#Name this breakfast bake challenge!

 

Name this Breakfast Challenge

Breakfast. Wrote a blog about it. Want to read it?  Here it goes.......

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast; morning, noon or night.  My mother, rest her soul, made amazing breakfasts for dinner. I carry on that tradition. While caring for her, I would make her fruit pancakes every Sunday night for dinner. She particularly loved banana pancakes, but I threw in raspberries, blackberries or strawberries, or some combination. Those memories help me keep the tradition strong. 

Whereas my mother loved sweet breakfasts, I prefer savory breakfasts. This is one of those. To give me a bit of fun, I have challenged all of you good folks to read the blog (sorry, required) and come up with a sensible but fantastic name for this breakfast bake.  Sorry, "Breakfast Bake" is not going to cut it.  Here we go!

Ingredients

1 large bag frozen hash browns*

1 pound coarsely sliced bacon or smoked sausage

1 large onion, diced 

4 - 10 eggs

1 container small marinated mozzarella balls

Fresh grated mozzarella cheese, 1.5 - 2 cups*

spices and herbs*

salt and pepper

5-oz can of fire roasted green chiles*

THIS is how we do it

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (not baking spray).  Preheat the oven to 425-degrees  Pour out the entire bag of hash browns onto the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spray the top of the hash browns and bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet with a light drizzle of your favorite oil, add bacon cuts or thinly sliced smoked sausage or both! When the bacon or sausage begin to caramelize, taking on color and crispiness, add the onions and chiles. Use a wooden spoon or spatula and stir thoroughly.  When the onions JUST begin to soften, set the skillet aside. By now, the twelve minute pre-bake of the hash browns must be done. 

While the sausage, onion and chiles are cooling and resting, crack the eggs over the hash browns.  I was awfully short on eggs, with only four to add to the hash browns.  Eight eggs or ten would be perfect, especially for feeding up to six people. Add the marinated small mozzarella balls. These are sooo good and add so much soft texture and delicious flavor!

Add the sausage and onion mixture and sprinkle a good amount of shredded mozzarella cheese atop the entire baking sheet pan. I saved some of the marinate and drizzled that atop the mixture, as well.  

Shake it to left...Spice up your life!*

Here are the spices I added atop it all other than salt and pepper.  It's your choice, of course. 

Crushed red pepper flakes

Smoked Paprika

Dried oregano

Dried Thyme

Black pepper

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You could always make your own hash browns. You can use a processor or grater, placing the grated potatoes in a large bowl lined with cheesecloth or a clean thin dish towel.  Squeeze out the extra moisture and freeze for a few minutes to prevent spoilage. 

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In addition, you could use whatever cheese or cheeses you like.  As I said above, it's your choice!😁

Also....

You could roast your own chiles, Anaheim or Pasilla (Poblano) chiles, place in a plastic or paper bag to steam and cool off. Then rub off the burnt skin. Dice and they're ready to use.

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Finally, add another generous sprinkling of mozzarella, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for thirty minutes. 

The above two photos are from my pulling the baking sheet from out of the oven.  If you need to cook the eggs more, put it back in for fifteen minutes, especially if you are using up to ten or twelve eggs!

Use fresh herbs for garnishes - or even in the dish itself!  I love using fresh herbs. You could create a special hollandaise for this dish, or use whatever you like, if anything!  I would add a gentle sprinkle of sea salt before serving.  This dish can serve from four really hungry folks or up to six pickity bits eaters. 

In any event, THANK YOU for reading! I am excited to hear the dish titles you send me and I will contact you personally should I select your title.  Good luck!

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love! ❤

~ Martin

In-House Cook

Brand New Baby Herbs reaching out of the soil to say hello!

Chile Chicken Soup

 

Chile Chicken Soup

The holidays are approaching, winter is not far behind, and you may be feeding your family, friends and neighbors!  I have, here, a fantastic recipe perfect for the feasts and fun frivolity approaching! This recipe can be altered to meet your specific needs, even as a vegan soup.  Let's get to it!

Ingredients

1 package, or, 6 good sized chicken thighs, cubed

1  16oz can diced tomatoes 

1 small can of fire roasted green chiles

2 large or 3 medium dried Chile Ancho pods, stemmed and seeded

1 16 oz can of whole kernel corn

About 16 small baby Yukon Gold potatoes

1/2 head garlic, halved and salted

1 large or 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

1 rounded tablespoon (or two) oregano

1 rounded teaspoon thyme

Smoked Paprika

1 rounded tablespoon black pepper 

Salt 

Pickled Jalapeno juice, 1/4 cup 

                                   1 20 oz can rinsed kidney beans

Your favorite braising oil (I used evoo)

If you want to Ingredients

I wanted my chicken soup to be a bit fiery, so I added some of these below.  You could not add them if you want your soup more traditional.  In addition, you could change the chicken to tofu or, leave it out altogether. 

Jerk Seasoning (strongly recommend) 

Sliced, pickled Jalapenos (sorry, I don't know how to add the omniglot)

Pickled Jalapeno juice, 1/4 cup

Chipotle powder or your favorite chile powder

This was the hard part.  The rest is a breeze. 

