Happy New Year...

This year I have made only one promise to myself for 2011. To drink more water and of course more milk!

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Each year on the 1st of the year hundreds of thousands of people make a promise to themselves to change something for the better in the New Year. Most often the promise has to do with loosing weight, eating healthy and exercise.

  This year I am making a simple promise to just keep myself hydrated. Water makes up the majority of our bodies and has no calories and no fat. In fact the more you drink the better you body will feel. I have a very bad habit of going for the cup of coffee on my desk instead of the glass of water. I know my body and mind would be better with one less coffee and three more waters everyday.

 Now milk is another beverage that I will be adding a bit more of to my daily routine. It has plenty of calcium in it to help with your muscles and metabolism aiding in weight loss and prevention of some health problems (like heartburn to osteoporosis.) 

Nutritional Values

Skim Milk

Serving Size: 8 oz
Calories: 86
Fat: <1 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 4 mg
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Protein: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Sodium: 103 mg
Vitamin A: 500 IU
Vitamin B12: 1 mcg
Niacin: <1 mg
Pantothenic Acid: 1 mg Riboflavin: <1 mg
Vitamin D: 3 mcg
Calcium: 302 mg
Phosphorus: 247 mg
Potassium: 382 mg

Mimi's White Pizza on Top This! Pizza Crusts

Mimi’s White Pizza: by Kerry Rock

Use either white or wheat crust.  This recipe is for one (1) pizza

Ingredients:

1 wood grilled Pizza crust

Olive Oil (for brushing)

Sliced Provolone cheese (about 6-8 slices)

1 large thickly sliced Vidalia onion (caramelized)

1 15 oz can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400

Slice onion and caramelize in a frying pan with a little olive oil, adding about a tsp of sugar once it starts to brown.  When nicely browned and caramelized remove from heat and set aside.

Lightly brush the pizza crust with olive oil, and cover crust with the sliced provolone cheese.  Evenly distribute the chopped drained artichoke hearts over the provolone and then add the caramelized onions over the artichokes.  Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top.  Place your pizza on a stone, or cookie sheet  (avoids mess) and place in oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked to your liking.  For an extra crispy crust place pizza directly on oven rack

Gimme Gimme A Breakfast Cupcake!!

With just one morning left until Christmas I could not resist adding one more savory cupcake post to the list. This is one that will make everyone happy on a busy Christmas morning as a quick fix before a day of feasting. Behold the Sausage Pancake Cupcake Topped with Egg & Cheese (for the frosting!)

 This is a very simple and easy breakfast to make and the cupcake part can be made the night before and just reheated in the morning. Either in the toaster oven or dare I say microwave...


What is needs for 8 servings:
1 lb of Fortuna's Maple Link Breakfast Sausage
Pancake Batter
8 eggs (fried or poached)
8 Slices of Cheese ( preferably cheddar)

Pancake Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Plus extra melted butter for greasing the pan.

 In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, all at once, and stir or whisk just until combined. The batter should have some small lumps. Make sure you do not over mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough

For the Sausage I use the Fortuna's Maple Breakfast Sausage. I will cut it up into bite sized pieces about 1/4 inch thick and cook in a fry pan or cast iron skillet and then set aside  the skillet for the eggs.

 Using a greased muffin tin fill the cups about 1/3 full with the pancake batter and then add 5-6 pieces of sausage into each tin and cover with more batter to fill the cups 1/3 of the way up the tin. Bake the cupcakes at 400* for 12- 15 minutes or until golden brown and the batter is cooked inside. 

 Years ago I received some rings from Williams Sonoma for egg frying and they have been a great addition to my kitchen since. I use the rings to make perfectly formed eggs for sandwiches and even pancake molds. I suggest that you use these to fit the egg on top of the cupcake so it will not slide off easily. The other option to cooking the egg would be to poach the eggs. The eggs are held into position on top of the cupcake by the sliced of cheese. The cheese should slightly melt from the warmth of the cupcake and egg on top. 

 Great breakfast for a cold winter morning before heading out for some adventures outside!

If it is made in a muffin tin it is made for me!!

www.thekitchn.com

  Cheddar cheese cornbread with broccoli florets baked right inside!! Oh how nice! Have it on the side of some warm and hearty chili or with some slow roasted turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes. Yum!

 Making cornbread muffins with sour cream keeps them moist and adds a slightly different tangy taste to the cakes and are best served warm.

Sour Cream Cornbread Muffins: makes 12 muffins

(adapted from Land O'Lakes Recipe)

1/4 cup of Sommermaid butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of Cabot Sour Cream
1/2 cup of Milk
2/3 cup of Kenyon Mill Cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of shredded Atwell's Gold Cheese - or Sharp Cheddar
12  Broccoli Florets

www.thekitchn.com

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 425*f. In a large mixing bowl cream together the the  butter and sugar beating at medium speed. Slowly add one egg at t time afer the following is fully incorporated. Stir in sour cream and milk. Once combined add all remaining ingredients.

 Grease the muffin tins with butter and dust with flour. Spoon into the each tin about a quarter inch of cornbread batter. Place a broccoli floret standing upright into the batter and top with more batter to cover the top of the broccoli. Top with a sprinkling of cheese and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the muffin center is full cooked.

Oh... Ah... The Savory Cupcake

 I love cupcakes! For some reason there is no guilt in consuming a cupcake in my mind. It is as if the are absent of all calories fat and anything else that is not good for you. The smaller the get the better the are!

