Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes

I woke up a little late with a hunger pang for hash browns. Unfortunately, we are working our way through some of the frozen food and trying to not buy more at this point since we'll be moving in two weeks. Luckily, we had some leftover potatoes from our Old Bay Chicken dinner.

I washed and peeled four small potatoes.

Then I used our Box Grater to cut them into hash brown-sized shreds. I used the larger sized holes as opposed to the medium ones. Watch your fingers. If you aren't careful, you will cut your finger, your knuckle, or grate off part of your fingernail. Been there. Done that. Ouch.

I soaked the potato shreds in water for about 10 minutes, rinsed them, and changed the water to soak them another 10 minutes. You should notice the first time you change the water that it is a white-ish color from the starch residue. This is good because the starch will make them burn or turn mushy later if you don't soak it off.

Once you're done soaking, you need to dry them off as much as you can. You can use a clean towel or paper towels to do this. Squeeze or press the potatoes to soak out as much water as you can, being careful not to damage your shreds. 

Once your potato shreds are try, add your preferred seasoning. This could be simple salt, pepper, and paprika. I used a spice mix that was stashed in the pantry. It's one I make ahead of time and particularly like using on potatoes. You can view the recipe on Pinterest here.

Then all that's left is to heat your pan (medium to medium high heat), add some vegetable oil and fry them up! They'll take about 15 minutes total depending on how crispy you like them. Try to resist the urge to continually flip or stir them as they cook, especially if you like them more well-done.

And that's it! Not so hard, just takes a little time to prep (and you don't have to worry about freezer burn). I topped mine with Old Grumpy Mark's Cuban Missile Crisis hot sauce, one of my favorite hot sauces (but not for the heat sensitive).

Curry Lamb Burgers

"Springing ahead" sounds a lot more exciting and energetic than how I felt when we actually turned our clocks ahead this weekend. It probably didn't help any that Saturday night was a late night and Sunday came around before I even got home.

Anyone who knows me knows I never have been (and never will be) a morning person. I like mornings, but I am a bear to wake up. Now that it's dark in the morning, forget about it.

So Sunday "morning" when I finally got up and moving (for the second time), I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was lucky enough to come across ground lamb at the store the day before. Around here, it's a hit or miss thing, and I like to buy it when it's a hit. It's been too long since I had a good lamb burger, and it seemed like the appropriate brunch food (that you eat way past breakfast or lunch).

Ground lamb seasoned with 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp coriander,
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/4 tsp curry - mixed in 1 egg and 1 T breadcrumbs

The pack was slightly more than 1 lb - which became 4 patties

The tzatziki sauce was made from sour cream, cucumber, dill and lemon juice
 - sliced tomato - feta cheese - 

The final burger garnished with slices of cucumber, tomato, lettuce,
onion, feta and tzatziki - side of tots

There is never a bad time for tots. Brunch is as good (or better) than any. I'm pretty sure the tzatziki was also supposed to have garlic and something else, but I couldn't remember what it was. This version turned out pretty good, and I'd more than definitely make it again.

Banana Walnut French Toast

Or otherwise "That may have been too much sugar, Jenna."

My bf and I go out for breakfast or brunch at least once a week. Our two favorite places are a local downtown restaurant and a local diner. Both menus are a little different, and we typically choose depending on what we're hungry for. The restaurant is always the winner if I want a Bloody Mary and he wants gravy. 

We've cut back a little on eating brunch out Saturday and Sunday, and I've been cooking instead (really no complaints here). Brunch is a fun meal to cook because you can pretty much cook anything from waffles to burgers to eggs and make yourself a cocktail and no one can call you out on it. That's what brunch is for!

I recently decided to take on French toast, something I was hungry for for a few days. It's so wonderful in all it's eggy, carby and sugary goodness. To me, it's even better than pancakes (gasp!).

Combining heavy cream, vanilla and spices (eggs not pictured)

Roasted walnuts ready for chopping

Bananas, walnuts and brown sugar are ready to become sugary goodness

Maybe I should have cut down on the sugar (a little)

The result was good, and it made about 8 slices of Texas toast French toast, which served my bf breakfast for the next few days. I like using a thicker bread for my French toast, either Texas toast or sliced French loaf. 

My banana walnut topping stood for a little too long and got thicker than I wanted. Whoops. Better luck next time, I suppose! 

If you're looking for a way to eat your leftovers, I suggest making a Monte Cristo. I don't like ham, so mine is always just turkey, but it makes an excellent sandwich. 

