Road Trip Recap and Breakfast For Dinner

We headed out last Friday for a road trip to see family last weekend. I was concerned about travelling with Hayden but in reality he was wonderful and I could not have asked for a better travel companion. We did have some hiccups along the way, but surprisingly they had nothing to so with Hayden. We loaded up the truck and piled everyone in. We got about two hours out of town and started having issues with our vehicle. Out of nowhere it overheated and we found ourselves on the side of the road in the blistering heat, with white smoke pouring out the tail pipe and fluids bubbling under the hood. Not good. 

My brother and Mr. H saved the day and we barely made it to the nearest Ford dealership, only to be held up there for 3 hours. We had lunch, the service department diagnosed the problem and we tried to track down a rental car to get us to our destination. Long story short, our 9 hour strip turned into 13. Hayden got (understandably) restless about two hours out so we stopped, stretched our legs and got some dinner. Once we got back on the road he passed out and was peaceful the rest of the way, though we were all crammed into a minivan and uncomfortable. We made it to my grandma's house nearing midnight and had a great weekend. We ended up staying an extra day than planned but we got to visit family that we hadn't seen in years, including my new cousin that's only 3 weeks old. Love. 

The trip back home was a little less exciting but we were all so tired, hot and easily agitated. I don't think I've ever been so happy to back in my own home- I forgot how good it smelled and how great the A/C works :-). All this to say, that we survived our first road trip with the boy. And don't tell Mr. H, but I'd do it all over again just to spend more time with my family. I guess now it's time for me to talk about this breakfast casserole. It's delicious and I've made it several times over the past few months. I've made it with different meats and cheeses and it's always a hit. I make the full recipe and we eat on it for about 3 days, for either breakfast or dinner, and never tire of the leftovers. That's a rarity. 

Breakfast Casserole adapted from Confabulation In The Kitchen

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• 1- 20 oz. bag  Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  
• 1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled (ham or bacon works well too)
  
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  
• 5 large eggs
  
• 1 cup half n half or heavy cream
  
• A few dashes of hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over potatoes and stir until well-combined. Line  anungreased 9x13-inch casserole dish with buttered potatoes, and press to make a crust. Bake 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are just crisped and brown on the edges. Remove dish from oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk eggs, half n half or cream, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle sausage over potato crust then sprinkle the cheese over sausage to create even layers. Pour egg mixture over ingredients. 

Bake 12-20 minutes or until the eggs are set in the center and the edges are golden and bubbling.

"Steak BBQ On A Budget" & A $25 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway

I was contacted earlier in the month asking if I'd like to try Walmart's new USDA Choice steaks.  Mr. H is a huge meat eater, so of course I said yes! Have you seen the commercials on TV where the people are dining in a steakhouse and a guy comes along telling them they've just eaten Walmart Steaks? Well these are those steaks!

I was given two $25 Walmart gift cards. One for me to create a "Steak BBQ On A Budget" and one to give away to a lucky reader! I went to Walmart and immediately spotted the USDA Choice steaks since they are easily identified by the black tray packaging.  There were several different cuts of meat to choose from, but Mr. H is partial to filet mignon, so that's what we got. My one complaint about the filets were that they were packaged individually rather than in pairs (like the rib eye steaks) so it was difficult finding two that were similar in size. I like to pan sear my steaks rather than putting them on a grill, so while the cooking times varied because one steak was larger than the other, it did not affect the flavor one bit. 

The steaks were fresh and well trimmed and tasted like any others that I would get from the butcher counter at my local market only at a lower price point. The steaks we chose were $14.99/lb. We purchased two steaks, but ended up getting three servings out of them. In addition to the seared steaks, I made rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes and in lieu of a salad, I set out fresh veggies and dip. A fruit salad served as dessert. It was a perfect Summer meal and it was affordable. I spent just over the $25 limit because I got a little carried away with the fruit but if you think about it- a filet mignon steak dinner for three people under $25 is a great deal! It would be at least three times that at a restaurant. 

