Bacon & Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and I realized all the ingredients were right there in my fridge, well I had to give it a try.  I did some minor modifications which are listed in parentheses with the recipe.  Credit for the recipe goes to Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes.

Ingredients:

4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (pepper jack)
8 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream (half & half)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Dash pepper
4 green onions, chopped (one shallot sliced thin)

In addition I added one chopped Green Mexi Bell Pepper

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Remove the bacon from the pan and sauté the mushrooms in the reserved bacon grease until tender and the liquid has evaporated. Season with a little salt and pepper. Spread the cheese in a greased 11.75x7.5" baking dish. Or a baking dish lined with non-stick aluminum foil.  Top with the mushrooms, then the bacon and green onions (mexi bell pepper) (shallot).

 In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, cream (half & half), salt, celery salt and a dash of pepper. Pour evenly over everything.

 Bake at 350º 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings 

Enjoy friends!

Roasted Asparagus with Grape Tomatoes and Mushrooms

We were shopping at HyVee and there was this wonderful bunch of asparagus.  Looking through some ideas on Pinterest, I came across a recipe which I modified.  Came out just delicious.

I snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and then use a vegetable peeler to peel the stems, I think it looks nice that way.  I read a chef on Food and Wine who said he does this because, 

"it looks cool!"

That is non-stick foil lining a pie dish, easy clean up.

Next, slice some mushrooms.  I keep reading this debate on whether to wash mushrooms OR wipe them off with a damp towel.  I saw Alton Brown toss mushrooms into a mesh strainer, run water over them and toss them around--works like a charm.  Then lay them on a paper towel to dry.

Take the grape tomatoes and cut them in half.  

Toss everything in some olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.

Back into the pie dish and arrange in a pretty pattern.  

Sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese.  Use your judgement as to how much you like, or 

omit it altogether.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Roast until the asparagus is tender crisp.  

Use the tip of a knife to test doneness.

Enjoy friends!

Mushroom Asiago Chicken

We were in Wisconsin recently and one must buy and bring home cheese!  I bought a nice wedge of asiago cheese and then proceeded to find a recipe in which to use said cheese.  And here it is!

Courtesy of The Midnight Baker Blog.

Mushroom Asiago Chicken

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 large)
• 2 cups mushrooms, cut in half
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 springs fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1/2 cup seasoned flour
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• seasoned flour:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Pound chicken breast with a meat mallet between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap until meat is uniform thickness; about 1/4-inch. Cut into serving-sized pieces (2 or 3 pieces per breast)

Heat the butter with *1* tbs of olive oil in deep, heavy skillet or saute pan over medium heat.

Dredge chicken in seasoned flour.  Add to hot oil/butter in skillet.  Saute until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove from pan.

Add remaining olive oil to hot skillet.  Saute mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms begin to brown.

Add white wine to skillet, scraping up all the browned bits that are at the bottom of the pan (this is called "deglazing"). Bruise the fresh thyme by twisting it between your fingers or hitting it with the dull side of a knife in a few places.  Add thyme to mushroom/wine mixture in pan.

Add the chicken back to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan.  Add the cream and heat through. Add the asiago cheese (if you like it strongly flavored, use 1/2 cup; not as strongly flavored, use the 1/4 cup--asiago is a powerful cheese and you can even use less for just a whisper of flavor.  I like it strong so I used 1/2 cup).

Cook, stirring constantly over low heat until cheese melts. Continue cooking until sauce is reduced by about 1/2.  If you wish to skip the reduction step, you may thicken the sauce slightly with about 1 tbs instant flour or 1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs water...however, the reduction will taste better.

Add chicken back to pan and heat through.

Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme.  May be served over any pasta.

About 4 servings.

Here is how it looks courtesy of The Midnight Baker Blog!

Enjoy friends!!

Chicken Pot Pie

So, chicken pot pie, the ultimate comfort food!  

There's really no recipe, so just follow along with the photos.

Chop carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms, add some frozen peas.

Season with salt and pepper.  

Saute in some olive oil and butter until the vegetables are tender.

Add a can of cream of chicken soup and mix well.

Alternately, you can sprinkle in some flour, stir, and add chicken stock, 

cook until it thickens.

Chop up some cooked chicken, this is a good time to use a rotisserie chicken from the deli.

Add the chicken to the vegetable mixture.

Since I like easy clean up, I lined the casserole dish with some non-stick foil.

This is a sheet of puff pastry, thaw it out, unroll, and place it on top of the vegetables in the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees F. until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Serve and dig in.

Enjoy friends!

Mushrooms with Cream Cheese Stuffing

Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for this super yummy recipe.  I had leftover cream cheese stuffing, so I used it on some jalapeno peppers.  It's all good.

Recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman!  

