!

Ingredients:

16 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls
1 c. lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 package Jello cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding
1/2 stick melted butter
1/4 c. grandulated sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix sugar and cinnamon. Grease bundt pan well with cooking spray. Place frozen rolls in pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and dry pudding mix over rolls. Pour melted butter over top, then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture and nuts. Cover TIGHTLY with foil. Let set out overnight. The next morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Flip upside down on top of foil and serve.

Side Note: The sugar and butter turn into this sticky rich bit of caramel goodness that is awe-inspiring, I tell ya!

Here's the fruit salad ~



Fruit Salad

~ This is so colorful and pretty ~

Mix together:

1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
black seedless grapes
sliced strawberries
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 bananna, sliced

For extra decadence, drizzle a teeny bit of Eagle-Brand sweetened condensed milk over the top.
If you want to be "good", a dollop of vanilla yogurt is tasty, too!