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Add three generous rounds of oil to a large pot over high heat.  Add the onions, dried Ancho chile pods, and the garlic halves.  Place the garlic halves cut side down.  Any cloves that may have escaped, peel them and throw them in, too!  Add salt and a little black pepper and stir, about three minutes.  Add the pickled jalapeno juice (or, white wine vinegar is fine, too) and stir the ingredients around. Next, move the ingredients to the sides of the pot.  Add the cubed chicken thighs.

(You could use chicken breasts for this, especially because it is a soup, but I almost exclusively use chicken thighs because they are softer and juicier. In my advancing age, I prefer thigh meat because it is easier on my aging teeth, too.)  

Allow the cubed thigh meat to caramelize, about three or four minutes one side, then the other.  It is easy to use a spoon or spatula to swish them around rather than to turn each one over with a pair of tongs.  Monotonous, isn't it? Add a little salt and pepper and swish those babies around!

After about eight minutes, add a cup of hot water and stir and scrape the bottom of the pot for those cooked on dark bits.  Those are flavor!!!  Morgan and I call those "nibbly bits".  Add the potatoes along with a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Now, add a second cup of hot

water and stir.  

THIS is the time to add jalapenos and chipotle powder or your favorite ground chile. I did use chipotle powder. Smells so good! Add the can of diced green chiles and diced canned tomatoes. Add the jerk seasoning (whether it is from a rub or in soft form) and thoroughly combine Everything! For merry measure, you could add a half a can or bottle of beer. I didn't this time, but I usually do. If the mixture is too thick, add an extra cup or two of hot water.  Water is essential to help the flavors marry and distribute throughout the pot.  

Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours. An hour into the simmer, I add fresh oregano and thyme.  They add tremendous aroma, flavorings and beauty!  Stir and cover again and let simmer another hour. 

Voi La!  It's time to serve!

I had purchased a bag of "hint of lime" corn chips and they went perfectly with this meal.  I garnished with fresh oregano.  

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. It is much simpler than I am making it sound. 😅 The prep work is less than half an hour, and the simmering allows you to go about your evening.  This recipe is also Perfect for a crock pot!  Set it on low for eight hours and enjoy your day! 

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Thank you very much for sticking with my humble little blog and myself. I appreciate you all more than you know!  Now, file this recipe in your recipe box and Go Cook For Someone You Love! ❤

~ Martin

In-House Cook

 

  

 

Organizing and Utilizing Space in Super Small Kitchens

 Small Kitchen Advice Hacks

I live in a one bedroom apartment.  While the bedroom and living room are spacious, the kitchen has limited counter space. Didn't the architects of this plex ever watch DIY shows where the kitchen is the crown jewel of the space? Not at all, apparently, so for 13 years I have suffered the smallness of it but I have made some amazing meals here and catered events, all started in my kitchen.  Clean as a whistle, it is.  In my time as kitchen steward, here, I have learned a few things.  And I have had help from my beloved friend, Morgan. We call him "The Morganizer", and he really is a master at organizing and finding hacks to help. 

I have a culinary cart upon which I store the pots and skillets I use most often, and even more of them have been hung on the sides of cupboards to unclutter the cart. My close friend and former colleague, Ben, built this cart for me for my birthday some years ago.  It has been invaluable in my culinary ventures. 

What do I have in the cupboards?  Baking pans and pots and bowls. There's a cupboard for my various food processors, big and little.  There is one two story cupboard behind the cart (above) with one level for kitty food and the bottom for the dog food. Of course, other cupboards stored my plates, bowls, coffee mugs and glasses and cups. The cupboard space was so limited, and my counter space even More limited, I clearly needed help. Enter Morgan, the Morganizer. 

Morgan bought several of those stick-on/pull off with no wall or cupboard damage hooks of various strengths and sizes for my varied pots and pans. You can find various brands of the temporary stick ons at CVS, WalMart, Target and similar stores. As you can see, they work on faux wood cupboards and plaster painted walls easily.  You will be amazed at how much cupboard and counter space is cleared up for you! 

All of these were out of the way, easy to take down and use.  

Everything was near the stove and the sink.  There was literally no travel outside the kitchen to retrieve anything.  It was exemplary planning and execution. Next, my spices.  

Morgan bought a spice riser.  He put my spices on it and I rearranged them according to how often I use them.  Those that are not frequently used were placed off and up to the left and the most often used spices on the right.  

 Ideal location for the riser. Everything used often is right there at the fingertips and next to THE most important thing, the Keurig!!!  😃

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Note:  I started this blog post back in January. I had to neglect my blog (so sorry!) for months because I had decided to retire at the end of the school year and to move across the country.  I now live in Virginia, and I love it here.  I have adopted a German Shepherd rescue and am adopting Athena's foster sister tomorrow.  Three dogs and a cat are a lot to deal with, but they bring joy to my heart.  I will update my blog from now on since I have time to plan and cook my little heart out.  

With that, I want to Thank You for sticking with me, your patience and your readership. Now, go reorganize your tiny kitchen!  

~Martin

In-House Cook

This is Ginger Hope, whom we are adopting tomorrow!

Athena and Morgan

Athena

Our little old man, Gus, who turned 15 Sept. 15th.