Weekend Brekkie: Cheesy Tomato Egg Casserole

I wanted to  make something different from what breakfast normally is around here. After making it, though, I've searched for terms to describe it and it turns out that what I was doing very slightly resembled a type of Tomato Strata. The strata recipes are really delicious sounding. I'm going to have to try one next time! But for now, here's my 'new' eggy breakfast:

Place 2 Tbs butter into baking dish and place in oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, add 5 eggs and 2 Tbs milk into a bowl and beat well. Pour into melted butter in heated baking dish.

Sprinkle 1 cup cheese all over and add 1 tomato, cut into thick long slices. Place back in oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir it all up and replace in oven for 5 minutes. Stir and replace for 5 minutes. Repeat until eggs are cooked to your liking. This is how it looked after the first 10 minutes, mostly cooked on the edges, but still raw in the center.

Very hot! Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then serve. It was pretty tasty and very easy, which is always a plus when it comes to a hot breakfast for us : ).

Happy Weekend : )

Weekend Brekkie: Boxty

I made boxty! Very filling and entirely delicious, which is amazing to me because I don't really like potatoes. I'm more of a rice kind of girl. Hubby, however, loves the tubers so I'm trying to find ways to use them more. Baby Boy is turning out to have a hankering for spuds too, so I guess it's a good thing that there are a world of different ways to have potatoes.

So, the recipe says use grated potatoes. Surprise! I forgot to pack my grater. Huh. So, 3 cups thinly sliced potatoes it is :)

Coat with 2 cups flour

Mix well 4 Tbs milk with 2 eggs

Add to potatoes and mix well until potatoes are well coated with a thick batter. Better use your hands for this part.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a pan and place boxty in sizzling oil in 2 to 3 inch wide patties. Cook for 3 to 4 min on each side until golden brown. Drain and serve with a pat of butter on top and a side of your favorite meat.

I forgot to take a photo of the finished ones! Well, that's because I couldn't make them fast enough for our growing boy to eat. Hubby and Baby Boy were in tasty tater cake heaven.

Yesterday, I shaped left over mashed potatoes into patties and browned them for lunch. So, imagine the beautiful golden brown and deliciousness of this photo on the boxty in the last photo :) Only the boxty tasted much much better. Baby Boy loved the mash patties, which made me start searching for more potato recipes. So, I have my little man to thank for finding the boxty recipe :) Now I can't wait to try colcannon! Maybe for to'ona'i (Sunday dinner)! Yum.

Up for a quick peek at the 'boxy' sizzling away in the pan. He told me the boxty was singing :)

And back to cooking his own ' yum yum boxy' in the drawer next to the stove :) He kept giving me tastes of his dish. I think he was hoping that I'd return the favor.

I feel like Baby Boy and I have worked extremely hard this week, so we're having a Jammie Party! Which means we get to stay in our PJs for as long as I can stand it and watch cartoons and play tag and pillow fight and generally act like very silly people with no responsibilities. I hope you all have a lovely jammie wearing weekend :)

Easy Awesome Jelly Buns

The other morning, we were in the mood for something pastry-like but the smell of fresh coffee reminded our stomachs that waiting for a traditional dough to rise was out of the question. So, after a look into the fridge and finding a canister of refrigerated biscuits (Yay!), inspiration hit and I had to share this quick how-to: 

I love Pillsbury biscuits.

Flatten each precut biscuit 

Place a spoonful of your sweet filling in the center. Remember, this is supposed to be easy, so use what you have. We had grape jelly, but I think this would be great with any kind of jelly or preserves.

Bring ends together and pinch to close. Place on cookie sheet, pinched ends down, and bake according to package instructions. Jelly leaked out of a few buns, so next time, I'll brush the inner edges with egg wash so they seal better.

10 minutes later.....

Mmmmm..... quick and delicious :)

We loved these! Baby Boy wolfed one down and then asked if he could have another "Awesome", hence the name. Am I the only one who thinks this week seems unbelievably long? I'm working on some crafts today and trying to keep my mind off my headache. Creating always seems to put me in a better mood :)

 Wishing you a wonderful and Wacky Wednesday....

