"Crack" Quiche

After four days of turkey and trimmings, I was so OVER (and out of) leftovers from Thanksgiving. I wanted something completely different, so I went with breakfast for dinner.

Plain Chicken has a popular, crowd-pleaser Cheddar-Bacon Dip that she's dubbed "crack," and she used the same flavor combination in this quiche.

While I love the taste of bacon, I can't stand to cook it, so I'm a huge fan of the bags of bacon pieces (not bits). This is crazy simple...it just takes a bowl and a whisk to prepare. It's big on flavor...smoky, cheesy, and creamy with a flaky crust. Perfect for any time of day!

Printable recipe

1 frozen deep dish pie crust
1 (3-ounce) bag real bacon pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Place bacon in bottom of pie crust. Top with cheese. Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, and Ranch dressing. Pour over bacon and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until set and lightly browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving: Sweet Potato Casserole

For Thanksgiving, my parents make the turkey and cornbread dressing, and my sister and I split up all of the other sides. I love Thanksgiving Eve...I crank up the music, pour a glass of wine, and cook!

I wanted to make something new this year, so my sister traded me the sweet potato casserole. (I also made green bean casserole and squash casserole.)

I'm sure everyone has their particular version of this holiday standard. I chose this recipe from Taste of Home, one of my favorite sites, because it a) used canned sweet potatoes (I wasn't about to peel, cube, and cook pounds of fresh ones!) and b) used a pecan/brown sugar topping and not marshmallows.

This was perfect...smooth and creamy with a sugary, crunchy top. And easy to make, to boot!

Printable recipe

2 cans (40 ounces each) sweet potatoes, drained

8 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

   

TOPPING:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

In a large bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Add the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and pecans; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

 

Cowboy Casserole

In the original post of this recipe at The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, the blogger included this in the title: "looks like dog food, tastes delicious." I had no hope that this would photograph well (figured I would just include a pan shot), but it actually looks better than I thought it would. And, it is indeed delicious.

As the blogger suggested, I used Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns instead of actual tater tots so that they would lay flat. The bottom layer of potatoes ends up sort of breaking down and blending in with the hamburger mixture, while the top layer gets crunchy. Perfect combination.

I had a three-year-old helper with me in the kitchen, and he loved placing the Crispy Crowns on the bottom and top. Simple pleasures, I suppose...he was so pleased with himself for arranging them "just right."

Printable recipe

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag frozen tater tots

Brown and drain beef and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 dish with half of the potatoes. Pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then top with the other half of the potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cup cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

OBG: Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Here's another Oldie But Goodie (OBG)...my mom's potato soup recipe. The temperatures here lately have been crazy...70s during day, 30s at night. But, it makes for good soup weather. Plus, with football season in full swing, I knew I didn't want to be cooking. Enter the crockpot.

No fancy flavors here...just "warm you to your bones" goodness. I like to serve this with Sister Schubert yeast rolls stuffed with Canadian bacon or ham.

Printable recipe

1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 bag frozen cubed potatoes
2 cups water
2 cups milk

Mix all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low 7-8 hours. Stir in a handful of cheese and serve with additional cheese and bacon bits.

Creamed Corn Casserole

I don't usually have access to a grill, but when I did for a few nights last week, I made sure I used it for dinner every chance I had: burgers, steaks, BBQ chicken, and this pork tenderloin (I marinate in equal parts of Moore's and Italian dressing).

For the side dish, I went with this corn casserole recipe from Unsophisticook. Creamed corn screams comfort food to me, and this recipe could not be easier. No kidding. Dump, stir, bake. I loved the crunch of the corn kernels within the sweet, creaminess of the rest of the dish. With Thanksgiving around the corner, this can be easily doubled for a crowd (in a 9x13 dish).

Printable recipe

1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into 8x8 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Y'all know I'm a sucker for a casserole...and Cassie Craves is one of my favorite food bloggers...so I immediately pinned this recipe when she posted it a couple of weeks ago.

This has all of the flavor of chicken parmesan, with the benefit of simple prep. I love a twist on a classic! The garlic bread topping alone was heavenly, but it was divine all together. The chicken/marinara mixture on the bottom was a little "loose," so I'll serve this over macaroni or some other type of pasta next time. I think that would put this already-delicious dish over the top.

A couple of notes...My grocery store didn't have garlic breadsticks, so I added garlic powder to the butter mixture. Also, instead of dipping each breadstick piece in the butter mixture, I put the bread and butter in a large bowl and tossed together.

Printable recipe

1 package boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 stick melted butter

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 can refrigerated garlic breadsticks

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In an 8x8 baking dish, arrange chicken and pour marinara sauce over top to coat. Top with mozzarella cheese.

In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Separate dough into 8 breadsticks. Cut each breadstick into 1-inch pieces and dip dough into melted butter mixture. Arrange pieces over mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over dough.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.