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One of our favorite Sunday breakfasts is a simple scrambled eggs served with refried beans and Mexican chorizo – Add a some orange slices topped with fresh grated cinnamon and you have a meal that satisfies your belly and your mouth!

What you need:

• 8 Eggs
• 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon tequila limon seasoning (lemon pepper will also work)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 can of your favorite refried beans
• 1 package of Mexican chorizo – either pork or beef

How to Do it:

Heat an iron skillet and add the chorizo.  Cook until it is crumbly and slightly dry.  Put it into a strainer and drain off as much of the fat as possible.

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Heat the beans in the same pan as you cooked the chorizo.  Once they are hot, set them aside.

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Add 1 Tablespoon of the chorizo pan back in the pan.  Mix the eggs with the cream and the seasoning.  Cook in the chorizo fat until the eggs are well set.

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Push the eggs aside and put the chorizo and beans back in the pan and heat it all until everything heated through.

Sprinkle cheese and onions on the eggs when you serve them.

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Serve with warm tortillas – Serves 4

There’s nothing like a big steak hot off the grill with fresh, raw beets and mushrooms in butter sauce – after a long day – relaxing on the deck….

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What you need:

• 4 small porterhouse or T-bone steaks
• ½  teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Sea salt

• 1 pound of crimini mushrooms
• 4 Tablespoons of butter
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 2 medium beets
• 1 carrot
• ¼ shredded smoked gouda with bacon
• 3 green onions chopped (white and green part)
• ¾ pound bacon
• 4 Tablespoons bottled raspberry vinaigrette

 

How to Do it:

STEAK

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Mix the pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and rub both sides of all steaks generously.  Set aside.

Make the beet salad, then while it chills, finish the steaks.

Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with a pinch of salt.  Heat the grill to high.

While the grill is heating, cook the mushrooms.

Cook the steaks about 2-3 minutes on each side – or to your desired doneness.

BEET SALAD

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Using a potato peeler, peel the beets and shave them either with the potato peeler or the shave side of a grater.

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Do the same with the carrot.

Cut the bacon into chunks and cook until crispy.

Mix the all the vegetables, bacon, feta and the vinaigrette and set in the refrigerator to chill.

 

MUSHROOMS

Slice the mushrooms into thick slices.  Using about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon fat, add the butter and melt.  Cook the mushrooms until they are soft and warm.  Add the garlic and cook for about 3 more minutes.  Serve over the steak.

 

Serves 4

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I love my crock pot, and I love this soup – I take it for lunch the next day!

Here’s what you need:

• 1 package (just over 1 pound) of Italian sausage – I like the hot!
• ½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth (garlic infused is good)
• 1  15-oz can cannellini beans
• 1  15-oz can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
• 1 Tablespoon each of fresh oregano, basil and parsley
• 5 cups of chopped kale

 

Here’s how to do it:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and cook the onions slightly.

Cut the sausage into bite sized pieces, add to the onions and lightly brown.

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Add all the ingredients into the crock pot, give it a stir and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Add the basil, parsley and oregano about 1/2 hour before serving.

 

Serve hot with warm, toasted, rolls.

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Serves 4

 

 

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Easter Brunch – delicious food with family.   The menu?  Bacon and egg cups, ham wrapped asparagus with mock hollandaise sauce, bunny biscuits and carrot crescents, completed with fresh strawberries and cream!

 

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And here’s how you do it!

Carrot Crescents –

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Using any refrigerator crescent rolls, open the dough out onto a cutting board.  Melt ¼ cup of butter and add food color – 2 drops of red and 1 drop of yellow.  Mix it up well and brush onto both sides of the dough.  ^[31]

Roll the crescents so they are more of a carrot shape than a moon shape.  Bake according to the package instructions.   ^[32]

When the rolls are done, give them one more light brushing with the colored butter.  Add a sprig of flat leaf parsley for the greens – and you have carrot crescents!

 

Bunny Biscuits –

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Using refrigerator dough biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands, jr.).  For every two bunnies, you will need three biscuit rounds.  Cut one round into four slices for the ears.  Brush the whole rounds lightly with butter and stick the ears on, pinching to make sure they are well connected.  You can use just about anything for eyes and nose – olives, raisins, etc.  I used peanuts for the eyes and a very tiny piece of tomato for the nose.

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Bake according to the package directions on a cooking sheet that has been sprayed with oil.  Remove from over, brush with melted butter and let them cool slightly before serving.  Remove them carefully from the cookie sheet.

 

Ham Wrapped Asparagus with Mock Hollandaise Sauce –

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You will need a bunch of asparagus and a package of thin sliced deli ham.  Wrap 3-5 stalks of asparagus with one slice of ham (this will vary depending on the thickness of the asparagus).  Please on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  The ham will begin to be slightly crisp and the asparagus will be tender and bright green.

To make the sauce you need:

• ½ cup of mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons of melted butter
• A pinch of salt and pepper

Mix it all well and warm it slightly before serving.

 

Baked Bacon and Egg Cups –

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For each cup you will need one slice of bacon, one egg and 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar (or other cheese).

Wrap the bacon around the edges of a muffin tin cup and fold the end down to form a bottom.  ^[37]

Place small glasses (must be glass or metal) into the center.  Shot glasses work great!   This will help the bacon hold the shape of a cup as it cooks and shrinks.

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After about 15 – 20 minutes the bacon will start to be crisp around the edges.  Remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Pour off the grease that has formed in the bottom of the cups, being careful not to dump the bacon.

Into each cup, crack the egg and gently drop into the hole.  Top with the cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  ^[39]

Keep a watch on them.  You want them to be soft, but not runny.  If your oven doesn’t heat evenly, you may get some that are under-done while others are over-done.  You can remove the ones that get done early and replace the others to finish.

To remove the muffin tin, gently run a butter knife around the edges until the bacon turns.  Using a small spoon, scoop them out onto the plate.

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Strawberries and Cream –   ^[41]

 

Ah, who doesn’t love fresh strawberries and cream?  I like to use sweetened sour cream to dip my berries.  Use ½ cup sour cream and 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar.  Mix well!  If you like is more or less sweet, adjust the sugar to your own taste.   ^[42]

 

And top this brunch off with fresh squeezed orange juice mimosas!

NOW – you are ready for the Easter egg hunts!

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