And More bacon

Oh man, I thought canned bacon was scary.... Check this s#*t out!

Squeez Bacon


Thanks to ThinkGeek via Geekologie for that

Chilaquiles

After days of having tostadas and tacos we still have a bunch of corn tortillas left. Now corn tortillas freeze really well, but if you want to use them up and are bored of eating tacos and tostadas, you can use them for breakfast.


One of our favorite dishes is chilaquiles and it's super easy. You can search and find a hundred different recipes, but this is my favorite.

INGREDIENTS:
4 corn tortillas, cut in sixths
1/2 c salsa
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 c shredded cheese
2T olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in skillet on medium heat
Fry tortillas in batches until lightly golden brown but not super crispy
Remove tortillas and allow the pan to cool to medium low heat, about 3-5 minutes
Add tortillas back to pan and add eggs, kind of like a tortilla omelet
When eggs are almost cooked add salsa and cook until liquid is mostly absorbed
Remove pan from heat and add shredded cheese to the top and cover for 3 minutes.

This serves two, and can be served with beans if you want. Also, if you don't have salsa, you can use enchilada sauce, or tomatoes and onions. It's good with a tomatillo salsa as well. have fun with this recipe and enjoy.

Maple Syrup Substitute and Homemade Baking Mix

On any given day that my husband and I get to share a breakfast at home, when he is asked what he wants for breakfast, he almost always replies "waffles."

A few months back I started making my own baking mix and storing it because it's a bit cheaper than store bought and you can add whatever you want. I always use whole wheat flour and oats and add whatever grains I have on hand. Here is my mix recipe, but once you have the general idea you can change things around a bit. I adapted this from a simple pancake recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
4 c flour
3 c whole wheat flour
1 c oatmeal
1/2 T salt
2 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
DIRECTIONS:
I mix it all in a zipper bag or a jar and for every heaping cup of mix I use 1 c skim milk, 1 egg, 1 T extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 t vanilla. For waffles I use egg whites. It's pretty easy and super tasty.

I also labeled this post as having a maple syrup substitute. I came upon this problem yesterday morning when I realized I had run out of maple syrup. I found a recipe for fake maple syrup here that seems pretty good, but of course, I had no maple flavoring. So I just made a sauce and it was fabulous.
INGREDIENTS:
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c water
1 T margarine
1 T whiskey
1/2 t vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Melt margarine over medium heat
Add brown sugar, stirring to dissolve
Add water, vanilla and whiskey
Lower heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes

It was a great topping and we didn't miss having maple syrup. It definitely gave breakfast a fun little kick.

French Toast Casserole

Ooooh bread pudding, you are my favorite dessert. I always said instead of having wedding cake I'd have wedding bread pudding with a maple syrup fountain. I got married in Vegas and couldn't find a place that could cater to my every whim (for the price, you know what I mean.) But, no matter, I can still have bread pudding on any other day.

I use less sugar in my recipe than a lot of others because I like to top mine with a very sweet maple whiskey sauce and maybe some ice cream. So there is no lack of sweetness if that's of any concern. I also like to have it for breakfast with just a touch of maple syrup, it will rival french toast any day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf french bread- 3 to 4 cups (the more stale the better, but fresh will work fine) torn or cut into 1" cubes
1 c egg beaters or 4 eggs
2 c skim milk
1 c sugar (brown or white will work just fine)
1T vanilla extract
1t cinnamon
2T butter or margerine (for greasing the pan)

Maple Whiskey Sauce:
1/2 c maple syrup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1/4 c whiskey
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t allspice

DIRECTIONS:
Grease 13 x 9" pan with butter
Layer cubed bread fairly evenly in pan
Beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with fork until mixed
Pour over bread to nearly cover. If it doesn't cover I add a little extra milk over the top
Cover with plastic wrap and press down and along the insides of the dish to seal
At this point you can leave it on the counter for 30 minutes and preheat the oven or you can leave it in the fridge over night. If you do leave it overnight, it must be taken out of the fridge prior to cooking so it is near to room temp when it goes in the oven.
Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 30-40 minutes or until it is set
While the pudding is baking put all sauce ingredients except for the syrup in a small sauce pan on low
Cook until the sugar melts then add the maple syrup, simmer on low for 5 minutes

You can eat this warm or cool. It's good in the fridge for 3-4 days and it really can do double duty as a breakfast or dessert. I am a purist so I don't like nuts or raisins in mine but you can put in berries, raisins, dates, dried fruit or nuts and have an ever changing dessert.