A tasty, QUICK dinner!

No oven required (Christy). ;)

Seriously, this is one of my new gems. It is great for that night when you don't have time and/or energy to make a huge dinner. AND it tastes fantastic! And it's something you can always keep the ingredients for on hand. And it only takes one pan to prepare, so it's super easy clean-up. Win-win-win-win. Boom baby.

Barbecue Chili with Corn

from Betty Crocker, adapted by Briana

Serves 5-6

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 can (22 oz) Busch Southern Barbecue Pit "Grillin' Beans", undrained
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
• 3/4 can (approx 10 oz) corn, drained (can use frozen corn as well)
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Shredded cheddar cheese

In saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium high heat, until beef is done; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top individual servings with cheese.

And there you have it - awesome dinner ready in about 20 minutes!

(**A couple of notes: don't mess around with/deviate from the specific type of beans and tomatoes called for - they really make the recipe. And don't be afraid of the chili powder - the recipe is spiced, but not spicy (a.k.a. kid friendly).)

(No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake

Here's the last recipe from all my recent breakfast experimenting/searching: (No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake. The good thing about this breakfast bake is that it's a snap to throw together (except it was a little labor intensive for me because I didn't have Southwest Style Hashbrowns around and had to come up with my own version...). I thought it was tasty enough, but Eric absolutely raved about this one. So, I'll let you be the judge. :)

(No Egg) Potato Sausage Bake

from Mr. Breakfast, Adapted by Briana

• 1/2 pkg. Simply Potatoes Southwest Style Hashbrowns
• 1/4 lb. breakfast sausage
• 1/4 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 can biscuits (large, 5 count like Grands)

Crumble and cook sausage in a skillet. Put aside. Cook hashbrowns in skillet with a little olive oil. Combine sausage and hash browns and 1/2 of shredded cheddar in 8x8 baking pan. Pat biscuits out to form a crust on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.

Can be baked immediately or covered and refrigerated to bake the next morning. Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes, or until biscuits are done and cheese is melted.

Tomato, Bacon, Cheese and Bread Breakfast Casserole

In my quest for the perfect Christmas morning breakfast (still haven't found it, by the way), I came across this delicious recipe from Food and Wine. The combination of the herbs, tomatoes, and sourdough bread is pretty incredible. I think this would be the most delightful brunch entree.

Tomato, Bacon, Cheese and Bread Breakfast Casserole

from Food and Wine, Adapted by Briana

Serves 6-8

(picture from Food and Wine)

• 1 lb. bakery white bread, cut into 1" cubes (I used sourdough bread and highly recommend it!)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. sliced applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 28 oz. can whole Italian tomatoes, drained, chopped, and patted dry (that is way too much work - I used Italian style diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 lb. extra sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups **note: I just used cheddar and doubled it)
• 2 TBSP snipped chives (I used fresh green onions)
• 1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• salt
• 8 large eggs, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13" glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the bread is golden and lightly crisp.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve just a smidgen of the fat in the skillet to cook onions in.

3. Add onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.

4.Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives, and broth. Stir until the bread is evenly moistened. Season with salt, to taste. Spread the mixture in the backing dish and cover lightly with foil.

5. Bake the break mixture in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is crispy, about 15 minutes longer. ***Optional: Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a ladle, press 8 indentations into the bread mixture. Crack an egg into each indentation. Carefully return to oven and cook until eggs are done - approximately 10-15 more minutes (egg whites are set, but yolks are still runny). Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. For the non egg lovers in your crowd (like me), you can just leave egg off of part of the casserole. I did ours half and half - eggs on Eric's and Elena's side, non for me.

2. This can be made ahead! (Don't you just love recipes like that?) Prepare through step 4 and refrigerate overnight. Pull it out in the morning and wha-la!