Baked Eggs with Grits and Sausage

    Happy Monday, friends! Do you have a brunch planned but you're having a hard time deciding what to make? Just want something new to try for breakfast? These are the perfect solution.
   Hubby had made spaghetti for dinner the other night and there was sausage in the fridge that was left and needed to be used. I haven't made grits in awhile and was hungry for them, so these little guys fit the bill perfectly. 

 Baked Eggs with Grits and Sausage

yield: 4 6(oz) ramekins

1/2 lb sausage, fried and drained

2 cups milk

1/2 cup quick cooking grits

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp butter

 1/2 tsp sriracha

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup Edam cheese, grated

4 cold eggs

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 4 (6oz) ramekins with nonstick spray. (or you could just use one regular sized baking dish)

In a saucepan bring milk, salt and pepper to a boil. Slowly whisk in grits and continue stirring until thick, about 5 min. Remove from heat and add butter, sriracha and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir until butter and cheese is melted.

To assemble place 1/4 cup sausage in the bottom of the cup. Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of cheese on top. divide grits over the cheese. Crack an egg on top, season with pepper and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and fresh herbs. Bake until the whites are set,  15-17 min for a runny yolk or 18-20 minutes for a firm yolk. 

Serve hot.

Adapted from: this recipe 

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This is the confidence we have

in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to His will,

He hears us.

~1 John 5:14 

  

 

Roasted Asparagus, Parmesan and Rosemary Tart

   Even though the weather doesn't feel so much like it right now, I know Spring is here. If for no other reason than this....Asparagus! I love having my own asparagus patch and always look forward to the first harvest of the season. It seems to be doing really well so far this year and I had a bunch in the fridge to use. 
   I almost always take Hubs lunch to the shop if he is working there and today I thought I'd make something for him using the asparagus. A tart was what I had in mind and after combining a few recipes this was the end result.

 

Roasted Asparagus, Parmesan and Rosemary Tart

yield: 1 -9.5 inch tart pan 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups pie & pastry flour

1/4 tsp salt

9 tbsp cold unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp ice water

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour and salt. Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour. Beat until mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix together egg yolk and water. Add and mix until combined.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. Turn dough out onto paper and roll until it fits the tart pan. Carefully pick up and place dough into the tart pan. Press it down and then slowly remove parchment paper. Prick with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or over night.

To prepare, remove from fridge, remove plastic wrap and bake @ 350° for 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

8 stalks of fresh asparagus

Arrange asparagus stalks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile in a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper & paprika. Whisk well; add onion, rosemary and cheese. Stir to combine. Pour into the baked tart shell. Top with asparagus stalks and bake for 15-20 minutes or until set. 

    As it turned out hubs had to go on a service call over lunch, so I didn't take it to him until later on. G-bug and I shared a slice right away though and it was delicious. 

   I stuck it in the warming drawer then to keep it hot until we took it to the shop. The little monkey found it while I was in another room. Fortunately I caught him before he was able to help himself. =)

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The grass withers and the

flowers fall, but the word of our

God stands forever.  

~Isaiah 40:8

  

Amish Hat Cookies

   Hello my friends! I hope everyone had a blessed Easter celebrating our risen Lord and Savior! Ours was a lovely day, beginning with a Sunrise Illumination Service, followed by breakfast, then a regular but earlier Sunday morning service and lunch time and the afternoon spent with family. 
   My Mom would make these cookies when I was a child growing up. I had never made them before that I can remember and they are a favorite of one of my brothers {whose birthday is today} so I made a batch this morning to deliver to him later on today. 
   For some reason I was thinking that I didn't really like them that much, which is shocking because I'm a huge chocolate lover....but I was greatly mistaking! I could hardly keep from eating entirely too may of them. What I didn't package up for the birthday gift I took to the guys at the silo shop to eat with their coffee, just so they weren't here tempting me.
   Oh, and the name makes me smile....I guess they sort of do look like an Amish hat if you use your imagination. =)

Amish Hat Cookies

yield: 3 dozen cookies

 Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa powder

18 large marshmallows, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350*. In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and milk. Mix until light and fluffy. 

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. 

Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Remove from oven and top each cookie with a marshmallow half. Bake for another 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Frost with the following...

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar 

 3 tbsp cocoa powder

 1/8 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

5 tbsp heavy cream

pecan halves (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients except pecans in a mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.

Frost each marshmallow and top with a pecan half if desired. 

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The angel said to the women,

"Do not be afraid, for I know you are

looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here; He has risen, 

just as He said. Come and see the

place where He lay."

~Matthew 28:5+6