Creamy Grits & Perfect Scrambled Eggs - Breakfast Is Served

Creamy Grits & Perfect Scrambled Eggs - Breakfast Is Served

Creamy Grits & Perfect Scrambled Eggs - Breakfast Is Served

Hi everybody :)

It's Sunday again, so you'll know what time it is... time for another Breakfast is Served, Sunday! Yeah! If you miss last week's Cherry Cheese Danish - Breakfast Is Served, go here.

Being a southern girl, I have to share my love for grits with you. I love my grits creamy and soft. So even if the package directions say cooked in 5 minutes, uh uh, don't believe it. I cook my grits for about 25 minutes and to make it extra creamy. I add milk or half and half to the recipe. Hubby likes his with cream cheese.

Creamy Grits
1 cup water
1 cup milk or half & half
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups Grits
 Butter and/or Cheddar Cheese for serving

Heat water an milk to a low boil over medium heat. Add grits and turn down to low. Cook for 30 minute, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary to keep smooth.

I chose Paula's Perfect Scrambled Eggs to accompany my Grits.

The Lady's Perfect Scrambled Eggs  Paula Deen

1 tablespoon water
4 teaspoon sour cream
4  eggs
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, water, and salt and pepper until fluffy.  Using a nonstick frying pan, cook over low heat stirring occasionally until you reach desired consistency.

What I Think:
The grits were soft and creamy, not gritty :)  ha, ha get it.. just the way I liked them. The eggs were great, but I noticed they were a little watery, so next time I make them, I'll leave the water out.

ENJOY! Come again......

Linking to:
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

   
Hi everybody :)

Everyone, I'm sure, has their favorite chicken and rice dish that was inherited from a grandmother, mom, or aunt. But you can never have too many, so with that in mind, I bring you Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole.

This is a really simple recipe. It can also be prepared 1 day ahead, loosely covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. It can be cooked in individual baking dishes, and will make a great welcoming home gift for family or friends.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole from:  CREATIVE COOK'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK

You Will Need

FOR THE CASSEROLE
1 can (10 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

FOR THE TOPPING
1 sheet (1/2 package) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg white, lightly beaten

SPECIAL AIDS
2-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter rolling pin
SERVES 4

MAKING THE CASSEROLE
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine soup, milk and mayonnaise. In another bowl, combine rice, chicken, peas, onion and bell pepper.

2. Stir soup mixture into chicken mixture. Add half the Cheddar. Spoon into casserole. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar. Bake until top is golden, about 25 minutes.

MAKING THE TOPPING
1. On a floured surface, roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness.
2. Using a cookie cutter, mark cutouts in pastry and cut out with knife.
3. With a small paring knife, press along pastry edges and down center of each cutout to make "veins." Arrange cutouts on an ungreased baking sheet; brush tops with egg white.

4. Place pastry cutouts in oven during last 15 minutes of casserole baking time. Bake cutouts until golden brown.
5. Remove cutouts from baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove casserole from oven.
6. Arrange baked pastry cutouts on top of casserole. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Tips
To save time, place unbaked cutouts directly on casserole during the last 15 minutes of baking time.

Festive Touch
Use special cookie cutters for the pastry topping to echo a particular holiday.

To Spice It Up
Add some heat to this recipe by substituting 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos for the Cheddar.

What I Think:
It was very good. I was surprise that there was no seasoning in the dish itself (but the chicken was seasoned, I used a roastisire chicken breast). I did sprinkled a little Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning on top of the pastry leaves after the egg white. So THIS is going in my repeat file.

ENJOY! Come again...

Linking to: 
Melt in your Mouth Blog Hop #79
Showcase Your Talents Thursday # 20

Freezing Lemons: How To

Freezing Lemons: How To

Hi everybody :)

Did you know that you can freeze lemons? It's very simply and easy. I'll show you how.  Freezing whole lemons is not a good idea because their juice sacs will burst. But freezing the juice and the zest is a great idea! You can store it in mini cups or containers to fit your needs, according to your recipes. This works well with limes also. It stays fresh for up to 6 months; so you can have that great lemony taste when they're out of season :)

Freezing Lemons: How To

What you need:

Supplies

Microplane Zester  (I use my Edgeware )
Lemons, cleaned
Mini Cups or Containers (I got mine from the Dollar Store)
Freezer Bags

Zesting the Lemon

 

 

When zesting the lemon, take care NOT to get any of the white part, you only want the yellow peel.

Zest on Grater

Lemon Zest

After zesting the lemon, rolled it on the counter top to soften it or microwave it for about 5 seconds to help release the juice. Cut lemon in half and squeeze it into container. Remove any seeds, top with lid and wrap container in plastic wrap to ensure lid stays on. Place in zip-lock bags, date, and label. Store in freezer.

Lemon Juice

Lemon Zest in Freezer Bag

Lemon Juice in Freezer Bag

 

Tip: After the juice has frozen, unmold and place in freezer bags to reuse mini containers.


So the next time you're at the store, and lemons just happen to be on sale, don't be afraid to stack-up :)

ENJOY! Come again....