Breakfast Bake

I have always had a hard time following directions, so when I picked up my first cook book after our wedding and sat down to cook it was no wonder when I simply couldn't. I have such a difficult time following recipes. I finally decided that it would be much better to learn the principles of cooking rather than just following a recipe. This would allow me to cook freely and creatively.
Since those first days after the honeymoon, I have come around a little bit. I still make changes almost every time I do cook with a recipe, but I also enjoy what my darling husband calls, "Experimental Cooking." It is amazing to me when I change things up or try something that doesn't seem like it'd work so well and it comes out delish!
This morning I went to cook breakfast and decided that I was tired of eggs scrambled with vegetables, omelettes and yogurt. I haven't yet bought the stuff I need to make gluten free baked goods, and I simply had no clue what to make for breakfast that would be nourishing and tasty. Nothing came to mind so I started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry. Onions, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, eggs, milk, hmmm.....I could make something out of this. It turned out amazing! Here's what I made.

Dani's Breakfast Bake
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 medium onion diced
2 to 3 medium tomatoes diced
5 sm potatoes (I used red potatoes. If you use russets you may want to peel them.)
6 lrg. eggs scrambled with a little milk, salt and pepper
handful of shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium high until oil begins to spread. Add chopped garlic and sautee while stirring approx. 1 minute. Add onion and continue to saute until onion looks clear. Add potatoes and tomatoes to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes more. (Add some water to the bottom of the pan if the potatoes start sticking.) Add about 1/2 cup water to bottom of pan, cover and steam about 10 minutes or until potatoes begin to get soft. Season potato mixture with salt and pepper to your taste. When potatoes are starting to get soft, add the scrambled egg mixture to the top of the pan. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggs are set. Remove from oven and serve!


I can see so many variations for this breakfast bake. Almost any kind of veggie would be divine in this as well as any kind of cheese. What about giving it an Indian flavor by adding curry and cumin? or even a mexican one with ground beef and taco seasoning. The possibilities are endless! Now this is a recipe that I can follow because it has so much room for creativity! I hope you all enjoy!

"Old-Fashioned" at heart

I don't know where I got it from, but I am really just an old-fashioned, back to land, make it from scratch type gal. I wasn't always able to be like this, but I think that it's always been right at the center of my heart. Why am I drawn to the "old-fashioned" lifestyle? I'm not entirely sure. It could be that I lived on a sub-tropical island for a good portion of my adolescent life, or maybe it's the satisfaction that comes after a good day of old-fashioned gardening, slaving over the stove and scrubbing the floors. Then there's the realization that just because something is "advancing" it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.

I'm not exactly sure why, but a lot of my journey as a wife and mother has been filled with finding ways to do things from scratch! It has been a long hard road, and I am just starting to get to the point where I can look back and actually see some meaningful accomplishment in this area. I'm really enjoying what I'm seeing! Gone are the days when dinner comes from a can and is heated up in the microwave! Now we eat dinners made with whole foods that are cooked from scratch. Recycling containers for using in unique ways, making homemade clesning products, gardening, making lots of homemade food items (bread, broths, tortillas, seasoning mixes, sausage, etc...)are some of my favorite hobbies!

I'm definitely still continuing to learn and grow in this lifestyle and loving every minute of it! Hopefully I'll be able to take the time over the next few weeks to share with you some of the hings that I've learned along the way, but until then... God bless!

Sage's Birthday Dinner

My husband is one of the most steady, sensible and frugal men you would ever meet. Needless to say, birthday presents and celebrations are always a hard one for me on Sage's birthday! This year, I really wanted to do something that would show him how much we loved and appreciated him without overdoing it (he does not like things too over the top!). What could I do?
Finally, I decided to make him a home-cooked meal of his choice (I do this every night so this didn't seem special to me, but it was to him), get him a barbecue (he enjoys bbq'ing, but hasn't wanted to shell out for one since we moved here), and get him tickets to see Steve Martin and his bluegrass band play. I was really apprehensive about all of it because it's so hard to tell what he wants or if he'll be more stressed about me spending the money. I decided to chance it. I invited a few friends over and went for it.
In preparation, the boys and I worked very hard to get the house company-ready and cook Sage's birthday meal. His choice: home made Mexican! Monday evening we prepared fresh, home made salsa and soaked the beans for refried beans. Yesterday morning we got up and started cleaning: first the mountain of dirty dishes left over from the weekend. Next, taking all of my sewing projects back down to my sewing closet, shopping for lunch and presents, sweep/mopping, vacuuming, and a TON of laundry. We also cooked the beans, prepped the guacamole, cut watermelon, and made tortillas.
I couldn't believe it! We actually pulled it off! All of the food was prepared, the house pretty clean and the presents prepared on time! Yahoo! Everyone loved the fresh, homemade food and asked for recipes. Sage was really pleased with his presents and had a great time fellowshipping with friends. Dare I say it??? SUCCESS!!!!
I figured that I'd share some of the recipes here just in case anyone was interested. I am consistently amazed with how easy it is to cook things from scratch. All it takes is the right ingredients and a little planning!

Fresh, Homemade Salsa
8-10 fresh roma tomatoes, diced (can used canned, diced tomatoes as substitute)
1/2 jalapeno seeded, chopped finely (or to your taste)
1 whole globe of garlic peeled and chopped finely
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped to size of your preference
1 Tbsp. Sea salt

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a container with a lid. Stir. Place in refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor.
BTW, this recipe has a lot of room for manipulation. This is a very basic, mild salsa. There is no heat whatsoever. Add herbs or spices as desired for different flavor. fresh corn, black beans or fruit can be added for a variety. Etc... Play with it!


Homemade Refried Beans

1lb beans (pinto or black beans usually)
2 quarts water

Rinse and sort beans. Place in a large stock pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn stove off, cover and let set at least 4 hours or overnight. When you're ready to cook the beans pour off fluid, rinse and cover beans with water by abt. 2 inches. Simmer beans covered about 90 minutes adding water as necessary. Cook until beans are soft.

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
cumin
chili powder
garlic powder
sea salt

Run beans through your blender or food processor adding a little water (either cooking water or fresh water) to give them the right consistency. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil until cooked through. Add beans and spices to pan with onions and garlic and gently "refry" until mix and heated through. Add more spices as desired to taste.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
(all measurements are approximate)
3 cups organic whole wheat flour (white flour works too)
1/4-1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
water
pinch of salt

Add flour and saltbto a medium mixing bowl. Add 1/4 c. oil and stir to moisten flour. Add water slowly until dough is workable, but not sticky. (Should be halfway between the consistency of pie dough and biscuit dough) Add more oil, flour or water as needed to adjust until dough reaches desired consistency. Turn out onto floured surface and knead a few times. Pinch off balls of dough and roll out VERY thin or use a tortilla press. (I do not worry about my tortillas being round!) Cook tortillas one at a time in a non-oiled skillet over medium heat on one side until you see bubbles in the top. Turn and cook on other side until cooked through.

None of these recipes actually take a ton of effort or time if you just plan ahead! Hope you use them and enjoy! I would love some feedback on what you liked/didn't like as well as any changes you made!