Cheesy Breakfast Scramble!

 

 

This "Cheesy Breakfast Scramble" is one of the easiest complete breakfasts you can make, because it cooks all in one skillet.   I even took a shortcut and used refrigerated hash browns.  You can add some buttered toast or even better biscuits and gravy and voila...you have a great and filling meal.  I call this a 'breakfast scramble', but it would be good any meal of the day.   Here is what you will need:

 

1 lb. breakfast sausage

1 medium sweet onion or about 1/2 cup, diced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced

1 (20 oz.) bag of refrigerated hash browns (could use frozen ones that are thawed)

6 large eggs

1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning ( I used Zatarains)

1/4 tsp. black pepper

dash of hot sauce (optional)

2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

 

Crumble and brown the breakfast sausage in a deep skillet, with a lid.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook with the sausage.   When the sausage is just browning, add the potatoes.  Toss to get the potatoes coated with the drippings.  Cover and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes. 

 

I used these that have a little steakhouse seasoning on them.  You can used the cubed or the shredded, which cook  a little faster.

 

Uncover and turn the potatoes!  Cook until they start to get a little brown.  Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and pour over all.  Turn the heat down to medium low and lightly toss. Sprinkle in the Creole seasoning, black pepper and dash of hot sauce!  Toss just until the eggs are set.  Don't over cook them.  Add 1 cup of the cheese and toss again.  Sprinkle the top with the other cup of cheese. Cover just for a few minutes to melt the cheese.  You can cut the heat off at this point so the eggs aren't over cooked. 

 

Plate each serving!  I garnished with a little cilantro!

 

I also added some diced tomato!  Some sour cream and salsa would also be good! 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Country Ham Quiche!

Since I grew up in Kentucky and have lived here all of my life, at one time I never really realized that not everyone had access to or was familiar with country ham.   Country ham is Kentucky, maybe more than bourbon, horses and tobacco.  

 I have since learned that country ham is fairly regional.  When you go past the Mason Dixon line north or to the west, it sort of starts to fade away.  Really surprising is that it's also not very available in Mississippi, Louisiana and much of Alabama.  

 I am not completely sure why this is, but I have  a theory that it has to do with the saying ...."It's cold enough to kill hogs in here".   Have you ever heard someone say that about a cold room?  Well, it had to be really cold before you could kill hogs because the process of dressing the meat and such took some time and if it was too warm, the meat would ruin.  Maybe it wasn't cold enough in those coastal states to cure the meat?  I am not really sure. 

I am told that my grandfather was well known for wonderful country hams and smoked shoulders.  He killed five to six hogs each winter.  That might seem like a lot, but he had 11 kids to feed. 

 According to my aunts, his secret was using both hickory and sassafras woods and he used the roots of the sassafras tree not just the limbs.  It gave the meat a very unique flavor.   Everybody around wanted the secret to his smoking technique.   

You may have heard the saying, 'they used every part of the hog, but the squeal",   according to my mother...they did. Which probably explains my excessive use of  bacon and ham in my cooking...it's genetic! 

Of course, now days you can order country ham online, but I am not sure a lot of people would know what to do with it.  Somebody asked me today, what makes Kentucky cuisine so different from other areas, and I have decided that a big part of it is the country ham (and so much more).  We fry it, bake it, and use it to season everything from dried beans to green beans and just any kind of fresh greens like collards, mustard or turnip greens.   That's why any discussion of foods for a Kentucky Derby celebration, party or tea must include country ham!   You will find the usual country ham and biscuits and there is nothing wrong with that at all, but this is the use of country ham in a quiche and it really makes this quiche extra good. 

Here is what you will need:

Country ham (just the biscuit slices is enough), eggs, half and half, butter, sour cream, pie crust, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce.

Ingredients:

1 deep dish pie crust
2 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 cups chopped country ham

4 eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup Swiss cheese

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of Tabasco sauce



Melt 2 Tbs. butter in a skillet.  Wash the ham slices off.  Country ham tends to be very salty and can be a little gritty out of the package so it needs to be rinsed off.  Chop it up and saute it in the butter.  Country ham is a cured meat, but it is not fully cooked. 

Beat the eggs with a whisk, add half and half, sour cream, seasoned salt, pepper cayenne and Tabasco sauce and whisk until well blended.   Place the pie crust in a deep pie plate or you can use a frozen deep dish pie crust. 

Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.  The quiche cooks more evenly like this and it's easier to move in and out of the oven.

Place the ham with the butter in the bottom of the crust.  Sprinkle both cheeses over the ham.  Pour the egg mixture over all. 

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 50-55 minutes.  If it starts to brown on top too much and is not done in the center, place a piece of foil lightly over the top.  Usually this doesn't happen, but all ovens vary.

Let the quiche sit for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and it will come out much easier.   For a Derby Tea these could be made in a mini muffin pan for mini quiches, just chop the ham a little finer.

Slice and serve!  I served it with fried potatoes! 

Slow Cooker Breakfast Hash!

  

 

This is a great recipe to use when you want to have a nice breakfast, but do not want to get up an hour early to prepare it.  

It's great for overnight guests or when the kids have sleepovers, because if people are getting up and around at different times...some earlier than others, this is ready to eat and stays just as warm and good for those straggling in later in the morning.  

 Put this on the night before and make some toast or biscuits the next morning, maybe some fresh fruit and you have an amazing breakfast.  

