Bacon Quiche Tarts

  My mother-in-law had a brunch yesterday morning for her daughter and daughters-in-law and most all the grandchildren and her sisters and their daughters & daughters-in-law and their children. Everyone was supposed to bring a dish. [And yes we had alot of yummy food choices] 
  I had made these little tarts one other time for a brunch and they were a big hit so decided to make them again.

Bacon Quiche Tarts

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 5 tsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp green pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp onion, chopped
• 3 fresh mushrooms , chopped (optional, the recipe didn't call for them ,but I had some & thought it would be good to add them)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tube (8 oz) crescent rolls
• 8 bacon strips, fried & crumbled

Beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. add cheese, eggs, peppers , onion, bacon and seasonings; mix well. Separate dough and press into greased muffin or tart pan. (My tart pan makes 24 so I just divided each crescent roll into thirds.) Fill the tarts with egg mixture and bake uncovered @ 350* for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

I also chopped some fresh tomato and put it on top of each tart before serving.

 I got alot of comments on these again.....everyone seems to really enjoy them. I had a few left so I heated them up for Daren when he got home from work this morning and he was in the middle of eating his third one when he said, "man these things are insane! Where did you get this idea?" =).......{just followed a recipe and then personalized it to my taste.}

Everyone enjoy this gorgeous day! =)

♥ Sheila



Taco Pizza

I got invited to a girls only pizza party one evening about a week ago. The rules for the party were: make a pizza that we had never made before, do not make any adjustments to the recipes; although we could make our own crust or add extra cheese and bring a friend and a copy of your recipe along ( in case anyone wanted copies) Of course I was super excited about it...not only did I get to enjoy a girls night, but try a new recipe[s] as well! =) 

The lady that was having the party made the dessert pizzas, and we were supposed to bring the main course pizzas. I searched for awhile until I found this one and decided that I was definitely going to make it.

Taco Pizza

• 1 pizza dough
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded cheese (1 cup cheddar & 1 cup mozzarella)
• 2 cups lettuce, shredded
• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• 1 handful cilantro
• sour cream to taste

Brown hamburger and drain. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Roll out pizza dough on a stone or pizza pan. (I like to put cornmeal down first) Top with salsa, hamburger and cheese. Bake in a preheated 425* oven until cheese is bubbly and the crust edges are golden brown. About 5-10 minutes.

Let cool a bit and top with lettuce, tomato, cilantro and sour cream.

 The toppings ready to be put on

*You may also use avacodo and/or homemade pico de gallo instead of tomatoes and cilantro.

**I made pico de gallo and used that on mine.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 cups tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 lime (juice)
• handful cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and chill.



I didn't have time to take photographs when I made this for the party, so I made it again for our dinner the other evening. Daren had not gotten to try it yet, and I wanted his opinion as well. I think this is now probably one of our favorite pizzas. And it really doesn't take that long to make. =)

 Ready for the first bite...yummm

The party was wonderful....we got to try six different main course pizzas and two dessert pizzas. They were all delicious!! And yes I tried all of them (except for one that I had eaten before), but don't be alarmed...they were all cut small for that reason! ;)

Hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Saturday! =)

♥ Sheila



{Tomato Feta Chicken}

   There was a large barn fire in our neighborhood on Thursday so Daren spent alot of his day there. He didn't know when he would get home so I needed a dinner idea that would be quick & easy to put together for when he did get here.
  I had some chicken in the freezer and lots of fresh garden tomatoes, so wanted to use those as main ingredients. Searched awhile for some recipes & found this one that sounded easy & delicious.

Tomato Feta Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast*
• 2 tbsp zesty Italian dressing
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/8 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 2 tomatoes seeded & chopped
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• pepper & salt to taste

Thaw chicken & brush with dressing; sprinkle with Italian seasoning & pepper. let stand for 10 minutes or so. Heat oven to broil setting. Broil the chicken for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until almost done.**

Meanwhile in a bowl combine, tomatoes, basil, cheese, vinegar, pepper & salt. Remove chicken from oven & arrange tomato mixture over top of each one. Broil for another 2-3 minutes, until cheese has softened. Serve immediately

* I used 8 chicken tenders instead of 4 breast

**could also grill them, I just didn't want to take the time

  Daren called me on his way home, so I got everything started & it didn't take too long to have it all ready for the table. Since hubby isn't a big fan of chicken I was a little worried that he might not like it, but he thought it was really good. [maybe it was because he was so hungry =)]

 

  Served it with fresh corn-on-the-cob......a perfect meal for dining outside on the deck. Twas a perfect evening also; the sun had just set & it had cooled off a bit. Ahhh, how I just love summer evenings!!

Enjoy your day! =)

♥ Sheila

Give us this day our daily bread...

