Breakfast casserole

A Saturday morning favorite and great to freeze the extra and have all week!

You can easily adapt this recipe to the number of servings you need. For my family of 3:

Potatoes ( hash browns, left over potato wedges, tator tots)
3 eggs
A splash of milk
3-4 slices of crumbled bacon
Shredded cheese

-In a greased loaf pan or glass baking dish, layer the potatoes along the bottom. Enough to cover about an inch thick.
-whisk eggs and milk together. Pour over potatoes.
- add crumbled bacon and cheese to the top. You can make this a single layer or layer multiple times.

Bake 10-15 minutes at 350•

Favorite variations: breakfast sausage, black or green olives, cheddar or other flavored cheeses, salsa, corn, scallions, the possibilities are endless.

Individual lasagnas

I've never liked to make lasagna because the process was such a chore and it always turned out soupy. However, I have a short cut that makes it so easy!

-Brown hamburger meat and drain. I season heavily with salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning and cumin.
-In a bowl, combine cooled meat, spaghetti sauce and a few tablespoons of sour cream and set aside.
-Break noodles in half and boil until tender. Drain and cool.
-cut the cooled noodle halves into thirds.
-In a greased muffin tin, layer noodle, meat mixture and mozzarella cheese twice. Top with shredded mozzarella.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins or until bubbling.
-Allow the lasagnas to cool for a few minutes and they will hold together better for serving.

Freeze any left overs for a quick meal.

Cappuccino cupcakes with caramel macchiato cream

Football season always inspires me too cook and bake! I love cupcakes because their so easy and the frosting options are limitless. I started with a cream cheese based vanilla frosting and added two tablespoons of instant cappuccino powder. Add one shot of caramel macchiato creamer. You can also add the cappuccino powder and creamer to the batter if you want to intensify the flavors. With a piping bag, pipe the icing in long swirls. I added a half stick of candy bar and a basil leaf for garnish.

Easy homemade potato chips

Got two potatoes? Got 5 minutes prep time? Spare 15-20 mins cook time? Homemade potato chips are so easy. You do need a mandolin. I found a very inexpensive on with several different attachments at Ross. A mandolin will ensure that all the slices are the same thickness.

On a mandolin, slice 2 large potatoes. Lay slices flat on a greased baking sheet or baking stone. Spray tops with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 mins at 425 degree.

So easy!! Shake it up with any number of seasoning combinations!

Grilled cheese with mozzarella and pesto

A weekend favorite with a sophisticated twist.

•Take your favorite bread and spray the outside of bread with nonstick cooking spray.
•In a blender or food processor, add a handful of fresh basil, salt, garlic and oil olive. Blend well. Spread on both halves of the bread.
•Add shredded mozzarella and sliced tomatoes.
•grill on panini maker, indoor or outdoor grill til cheese is melted. ( this one was made on my outdoor grill)