My mother, sister and niece were visiting us last weekend and we had a very nice visit. Fast, but nice. As you can imagine, the holidays have been very tough on us this year, especially my sister. She is doing ok though and I judge her well-being on how much we laugh vs. how much we cry. We did an equal amount of both this weekend so I will call that a success!
I sent them home with a ton of Christmas Cookies that I baked last weekend. My girls insisted that they couldn't wait to eat them until we got there on the 21st! Good riddance! I am glad they are out of my freezer and are now probably all gone if I know my kids!
Next Tuesday we will be leaving for 6 days in NY! I can't wait to see the girls. It is so hard being here in FL and them in NY. Why can't they just listen to Mama and move here? Actually, Jordan is seriously talking about moving here in May after the Spring semester is over and finishing school down here. I have every finger and toe crossed! (remind me how I was so happy and excited when I start complaining about her messy room!)
Judi had a great idea to share some recipes via our blog so here are my contributions.
We are having Steve's family for a few days after Christmas and I was just going through my recipes to find something easy to make for breakfast. The Hash brown Casserole is easy because I put it all together the night before and just bake in the morning. The Cheese Danish is also something I make ahead. I make the filling the night before and just do the pastry part in the morning. Very easy! The last recipe I just made last night and it was a hit with everyone except my husband who doesn't like Panettone! Oops! Next time I will use raisin bread!
Hash Brown CasseroleRecipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008
Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns
• 1 pound bulk sausage, mild, hot or sage
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• 8 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 cups cubed French or Italian bread, crusts removed
• 2 cups (1/2 pound) grated Cheddar
• 2 cups (1/2 pound) freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a deep 13 by 9-inch casserole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hash browns and break apart. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
In a second frying pan, saute the sausage, breaking apart large clumps. When the sausage is cooked through, remove it from pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard, briskly to blend.
To assemble, spread the onions and hash browns evenly at the bottom of the greased dish. Place the bread cubes evenly on top of hash browns. With a slotted spoon distribute sausage as the third layer. Pour the milk and egg mixture over these layers. Add Parmesan as the next layer, while then adding the Cheddar.
*Cook's Note: Save a few tablespoons of Cheddar for the last 10 minutes of baking, where you can add a fresh topping of melted Cheddar.
Bake the casserole, uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Easy Cheese Danish(courtesy Ina Garten)
Ingredients
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.
Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.
Panettone Bread Pudding with Amaretto SauceRecipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
30 min
Cook Time:
50 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Sauce:
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur (I used Bourbon)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Bread Pudding:
• 1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes*
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
Directions
To make the sauce: Bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The amaretto sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)
To make the bread pudding: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce, and serve.
***I used two 1 lb. loaves of Panettone as I thought the egg mixture would be too much for the one. By the time I trimmed the crusts from both, it was probably 1.5 lbs and it came out perfect! If I'd only used 1, the bread would have been swimming in the custard!