You can view step by step photos and instructions on her blog,

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

(Note:  I substituted turkey sausage for the pork sausage)

Ingredients

 24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms

 1/3 pound Hot Pork Sausage

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

 1/3 cup Dry White Wine

 8 ounce pkg. Cream Cheese

 1 whole Egg Yolk

 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

 Salt And Pepper, to taste

         

Preparation Instructions

Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.

Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.

Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.

Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir & cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.

Chicken Marsala

Chicken, chicken, chicken!  How many ways?  

Thanks, Maximized Living for this recipe.  

Easy and very tasty!

I made a half of this recipe tonight, but here's the whole meal deal for you.

4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned, 2 T. butter, 1 T. grapeseed oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 Cup water, 1/2 pound mushrooms, 1/4 Cup Marsala Red Wine.

Pound the chicken parts into 1/4 inch thickness.  

I placed them in a gallon ziplock bag to pound them into submission!

Melt the butter and grapeseed oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  

BTW, grapeseed oil has a high smoking point!  

Add the chicken, and cook and turn for about 5 minutes.

My chicken pieces look kinda scary, not too uniform!

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

To the drippings remaining in the pan, add the mushrooms and saute them until lovely and tender, 

add some more oil to the mushrooms if they are getting dry.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the wine, water..  Bring the mixture to a boil for about 2 minutes.  Take the chicken out when it is cooked and continue to reduce the liquid to a nice saucey consistency.

Arrange the chicken on a plate. 

 Spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Enjoy Friends!!

Raspberry Pecan Summer Salad

This is a great summertime salad with just the right amount of sweetness--without the sugar!  Seriously!  Thanks, Maximized Living for this recipe.  Love it!

I made a half recipe for us tonight, but here's the whole meal deal for you!

The cast of characters:

1/3 Cup raspberry spreadable fruit (no sugar); 1 Cup fresh raspberries, 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar; 1/4 Cup Olive Oil, 1/2 Cup chopped pecans; 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1 Cup sliced button mushrooms, 8 Cups of Romaine Greens.

In a blender, combine the spreadable fruit, vinegar, olive oil, 

and poppy seeds to make the dressing for the salad.

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, mushrooms, raspberries, and pecans.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine!

MMM, so good, so healthy!

You could substitute strawberry spreadable fruit and strawberries for this salad also!  

Enjoy Friends!

Shish KaBobs

It is unseaonably warm, this evening it is 60 degrees outside.  We decided to grill instead of cooking inside.  One of our very favorites is shish kabobs with venison and LOTs of veg.  So here it is.

For the marinade:  (You can make this with beef, too.)  Take the chunks of meat and marinate with equal parts of soy sauce & olive oil, then add a splash of sesame oil, crumble in some dried rosemary, and add some thin slices of garlic.  Place in the fridge and marinate for a couple of hours.

Get the veggies ready.  

All choices that you like, 

just make sure that they are hearty enough to stand up to grilling.

Cut the veggies into chunks that will work well when placed on the skewers with the meat. 

Toss 'em into a bowl.

Add some Italian dressing to the veggies and toss, toss.

When you are ready, skewer the meat and veg and 

place on baking sheet covered with foil. 

 If you have left over veggies as I did, just make an extra veg kabob!  

You might have a vegetarian friend show up!

Time to fire up the charcoals.  We love our Weber grill!

Look at these babies!  Grill the meat to your liking,

we like ours medium rare.

Time to serve it up, tonight we had brown and wild rice with dinner.

Oh, and the tender tender venison! So so delish!

Enjoy friends!!

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with Asparagus Salad

These are skinless and boneless thighs.  The dark meat is rich and delicious!  

So gather up the ingredients and let's get cooking.

6 Chicken thighs 

1/4  C. low sodium Soy Sauce

2 Tbl. Rice Vinegar

2 Tbl. Brown Sugar

2 garlic cloves, grated or minced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes.

Combine the marinate ingredients, mix well, and pour into a zip lock bag.  

Throw in the chicken thighs, mush them around.

Seal the bag and into the fridge for 2-4 hours.

Here's a close up on grating the ginger root, do the garlic the same way!

Time's up!  Take the chicken thighs out of the marinate,

and arrange them on a broiler pan.

Turn the oven broiler on high and broil these for 8 - 10 minutes,

flip them over and broil for another 8 minutes.  They will be really tender!

The finished product.  Tender and very flavorful.  

Note: sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

There was fresh asparagus at the store today, 

so along with the chicken I made this salad:

Slice some asparagus spears crosswise into about 1 1/2 inch slices

Slice some mushrooms, and halve a few grape tomatoes.

Steam the asparagus until tender crisp, 

and saute the mushrooms in olive oil until tender.

Mix up the dressing:  

1 part soy sauce, 1 part oyster sauce, 1 part olive oil, 1 part  honey.

Pour on the dressing, toss and mmmmmmm.

Serve this salad cold or at room temp.

Enjoy, friends!