My Mom's Sticky Bun Recipe

This is a very easy and crowd pleasing recipe my mom always uses when she makes sticky buns for church or family events. It uses (thawed) frozen bread dough and sits overnight in your refrigerator so it's ready to bake in the morning! I don't know about you, but anything that can save me time in the morning is an absolute bonus.

Ingredients:

2 loaves frozen bread dough (thawed)

1 large box cook and serve vanilla pudding

1 cup of chopped nuts

1 stick of butter

2 T milk

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

• Butter 9x13 pan. 

• Spread nuts on bottom of the pan. I like pecans, but walnuts work just as well. 

• Cut or tear bread into small pieces. Lay in pan. 

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, milk, cinnamon and pudding mix. Pour over dough evenly. 

• Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

• In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake covered pan for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and flip onto serving plate or into another 9x13 pan. 

• Serve and devour!

Egg Cups

Bake some egg cups for brunch on Sunday, and keep the leftovers for a quick breakfast during the week!

I used salsa, cheddar, and spicy black bean gardenburger

Ingredients:
6 Eggs
Splash of Milk (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C shredded cheese
Your choice of add ins - whether it's sausage, onion, bacon, tomato, etc. Make sure your meat is precooked if you are adding this into your mix. Get creative, make a fiesta theme or vegetable theme or whatever you can think of! Use up those leftovers from your fridge!

Other:
Muffin Pan
Cupcake liners - use paper if you're going to reheat leftovers

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk eggs. Add salt, cheese, (milk) and add ins.

Pour egg into each cup, filling no more than about half full.

Bake for approx 20 minutes or until egg is thoroughly cooked.

Brunch Torte

The original recipe is from Taste of Home but uses ham and salami. Since I don't like either, I modified the recipe to suit the leftover turkey bacon I had in my freezer. You can easily modify the recipe to what ever meat, cheese, or vegetables you have. One of the great things about recipes like this is that it can flex to use up any leftovers you have!

Ingredients:
2 8oz. refrigerated crescent rolls (as usual, I prefer the garlic)
6 oz. fresh spinach
1 fresh red pepper (roughly chopped)
1 C sliced mushrooms
7 eggs
2 C shredded cheese (2 C of same or 1 C and 1 C)
1 lb. bacon
Olive oil
Black pepper

Other:
Medium skillet
9 in. Springform pan
Aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Wrap the bottom of a 9 in. springform pan in aluminum foil. If you don't securely wrap your pan in foil, the egg mixture will run out in your oven. Press 1 package of crescent rolls into bottom of pan. Bake until set (approx 10-15 minutes).

Meanwhile, cook spinach, mushroom, and red pepper in olive oil over medium heat. Cook until spinach is wilted and mushrooms and peppers are softened. Remove from heat and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess oil. Fry bacon strips in pan.

Mix together egg and season with pepper to taste.

Layer prepared crust with bacon, vegetables blend, 1 C cheese and 1/2 egg mixture. Repeat layers.

Top with second pack of crescent rolls - press to form top crust.

Bake uncovered for 60-75 minutes. Thermometer should read 160 F when torte is fully cooked. If top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. After removing from oven, run knife around edge of pan to loosen and let sit 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Why Brunch?

Brunch. The wonderfully delicious meal that isn't breakfast nor lunch. Why do we love it so much? Maybe it's the idea of slowing down and eating something good. Maybe it's filling the hung-over stomach the next day.

To me, a homemade brunch is something that only happens on the weekends or holidays. It is a full breakfast that usually occurs after a little bit of sleeping in. Some of my favorite brunch menu items are breakfast pizza,hashbrowns, breakfast casserole, croissant sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, and french toast - not to forget coffee or mimosas!

French Toast with Strawberries, Scrambled Eggs and Breakfast Potatoes

Usually we are always so busy in the mornings, getting ready for work or school or whatever that we don't take the time to create a really good breakfast. I have to say that I'm as guilty as anyone. My breakfast is usually coffee and yogurt. If I'm lucky I have some leftover cheese pizza. So a fully made brunch is like a luxury. I'm sure many of you agree.

But here's where we can help ourselves out a bit. Take the time to make yourself (and maybe your friends, family or significant other) a well-made brunch on Sunday. Keep in mind a well-made brunch can be easy-peasy and not quite as complicated as you may think. Make sure to make enough that you have leftovers to reheat and eat during the week.

Of course some foods reheat much better than others - and usually these are the easiest to make. Most foods you can bake also have a better reheat quality. I like to make a little extra on the weekends so I can enjoy a yummier breakfast during the week. I prepackage containers because I know I'm too busy rushing around trying to get to work on time. If I can just grab a container and go, I'm much better off. So do yourself a favor, and try out a brunch recipe this weekend. You'll thank yourself Monday.