Baked Eggs

Happy Friday! :) I hope you've had a good week!

Today's recipe is Baked Eggs from UseRealButter. :)

I'm thinking of this for future use as more of a how-to. I really want to experiment with the type of dish, and see if I can't get the egg to cook a little more uniformly. Some of you may not be aware that I have a "thing" with crunchy or browned eggs - I just don't like it. It may be a texture thing; I have lots of issues with textures. :D But this recipe left the outer part of the white crunchy - you could hear it when you put your spoon in!

Overall, it was tasty - what's not to like? :) And I like the fact that you could make one or a dozen in about the same time; it would just take more prep time.

So relax this weekend, and maybe make yourself a lazy breakfast. Or come make it for me - I wish I could have breakfast delivered by the universe, so I wouldn't have to do anything until I come fully awake. (Usually sometime in the afternoon... :D )

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend, my friend! Be BLESSED!

Bacon and Spinach Quiche

Welcome to yet another Wednesday! Brrrrrrr. Will this be the last dip into freezing weather for Middle Tennessee? I don't know - but it's been a long, sustained winter for many people. Everywhere I go, people are talking about how ready they are for spring. And they mean it - they usually only have about a few days, people say it as soon as it drops below 40, and then it's warm again and many people love it. YUCK. :D

ANYWAY. :D

There's nothing like a good breakfast. Although I hate eating early in the morning. And by the time I'm hungry, it's usually too late for me to cook anything. :D I planned, this time, and had everything I needed. When I asked Kenn if he'd like breakfast, he eagerly agreed. So, I made this Bacon and Spinach Quiche from Mr. Breakfast.com.

This definitely gets a YES, PLEASE. I used a store-bought crust. If I had to make the crust and roll it out for breakfast, I'm not sure I'd ever do it!!! :D I'm not sure I used heavy cream; I think I used half-and-half. (I did this one about a month ago, and my memory's not what it used to be! :D ) Other than that, I did exactly what the recipe said to.

YUM. Healthy, for the most part - especially since I didn't use heavy cream :D - with fresh spinach. Warm, and Kenn LOVED it. So did another family member who came to visit! :)

OK. I'm outta here. It's an incredibly busy week - but such a great one! I'm getting to spend time with friends this week. I'm gonna be all tired out, but it will be a GOOD tired. :D

Have a wonderful day, friends! Be BLESSED!

Italian Meatball Soup

Welcome to yet another Wednesday. :) Are you having a good week?

Here's another soup from the week I cooked while Dad was gone. It's Italian Meatball Soup from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

I'm going to give this one a YES, PLEASE! The meatballs were really good, VERY tender - but next time, I'm going to BAKE these, too - I just cannot fry a meatball to save my life. <sigh> They turn out more like meatbits!

It was another healthy soup, with lots of veggies - especially spinach! It was easy, and reheats well. Let me check the recipe to see if I did any tweaking.... :D

Nope, followed it pretty much exactly. I'm not REALLY crazy about all the Italian seasoning that floats in the broth, so I might cut that down next time. But it's Italian soup, right? :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Savory Bean & Spinach Soup

You made it! It's FRIDAY again! :)

Today, I've got a Savory Bean & Spinach Soup to share with you, from Fitness.com.

Now, then. I am not a huge soup fan. There's just something about it that will never make soup my favorite thing - and part of that, I'm sure, is how messy and noisy it can be to eat. :D

But I took a week, when my dad was traveling, to cook some soups for Kenn for meals. Dad came home early - it was the week the first big blizzard hit Kansas City, but I went ahead and did that cooking. And this was one of the two soup recipes.

This one got a definite YES, PLEASE! from Kenn. It was OK - and it was vegetarian, easily made vegan if you don't add the cheese. :)

I was a bit disappointed that mine looked so much more tomato-based than the picture on the website. But I loved the fact it had such healthy ingredients! Of course, I used organic vegetable broth. :)

And yes, that's a piece of the Amish bread behind the bowl. Oh, gosh, that bread made the meal. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a wonderful weekend!! :)

Copycat Recipe: Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

It's FRIDAY!!!! How's your week been? Do you have big plans for your weekend? If you're in middle Tennessee, come to Lamplighter's Theater Company and see LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC. You'll be out in an hour and a half, and it's a really sweet story - bring your sweetheart!

Anyway! This is a recipe for Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from one of my favorite blogs, Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. :D And I'll tell you now, it's a DEFINITE yes, PLEASE! for my whole family!!

I used organic, free-range chicken stock from Trader Joe's; I bought some around Christmas, and Kenn used it in his chicken soup when he had a horrendous toothache. I was impressed with how rich it was, so I bought four more quarts - and we used them all within 10 days. :D So there's an extra review for free! :D

This is a wonderfully healthy soup, really; with all the garlic and spinach, it's really good with vitamins. I didn't use half-and-half, because I didn't have any. :D I used 1% milk with a scant 1/2 cup heavy cream. But it was just wonderful; the longer it cooks, the thicker the broth gets. I used Cornish game hen meat we had in the freezer; cooking it again in the soup made it so tender. YUM. It's cool in this room while I'm writing this review, and it's making me wish I had a big bowl of it right here with me. :D The next time I make this, I'm going to do copycat bread sticks, too. Ooooooh......
:D

OK, I'm outta here. SO much to do this weekend!!! Don't forget to leave a comment to win on this blog post!!! (Read it for details!)

BE BLESSED!!!

Ravioli, Pioneer-Woman Style!

 It's Wednesday! Are you having a good week? Can you believe that this time next year it will be the beginning of a new month? Christmas will be coming FAST! :D

Today's recipe is courtesy of the blogger I think every other female blogger is secretly a little jealous of, the Pioneer Woman. :D She's got a wonderful blog, and you can catch her on the Food Network these days, as well!

I will tell you right now: her recipe and method both are a big YES, PLEASE! The photo below is in that clunky pasta dough recipe I reviewed last week. Even encased in that heavy dough, this filling was AMAZING - and I know I had to take her suggestion and get some wonton wrappers to finish out the ricotta cheese I'd purchased on clearance. :D

(I'll give you a free YES, PLEASE review of Pampered Chef's cookie scoops, too - the smallest one is PERFECT for filling these!)

I didn't prep them in any way but the boiling water, because I didn't want to waste any more ingredients on that dough. :D So I boiled them, and then dipped them in Prego.

I love, love, love this recipe. I'll show you what I did with the ones I made with the wonton wrappers next week. :D I can't give you ravioli two posts in a row, can I? :D

Try this filling. I'm pretty sure it will become a go-to recipe for you - it's easy and delicious!

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed! If you find something you want me to try out, leave me a comment!