 Recently I have been wandering into the world of the savory cupcake. Oh how amazing it is! Having your breakfast, lunch and dinner even snack is just amazing.When entertaining it is a great way to present side dishes and small bites for cocktail parties. If you have children it can be a creative way to get them to eat something that normally would never make it's way onto the fork and the envy of all the other lunch boxes at school.

 Tomorrow will be the official day of winter here in the northern hemisphere; however, the cold weather came much earlier. Nevertheless, cold nights is the best for baking and with all of the holiday cookies, cakes and pies making the guestly appearances at the office, home, and everywhere else it is good to find some less sweet to bake. Lately i have been finding different dinners to bake into the small mold of the muffin tine. So far I have been successful with Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potato Topping, Lazy Man's Lasagna, Eggs in a Ham Cup, Sausage and Pancake Bites and the list go on...

Turkey Meatloaf with Whipped Mashed Potato Topping

Turkey Meatloaf:

2  cups of stale bread ( broken apart) or 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs

2 cups of milk

1 yellow onion diced

5 cloves of garlic chopped

2 lbs of Misty Knoll Ground Turkey ( can be substituted for Ground Beef)

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Rosemary, & Thyme)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of tomato paste

Salt & Pepper to taste

Baking Spray

Mashed Potato Topping:

5 RI Royal Creamer Potatoes washed and cut evenly into 1" pieces

1 1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Garnish

Shredded Parmesan or other Sharp Cheese

Chopped Parsley

 Preheat oven to 400* and grease the muffin tins. 

 In a large bowl combine all of the meatloaf ingredients. Combine by hand until all ingredients are fully combined. Once all ingredients are combined divided the meatloaf mixture into 8 equal parts and place into the muffin tins flattening the tops of meatloaf. 

 Bake at 400* for 45 minutes

In a large pot of cold salted water add the potatoes and bring to a boil.. Boil the potatoes until tender and can be pierced with a fork. Once cooked drain the potatoes and mash the potatoes with milk and butter. 

 Once the meatloaf is cooked you top the cupcakes with the warm mashed potatoes sprinkle with garnish and serve! 

Lazy Cold Mornings and Yummy Fall Breakfast

There is something about cold Sunday mornings in November that I just love, having a crackling fire the crisp air out doors and the warm sun shining through the windows. There is nothing better than a lazy morning with warm coffee or hot chocolate slippers and the smells of cinnamon and maple syrup coming from the kitchen.  

 If you have friends or family for the holidays or even just visiting for the night Egg Nog French Toast with Gala Apples & Cranberry compote is a flavorful and easy dish to make. All of it can be made a day ahead and then baked and warmed up in the morning to greet your guests. 

Egg Nog French Toast with Gala Apples & Cranberry Compote

Makes 8 servings:

Ingredients for French Toast:

4 cups of Munroe Dairy Egg Nog

4 Large Local Brown Eggs

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of maple syrup or bourbon (optional)

1 Loaf of hearty white bread sliced into 8 slices and then halved (16 pieces,) remove end heel crusts

Cranberry & Gala Apple Compote (recipe below)

Powdered Sugar

 In a large flat bottom bowl whisk together the egg nog, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and either syrup or bourbon. In a greased glass baking dish (13x9,) lay the bread flat not layering pieces. Pour the Egg Nog mixture over the bread, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (can be refrigerated over night.)

 Preheat the oven to 400°f. Place the glass baking dish on the rack and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and puffy. Serve each plate with two pieces of French toast topped with warm compote and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients for Cranberry & Gala Apple Compote:

Makes 6 cups:

2 cups Carlson Orchard Cider

6 tablespoons of Maple Syrup or Light corn Syrup

8 tablespoons of Butter separated in half

3 Gala Apples cored, peeled & diced into ½” pieces

2 cups of fresh cranberries

½ cup of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

In a large sauce pan combine the first three ingredients and bring to a boil stirring to combine all of the ingredients. Boil over high heat for 6- 8 minutes or until it is reduced by half. Transfer to a heat safe bowl.

 In a clean large sauce pan melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the apples and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the cranberries and ½ cup of sugar. Stir over medium heat until the cranberries skin begins to pop. Add the cider mixture combining all the ingredients and remain sugar. Boil until it has reduced to a syrup consistency. Spoon over French toast and serve warm.

 Left over can be kept in fridge and used with many fall dishes. 

Fortuna's Sausage Bake

 Welcome, November! The nights are coming earlier and the weather has gotten colder. When you step outside there is the smell of the fallen leaves and of chimney smoke lingering in the air. Warm comforting foods have taken the place of the summer salad and the last of the garden harvest are being brought in from the field. 

 A sausage bake is a flavorful and easy dish that takes minimal work and watching. It is perfect for those nights that you have book reports to work on, science projects to construct, and sports to practice. Just toss all the ingredients in a casserole dish or dutch oven put in the oven and let it go. 

Fortuna's Sausage Bake

Serves 4 

1.5 lbs of Fortuna's Sausage (Sweet, Hot, or Tuscano) cut into 2" pieces

4 Medium Potatoes (Red or White) Cut into 2" pieces

4 Ribs of Celery cut into 2" pieces

2 Medium Yellow Onions cut into 2" pieces

2 Green Peppers cut into 2" pieces

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Zest from 2 lemons (optional)

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish or dutch oven combine all of the vegetables and toss with the seasoning and olive oil to coat evenly. Add the sausage on top cover and place in the oven to bake for 20- 25 minutes. After 20 - 25 remove the cover and toss the veggies also piercing the sausage with a fork or knife. Keep the cover off and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to ten minutes. Serve with warm bread and enjoy.