Weekend Brekkie: Pani Keke Samoa and Strawberry Yogurt

Samoan pancakes are always a breakfast favorite around here! I made these the other day when Hubby was home, but saved the photos for this post :) I started cooking and Hubby asked what I was making. I said "Just pancakes". Later, he came in the kitchen and peeked at the stove and said "Those aren't pancakes. It's Pani Keke! Mmm." Haha. My island boy at heart.

Pani Keke Samoa

• 3 ½ Cups Flour

• 1 Cup Sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 ½ Cups Water

• Abt. 3 ½ Cups Vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients and water, folding together until well blended. My mix turned out a bit dry this time, but usually that amount of water is just right.

Heat oil and test with a tiny drop of dough. When dough immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready. If the dough drop burns, reduce the heat and wait a few minutes for the temperature to lower and test again.

One trick I learned from making this a lot is to dip the spoon in the hot oil before scooping the dough. It makes it much easier to slide the dough into the oil.
Cook until keke is golden brown. When a skewer inserted in the center of keke comes out clean, it's ready to be placed on a draining station. I usually use a layer of newspaper covered with a few layers of paper towels on a platter.

Baby Boy loved it and kept coming back in the kitchen for more. Pani keke are best warm. American versions coat the keke with cinammon sugar before serving on ice cream. Personally, I love them with butter, jam and a hot cup of coffee.

Natural yogurt (plain) with fresh strawberries and honey. So good! I'm going to try making crock pot yogurt sometime. Baby Boy and I are watching Disney cartoons and hanging out. Happy lazy Saturday!

Weekend Brekkie: Blintzes

oes anybody have an easy blintz recipe that you've tried and liked? I've only had blintzes or crepes a handful of times in my life, but for some reason, I can't get them off my mind! I found the following recipe and photo online. Don't they look great?

The Shell:

4 eggs1 ½ cups of flour1 ½ cups of milk½ teaspoon salt2 tablespoons sugar

Beat the eggs and milk together. Then gradually sift in the flour, salt and sugar. The mixture must be thin and so if it happens that it comes out thick, add a bit more milk.
Melt margarine in a large frying pan and when hot, put about 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, tilting the frying pan to make the blintz thin. Cook each crepe-pancake until it just begins to brown and slide out of pan on to a waiting plate. Put the cooked side up to receive the filling.
 

Filling:
This should be prepared before the shell so that it may be added when the shell is ready.

2 packages of light cream cheese of your liking 2 egg yolks mixed well3 teaspoons of melted butter6 teaspoons of vanilla flavored sugar 1 pinch salt

Mix filling ingredients together until they are smooth.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the center of the crepe-pancake. Fold over from the four sides to protect the filling from leaking out. Roll over to seal blintz; it should look like a flat cigar.

At this point the blintzes may be fried to be served now or frozen for later consumption.
To serve they must be fried again in margarine until the shell is a golden brown. If you want to enhance an already great delight, mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of the blintz. Even better, put it in a small bowl so that the individual eater may decide for him/herself how much he desires. Or it may be served with jelly.

This recipe should give you about 15 to 18 blintzes

UPDATE: My brother tried this recipe and they didn't quite turn out. Because of his experience and recommendations, I found an article where I got the following information that will maybe help when try the recipe:

Many cooks meet their downfall when preparing the blintz, because the blintz very frequently sticks to the pan or fails to cook properly. Cookbooks recommend using a crepe pan so size is controlled. Overfilling the pan is a common mistake. Only about two or three teaspoons are needed to cover the pan and create a thin blintz. A nonstick or well-oiled pan that is properly heated can also make flipping and removing the blintz easier.
Other recommendations for preparing the blintz suggest allowing the batter to sit for at least thirty minutes prior to cooking. The batter can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. When the batter has a resting period, the wheat becomes less glutinous, resulting in a thinner pancake.
When filling the blintz, most cooks recommend waiting until the pancake has fully cooled. The filled blintzes should be added to a hot pan, and cooked first on the fold side. Blintzes should be served hot. The fruit variety is especially good when a dollop of sour cream is added.

I'm trying this for our next weekend breakfast. I'll post whether it turns out or not. Here's hoping! Happy Monday, all!