MINI SAUSAGE AND EGG CASSEROLES

I like to surprise my family once in a while on Saturday or Sunday morning with a new treat. This one was for a Sunday morning. That is rare for me, since Sunday mornings here are so very busy with bus routes. The girls and I are all up and out the door pretty early. I didn't take into account that I had to allow for the set up and photographing of the dish! haha So I really pushed myself on time this particular morning - but it was totally worth it! Sooo good! The nice thing about these, is you can mix them up the night before and just toss them in the oven in the morning.

MINI SAUSAGE AND EGG CASSEROLES

8 (1 1/2 oz) sourdough bread slices, cut into cubes (or any other favorite bread)
1 (16 oz) package ground pork sausage, browned and crumbled
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large eggs
1 Tblsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Divide bread cubes among 10 (8 to 10 oz) lightly greased ovenproof ramekins or coffee mugs. Top with cooked sausage. Whisk together milk, eggs and mustard. Pour over bread and sausage mixture in ramekins. Whisk together buttermilk and cream of mushroom soup. Spoon over bread mixture in ramekins. Sprinkle with cheese. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until set and puffed. Serve immediately.
*NOTE* Unbaked ramekins of casserole can be covered with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. Bake as directed.

UPSIDE DOWN PIZZA

This is another "hurry up" picture. I didn't have time to garnish it. I made this for my Fall ladies meeting this month and the ladies really liked it. It was so quick and easy to throw together and the variations on it are endless. It would make an easy weeknight dinner for your family too. You'll have to give this one a try. I promise you'll like it. It's relatively inexpensive too, depending on how many, and what sort of toppings you choose to put on it.

UPSIDE DOWN PIZZA

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1 onion chopped
1 (15 oz) can pizza sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2/ tsp. dried oregano
Pepperoni
Cooked deli ham, diced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tblsp oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Brown beef and onion in skillet. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in pizza sauce, garlic salt and oregano into the beef. Spread beef mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Top with pepperoni and ham pieces (and any other pizza toppings you like). Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, salt and flour. Pour over meat mixture in baking pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 12.

YOUR SIGNATURE DISH

I love reading about people's "signature" dishes. What is your signature dish? By that, I mean, the dish that you are known for - it has your name written all over it. Not LITERALLY, mind you! It's the dish people expect you to bring to a dinner, and if you don't, they ask you where it is. When you do take it to fellowships, you get asked for the recipe. And if you get asked for the recipe, you can sit right down where you are and write it out for them. You've made it so many times you know the recipe by heart. If you look at the recipe, you can read it as fast backwards and upside down, as you can forwards and right side up! You could make it with both eyes closed and one arm tied behind your back. haha Get the picture? So WHAT is it?

PRALINE PUMPKIN CAKE

And speaking of birthdays... this is the cake I made for my daughter-in-love's birthday this year. She wanted a big ol' roast beef dinner, which I made. And then she requested this for her BD dessert. It was so moist and so yummy and so pumpkiny and "Fally." Great cake! She deserves this and SO much more!

PRALINE PUMPKIN CAKE

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 box super moist yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 container rich & creamy cream cheese icing
Caramel topping, if desired
Additional chopped pecans for garnish

Heat oven to 325. In a 1 quart heavy saucepan, stir together the butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 2 (8" or 9") round cake pans, sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup chopped pecans.
In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.
Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Stir remaining 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice into frosting. To assemble cake, place 1 layer praline side up on serving plate. Spread with half of the frosting. Top with second layer, praline side up and spread remaining half of frosting to edge of layer. Drizzle lightly with caramel topping and garnish with additional chopped pecans. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.
16 servings.

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

I couldn't help myself! I just had to show you what my son's birthday meal wish was. Chicken and waffles! This would probably be an acquired taste for some, but my family all loves it. My son's sweet wifey made a huge batch to feed our group for my son's birthday this year. He was as happy as a hog in slop! hahaJust in case you don't have a good recipe for homemade waffles - I've used this one for years.

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
3 Tblsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or regular milk (can also substitute eggnog if you prefer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Heat a waffle iron to high.
In a clean dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In small mixing bowl, beat the 2 egg yolks with the buttermilk (or regular milk or eggnog) and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Carefully add in the melted butter and stir to combine. Fold beaten egg whites into batter until thoroughly combined. Spray top and bottom half of your waffle iron with cooking spray and fill bottom half with waffle batter. Lower top lid and cook for about 2 minutes or until brown and lightly crisp. Makes 8 waffles.
You can also add chopped pecans to the waffle batter. Just sprinkle them on after you pour the batter onto the hot iron. Or you can add fresh blueberries or cherries or chocolate chips, etc... use your imagination. These are sooooo good for dinner!

THANK YOU

I wanted to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to Deborah at Songs from my journey for featuring my cooking blog this week.

She has started a neat KJV blog directory, and has some great ideas to feature other blog writers, each day of the week. Stop over and have a look and offer to lend a hand.

Thanks a bunch Deb!

APPLE CRISP

Mmm! Warm apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream. It just doesn't get any better than this, on a chilly Fall day. Well, unless it involves a comfy couch, a warm afghan and a good book! LOL Oh and some COFFEE!. We went to the orchard with the grandkids last week and this is what I chose to use the apples I picked, for.
This is one of the first desserts I ever made. I think I was about 14 or so. I could literally make this with my eyes closed. And if it doesn't get polished off at dinner time, you can count on it being eaten for breakfast! Sometimes I like to get fancy and drizzle it with warm caramel sauce, that's a really yummy addition, as well as a few sprinkles of chopped pecans. But tonight, it was the good old standby! Mmm! Did I already say that?! Mmm!*hehe*

APPLE CRISP

4 cups sliced, peeled apples (about 4 medium) I like to use Empire or Cortlands
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 stick butter, softened

Heat oven to 375. Grease a square cake pan *8 x 8 x 2 (or a small rectangle cake pan). Place apples in pan. Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle evenly over apples. I use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. But you could also use a fork. Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender when you poke them with a fork, and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream, and if desired, caramel sauce.

* If you use a 9 x 13 pan, be sure to double all the ingredients for this recipe - apples and topping both.