I simply seasoned the steaks with salt and pepper and seared them in a super hot pan with a tad of butter until they were medium rare. I don't have a recipe for that, but I am sharing my favorite way to make roasted potatoes. These are delicious, if I say so myself :-)

Rosemary & Garlic Oven Roasted Potatoes from Monica h

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• 2 lbs. new potatoes, rinsed and patted dry
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 3-4 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 tsp. kosher salt
• black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside. If using foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

Cut your potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks. You want them to be all about the same size (quarter the smaller potatoes, cut the larger ones into 8 pieces). Place them in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Once the potatoes are well coated, place them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. 

Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, turning them with a spatula every 10-15 minutes, until uniformly golden and tender. 

GIVEAWAY:  I have one $25 Walmart gift card for one lucky reader to purchase Walmart's USDA Choice Steaks so that you can create your own "Steak BBQ On A Budget". All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me what your ideal steak dinner is. I want details- what kind of steak do you like, how do you like it cooked and what are your favorite sides? 

I'll announce a winner later in the week. Good luck!

You say Potato...

Breakfast potatoes, papas, hash browns or home fries are one of my favorite components of breakfast. But (and this is a big BUT!...ha ha ha, I said big butt!!) they have to be crisp around the edges. But I can't stand ordering potatoes for breakfast in a restaurant and having them soft and squishy. They look great, but the flavor and texture is missing something. That probably explains why I like McDonald's hash browns so much.

Anyway, I think there are certain elements that make up a good breakfast potato. First you start with a fresh potato and they have to be well cooked, crispy around the edges, well seasoned, and not greasy. These potatoes fill the bill and my husband loves them just as much as I do.

Breakfast Potatoes (For 2)

• 1 medium sized Russet potato
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable or Light Olive Oil
• Seasoned Salt (see recipe below)

Preheat non stick skillet on stove top over medium high heat. Put enough oil to coat the pan (about 1-2 tablespoons). Meanwhile peel the potato and wipe it off with a clean paper towel. DO NOT rinse the potato because it absorbs water and takes longer for the potatoes to crisp up. Cut the potatoes into a 1/4 inch dice. They don't have to be perfect, just all similar in size.

Put the potatoes in the pan and coat them evenly with the oil so they don't stick to the pan. Leave them alone for the first couple minutes until the cubes turn a golden brown. Don't toss them too much or the potatoes will cook through without browning and will become soggy. Toss the potatoes around a few times until they're evenly browned on all sides.

When they're completely cooked through and crispy around the edges, sprinkle a little seasoned salt over the potatoes until they're seasoned to your liking. Mix well and eat them while they're still hot. No ketchup needed.

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Seasoned Salt

• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tsp. paprika

Measure and mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. Sprinkle on all your favorite dishes.

Can I Have Some More Please?

I like soup. I like many kinds of soup. My husband does not. It has to snowing before he'll eat soup, which here in Texas doesn't happen very often. He does like chili, but that's a manly dish, potato soup is not. So I had to dress it up to his liking by adding (more) cheese, bacon and chives for a hearty baked potato feel. It was a hit. In fact my husband said (his exact words), "This soup is so good. I'm gonna get some more, want some?"

Cheesy Potato Soup with Toppings

recipe slightly adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

• 7 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 c. potatoes, peeled and shredded
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 c. chopped celery
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 qt. (4 cups) chicken or vegetable broth or water*
• 1 qt. (4 cups) half-n-half
• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Place cubed potatoes, onions, celery and salt in a large pot. Cover potatoes with broth or water (you may need a little more than 4 cups) and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes up to an hour depending on how tender you like your veggies. Place shredded potatoes in a separate pot (just covered with water) and boil til tender.

Once cooked to your liking, put in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree until smooth.

Return to pot then add half-n-half, butter, shredded potatoes, parsley and cheese. Stir and simmer until piping hot, but do not boil. Top with bacon pieces, cheese and chives- yum!

NOTE: If you have an immersion blender, I suggest using it. It's one less thing to clean up and easier than transferring hot veggies from pot to pot.

Also, I used dried parsley because I didn't have fresh and reduced the amount to 2 tbsp.

*The original recipe called for water to boil the potatoes in, but I used chicken broth for more flavor. Use what you have or like.