  I don't bake alot of bread... not that we don't enjoy having it around, I just don't often take the time to make it. (I want to try & do better about that, it really isn't hard & I enjoyed it.)
  So the other night I got to thinking about homemade bread & how long it has been since I've had any. Decided right then & there to change that. =)
  I checked out some recipes & narrowed it down to either Oatmeal or Sourdough. Asked Daren which he would prefer & he chose Sourdough.
  The starter has to sit for at least 12 hours , so I made it that night around 10:00. Went to bed excited about the thought of fresh homemade bread the next day!! =)

{Sourdough Bread}



Starter:

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup potato flakes

2 cups flour

Stir yeast & sugar into water in a large bowl. After 10 minutes or more, stir in potato flakes & flour. Beat until smooth. Cover loosely & let set 12-24 hours at room temperature.

Bread:

sourdough starter

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp yeast

2/3 cup sugar

4 tsp salt

1/2 lb butter

10-11 cups flour

Dissolve sugar & yeast in warm water. Add salt & soft butter. Stir in the entire sourdough starter & begin adding flour until dough is stiff enough to knead by hand. Shape into 4 loaves & let rise in greased bread pans until doubled.



[ready for the oven]



 After it has risen bake @ 350* for about 30 minutes. Remove from pans & rub butter over top. Cover loosely until cool.



[mm mm fresh baked bread]

  Since I worked the next day, didn't bake the bread until 5:00ish. Daren was working so I took the guys a fresh-from-the-oven loaf with homemade frozen strawberry jam. They ate almost the whole loaf for breakfast the next morning....they must have somewhat liked it ;)
  The recipe makes 4 loaves which is great...Had one for the guys, gave one to a friend, ate part of one myself that evening =) & put one in the freezer for later use.

  A fresh slice of homemade bread slathered with homemade strawberry rhubarb jam....(does it get any better than that?)

Happy baking! =)

♥ Sheila

*Just Peachy*

  Fresh peaches...yummm! I have alot of new peach recipes that I want to try so decided I had better get started before I no longer have fresh peaches to work with.

  My in-laws have a produce patch at their place where they raise produce for charity. One evening a week they have anyone that wants to help, come & pick beans, pull weeds & eventually dig potatoes. After the work is finished for the evening they usually have a potluck meal. Daren & I don't make it every time, but is fun to go when we can.

  Anyway, it suited us to go Tuesday evening  so I needed to make something to contribute to the potluck; something using peaches......I decided on this one & went to work in the kitchen.

Peach Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Rum Sauce



2 cups fresh peaches, peeled & finely chopped

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups hot water

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

5 cups French bread, torn into small pieces

CARAMEL SAUCE

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1 1/2 tbsp rum

Combine sweetened condensed milk & eggs, add peaches & mix well. Stir in hot water, melted butter, cinnamon & vanilla. Stir french bread into custard mixture until bread is completely moistened. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake @ 325* until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour & 10 minutes.

While the pudding id baking, combine brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, corn syrup & rum in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat & simmer for 3-4 minutes until just slightly thickened. Let cool slightly.

Serve the pudding warm with caramel sauce & whipping cream. Cool & refrigerate any leftover pudding.

  I've never made bread pudding before (it's actually quite simple), so I baked a small dish just so we could taste it before I took it to the potluck. It was sooo good! Daren happened to be inside when I got it out of the oven & I let him try it also. I only got about two bites...he devoured the rest! ;)

  He wasn't the only one that liked it.....got lots of compliments on it & the pan was empty, all except for one little corner when I went to get it to bring home. I was glad because that sure would have been alot of bread pudding for us to eat if it hadn't disappeared.

~Sheila =)

Bruschetta

  Daren had a baseball game here last evening & we had eaten a really late lunch so I didn't fix dinner, but he did want a little something to eat after the game. And it had to be something easy & quick. He suggested Bruschetta which I thought was a great idea; so that is what we made.
  With lots of fresh tomatoes & basil it was really simple to put together & it was delicious....the perfect dish for late in the evening.

Bruschetta

1 medium tomato, chopped (I also used a few grape tomatoes)

8 fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (or garlic powder)

1/2 - 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

fresh cracked pepper to suit your taste

1/2-1 tsp salt

6 slices french bread

extra virgin olive oil

garlic (or garlic powder)

fresh Parmesan cheese

Rub garlic clove on one side of bread, then sprinkle with olive oil. Place oil side down & bake at 475* on the top rack in your oven until toasted. (I then flipped the oil side up to toast for just a bit). Meanwhile mix together tomatoes, basil, garlic,vinegar, oil, salt & pepper. When the bread is toasted remove from oven & top with the tomato mixture & fresh gated Parmesan cheese. Return to oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove & garnish with a little basil & cracked pepper.

  I just used ingredients that I had on hand to make this & I didn't have fresh garlic so I just used garlic powder instead. It worked fine, but I think that I would definitely like it better using fresh garlic. Also I think this is usually made using a french baguette instead of french bread....the french bread was great though; since it meant that we got to have larger portions ;)

  Well, I hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday....I get to spend part of mine at the dentist, so I'm not sure how terrific that will be :/ Oh well, it's got to be done sometime...might as well get it over with today!

Blessings to you,

~Sheila