Here is what you will need:

2 lb. bag of hash browns (I think the cubed ones work best)
1 lb. breakfast sausage, browned (can substitute 2 cups chopped ham)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, diced (optional)
10 eggs
1 cup half and half (can use milk)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
green onion for garnish (optional)

 Brown the sausage along with the onion and the bell pepper is you are adding it.  Spray a 6 quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Layer half of the hash browns in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Layer half of the sausage over the hash browns.  Sprinkle half of each type of cheese over the sausage.  Repeat all of the layers again, ending with cheeses.  

 

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, half and half and seasonings together until well blended and pour evenly over all.    

 

 

Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

 

Serve with biscuits or toast and maybe some fruit or sliced tomatoes...yummy!



Hash Brown Ham and Cheese Quiche!

We really like quiches, mainly for supper or even a brunch.  I sometimes make hash browns or fried potatoes for a side with quiche.  This quiche uses the hash browns for the crust so it just combines all of the goodness in one dish. 

My husband gave this recipe the two thumbs up and said it was the best quiche I had ever made and that includes a lot of quiches.  I think the potato crust made it a little hardier than other quiches and that was the appeal for him. 

 Remember back when they used to say 'real men don't eat quiche', wonder why?  All of the men in our family eat quiche, it's eggs, cheese and milk, what's not for a man to like?  And now this one has the one of the other male food groups...potatoes.  I think they were wrong about men and quiche...lol.

 Here is what you will need for this yummy dish:

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded hash browns
4 Tbs. butter, melted and divided
1 cup chopped ham (or you could use browned sausage or crisp cooked bacon)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup half and half
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
dash seasoned salt
dash Tabasco sauce

Thaw hash browns and then press between paper towels to remove any excess moisture.  If you don't do this, the crust will be a little soggy.  Just get the extra moisture out of them, they don't have to be completely dry.

Melt the 3 Tbs. of the  butter in a deep pie plate or a quiche dish.

Toss the hash browns with the butter to coat and then press in the pie plate like a crust.  Make sure to go up the sides.  Pat until it is tight.  Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes until it is just browning and crispy.  Watch in the last 5 minutes and don't let it burn or brown too much.

Saute the chopped ham in a about 1 Tbs butter until it's just slightly browned.

Place the browned ham in the potato crust once you remove it from the oven.

Mix all of the other ingredients and pour over the ham.  Make sure the cheese is distributed evenly over all.  I place the pie plate or quiche dish on a cookie sheet or pizza pan before filling it.  This will catch any spillovers and make it easier to take it in and out of the oven.  Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the quiche for 30 minutes.  It should be just browning on top when done.

Cornbread Quiche!

This is a recipe that is the result of a request made by one of our regular "Sweet Tea and Cornbread" readers.  He asked for a  'breakfasty' recipe using cornbread.  At first, I was a little stumped, but after thinking about it for a day or two, I decided to do a 'cornbread quiche'.  We love quiche at our house, but I had never used cornbread in one before.  But, when you think about it, why not?  We ate this for dinner, but it would be great for a late breakfast, lunch or brunch.   Here is what you will need:
Ingredients:
1 lb breakfast sausage  (you could also use chopped ham or bacon)
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup half and half
1 can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. sugar
dash of salt
dash of garlic powder
a few drops of Tabasco sauce

Brown the sausage and chopped onion. Drain when browned.

I used this smokehouse sausage made by my favorite sausage maker, Purnell's.  I don't know if this is a new product on the market, but it's new here and I love smoked sausage.  You can also use regular breakfast sausage (try Purnell's if you can get it), chopped ham or even bacon would be great!

Mix all of the other ingredients except the cheeses...Jiffy cornbread mix, butter, creamed corn, half and half, sour cream, eggs and seasonings.  Stir until well blended and then fold in the shredded cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle the browned sausage in a dish you have sprayed well with nonstick cooking spray.  You need a deep pie plate for this or I used my Corning French White quiche dish.  You can also  bake it in  a 2 quart casserole dish and cut it in squares.

Pour the quiche mixture over the sausage and then sprinkle the top with grated asiago or Parmesan cheese.  If you don't care for asiago or Parmesan you could use some shredded Swiss cheese or even Monterrey Jack or more cheddar. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes.  Test at 40 minutes by inserting a sharp knife in the center and it should come out clean when done.  Watch to be sure the top doesn't brown too much.  Place it on the middle rack.  

COOKING TIP:  Before you fill your quiche pan or deep pie plate, place it on a large cookie sheet or pizza pan, then fill it. This makes the quiche cook more evenly and if it does spill over the pan catches it. It's also easier to move in and out of the oven without spilling.

When it's nice and brown, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cornbread quiche, fried potatoes and sliced tomatoes from the garden!

Creamy Quiche Lorraine!

 

 

This creamy quiche makes the menu even more suitable for an Easter Brunch.  If you are using the menu for a bridal shower or baby shower, you could bake the quiche mixture in the mini muffin tin and make the bite size quiches.   This is a lighter quiche than some I have made and bakes up very nice. 

Ingredients:

4-5 slices of bacon cooked up crisp and drained
4 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 Tbs. finely diced onion
2 cups cheddar or Swiss cheese (either works fine)
1 cup half and half cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 8 inch pie shell

Crumble the bacon and place in the bottom of the pie shell that has not been baked.  Beat eggs with wire whisk.  Add in half and half, onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper and whisk together. Place cheese in pie shell on top of bacon and pour egg mixture over this.  Before you pour the egg mixture in the pie shell,  place it on a cookie sheet.  Place the quiche on the cookie sheet in a 300 degree preheated oven.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the center is firm and not jiggly.