Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake

Ham, Cheese, Egg, & Potatoes

I was searching for recipes that used ham, cheese, potatoes, and eggs and really couldn't find anything. Some used ham and potatoes, some used ham and eggs; not potatoes and eggs all at once. So, I decided to come up with something myself.

I'll admit that there is probably a recipe similar to this out there, but I couldn't find it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (this is approximate...you could use more or less)
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 2 Egg Whites
• Dash of Milk
• 8 oz. Package of diced ham
• 3-5 Potatoes (diced and cooked...not fully cooked, but just cooked, like for potato salad)

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray an 8x11" baking dish with cooking spray

Building the Dish:

1. Put potatoes in bottom of baking dish
2. Spread ham over top of potatoes
3. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over that.
4. In a separate bowl, scramble together eggs, egg whites, and milk. Add pepper, if desired.
5. Pour evenly over potatoes, cheese, and ham.
6. Top with more cheese.

Baking:

1. Cover top with aluminum foil
2. Bake covered for 30 minutes
3. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes
4. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
5. Slice and enjoy!
6. Makes about 8 servings.

I made this on Sunday, but waited to post the recipe because I wanted to see how well this dish reheated in the microwave. I have to say that it didn't taste any different than it did freshly baked. I heated it for 1 minute and it was heated through and still very tasty!

Improved Quesadillas!

Back in January, I posted Easy Dinner Recipes, which included a recipe for Easy Quesadillas. I'll admit, that they're easy and they're good, but kind of bland. My father-in-law called me a couple of months ago and suggested using my indoor grill to make quesadillas. Around the same time, I found a recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning, which tastes much better than the store-bought stuff. I made chicken quesadillas using the Homemade Taco Seasoning and my indoor gill; what an improvement!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked, boneless, skinless chicken; shredded
• Taco seasoning (homemade or store bought)
• About 1 cup (or so) shredded cheddar cheese (or a Mexican blend)
• 5 large flour tortillas
• Indoor grill
• Garnishments: sour cream and/or taco sauce

Instructions:

Step 1: in a pan, add chicken and taco seasoning and cook according to package directions.

Please excuse my pics, I used my phone again, ARGH!

Then on half of a flour tortilla, add meat and desired amount of cheese:

Fold over, cook on preheated indoor grill for 5 minutes:

Then, using a pizza slicer, cut each into halves or thirds:

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!!

You could always cook up the meat and keep the ingredients in the fridge and have them handy for a quick lunch. You may want to preheat the meat in the microwave, or cook them on the grill for a couple of minutes longer.

Trying It Out-Breakfast Burritos

A friend of mine referred me to a recipe at Southern Plate for Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos. It sounded good, but I was skeptical because I have never had a breakfast burrito...

I tried this recipe yesterday, but made some changes... I was working with what I had on hand.

• 7 large soft taco shells (not as big as burrito)
• 3 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 package turkey bacon (or as Boo calls it, Fake-on)
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Here are some images of my process:

Egg, bacon, mushroom mixture

Then, building the burrito:

And, my finished burritos... I ran out of foil.

Let me say, these things were great! I'm almost tempted to buy whole wheat tortillas to make them even healthier... I'd have to leave the mushrooms out in order to get Bob to eat them.